MBtB: An Enchanted Afternoon
Last week on Magic Beyond the Box, we began the Standard Cube, a cubing project aimed firmly at beginners to the format. Ever wanted to build your own cube so you and your mates could draft it? By using a skeletal framework right out of today’s Standard environment, it takes a lot of the learning curve and difficulty out of it, allowing you to focus on the fundamentals.
In today’s piece, we next look at the colour White and all the enchantments it offers. We’ve also been challenged by a reader in last week’s comments, and our response changes the look of the cube for the rest of the project!
Event Decks on the Mothership
Just a quick note to highlight a good article went up this morning on the mothership by Zac Hill about Event Deck design. Head on over and give it a read!
MBtB: Ever wanted to build a cube (but were afraid to get it wrong?)
Ever wanted to build a cube? Not sure where/how to begin? I’m taking a brief sidestep from precons this week on Magic Beyond the Box to delve into the fine art of cube construction! For those who haven’t experienced the format yet, it’s where you essentially build a card pool, turn them into boosters and then stage a draft.
It’s a lot of fun and there’s a great deal of information out there on cube design, but when I went to build my first one I found very little on the actual hard numbers. Of course, there’s no ‘right’ way to build one, but having a defined step-by-step framework will give aspiring cubemakers a great place to start.
Come on over to the spiffy and redesigned Quiet Speculation and check it out!
On Vacation
Hey folks-
The Ertai’s Lament clan is packing into the car and headed for Cape Cod for a week, a vacation we’d all agree is long overdue. Don’t worry- while we’re whale watching, snorkeling with the friendly great whites, and introducing the baby to what a ‘beach’ is, the show will go on (we hope).
We’ve scheduled reviews to automatically post right on-schedule (and a couple of off-day treats), so readers should notice no difference aside from our absence from the comments. That said, we’ll still be getting comments emailed right to the iPhone, so we look forward to hearing your opinions and insights on the decks we review. We’ve never used the WordPress scheduler, so fingers crossed that it works as intended. If you see no updates, it’s strictly due to malfunction and we’ll be back at it when we return.
See you when we get back!
News: Magic 2012 Event Decks Revealed
We knew they were coming, but now we get an early peek of what they’ll look like thanks to our friends over at MTG Salvation.
In an article about the fiture of Event Decks, I wrote over at QS that I expected future Event Decks to be mono-coloured and aggressive, and it doesn’t look like Wizards has disappointed! The two decks are:
- Illusory Might: a mono-Blue tribal Illusions-based deck
- Vampire Carnage: a mono-Black Vamps deck possibly incorporating bloodthirst
Once they launch we’ll have full reviews here at the Lament, and until then we’ll have something to look forward to!
MBtB: The Best Four Days in Gaming
Abbreviated in the title to ‘MBtB,’ my Quiet Speculation column is Magic Beyond the Box, and on today’s article we go well outside of it! Taking a look at the upcoming Gen Con convention held in in just a few weeks in Indianapolis, Indiana, I muse on the significance it once had to me in my youth. I also mention just a few of the many things to do there, and we announce the winner of the Best Four Days in Gaming Giveaway. Who got the free passes?
News: Duel Decks: Ajani vs Nicol Bolas Revealed
Today on the mothership, the box art for the forthcoming Duel Decks: Ajani vs Nicol Bolas was revealed. Also shown are the two new alternate-art planeswalker cards themselves, putting an end to the speculation as to which version of Ajani would drive the deck (hint: Boros).
Head on over and check it out!
Ertai’s Lament News & Notes 6/23/11
Two quick notes today, folks!
1. Although it’s been two days since our last update, we actually were scheduled to release that review yesterday, not Tuesday. The next article is to go up as scheduled tomorrow! I mentioned this on Twitter, but as many don’t use it it’s worth mentioning here as well.
2. The giveaway I hinted at for this week has been pushed back until next. We have a great reason for doing so, but I don’t want to give anything away. I can say this- it’s going to be a blast!
We hope you’ve been enjoying our Commander coverage as much as we’ve enjoyed providing it. We’re looking with interest today at the Booster battle Packs just announced on the mothership, and wondering if they’re close enough to precons that we might review them when the time comes. This sounds like a Thoughsieze poll waiting to happen!
MBtB: The Precon Buyer’s Guide Concludes!
Today on Quiet Speculation, the final installment of the Precon Buyer’s Guide has been posted for this week’s Magic Beyond the Box. In today’s piece, I cover the Core Set precons from 7th Edition through Magic 2011, and other products ranging from Duel Decks to Archenemy to Duels of the Planeswalkers!
For those who haven’t been following the series, the Buyer’s Guide looks at a number of Magic’s top internet retailers and compares their pricing for every deck we cover, as well as offering suggestions and insights as to what you can expect to pay (or should pay) for any precon deck. The previous entries are:
The Vintage Era (Tempest through Judgment)
The Classic Era (Onslaught through Coldsnap)
The Modern Era (Time Spiral through Mirrodin Besieged)
MBtB: The Five Worst Intro Decks of Scars Block
I tend to be a proponent of balance and moderation, so as I brought you The Five Best Intro Decks of Scars Block last week, it’s only fair that I turn my attention now to the five worst. On today’s Magic Beyond the Box, I call them out by name and explain why they’re deserving of such ill-distinction… come check it out!
Ertai's Lament 