Nothing is harder to see than the obvious. This is the problem of teaching Magic to new players. Whether you humiliatingly miss an on-board win, or your “missing” keys are on the table right in front of you, it happens to everyone. It can even apply to knowledge. It is easy to forget how daunting […]
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.
Sometimes it’s necessary to revisit older topics. Whether it’s previously unavailable data coming in, or assumptions and beliefs evolving, it’s good to revisit previous statements and articles to see if they’re still valid. Today I will first finish off my Regionals update, then I need to revisit someĀ Ixalan cards both because I missed them and […]
So, here it is, the big update. After today, we will definitely have enough data to make actual conclusions about the metagame. I won’t go as far to say that it is theĀ definitive metagameāit’s not that big. However, this will show what you can expect going into Grand Prix Oklahoma City. The online metagame has […]
It begins, gentle seekers of glory. Today is a day of great opportunity and gangrenous rot. The pallid sun meekly illuminates the great ravenous hordes as they linger, eager and anxious, waiting for their moment, when they shall be unleashed upon the world to slack their unending hunger for inadequately-proportioned sugary confections. For those whose […]
Another week, another Star City Open, another round of data collection. As a general observation, the metagame diversity on display is remarkable. As the data will show, there are numerous viable archetypes and considerable diversity within those archetypes. However, clear front-runners are emerging. Should these continue through Regionals I think the metagame tiering will emerge. […]
You may not have heard, but there’s a Modern Pro Tour coming up. This is leading to an influx of interest in our beloved formatĀ andĀ increased tournament support. The past weekend had an SCG Modern Open in Charlotte; next weekend there’s another in Cincinnati, SCG Regionals are in November, and then the SCG Invitational and GP […]
The past month has been odd for me. I have been advocating UW Merfolk forever, but almost every other Fish player is mono-blue. It made sense. Perfect, painless manaĀ all the time is really appealing. ThenĀ Ixalan happened and everyone is experimenting with other colors. I’m not complaining but it feels weird. The fact that they’reĀ still not […]
The time has (finally) come to actually reveal the results of my latest banlist test. Looking back, testing two different decks made this harder than it needed to be. Focusing just on Storm would have yielded more satisfying data, though not a more significant result. As you will see, it appears that Preordain would not […]
With a new set comes new speculation, new brews, and new bold declarations. Archetypes are revived, archetypes are doomed, new decks exist, the new decks are terribleāwe’ve heard it all before. I try not to speculate and only talk about cards once I’ve actually played with them. This means I’m pretty late to the party […]
Yes, you read that title correctly. For better or worse, this series is coming to its end for the year. The only remaining PPTQ for PTĀ Rivals of Ixalan is Sealed Deck, so this is the end. Until the Modern grind resumes next year, anyway. I really wasn’t sure what to expect this week. The PPTQs […]
An unexpected problem with managing a long running series is the intro. This is the sixth time I’ve had to report that I didn’t get there and I’m worried that I’m just retreading old ground at this point. My only hope is that by pointing this fact out and turning it into my intro, I […]
Argh. Falling short of your goals is disheartening enough. Knowing it was because you didn’t perform at you best is far worse. Doing so on your home turf is humiliating. This week’s PPTQ did not go well; that’s the tagline here. Just in case it wasn’t immediately apparent. This week’s PPTQ was held at my […]
It is inevitable. Every time a new Banned and Restricted Announcement comes out, speculation runs rampant. Everyone has their pet cards to advocate for or against, everyone is utterly convinced they’re right, and they take offense to disagreement. Every single time. It’s really tiring.Ā I’ve written about this problem before. I have no problem discussing possible […]
