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It seems like more people than less dislike the design of the Amonkhet Invocations. And I agree that the card name text is a little hard to read, but overall I think they're kinda cool.

On the other hand, there have been a lot of other card designs that Wizards has tried over the years. Some of them look kind of janky. Some of them look beautiful.

Here are 8 card designs that I think are some of the best that have been released so far. I found it hard to rank these, so I'm gonna leave that up to you.

Future Sight - Futureshifted Cards

I can't really explain what it is about these cards that make them look so cool. Is it that the mana symbols are on the left-hand side? Maybe. Or maybe it's because the different parts of the card blend more smoothly together compared to other designs.

Kaladesh - Inventions

Sweet golden-brown design to highlight this awesome set of artifacts. It's almost like a tribute to the original 'brown' artifacts that look so much better than the 'grey' ones. The foiling on these could've been a bit nicer; but overall, these are true gems.

Alpha

Speaking of the original artifacts. It's really hard to beat Alpha. I mean, come on, it's the first set of Magic. There's just something about the simplicity of colors used to create these cards. Bring back 'brown' artifacts!

Unglued - Basic Lands

What a goofy set. And even goofier lands. Funny thing is, the lands actually look incredible. Full-art lands with big mana symbols and simple border pattern. These will probably be some of the best lands ever printed for the history of the game.

Unhinged - Basic Lands

And just when you thought Wizards couldn't do it again. Super simple. Super clean. Just super. These pieces look like they belong in the Louvre.

Magic Player Rewards

Another full-art masterpiece. Too bad they did away with these promos. Not only do the borders look amazing, the actual artwork on most of the cards is incredible. Who cares if people don't know what these cards do, bring them back!

Comic-Con Promos

Dark. Hard as hell to read. But ridiculously cool. I really hope they do more of these.

Born of the Gods - Enchantment Creatures

A nice subtle touch to help distinguish the card type from others. They also look great in foil.

Which designs on this list do you think are the best? Do you think there are other ones that should've made this list over any of these?

Peace, love, and have fun…
Eddie

Additional Reading

1. MTG Reporter - A Goblin's Guide to Fatally Burning Your Opponents in Modern [Edward Eng - Battlemage, Level 42]

2. The MTG Community - Top 10 Don'ts [Edward Eng - Battlemage, Level 42]

A Little Bit about Eddie

He started playing Magic around December of 1994, then hit the sanctioned competitive tournament scene in 1997. He played till about 2000 and was on the cusp of making the Pro Tour but stopped to focus on school. He found his old teammate on Facebook in 2009 and got back into the game in 2010. Since then he's played in two Nationals, top 16ed an SCG Invitational, and day 2ed multiple Grand Prix.

Archive of Eddie's Articles

Edward Eng

Galactic Treasures

No changes to the ban and restricted lists, so here we go. Last weekend I got a rare chance to play some Modern Magic in Dallas/Fort Worth. I played 4C Burn. I don't think Wild Nacatl is good right now because there are too many Fatal Pushes running around which makes Atarka's Command less good as well. But you still need green for Destructive Revelry in the sideboard.

In the past, I also didn't really like playing Path to Exile but seemed necessary to get ride of creatures like Kor Firewalker, Tarmogoyf, Kitchen Finks, Burrenton Forge-Tender, and Wurmcoil Engine. I just didn't like ramping my opponent, so I thought that Fatal Push might be a better option.

Here's the list I played...

Modern
4C Burn - Edward Eng

Here's what I played against...

Day 1

R1: 2-1 vs. Burn by Michael Cooper (W, 1-0)
R2: 2-0 vs. Death's Shadow by Andrew Webb (W, 2-0)
R3: 2-1 vs. Bant Eldrazi by Travis Williams (W, 3-0)
R4: 2-0 vs. Summoning Pact Toolbox by Tony Skrzypczak (W, 4-0)
R5: 2-0 vs. Zoo by James Peek (W, 5-0)
R6: 2-0 vs. Death's Shadow by Aaron Rubin (W, 6-0)
R7: 0-2 vs. Ad Nauseum by Ricky Linn (L, 6-1)
R8: 1-2 vs. Abzan Company by Thomas Lunardini (L, 6-2)
R9: 2-1 vs. Death's Shadow by Rolaund Hinojosa (W, 7-2)

Day 2

R10: 1-2 vs. Grixis Delver by Theodore Hicks (L, 7-3)
R11: Bye (W, 8-3)
R12: 2-1 vs. Merfolk by Stephen Bacala (W, 9-3)
R13: 0-2 vs. Affinity by Curtis Eslami (L, 9-4)
R14: 2-1 vs. Burn by Adam Bennett (W, 10-4)
R15: 2-1 vs. Death's Shadow by Bradley Carpenter (W, 11-4)

I ended up 17th out of 857 registered players at 11-4. Congrats to Austin Bursavich for winning the tournament!

I highly recommend the deck and would play the exact 75 again if I played it.

Here are my sideboarding tips...

Against Burn

On the Play

Out

In

On the Draw

Out

In

Against Death's Shadow

On the Play

Out

In

On the Draw

Out

In

Against Bant Eldrazi

On the Play

Out

In

On the Draw

Out

Against Ad Nauseum

On the Play

Out

In

On the Draw

Out

In

Against Abzan Company

On the Play

Out

In

On the Draw

Out

In

Against Merfolk

On the Play

Out

In

On the Draw

Out

In

Against Affinity

On the Play

Out

In

On the Draw

Out

In

There are a lot of intricacies to playing with and against Burn. And I'd be happy to discuss them with you. Hit me up in the comments or on social media and I'll get back to you.

Peace, love, and have fun…
Eddie

Additional Reading

1. The MTG Community - Top 10 Don'ts [Edward Eng - Battlemage, Level 42]

A Little Bit about Eddie

He started playing Magic around December of 1994, then hit the sanctioned competitive tournament scene in 1997. He played till about 2000 and was on the cusp of making the Pro Tour but stopped to focus on school. He found his old teammate on Facebook in 2009 and got back into the game in 2010. Since then he's played in two Nationals, top 16ed an SCG Invitational, and day 2ed multiple Grand Prix.

Archive of Eddie's Articles

Edward Eng

Galactic Treasures

This is our first time running some deals. We're giving it a try to see how it goes. If you're looking for other specific cards, let us know so we know what other deals to create for you. Thanks!

Check out the deals here.

I told ya I'd be back. So here I am...sorta. I just graduated from Dev Bootcamp Chicago. I'm new to the software development industry in Houston and am looking for a job. I haven't played Magic since at least September 2016, so I don't have a good grasp on what's going on right now. But I realized this is a pretty common occurrence with Magic. People play the game, get sucked in, take breaks, and sometimes come back for more. I took a 10-year break from 2000 to 2010 and a short one this past year. But enough about me. Let's get back to business.

So I hear there's a Pro Tour this weekend. I'd like to hear what Standard deck you think will win the PT and why.

What's Gonna Win?

1. Saheeli Combo
2. BG Aggro
3. Vehicles (Mardu?)
4. Eldrazi
5. Something Else

Vote in the comments below.

Peace, love, and have fun…
Eddie

Additional Reading

1. The MTG Community - Top 10 Don'ts [Edward Eng - Battlemage, Level 42]

A Little Bit about Eddie

He started playing Magic around December of 1994, then hit the sanctioned competitive tournament scene in 1997. He played till about 2000 and was on the cusp of making the Pro Tour but stopped to focus on school. He found his old teammate on Facebook in 2009 and got back into the game in 2010. Since then he's played in two Nationals, top 16ed an SCG Invitational, and day 2ed multiple Grand Prix.

Archive of Eddie's Articles

Edward Eng

Galactic Treasures

Hey y'all,

I probably should've mentioned this earlier instead of suddenly 'dropping' off the face of the Magic planet. But I've been on a hiatus since I started coding school at Dev Bootcamp.

One of the reasons why I decided to attend DBC was to not only find a meaningful job but to also have the resources to travel to more Magic tournaments.

I'll be back shortly. Hopefully not too long after 2017 starts. Until then, I wish you all the best of luck with Magic as usual.

And as always, let me know if you'd like to write/post any articles.

Peace, love, and have fun…
Eddie

Additional Reading

1. The MTG Community - Top 10 Don'ts [Edward Eng - Battlemage, Level 42]

A Little Bit about Eddie

He started playing Magic around December of 1994, then hit the sanctioned competitive tournament scene in 1997. He played till about 2000 and was on the cusp of making the Pro Tour but stopped to focus on school. He found his old teammate on Facebook in 2009 and got back into the game in 2010. Since then he's played in two Nationals, top 16ed an SCG Invitational, and day 2ed multiple Grand Prix.

Archive of Eddie's Articles

Edward Eng

Galactic Treasures

I recently read a pretty decent article by manaleak.com that aims to help new and returning players get into the game. It's a good piece because ultimately it's an effort to continue growing the Magic community. And without these kinds of effort, we won't have a sustainable game and it'll eventually die. Luckily, we have people like manaleak.com and others willing to provide insight and discussion points that should help people correctly develop as players and as human beings.

Although the article touches on some solid points, there are some areas and issues that we can focus on to further promote a healthy, growing community going forward. In an effort to be more specific about where we can improve our behavior as we play the game we love, I'll present a top 10 list of things not to do when playing Magic. And more importantly, I'll provide improvement suggestions for each point respectively.

1. Don't Call Someone a Scrub

The term 'scrub' has become pretty ubiquitous throughout the Magic community and it's disgusting. Step back and think about what you're actually doing by calling him or her a 'scrub'. You're actually degrading another human being. Stop. And this even applies to calling yourself a 'scrub'. How will you ever get better at the game like that? Respect yourself and others.

Some players have more experience than others. Some players might be better than others because they've made more mistakes and learned to improve from them. So if you play against someone that may have made some mistakes, don't refer to him or her as a 'scrub' and laugh when you're talking to your friends. Think about it. How did you become a better player? You must have made some mistakes along the way and learned from them. Would you have appreciated knowing someone called you a 'scrub' and laughed at you as he or she was talking with his or her friends?

The same goes for yourself. Don't call yourself a 'scrub' if you made mistakes. It doesn't help you improve as a player or a person.

Improvement Suggestion: If an opponent or yourself maybe made some mistakes, just say that he or she might not have played optimally. Focus on the mistake and have a discussion point about what the potentially 'better' play might have been so that you actually take away something meaningful to help yourself or even others improve.

1. Don't Be a Know-It-All

You've played hundred or even thousands of hours of Magic either in real life or online. You've played in hundreds of sanctioned tournaments. Your friends with Pro Tour players. You've even played on the Pro Tour yourself. None of these give you the right to be a know-it-all. People don't like know-it-alls. They're offensive and not fun to be around.

Just because you've played a lot of Magic and might be quite experienced also doesn't give you the right to criticize another person's deck choice, card choices, lines of play, or anything else.

Improvement Suggestion: Give other people a chance to talk and bring up ideas. But more importantly, actually listen to what other people have to say. Foster discussions that talk about different lines of play and what potential outcomes might be. And don't be condescending when you reply to another person's thoughts or questions.

1. Don't Tell People What to Do

This one is kinda funny and somewhat inceptuous. It's almost like telling people not to tell people what to do. But anyways, this one is kind of similar to 'don't be a know-it-all'. Rather than criticizing you're limiting people. Don't tell people what deck to play. Don't tell people what cards to play or not play. Don't tell people how to play a certain way. Don't tell people how to play a deck.

Improvement Suggestion: Give the other person a chance to talk first. And then make sure you listen before you talk. Ask non-condescending questions first to generate an open discussion. For example...ask the other person what deck he or she would play and why. Ask why he or she chooses to play certain cards in the deck. Ask how he or she would play against certain decks. Ask what he or she would do during certain game states or situations. Don't assume anything.

1. Don't Be a Sexist

Magic is predominately played by males, so this might be a bit lopsided. And this point was probably a more serious topic when the game was going through its first growth spurt. I remember people hated losing to a female opponent and would tilt off (more on this in the next point), calling her a 'scrub'.

Things seem to be a bit better nowadays, but I still hear people (males) say sexist things when they lose or win against a female opponent. Females are humans just like males. They can play just as well or even better than men. Just because your opponent is a female doesn't mean that she's an inferior person or doesn't know how to play the game.

Improvement Suggestion: No matter if you lose or win against a female opponent, have respect for her as a human being just as you would and should respect your mom, your dad, your siblings, your friends, and yourself. If you talk to your friends about the match, focus on the match, the plays, and the analysis just as I mentioned in the point above this.

1. Don't Be a Sore Loser

You won't win every game or match, so you're definitely going to experience losses in Magic. And just like anything else in life, it's best not to be a sore loser. Just like know-it-alls, no one likes sore losers. It's off-putting. Plus, you don't learn how to be a better person or player when all you do is complain about losing.

Improvement Suggestion:  Whenever you lose a game or match of Magic, make sure you decompress before anything. Don't tilt off. Take a breather. Then clearly think back about the steps you took. Maybe you could've picked a more suitable deck, maybe you could've constructed your deck a bit differently, maybe you could've taken different lines of play, or maybe it was a combination of factors. Take the time to objectively analyze the outcome and what happened along the way that might have contributed to the outcome. Feel free to physically write down notes so you can review them later.

1. Don't Be Arrogant

This is kind of a combination of being a know-it-all and a sore winner. You're also being quite arrogant whenever you call someone a 'scrub'. Just because you won a tournament doesn't mean you have some kind of authority over others. What you're doing is creating a reverse affect. Less people will like you and actually listen to what you have to say.

Improvement Suggestion: If you're fortunate enough to win tournaments and people start talking to you or ask you questions, be polite. Be respectful. Be humble. Again, make sure you actually listen to what the other person is saying. Be constructive, objective, and non-condescending with your responses and questions.

1. Don't Steal

This should be obvious to everyone. Unfortunately, it's not. Furthermore, if you borrow something and never return it, consider what you haven't returned stolen. Just like being arrogant, when people steal he or she creates another reverse effect. There are short-term 'gains' but huge long-term losses. The more people steal, the more people leave the community. This should be a no-brainer.

Improvement Suggestion: If you see or know someone who stole something and have concrete evidence, report him or her to authorities like the police or store owners. To prevent more stealing from happening, promote ways to help people get the cards they need to play. This could be telling people about sites like SpareDeck to rent cards, donating money or cards to a charity like Gamers Helping Gamers to help others who might be less fortunate than you, or giving extra cards away to new players or people who don't have much extra money to get what he or she needs, or encouraging others to trade for what they need.

1. Don't Be a Swindler

Speaking of trading, don't swindle people out of their cards. This is like stealing. Just like sexism issues, this was a bigger problem years ago. And just like stealing, the more people get swindled, the small our community gets. Fortunately, the problem has been alleviated quite a bit by now with wider access to the internet via smartphones and widespread info.

Improvement Suggestion: If you see something fishy, alert the store owner of him or her. If you want to trade, by all means do so since stealing is out of the question. But trade for value if you'd like. Trade for things you need. Trade for things you think will appreciate in value over time.

1. Don't Swear

There are a lot of kids that are around or play Magic. We want more players to join the community. We want players to feel comfortable and have fun playing the game. Swearing generally gives people the wrong vibe and is just not appropriate for kids.

Improvement Suggestion: If you hear someone swear, especially around kids, kindly point out that there are kids around. If you feel frustrated and catch yourself swearing a lot, maybe try some other techniques to mitigate your frustrations like carrying a stress ball with you or just taking a quick breather walk.

1. Don't Be Elitist

Some people are fortunate enough to get to a point where we become quite experienced in Magic. Sometimes these people make friends with other like players. This is one of the biggest challenges in making sure the community continues to grow. Newer players, less-experienced players, and people interested in playing Magic for the first time could be intimidated by the cliques that are formed. Think about when you first started playing. How did you learn to get better? Who befriended you? Who are or were your mentors? No matter how experienced you are, you can always learn something from others no matter who he or she is.

Improvement Suggestion: If you have a good amount of experience and people ask you for help or just want to chat, be open. Be nice. Most importantly, listen and ask questions to understand not to assume or condescend. And be constructive but not arrogant with your feedback.

Closing Notes

Yes, all the points are ranked number one. They're all equally important to fostering an environment that welcomingly invites new and returning players to Magic to ensure the proper growth of the community that we're all a part of. Do yourself a favor and advocate these don'ts.

So as I begin to write this article I am preparing for yet another PPTQ (today is 08/25/2016). This is the first season I have tried to grind since Origins and I have had some mediocre performances. All three PPTQs to this point have resulted in 10th place finishes where I started (2-0) and finished (4-2) in all three; two were Modern and one was sealed. What I wanted to write about though was how I approached the Modern PPTQs and maybe give you an insight of what you are doing to prepare for yours. Modern is a polarizing and frustrating format. On any given day there are any number of decks that can win a tournament and that makes for a difficult PPTQ format.

So how do we prepare for such a wide open format? I will briefly introduce a couple factors for now, but will definitely expand on these at another time.

