With data reduced to a relative trickle and the overall metagame picture clouded, there hasn’t been much information to work with. However, the data from SCG Regionals is always a strong indicator of the US metagame, so today I’ll be looking at the data. While there is very significant result to dig into, the overall […]

Halfway through last month, I published “Brew Report: Perfect Pairs,” picking out happy couples from among Wizards’ decklist dumps. As is common in Modern, more innovative decks were published in February’s latter half, including ones built around Standard-legal enchantments, age-old Modern artifacts, and even a few known staples. Today we’ll unearth and assess that tech. […]

It’s been an interesting week for Modern players. Not only has an entire supplemental product targeted at us been revealed, but there was also a Modern Grand Prix, with SCG Regionals and a three-GP  month coming up. It’s a good time to be invested in and covering Magic’s best format. Today, we’ll see how the spoiled […]

Yesterday, Wizards unveiled Modern Horizons, an “innovation product” like Conspiracy and Battlebond. Its purpose: to bypass Standard and supplement Modern with new cards, both those currently illegal from pre-8th Edition sets and some that are newly designed. A couple of the new cards were spoiled on the stream. Today’s article evaluates the spoiled cards and […]

Determining a deck’s tiering is a fairly simple process: take the decks that place in tournaments, compile them in a spreadsheet, rank them by population, done. This is a fine system, and is the only remotely objective way to determine the tier list. However, it doesn’t tell the full story because it can’t explain what […]

Four weeks after proposing a UR Delver shell with Ptermanader, I’ve got some insights to share. And I also have more than a few words on Wizards’ newly-proposed mulligan rule, which has considerable implications for Modern—and for Colorless Eldrazi Stompy. ‘Manders As soon as “Salamander Drake” was spoiled, I set to work on UR Delver, […]

The Modern format is so diverse, both quantitatively and competitively, that it can prove tough to quantify; certain players subsequently claim there is no metagame, while others focus only on tournament-winning decks. Each approach lacks some degree of nuance. Today, I’m trying to bring some of it back. I was thrilled when I heard that […]

Roses are red, violets are blue—it’s time for another Report About Brews! This (day after) Valentine’s Day, we’ll take a look at some of the exciting developments Modern has seen this month, and present each deck alongside its significant other: another deck that’s somehow related. In the words of a certain heart-shaped candy, LET’S GET BUSY! […]

Burn has always existed in Modern in some capacity. However, it never gets any respect or discussion until there’s a major metagame shift or new cards. This is unfortunate for players of the archetype and their opponents. The former often receive derision for playing the kiddie deck, and the later don’t realize how vulnerable they […]

Yesterday, Brian Braun-Duin published “When Playing to Win Is a Loss,” an article detailing the dangers of getting caught up in the competitive spirit. It admonishes angle shooting and makes a case for sportsmanship in a gaming environment. Brian’s thoughts resonated with some of my own, especially as relates to the place of ethics in […]

Testing with Ravnica Allegiance has been fruitful. For the most part, the cards that looked good enough for Modern have been. A few cards have even exceeded expectations. Most of the time in Modern, it’s correct to only play the very best card for the job. Raw card power makes up for a variety of […]

Successful Magic decks are like well-oiled machines: the pieces fit together well enough to ensure they enact their gameplans consistently and effectively. They owe their cohesion to enablers, cards that supercharge certain gameplay mechanics or themes (i.e. “artifacts matter”). Just like payoff cards, or the ones newer players crack in packs and immediately want to cast, […]

Assumptions and collectively-held beliefs are fickle and powerful things. They can affect perception and, in a way, become reality if unchallenged. Therefore, it is critical for the skeptical mind to evaluate and investigate these ideas for validity, especially in the wake of recent bannings. After being challenged on long-held beliefs about Splinter Twin’s effect on […]