This one will be a little off the rails. A couple weeks ago, I highlighted an opportunity I saw for Wizards to do something risky but with the potential to change Modern forever. The feedback I received was… voluminous, and well appreciated, even though most everyone disagreed with me. Regardless, I learned something through the […]

Once again, it is time to start rolling out my results from the latest Banlist Test. As usual, I will start with the experimental setup and the unquantifiable results. I know that what most readers care about are the hard numbers, but I’m not done gathering the data yet. That will be coming sometime in […]

When a bunch of events come around, I always plunge right into the decklists. That’s how I get a sense for what Modern looks like, and especially for what kind of innovations are right around the corner. Someone always has the great idea first, and by actively looking for trends and tech, we can be […]

Whoa crazy crazy. After two weeks in the weeds discussing possible major changes to Wizards’ approach to Modern, it’s high time for nice, wholesome event analysis, and what a weekend for it. Two Grand Prix in Birmingham and São Paulo, a Modern Open and a Modern Classic in Richmond, not to mention two weeks of online […]

This is a very frustrating week for me. You see, I have a very good result to report on and an embarrassingly bad one as well. It’s not the ideal result, but much better than previous weeks. I almost got there, but that just isn’t good enough for me. I’m massively competitive and will never be […]

Modern Top 5: Utility Spells kicked this series off, and in my eyes, it was hugely successful. Not only did it present a measurable way to analyze cards that I’m quite proud of, but the article also inspired a lively debate in the comments. Today, we’ll revisit the series, focusing on some of Modern’s most […]

This week, I’m doubling down. Modern is returning to the Pro Tour, and with that, banned list discussion is certain to resurface. I’ve chosen to get out ahead of it; my article last week speculated on a potential opportunity for Wizards of the Coast to “solve” the banning problem once and for all. Unsurprisingly, this […]

Hey, everyone! I’m back with another video series, this time with GW Company. Todd Stevens has been championing this deck for a while, most recently with a first-place finish at the SCG Team Constructed Open in Atlanta. This deck is an excellent choice for anyone who might be expecting a largely fair metagame and is […]

Another week, another PPTQ, and another failure to qualify. On the one hand, this is nice: I don’t have to actually think about my article week to week. On the other, I’m still not qualified for the RPTQ. With the good comes the bad, I suppose. Anyway, before I get into my tournament, lets talk […]

In The Bolt Test: Modern’s High-Water Mark, I revisited an old Mike Flores article on toughness. Flores claimed a format was often defined by the amount of damage its red removal spell dealt. Burn spells generally serve as some of the most efficient—and versatile—removal spells in a given card pool, for their cheap costs and ability to […]

Modern Magic’s history under the lights has been… complicated. As a format, it was born into fire in 2011 with Pro Tour Philadelphia, and since then, the format has bounced from darling to redheaded stepchild to orphan and back, faster than strobe lights at a Skrillex show. Bannings, Pro Tours, more bannings (as a result […]

Another week, another PPTQ, another time I didn’t get there. Which is good news for this article series, bad news for my desire to get back on the Pro Tour. Especially considering the announcement about the PT this season is feeding. Modern is back on the Pro Tour, and I’m elated. Not only will I get […]

Modern’s had some year. Star City Games kicked off its Modern-heaviest SCG Tour schedule yet, Modern Masters 2017 dropped containing a slew of much-awaited reprints, and multiple pros came around on the format (with some even calling Modern the “The Greatest Format”). And—most recently—Wizards of the Coast announced Modern is back on the Pro Tour. Wait, […]