Another eventful week of War of the Spark spoilers is in the books, and with it, another batch of wrapped-up brewing projects. As always, I’ve got some insights to share on that front today; this time dealing not with planeswalkers, but utility creatures. Dreadhorde Arcanist, for all its Snapcaster/Confidant imitations, struck me as a potential […]

Is Modern solved? Is Modern stale? Any amount of time spent on a Magic forum or subreddit these days seems to offer countless arguments from both sides of the debate. Indeed, this Phoenix/Dredge/Stirrings (in that order) metagame has proven the most divisive I can remember since Siege Rhino briefly served as hyper-acting format manager in […]

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, […]

*Editor’s note: at the time of writing, Pteramander’s English name had not been spoiled. This article’s title refers to the card as “Salamander Drake.” Spells-matter decks perform admirably these days, but my favorite Human Insect rarely inhabits them. Last week, I mused about what Delver of Secrets would need—both card-wise and metagame-wise—to again be a player […]

Good ol’ Delver of Secrets. For as long as this little Human/Insect has been around, people have been trying to make him work in Modern. The format has reasonable interactive spells alongside a decent supporting cast of threats, but one problem has persisted: the lack of good cantrips. A tight banned list prohibiting the use […]

Tilt is quite a mighty thing. Re-reading my fevered scrawlings from last week proved deeply concerning. I knew I was unwell, but I didn’t know how unwell. While I’m better now, I may need to refocus before things get worse. Therefore, it’s time to torture myself by beginning another Banlist Test. In Moby Dick, Ishmael goes to sea […]

Few would disagree that the banned list in Modern is a net benefit to the format, facilitating its legendary diversity and ensuring games remain more or less interactive. There is, however, a certain curiosity that’s hard to shake off—just what would our beloved format look like completely freed from all its shackles? No-banned-list Modern tournaments […]