Splinter Twin | Quiet Speculation https://www.quietspeculation.com Play More, Win More, Pay Less Mon, 06 Jan 2025 14:22:06 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://www.quietspeculation.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/favicon.png Splinter Twin | Quiet Speculation https://www.quietspeculation.com 32 32 December ’24 Metagame Update: A Sneak Peak https://www.quietspeculation.com/2025/01/december-24-metagame-update-a-sneak-peak/ https://www.quietspeculation.com/2025/01/december-24-metagame-update-a-sneak-peak/#respond Mon, 06 Jan 2025 14:22:05 +0000 https://www.quietspeculation.com/?p=132541

With The One Ring banned and Energy nerfed, Modern is in an experimental phase. However, the data doesn't reflect this due to MTGO being the only data source.

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July ’22 Metagame Analysis: Stability’s Price https://www.quietspeculation.com/2022/08/july-22-metagame-analysis-stabilitys-price/ https://www.quietspeculation.com/2022/08/july-22-metagame-analysis-stabilitys-price/#respond Fri, 05 Aug 2022 14:00:00 +0000 https://www.quietspeculation.com/?p=118121

Modern's metagame stability continues unabated. However, David E. sees worrying trends in the data that point to problems. Insiders should prepare themselves.

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Generational Magic Player Spotlight: Johnny Lin https://www.quietspeculation.com/2022/07/generational-magic-player-spotlight-johnny-lin/ https://www.quietspeculation.com/2022/07/generational-magic-player-spotlight-johnny-lin/#respond Fri, 01 Jul 2022 14:00:00 +0000 https://www.quietspeculation.com/?p=115764

Tony chats with Johnny, a long-time Modern enthusiast. Johnny shares his experiences with Magic and what playing the game means to him.

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Izzet Too Good?: May ’22 Metagame Analysis https://www.quietspeculation.com/2022/06/izzet-too-good-may-22-metagame-analysis/ https://www.quietspeculation.com/2022/06/izzet-too-good-may-22-metagame-analysis/#respond Fri, 10 Jun 2022 14:00:00 +0000 https://www.quietspeculation.com/?p=115172

David E. unpacks the latest metagame report, suggesting UR Murktide may be on borrowed time and pegging a few older Modern strategies as ripe for speculation.

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Don’t Worry, Wizards Is Watching Modern https://www.quietspeculation.com/2022/02/dont-worry-wizards-is-watching-modern/ https://www.quietspeculation.com/2022/02/dont-worry-wizards-is-watching-modern/#respond Tue, 01 Feb 2022 15:00:00 +0000 https://www.quietspeculation.com/?p=110619

After not touching Modern in the latest B&R announcement, Aaron Forsythe took to Twitter with a trove of valuable insights. David dissects their implications.

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All That Remains: An Unban Examination https://www.quietspeculation.com/2021/12/all-that-remains-unban-examination/ https://www.quietspeculation.com/2021/12/all-that-remains-unban-examination/#respond Wed, 15 Dec 2021 17:00:34 +0000 https://quietspeculation.com/?p=23748

Banning problem cards helps build healthy metagames. For this, Modern is no exception. Today David examines a different approach: unbanning.

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Zendikar Rising Cards You’re Still Sleeping On https://www.quietspeculation.com/2020/11/zendikar-rising-cards-youre-still-sleeping-on/ https://www.quietspeculation.com/2020/11/zendikar-rising-cards-youre-still-sleeping-on/#respond Fri, 13 Nov 2020 12:00:02 +0000 https://www.quietspeculation.com/?p=96596

Nearly two months have passed since the release of Zendikar Rising, but Adam feels there are still cards that are undervalued in the marketplace.

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Twin’s Alive: Modern Dimir Inverter https://www.quietspeculation.com/2020/07/twins-alive-modern-dimir-inverter/ https://www.quietspeculation.com/2020/07/twins-alive-modern-dimir-inverter/#comments Tue, 21 Jul 2020 16:00:37 +0000 https://quietspeculation.com/?p=21948 The greatest problem I face as an article writer is finding something to write about. Inspiration is fickle, as motivation can also be. This is made especially difficult by the pandemic choking off my easiest content source: actual Modern tournaments. Without much happening in greater Modern to discuss and limited source material, I find myself […]

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Late Summer Thaw: Arcum’s Astrolabe Banned https://www.quietspeculation.com/2020/07/late-summer-thaw-arcums-astrolabe-banned/ https://www.quietspeculation.com/2020/07/late-summer-thaw-arcums-astrolabe-banned/#respond Tue, 14 Jul 2020 16:00:53 +0000 https://quietspeculation.com/?p=21932 But for copyright concerns, I would have led off this article with the lyrics to "Another One Bites the Dust." I hope perfectly reasonable intellectual property law is happy with itself. There's been another B&R Announcement. This time something actually is banned in Modern. So that's nice. Even if it does moot a number of […]

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Banned and Restricted List Update – July 13, 2020 https://www.quietspeculation.com/2020/07/banned-and-restricted-list-update-july-13-2020/ https://www.quietspeculation.com/2020/07/banned-and-restricted-list-update-july-13-2020/#respond Mon, 13 Jul 2020 15:33:18 +0000 https://www.quietspeculation.com/?p=95689

The July 13, 2020 Banned and Restricted announcement is live!

