Today I will attempt to outline my perspective on the recent Modern bannings, and hopefully provide an interesting counter-argument to the general emotionally charged language running around the Internet. As always, my opinion is my own, and I present it to you not in an attempt to argue or sway others to my side, but […]
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I know many Modern players who read the January 18th ban announcement and wanted to eBay off their collections on the spot. Or burn them and overnight the charred Splinter Twin remnants to Wizards in Hallmark condolence cards. Have faith, ye Modern faithful! I too am deeply dissatisfied with Wizards’ handling of this recent update, but I’m also a devoted Modern […]
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 […]
Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day American Nexites, or Monday for rest of the world. It is I, your editor stepping back into the overly bright spotlight (I really need to adjust those) for your edification on this, the first weekday of the new Twinless Modern Era! Yes, we have a new banned list, and […]
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 […]
Most Magic players identify with a certain strategy. Some people like goldfishing complicated combos. Others enjoy dropping three Lava Spikes on an opponent under ten life. I prefer attacking with efficient creatures while deploying disruption, and manipulating my library to find what I need. Decks that give me this experience are generally blue, green, and red. […]
What if I told you there was a high-level Modern Magic tournament in my literal backyard, and I didn’t even go? To my surprise/dismay I woke up late last Saturday morning, threw on some soft pants, tossed some bacon on the burner and cranked up the SCG stream to find… “Welcome boys and girls, to […]
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 […]
A reckoning is coming. After months of ban mania, speculation, theorycrafting, and general rage against the Wizards machine, the January 18, 2016 banlist update will decide if Amulet Bloom is an acceptable Modern deck. Many authors players have vehemently opposed the combo strategy since Justin Cohen’s February run at Pro Tour Fate Reforged. Others, including […]
And they said Wasteland wasn’t Modern legal! Ghost Quarter has been a poor man’s Wasteland replacement for years, but with the recent rise of RG Tron, Bx Eldrazi, and other big-mana strategies, the Dissension uncommon is quickly emerging as a major police card in a format notoriously lacking the generic hate of Legacy. Nowhere was this more […]
The Oath of the Gatewatch spoilers are upon us, and it seems like every other day Wizards reveals a Modern hopeful. Battle for Zendikar, Oath’s universally panned predecessor, is even making waves in the format as Bx Eldrazi Processors continues to pick up steam. New decks don’t always come from new cards, though. Modern’s vast card pool […]
It’s 2016, and I feel like brewing. I’m not sure why, as usually I leave that business to the Sam Blacks of the world. Regardless, an overabundance of creativity resulting from the potent combination of Christmastime and copious amounts of free time off from architecture has put me in an interesting mood, and I just […]
This metagame update almost didn’t happen. With a banlist announcement coming up in just two weeks and a new midrange deck redefining the online metagame, it felt silly to analyze a format that is sure to be radically different before January even ends. I changed my mind after sitting down and going through the numbers. […]