I’m not going to sugarcoat it: the StarCityGames Louisville Classic was a total nightmare. Not the nightmare where Wizards doesn’t reprint Damnation in Eternal Masters, or where Jeff Hoogland doesn’t drop his turn one Birds of Paradise (which, to my horror, I witnessed this weekend!). This was the kind of twisted, tentically nightmare normally reserved for H.P. […]
”Eldrazi
Sheridan’s Eldrazi checkup article from Wednesday linked to a reddit post about Modern’s “canaries in a coalmine:” cards and strategies whose presence in a format should set off red flags of obvious metagame issues. I also find the idea “fascinating,” but could not believe the inanity of the post’s replies, which suggested Spell Snare, Ensnaring Bridge, […]
Last week’s article touched off a bit of a firestorm in the comment section. I’ll admit I didn’t phrase my point as well as I could have, but I still maintain the hysterics are overblown and, despite its power (and metagame share!), Eldrazi can be beaten. Later on, I’m going to show you how by […]
Magic feels like it’s under attack. Reddit has gone ballistic with the so-called #vendorleak scandal, incensed by stunning (or not so stunning…) allegations of merchant misconduct from an anonymous tipster. Wizards announced Eternal Masters to the joy of many and dismay of many more, reigniting debate about the Reserved List, Legacy, Modern, and future Constructed formats. […]
So. Eldrazi is everywhere. The metagame is warping around the colorless menace, driving out interaction. Linear aggressive decks sit comfortably atop the field. This is unhealthy and probably won’t last, either because answers will be found and the warp will disappear, or because Wizards will mollify Reddit and take action April 4th. However, that doesn’t […]
We’ve all heard the old adage: if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em! Most of MTGO appears to have heeded this wisdom: Eldrazi has already ingested 40% of the online format with little sign of relenting. Paper events also have the Eldrazi bug, where the Tier 1 superstar occupies 20% of the 27 tournaments since Pro Tour Oath of the Gatewatch. Me? […]
For all the moaning about the Pro Tour and its lack of diversity, did anyone not have fun watching it? I had a blast. The whole thing felt very surreal. We knew Chalice of the Void and colorless Eldrazi made a perfect match in Modern, but had no idea they would crush the format. I couldn’t do anything this week without faintly […]
“Songs will be sung about this deck” –Marshall Sutcliffe, PT Atlanta It’s time to start singing. At Pro Tour Oath, the metagame was broken. U/R Eldrazi went 19-1 on Day One among the five players that ran it. The Top 8 saw six Eldrazi decks (three sub-archetypes) and two Affinity decks. But just because they […]
Somewhere between answering comments to Monday’s article, talking Magic with my pals, and battling waves of forum doomsayers, I realized I’d yet again been lured into the ban discussion trap. Didn’t I just promise, and then re-promise, to stay clear of banlist mayhem? Darn you, Wizards and your colorless hordes! Even beyond the warped Pro […]
Quite the weekend, wasn’t it? A colorless Pro Tour Top 8, a Broncos Super Bowl victory (WOOOOO!!!!!), and also Modern Regionals. Because we mere mortals needed something to do as well. As I’m writing this we’re still waiting for all the Regionals results to be posted (I find it odd that two days after the event […]
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 […]
Modern has always been a creature format. That’s why, despite a lull in play last year, nobody’s ever doubted Path to Exile as a perennial staple. And why dumb beaters like Tarmogoyf find their way to the top tables in the face of Goryo’s Vengeance and Ad Nauseam. Cheap, large bodies command a premium in Modern, and Oath […]
Brace yourself: the Modern Pro Tour is coming. Between the Oath of the Gatewatch exposition, StarCityGames’ Regional blowout, and Super Bowl Sunday, I’m going to be glued to a screen for every waking weekend hour. Will Affinity, Burn, and Grishoalbrand run riot in Atlanta? Can Von MIller’s defense stuff Cam Newton’s offense on the Levi’s […]
