The Lorwyn Planeswalkers are extremely difficult to evaluate. Sure, they appear to be stupid in Limited… but how will their revolutionary new mechanics fare in the world of 60-card Magic? Will we have to rethink our strategies completely, or are they merely fuel for Tarmogoyfs? Adrian Sullivan attempts to guide us through the theoretical quagmire, breaking down the Planeswalkers into more manageable chunks…
Finally, Lorwyn is here! States is coming, and eyes are turning to the New Standard. Today’s Innovations sees Patrick Chapin take a look at two of the more hyped strategies in the format: Green/White Aggro with Gaddock Teeg, and a Standard update of the U/B Teachings archetype from Time Spiral Block Constructed. If you’re looking for an edge in the coming Standard metagame, this is the article for you!
Lorwyn is coming, and it’s full of prime, juicy Elves. Our resident Red guru, Dan Paskins, takes us through a list of some of the more irritating little pointy-eared idiots, and shares his thoughts on how to dispatch them. He also brings us a couple of new aggressive decks for the upcoming Standard format, and rolls out an interesting Red Deck for Extended.
When folks start talking aggro, especially in Standard or Block, talk soon turns to White Weenie. With the Kithkin tribe looking particularly strong in Lorwyn, today’s Peebles Primers takes a look at two possible directions for the little White men. Benjamin brings us two decklists using the new goodies from Lorwyn — an all-White beatdown machine, and a Green/White build featuring man of the moment Gaddock Teeg. Warning: Contains Spoilers.
After a blunder with the topic of today’s Sullivan Library, Adrian turned to Patrick Chapin for help. Ever the scholar, The Innovator delivered in spades. He presented Adrian with a list of 25 of the most exciting Constructed cards from the Lorwyn spoiler, and told Adrian to examine them. This article, packed with fresh ideas, is the result… and if I have to tell you, be warned: this contains spoilers.
I think it was Craig “Lightning Helix” Jones who commented on all the quality burn spells in the current format. There are so many good ones that if you throw them all in a deck you can just win randomly, because all your burn gains synergy with all your other burn. This deck is very similar, because there are so many cards that produce several creatures that it makes all of your opponents’ spells less efficient.
If you read Magic strategy sites on the Internet, chances are you already know that Lorwyn is spreading several tribal themes across different colors: Giants are in White and Red, Merfolk are in Blue and White, Goblins are in Red and Black, and so on. As for Green, the list of tribes that they share obviously includes Elves, as well as Treefolk. … Treefolk? Warning: Contains Spoilers.
I write about budget decks. I tell those without unlimited Magic funds to make sure that the first thing that they do when each new set comes out is to get four copies of each common and uncommon. Since we know the schedule of sets’ releases, we should be able to budget for that purchase by putting aside five or so bucks a week. Some players, though, don’t have any money for anything beyond that. Not even enough to get four Heartwood Storytellers or four Stalking Vengeances. Why do I ignore those folks?
At the prerelease, I would be shocked if someone didn’t try to play Garruk, add a counter, play a two-drop, and activate the Overrun ability all in the same turn. Or, alternatively, someone will try to make three Beasts in one turn. Or perhaps someone will try to make a Beast during an opponent’s attack step. Of course, it doesn’t work in any of those ways; you can only use one of the loyalty abilities each turn, you can only use it once, and you can only do it at sorcery speed.
Rizzo does it again! Today’s Feature Article sees J to the F to the R in fine hyperbolic form, kicking ass and taking names through three tournaments with his usual panache and style. As always, his article is full of decklists, frolics, and life… and should not be attempted by anyone with a weak heart. 13000 words of pure love, from the guy who came fifth in the Storyteller ballot!
I finally got out of the house on a Saturday and played actual, honest-to-goodness tournament Magic against real human beings who sat across from, beside, and diagonal to me. I wanted to commemorate this occasion with a tournament report worthy of our own Jamie Wakefield, King of the Fatties, Conqueror of Beautiful Women from Exotic Places and Exotic Women from Beautiful Places, Tournament Report Writer Extraordinaire. I will probably fail, but at least I’ll have tried.
The results from the German and Japanese National Championships are in… and it appears that Black/Green Rack is the current deck to beat. It won the whole thing in Japan, placed in the final in Germany, and propelled others to multiple Top 8 berths. Benjamin Peebles-Mundy looks at the development of the deck from Regionals to Nationals success, and gives us a handy strategic guide for toppling other key players in today’s Standard metagame.
He’s been supplying excellent Feature Articles week in and week out for quite some time now… and today, he debuts his weekly column (in place of the study-bound Prof). Adrian Sullivan is one of the finest deckbuilders and theorists in the game, and this week he takes a look at the coming Standard rotation. With Lorwyn still a foreign country, what preparation can we make for the sad departure of Ravnica?
He placed third in the Storyteller Ballot for this year’s Invitational, but he was the choice of many a pro player. His stories are, if you believe all you read, a work of genius. He’s fun, frivolous, and fiery… and he plays a mean game of Magic to boot. Gerard’s debut article takes us through his personal 5-2 performance at in the Standard portion of this year’s U.S. Nationals. Welcome aboard Gerard!
[Editor’s Note: This article was a little late on Friday, so we’re running it again today in case you missed it.]
Mike’s Flores Friday takes us through his preparations thus far for States… yeah, that’s right: STATES. He shares two Standard decklists pulled deep from his well of creativity, both without a Ravnica card to their name, and walks us through some sample games. How does he fare? Well, the second offering is christened “Unbeatable.dec,” so you figure it out…
