Recent weeks have seen Modern continue to admit newcomers via Magic Online induction, further upholding its status as a brewer’s paradise. But the metagame has also settled some, and players are discovering the most effective ways to attack a known field. If history has taught us anything, the paper metagame is sure to follow suit. […]

Now that the maniacal calls for banning Bridgevine have subsided, Modern players and observers alike are free to gaze once more at the format’s incredible diversity. In this week’s Brew Report, we’ll take a look at novel interpretations of Jund, Delver, and Zoo from online leagues. Once You Go Jund… I know a few Jund […]

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 […]

There’s a new Delver in town, and this one doesn’t need delirium or a white splash to put the hurting on opponents as of turn one. All it requires is a single, generic mana and an appetite for attacking. Meet Bomat Courier, my latest addition to Temur Delver. Noah Walker’s breakout Legacy performance with post-ban Grixis […]

Dominaria’s been Modern-legal for almost two months, and a host of players have tried their hand at brewing with Mox Amber, including yours truly. While more aggressive lists than mine have put up 5-0s here and there, the card has mostly fallen flat, as many expected. But the few results Amber has scored inspired me to […]

I wasn’t kidding last week when I revealed needing to halve my tech article. Modern’s been a brewer’s paradise ever since the Jace and Bloodbraid unbans, and the last couple weeks of 5-0s have proven especially fruitful. This past week adds another smattering of interesting candidates to the fray. A Whole New Jund(s) First, let’s […]

Now that Dominaria’s Prerelease is over, the brewing season has begun. Players are plugging in likely candidates, looking for the missing pieces in their decks. While there are plenty of interesting new cards in Dominaria, I’m still stuck on a reprint. I’ve been working on verifying my belief that Skirk Prospector is the real Modern standout. The […]

Modern decks may fade away or rotate, but they never really die. They linger on in the hearts of adherents and their competitive records. Every time a card that might make the old deck return to glory is printed, you can bet the resurrection machine will be rolled out again. This time it’s Goblins’s turn, […]

The Modern community is ruthless in its dismissal of new decks. When one hits the scene (and one frequently does), pundits invariably point out instances of tension on paper: these cards can’t possibly work together, the sentiment goes. And yet, the deck placed high enough to draw that attention in the first place. Tension is […]

There is a reason that games have rules: without them, everything would just be Calvinball. Rules provide structure, cohesion, and comprehension. To mess with them is to risk your game flying apart. Magic is no different. Draw one card, play one land, each land produces one mana, use that mana to pay the cost of […]

By now, most Modern players have seen the Chinese Dominaria spoiler leak going around. If not, head on over to the Mothership, where Wizards themselves confirmed the leak and graciously posted translations of the cards. While unsolicited spoilers can ruin the season for some, for players experiencing a brewing lull, they can serve as a much-needed […]

As the metagame continues to adapt to the recent additions of Bloodbraid Elf and Jace, the Mind Sculptor, we have seen lots of the expected: Bloodbraid bolstering Jund, and Jace slotting in nicely as a finisher for controlling blue decks. Temur Midrange was also a concept that was bandied about, and is currently seeing play. […]

Last weekend’s unbans were met with mixed reactions from the Magic community. I found myself a little conflicted, as well; I generally like shake-ups and “fresh meat,” but the back-to-back Pro Tour and GP weekends, which featured incredibly diverse metagames, had just proven Modern to be a format smack in the middle of its golden […]