TagStandard

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.

Innovations – The Decks I Recommend for Regionals 2009

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Monday, May 11th – Regionals is coming, and the prudent player needs to prepare. Today’s Innovations brings us what everyone wants: the decks that Patrick Chapin would play at this year’s competition. He investigates his favorite strategies, including his latest adaptation of Five-Color. Enjoy!

You Lika The Juice? – Back… to the Future!

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Friday, May 8th – Today, I’ll share with you some of the new deck ideas I’ve been kicking around. Maybe with some feedback from you in the forums we could whip some of these into fighting shape. Regionals is just a week away, and let’s not forget that StarCityGames.com is having a double-shot PTQ weekend right here in Richmond, starting tomorrow.

Magical Hack – Good Intentions, Bad Technology

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Friday, May 8th – The road to Hell, they say, is paved with good intentions. The road to Regionals, however, is paved with good intentions and bad technology. With the release of Alara Reborn just last week and firmly shaking up the Standard metagame, you’ll see a lot of good decks mixed in with the bad…

The Magic Show #142 – Alara Reborn Standard Incoming!

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Friday, May 8th – Hello everybody, and welcome to another edition of the Magic Show. This week we’re going to be delving into Alara Reborn Standard. The pundits have spoken, our first PTQ results are here, and it’s time to delve into Alara Reborn’s hidden gems. Let’s go! [ Due to unforeseen circumstances, there’s no video content this week. Instead, Evan has written a normal text-only article. Normal business will be resumed next time out. – Craig]

Down And Dirty – Standard Reborn: My Regionals Gauntlet

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Friday, May 8th – With Regionals just around the corner, and Alara reborn in the Standard Mix, not to mention a host of PTQ opportunities on the horizon including this weekend’s double-header at StarCityGames.com HQ, Kyle Sanchez brings us his personal take on the Regionals Gauntlet. With a host of familiar and unfamiliar lists, make sure you’re prepared for your next Standard outing!

Deep Analysis – Pursuing the Best Windbrisk Heights Deck

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Thursday, May 7th – In the new Standard format, there are a number of cards that define our approach to deckbuilding. One of the strongest is Windbrisk Heights, and today’s Deep Analysis sees Richard Feldman searching for the ideal strategy to exploit the free spells it offers. If you’re looking for a fresh perspective on the blossoming metagame, this is the article for you.

PV’s Playhouse – Standard Faeries with Alara Reborn

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Thursday, May 7th – Faeries, the loved and loathed Standard deck that revolves around Bitterblossom, has been on the chopping block for wuite some time. Volcanic Fallout was supposed to kill it, but it simply wasn’t enough. Does Alara Reborn offer solace to those battling with, and against, the Black/Blue Menace? Paulo reveals all!

Tribal Thriftiness #67 – Bituminous

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Tuesday, May 5th – Dave purposefully skipped what he thinks is the most powerful of the Cascade spells in last week’s installment – with the intent of filling an entire column with coal-flavored Cascade goodness.

Sullivan Library – Ten Years Later (and Two Decks for Standard)

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Tuesday, May 5th – Ten years ago, Adrian Sullivan made an epic road trip with Magic luminaries Patrick Chapin and Nate Heiss. The countless stories that grew from this trip helped form Adrian into the player and deckbuilder he is today, and this reflective article looks back at the halcyon days of Magic strategy development. For those of you who are looking for something a little more concrete, Adrian shares two decklists for the new Standard…