1. Familiarize Yourself with the Format

This means know as many decks as possible. Luckily I play on Magic Online (MTGO) and have a friend by the name of Max Rosenfeld who over the years has introduced me to a vast majority of fringe decks, so even if I can't identify what exactly the brew I encounter is I have a good guess of what the core of the deck is. I don't get taken by surprise often in Modern tournaments. Modern, like Legacy, can give you tons of information in the first few land drops and sequence of plays you just have to look for the information. I wish I had some screenshots to share with you guys as examples but here are just a few examples that have come up more so than expected on MTGO:

Your opponent goes fetch, shock in land, thoughtseize. Most likely he is on a Death's Shadow variant but he could also be a GBx deck depending on the shockland. What if your opponent leads on Steam Vents + Serum Visions, but then turn 2 they go fetchland, shock in Sacred Foundry and cast 2nd Serum Visions + Faithless Looting pitching Lighting Bolt and Lightning Helix? What if they go Turn 1 basic Forest into Arbor Elf? Turn 1 Godless Shrine into Relic of Progenitus? There are many decks out there and some have slight variations of each other that not knowing a core of a fringe deck can cost you a game or even a match because there could be something random in their main deck that had you knowledge of their deck you could play around or understand what is important and what resources to attack.

Post sideboard. What kind of hate could they have in their sideboard? If the opponent has white, does Leyline of Sanctity mean anything to me or how many copies of Kataki, War's Wage or Stony Silence do they have? If they are playing red can they be playing Blood Moon or a sweeper like Anger of the Gods? Did you know that Jester's Cap or Choke was a legal card in Modern, how about Darkness?

2. Know Your Deck

This is much more difficult than it sounds. People sometimes just pick up a deck because it is labeled the "best deck" but have little to no idea of how to play it. Modern punishes you for small mistakes due to the velocity of the format and the nature of the painful manabase we are forced to play with. Yes, I know the format is an "arms race" and it isn't always interactive, but if you can't even figure out how your deck is suppose to ignore the other guy then you won't have much success. I also understand decks just have draws that win no matter what and the draws seem mindless, but you have to know what to do and how to react when opponents start interacting with you or even worse know your gameplan just as well as you do. You have to then figure out what their gameplan is and adjust yours accordingly.

So how do these factors apply to my recent PPTQ experiences?

Well in the last two Modern PPTQs I played, I played two decks that I don't regularly play; Jund and Abzan Company. Both these decks are considered "real" decks, ones that can win a "major" tournament. Now most people know me as a Scapeshift aficionado, so to see me sleeve up these two decks came as a surprise to many. In short, I believe Scapeshift, as sweet of a deck that I think it is, is not very competitive. I don't want to write an entire report of either of these tournaments, but I will if asked. So now let's get to a couple of the reasons why I chose to play these decks.

PPTQ#1 Jund

This was held at one at Mage's Sanctum. My decision to play Jund was because Jund is a 45-55 matchup-type deck that has some of the best sideboard tools and can reconfigure itself to beat anything. So it being a local PPTQ, I figured Jund would give me the best option to beat what I knew would be a field full of aggressive decks, specifically Death's Shadow Aggro. There's a small group within Austin now that only the most competitive of people may have noticed. They include Jon Martin and Jeremy Frye. I knew ahead of time they were going to be bringing friends to play and there would be multiple Death's Shadow opponents and if I wanted to win the tournament I would have to beat one of these guys so Jund seemed like a logical choice to prey on their deck choice. Jon Martin ended up winning this tournament on Death's Shadow after I defeated him in round 1, so I believe my choice to play Jund was correct. Although I had never played Jund, I think I was capable because in my opinion it plays like a Limited deck the most. Advice for Jund pilots, know Limited strategy before you choose to pilot Jund.

PPTQ#2 Abzan Company

This was held at Dragon's Lair in San Antonio. Abzan Company, in my opinion, is a difficult deck to pilot because it offers many lines of play. The reason I chose this deck was for the chance to outplay opponents but also the deck was fun. My prep for the tournament were a few leagues on MTGO where I was able to consistently go (3-2) while feeling I was making small mistakes. My work paid off when I finally went (5-0) where I felt I was able to outmanuever a couple of my opponents. I once again fell short of top 8. Losing to Bushwacker Zoo where I felt I kept a couple hands that could've been sent back and Jund where Liliana, the Last Hope + Night of Soul's Betrayal just ruined my day.

After these two tournaments I was quite disappointed and kicking myself for not playing the deck I had been playing on MTGO for a while now. It's a deck I believe to be grossly underplayed and the deck I will be sleeving up for the PPTQ this weekend of August 27th.

NOTE: (I would have tried to finish this article up explaining why you should play this deck and my MTGO list, but I was still unsure if I was going to play and I also didn't want to give out information of what deck I was running.)

So now that I've gone to the PPTQ (today is now 08/30/2016) I can talk about some of the things I'm most happy about. I lost in the finals of what was the largest PPTQ I've played in to date (72 people). It was 7 rounds and I snuck into the top 8 as the only person with a 5-2 record. It took some wiggling which I'll explain later and even write a specific report about the event that occurred, but we'll get to that eventually. So for this event I switched back to the RG Valakut deck that I believe is grossly underplayed. It does a few things that Modern decks need to do to be successful. It has a combo kill as soon as turn 3 so it can race the other unfair decks. It has a solid Plan B and even Plan C in dealing lethal damage with Valakut and having a decent creature beatdown plan. Over the course of two months playing it on MTGO, I have somewhere around a 62% win-rate after keeping a log of all my league matches.

Here's the list that I registered for the PPTQ.

Modern
RG Breach - Jaime Garcia

There were a couple last minute changes that I made to the list including a couple "spicier" additions that may be obvious. I never had the turn 3 or turn 4 Through the Breach Titan turns and I only cast Primeval Titan on turn 4 a couple times, so for the most part I was forced to play "fair" Magic. This is one of the strenghts of the deck as it is able to play fair Magic and still interact with the format. My matches went as followed:

Round 1 (Jund by Unknown, W: 2-1)

NOTE: The Planeswalker Points website didn't have his name which is unfortunate because he was a very pleasant opponent that put me in a good mood for the tournament which I believe attributed to my play and success.
G1: I mull to 6 but game ends up being standard G1 against Jund as it seems like he keeps a removal-heavy hand with not much discard. I miss land drops for a couple turns but he taps out the turn right before I draw my 5th land for Through the Breach into Primeval Titan.
G2: I mull to 6 again, he rips my hand apart with double discard into Lilliana of the Veil and there wasn't much I could do.
G3: Opponent mulls to 6, I ramp twice and on his turn 3 he plays Liliana of the Veil using her +1. I then Summoner's Pact for Obstinate Baloth in response getting a free 4/4 and killing Liliana the next turn. A couple turns later I slam Primeval Titan and follow it with another Titan.

Round 2 (Jund by Trey Mattison, W: 2-1)

G1: I mull to 6 again and have a couple discard spells cast against me, but I'm able to slow pressure down by bolting a Dark Confidant and Scavenging Ooze. The game goes on and the 2nd Scavenging Ooze wins my opponent the game as I top deck a Scapeshift but it can only do 18 damage and my opponent had gained life up to 21 while also carefully playing his lands as pain-free as possible.
G2: We both mull to 6. I keep a kind of slow hand from what I remember but it has land drops a Courser and a Baloth to slow down Liliana. He never really pressures me other than one Goyf and one Primeval Titan plus land drop takes care of that. The game then becomes land drop.
G3: Opponent mulls to 6. He casts 3 discard spells taking two ramp spells and a Courser but I hit natural land drops then the turn he is able to activate Raging Ravine it dies to a topdecked Lightning Bolt the turn before that he didn't see with discard. Opponent floods out and I land back to back Primeval Titans to end the game.

Round 3 (UR Delver by Jeremy Frye, W: 2-0)

G1: A local from Austin. He's playing a bit of a brew, but I know him from the local shops and I've run into the deck quite a few times online. He begins the match by saying, "I am going to die to that stupid 8/5 aren't I?" Before the tournament, I asked to borrow a Melira I had forgotten and I caught a glimpse of Gaea's Revenge in his binder so I went back to ask to borrow it in case I played a blue deck; well here we are! We both keep 7. My opening hand has a ramp spell and to Anger of the Gods. Anger kills basically everything in his deck so I keep. He saves his Young Pyromancer from my first Anger, but the 2nd one is able to sweep the board. He never finds countermagic and a hardcasted Primeval Titan on turn 5 is able to just close out the game.
G2: I believe he mulled to 6 (I should keep better notes for this). My hand has ramp, a mixture of removal, and of course Gaea's Revenge!!! There are a couple critical turns where Jeremy decides not to counter a Search for Tomorrow coming off suspend and also tapping out for a turn to land a threat needing me to miss a land drop. On the first decision, I think you may just always counter ramp because it lets me pull ahead or catch up. It also allowed me to get one of my 2 basic forests to play around Blood Moon. I hit natural land drops regardless that turn, so it may have been irrelevant. The turn he tapped out to play a threat, he needed me to miss a land drop so I couldn't land Thragtusk. I drew the land and landed Thragtusk. Now Jeremy was on the back foot and soon after I landed none other than Gaea's Revenge to help finish the game with Thragtusk.

Round 4 (Naya Aggro/Company? by Chris Basser, W: 2-0)

G1: We both keep 7. I have triple ramp on the draw and land for turn 4 Primeval Titan...or so I thought. He played a Thalia, Heretical Cathar making my Wooded Foothills come in tapped. We only noticed halfway through me trying to cast a Summoner's Pact. The judge was try resolving it in a curious way. My opponent has no pressure as next turn I land the Titan fetching two Valakuts, making land drops to kill his two creatures.
G2: I'm wary of Blood Moon/Magus of the Moon so I fetch basics accordingly, but I'm also able to land a turn 4 Primeval Titan. My opponent later told me he had Path to Exile but with Titan and active Valakuts he opted to play Blood Moon locking him out of white mana for Path to Exile. I'm able to ignore Blood Moon and attack Primeval Titan into a lone Loxodon Smiter. Opponent gets beaten down by Primeval Titan.

Round 5 (Jund by Alex Shaub, L: 1-2)

G1: I mull to 6. The game is close and we both know what each other is on as my roommate, James Conboy, lends his friend Alex the deck. The game is close and a small mistake is made by my opponent. He's at 13 and fetches to go down to 12. Meaning a Primeval Titan/Summoner's Pact is now able to kill him. His Dark Confidant hits a land so he stays at 12, I top deck Primeval Titan.
G2: We both keep 7. My hand is great. Double ramp, a Baloth for a Liliana and a Primeval Titan. I end up getting blown out by double Fulminator Mage. Had I fetched a basic with the first fetchland, I could have easily won the game. The reason for not fetching a basic was having too much information. My roommate as of a few days prior didn't have Fulminator Mages in his board so I was quite surprised to see the 1st, much less the 2nd one. A Scavenging Ooze ends up getting up to a 7/7 as I draw an unusually high amount of creatures and it ends up killing me.
G3. We both keep 7: My hand is just ok. Some ramp, a payoff spell in Primeval Titan and a Bolt. I believe I made a major misplay on turn 3 where I play a ramp spell plus have Bolt. I Bolted Scavenging Ooze while still dealing with the sting of him beating my face in with an Ooze in G2, when obviously I should've Bolted Dark Confidant. He ends up running away with the game drawing into Fulminator and removal for my creatures that are supposed to serve as road blocks. I die to creature beats of Dark Confidant, a Tarmogoyf that joined the party, and Raging Ravine.

Round 6 (Grixis Death's Shadow by Joel Rodriguez, L: 0-2)

G1: We both keep 7. I actually hadn't been keeping an eye on this player because he wasn't at the top tables all day. I keep a hand of removal, Courser, and Baloth. Turn one on the play he plays Polluted Delta, then at my end step he fetches Watery Grave, shocks and does nothing. I instantly know I am in trouble and wondering if this is the Esper Death's Shadow or Grixis Death's Shadow deck that one of my driving buddies beat in the earlier rounds. Turn two he plays Kiln Fiend and I know what is going on. I end step Bolt, but he has the Mutagenic Growth. At this point, I try to mask what I am because I draw the Scalding Tarn. I pass representing countermagic. He swings for 1 and has no pump; the 2nd main phase he plays a Death's Shadow. I draw my other Scalding Tarn play it and pass. He then casts Gitaxian Probe to try and reveal information. During sideboarding I can tell my opponent is perplexed by what he's playing against, but I believe the matchup is so bad for me the small percentages I gained by doing this was irrelevant.
G2: I mull to 6 looking for an Engineered Explosives, Sudden Shock, or a fast combo hand. I have none of the 3 but I keep a 6 having double Bolt, Anger, and 3 Lands. I died pretty quickly; turn 4 I believe.

Round 7 (BW Eldrazi by Hunter Suelzer, W: 2-0)

I get the pair up and have a shot at top 8 as the lone x-2 as my tie-breakers are insane. Two of my earlier opponents are able to draw into top 8 and a third is still playing for top 8 due to the pair-up.
G1 and G2: Both games are uneventful compared to what was happening outside of our match. He mulls to 5 one of the games and I have a fast Primeval Titan both games to easily win the match. There were some other details and factors that attributed to me making top 8 that included this match and if anyone who was there who reads this report, I ask that you don't comment on these events on this public forum please.

Quarterfinals (RG Tron by Unknown, W: 2-1)

G1: I mull to 6 (man, I did that a ton). I don't believe he knows what I'm on even after the match starts as he reads every single card I cast except for Lightning Bolt. I miss a land drop on 3 crucial turns where he's dead to the Through the Breach + Primeval Titan in my hand. He drops 3 straight Karn, Liberateds and I am only able to deal with the first 2 via two Lightning Bolts.
G2: I have a turn 3 Acidic Slime to blow up a Tron piece on the play to buy myself some time. I force him to blow an O-stone on just a board of Courser and Acidic Slime; post-combat I land my first Primeval Titan but he has Ulamog to kill both Valakuts. I still can kill him next turn with Pact into a 2nd Primeval Titan and swing with the first one unles... I draw the last Valakut and already have one in my hand so I can't kill him that turn; doh! I have to suicide the first Primeval Titan to do some damage then hope that Ulamog doesn't exile all my mountains. Ulamog attacks and exiles the last 3 remaining mountains meaning that with my opponent at 5 I have to topdeck a 2nd bolt or the Pia and Kirans I couldn't board out because there was enough cards to bring in. I topdeck the 2nd bolt! I feel like I'm able to predict the future at this point.
G3: My opponent presents a 54 card deck and I win game 3.

Semi-Finals (Jund by Alex Schaub, W: 2-0)

Ahh my lone Jund loss of the day and redemption is what I'm after.
G1: My opponent is surprised by the mainboard Obstinate Baloth when he pluses a Liliana of the Veil. I then attack into a Grim Flayer at the Liliana and Liliana goes down. Not much pressure is presented to me and I'm able to just Primeval Titan him out.
G2: We do what Jund wants and that's get into a topdeck war. I'm able to handle his first couple threats with a Bolt and an Engineered Explosives. Then when the game turns into a topdeck war where Courser of Kruphix helps me hit a land drop and dig deeper. He kills Courser and lands Tarmogoyf while I'm empty-handed. I shuffle away a now useless Baloth then topdeck a 2nd Engineereed Explosives to deal with Tarmogoyf. He draws a card and I notice he doesn't have a 2nd green source to activate Raging Ravine or play what sounds felt like a Kitchen Finks. I then draw Relic of Progenitus making future Tarmogoyfs and Scavenging Oozes rather harmless. I activate it drawing into Summoner's Pact, getting Primeval Titan and winning the game rather easily from there.

Finals (Grixis Death's Shadow by Joel Rodriguez, L: 0-2)

G1 and G2: Both games were uneventful. I knew I had to have fast starts so I mulliganed both games looking for fast hands or heavy removal. Both games I got Thoughtseized on a mulligan to 6 and was dead pretty shortly.

RG Breach ended up being a solid choice for this tournament as the room was full of Jund, blue decks, and fair creature decks. A couple things of note about the RG Breach deck. I play a more midrange-oriented version of the deck that relies less on the combo but still has all the combo elements. There are other variants such as the Nahiri, Oath of Nissa, Simian Spirit Guide, Emrakul variants. It's hard to say if my build is the correct build to play, but it's the build I've played the most and am most comfortable with. A couple last-minute changes that I made to the deck were adding the two Scapeshifts to the main while also adding a couple more creatures to the sideboard package in Gaea's Revenge, Thragtusk, and Acidic Slime. So the Scapeshifts were primarily to have more live topdecks in what I had heard and anticipcated would be a Jund-heavy field and also hedge against the unusual amount of control decks. Thragtusk helped against aggressive decks but could also come in against Blood Moon decks, Jund as a value creature, or Control as another beater and resilient threat. Acidic Slime was a concession to having to deal with troublesome lands such as man lands, Tron, and Scapeshift. Gaea's Revenge, to be honest, could've been any one of 10-15 other cards but I wanted something unexpected and spicy.

