Wednesday, April 16th – It seems that the current Standard metagame is caught in a rut. Faeries, Elves, Red Green Big Mana… as usual, we’re in the need of some fresh meat. Luis Scott-Vargas is here to help! He looks at some of the more exciting cards available from Shadowmoor, and considers how the major players may adapt come the new release.
Tuesday, April 15th – For many of us the next big tournament will be a combination of City Champs and/or Regionals, and while it’s true that Shadowmoor’s imminent release will no doubt shake up Standard as we know it, today we’re going to look at a few of the top decks in Standard as they are right now, where they win, where they lose, and what they might benefit from in Shadowmoor. Buckle in…
Tuesday, April 15th – With the re-emergence of a certain Black sorcery into the Standard arena, a far few players are hoping that hardy perennial Mono-Black Control will return to the metagame as a timely response to the tribal creature builds that plague Constructed. Today, Tom LaPille talks with Grand Prix: Vancouver Top 4 competitor Zack Hall, and together they flesh out the Mono-Black idea…
Monday, April 14th – Shadowmoor is coming, and the world is readying itself for the New Cards. Over on
MagictheGathering.com, official previews have littered the sight for a number of days. Today, Mike looks at each of them and
examines how they might fit into Constructed. If you’re looking for those sleeper hits before they come alive, look no further!
Thursday, April 10th – Anyone who watches the news knows that the market is a fickle beast – rising and falling at the whims of buyers and sellers. So, too, is the singles market, where cards can rise or fall in price as new decks become popular and old ones lose their shine. So what’s new in the dollar bin?
Thursday, April 10th – Land Destruction… insidious resource denial that’s alienated players since the initial printing of Stone Rain. Today’s Sullivan Library looks at the classic Ponza-style LD route, and brings it up to date with an all-new sheen and polish! Including some of the funkier Shadowmoor cards, does LD finally have a chance to shine again?
Thursday, April 10th – In this week’s illuminating Deep Analysis, Richard Feldman continues his exploration of deck design. He finally takes mammoth strides toward improving the tricky Red matchup, and his changes to both the board and maindeck are backed with comprehensive testing results. He’s even settled on a name for his creation…
Wednesday, April 9th – Recently, we at StarCityGames.com held another of our popular Standard Open tournaments, and it was a great success. However, the heralded “best deck in the metagame,†U/B Faeries, did not manage to crack the Top 2 table. Today’s Peebles Primers sees BPM examine both decklists from the final table, with an eye on preparing for City Champs…
Wednesday, April 9th – With Faeires still the biggest kid in the playground, it may seem that Red Green Big Mana has had its day in the sun, despite the proliferation of Blasts and Threshers. Today, Luis Scott-Vargas outlines some of the ways in which G/R can topple the Faerie menace, and looks ahead to some of the cards Shadowmoor has to offer the archetype. Warning: contains spoilers.
Tuesday, April 8th – Today I’ll be covering one of the big gainers in the current metagame, U/R Snow Control. Most of you probably remember the Mono-Red Chandra snow control decks that rose in popularity around States last year. This deck is effectively an update of the old formula…
Monday, April 7th – In the forums for last Week’s Innovations, a dissenter asked Patrick Chapin to return to his innovative roots. Let’s face it, Patrick hasn’t broken the format for a few weeks now… it’s time he stepped back up to the plate. Using extensive Shadowmoor spoilers, he may well have done exactly that…
Friday, April 4th – Standard is still proving a tricky nut to crack. Of course, that doesn’t stop Mike trying! Today he updates us on his exciting Mishra strategy, shares his thoughts on a powerful anti-aggro way to wield Bitterblossom, and throws his hat into the Constructed Warrior arena…
Thursday, April 3rd – Hybrid mana? Untapping as a cost? Color-dependent creatures? Shadowmoor is kicking off its previews this week, and Dave can’t think of anything else but digging in and seeing what’s already been spoiled.
Thursday, April 3rd – Earlier this week, Patrick “The Innovator†Chapin brought us a fresh set of five decks for Standard. Today it’s the turn of Kyle Sanchez, and he doesn’t disappoint. He trawls through five more innovative decks for Standard, including a Mono-Green combo deck that deserves further investigation. Intrigued? Then read on!
Thursday, April 3rd – Tournaments come and tournaments go, but one thing always remains the same: we never have enough time to fully prepare. Today’s Deep Analysis sees Richard Feldman explore some of the techniques employed to help manage our time wisely. By using and developing his U/G strategy from last week, he shows us deck design in action.
