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!
Richard Feldman delivers quality, thought-provoking strategy articles, week-in week-out. Today’s offering is no exception. He breaks down the popular Midrange archetype into two distinct categories, and examines why they are so popular, and why they can be so powerful. If you’re a fan of Midrange decks, or if you simply want to know how to beat them, then this article is unmissable.
Kyle spent this past weekend judging at the Texas Regionals tournament, and in this, his first in a weekly series over on the free side of the site, he brings us the lowdown on the Top 8 decklists. He also shares Cedric Phillips’s winning build of Solar Flare, and brings us a huge dose of the usual Sanchez mayhem!
It’s the Friday before Regionals, and Mike Flores reveals the deck with which he’ll be battling in the weekend trenches. So, what’ll it be? Go-sis? Blue/White? Hell, something with Nessian Courser (this season’s Critical Mass)? Nope, is none of those… Alongside his starting seventy-five, Mike shares an intriguing concept: Vector Magic. As for his Regionals deck… well, you’ll have to read on to find out!
Hello everybody, and welcome to another edition of the Magic Show. I’m your host, Evan Erwin. Today we’re going to talk about the myriad of deck choices available to you and I this Regionals season. Ready to take a stroll through DeckMart and proceed with purchase? Right this way…
Regionals is always an interesting challenge, as the role of the savvy player or designer is to accurately estimate the upcoming metagame and position themselves either to dodge the brunt of the incoming attack or to pick at the weak flank that is left revealed with a surprise assault. This is the distilled essence of everything fellow Friday writer Mike Flores believes in, when it comes to picking a deck for a tournament, saving you several thousand words to bring the essential lesson: know your enemy, so that you may better defeat them.
For his final step on the Road to Regionals, Craig “The Professor” Jones takes three of the top Standard contenders — Dragonstorm, Dredge, and Zoo — and throws them at each other in a battle to the death! With decklists, sideboarding plans, and game scenarios, he breaks down each deck with a wealth of impressive info perfect for anyone hoping to excel at this weekend’s Magical Pool Party.
In yet another Road to Regionals offering, Mark “Heezy” Herberholz — king of the Red/Green beatdown — shares his thoughts on the aggro deck du jour, with special reference to his recent ten-game set versus Mike Flores and the much-discussed Dredge deck. Aggressive strategies are an excellent choice for a diverse Regionals field, so get the top tech from the best in the game!
Players in this Standard environment are trying to metagame without obvious foils; besting the big three still leave you with potentially gaping holes in your armor, to some less-popular but nonetheless playable deck. It’s like skirmish, where everyone has a gun and regardless of how good the person who shot you is, if they shot you, you’ve still lost.
