Dissension: Rakdos Bloodsport Review (Part 2 of 2)
When last we left Ravnica, we were exploring the Red/Black aggro guild of the Rakdos, with their Hellbent ability. Hellbent, both thematically and mechanically, seemed a perfect fit for the guild, a sort of “all-in’s all in.” But as one so often finds in this game, what seems amazing on paper doesn’t always translate well to actually playing. Not only is this a lesson the brave unfortunates of the Great Designer Search 2 have been learning the hard way, it’s also an important one for us to keep in mind.
And so, to find out for ourselves just how well Hellbent- and the Rakdos- played out, we sat down to throw the customary three games. Sam was my opponent of choice, and she opted to go to battle under the banner of the Blue/Green guild, the Simic Combine.
Here are the match notes.
Ertai’s Meddling: Relic Breaker (Scars of Mirrodin)
It’s time for another installment of Lament’s most popular series, Ertai’s Meddling! This is the series where we take a preconstructed deck and have our way with it, gutting the cards that aren’t carrying their weight and packing in ones that will. Of course, it wouldn’t be sporting just to toss in a heaping cup full of Rares and Mythics, so we look to build within the resources of what a new or returning player might have. As such, we’ve developed the following two Rules:
Today we return to the Scars of Mirrodin precons, and it’s anti-artifact poison pill, Relic Breaker. Scars is an artifact block, absolutely crammed with them, so it was only natural to expect that one of the five decks might be dedicated to smashing things up! When we last visited Relic Breaker, we found it to be a bit of a one-trick pony. Here are the qualities we identified:
New Series on ManaNation: “Under Preconstruction”
For fans of Ertai’s Meddling, there’s a new occasional series over on Mana Nation by weekly columnist Brad Wojcheshonek. He takes the Metalcraft deck and tinkers with it to turn it into a Standard competitive deck, complete with matchup reports. It’s an entertaining read to say the least, and a nice twist on the Meddling concept. If there’s enough interest, he may do more.
Stop on over and show some support!
Dissension: Rakdos Bloodsport Review (Part 1 of 2)
Following the decline in the game that many felt Kamigawa had represented, with its insular mechanics and over-emphasis on flavour- 2005’s Ravnica brought Magic back into a new renaissance. Set in a compelling world of ten competing guilds in a massive cityscape (one for each possible two-colour combination), it struck a near-perfect blend of flavour and mechanics. A great many of the cards in the set were watermarked with a guild symbol for added depth of narrative, and each of the ten guilds were assigned their own unique mechanic. While most have faded to obscurity, even today you’ll still hear some Red/White decks describing themselves as “Boros” just as three-colour decks take their names from the Shards of Alara (Jund and Naya most commonly).
News: New Weekly Column on QuietSpeculation.com
A little over a year ago, I stopped in at the local comic shop and bought three packs of Zendikar and an intro deck. I’d been away from the game for many years, but had decided I wanted a game and hobby that was more socially interactive with my family than World of Warcraft (protip: running a successful guild can take up a lot of your time). Eager to make up for lost years, I scoured the internet for Magic-related websites, and turned up plenty. I found Mana Nation, which I use as my “home site” to this day; Quiet Speculation, whose emphasis on “financial Magic” intrigued me (the stock-ticker-esque price tracker is just plain cool) despite being a most reluctant trader by nature; and of course the premium sites such as Channel Fireball, Star City Games, and so forth.
I found plenty to devour, but over time I eventually noticed to my dismay that resources for the newer or returning player were greatly underrepresented. Most content (by volume) seemed to be angled towards the competitive, aspiring Magic player. With focus on strats, tech, and ‘innovations’ there was plenty to read about the ever-evolving metagame on the pro circuit. Lagging behind but definitely present was the content focused on the casual player- new theme/tribal decks, EDH builds, multiplayer, variants, etc.
But what I most wanted to read then didn’t seem to be much on the radar at all: namely, instructional pieces designed to illustrate the game to the new or returning player, aimed for that player. Much of the Magic strategy I’ve since picked up has been from poring over the lastest Standard trends and applying that to my own game. It works, but it’s not all that efficient.
Ertai’s Lament has given me a chance to start producing content for that niche, and a great deal of the feedback we get here has echoed that sentiment. New or returning players, many of whom use precon decks as their entryway to the game, appreciating discussion of the game’s fundamental principles laced throughout the deck reviews. Not from 10,000 feet on the Pro Tour circuit, but at the ground level of the game where precon decks thrive.