Overall, the deck performed well. Not once did I have a turn 3 or 4 Primeval Titan with haste and only a couple of times did I hardcast Primeval Titan on turn 4. Cards that underperformed were Scapeshift, even though I only drew it once. Most the time it would've just been ok as a topdeck, so if I wanted to continue running it I would run one copy in the sideboard to have more topdecks against Jund and control. Melira and Sudden Shock were wasted sideboard slots all day as Infect has died down in popularity. I could see playing without Melira if you are playing Sudden Shocks or multiple Spellskites. I'm not a fan of Spellskite as you cannot tutor for it with Summoner's Pact so I'm going to keep Melira as I think having a silver bullet in the sideboard is vital in Modern. Pia and Kiran was great at always being a nice roadblock or another removal spell. Baloth in the main is much better than people give it credit for, especially if you expect an aggressive meta. I may move a 2nd copy to the main. Courser of Kruphix continues to overperform as a way to manipulate your draws with all the search effects you have while also filtering mana-flooded draws. Some people play Oracle of Mul Daya but I believe Course being Bolt-proof gives it the edge, plus I loved that card in Standard Abzan Control. Thragtusk could also be considered being swapped out for the 4th Baloth or even a Huntmaster, but those may just be worse as the 5 power on Thragtusk is relevant in combatting Goyfs and Reality Smashers. I'm still happy with the 4/2 split on Lighting Bolt and Anger of the Gods. I've seen some lists shave Lightning Bolt which I don't totally agree with unless you're going to go all in on the combo. And the Angers are a concession to Dredge and aggro.

So why should you play RG Breach?

Well the deck is powerful and attacks on another axis that most Modern decks aren't prepared for in being a land-based combo deck. The deck is very resilient and its threats are all pseudo 2-for-1s." It can also just play the midrange control deck once Valakuts are online or just end the game quickly by making every topdeck a Bolt. It has good MUs against popular midrange decks such as Jund and Bant Eldrazi. They really have to have a good combination of hand disruption and a quick clock to beat you as the deck can recover quite nicely. It can race the aggressive decks such as Infect and Affinity while also having just enough disruption in the main to slow down their aggression while also being able to get better post board. Against control we can just make land drops and use Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle to win. It's bad MUs include decks that can attack our mana base or our hand or decks that are just trying to ignore everything such as Goryo's Vengeance or Death's Shadow Aggro. Sometimes Anger of the Gods on the draw on turn 3 is just too slow. This deck is by no means "broken" or unbeatable, but the deck surely shouldn't be 1 out of 72 at a PPTQ. This deck should be in any gauntlet that anyone tests for Modern. People may be slow to realize just how good this deck is so maybe I'll have a small window to spike one of these tournaments, but after this article I suggest it'll be much harder and people will be more prepared if they see me roaming their LGS. I'll probably follow up with a primer primarily on just RG Valakut if there's enough interest. But all questions are welcomed regarding sideboarding and specific numbers and card selection.

Thanks,
Jaime

Additional Reading

1. Standard Fare - Beating the Standard Metagame [Chris Stomberg - Invoker, Level 32]

2. The MTG Community - Top 10 Set Symbols [Edward Eng - Battlemage, Level 42]

3. Standard Fare - Cuckoo for Coco Puffs [Gabriel Nicholas - Sorcerer, Level 38]

4. The MTG Community - MTG Pro Tutor Podcast [Edward Eng - Battlemage, Level 42]

Archive of Jaime's Articles

Jaime Garcia

Galactic Treasures

Have you been crushed by powerful cards like Liliana, the Last Hope, Languish, Ishkanah, Grafwidow, and Brisela, Voice of Nightmares lately? How about destructive combos such as your opponent casting Elder Deep-Fiend with a Kozilek’s Return in the graveyard for free from their earlier Grapple with the Past? To top it all off, answering all of these high-powered, high converted mana cost cards couldn't be more difficult with the various Collected Company decks still hanging around and putting on the early game pressure with an absurd amount of value due to their impressive suite of 3 CMC (converted mana cost) or less creatures. Although the Standard metagame may be in a very healthy place right now due to the abundant variety of successful decks, this same variety that contributes to the health of the format makes it difficult for a player to answer the various strategies others are employing in their decks. Is it even possible to build a deck that contains all the answers to such a diverse field of opponents?

While I may not have the answer to this question just yet, the best way to come at an overarching quandary such as this is to break it down piece by piece. In other words, ask questions that are not so general! For example, by what mechanical means in the game can you answer the Kozilek’s Return and Elder Deep-Fiend combo? In order for this play to work out for your opponent, what are the conditions that must be met? How can I disrupt these conditions before my opponent is able to enact the combo? What specific Standard-legal cards allow me the tools I need? And finally, once you have your list of cards that effectively answer the problems other decks in the metagame present, the last question you want to ask yourself is how can I put together a deck with its own singular strategy that includes all the cards, or answers, I've found from the previous questions?

Let’s go into more detail. For the sake of this process actually working for my readers as it does for me, let’s run through the use of these questions with attention to the deck, or a variant of it, that won Pro Tour Eldritch Moon: Black White (BW) Control. First of all, what's the means by which this deck wins the game? As the control portion of the deck’s title suggests, this deck wins by answering all relevant threats its opponent puts into play while slowly generating card advantage through the use of powerful high CMC cards that can trade 2 for 1 with its opponent's, one example being Languish. Another important thing to note about most control decks is the use of cards that allow them to dig deeper into their library to find the relevant answers they need, in this case the prime suspect being Read the Bones. While these cards we've examined further the gameplan of the BW control deck and are very important to recognize as key elements of the deck, they still don't supply the answer to our original question: What's the means by which this deck wins the game?

The simplest answer is through combat damage. However, to get more specific, the primary means by which the deck ends the game in victory is through the use of either a planeswalker's ultimate ability with Liliana, the Last Hope, Ob Nixilis Reignited, and Sorin, Grim Nemesis all being possible outs here, or sticking a large and powerful creature with evasion, such as Archangel Avacyn, Gisela, the Broken Blade, Bruna, the Fading Light, or even Linvala, the Preserver. It's also important to note that the evasion this deck uses in order to get in its damage is strictly flying-related. Now that we have deciphered the means by which the deck wins the game, the next question is: How do we stop it?

When it comes to BW Control, as well as mostly any control deck that forfeits the use of blue mana, the best and most efficient answers in my opinion are also some players' most hated mechanic in the game: Counterspells. While generating card advantage by digging into one’s library can be extremely helpful by finding the specific combination of cards one needs to close out the game, card advantage is irrelevant if your win condition can't be enabled. This is exactly what Counterspells do. Even the threat of a Counterspell will often force your opponent to play a different game than they would like as they're forced to cast not necessarily relevant cards in hopes that you spend your Counterspell on something other than their win condition. But, most importantly, a well-placed Counterspell will deny your opponent the answer they needed at the moment it was crucial by simply negating the effects of that answer, forcing your opponent into a position where they can only hope to draw another card with similar effects. With all this being said, the fact of the meta remains that blue isn't in the greatest position right now outside of multicolored cards that see play in Bant Company such as Spell Queller and Reflector Mage. This is why BW Control is able to thrive at the moment.

So let’s say you’re not gung ho about playing a color in a bad position, according to popular opinion, or Counterspells in general. That’s okay! Remember, we're playing Magic here, and there are often many ways to solve a problem in this game. If the powerful cards of BW Control are assuredly coming into play, how can we make their effects irrelevant and/or answer them more efficiently than what our opponent paid for said effects? Another great tool against most control decks is hand destruction, which thankfully we see in abundance in the Standard metagame currently. Cards like Duress and Transgress the Mind, honorable mention to Pick the Brain, work in the same manner Counterspells do as far as how they affect the BW Control player. However, the important distinction is in the fact that these are proactive spells as opposed to reactive spells. By this, I mean these cards allow you to efficiently trade one for one with a card in your opponent’s hand before they bring it into play, while Counterspells instead immediately answer the use of said spells. Their are benefits and pitfalls to the difference between these two mechanics; however, one of the cutest benefits of hand destruction is the accompanied knowledge of what answers and threats your opponent holds in hand. Especially against control, this knowledge can be a deciding factor as it informs you of the best order to initiate your own game plan. 

While I have already mentioned a couple of answers to the BW Control quandary, let’s dig just a little bit deeper. What other cards allow us to efficiently trade with our opponents win conditions or disrupt the enaction of their game plan? Considering the suite of planeswalkers BW brings to the table, what means other than combat damage efficiently answers these threats? One card to consider is Silumgar’s Command, which although comes at a high CMC of 5 as well as being UB multicolored, allows for a slick 2-for-1 which can even answer two planeswalkers at once if need be. Ruinous Path as well as To the Slaughter, for you Delirium fans out there, are also efficiently-costed answers to planeswalker threats. Lastly, with BW’s big finishing flying angels in mind, it’s good to remember that you can always fight fire with fire. Slamming big flying angels or even dragons such as Thunderbreak Regent or Dragonlord Ojutai (thanks Dragons of Tarkir!) not only trade one for one with most other flyers employed in the BW deck, but also supply a threat of evasive damage that can take out unprepared planeswalkers in a single strike. Lastly, with all these creatures flying about, a niche card to remember is Clip Wings, which I have witnessed firsthand absolutely devastate a control player’s board when used at the right moment. Other sacrifice effects such as Oath of Liliana are also prone to generating value against BW Control decks, as they trade playing many creature threats for just a few big ones.

Well, with all that being said, that’s just about it for me today folks! In my next article I'll be looking at a specific decklist that supplies the answers to the current Standard metagame while also enacting its own unique and powerful game plan that will make its opponents recoil in fear! Or at least, that’s the plan. Please feel free to leave your own comments or suggestions about this article as well as a link to any decklist you feel may be sufficient for me to talk about in my next article. Thanks so much for reading guys and gals, I just wanted to say lastly that my name is Chris Stomberg and I've been playing Magic competitively for about eighteen months now. Although I still consider myself a novice at the game, I do feel as though I've learned enough to provide some valuable insights on certain concepts. Have a great rest of your day, and don’t let the diversity of the Standard metagame get your brewing hopes down!

Best,
Chris

Additional Reading

1. The MTG Community - Top 10 Set Symbols [Edward Eng - Battlemage, Level 42]

2. Standard Fare - Cuckoo for Coco Puffs [Gabriel Nicholas - Sorcerer, Level 38]

3. The MTG Community - MTG Pro Tutor Podcast [Edward Eng - Battlemage, Level 42]

Archive of Chris's Articles

Chris Stomberg

Galactic Treasures

It's been a while since I've written an article. I've had a list of articles to write but just been swamped with work and school. This time I decided to go with something a little more chill. I also learned a lesson from the other top 10 article we did. So this time, I'd like to start of with a little guide as to how this top 10 list was formulated.

Factors

-relatedness to set theme (1 to 5)

-relatedness to set name (1 to 5)

-design elements (1 to 5)

Onslaught

-nice relation to introduction of the morph mechanic: 4

-not too much connection to the set name: 1

-sweet logo: 4

Total Score: 9

Champions of Kamigawa

-goes well with Japanese set theme: 3

-also goes well with Japanese set name: 3

-nice clean design, good symmetry: 4

Total Score: 10

Tempest

-not too much relation to set theme: 1

-great link with set name: 5

-another simple and clean logo: 4

Total Score: 10

Unhinged

-decent link with the set theme: 3

-better link with the set name: 4

-good design choice to emphasize the goofiness of the set: 3

Total Score: 10

Eldritch Moon

-looks like an Eldrazi, particularly Emrakul which is the set's namesake card: 5

-not too much linkage to set name: 1

-logo just looks really unique and cool: 5

Total Score: 11

New Phyrexia

-unique relation to the introduction of Phyrexian mana, one of the most broken mechanics in the game: 4

-decent link with the set name: 3

-super simplistic design: 4

Total Score: 11

Stronghold

-okay link with set theme: 3

-nice link with set name: 4

-clear and distinct logo: 4

Total Score: 11

Eternal Masters

-nice relation to the set theme, cool how it's another design play on the original Modern Masters logo: 4

-nice hourglass looking logo to represent time as an eternity: 4

-very clean logo: 4

Total Score: 12

Portal Three Kingdoms

-great relation to Chinese set theme since the symbol means 3 in Chinese: 5

-also great link to the set and since it's the third Portal set: 5

-nice how the logo incorporates Chinese calligraphy to the number 3: 3

Total Score: 13

Ice Age

-goes along great with set theme: 5

-also goes well with set name: 5

-simple design and very symmetrical: 4

Total Score: 14

Here's a link to all of the sets and symbols. Do you agree? Disagree? What's your top 10 list? Hit me up in the comments and on social media.

Peace, love, and have fun…
Eddie

Additional Reading

1. Standard Fare - Cuckoo for Coco Puffs [Gabriel Nicholas - Sorcerer, Level 38]

2. The MTG Community - MTG Pro Tutor Podcast [Edward Eng - Battlemage, Level 42]

3. The MTG Community - Top 10 Goblins [Ty Thomason, Karttik Patel, and Edward Eng]

A Little Bit about Eddie

He started playing Magic around December of 1994, then hit the sanctioned competitive tournament scene in 1997. He played till about 2000 and was on the cusp of making the Pro Tour but stopped to focus on school. He found his old teammate on Facebook in 2009 and got back into the game in 2010. Since then he's played in two Nationals, top 16ed an SCG Invitational, and day 2ed multiple Grand Prix.

Archive of Eddie's Articles

Edward Eng

Galactic Treasures

Hey everyone, my name is Gabriel Nicholas. I'm a grinder based out of the Woodlands in Houston, Texas. I've top eighted more IQs and PPTQs than I can remember but have a tough time sealing the deal. Hopefully that changes soon. Ignore my sub-par record for now, we're going to have a talk about Coco. No not the cereal, one of the most powerful Magic cards printed in recent memory.

First, let’s take a look at this monstrosity.

Disgusting. This card demands respect. The number of options for creatures with converted mana cost three or less is enormous. The best part of this card is it really requires nothing of you. Yes, I'm aware of the suggested numbers for Collected Company targets, etc. But this is a small price to pay in comparison to a card like Pyromancer's Goggles. At any point, you can draw a creature with CMC three or less and just play it. No hoops. No restrictions. In Standard, this card might as well read, “In order to cast Collected Company, your deck must contain lands.”

Now let's discuss the current build of Bant Collected Company. I'm going to use the winning list from the SCG Columbus Open as a reference point.

Here's a quick run-down of what these cards can do for you, and why I feel they were included in the numbers they were.

Duskwatch Recruiter

Source of card advantage stapled onto a body. Flip it over and cast your entire hand. Devin likely trimmed one because of the four Selfless Spirits, jamming the two drop slot.

Reflector Mage

It's crazy how good this card is. Reflector Mage dominates any creature showdown. Remember, if you Collected Company into this on your opponent’s end step they can recast the creature on their next turn. As a general rule, avoid targeting flash creatures as they can easily be re-flashed in on your next turn. Don't play less than four of this card. That's all.

Selfless Spirit

This is a new addition from Eldritch Moon. Devin chose to play the full four and here's probably why. Flying? Check. Relevant ability? Check. Insane synergy with Archangel Avacyn? Sure, tack that on there. In a field full of the mirror and UW spirits this card fits perfectly into Bant.

Spell Queller

Likely the Reflector Mage story all over again. Did they test this card in Standard? What cards are CMC four or less? Oh that's right.... all of them. The “drawback” is they cast the card when it leaves play. But is that really the worst thing that could happen? Imagine snagging a Gideon, Ally of Zendikar on turn four from G/W tokens. Do you really care if they get it later? The time and tempo gained from this card makes it an easy four of. Bant Coco mirrors are about to get really interesting.

Sylvan Advocate

This card is the reason why green is one of the best colors in Standard. It feels perfectly sized for the format. He scales well into the late game, becoming a 4/5 once you have six or more lands. Add on Vigilance, and this card is ready for battle. Bant is a deck that can use every aspect of this card as it gets to play Lumbering Falls. Don't forget that the boost stacks, so two Advocates can make your Lumbering Falls a 7/7!

Tireless Tracker

A source of card advantage that can coincidentally become a huge threat. I often crack clues with Tracker and passively trigger the counter ability. Then a few turns later I look down and have a 6/5 on the field. Devin chose to play three with a fourth in the board. This seems perfect as its decent in any matchup but truly shines against control.

Archangel Avacyn

Avacyn is a card that can't be kept down. The ability to make your entire team eat the opposition makes this one of the few five drops worth playing in Collected Company. I expect Avacyn numbers to continue to change as people experiment but for now the interaction with Selfless Spirit is too strong to ignore.

Thalia, Heretic Cathar

Another new addition and she seems like a perfect fit to the Bant Company family. As a primarily aggressive deck, making the opponent's creatures enter tapped can sometimes lead to huge chunks of damage that would otherwise be blocked. This card makes Gideon, Ally of Zendikar and other token creators look foolish as you can usually immediately kill the walker that created the token. The second ability is surprisingly relevant even in Standard. Mana sequencing has become an art and this card can throw a wrench into all of that. This card's very existence may shift the number of Evolving Wilds played in decks. 

Collected Company

The strongest card in the deck by far. Collected Company allows you to pull ahead of your opponents in resources by “cheating” cards into play. Often, you will get two creatures each with a CMC of three, meaning you just played six mana worth of cards on turn four. Carefully consider casting Collected Company during your own main phase when playing against Blue. Sometimes the awkwardness of a Spell Queller with no target is outweighed by the benefit of knowing it'll resolve. Don’t always assume Collected Company is the best line. Sometimes playing a creature you know you need is safer and more correct than hoping you hit it with Collected Company. Punish players sitting back with multiple Hallowed Moonlight in hand by hard-casting creatures.

