I really enjoy Modern as a format. This wasn’t always true, though I think that the format is moving in an increasingly positive direction over time. What I don’t care for is the fact that I can’t express my interest in Modern without somebody feeling the need to remind me why they think it’s a bad […]
banlist
The banned list is one of the hot Modern topics whenever a new set is released. Everyone is speculating about what, if anything, will get the ax or be unleashed upon the world. Speculation this time is focused on Infect and/or Dredge taking a hit and Bloodbraid Elf coming off the list. I’m not here […]
My friend Chaz has a saying about Modern: “The best games I’ve ever played were in Modern; and the worst games I’ve ever played were in Modern.” It makes sense. One the one hand we’re witnessing what is most likely the single-most diverse Magic format of all time, where every possible archetype and play style […]
It’s been weeks since our last “Fixing Modern” column, and that has everything to do with format-wide excitement surrounding the April 4 banlist update. I intentionally tabled the column to see how the new Modern shaped out. Early results show promise, and although we’re still a month away from Grand Prix Los Angeles on May 20, I remain cautiously optimistic […]
By now, we’ve all rejoiced at the Eye of Ugin banning and rejoiced even harder at Wizards’ reparations. It seems the banlist moderators understand that actions speak louder than words, so instead of issuing a plodding “we messed up!”, they actually gave us some new toys. Apology accepted! Readers know I’ve spent some fine afternoons […]
A lot happened since Monday morning. At 9:39 AM, Wizards released its April 4 banlist update. About five seconds after 9:39 AM, the Modern community went nuts. While some have criticized aspects of the update, the overwhelming majority of players responded on the scale of cautious optimism to frenzied ecstasy. Surprising no one who lived […]
In the beginning of Eldrazi Winter, there was darkness and tentacles and a Tier 0 deck where there had once been diversity. And Wizards said, “Let there be bans,” and there were bans. And, to surprise the players they had forsaken and restore balance to the Modern Force, Wizards said, “Let there be unbans,” and […]
About three weeks ago, I was talking Modern with a Magic-playing friend of mine. He and I were debating flex slots in UG Infect and whether it would be better to take Eldrazi or anti-Eldrazi to Grand Prix Detroit. One of those questions is an interesting conversation for specialists like Tom Ross. The other is […]
Metagame diversity is my preferred measure of Modern health. More specifically, diversity as determined by the data analysis methods you’ve come to expect from Modern Nexus’ Top Decks and metagame breakdown projects. Let’s get this out of the way early: Pro Tour Oath of the Gatewatch does not meet those standards. No matter how you parse the Day 1, Day 2, or […]
By now you’ve read at least a dozen articles, a hundred tweets, and a thousand forum posts about the January 18th banlist update. The response to Splinter Twin’s banning is likely to surpass the reaction to all previous Modern ban announcements combined, as the community rages, celebrates, and grieves for for months to come. I […]
A man can’t even have a peaceful Friday night without the entire Magic world exploding due to easily the worst Modern-related announcement in the format’s history. Wizards has never made a Modern update or announcement that has forced a “Well then, I really think I’m going to quit” reaction out of me. That is, until […]
By the time I publish my next article, the Modern collective will already be deep in the throes of rage, elation, shock, and joy after reading the January 18th banlist update. Monday can’t come soon enough! The last time I was this excited about a scheduled announcement was the first Force Awakens trailer. As for […]
I thought about marking up my work calendar with a countdown to January 18, but that felt too nerdy even for me. It’s just so hard not to get excited about the upcoming January 18 banlist update and its probable impact on Modern. Since last week, ban and unban speculation has been relatively quiet throughout […]
