2010-11 Precon Championships: Round 3 and the Leaderboard
What a weekend we had with the Preconstructed Deck Championships! In what will surely be one of the most startling upsets of the tournament, the Knights deck from Duel Deck: Knights vs Dragons first took down their archrival Dragons, then went on to defeat the Event Deck War of Attrition in a tense match that went the distance to three games. Many had hopes, but few had believed that Knights would emerge triumphant against so powerful a foe. Alas, the same could not be said for poor Deadspread, another underdog who fell as expected to War of Attrition.
Whispers of the Muse: Jonah L’s Entangling Webs (Magic 2012)
The decks are coming fast and furious as late, and today we have a new community challenge- how can we best improve Magic 2012’s Entangling Webs? Our latest request comes from Jonah L, who begins with the following.
2010-11 Precon Championships: Nagle Division (Part 2 of 2)
And we’re back with the exciting conclusion of Nagle Division action! Last week eight decks lined up for their shot at glory. Four were defeated, and today another three will be sent home. Only one deck will have earned the right to represent the Nagle Division in the semifinals, aiming at a chance at immortality.
On the one hand, we have a Duel Decks recreation as Dragons takes on Knights. Dragons saw off an Archenemy deck in a fratricidal matchup, and stands poised for the double. The Knights had a slightly easier go of it, stepping over the smouldering corpse of a Mirrodin Besieged Intro Pack.
Whispers of the Muse: Cory R’s “Illusionary Might” (Magic 2012)
For many, building the right deck can mean starting with a preconstructed one, then tuning and modifying it to get better results. Sometimes the decks just build themselves. Other times a player might be uncertain about the best build, or seek the wisdom of the masses. That’s where Whispers of the Muse comes in. Each installment features an email we’ve recieved asking for deckbuilding help. We in turn open that up to the Lament readers to see how they might choose to tinker with the deck!
MBtB:A Continuing Cube Adventure!
For those that have been following along with my “Building a Cube 101” series over at Quiet Speculation, the next installment is up today. In it, I whittle down my selections for White instants and sorceries, with some surprising choices!
For those new to the site, I’m building a cube based on today’s Standard environment. Cubes are a ton of fun to build and play, but setting up your first one can be a daunting task. How many creatures? How many spells? For this beginner’s tutorial, I’m using Wizards’ own ratios as found in today’s Standard card pool as a blueprint. Come join us as we build it together!
Announcing Duel Decks: Venser vs Koth!
Visitors to the mothership this morning were greeted with an especially interesting announcement in today’s Magic Arcana- the announcement of the next Duel Decks! Looks like it’s going to be a faceoff between two of the planeswalkers from Scars of Mirrodn- Venser, the Sojourner versus Koth of the Hammer.
Also of note, Wizards will be reversing the release order of the planeswalker and factional Duel Decks. Up until now the factional decks have been released earlier in the year, and planeswalker ones later. Beginning next year with this release, the planeswalker ones will come first.
Read all about it- and check out some new art- over at the Magic Arcana!
2010-11 Precon Championships: Round 2 and the Leaderboard
Welcome back to the midweek coverage of the 2010-11 Preconstructed Championships! This past weekend brought us some heated and furious action in the opening round of the Nagle Division as the first eight decks took to the field.
In the all-Dragon opener, Dragons defeated Scorch the World with Dragonfire, while the favoured Knights trounced the Mirrodin Besieged Intro Pack Battle Cries. This sets the stage for a Knights vs Dragons round two, each deck purpose-built to defeat the other. Who will earn victory’s favour and contest for the divisional banner?
2010-11 Precon Championships: Nagle Division (Part 1 of 2)
Today coverage of the eagerly-awaited 2010-11 Preconstructed Championships games begins! We’ll observe the customary order of beginning with the Nagle Division in the Rosewater Conference, and by the end of the day half of the field will be swept away by the tide of defeat. We have some new faces this time around, Event Decks straining at the bit to prove what they’re made of. Can the rest of the field withstand them to claim the ultimate prize- the ability to stand in the Hall of Champions as the best of your class!
Whispers of the Muse: ChouChou’s Knights (Duel Decks)
Time for another Whispers of the Muse, our occasional series where a reader asks you- the precon community- for help in modifying and improving their precon deck! Today’s request comes to us by way of ChouChou, who says the following:
I’m a big fan of the Knights vs Dragons duel decks and I’m hoping if a tune up of the Dragon deck can be done (making it more competitive!).
The deck can be legal for standard or extended. I would like the deck to stay mono-Red and tuned up so it can be more competitive.
Dragon Claw should be removed.
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!
Ertai's Lament 