Dromoka's Command

This card is arguably the best card in Standard. Red has been anemically weak since this cards printing. Enchantment strategies disappeared. In a format full of 2/3's and 2/1's making a creature gain a counter is sometimes back-breaking. Make mine bigger, kill yours. It's a fight card, but it might as well be Terminate. I'm rarely upset to draw a Command. Play four.

The only thing slightly interesting about the land base is the choice to play two Lumbering Falls. Clearly, the Plains count needs to be increased to account for all the extra White cards. But I would feel comfortable playing a third Falls if you want.

I want to quickly point out some noticeable absences from the deck and why those changes may have happened. The first thing I notice is zero Jace, Vryn's Prodigy. I'm completely fine with this. Jace seemed to be the first card I cut during most sideboard games because of how slow he feels. The absence of Fetchlands really slows him down. Bant Company now has better options. Nissa, Vastwood Seer seems to have migrated to the sideboard. I'd want to experiment with playing at least one main deck. Nissa is rarely a bad draw and can sometimes make that crucial difference in available lands. Last but not least, the shift away from Eldrazi Displacer. This is the biggest shift I see. Time will tell if the interaction between Avacyn and Selfless Spirit is the true mirror breaker, but whenever I drew and protected a Displacer I felt it was my game to win.

As for the sideboard, it’s a traditional Bant Company sideboard with a few minor changes. The main deck is strong enough to beat any week one antics and so the sideboard is designed to defeat known archetypes and the mirror.

Lambholt Pacifist

This card shores up the matchups against hyper aggro decks. The drawback is easily ignored with Dromoka's Command. You can also punish Draw-Go type control decks by immediately having a 4/4 in play by turn three.

Tireless Tracker

Sometimes you just want all the clues. Board this in when you feel like three isn't enough.

Negate

This card wins games. Only a few cards in Standard can truly put a halt to the onslaught of Bant and Negate counters them all. 

Ojutai's Command

I'm not sold on this card. Selfless Spirit is likely an excellent reanimation target but it feels like too much of a “Got ya!” card. I dislike generic good cards in the sideboard of any deck and this is a prime example. Is a two-drop of mine going to die at some point? Yes. Does the deck I'm playing against have creatures? Probably. Would I want 4 life during the course of the game? Maybe. Should I cycle this? Sure why not. I could be wrong, but I feel more comfortable with these as more narrow answers like Negate or even a Tamiyo. I would consider these flex slots. 

Nissa, Vastwood Seer

Out-grind Control decks by finding Forests!! Use an Evolving Wilds when possible to play around removal. Once she is flipped over, make a habit of playing your Tireless Tracker before activating her, as you may place a land onto the field.

Declaration in Stone

Certain creatures have to be dealt with. Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet can completely take over a game against you if left unchecked. Selfless Spirit may make this card even better than before. People relying on indestructible are going to be disappointed.

Planar Outburst

This card was traditionally a third Tragic Arrogance. Selfless Spirit changes that. Kill your board, keep mine. I like where this is going.

Tragic Arrogance

Reset the board. Again Selfless Spirit does nothing to stop this. Give them a Reflector Mage and keep your flipped Nissa and your 8/7 Tireless Tracker. Then open your Christmas presents.

And there it is! A card-by-card breakdown of what is likely to be the best deck in the format. If you don't plan on casting your own Cocos, you better know how to beat it! Hint: You probably can't. I fully expect the Bant company mirror to become the most important matchup to learn in Standard, so study up!

Thanks for reading,
Gabriel

Additional Reading

1. The MTG Community - MTG Pro Tutor Podcast [Edward Eng - Battlemage, Level 42]

2. The MTG Community - Top 10 Goblins [Ty Thomason, Karttik Patel, and Edward Eng]

3. MTG Reporter - 38th Place SCG Dallas, Abzan Coco [Karttik Patel - Sorcerer, Level 39]

Archive of Gabriel's Articles

Gabriel Nicholas

Galactic Treasures

Some of you may have seen this already, but I recently did a podcast with Shaun Penrod at MTG Pro Tutor and it went live not too long ago. I also thought I'd post here too in case anyone has questions or wants to start a discussion here.

If you haven't tuned in to the podcast, you can listen to it here.

The podcast was originally published here. Check out the link for some interesting tidbits that Shaun highlighted from the podcast.

I hope you enjoy it. And any feedback is welcome. Thanks.

Peace, love, and have fun…
Eddie

Additional Reading

1. The MTG Community - Top 10 Goblins [Ty Thomason, Karttik Patel, and Edward Eng]

2. MTG Reporter - 38th Place SCG Dallas, Abzan Coco [Karttik Patel - Sorcerer, Level 39]

3. MTG Reporter - 1st Place PPTQ Honolulu, Eldrazi Rites a.k.a. 4C Rites [Edward Eng - Battlemage, Level 42]

A Little Bit about Eddie

He started playing Magic around December of 1994, then hit the sanctioned competitive tournament scene in 1997. He played till about 2000 and was on the cusp of making the Pro Tour but stopped to focus on school. He found his old teammate on Facebook in 2009 and got back into the game in 2010. Since then he's played in two Nationals, top 16ed an SCG Invitational, and day 2ed multiple Grand Prix.

Archive of Eddie's Articles

Edward Eng

Galactic Treasures

Top 10 lists are cool, but there are already so many of them out there. Good thing Magic is such a diverse game that there will still be room for many more top 10 lists to come.

Funny enough though, I noticed that no one has done a top 10 goblins list yet. Coincidentally, on my way back from the recent SCG Open in Dallas, I started talking top 10 lists with Karttik Patel and Ty Thomason because Ty had done some pretty interesting ones in the past. Naturally, I brought up the fact that I couldn't find a top 10 goblins list online, so I asked them what their lists might look like.

After some thought and time had past, Ty shot me his list.

Honorable Mention

Gempalm Incinerator

Top 10 Goblins

10. Goblin Warchief

9. Siege-Gang Commander

8. Goblin Piledriver

7. Goblin Matron

6. Goblin Ringleader

5. Goblin Welder

4. Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker

3. Goblin Recruiter

2. Goblin Lackey

1. Goblin Guide

What do you think of the ranking? Did we miss any goblins on the list?

Peace, love, and have fun…
Eddie

Additional Reading

1. MTG Reporter - 38th Place SCG Dallas, Abzan Coco [Karttik Patel - Sorcerer, Level 39]

2. MTG Reporter - 1st Place PPTQ Honolulu, Eldrazi Rites a.k.a. 4C Rites [Edward Eng - Battlemage, Level 42]

3. The MTG Community - Giving Up [Edward Eng - Battlemage, Level 42]

A Little Bit about Eddie

He started playing Magic around December of 1994, then hit the sanctioned competitive tournament scene in 1997. He played till about 2000 and was on the cusp of making the Pro Tour but stopped to focus on school. He found his old teammate on Facebook in 2009 and got back into the game in 2010. Since then he's played in two Nationals, top 16ed an SCG Invitational, and day 2ed multiple Grand Prix.

Archive of Eddie's Articles

Edward Eng

Galactic Treasures

This is my tournament report for SCG Dallas (actually Fort Worth ‪#‎whoyoutryingtofoolwizards‬?). Seeing as how I am only half the man that Aaron Boyce is, I can't simply link my deck from SCG. So I'll just have to type it out like the peasant I am.

Modern
Abzan Coco - Karttik Patel

I rode with Edward Eng and Ty Thomason. On the ride over, I told Ty that I decided to play Abzan Coco for the tournament because I wasn't liking the variance of the Merfolk deck. Ty said he thought it was a good deck choice, but every time he played the deck he felt like he couldn't cast any of his spells. I wrote it off as a madman's ramblings.

Day 1

Round 1: Suicide Zoo

I hadn't really played against Suicide Zoo before and had only briefly looked at the deck during the last modern Pro Tour and as such I was mostly unfamiliar with the deck. I knew most of the main deck cards but the sideboard was a mystery and seeing as how Hal Brady and the Collin Rountree were both on it it must have been good. I win the die roll and play a mana dork. My opponent has a interesting turn one of cycling Street Wraith, casting Gitaxian Probe, cracking a fetch into a Shockland and Thoughtseizing putting himself down to 11 life. I followed up with Kitchen Finks and after another turn of passing the turn with no creature my opponent scoops.

In game 2 my opponent did much of the same but this time culminating in a Tasigur on turn 3. However, with my Finks and Bird in play and me activating Gavony Township every turn my opponent was finding attacks to be unfavorable. He activated Tasigur and I gave him a Mishra's Bauble which he promptly played. After missing his Bauble trigger on my turn and neglecting to activate his Tasigur at the end of my turn my opponent decided to concede.
2-0 (1-0)

Round 2: Elves

Both games were uneventful. As this match up usually goes I am just a little too fast and both times kill my opponent at instant speed in response to lethal attacks.
2-0 (2-0)

Round 3: Burn

I played against a very cool guy who is part of a band named Wildspeaker that will be touring Texas and coming to Houston later this year. I haven't heard their stuff yet but anyone interested should look them up.

Kitchen Finks is a beating in this matchup and almost single-handedly wins both games. It helps that my opponent isn't very familiar with the combo and taps out turn 4 game 2 allowing me to safely end the game.
2-0 (3-0)

Round 4: Infect

Before this round, I checked in with Aaron Boyce and we applauded each other’s undefeated records before heading to our matches. Little did I know the fire that was raging in Aaron’s heart was a raging inferno that would soon consume me.

I played my good friend Viet Nguyen. I have a very poor record against him in competitive REL. Fortunately, Infect is a very good matchup. Game one I mulligan to 5 and lead with a Bird into natural Melira. Game 2 I again have Melira but this time he has a Dismember. In response I Chorded for another Melira and sacced the targeted one to the legend rule. Then the next turn I Chorded for Spellskite effectively locking my opponent out of the game.
2-0 (4-0)

Round 5: Kiki Chord with Nahiri

Game one my opponent mulligans low and has little interaction as I bombard him with Cocos like a rabid monkey in a coconut tree.

Game two is closer and I almost throw the game as I only attack his Nahiri that is at 8 counters with a single Bird with exalted triggers and he is able to chord for 1 and chump with a bird. I thought he was going to Emrakul me but instead he goes to get Kiki Jiki and taps it to copy his Eternal Witness to get back his chord which I promptly eat with my Scavenging Ooze. I then untap and combo him.
2-0 (5-0)

Round 6: Jund

This is when the wheels started to fall off my perfect run. I played against a very competent Jund player and mulliganed to 6. This matchup is historically bad and it doesn't help when the only Coco of the match that you cast hits a lone Viscera Seer. Game 2 is much of the same and I can't overcome a Tarmogoyf and protected Liliana from taking over the game.

0-2 (5-1)

Round 7: Affinity

Another good matchup!!! (or so I thought). I stumble game one and he has a fast start to punish me. I assemble the combo as a last ditch effort to steal the game but the last card in his hand is Galvanic Blast to put an end to my shenanigans.

Game 2 is even worse as I am stuck on two lands and constricted as to what I can do. On the last turn of the game I could safely assemble the combo if the top card of my library was an untapped land. I peeled it to reveal a wall of roots and just like that I was 5-2.
0-2 (5-2)

Round 8: Burn

Knowing I needed to win out was not a fun thought to dwell on so I begged the universe for a couple of runner runner good matchups. And boy did it deliver!!!

Both games played out similarly as I powered out early Finkses and assembled my combo quickly both games to steal this match in record time. The game I lost was one where I mulliganed to 5 and kept an Overgrown Tomb as my only colored source. As I quickly became engulfed in fire, my mind went to Ty’s words to me in the car, "How does this deck cast its spells?".
2-1 (6-2)

Round 9: Infect 

With my fingers crossed, I kept my 7 as my opponent casted a Gitaxian Probe to start the last round. I revealed a hand of mana dork, Melira, Coco, and Finks. My opponent lets out an audible groan and proceeds to fetch a Breeding Pool and casts a Glistener Elf. SCORE!!! I quickly take over game one and combo out. In Game 2 my opponent has a start with Noble into Glistener and Blighted Agent. I am able to make him tap down to one mana and then Chord for Orzhov Pontiff, effectively locking the game and Day 2.
2-0 (7-2)

After Day 1, Ty and I had made day 2 and needed to refuel. We decided to go to this well-rated taco place nearby called Velvet Taco. We ran into Drew Iafrate and some of the judges, including Head Judge Evan Cherry. We had a few drinks and some insane tacos followed by passing out in the hotel for some much needed rest.

Day 2 started by getting to the event site a bit early for Edward and Tad to enter the Legacy Classic. I found myself a bit jealous, but I decided to focus and try to get in the zone. 

Day 2

Round 10: Tron

Game one I mulligan to 5 while my opponent has natural Tron followed by Ugin for the instant scoop. Game two I cast Tidehollow Sculler revealing a hand of 2 Tron pieces, Grove of the Burnwillows, 2 Nature’s Claims, and Karn. I take a Nature’s Claim, expecting him to use the other to kill the Sculler. My reasoning was that his hand had no real cantrips or tutors, so if I can fade Tron for a couple of turns I can go for the combo. He draws and plays Star into naturally drawing the last piece to really knock me into the tilt house.
0-2 (7-3)

Round 11: Bant Eldrazi

Unfortunately, I get paired against Aaron Boyce playing Bant Eldrazi. We had played each other the previous week and I told him that because of our matchup I put in more hate to deal with Grafdigger's Cage. Game one I combo off and he doesn't have a fast enough clock or enough paths to stop it. I assumed he brought in EE, Grafdigger's, Pithing Needle (naming Viscera Seer), and Dismember. Games 2 and 3 come down to him having Grafdigger's Cage and me not being able to answer it in time. He was also able to disrupt me at the right times with Path. I told him after the match that I brought in 6 or so cards just to deal with Grafdigger's but I just couldn't find them in time.
1-2 (7-4)

Round 12: Bye

A real low point in the tournament for me. I’m in almost literal last place going into this round and am awarded the bye. I use the round to center myself and go with Tad to eat at The Little Red Wasp. While munching on cheddar biscuits and tomato soup, I decided I wasn’t gonna lose anymore today. 

Now to see if I could turn it around.
2-0 (8-4)

Round 13: Bant Eldrazi

This time I’m able to get a lot more going and my opponent isn't jamming turn one Grafdigger's Cages, allowing me to function. We trade games and I’m able to combo off game three but make a fatal mistake where I scry a Redcap to the top of my library instead of a Chord of Calling. This allows my opponent to flicker his Thought-Knot Seer and strip it from my hand. Unable to close the game out in turns, I punt into a draw. I learned a valuable lesson in this round and will likely never make this mistake again.
1-1-1 (8-4-1)

Round 14: Grixis Control

This matchup is very bad and it’s evident in the fact that my opponent mulliganed in game one to 5 and is able to steal the game anyway. In game two things are looking bad for me but eventually I am able to assemble 4 creatures and start activating Gavony Township to take over the game and win from a poor position. In game three my opponent gets stuck on two lands and I’m able to ruin his hand of all red removal with my singleton copy of Burrenton Forge-Tender. Somehow I am able to pull a rabbit out of the hat and win an atrocious matchup.
2-1 (9-4-1)

Round 15: Infect

I’m hoping to God for a good matchup and see that I’m playing against my friend Taylor May. We start the match by having some playful trash talking, including Taylor showing me his notes where he has already written that this match ends with him winning 2-0. Collin Rountree who is seated next to me laughs and changes it to 2-1 saying, "We'll give Karttik one". Game One I’m able to take the game by getting down an early Pontiff and Melira. Game two I’m killed by a quick hand from my opponent. I started to realize that not only was Taylor May the best Infect player I played against but rather one of the best players period. I shake as I keep for game 3 and am able to get a substantial board state. On the pivotal turn I’m able to get Taylor to tap out and I combo off in response with Melira. After drawing for his turn Taylor tanks for a few seconds and concedes.
2-1 (10-4-1) 

In the end I’m able to finish in 38th place. Taylor also manages to finish in the top 64, making our final match irrelevant after all. I’m left with my first SCG cash and feel my competitive spirit reinvigorated.

Shoutouts to my roommates Ty Thomason, Tad Macaraeg, and Edward Eng. Also to the whole Heroes group and specifically Aaron Boyce for dealing with my salt after our match. Lol. Hoping to continue the success.

Thanks for reading,
Karttik

Additional Reading

1. MTG Reporter - 1st Place PPTQ Honolulu, Eldrazi Rites a.k.a. 4C Rites [Edward Eng - Battlemage, Level 42]

2. The MTG Community - Giving Up [Edward Eng - Battlemage, Level 42]

3. The MTG Community - Quitting Magic [Edward Eng - Battlemage, Level 42]

A Little Bit about Karttik

He's a competitive Magic player who's been around since the tail end of the Shards of Alara block. As a Constructed specialist, Karttik's expertise lies mostly in Standard, Modern, and Legacy. His non-Magic life includes a pursuit of a masters in accounting, an avid love of films, and being a part of the growing foodie culture in the greater Houston area. He's also a serving board member and founding partner of Dusty Mesa Productions, a Houston-based film production company.

