Friday, July 31st – At Brazilian Nationals, Paulo Vitor Damo da Rosa went on an incredible tear with his Faeries deck, finishing top of the swiss in style. As part of an excellent Brazilian National team, he promises to give the other nations a run for their money. This is his story…
Friday, July 31st – I’ve decided to power down my critique of the current Standard for the duration, even while some of the bigger names in Magic analysis seem to be coming ‘round to my way of thinking. Yes, I still think it sucks, but since I’m not going to be competing in any big tournaments with anything large on the line, why let it bother me?
Friday, July 31st – I almost took a bet to replace the singleton Liliana in the sideboard with a singleton Balefire Liege, just in case I made Top 8. I didn’t cast her a single time in the swiss, and I lost the only game where it was cast in the Top 8, so I missed out on $20 and a story. Luckily, I’m still in the middle of this other story…
Friday, July 31st – Five-Color Control, the all new elephant in the room, has so many iterations that it’s difficult to keep up. Today’s Positive EV sees Manuel Bucher examine three powerful Five-Color lists, with a view to investigate the matchups in which each build shines. The metagame is shifting… which way will you lean?
Thursday, July 30th – After a great 4-0 start at this year’s U.S. Nationals, the wheels fell of Brian’s wagon some time into Day 2 play. While a lot of players would simply throw up their hands and blame their luck, Brian is more reflective. He shares a series of his own mistakes, and advises on how we can avoid making such errors ourselves.
Thursday, July 30th – At U.S. Nationals, Cedric played Kithkin. Unfortunately, the metagame wasn’t ripe for the little White men, and Ced couldn’t manage a run at the final table. Today, he takes us through his personal highs and lows from KC, sharing match recaps and fun stories galore!
Wednesday, July 29th – This week, we’re delving into Conventions. Now, when I say Conventions, I of course include typical conventions, like GenCon, New York Comic Con, Origins, Wizards World Chicago, and DragonCon. However, we’re also going to include most Pro Tour and Grand Prix tournaments as well. Basically, any sufficiently large gathering of game-playing folk with a schedule and large events qualifies for our purposes.
Wednesday, July 29th – For weeks leading up to Nationals, the deck I had been advocating was Merfolk. It had great matchups against most of the popular decks, and stayed extremely under the radar. I had given the deck to a handful of friends to play, but the rise of elves scared a lot of people off. However, with the format as it is after U.S. Nationals, I feel like Merfolk is still the deck to play right now.
Wednesday, July 29th – Kyle Sanchez set off for Nationals with grinders in mind and rogue decks in his pocket. Unfortunately, his dreams didn’t come true this time around. Today he shares his secret tech, and discusses what it means to dedicate your life to our favorite game…
Wednesday, July 29th – In today’s edition of Black Magic, Sam reflects on his deck choice and performance at last weekend’s U.S. Nationals. While a 10th place finish is hardly shabby, he knows that an extra push could have taken him all the way. He also interrogates Top 4 competitor Brad Nelson over his performance, and discusses the shape of the emerging metagame.
Tuesday, July 28th – In the past seven days, The Starkington Post (Bill Stark’s daily Magic blog) has brought us talk from a number of Nationals tournaments, videos of Japanese Legacy, and fun times with Catch Phrase.
Tuesday, July 27th – This week, Dave waxes reminiscent of his past, remembering the fine military people that he met overseas.
Tuesday, July 28th – A few weeks ago, established rogue deck designer Aaron Nicastri rocked into the Top 8 of Australian Nationals with an innovative list developed by his friends. Today, he explains the genesis of the deck, and takes us through the matchups and sideboard plans. Could it be the deck to take your next Standard tournament by storm?
Tuesday, July 28th – Adrian Sullivan’s Nationals was a mixed bag of highs and lows. After a sterling performance that qualified him via Grinders, the wheels fell off early on in the tournament proper. Of course, with the Top 8 containing the full complement of 32 Great Sable Stags, Adrian has plenty to say about the metagame…
Monday, July 27th – Patrick Chapin, a pioneer of Five-Color Control, sauntered into U.S. Nationals with a pocket full of Reflecting Pools. However, his best-laid plans did not bear fruit, and other Five-Color decks rose to the challenge. Today sees Patrick discuss the metagame, and he offers direction as to where it could head next…