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Conspicuous Snoop: The Goblins’ Twin? https://www.quietspeculation.com/2020/06/conspicuous-snoop-goblins-twin/ https://www.quietspeculation.com/2020/06/conspicuous-snoop-goblins-twin/#comments Tue, 16 Jun 2020 16:00:24 +0000 https://quietspeculation.com/?p=21821 Spoiler season is rolling on. However, my prediction at the end of last week's article has been holding: Core 2021 spoiled the obviously Modern-playable cards early. Sure, there have been plenty of interesting cards, but they're all role-players or interesting build-arounds rather than massive shake-ups. And that's rather welcome, considering how often Modern's been churned up […]

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Budget-Focused: How Extra Printings Affect the Secondary Market https://www.quietspeculation.com/2020/05/budget-focused-how-extra-printings-affect-the-secondary-market/ https://www.quietspeculation.com/2020/05/budget-focused-how-extra-printings-affect-the-secondary-market/#respond Thu, 28 May 2020 11:00:16 +0000 https://www.quietspeculation.com/?p=95458

UndyingMTG goes over how extras impact the secondary market, and what that means for speculators on a budget.

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Best of 2019: Twin’s Role in Modern https://www.quietspeculation.com/2020/01/best-2019-twins-role-modern/ https://www.quietspeculation.com/2020/01/best-2019-twins-role-modern/#comments Wed, 01 Jan 2020 17:00:39 +0000 https://quietspeculation.com/?p=21135 Editor's Note: The Twin ban remained highly controversial into 2019, especially among what I assume to be an extremely vocal minority of Modern die-hards. That sentiment pushed David to revisit Twin's previous role in the format with a thorough, data-driven approach. Also included in this re-run are David's thoughts headed into 2020, which deal with […]

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October Brew Report, Pt. 1: Melting Pot https://www.quietspeculation.com/2019/11/october-brew-report-pt-1-melting-pot/ https://www.quietspeculation.com/2019/11/october-brew-report-pt-1-melting-pot/#respond Fri, 08 Nov 2019 21:00:50 +0000 http://quietspeculation.com/?p=20965 Why do I write a Brew Report every month? Because Modern is brimming with innovation every month! While many of the decks featured in this column may not go on to win a GP, or even to carve out a sustainable metagame share, they all performed well at least once; it’s not always a cakewalk […]

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War of the Spark Combos and Synergies https://www.quietspeculation.com/2019/04/war-of-the-spark-combos-and-synergies/ https://www.quietspeculation.com/2019/04/war-of-the-spark-combos-and-synergies/#comments Tue, 30 Apr 2019 11:00:30 +0000 https://www.quietspeculation.com/?p=92602

David takes a good look at the upcoming War of the Spark Standard, and cards that could synergize well with Feather, the Redeemed.

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Brew Report: That’s Wizard’s Chess https://www.quietspeculation.com/2019/04/brew-report-thats-wizards-chess/ https://www.quietspeculation.com/2019/04/brew-report-thats-wizards-chess/#respond Fri, 26 Apr 2019 16:00:51 +0000 http://quietspeculation.com/?p=19969 By the time this piece is published, Mythic Championship London will be streaming, and Modern players will be testing the London mulligan in a high-pressure environment for the first time. The results of that event will have a massive effect on the format's future. For those who just can't wait until the Top 8 ends […]

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MagicFest: Niagara Falls and the Future of Tundra https://www.quietspeculation.com/2019/04/magicfest-niagara-falls-and-the-future-of-tundra/ https://www.quietspeculation.com/2019/04/magicfest-niagara-falls-and-the-future-of-tundra/#comments Thu, 25 Apr 2019 09:00:08 +0000 https://www.quietspeculation.com/?p=92515

The rare Legacy GP event occurred this weekend, taken down by UW Stoneblade. Christopher takes stock of the format and considers some cards in good position to rise.

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The Case Against Power https://www.quietspeculation.com/2019/02/the-case-against-power/ https://www.quietspeculation.com/2019/02/the-case-against-power/#comments Fri, 22 Feb 2019 10:00:20 +0000 https://www.quietspeculation.com/?p=91686

Today's article subject spawned from a discussion that began in the QS Discord chat. One of our members was contemplating stepping away from the game for a while and wanted to know the best place to park his money and/or what to trade into. As expected, a lot of people immediately jumped to Power. The general […]

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Tales From the Buylist #1 – The Stoneforge Cycle https://www.quietspeculation.com/2019/02/tales-from-the-buylist-1-the-stoneforge-cycle/ https://www.quietspeculation.com/2019/02/tales-from-the-buylist-1-the-stoneforge-cycle/#comments Tue, 12 Feb 2019 10:00:47 +0000 https://www.quietspeculation.com/?p=91605

Chris makes his QS debut with an insider's analysis of Stoneforge Mystic and its cyclical price history.

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Call the Police: Twin’s Role in Modern https://www.quietspeculation.com/2019/01/call-police-twins-role-modern/ https://www.quietspeculation.com/2019/01/call-police-twins-role-modern/#comments Tue, 29 Jan 2019 17:00:31 +0000 http://quietspeculation.com/?p=19444 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 […]

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