TagStandard

The Long & Winding Road – Regionals Wreckage

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Monday, May 18th – You know that feeling you get when you know you’re making a mistake, but you feel helpless to stop yourself? For example, have you ever been at the bar and known that this drink, the one you have in your hands, is the one that’s going to push you over the limit? That was how I lost two matches at Regionals.

Innovations – Five-Color Blood in Regionals, and Decks I Dislike

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Monday, May 18th – Regionals have come and gone, and results should be rolling in soon. Today’s Innovations sees Patrick Chapin discuss Five-Color Blood and its place in the evolving metagame, before moving on to an illuminating breakdown of the decks that Patrick doesn’t believe can cut the mustard in modern Standard…

You Lika the Juice? – Surprise… It’s Regionals Already!

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Friday, May 15th – Last week I wrote about a couple of decks, and I pretty much had settled on two for the PTQ weekend, one of which was the Black/Green “Neo-Elves” Rock deck. The other deck was a Cascade deck…

Magical Hack – Hacking Regionals 2009

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Friday, May 15th – Previous analysis for the Conflux Standard format showed that Cedric Phillips’ Red/White Kithkin deck was pretty much awesome, and one of the highest-competing decks in the format by the numbers. Success rates were dramatic for the few people who chose to play the deck at Pro Tour: Kyoto. But with the change of the format to include Alara Reborn, I asked a very simple question: what happens if we cut the Red for Black, and play Zealous Persecution?

The Magic Show #142a – Your 2009 Regionals Metagame

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Friday, May 15th – Hello everybody, and welcome to another edition of the Magic Show. This week we’re back, and we’re just twenty-four hours from one of the biggest tournaments of the year: Regionals. This week we’re going to look at what everyone else is playing, what you should be playing, and what I’m wielding in this wacky, wild and token-filled metagame. Let’s go!

Feature Article – Combo Elves in Standard

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Friday, May 15th – In 2007, Uri Peleg and his Doran-led army took down Patrick Chapin in the final match of the World Championships. With Standard on everyone’s mind, the ex World Champion brings us an intriguing deck that attacks the format on an under-utilized front. Everyone knows that Combo Elves kicks butt in Extended… Can it do the same at Regionals?

Flow of Ideas – Preparing For Regionals 2009

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Thursday, May 14th – It’s the week of Regionals and everyone is scouring about for the latest in technology. Alara Reborn is being added into the mix, and it’s making quite an impact. What’s easy to forget is how much information is out there about the format.

Feature Article – More Input: 2 Days, 318 Deck Lists, 1 Answer

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Wednesday, May 13th – If there is one lesson that this past weekend’s dual PTQ in Richmond has for those of us attending the upcoming Regionals, it is that you have two choices: Beat Black/White Tokens, or Play Black/White Tokens. Today, I take a look at the statistics that resulted from the entire weekend, and come up with a comprehensive metagame plan for the coming Regionals tournaments… Enjoy!

MTGCast #154 – M10, New Duel Decks, and

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Wednesday, May 13th – In this week’s edition of MTGCast, there’s talk of M10, rumor mills, Duel Decks, and more!

At The Gathering – Trial and Error

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Wednesday, May 13th – This past weekend, I had a chance to play in a Grand Prix Trial for Seattle. I was all set to shuffle up a new Faeries build as of Wednesday, but further testing showed all I did was weaken my manabase and still lose to Volcanic Fallout too much. So, this week, I’m going to give you a quick rundown of my games and show you some glaring mistakes.

Down And Dirty – Standard Reborn: My Regionals Choices

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Wednesday, May 13th – Regionals approaches, and you can bet Kyle Sanchez has a few fresh and funky lists up his jumper. In preparation for this coming weekend, and by extension Grand Prix: Seattle, Kyle shares a selection of cool Standard decklists that overflow with rogue potential. If you’re looking for something off the beaten track, this is the article for you!

Tribal Thriftiness #68 – Regionals Re-Thriftified

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Tuesday, May 12th – Dave takes a look at some deck options for the upcoming Regionals that play nice with your pocketbook. If you have a pocketbook, that is.

Sullivan Library – Why Midrange Rules Today’s Standard

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Tuesday, May 12th – With decks like Boat Brew, Jund Ramp, and most prominently Black/White Tokens kicking up a mighty stink in Standard, Adrian Sullivan investigates exactly why the Midrange strategy is doing so well in the current metagame. He also answers the complaint that the Midrange archetype is unfocussed and fatally flawed…

Black Magic – The Importance of Planning Ahead

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Tuesday, May 12th – In today’s edition of Black Magic, Sam Black examines the necessity to plan ahead if you want to make the most of your Magic matches. He touches on both Limited and Constructed, supplying play examples and tips on both drafting to your strengths and sideboarding. Sam also brings us a bonus section on Regionals to help us cement our deck choice before the big day…

The Long & Winding Road – The Philly Open 3

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Monday, May 11th – The Philly Open 3 is in the books, and it was another awesome event. In addition to a Standard event with nearly 80 players, there was also a Vintage event with nearly 60 players battling for a Mox Sapphire for first and a Mox Emerald for second. I’m going to recap the top 8 of both events, starting with Standard as that is most relevant for the majority of players.