Spoiler season is brewing season, and this one has me deliriously joyful. Last week, some enticing cards from Shadows over Innistrad inspired me to revisit and introduce an old brew of mine: Wx Tallowisp. I also alluded to another of my longstanding projects, a UGx Rogue tribal deck. Exactly zero commenters inquired about that pile, but I’ve […]
Brewing
It’s the most wonderful time of the year: spoiler season! Shadows Over Innistrad is packed with intriguing card designs and eerie flair. Best of all, Wizards is pushing big-hit, casual tribal archetypes like Spirits and Vampires. We’ve heard rumors about Emrakul being on Innistrad, but I can’t be the only one relieved to not see colorless mana symbols […]
The shadow of the Eldrazi is beginning to lift from Modern, thanks somewhat ironically to the incoming Shadows Over Innistrad. Previews have begun and while we only have about a third of the set to ogle that hasn’t stopped the speculation. I haven’t seen very much to really tickle my Modern senses yet, though I’m […]
The triple Eldrazi Grand Prix weekend has come and gone, and with it went my final shreds of hope for this Modern format. Luckily, Aaron Forsythe confirmed at GP Detroit that Eldrazi was “DEFCON 1” for Wizards, and we’ll certainly see a metagame correction in April. While I won’t play much Modern until then, I still have a […]
This format has become as hostile as Zendikar. Testing Eldrazi online makes everyone ragequit, and testing anything else leaves me with bruises. Last week, I took a deck I’d already worked on profusely and tweaked it into a hate-machine for the format tyrant. The deck showed initial promise, but soon Eldrazi opponents adapted to my strategy, and […]
Sheridan’s Eldrazi checkup article from Wednesday linked to a reddit post about Modern’s “canaries in a coalmine:” cards and strategies whose presence in a format should set off red flags of obvious metagame issues. I also find the idea “fascinating,” but could not believe the inanity of the post’s replies, which suggested Spell Snare, Ensnaring Bridge, […]
So. Eldrazi is everywhere. The metagame is warping around the colorless menace, driving out interaction. Linear aggressive decks sit comfortably atop the field. This is unhealthy and probably won’t last, either because answers will be found and the warp will disappear, or because Wizards will mollify Reddit and take action April 4th. However, that doesn’t […]
We’ve all heard the old adage: if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em! Most of MTGO appears to have heeded this wisdom: Eldrazi has already ingested 40% of the online format with little sign of relenting. Paper events also have the Eldrazi bug, where the Tier 1 superstar occupies 20% of the 27 tournaments since Pro Tour Oath of the Gatewatch. Me? […]
Modern has always been a creature format. That’s why, despite a lull in play last year, nobody’s ever doubted Path to Exile as a perennial staple. And why dumb beaters like Tarmogoyf find their way to the top tables in the face of Goryo’s Vengeance and Ad Nauseam. Cheap, large bodies command a premium in Modern, and Oath […]
Well, it’s been quite a week hasn’t it? The banning of Splinter Twin really touched a nerve with the whole community. However, that is now firmly behind us and continuing to bemoan (or extoll) that decision adds nothing new or useful. Instead, let us look to the future and answer the burning question: What now? Looking to the immediate future, […]
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 […]
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. […]
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 […]