Archive of Karttik's Articles

Karttik Patel

Galactic Treasures

I've kinda slowed down on Magic in the last few months, but I definitely haven't quit. I missed quite a few PPTQs since I had family stuff going on and needed to take care of some other things. I've been itching to play Magic for a while, particularly Standard. I started out with GW Tokens right after Khans of Tarkir rotated. Then I was gonna play BG Rites but didn't get the chance to jam it. Then the meta shifted and I wanted to play 4C Rites. Things came up, and I still couldn't play. Then I wanted to play Eldrazi Rites but a friend's engagement party put a stop to those plans. Luckily, I found a PPTQ at Mothership Games in Austin on Father's Day. I didn't think there were gonna be that many people there, but I was wrong. 37 people showed up.

This is the deck I played.

Standard
Eldrazi Rites a.k.a. 4C Rites - Austin Matthews

One of the reason's why I picked this deck is because I had most of the cards. But to be honest, this is not a good reason to pick a deck if you want to win a tournament. However, this wasn't the only reason. I actually thought it was a good deck against GW Tokens, which seems to be the current boogeyman of the format. I also thought it would have a decent matchup against W(r) Humans. Plus, the deck has a lot of built-in value and protection against Control. So...midrange matchup? Check. Aggro? Check. Control? Check. Sounds good to me.

Here's what I played against.

R1 - W 2-1 vs. Grixis Control (Derek Feil) [1-0]
R2 - W 2-1 vs. BW Control (Michael Hizny) [2-0]
R3 - W 2-0 vs. RG Ramp (Peter George) [3-0]
R4 - W 2-1 vs. GW Tokens (Joel Heath) [4-0]
R5 - ID vs. Naya Walkers (Joshua Watts) [4-0-1]
R6 - ID vs. W(r) Humans (Roberto Berni) [4-0-2]
R7 - W 2-0 vs. Esper Dragons (Michael Cook) [5-0-2]
R8 - W 2-0 vs. W(r) Humand (Roberto Berni) [6-0-2]
R9 - W 2-1 vs. GW Tokens (Joel Heath) [7-0-2]

By the look of things, it seems like what I thought turned out to be pretty true. I definitely had mass fire the whole day though. And as people say, being lucky is better than being good. Heh. All jokes aside though, I felt I played very well too. And there's only one thing better than being lucky; that's Louis Scott Vargas a.k.a. LSV! Luck. Skill. Victory!

Alright, enough of that. On to the stuff that should actually be valuable to you. The deck is pretty straightforward. Jam dudes. Bounce and flick your opponents' dudes. Coco. Smash(er)! Getting a bit more detailed, the deck obviously has a lot of 2 and 3-drops. So just be mindful of your sequencing in terms of which creatures you play against certain matchups. For example, if your opponent has something like Fiery Impulse, then you'll probably want to play Sylvan Advocate first. If they're a slower deck, then you'll probably jam Duskwatch Recruiter first.

I don't think I would change any of the 75 cards right now. If I recall correctly, I used every sideboard card and they were all useful.

I don't want to get into a card-for-card sideboard guide. Instead I'll provide an overview and you can take it for what it's worth. I'll use my matchups as a baseline and fill in what I kind of remember or what my general strategy was.

R1 - W 2-1 vs. Grixis Control (Derek Feil) [1-0]

Bring in stuff like Matter Reshaper, Negate, and Thought-Knot Seer. Take out Cryptolith Rite plus some numbers of Reflector Mage and Elvish Visionary. Reality Smasher is usually good on the play too. Typical Control matchups. You need to apply pressure without overextending. Then you need to have some backup like Duskwatch Recruiter, manlands, Negate, and Smashers.

R2 - W 2-1 vs. BW Control (Michael Hizny) [2-0]

Similar to Grixis Control.

R3 - W 2-0 vs. RG Ramp (Peter George) [3-0]

Bring in Thought-Knot Seer, some Declaration in Stone, and I think Matter Reshaper. Take out CRite plus some numbers of Mage and Visionary. I think I might have shaved on Reality Smasher on the draw. You gotta go balls to the wall before the big dudes come out and take over.

R4 - W 2-1 vs. GW Tokens (Joel Heath) [4-0]

I brought in a mixed bag of cards depending on if I was playing or drawing first. Take out CRite. You're the Control deck on the draw and the Aggro deck on the play. Smasher isn't as good on the draw. Same with Dromoka's Command. Bring in Seer on the play. You need 2-drops to foil the deck's plan. GW has less 2-drops than you, so you need to put the pressure on and keep the opponent on the back foot before things out of control with planeswalkers. Eldrazi Skyspawner is a pretty key card in this matchup since it attacks planewalkers well, makes chumpblockers, and ramps you.

R5 - ID vs. Naya Walkers (Joshua Watts) [4-0-1]
R6 - ID vs. W(r) Humans (Roberto Berni) [4-0-2]

R7 - W 2-0 vs. Esper Dragons (Michael Cook) [5-0-2]

Similar to Grixis Control and BW Control.

R8 - W 2-0 vs. W(r) Humans (Roberto Berni) [6-0-2]

Bring in Matter Reshaper, Dromoka's Commands, and some Declaration in Stone. Take out CRite. And Smashers on the draw. This is the ultimate Aggro deck of the format so you can't 'F' around. You gotta clog up the board as soon as possible and make any even trades if there are any. Sometimes you gotta just chumpblock. I got lucky and drew all 4 Displacers in game 1 even when he flooded the board with tons of creatures. He mulled and flooded out in game 2. LSV.

R9 - W 2-1 vs. GW Tokens (Joel Heath) [7-0-2]

Read above.

As you can see, I boarded out all 4 CRites every game I could. Does this mean you should replace them with something else? Not necessarily. This isn't the easiest deck to sideboard with, so having 4 CRites to side out might've been a really good thing. And you don't want to dilute your creature count for Coco, especially at 24 since there are 3 Smashers.

Feel free to give the deck a whirl and let me know if you have any questions. Hit me up in the comments below. Or even better, on social media since the Facebook Comments Plugin isn't great with notifications.

Peace, love, and have fun…
Eddie

Additional Reading

1. The MTG Community - Giving Up [Edward Eng - Battlemage, Level 42]

2. The MTG Community - Quitting Magic [Edward Eng - Battlemage, Level 42]

3. The MTG Community - When & How You Learned Magic [Edward Eng - Battlemage, Level 42]

4. Brewer's Paradise - Dredge Swarm in Modern [Edward Eng - Battlemage, Level 42]

A Little Bit about Eddie

He started playing Magic around December of 1994, then hit the sanctioned competitive tournament scene in 1997. He played till about 2000 and was on the cusp of making the Pro Tour but stopped to focus on school. He found his old teammate on Facebook in 2009 and got back into the game in 2010. Since then he's played in two Nationals, top 16ed an SCG Invitational, and day 2ed multiple Grand Prix.

Archive of Eddie's Articles

Edward Eng

Galactic Treasures

So my last article was about quitting Magic, and this week I'll be talking about giving up. But, of course, I'm not talking about giving up Magic. Rather, I'll be discussing the topic of giving up while playing Magic.

I felt like back in the 90s I'd often come across people giving up in the middle of a game when he or she shouldn't have. But maybe that was because the game was quite a bit younger then. However, I still come across people giving up when he or she still has a shot at winning the game.

A few weeks ago, I played Burn at Grand Prix Los Angeles and towards the later rounds of Day 1 I got paired up against Death and Taxes. I can't remember if it was game 2 or 3, but I started the game against a Leyline of Sanctity in play. I've beaten this situation multiple times before, but this game turned out to be even a bit tougher as my opponent also casted a Leonin Arbiter and Spellskite in the early turns. Miraculously, I was able to kill both creatures with the help of Grim Lavamancer and some burn spells since they couldn't target my opponent with Leyline in play. I was able to win the game by attacking with my creatures and Atarka's Command. My opponent also ended up drawing a bunch of lands that game. Never give up too early.

On the flip side, I got paired up against Affinity in the middle of Day 2. I lost game 1 pretty quickly, but I didn't give up. I casted an early Stony Silence in game 2 and my opponent gave up and conceded shortly after, moving on to game 3. In the final game, I also casted Stony Silence pretty early and my opponent quickly conceded again. However, I think he still had a chance at winning the game and match if he didn't give up so easily. He could've at least made an effort to add a few more creatures to the board and swarm me with them. But he just gave up. And I didn't. So I won.

Sometimes Magic is like life. And life is like Magic. Sometimes you shouldn't give up too quickly.

I'd love to hear some awesome stories about how you didn't give up and fought your way through some tough battles. Hit me up in the comments below or on my social media channels. The Facebook Comments Plugin doesn't usually work too well, so it's probably better to hit me up on my personal channels.

Peace, love, and have fun…
Eddie

Additional Reading

1. The MTG Community - Quitting Magic [Edward Eng - Battlemage, Level 42]

2. The MTG Community - When & How You Learned Magic [Edward Eng - Battlemage, Level 42]

3. Brewer's Paradise - Dredge Swarm in Modern [Edward Eng - Battlemage, Level 42]

A Little Bit about Eddie

He started playing Magic around December of 1994, then hit the sanctioned competitive tournament scene in 1997. He played till about 2000 and was on the cusp of making the Pro Tour but stopped to focus on school. He found his old teammate on Facebook in 2009 and got back into the game in 2010. Since then he's played in two Nationals, top 16ed an SCG Invitational, and day 2ed multiple Grand Prix.

Archive of Eddie's Articles

Edward Eng

Galactic Treasures

I'm quitting Magic. Just kidding. But I know a lot of people that are thinking about quitting. And you might be thinking about quitting yourself. But before you actually quit Magic, I ask that you stop a think for a bit longer about why you might want to stop playing a game that you love.

I know that many of us have taken breaks from the game only to have found ourselves diving back into Magic and loving the game even more after that break. Heck, I didn't play much Magic after 2000 because I wanted to focus on school and technically stopped cold turkey in 2003. And I said I would never come back to the game. Miraculously in 2010, I started playing again. And honestly, quitting Magic is probably the only thing that I've come close to regretting in life.

If you're thinking about quitting Magic, ask yourself why you want to stop. Don't just say you're gonna quit.

Do you want to quit because...

1. You're not having fun anymore?

If you're not having fun anymore, ask yourself some more questions. Do you play at the same card store? Do you play with the same people? Do you play the same deck? Do you play the same format? Sometimes you need to switch things up a bit. Repetition is usually good. But change can be better.

2. Are you doing bad at tournaments?

Why are you doing bad? Are you picking poor metagame choices? More importantly, do you analyze your plays after each match? Do you watch videos? Do you follow streamers? Do you watch live coverage? Do you listen to podcasts? Do you read articles? There's so much information out there these days. Take advantage of that. And have an open mind.

3. Is the game too expensive?

Yes, some cards are expensive. But there are lot of tools out there to help you save money on cards. Do you read finance articles? Do you buy cards you don't need? Do you hold on to valuable cards you don't need as their value tanks? Get what you need. Trade or sell what you don't.

4. Are you neglecting other priorities?

Do you play too much Magic? Are you neglecting your studies? Are you neglecting your career? Are you neglecting your family? Get it together. Set goals and schedules. Manage your time.

5. Something else?

Is there another reason why you want to quit Magic? What is it? Tell me. I'd like to know.

Magic is fun. Magic is a great game. You shouldn't have to quit Magic if you don't have to.

Peace, love, and have fun…
Eddie

Additional Reading

1. The MTG Community - When & How You Learned Magic [Edward Eng - Battlemage, Level 42]

2. Brewer's Paradise - Dredge Swarm in Modern [Edward Eng - Battlemage, Level 42]

A Little Bit about Eddie

He started playing Magic around December of 1994, then hit the sanctioned competitive tournament scene in 1997. He played till about 2000 and was on the cusp of making the Pro Tour but stopped to focus on school. He found his old teammate on Facebook in 2009 and got back into the game in 2010. Since then he's played in two Nationals, top 16ed an SCG Invitational, and day 2ed multiple Grand Prix.

Archive of Eddie's Articles

Edward Eng

Galactic Treasures

I can't believe Magic has been around for more than 20 years. I never thought I'd be playing Magic in 2016. As a matter of fact, I stopped playing Magic cold in 2000 (I played a few tournaments in 2002 and one in 2003). I never thought I would come back to play the game. Ever. But in 2009, I found an old teammate on Facebook. And in 2010, I started playing Magic again. I haven't really stopped since. And I don't play on stopping ever again.

But today, I'd like to quickly look back on how I got started with Magic. And I want to hear your stories about how you got into the game that we all love. The main reason I want to do this is to inspire more people to fall in love with the game that brings us all together. Because if the game doesn't grow, we don't grow.

It might be a bit fuzzy for some of you like it is for me. But I vaguely remember coming across Magic at this church I used to hang out at in 1994. The game looked super weird to me so I thought nothing of it. But the game kept growing more and more popular to the point where I started to become interested. Then eventually I went up to one of the counselors at the church and asked if he could teach me how to play. I'll never forget when James Lee helped me build the infamous RG Aggro deck that many of us learned to play Magic with. Nothing like good 'ol Kird Apes and Blood Lusts until you run into the person with Counterspells, Swords to Plowshares, and Serra Angels. Man, the good 'ol days.

I took me a couple of years to stumble upon the competitive Magic scene as I played my first sanctioned tournament in 1997. I'll never forget that tournament. It was a Pro Tour Qualifier for Paris, France. I played Turbo Stasis and went 1-3 drop. That was rough. But I was hooked. The very next tournament I played in was Midwest Regionals. I played Sligh and made top 16 but lost by one turn to qualify for Nationals. That was ROUGH! I was devastated. But I was even more HOOKED. I ended up playing till 2000 then stopped to focus on school. And if there's one regret that I have in life, it's that I stopped playing Magic for 10 years. But I'm glad to be back. And now that I'm back and the game is larger than it's ever been, larger than I ever imagined it would ever be back in 2000, I want to hear your stories about when and how you got into Magic.

1. When did you start playing Magic?
2. How did you find out about the game?
3. Who taught you how to play?
4. When was your first sanctioned tournament?
5. What did you play?
6. How did you do?
7. What do you love most about Magic?

Really looking forward to all your stories.

Peace, love, and have fun…
Eddie

Additional Reading

1. Brewer's Paradise - Dredge Swarm in Modern [Edward Eng - Battlemage, Level 42]

2. The MTG Community - Quick Hits...Pro Tour & SCG [Edward Eng - Battlemage, Level 42]

3. MTG Reporter - PPTQ Sydney, 1st Place [Jared Tomlinson - Battlemage, Level 41]

A Little Bit about Eddie

He started playing Magic around December of 1994, then hit the sanctioned competitive tournament scene in 1997. He played till about 2000 and was on the cusp of making the Pro Tour but stopped to focus on school. He found his old teammate on Facebook in 2009 and got back into the game in 2010. Since then he's played in two Nationals, top 16ed an SCG Invitational, and day 2ed multiple Grand Prix.

Archive of Eddie's Articles

Edward Eng

Galactic Treasures

What's up, what's up, what's up! Dredge in Modern is what's up. It looks like quite a few people have been brewing up some sweet Dredge decks recently. But the one that's caught my attention the most is Travis Woo's build.

It's been quite a work in progress on his end, and it's been pretty sweet to see him go through the iterations. I think there's probably still a lot of room for improvement, but it definitely seems like the deck has a lot of potential.

Here's the latest version I've seen so far.

Modern
Dredge Swarm - Travis Woo

There are a lot of lines of play, so you definitely need a good amount a practice with it. The manabase is also very intricate and probably still needs some tweaking. In his latest video, he even swapped out the Mountain for a second Blood Crypt and the Forest for a second Overgrown Tomb.

Anyhow, the deck looks sweet and I'll probably give the deck a try. If Dredge is your thang, give the deck a whirl. And definitely hit me up on social media with feedback if you try it out. I'd love to see what improvements we can make to the deck.

Peace, love, and have fun…
Eddie

Additional Reading

1. The MTG Community - Quick Hits...Pro Tour & SCG [Edward Eng - Battlemage, Level 42]

2. MTG Reporter - PPTQ Sydney, 1st Place [Jared Tomlinson - Battlemage, Level 41]

3. Q & A - Pro Tour Shadows over Innistrad Prep [Nathaniel Smith - Battlemage, Level 41]

A Little Bit about Eddie

He started playing Magic around December of 1994, then hit the sanctioned competitive tournament scene in 1997. He played till about 2000 and was on the cusp of making the Pro Tour but stopped to focus on school. He found his old teammate on Facebook in 2009 and got back into the game in 2010. Since then he's played in two Nationals, top 16ed an SCG Invitational, and day 2ed multiple Grand Prix.

Archive of Eddie's Articles

Edward Eng

Galactic Treasures

Seems like the community is going wild. Long live the Pro Tour. Long live Modern. Who knows what's gonna happen. But here are some things that I think are relevant moving forward.

1. SCG is king.

Most people will never make the Pro Tour. Many people don't care to make the Pro Tour. Pete Hoefling is smart. The SCG Tour is going to grow exponentially.

2. Pick up Modern cards now.

Wizards killed Modern for the Pro Tour. This is another why SCG is king. They're gonna have even more control over the market for Modern cards. Many of their upcoming tournaments are Modern, including the Invitationals. I suggest picking up Modern cards from people that think the format will die because Wizards isn't supporting it via the Pro Tour anymore. Just like I said before, Warren Buffet's "Be fearful when people are greedy. And be greedy when people are fearful." quote applies here.

