Adrian Sullivan, deckbuilding guru, takes a look at three of the winning Regionals decklists, and examines their particular strengths in the emerging metagame. He looks at the theory behind certain card choices, and offers what he considers to be beneficial changes to the seventy-five select. The Standard metagame is in a state of constant flux — With the help of Adrian, the choices become a little more straightforward.
I played at Northern Regionals. I took my modification of Josh Silvestri’s rework of Evan Erwin’s Glittering Control deck. My highlights included a turn 3 kill. The lowlights included a couple play errors that cost me Top 8. I’ve also included the Top 8 decklists, and a breakdown of all the Regionals Top 8 decks across the U.S. and the world. Enjoy.
In the wake of Regionals we will be/have already been bombarded by “the best” builds of all the well-known archetypes, and we’re seeing The New Face of Standard’s Tier 1 decks galore. What I’d like to do here is shine the spotlight on some decks that traveled off the beaten path, anything from an interesting variant on to a totally new creation, that performed well enough to make Top 8 and earn a spot on MagictheGathering.com, if not an invite to Nationals.
After two long weeks of Future Sight Limited heartbreak, I’m back on the trail of the elusive Standard Metagame. Reports of the demise of Dragonstorm are greatly exaggerated… or are they? Plus, some new takes on the old Aggro favorites. And a Top 8 deck that… well, I saw a peanut stand, I saw a rubber band, I saw a needle that winked its eye… but I think I’ve seen about everything, now I’ve seen a turn 1 Fly(ing Men).
Last weekend, I had the honor of watching South Texas’s finest compete in Regionals. Sadly, none of the finest made Top 8, and when the dust settled we were left with a new crop of Texas champions. While I was judging, one deck in particular caught my eye: a Mono-Blue Snow deck, featuring a ton of permission spells backed up with Teferi, and Aeon Chronicler as the kill condition.
Billy Moreno, one of the candidates for Resident Genius 2007, brings us the ideas and strategies behind a funky new Standard deck designed for Regionals. It’s a storm deck that runs five colors, and is capable of a number of ridiculous nut draws. BDM himself ran it at his Regionals, and it’s great fun to play. If you’re looking for something that’s both fun and competitive to play at your next Standard event, look no further!
Mike Flores rocked up to Regionals with yet another powerful deck of his own design, this time admirably aided by a host of innovative others. As usual, he marched his way to the top tables, making Top 8 with relative ease. And, as usual, he punted at the final hurdle. Today’s Flores Friday sees Mike take us through the design and theory behind the deck, and gives us a blow-by-blow of the tournament itself.
Hello everybody, and welcome to another edition of the Magic Show. This week we’re going to talk about how I fared at Regionals, the list I brought, and how the metagame shaped up.
Picking the right deck for a tournament is essentially a matter of tactics, and as such can be analyzed carefully to determine what the most effective tactic might be, based upon a set of criteria. Let us leave any impenetrable analogies behind us, and pick up an easily-understood analogy that is quite fitting: military warfare.
With Tarmogoyf fast becoming the Chosen One in the world of aggressive burn-backed beatdown, Craig “The Professor” Jones takes time off his exhaustive and analytical Block Constructed test schedule to bring us the skinny on the true face of modern Aggro — Big Gargs. In a world where two-mana 5/6s and one-mana 9/7s rule the battlefield, Prof brings us a map to safety. Intrigued? Then read on!
Benjamin Peebles-Mundy rocked up to his Regionals tournament with a wholly unusual Dredge deck. Inspired by the strangest of Japanese tech, it offers a more robust engine and combo kill, plus the opportunity to radically alter your game plan should the need arise. In the weeks leading to Regionals, this deck never lost a match on Magic Online. Is this the true Dredge deck we’ve all been waiting for? Read on to find out!
Last week, in his Road to Regionals article, Patrick “The Innovator” Chapin brought us his exciting B/U/R Korlash deck, primed and ready for a Regionals showdown. This week, Patrick puts his money where his mouth is and takes us through the ups and downs of his local Regionals tournament, in which he placed first after the Swiss, and qualified for Nationals. Game breakdowns, key plays, and deck changes… it’s all here!
In today’s edition of You Lika The Juice, Bennie takes us through his Regionals experience. While he didn’t win the event, he had a grand old time gaining infinite life. He also brings us his take on the Dredge strategy, and throws out some entertaining stories to boot.
Let me tell you a little story. It is a story about how much I love playing Magic. It is a story about receiving good cards from good friends and good decks from good players. It is a story about how well-prepared I was for Regionals, and how right I was in last week’s article. It’s a story about matches in which Daybreak Coronet and Basal Sliver were played by my opponents…
This week, Chris stirs up a delectable fishy stew from a myriad of ingredients. He talks about the lost art of sideboarding — and begs for help in this area — before moving to balmier climes and making fun of people chatting on Magic Online. He then compares Edge of Autumn to Rampant Growth, before finishing up with a little Bad Rare Blasphemy. Verily, this article has everything!
