TagStandard

Deconstructing Constructed – Conflux and its Applications for Standard

Richmond, Virginia hosts the first StarCityGames.com $5,000 Standard Open of 2009!
Tuesday, January 27th – Taking a break from Extended for the week while the results from Grand Prix: LA settle and the metagame adjusts, I’ll be looking at the exciting follow-up to Shards of Alara, Conflux, and its potential applications for the Standard metagame. Personally, I think this set is a big bust for any non-Standard format, but it absolutely reshapes the landscape of the current Standard metagame with a variety of hosers, unique playables, and niche cards that could power up unutilized archetypes. Warning: Contains Spoilers.

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Luck Skill Victory – Black/Red Blighting With Conflux

Richmond, Virginia hosts the first StarCityGames.com $5,000 Standard Open of 2009!
Tuesday, January 27th – Conflux is coming, and all eyes are on Extended. Of course, there are other formats to consider… and LSV is here to feed the fire of the Standard fans out there! In today’s Luck Skill Victory, the Level 8 mage updates the popular Black/Red Blightning deck with some fresh cardboard from the new set…

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You Lika The Juice? – Drinking the Thousand-Year Kool-Aid

Read Bennie Smith every week... at StarCityGames.com!
Thursday, January 22nd – This week has been a rollercoaster ride. First, we swore in a new president. The next day, the company I work for let go a small but significant number of employees; friends and colleagues who are now out looking for work in these terrible economic times. It makes me thankful for all the blessings life’s given me… including the escapism and joy that Magic brings. So let’s get on with it, eh?

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Tribal Thriftiness #55: Welcome… to Domain Event!

Read Dave Meeson every week... at StarCityGames.com!
Tuesday, January 13th – Conflux spoilers are starting to appear online, and Dave can’t help himself – he just keeps looking at them. While none of the cards discussed inside are going to break the bank, they might just help you become Master of your Domain. [Warning: Contains Spoilers.]

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Drafting With LSV – Shards of Alara #16

Draft with Luis Scott-Vargas every day... At StaCityGames.com!
Monday, January 12th – Luis Scott-Vargas continues his daily Draft series, sharing each pick from a draft in the Magic Online 8-4 queue. He talks us through the difficult decisions in the forums… do you agree with his choices?

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Sullivan Library – Updating the Boat Brew

Read Adrian Sullivan every week... at StarCityGames.com!
Thursday, January 8th – Red/White Reveillark, christened “Boat Brew,” has been a strong yet underappreciated Standard option for a few months now. With metagames shifting every week, Adrian Sullivan updates his build to reflect the dynamic nature of the format. Sharing extensive card evaluations and strategic tips, he states his case for, in his opinion, the current Best Deck in Standard.

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Luck Skill Victory – Two-Headed Matchup Article 2: Faeries versus White/Black Tokens

Read Luis Scott-Vargas every week... at StarCityGames.com!
Wednesday, December 31st – As I mentioned above, today we have Luis Scott-Vargas and Gerry Thompson battling it out in the top tier of the Standard metagame. LSV takes to the skies with the de facto best deck in the format, while GerryT pumps out a swarm of Black and White token creatures. How does the matchup feel from the Faerie perspective? Read on to find out!

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One Step Ahead – Two-Headed Matchup Article 1: White/Black Tokens versus Faeries

Read Gerry Thompson every week... at StarCityGames.com!
Wednesday, December 31st – Today, we have a Standard treat. Luis Scott-Vargas and Gerry Thompson, both respected Constructed minds, go head-to-head to examine the White/Black Tokens versus Faeries matchup. Gerry handles the matches from a Token perspective, while LSV pilots the fiery Fae. Enjoy!

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Down And Dirty – The Best Deck in Standard?

Read Kyle Sanchez every week... at StarCityGames.com!
Tuesday, December 30th – Kyle Sanchez, never one to mince his words, believes he has found the best deck in Standard. No, it’s not Faeries. No, it’s not White-Black Control, or Red/White Junk. It builds on a popular strategy, and Kyle believes it beats almost everything he throws against it. He brings us the decklist and sideboard plans for the major matchups in the format. Intrigued? Then read on!

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Chatter of the Squirrel – They Were Right And I Was Wrong: An Exploration of Five-Color Control

Read Zac Hill every week... at StarCityGames.com!
Wednesday, December 24th – The Patrick Chapin/Manuel Bucher Standard list that several people ran to several solid finishes at Worlds is one of the most perfectly-tuned decks in history, one of the single most unfair-feeling and is-everyone-else-really-playing-the-same-format-as-me-seeming machines I have ever touched…

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Tribal Thriftiness #52 – Shards Has A Lot of Dollar Rares

Read Dave Meeson every week... at StarCityGames.com!
Tuesday, December 23rd – While doing the research for last week’s article, Dave was stunned (stunned!) by the number of Shards rares that were just lingering around in the dollar bin. This week, he picks up a couple to run with.

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Feature Article – White Weenie in the Post-Worlds Standard Metagame

Read Feature Articles every week... at StarCityGames.com!
Friday, December 19th – Marijn Lybaert rocked into Day 3 of Worlds in sixth place. An Extended record of 3-2-1 or above would have pushed him into Top 8 play, but it was not to be. Today, he brings us his White Weenie Standard deck, with which he posted a 5-1 record. He also shares a few tips on triple Shards of Alara draft…

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Magical Hack – One Day At Worlds

Read Sean McKeown every week... at StarCityGames.com!
Tuesday, December 16th – As I’m writing this, we’ve seen one day of play at Worlds, perhaps the most interesting day for those who like to follow Standard for Friday Night Magic and other local tournaments. We certainly expect the third day of play, focusing on Extended, to have a metagame-shaping impact… either it’ll prove that Elves are at an acceptable power level in the current Extended metagame, or Wizards will break some Elf kneecaps until they do.

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One Step Ahead – White/Black Tokens in Standard

Read Gerry Thompson every week... at StarCityGames.com!
Tuesday, December 16th – Newly-promoted Level 6 mage Gerry Thompson stepped away from Five-Color Control for Worlds in order to bust heads with the popular White/Black Token Standard deck. He came away from Day 1 with a solid 5-1 record. Today, he takes us through the deck he played, the build he’d run today, and the sideboarding plans he’d implement for the major players in the field…

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Innovations – Another Anatomy of a Control Deck

Read Patrick Chapin every week... at StarCityGames.com!
Tuesday, December 16th – After a sterling start and a 5-1 Standard performance, the wheels fell off Patrick’s Worlds wagon when the field took up the forty-card decks. Today, Patrick brings us the deck he played to 5-1, a Cruel Control build developed by himself, Manuel Bucher, Guillaume Wafo-Tapa, and the Ruels…

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