3. Be realistic about your goals.

Still want to make the Pro Tour? Sure, go ahead; keep grinding. Hit up Grand Prix when you can. Hit up the PPTQs. And don't look down on SCG. Don't forget you can still qualify for the Pro Tour by winning an Invitational, which is pretty much an RPTQ on steroids. I had a revelation today after reading a post on Facebook from Jeff Hoogland. He said, "My plan is to play as many PT matches next year as I have in years past: Actual zero."

I just had a conversation with recent Pro Tour Shadows over Innistrad competitor, Collin Rountree. And I was just voicing things out by asking questions to answer things for myself. What's your goal? What are you doing it all for? Fame? Money? You can gain all of this via the SCG Tour. Is it respect? Who cares? I mean look at me. I'm just some rando that a few people know from playing like an ape on camera and winning. Fame? Yes, kinda. Money? Check; paid for my trip. Respect? Probably not, but who cares. No one. But anyways, just be realistic. And figure out the easiest combination (path) to achieving your goals.

Agree? Disagree? Let me know.

Peace, love, and have fun…
Eddie

Additional Reading

1. MTG Reporter - PPTQ Sydney, 1st Place [Jared Tomlinson - Battlemage, Level 41]

2. Q & A - Pro Tour Shadows over Innistrad Prep [Nathaniel Smith - Battlemage, Level 41]

3. Solving the Limited Puzzle - Shadows over Innistrad Pick Order, Commons & Uncommons [Haibing Hu - Archmage, Level 46]

A Little Bit about Eddie

He started playing Magic around December of 1994, then hit the sanctioned competitive tournament scene in 1997. He played till about 2000 and was on the cusp of making the Pro Tour but stopped to focus on school. He found his old teammate on Facebook in 2009 and got back into the game in 2010. Since then he's played in two Nationals, top 16ed an SCG Invitational, and day 2ed multiple Grand Prix.

Archive of Eddie's Articles

Edward Eng

Galactic Treasures

It was my last shot. After a long string of mediocre finishes or losses in the quarterfinals, I had one last PPTQ for Sydney. This weekend is GP Albuquerque, and I would miss the last two PPTQs of the season. I had been thoroughly demoralized with Standard over the last few months — my weapon of choice had been Bant Company.

Rally was clearly the best deck in OGW Standard and I fell into the trap of just not playing the best deck. After five pure Collected Company misses with Bant Company, I was done with Standard, even skipping a PPTQ — something that’s uncharacteristic for me.

Looking at Shadows Over Innistrad, it was clear early that white is likely to be the best color in the new format. Declaration in Stone and Archangel Avacyn are very strong cards that are going to define the next 18 months while they're legal. The first deck I toyed with was a new version of Bant Company because of familiarity. The deck had to be primarily green and blue to play with Lumbering Falls, Jace, Vryn’s Prodigy, and Sylvan Advocate (which is much worse in base green-white). The mana was passable, and Jace plays a role in mana-fixing as well as flashing back spells, and stifling aggressive decks which I had assumed others would show up with. The deck seemed great, but it wasn’t playing Archangel Avacyn — the mana wasn’t good enough.

Leading up to the first week of new Standard, there was a BW Control list posted on Channel Fireball that caught my attention, and this was the second deck that I wanted to toy with. You have many of the best answers with Ob Nixilis Reignited, Declaration in Stone, Languish, and Grasp of Darkness, and some great closers with Avacyn, Westvale Abbey, Sorin, Grim Nemesis, and Secure the Wastes.

The primary issue that I had with this strategy is that it was basically reactive, something I try not to do in week 1 of a new format. With mana becoming much worse in Standard, being proactive is where I wanted to land. The problem with the BW Control deck was that I thought it had a hard time closing a game fast enough to beat the Ramp deck, and I had grown tired of having my world broken and watching sequels of Kozilek returning.

Another aspect of this new format is that the Red Deck Wins (or Vampire Deck Wins) seemed to be poor or a trap in testing. Jace, while still amazing, also seemed much less good in the new format since it wasn’t as reliable to transform.

When Oath of the Gatewatch was released, I was toying with a BW Eldrazi strategy. That deck was decent at the infamous Food Court PPTQ, but there was some punch that was missing — a problem that I thought had been fixed now. Serena Quinn recommended that I give this deck a second look now that this set came out, and I’m grateful for the advice.

My estimate of the metagame based on what people play locally and what they tend to play in a new format were primarily RG Ramp, Mono-Red Eldrazi, and hyper-aggressive Red or RB decks (likely due to card availability). The BW deck has life gain in the mana base, along with Sorin, Grim Nemesis, and gets to play great threats and answers. To give it the punch that I wanted — I focused on the Eldrazi package of Matter Reshaper, Thought-Knot Seer, and Reality Smasher. These creatures are all equivalent or bigger than the smaller red creatures in both Mono-Red and Red Eldrazi. You also have sufficient disruption for the Ramp and other Control decks as well as a quick clock. All of the boxes I had were checked.

I opted to play a base White and Colorless deck, splashing for only Sorin, Grim Nemesis in the main deck. Setting the deck up this way lets me play Knight of the White Orchid, which is again great against the hyper-aggressive decks, draws a card almost every time against the ramp deck, and let me steal back the play if I lost the die roll. I also got to play powerful sideboard cards that were black.

The deck didn’t play Languish, as again, I wanted to be attacking, so I was concerned with losing to horizontal strategies. Serena recommended a second Virulent Plague in the sideboard to avoid losing to the RB “kill everything” deck, as well as Secure the Wastes, and annoying planeswalkers with tokens. 

Standard
BW Eldrazi - Jared Tomlinson

As far as the sideboard goes, I wanted many cards to deal with hyper-aggressive decks, so I played two Archangel of Tithes to replace Gideon after Game 1, as well as a pair of Ayli, Eternal Pilgrim for the Red Eldrazi matchup, and four Surge of Righteousness. For Ramp, I had three Transgress the Mind and an Anguished Unmaking for their threats. I largely passed on cards for control matchups as I felt that Esper Dragons would both be an acceptable matchup as well as underrepresented.

The tournament was 28 players and 5 rounds — I think location and card availability were both major factors in the event’s attendance. The players in the room were largely on Red, Red Eldrazi, and RG ramp, with a few control decks (Esper and BW) and Company decks of a few different flavors.

Round 1 - RG Ramp (2-0) 

This match was over in about 15 minutes or so, as a combination of Thought-Knot Seer and Reality Smasher quickly close out games. I made one major mistake in this match that could have cost me a game, I attacked two Reality Smashers into a 4/5 Sylvan Advocate, which blocked. When my opponent cast a Kozilek’s Return for 2, I hastily cast Avacyn to save my creature — leaving me vulnerable to the back-half of Kozilek’s Return next turn. My opponent missed and I was not punished for my poor play. I was the first match done in the room.

Round 2 - RG Ramp (2-0)

This match ended even faster than the last round for all of the same reasons. Again, I was the first match done in the event.

Round 3 - Red Eldrazi (2-1)

My first game loss of the event came in Round 3 when I mulliganed to five, and while I made a game out of it, I couldn’t overcome the resource disparity. In game 2, my opponent didn’t draw lands and had his reality smashed. The third game, we both mulliganed to six and I had the best of it. The matchup seemed a little close, and it’s important to do mental Eldrazi Obligator math so that you don’t die out of nowhere.

I double-drew into Top 8 which put me in 4th seed and on the play in the quarterfinals.

Quarterfinals - Red Eldrazi Rematch (2-0)

My round 6 opponent was a rematch of Round 3, but I was able to win in 2 games. He had mana issues again and my deck does a great job of punishing poor starts.

Semifinals - UW Control (2-0)

Round 7 had me paired against an actual control deck! Thought-Knot Seer revealed multiple Clash of Wills. I think without the card draw payoffs in the previous Standard format, it seemed tough for the control deck to get ahead of me in cards. Declaration in Stone giving me clue tokens allowed me to draw into additional threats. The only relevant play I remember from this match was flashing in Archangel Avacyn at the end of my opponent’s turn, allowing them to counter it and letting me untap and play Reality Smasher, which is what I preferred to have resolve.

Finals - Karttik Patel (2-1) - GW Tokens

My finals opponent was Karttik, who I have basically a 0% win rate against regardless of format or matchup. We prize-split the store credit and were just playing for the invite, which I appreciated. I was on the play for this match. The first game I was able to grind him out, though it was mentally exhausting and very close. Game two I lost to probably 8 Crusade effects from Gideon and Nissa. I made sure to have both Virulent Plagues in my deck, but I still had never drawn one the entire tournament. The third game was decided on the back of Virulent Plague, shutting off Nissa while my deck executed its aggressive game plan. Of note, we both kept getting warnings for Declaration in Stone — make sure that the targeted creature goes to exile and that your opponent gets a Clue. Our match was almost decided by an obscene amount of warnings for both of us.

Overall, the deck’s performance was great. There were a few holes that I had found in the deck that need to be fixed going forward. There aren’t enough two-drops to play off playing Knight of the White Orchid on turn 3 and getting the extra land. Often times I would get to ramp and then do nothing — and represent nothing. While I have enough colorless sources in the deck, I could see wanting a few more. The results from the SCG Baltimore Open show that people were playing Hedron Crawler which cleans up this gap somewhat. Westvale Abbey was underwhelming, making only two Humans for me the whole day and never transforming. The fact that it’s a colorless source that is “Plan D” means I don’t think it’ll ever be completely cut from the deck.

It turns out that Bant Company ended up winning the SCG Open — a base Green/Blue deck just the way I had drawn it up. The conclusion I had missed was cutting Deathmist Raptor to make mana better and allow you to play Archangel Avacyn. I hope the BW deck is good in future weeks of Standard, but I was satisfied with its performance, and happy to qualify for Shadows Over Innistrad sealed. 

Thanks for reading! 
Jared

Additional Reading

1. Q & A - Pro Tour Shadows over Innistrad Prep [Nathaniel Smith - Battlemage, Level 41]

2. Solving the Limited Puzzle - Shadows over Innistrad Pick Order, Commons & Uncommons [Haibing Hu - Archmage, Level 46]

3. Standard Fare - All about Eldrazi [Edward Eng - Battlemage, Level 42]

A Little Bit about Jared Tomlinson

Jared Tomlinson is a case administrator at PucaTrade. He's been playing Magic off and on since the 1990s and likes to play Commander, Standard, and Limited formats.

Archive of Jared's Articles

Jared Tomlinson

Galactic Treasures

Shadows over Innistrad has just hit the streets and we've got a little bit of data from SCG Baltimore. It's an exciting time for Standard again. And Pro Tour Shadows over Innistrad is right around the corner.

For this week's Q & A session we've decided to tap into the brain of upcoming #ptsoi competitor, Nathaniel Smith. Given the nature of preparing for a Pro Tour, we know most players have their reservations leading up to the event. But we can at least get a general idea of where the format might be headed. So let's see what Nathan has to say.

What cards are you really excited about testing for Standard?

I've been excited testing Wasteland Strangler. SOI opened up a new flood of creature decks and Strangler excels at maintaining tempo against cards like Collected Company that would put the opponent ahead on board.

What are some underrated Standard cards?

Wasteland Strangler and Archangel of Tithes. While Reflector Mage and Declaration in Stone limit the playability of creatures like Archangel of Tithes because of the deficit in tempo they can create, the effect it has on the game is very unique and its body lines up well against the top threats in the format.

What Limited archetypes do you think are strong?

Anything with green as a base is a good place to start. I also like UW and have had modest success with RB, though I'd caution against drafting an all-in madness strategy unless it seems very open, as when those decks don't come together they can be very underwhelming.

What are some underrated Limited cards?

Ongoing Investigation and Ulvenwald Mysteries are both much better than they appear due to the fact that they can take over the game should it go long, and they even cause the game to go longer due to their non-investigation effects!

Who would you like to battle against in the finals?

I know a lot of great players I would like to see make the finals; but were I lucky enough to pick, I'd have to say Owen Turtenwald because I'd like to be able to say I beat the best to become a champion. And should I lose, I'd be able to say that I lost to the best.

----------

Will Wasteland Strangler take the title? Will green be the best color to draft in Shadows over Innistrad? Only time will tell. Be sure to keep an eye out for Nathan at Pro Tour Shadows over Innistrad. Thanks for reading.

Shadows over Innistrad has just hit the shelves and it's time for a whole lotta cool new things to happen. We've had major changes to Modern with the bannings and unbannings. Standard has rotated and we lost 4C Rally and Siege Rhino decks, but we've gained Declaration in Stone and Westvale Abbey. And probably most importantly, we've got Pro Tour Shadows over Innistrad lurking over us.

So today, Haibing Hu brings us his infamous pick order list to help everyone improve their drafts and evaluations. Let's take a look at how he ranks the commons and uncommons of the set.

White - Commons

Angelic Purge
Oring is Oring even if you have to sac a permanent. Enables delirium. The first 2 are high picks, then it moves down to 5th best white common.

Dauntless Cathar
Solid curve creature that helps with flooding.

Puncturing Light
Good removal spell. People have to respect the light.

Inspiring Captain
Solid guy to push through damage. Inspiring is momentary. Support is permanent.

Moorland Drifter
Good curve guy that gets better.

Cathar's Companion
Makes blocking hard.

Emissary of the Sleepless
3/5 flyer def worth the price. Doesn’t compete with other commons at the 5 slot. First is very good.

Apothecary Geist
Mediocre flyer.

Vessel of Ephemera
5 mana for two 1/1 flyers is too much. Helps delirium. 1 is fine, but I wouldn’t be happy playing more.

Devilthorn Fox
Decent curve guy. Depends on how many 1 power guys there are in the format.

Stern Constable
Great with madness, close to unplayable without.

Militant Inquisitor
Weak curve guy with mediocre upside. Not thrilled if it ends up in my deck.

Survive the Night
3 mana tricks suck. Drawing a card does make up for it.

Inquisitor's Ox
3/4 vigilance isn’t that great.

Strength of Arms
Ok trick.

Unruly Mob
Ok turn 2, crap every turn after.

Expose Evil
Barely playable in aggressive decks. Not good as a defensive card.

Ethereal Guidance
Not terrible if you have a ton of little guys. Sorcery speed hurts. Not giving first strike or anything else hurts. The difference between 3 and 5 mana isn’t that much because you’re never casting this early in the game.

Thraben Inspector
Investigate is not great. Might sideboard in versus lots of 1 toughness creatures.

Chaplain's Blessing
Gain 5...at sorcery speed. Quit copying Hearthstone.

White - Uncommons

Bound by Moonsilver
Arrest, check. Enable delirium. What doesn’t it do?

Avacynian Missionaries
Fantastic, but sometimes you won’t have an equipment. P1P1 ranking. Move lower or higher in packs 2 and 3.

Nearheath Chaplain
Great value.

Reaper of Flight Moonsilver
Ok curve guy. Delirium turns it into a I win now card.

Topplegeist
Fantastic with delirium, and playable without.

Spectral Shepherd
Good blocker if needed. Fair costed flyer even without ability.

Tenacity
Blowout card.

Gryff's Boon
Solid aura. The bad thing about auras is the card disadvantage which this gets around. Enchantments in this set are a tad better with delirium. Can win games. How many flyers can most decks hold off?

Silverstrike
Necksnap is playable.

Nahiri's Machinations
Can get blanked, but the upside is there.

Paranoid Parish-Blade
Solid guy without delirium. Better with. Turning on delirium mid combat is gas.

Pious Evangel
Solid both sides. Can win games by itself.

Humble the Brute
More of a sideboard card. Non-werewolves don’t get that big.

Not Forgotten
Weak sideboard card. Can turn off delirium. Too bad it’s a sorcery.

Town Gossipmonger
Unplayable. Must attack creatures are tricky to begin with.

Hope Against Hope
Auras are weak. Big guy can get chumped for a few turns.

Open the Armory
Crap.

Blue - Commons

Stitched Mangler
So annoying. Solid if you're ahead or behind.

Sleep Paralysis
Removal is removal.

Just the Wind
This card is insane with madness.

Stormrider Spirit
You’re probably not going to catch too many people, but the cost is fair.

Niblis of Dusk
It flies and dies.

Furtive Homunculus
Annoyingly decent. 2/1 gets through a lot of werewolf decks.

Lamplighter of Selhoff
Great curve topper. Odds are you’re not going to play the madness card.

Catalog
Not great since you’re essentially looting twice. You draw 2 and discard 1 and put this in your yard. Good with synergy, crap without. Luckily there's a ton of synergy in this set.

Gone Missing
Time Ebb cost 3. Don’t know if paying 4 more mana to draw a card is worth it. Solid 1 of.

Silent Observer
Blocks 90% of non-rare, non-werewolves.

Ghostly Wings
Solid on offense and can act as a bounce spell. Enable madness and puts an enchantment in the graveyard. Very good with delirium. Solid all around synergy card.

Drownyard Explorers
Mediocre all the way around, but the 2/4 is good at holding the ground while you fly over.

Nagging Thoughts
Somewhat weak. It does nothing. In constructed you’re ok with paying mana to look for cards. In limited you’re better off not paying mana and drawing since there’s less synergy and fewer combos.

