2019 may well go down in the books as the Year of Enablers. Between the Faithless Looting-fueled Phoenix decks and the Stitcher’s Supplier-abusing Hogaak menace, Modern was defined this year by pushed cards locating, buffing, and ultimately breaking engines and payoffs. Of course, both Phoenix and Hogaak have left us by now. Without Looting in […]

With Throne of Eldraine released, it’s only a matter of time until the set’s real players make themselves known. But despite the lack of data we’ve got at this stage, certain candidates are already hogging the conversation. Perhaps the most polarizing card in the set is Once Upon a Time. The instant has all the […]

Last week, we kicked off the September Brew Report, covering some of the juiciest decks to emerge from recent 5-0 dumps. As the format continues to find its footing after the Hogaak ban, the possibilities seem endless. Today we’ll discuss the other newcomers. Fair Enough We’ll kick things off with Modern’s unsung heroes: the decks […]

A lot has happened since my last Brew Report back in August. So much, in fact, that I didn’t even get to write a Part 2! This month, I’d like to rectify that hiccup with two juicy metagame reports, as always focusing on the countless innovating decklists published by Wizards every few weeks. Today, we’ll […]

In his assessment of the latest spoilers, David commended Throne of Eldraine for bringing the brewing fun back to Modern with its innovative, flavorful design. Restrictions breed creativity, they say, and I agree that after the format-crushing power of Modern Horizons, it’s refreshing to have a Standard-power-level set to tinker with. Today’s article focuses on […]

Throne of Eldraine spoilers are now fully underway. While David dissected the set’s mechanics earlier this week, today’s post reviews the cards themselves to see how they might fare in our shifting Modern format. It also revisits an old brew of mine using a certain exciting newcomer. Let’s dance! Certain Playables So far, four cards […]

With the August 26 banning announcement, Hogaak was exiled from Modern, to the aplomb of pundits. Many were also pleased with Wizards’s other decision: to axe Faithless Looting. This change affected me differently—not only had I recently spliced Looting into Counter-Cat, the card had always formed the backbone of GRx Moon, a longstanding pet project of […]

Hogaak and Looting are banned, and Stoneforge Mystic is free at last from the Modern banned list. What do these changes promise for our beloved format? And what does equipment searching have to do with fast food chains? Let’s find out! Elephant in the Room Before even thinking about the void left by Hogaak, or […]

Beaters, or combat creatures, are among my favorite types of Magic cards. They serve to pressure opponents in the most straightforward way possible: by attacking efficiently. Weaker beaters, such as Delver of Secrets, are at their best when paired with disruption; stronger ones can emerge later in the game to take over or put things […]

It’s Hogaak’s world; we’re just living in it. So are some great-looking brews that manage to 5-0 against the odds and the format boogeyman. With August halfway done, let’s peek at the coolest decks emerging from the delve/convoke wreckage. Hogaak’s New Bags It’s no secret that Hogaak is still a force to be reckoned with […]

Hogaak has been nerfed by a Bridge from Below ban, but the deck is still out in force. While its apparent volatility may contribute to a plummeting of metagame shares in the near future, I personally know many players who continue to swear by the strategy. And Dredge is also on the upswing, profiting from players’ […]

Picking up where we left off last week, today we’ll continue unearthing the new tech found in July’s MODO dumps. Let’s dive right in! Cutesy Combos Combo is alive and well in Modern, and probably always will be. Novel ways to win on turn four are in tall supply since the format’s card pool is […]

July in brewing? More of the same. More copies of Unearth, to be sure. And more of what’s become known as Modern’s calling card: novel experiments bursting with hot tech. Today we’ll look at some of the month’s breakout strategies: Elemental tribal, White Weenie, and the return of old-school Miracle Grow. Disentombed Again Unearth continues […]