So that brings me ’round to the news. As of today, Quiet Speculation has relaunched itself. From its origins as a “Magic finance’ site, it is now diversifying its content, and brought onboard a raft of talent to make it a successful, general-interest destination. Want finance? It’s still there. Strategy? That’s there too. So are casual builds, Standard builds, and even rules interactions and judging.
And beginning this Thursday, I’ll be there once a week as well. My column, Magic Beyond the Box will center around Magic’s preconstructed products, just as here, but with a finer eye towards going deeper into those ground-level fundamentals of the game. If you’re a new or returning player, or know someone who is, it’ll be well worth a read! I’ll be under the casual side of things, and our editor is none other than Adam Styborski, who also pens for Mana Nation and Magicthegathering.com’s “Serious Fun.” (You can read his introductory piece here.)
Let me be clear: Ertai’s Lament isn’t going anywhere. We’re still committed to providing a deck review every other day, a challenge we set for ourselves at the start of the site that we’ve never broken. For those who enjoy that content, it’s here to stay. And for those wanting to go a little deeper into the basics of the game, we’ll be over on Quiet Speculation. Come check out the new site!
-Jay
2009-2010 Precon Championships: Nagle Division (Part 1 of 2)
Today we kick off the Championship coverage with the Rosewater Conference and the eight decks of the Nagle Division! By the end of the day only half of these decks will still be in contention- the rest will have been sent home in ignominious defeat. Here’s the Nagle Division’s quadrant of the brackets once again:
Premium Deck Series: The Slivers Review (Part 2 of 2)
Back on her feet just weeks after the new baby and ready to spit fire and rain lightning like she did when she was pregnant, Jimi was excited at the prospect of getting a run in with Fire & Lightning. As it happens, I needed a worthy foe to act as foil to The Slivers, so over cups of tea and cocoa we set in and waged war. The Slivers, as a five-colour deck, have an apparent disadvantage against the hyper-aggro mono-Red Fire & Lightning. Would I be able to hold on long enough to get my poor Slivers a foothold, or would I go down in flames. Here’s how our matches panned out.
2009-10 Precon Championships: The Introduction
Welcome card slingers and sports fans of all ages to the inaugural 2009-10 Preconstructed Deck Championships (or “Precons” for short). This past season has been a very busy time for Wizards, and we’re excited to have a crowded field of decks vying to see who will claim the honours of best in class. Although in future seasons we’ll be looking to anoint a champion at the end of September (right before Standard rotates), we’re just as excited now to throw them in the ring, and see which will be the last deck standing.
Premium Deck Series: The Slivers Review (Part 1 of 2)
As any vanquished opponent might tell you, the Slivers can prove most resilient in any number, and the same can be said for the tribe as a whole. Most other popular, enduring tribes in Magic are part of the common folklore and mythos- Goblins, Elves, Merfolk. While other creature types have had some endurance throughout the years (see our history of the Kor here), it can be argued that few have fared as well as the lowly, unassuming Sliver.
Premium Deck Series: Fire & Lightning Review (Part 2 of 2 )
I don’t know who was more excited to roll up the sleeves and get down to playing- me with the new Fire & Lightning deck, filled with one of my favourite archetypes, and Sam with the five-colour critterfest Slivers. They seemed an enticing matchup, for the decks were not balanced against one another in design (the way, say, Duel Decks are) and anything could happen. In Phyrexia vs. The Coalition, Wizards similarly pitted a five-colour deck versus a mono one, and had to build in some restraints to the Phyrexia deck so that it didn’t just win almost every time (as you’d expect a Suicide Black to do).
These constraints- a larger mana curve and disparate win conditions- helped balance both halves of that Duel Deck, but for the Premium decks no such considerations were in place. Indeed, the nature of Slivers and its inherent card economy- where much like Allies each successive card of that type makes all the others stronger- meant that I fully expected to be given a run for my money. Fire & Lightning is more spell-heavy than the typical precon, so I’d have fewer creatures to provide a recurring presence. Slivers is almost entirely made up of creatures. Would I be able to burn through them all and get there, or would I find myself drifting with an empty hand while the swarm of Slivers overran me?
We sat down to find out, and here are our notes.
Ertai's Lament 