Press for Answers
Weak trick. Tapping something down for a turn is ok, but not at the cost of a card.

Vessel of Paramnesia
3 mana to cycle and enable delirium. Ok in the right deck.

Deny Existence
Counters are playable, but terrible against werewolves.

Jace's Scrutiny
Weak trick.

Seagraf Skaab
Sideboard versus 2/1s.

Silburlind Snapper
Might attack twice. Not worth the effort.

Pieces of the Puzzle
Unplayable. You’ll hit 1 if you’re lucky.

Blue - Uncommons

Reckless Scholar
P1P1 I think I’m taking this. Madnessing and drawing a card is very good. Heard it here first folks.

Aberrant Researcher
It’s probably not that easy to flip, but you’re getting a fair 3/2 flyer for the cost. 5/4 flyer is basically a dragon, so upside is insane.

Pore Over the Pages
What’s not to love about this? Essentially a 3cc card. Enables madness and delirium. Discarding a land feels sucky, but isn’t bad at all since you have at least 5 already.

Stitchwing Skaab
Solid flyer that comes back? Enables all the stuff. Sign me up.

Uninvited Geist
3/3 unblockable is a very fast clock.

Compelling Deterrence
Recoil if you have a zombie? Only downside is it might help opponent’s delirium.

Essence Flux
Ok trick. More defensive than offensive.

Rise from the Tides
Not a high pick pack 1, but can move up quite a bit by pack 3. Ideally you want spells that make creatures if you draft this so you can have a high creature and spell count. Black has a few of these cards.

Erdwal Illuminator
1/3 flyer for 2 isn’t terrible. Double investigating can get out of hand. Great in the right deck, but not a high pick.

Drunau Corpse Trawler
Overcosted. You get split hill giants stats for mana. The ability is marginal at best. Sneaking though 2 points on offense is fine. Leaving open 3 mana to deter attackers feels weak.

Daring Sleuth
Can get out of hand, but it’s hard to flip and hard to push through.

Broken Concentration
Cancel is playable, but not good.

Ongoing Investigation
Card does nothing when it comes into play. Unplayable.

Trail of Evidence
Terrible too. Cards that do nothing by itself suck. You need 3 triggers before it’s worth the card.

Manic Scribe
Mill sucks.

Fleeting Memories
I can’t believe someone (Will Lowry) played with both of the mill cards in a 4 color deck.

Invasive Surgery
Sideboard. This delirium trigger has no value in Limited.

Black - Commons

Dead Weight
Fantastic. Kill stuff for less mana than they spent. Enables delirium. Makes a big creature manageable.

Murderous Compulsion
High upside when you madness this baby out at instant speed. Much better than assassinate.

Ghoulcaller's Accomplice
Solid 2 drop that offers value later on. What’s not to love.

Twins of Maurer Estate
Tons of upside. One of the better madness cards. Good blocker if madnessed out at instant speed.

Crow of Dark Tidings
Dies to spirit tokens unfortunately. Decent.

Throttle
Solid. Does what you want it to do.

Rancid Rats
Playable. Can attack while waiting for big target to appear.

Stallion of Ashmouth
Upside on a fair costed creature. Black has good delirium enablers.

Vampire Noble
Decent curve guy.

Hound of the Farbogs
Weakish. 3 toughness means it’ll trade down a lot. 3 toughness also means it doesn’t block well. Delirium isn’t that easy to get.

Macabre Waltz
Late game, but good late game card. Bring back 2 decent creatures and killing a tapped creature for 4 mana is quite good.

Stromkirk Mentor
Not exciting. 4/2 is weak. Pumping is fine. Put it together and it’s just a little weak.

Sanitarium Skeleton
Can be good if you have madness enablers. Spending 4 mana to block fatties late game isn’t the worst.

Rottenheart Ghoul
Interesting. Weak stats but blocks well. Discard could matter.

Merciless Resolve
Alter’s Reap cost 2. Being able to sac a land is slightly better in the late game. Odds are you’ll draw 1 land with the 2 cards drawn.

Vessel of Malignity
Discard that they see coming sometimes. Delirium enabler.

Farbog Revenant
Not terrible and possibly very good sideboard card.

Grotesque Mutation
Crap trick. Life doesn’t matter most of the times. Adding 1 toughness means creatures could still die.

Shamble Back
Crap. Not an early game card. Getting a 2/2 turn 5 doesn’t do anything.

Alms of the Vein
How many times have you played Bump in the Night? This is worse because it’s not linear. Dealing 6 is better than dealing 3 and gaining 3. Even if you madness it out, what’s the point. It doesn’t add to the board.

Black - Uncommons

Sinister Concoction
This is like my favorite card in the set. Kill a guy for cheap, madness, and delirium. Fantastic all around.

Kindly Stranger
Delirium isn’t that hard for the black deck. You have a ton of discard and a very good enchantment. Probably a 6 drop because you don’t want to give your opponent a chance to kill it.

Heir of Falkenrath
Solid. Turn 2 play to set up turn 3 madness. Black has a few 3cc madness cards.

Gisa's Bidding
Solid without madness as you get 4 power and 4 toughness for 4 mana which is more than fair. Fantastic with obv.

Tooth Collector
Great for pinging. Late game upside.

Morkrut Necropod
This guy is huge and incredibly hard to block. Sacing a land is no issue turns 6+.

Ghoulsteed
Good late game card that keeps coming back.

Accursed Witch
Interesting card. No issues trading down. 1 point drain per turn adds up quick.

Pale Rider of Trostad
Harder to set up madness because it’s not a 2 drop when you do.

Call the Bloodline
Madness enabler. Need about 4 madness cards before starting this. Not worth it to discard 2 land for 2 1/1 lifelink guys. Makes people respect instant speed madness.

Olivia's Bloodsworn
Solid and aggressive. One dimensional though.

Biting Rain
You kill half your guys. Better in GB. Might be better to start in sideboard.

Indulgent Aristocrat
Sacing a creature to permanently pump half of your team is not worth it. Might be ok in the most dedicated vampire deck.

Pick the Brain
Coercion is close to unplayable. Delirium is pointless in limited.

Liliana's Indignation
Does nothing a lot of times. On average opponent lose less than X life.

Behind the Scenes
Not playing an enchantment to give my team skulk.

Creeping Dread
This does nothing. Way too situational. Opponent can go to 0 cards pretty easily. Need to hit 6 life for it to be worthwhile.

Red - Commons

Fiery Temper
Best common in the set, at least top 3. Madnessing this out from a loot is simply unfair. Ember Shot cost 7 iirc and was playable.

Voldaren Duelist
3/2 haste that takes away a blocker. Once your opponent gets low he has to play around this. Will steal a ton of wins or push through for a ton of damage. The threat will keep a lot of creatures back.

Howlpack Wolf
3/3 for 3 is very efficient. There are a ton of wolves and werewolves so blocking is not difficult.

Reduce to Ashes
5 damage kills everything. 1 is very good.

Gatstaf Arsonists
Big guy that gets bigger. Happy with 1.

Pyre Hound
Hard to double block because instant speed removal will wreck. Then again taking 2 is not a bad option for your opponent.

Convicted Killer
Weak but necessary curve card.

Sanguinary Mage
Prowess doesn’t do much. People will be happy to take 1 most of the times.

Tormenting Voice
Good outlet.

Bloodmad Vampire
Trades down way too much. Getting a counter on it doesn’t really help that much. You’ll still trade down.

Senseless Rage
Playable if you can instant speed madness this. Poor otherwise.

Hulking Devil
Terrible. I’ve played with 2 before. This format it can be hard to get 23 good playables.

Dual Shot
I like 1 per deck a lot. Will rarely give you value, but a 1 mana trick is hard to come by.

Rush of Adrenaline
Poor trick. +1 toughness isn’t good enough.

Insolent Neonate
Too much of a card disadvantage. 1/1s for 1 suck.

Ember-Eye Wolf
Not great. Pumping puts you behind in tempo.

Uncaged Fury
Weak trick. White and green pump spells cost 1 or 2. Very rarely will you kill someone with double strike.

Magmatic Chasm
Falter ain’t what it use to be.

Vessel of Volatility
This adds an enchantment, but it’s pure card disadvantage and doesn’t add a huge tempo boost.

Structural Distortion
Pillage is unplayable.

Red - Uncommons

Lightning Axe
Premium removal spell with massive set synergy.

Mad Prophet
Gets out of hand if you get going with it.

Incorrigible Youths
4/3 haste is no joke.

Inner Struggle
Kill most creatures, almost all fatties.

Breakneck Rider
Solid base stats and can break games if flipped.

Ravenous Bloodseeker
Solid enabler. There's no Wild Mongrel so we'll have to settle for this.

Ulrich's Kindred
4 mana is a lot to pay, but you’ll rarely have to pay it.

Dance with Devils
Good trick. Be careful because a 4/4 attacker can assign all the damage to 1 devil.

Village Messenger
Easy to flip turn 1 because most decks don’t have a turn 1 play. A 2/2 menace is very good early.

Skin Invasion
I’m pretty sure this is solid, and maybe amazing. Putting it on an opponent 2/2 and make it suicide. Get a 3/4 for 1 mana.

Kessig Forgemaster
Solid curve guy that’s somewhat hard to block.

Gibbering Fiend
Solid. Can turn into finisher in long games.

Geistblast
Mediocre removal spell with high upside.

Spiteful Motives
Solid trick, but it does cost 4. Can turn a creature into a game winner.

Malevolent Whispers
Playable.

Dissension in the Ranks
This looks really good as it’ll kill two 4/4 blockers, but it is incredibly difficult to set up. Getting a 2 for 1 is difficult, most of the time you’ll have to settle for 2 for 2. Half the time you have 1 attacker or they have 1 blocker.

Stensia Masquerade
Crap. Card disadvantage.

Green - Commons

Rabid Bite
Green has enough big guys that this is usually a doomblade. Better paired with red because of werewolves.

Byway Courier
Good curve card that offers card advantage.

Quilled Wolf
Solid curve dude that isn’t irrelevant late game.

Solitary Hunter
5/6 is no joke. Limited is about card advantage, evasion, or a big guy to finish things off. This offers the big guy at 4 mana.

Hinterland Logger
Somewhat weak for the cost. 4/2 trampler might be able to push through for a few points. You still want it for the curve.

Intrepid Provisioner
One time pump. All flip cards are humans, so it’s better in RG. Fine in GW.

Kessig Dire Swine
6/6 is huge. It’s slightly better than the vanilla 4/5 because 6/6s are so much harder to kill. Trample is relevant vs the 1/2 black guy that comes back and the 2/2 flying bounce spirit.

Watcher in the Web
Solid even though it cost so much.

Thornhide Wolves
Fairly costed, but competes with better common fatties in green.

Vessel of Nascency
1 card delirium enabler. Playable if you need it.

Fork in the Road
Again playable. It’s hard to fit more than a couple of non-creature, non-removal cards into decks.

Might Beyond Reason
Cost a lot, but leaves behind a big guy. Worth it most likely.

Aim High
Solid trick. +2+2 is fair. Untap and reach makes it very good.

Confront the Unknown
It’s +1+1 most of the times which is ok. Aggressive Urge cost 2 and was pretty good. This is a cheaper trick even though it cost more for the entire effect.

Clip Wings
Good sideboard card.

Root Out
Also good sideboard card.

Stoic Builder
Almost unplayable. The stats suck and drawing a land when you can combo isn’t great. Congrats on drawing a land when it’s probably better in the yard.

Loam Dryad
Elves getting weaker.

Moldgraf Scavenger
The hell? This does nothing.

Equestrian Skill
Aura. Let’s pretend I didn’t drink all day and put at least 1 into my deck.

Green - Uncommons

Pack Guardian
Absurd. You get 6 power worth of blockers or you get power worth of attackers. OR both. Turns on werewolves when you pass the turn.

Moonlight Hunt
Kills most stuff. Transform werewolves by passing.

Duskwatch Recruiter
Solid early and card advantage engine late.

Autumnal Gloom
4 mana for a 4/4 trample hexproof? Need to be in the right colors as it’s not a very good splash.

Gloomwidow
Big on curve guy that can stop flyers.

Obsessive Skinner
Solid guy early, has some value late. Never fantastic, but that’s ok.

Cult of the Waxing Moon
This needs a lot of set up, but turning your wolves into Huntmasters is absurd.

Lambholt Pacifist
Having a big blocker on turn 2 is fine.

Hermit of the Natterknolls
I mean everything gets played mainphase so you’ll never get a trigger. But that’s fine. The creature is slightly small for the cost, but you don’t have to worry about instant speed tricks or removal. Sometimes it’s merely ok, and other times it’s very good. Hard to tell when it’s good though.

Veteran Cathar
Good curve guy that gets better late.

Briarbridge Patrol
Solid if you get to investigate once.

Howlpack Resurgence
I mean it can get out of hand. Odds are it won’t. Still +2+2 flash aura with upside is worth considering.

Ulvenwald Mysteries
Meh. Seems like a big set up. I’ll admit that it is great if you get to the super late game. This should draw you 4-5 cards easy.

Groundskeeper
Ok if you have a combo, not very good otherwise.

Graf Mole
Ok blocker if you’re playing the clues game.

Weirding Wood
Not very good. Splashing is not great in this set. You ramp from 3 to 6. The extra mana is useful if you have a lot of investigate.

Crawling Sensation
Payoff is not worth it. Maybe you get 3 into play and go off? Good luck.

Artifact - Commons

Explosive Apparatus
Good with delirium. 4 mana is not that much for 2 damage when you're able to split the cost up. It's not like you're playing another 1 drop.

Wicker Witch
Weak, but playable. 1 toughness means it dies easily which is probably what you want if you're playing it.

True-Faith Censer
Not great. 4 mana for +1+1 and vigilance is too much.

Shard of Broken Glass
Unplayable unless you’re super delirium. Even then you might not be able to attack with a creature to mill yourself.

Artifact - Uncommons

  

Skeleton Key
Mask of Memory was a great card in Mirrodin and that set didn’t have madness or delirium. You draw one less card, but gain skulk to sneak through.

Neglected Heirloom
Fantastic on both sides. Leonin Scimitar was solid. This has an upside. Very high pick if you have cards that flip easily.

Wild-Field Scarecrow
Decent in a control deck. Getting 2 lands is great.

Harvest Hand
Decent. It’s a weak creature that turns into a weak equipment, but the cost is fine when you’re getting both.

Thraben Gargoyle
Not a huge fan. I think it’s playable though. If you’re heavy delirium getting a T1 blocker is fine. 4/2 flyer trades with a lot of flyers in this set, but it's still a win condition.

Murderer's Axe
The cost is still too high, but the card is interesting. In a dedicated madness deck it’s fine, but I wouldn’t play it without 4-5 madness cards.

Epitaph Golem
Meh, I doubt I’ll play more than one game where the activated ability comes into play. The stats are weak.

Haunted Cloak
Trash. Equipments need to boost power and toughness in Limited.

Magnifying Glass
Talk about complete trash. 6 mana to draw a card?

Runaway Carriage
Trash. Don’t play the card disadvantage game.

Lands - Commons

Warped Landscape
Solid. It’s hard to find a turn to sacrifice early in the game. Getting a land in the yard is valuable.

So there you have it. Hopefully this helps you with drafting Shadow over Innistrad. Also, we'd love to know if you agree or disagree with anything.

Thanks,
Bing

Additional Reading

1. Standard Fare - All about Eldrazi [Edward Eng - Battlemage, Level 42]

2. Q & A - Standard Rotation and Picking the Best Deck [Collin Rountree - Sorcerer, Level 39]

3. MTG Reporter - Inaugural Galactic Treasures $1K Tournament Results

A Little Bit about Haibing Hu

Bing started playing during Urza's Block. And since then he's played in 9 Pro Tours, making day 2 at 8 of them. He was also on the 2011 U.S. Nationals team. He loves Limited but isn't too fond of Constructed.

Archive of Bing's Articles

Haibing Hu

Galactic Treasures

By the time you read this, there's a good chance that changes to the banned and restricted list have been made. We all know by now that the Eldrazi have taken over Modern and, to a certain extent, Legacy. I expect Eye of Ugin to get the axe in Modern, so prepare accordingly if you haven't already.

And with the Shadows over Innistrad prerelease this weekend and its release next weekend, the Standard scene is going to also drastically change. But change is good. The question is...will the Eldrazi shift to dominating Standard? I think there's a good chance that the change most of us are embracing will still be marked by the Eldrazi menace.

Going into a new Standard format, you generally want to be proactive. You hear this time and time again. And this time isn't any different. However, in the past, being proactive generally meant going with just one or two colors like Mono Red, BR, or some aggressive UW deck like Humans. But this time we have Colorless as an option. While Colorless isn't actually a color, it still pretty much acts as a sixth color since you have to dedicate your manabase to it which most of us already know by now.

We've already seen a few fully committed Eldrazi decks pop up towards the end of this Standard season. Moving forward, I think this is a good place to start. Let's take a look at the lists.

Standard
Mono Black Eldrazi - Michael Romero

Losing Tomb of the Spirit Dragon is a dent, but that's the only rotating card. Plus, you can replace it with things like Westvale Abbey or Rogue's Passage.

