I definitely peaked too soon. There’s no possible way to follow up to last week’s Jurassic Park intro and not look pale in comparison. I can’t even go for the ironic method of pointing out this out, I’ve done that before. My remaining option is to just awkwardly forge ahead and feel relief that the qualification system […]
David Ernenwein
David has been playing Magic since Odyssey block. A dedicated Spike, he's been grinding tournaments for over a decade, including a Pro Tour appearance. A Modern specialist who dabbles in Legacy, his writing is focused on metagame analysis and deck evolution.
The article must always have an introduction, and it has to be fresh: the essence of column writing. The short version is you have to draw in the reader’s attention with something new, but that’s a big ask. You have this article series which has a repeating topic area but each article’s content never repeats […]
Another week, another failures to qualify. Yes, plural. Spoiler alert: I didn’t win either PPTQ last weekend. Fortunately, there are still plenty of chances ahead. And more opportunities to find novel introductions for this series. In lighter news, Spirits had a very good weekend. The fact that SCG Baltimore was won by UW Spirits while […]
And now, back to the grind. I skipped last week due to the travel distance involved, but I wasn’t about to miss this week. That said, I want to call out that both PPTQ’s last week were at stores that I didn’t know existed, and one was in a town that as far as I […]
Another missed PPTQ means more time to test. In addition to refining my own decks, I’ve been looking into Modern’s hot discussion topics. We’ve seen time and again that Modern’s cardpool hides monstrous decks just missing a piece or two to become major players. Several such decks have recently emerged that appear to have found […]
After a week off, it’s time to get back on the grind. While there were PPTQ’s last week, they were well outside my willingness to travel. I instead used that time to refine my decks and get a feel for where the metagame was going. I intended to hit both Modern PPTQ’s this weekend, but […]
I’ve spoken about Krark-Clan Ironworks on several occasions now, but continued testing has reinforced my belief that many Modern players don’t really understand how it works. The combo itself is incredibly complicated once it gets going, and as a result, players frequently misplay. But the strategy’s true strength isn’t its density, but how much Engineered […]
Another PPTQ season, another few months trying to claw my way back to the Pro Tour. Or another opportunity to really analyze my game and try to find new areas to improve upon. I’ve been grinding a long time, and have come to adjust my expectations while maintaining ambition. Usually, PPTQ seasons begin in central […]
The Modern PPTQ season starts this weekend for me. Just like last year, I will be documenting my grind for the RPTQ invite, with all the lessons learned and deck tweaks that entails. Hopefully this edition doesn’t go the whole season, but that’s Magic. In this kick-off article, I will be examining the metagame with an […]
The Modern PPTQ season begins at the end of July. For consummate grinders like myself, this is a call to break out the tech and start polish decks. It’s also a call to start playtesting, both to understand how my own deck works and to understand how other decks operate. One of the greatest challenges […]
Happy (almost) Independence Day America! For Fireworks Day Eve, I have been inspired to go back to the Beginner’s Guide. Recent spoiler discussions and in-game observations made me realize that I have a lot more Modern basics to cover. I’ve danced around this a few times, but never actually discussed building a Modern sideboard. I’m […]
Another new set, more new cards, and more chances for hope to spring eternal. As always, players are wildly speculating on their playability and trying to fit new cards into everything. I’m not immune, and especially now that the full spoiler is out I have been looking for and testing Modern playable cards. Two in […]
With Grand Prix Las Vegas in the books, it’s time to reexamine the metagame. 2,779 players in a single event provides a valuable data crucible. In theory, such an event would produce results very similar to the “real” Modern metagame. In theory. Reality is chaotic, and has given us something far more interesting to dissect: […]
