One of the more popular innovations to return with Time Spiral was the Morph mechanic. Playing a card face-down feels so decadent. Of course, when a Morph hits the table, everyone has to assume it’s the perfect answer to the problem at hand. Naoki takes us through some of the finer points of Morph play, from the simple to the sublime, and walks us through a few of the Planar Chaos goodies than can spread the Morph Love.
In today’s Flores Friday, Mike takes a break from Extended testing to bring us an exciting deck primed for the fast-approaching Planar Chaos Standard. As the name suggests, the deck contains a pair of 6/6 three-color flying beatsticks. Drawing cards, killing guys, ramping mana, and destroying the world… and who doesn’t enjoy swinging with Dragons?
Craig “The Professor” Jones heartily embraces the Dark Side in this article, condemning himself to oblivion by flirting with the Black cards of Planar Chaos. He takes a long look at all the color has to offer – including Damnation, of course – and brings us some interesting decklists that could bear fruit when the new set becomes Standard-legal. Decklists, tech, and the usual Prof humor… all in one tasty package!
Chris continues his Budget Boros exploration with a foray into the Tournament Practice room on Magic Online. He’s armed with a cheapified Red/White machine, and bolstered by the tweaks supplied by a myriad of forum dwellers. Can the frugal fighters take down all in their path?
Having tired of the Standard metagame after Worlds, and having lost faith in the DragonTron deck that took him to a commendable 12th place finish, Paul began casting around for something new to play. After tinkering with a Mono-Blue Morph deck dubbed “The Answer,” he soon moved on to fresh pastures. Today, he shares his discovery of a patriotic deck that harnesses the powerful Martyr of Sands…
Last week I Dredged through Planar Chaos; this week, I unleash the dog decks of Dredge that have been pinging around my brain these last few weeks. A quick caveat – these decks are untested and presented here merely as starting points, a way to get the deckbuilding juices flowing. In the coming weeks I will be attempting to get enough Planar Chaos stuff to start testing these ideas, and with any luck make it out to an FNM or two for trial by fire.
In an additional article for the weekend, JMS takes us through the development of his own pet Mono-Black creation, Black Knights. Utilizing the powerful Haakon, Stromgald Scourge, and a plethora of Black beatdown monsters, does the deck have what it takes to impact the coming Planar Chaos metagame? And what does it gain from the new set, aside from a four-mana board-sweeping sorcery? JMS reveals all…
Blisterguy brings us the usual update on the Magic Online metagames, both Extended and Standard, plus a reasoned look at how the new Timeshifted cards in Planar Chaos may be a move of pure madness and evil. He also breaks down the goodies that each color has to offer, and laughs in the face of the Blue mages who will undoubtedly claim that they are being stiffed…
Chris Romeo brings us his take on Budget Boros, finding cheap and playable substitutions for some of the high-dollar rares. Will the deck stand up to the heat of tournament scrutiny? He also explains his personal methods for battling the Magic doldrums, and brings us a smattering of much-missed cheesecake…
In the first of this week’s extra Premium articles, Mike Flores takes us through his preliminary thoughts on the impact of Planar Chaos in Constructed. What does the metagame gain from a fresh 165, and how will the dominant strategies compare when the new cards go live in tournament play? The color pie is truly smashed: White has pinpoint removal, Green draws cards, and Black has Wrath of God. This excellent article is the first step towards exploring a Brave New World…
I spent last week in a bit of a funk over the impact of Damnation and having two virtually identical copies of the incredible Wrath of God in Standard and Extended. While I reached some conclusions on how creature decks can fight the expected increase in control decks, I wasn’t completely satisfied with going the smash-mouth haste route, and the flash creatures by and large aren’t exactly powerhouse cards. However, there is a silver lining for me in this new format – one of my “pet” strategies happens to thrive in Wrath of God dominated formats. Yep, I’m talking about Dredge, baby!
For his first Featured Writer column, Rivien brings us an interesting Standard deck that abuses land in a variety of different ways. While unlikely to kick down the doors of high-level tournament play, it contains a sackful of synergy and a pocketful of fun…
Chris takes a sabbatical from his normal All-Romeo Deckfest Love-In, and concentrates his budget ability on Other People’s Decklists. He casts his money-conscious eyes over successful builds, and evaluates their potency in the budget Standard metagame.
Today sees the return of the incomparable Jamie Wakefield, in the first of his weekly columns here at StarCityGames.com. And what better way for Jamie to begin than with a long look at the state of Mono-Green Aggro in Standard? Jamie shares his latest Green beatdown machine, waxes lyrical about the health of the current Standard format, and shares stories with his usual wit and vigor. Mr Wakefield, it’s great to have you back!
With Planar Chaos promising a great deal for the control-loving mages among us, Bennie asks a simple question: what now for the creature strategy? In the face of mass removal by the bucketload, is it possible to succeed with monsters in the face of so much horror? Benne looks back through history, and presents us with a few theories and decklists that may just work…