Standard
Mono Red Eldrazi - Kent Ketter

You also need to replace Tomb here. Plus, you need to work the sideboard a bit. Thunderbreak Regent could easily replace Ashcloud Phoenix, and then you'd probably just have to play around with the removal package. Losing Outpost Siege could be a problem but not the end of the world.

Standard
Mono Blue Eldrazi - VikingEric

This version is interesting because you lose Ghostfire Blade, but you could also replace it with Stoneforge Masterwork. And for the sideboard, you just need to swap out the old countermagic for the new. You also probably want to play some bounce or tap spells like Compelling Deterrence or Press for Answers respectively.

I could also see a Mono White Eldrazi version hitting the streets with Declaration in Stone, Eldrazi Displacer, and Archangel Avacyn. And don't forget about Gideon, Ally of Zendikar.

This is going to be an exciting time. We'll see how things shake out. Do you think the Eldrazi will take over Standard?

Peace, love, and have fun…
Eddie

Additional Reading

1. Q & A - Standard Rotation and Picking the Best Deck [Collin Rountree - Sorcerer, Level 39]

2. MTG Reporter - Inaugural Galactic Treasures $1K Tournament Results

3. The MTG Community - Try, Don't Hate [Edward Eng - Battlemage, Level 42]

A Little Bit about Eddie

He started playing Magic around December of 1994, then hit the sanctioned competitive tournament scene in 1997. He played till about 2000 and was on the cusp of making the Pro Tour but stopped to focus on school. He found his old teammate on Facebook in 2009 and got back into the game in 2010. Since then he's played in two Nationals, top 16ed an SCG Invitational, and day 2ed multiple Grand Prix.

Archive of Eddie's Articles

Edward Eng

Galactic Treasures

Standard rotation is right around the corner as we close in on the release of Shadows over Innistrad. And in preparation for the new Standard, we've done a quick Q & A session with Collin Rountree who will be competing in the upcoming Pro Tour Shadows over Innistrad. So let's get right to it.

How long have you been playing 4C Rally?

I've been playing the deck for about four months.

How did you find the deck?

I found the deck after Magnus Lantto and Simon Nielsen's crew destroyed Grand Prix Brussels, putting three people into the top eight.

What made you pick the deck?

What was your process like for testing 4C Rally?

What cards do you like the most from Shadows over Innistrad?

What color combination do you think will do well from Shadows over Innistrad?

We had a nice turnout for the inaugural Galactic Treasures $1K tournament with 36 players showing up to battle. There was a nice variety of decks and after 6 rounds of Swiss here were the top 8 players and their decks.

Standard
UR Thopters - Austin Gardner

Standard
RG Ramp - Kris Hoffman

Standard
Abzan Blue - Ty Thomason

Standard
Bant Company - Eduardo Miranda

Standard
Mono Black Eldrazi - Marc Whites

Standard
Bant Company - Travon Pinnekins

Standard
GW Scales - Nathan Lam

Standard
4C Company - Brandon Vickers

We'd like to thank everyone who came out to the tournament for making this a great event. And thanks to The Card House for cohosting the tournament with us. Finally, we'd like to thank Kyle Evans for being our head judge and helping us make sure the tournament ran smoothly. We look forward to doing this again and hope all of you are just as excited about the next one!

Thanks,
Team Galactic

Additional Reading

1. The MTG Community - Try, Don't Hate [Edward Eng - Battlemage, Level 42]

2. MTG Reporter - Jeskai Ascendancy Combo at Grand Prix Houston [Ty Thomason - Archmage, Level 46]

3. MTG Reporter - Poops Be Cheatin' [Edward Eng - Battlemage, Level 42]

Galactic Treasures

Shadows of Innistrad spoilers are upon us. And once again, I'm hearing people talk about how bad or unplayable cards are. But I actually love it when all people do is complain because you can make money on cards that people misevaluate. You also get to beat people up with cards they think suck.

It's pretty funny how people still haven't changed since Magic was released over 20 years ago. But the better players and the players who want to get better take a different approach to evaluating new sets and cards.

I remember when Ice Age came out and I opened up Necropotence. I thought it was one of the worst Magic cards ever printed. Why would you want to skip your draw step? Why would you want to pay life to draw cards? Sounded terrible. I quickly learned my lesson as Necropotence has proven itself to be one of the most powerful cards in the history of the game.

Over the years, I've learned to be patient with new sets and cards. I believe there's almost always a use for a card. And you shouldn't be so quick to judge whether or not a card is 'good' or 'bad'.

What you should do is try a card before you determine its level of playability. A perfect example of this was Jace, Vryn's Prodigy. Many people disliked the card when it was first released. I, on the other hand, wasn't so quick to praise or dismiss it. Instead, I started brewing with the card in Modern. And it wasn't till then that I quickly realized it had some potential. I clearly remember thinking that it could be better in Legacy since the format has even more spells that are cheaper to cast and more powerful than the ones available in Modern. Well, we all know how the story of Jace played out. Bonkers.

The bottom line is that's it's hard to evaluate a card without trying it first. And sometimes you shouldn't even waste your time trying to evaluate a card. Rather, you should focus on the applications of cards.

For example, take a card like Eerie Interlude.

Rather than say this card is good or bad, you should think about its applications.

1. You can use it against a deck that plays sweepers.

2. You can use it against a deck with a lot of removal.

3. You can use it in a deck that has a lot of creatures with enter the battlefield effects.

From here, this can help you determine if the card belongs in the main deck of if it's a sideboard card. Surely, this is a much more productive way to look at Magic cards. I encourage you to do this as Shadows of Innistrad cards are spoiled throughout these next few weeks. You'll be amazed at how this will improve your deckbuilding skills and strengthen your overall skill level.

What cards have you misevaluated in the past?

Peace, love, and have fun…
Eddie

Additional Reading

1. Event - $1k Magic Tournament Hosted by Galactic Treasures & The Card House

2. MTG Reporter - Jeskai Ascendancy Combo at Grand Prix Houston [Ty Thomason - Archmage, Level 46]

3. MTG Reporter - Poops Be Cheatin' [Edward Eng - Battlemage, Level 42]

4. The MTG Community - Get Lucky [Edward Eng - Battlemage, Level 42]

A Little Bit about Eddie

He started playing Magic around December of 1994 then hit the sanctioned competitive tournament scene in 1997. He played till about 2000 and was on the cusp of making the Pro Tour but stopped to focus on school. He found his old teammate on Facebook in 2009 and got back into the game in 2010. Since then he's played in two Nationals, top 16ed an SCG Invitational, and day 2ed multiple Grand Prix.

Archive of Eddie's Articles

Edward Eng

Galactic Treasures

I didn't do much preparation for Grand Prix Houston. For local GPs in the past, I’ve brewed dozens of decks and tried many more I found online until I got the list I wanted to play. This time, real life time commitments got in the way. If you remember my New Year’s Resolution article, you may wonder why I stopped writing after resolving to put out one article a week. My wife and I have been in the process of buying a house, so that has taken up a lot of my free time. I don’t feel like I’ve failed at my resolution since I have been progressing on sorting my collection (an unwritten resolution I had) in preparation for moving.

With little time to prepare in my usual manner, I put my trust in my friends for this event. Will Lowry and I have assembled a group of players we know and trust in an online Slack group to help all involved build and tune decks for upcoming events. Will and I have worked together for just about every event either of us has played for about five years now, so I know he understands what I want from a deck. With him and others to do some of the more time consuming work, I was able to manage the discussion and have my issues addressed when I had the time.

The Deck

Collin Rountree showed me the first version of the deck we ended up playing (I somehow have several friends who want to play Jeskai Ascendancy Combo in every format, and he's in that group.). With the printing of Slip through Space and Expedite in Oath of the Gatewatch, there's finally enough critical mass of cantrips to enable a combo style of play. Also manlands and Elemental Uprising along with the Awaken mechanic create more ways to generate mana while the chain is going.

The first goal was to tune the deck to have the fastest goldfish (playing solitaire without an opponent) kill possible. After that, we played it against a variety of decks in the format to see if it was fast enough and how easy it was to disrupt. It turned out you could fairly reliably kill on turn 5, and the deck was more resilient to disruption that we thought. Also, much of the metagame including the deck-to-beat, Rally, didn’t have any good way to interact at all in game one!

When it was all said and done, we ended up playing this:

Standard
Jeskai Ascendancy Combo - Ty Thomason

The Process

Step 1: Get Jeskai Ascendancy in play.
Step 2: Have an active Rattleclaw Mystic or cast Elemental Uprising.
Step 3: Cast cards like Slip through Space and Expedite to grow your creatures and untapping them at the same time, making the cards “free”.
Step 4: Use the loot ability of Ascendancy to keep the chain going, and use Treasure Cruise to keep your hand full.
Step 5: Repeat this process until your creatures are big enough to kill your opponent. Then attack with unblockable 20/20s!

Getting two creatures that add mana is important, especially if you aren’t comboing with Bivouac or Rattleclaw as you’ll probably need a red and a blue source. Eventually you can net mana, and add even more creatures to the board if needed. Expedite can turn on Jace to flashback key spells as you are comboing. Briber's Purse can add mana when you need it, or it can help clear the way if you don’t find Slip.

The Choices

You can build a three color only version with Awaken spells and Wall of Resurgence, but it isn’t nearly as fast as adding green. Rattleclaw lets you go off on turn three sometimes (not very often and usually not necessary). Elemental Uprising is both a creature and a way to trigger Ascendancy. Both are the cheapest options, especially compared with manlands. And you only need eight total in the deck. The mana is good, but not great. It might still need a second Cinder Glade instead of a Mountain. Frontier Bivouac is your best land, and the best target for Elemental Uprising.

The main deck Radiant Flames buys you a bunch of time, especially against decks like Bant Collected Company and Four Color Rally. They also can be used when comboing to clear the way for your attackers.

Dig Through Time proved to be worse than Treasure Cruise, and you can only have so many Delve spells. With Jace in the deck, you can cast more than four Cruises while going off if you really need to. Dig is only better in the situations when you're looking for Ascendancy, and it's still difficult to cast. You could maybe replace the Tormenting Voice with one Dig.

The sideboard has more interaction for when Radiant Flames and Briber's Purse aren’t needed. Monastery Mentor isn't as good as it looks, but still earns a spot because of the surprise factor.

The Tournament

In total, seven of us played the deck at GP Houston. Six of us made the second day, though most did at just 6-3. Robert Berni got to show it off in a few feature matches. A few who made day two at 6-3 declined on playing the second day, but three of us continued on. In the end, only Tony Ho and I stuck it out to the end, finishing right next to each other in the standings at 9-6.

I played against Abzan variants way more often than expected, including five out of six on day two. Abzan has historically been good against these kinds of combo decks by being able to play efficient green and white beaters while disrupting you with discard and removal. I think four of my losses were to Abzan, but two of them was more because my deck failed me. It’s probably not a favorable matchup.

The Aftermath

Perhaps we misjudged the metagame, expecting more Rally than I ran into. Perhaps I should've just played Rally instead; it worked out for Haibing Hu despite his lack of preparation. But given the lack of time I had, I don’t feel too disappointed in my finish. I still made day two (at 6-3), but it's only the second time I’ve made day two without winning money. I think it was a good first run for our group process, and I look forward to working with the guys in the future.

Thanks,
Ty

Additional Reading

1. Event - $1k Magic Tournament Hosted by Galactic Treasures & The Card House

2. MTG Reporter - Poops Be Cheatin' [Edward Eng - Battlemage, Level 42]

3. The MTG Community - Get Lucky [Edward Eng - Battlemage, Level 42]

A Little Bit about Ty

He's been playing Magic since Ice Age; competitively since Onslaught. Ty's a veteran of 6 Pro Tours and has over a dozen money finishes at Grand Prix tournaments. His favorite formats are Sealed Deck and Legacy, but he'll play anything as long as it’s Magic!

Archive of Ty's Articles

Catch up with Ty Thomason

Get Social with Galactic Treasures

This past weekend was a rough one for me at Grand Prix Houston. I finished day 1 at 8-1. I started day 2 at 2-0. Then I lost my last 4 rounds to end at 10-5. I missed cash but got another Pro Point. That's unacceptable in my book. But what's even more unacceptable was the fact that I had a pretty frustrating tournament because I had to call the judge so many times throughout the two days.

The first round I played was round three since I had two byes. I caught my third round opponent looking at the bottom card of his library, so I called a judge. A few turns later, he went to draw a card and another card slipped out from his library. I called the judge again. I also noticed he was looking at my deck while shuffling it, so I told him to look away. This was my first round of play and I was already a bit tilted.

I played Grixis Control with Sphinx's Tutelage a few rounds later. He triggered the mill effect and it retriggered. He said, "Do it again." And I milled two extra cards by accident because he had two copies in play. This was partly my fault for not slowing down to check exactly how many cards I needed to mill. But he should've been clearer as well.

In round three of day 2, my opponent Duresses me and takes a card. Then says something which sounded like 'go', so I untapped a drew a card. Then my opponent says, "I said you're good. Not 'go'." I called a judge and he said that my opponent gets to pick a card and shuffle it back into my library and we would rewind back to his turn after the Duress. WTF! I was pretty tilted.

Then my round 15 opponent also looked at the bottom of his library. By this time, I was in a pretty terrible mood and really wanted to just flip the table. I despise cheaters. If you suspect anyone of cheating, tell a judge.

STOP CHEATING, YOU POOPS!

1. Look away when you shuffle your opponent's deck.

2. Look away when you shuffle your own deck.

3. Don't ever pick up your library in a way where you have a chance to see the bottom card.

4. Carefully draw cards from your library.

5. Be clear in your communications.

Aside from all the crap I had to deal with, Andrew Cuneo was a great opponent to play against even though I lost to him. He was very assertive and clear with his plays and communication. And that's how I play too. Yes, Magic is just a game. But it's not a fun game when you have to call a judge often to sort out miscommunication or sloppy play.

What else am I missing about poops that cheat?

Peace, love, and have fun…
Eddie

Additional Reading

1. Event - $1k Magic Tournament Hosted by Galactic Treasures & The Card House

2. The MTG Community - Get Lucky [Edward Eng - Battlemage, Level 42]

3. The MTG Community - Why You Should Play More Limited [Ty Thomason - Archmage, Level 46]

4. The MTG Community - Pros & Cons of Playing Two-Headed Giant [Edward Eng - Battlemage, Level 42]

A Little Bit about Eddie

He started playing Magic around December of 1994 then hit the sanctioned competitive tournament scene in 1997. He played till about 2000 and was on the cusp of making the Pro Tour but stopped to focus on school. He found his old teammate on Facebook in 2009 and got back into the game in 2010. Since then he's played in two Nationals, top 16ed an SCG Invitational, and day 2ed multiple Grand Prix.

Archive of Eddie's Articles

Edward Eng

Galactic Treasures

The Eldrazi have taken over and the metagame for almost all formats is shifting. This weekend is Standard at Grand Prix Houston and we've barely touched the surface. There's a lot of room for innovation. Here are some cards you should keep an eye on and probably pick up before it's too late.

Endbringer

Some people hate the name and didn't even think the card was constructed playable. Well, it's starting to pop up everywhere in Modern and Legacy Eldrazi lists as a way to break the mirror match. I suggest picking up the release promos. They're still only about a buck.

Nissa, Voice of Zendikar

This preorder at around $13 and sits at about $10 now. I doubt this can go much lower. It's a powerful 3-cmc planeswalker. And to be fair, all 3-cmc planeswalkers printed have seen more than a decent amount of play. Nissa currently sees play in GW and Atarka Tokens. It'll take some time to find some more homes but it'll happen.

Bearer of Silence

This is a solid creature for 2 that obviously gets better at 4. It's starting to find a home in quite a few decks. Foils are slightly price at around 3 bucks but still might have some room to grow. Regular copies are about a buck. That's pretty cheap for a pretty versatile creature.

Dimensional Infiltrator

This is another great 2-drop. And I think this will see even more play than Bearer of Silence because it does a lot of things. It flies. Having flash makes it decent against control and can ambush an attack against other decks. And the last ability is quite unique and useful, allowing you to mill away an opponent's scry or randomly blanking a removal spell. You can also use it to chumpblock and potentially bounce it back to your hand then recast it all while milling your opponent. Value! I think foils are the way to go; they're under 2 bucks right now.

What other cards are you currently targeting?

Peace, love, and have fun…
Eddie

Additional Reading

1. Event - $1k Magic Tournament Hosted by Galactic Treasures & The Card House

2. Standard Fare - 4 Cards That'll Turn Heads at Grand Prix Houston [Edward Eng - Battlemage, Level 42]

3. The MTG Community - Why You Should Play More Limited [Ty Thomason - Archmage, Level 46]

4. The MTG Community - Pros & Cons of Playing Two-Headed Giant [Edward Eng - Battlemage, Level 42]

A Little Bit about Eddie

He started playing Magic around December of 1994 then hit the sanctioned competitive tournament scene in 1997. He played till about 2000 and was on the cusp of making the Pro Tour but stopped to focus on school. He found his old teammate on Facebook in 2009 and got back into the game in 2010. Since then he's played in two Nationals, top 16ed an SCG Invitational, and day 2ed multiple Grand Prix.

Archive of Eddie's Articles

Edward Eng

Galactic Treasures