Whispers of the Muse: Peter C’s Wild Rush (M13)
It’s that time again! Time for you, the readers, to lend your voice and expertise towards tuning a fellow reader’s preconstructed deck in our occasional deck improvement series. Today’s submission comes to us by way of Peter C, who is taking the scalpel to Magic 2013’s Wild Rush.
Whispers of the Muse: Depths of Power (M13)…and a contest!
Magic 2013 brought some interesting Intro Pack decks our way, and players from all over have enjoyed cracking them open, tinkering under the hood, and seeing what they can come up with! One of the most exciting options for meddling about has been the instant-and-sorcery-heavy Depths of Power, fueled by Talrand, Sky Summoner.
Reads: Meddling ‘Depths of Power’ on Gathering Magic!
A convergence! That’s the best word I can think of to describe the fact that the Magic 2013 Intro Pack Depths of Power seems to be on a lot of folks’ minds these days. No sooner do I submit a ‘Meddling’ (tuning/rebuilding) of the deck for Gathering Magic than our inbox gets not one, but two requests to run a Whispers of the Muse on it!
The Whispers will be coming up later this evening, but for now here’s a link to the article over on Gathering Magic. Stop on over and check out the new framework I’ve given the deck, and say hello to boot!
Magic 2013: Sweet Revenge Review (Part 2 of 2)
This is it, our final game for Magic 2013- the next time we touch these decks will likely be in the Preconstruced Championships next Autumn. We found the two Event Decks to be great fits and foils for one another… would the same hold true with the decks having changed hands?
Magic 2013: Repeat Performance Review (Part 2 of 2)
We’re back with our continuing Magic 2013 coverage as we unwrap the Event Deck boxes and prepare to do battle. cross the table from me sits Sam, shuffling up the flashback-heavy Sweet Revenge. For my part, I’m ready to go with a deck that’s nearly all creatures, Repeat Performance. Two decks, virtually the mirror opposite of one another. Which strategy will get the upper hand?
Magic 2013: Sweet Revenge Review (Part 1 of 2)
As we mentioned in our review of Sweet Revenge’s sibling, Repeat Performance, one of last year’s models attracted a level of criticism that was surprisingly sharp given the value of the cards within the box. Magic 2012’s Vampire Onslaught made quite an impression with a playset of Dismembers, a couple of Go for the Throats, a pair of Bloodghasts, and a Kalastria Highborn, but the discontent was more broadly applied. With a full twenty-five cards in the main deck coming from sets soon to rotate out of the Standard environment- either Zendikar block or Magic 2011- the ticking from the clock of obsolescence was particularly loud. But if we were to think that this would spell the end of the “encore” decks- one lust hurrah for a battle-tested strategy while it’s still capable of being run- we’d need to think again.
Magic 2013: Repeat Performance Review (Part 1 of 2)
Since the advent of the Event Deck for last year’s Mirrodin Besieged, the decks have come under a steady drone of criticism for their content. This is to be expected, for whenever Wizards sticks a fixed group of cards in a box and slaps a pricetag on it, the playing community immediately begin assessing it. Indeed, it’s the very principle that this site was founded upon, and it makes for an engaging and healthy debate. From the outset we’ve held a critical eye on the Event Decks as Wizards fine-tuned the product after launch, watching it go into its mono-coloured aggro phase as a hedge against its rarity caps, and have been delighted to see the growth of the product beyond that. What we haven’t touched on yet aside from a rather general manner is the other charge leveled at the Event Decks: that they are unrepresentative.
Magic 2013: Path to Victory Review (Part 2 of 2)
This is it- our final game for the review cycle of Magic 2013’s Intro Packs. Although we’ll be back soon with the Event Decks, this is as pure as it gets for the release itself. I’ll be piloting Path to Victory, after giving it a thorough going-over two days ago. Joining me at the table is Sam, who is eager to see if she can succeed with Mob Rule where I had failed before.
Magic 2013: Path to Victory Review (Part 1 of 2)
In the pantheon of names we’ve covered as we wend our way through the history of Magic: the Gathering via its preconstruced decks, Matt Cavotta is one we’ve not touched upon but that might be recognisable to players of different eras. Presently the Senior Creative Art Director, those who attended or otherwise watched the Magic panel at the most recent San Diego Comic Con would have seen him discussing the topic of art (and Dwarves) in the game.
Magic 2013: Wild Rush Review (Part 2 of 2)
Green fatties get their turn in the spotlight as Wild Rush goes in for the playtest. Sam’s at the other end of the table, readying her life counter. All that stands in their way is the mighty Sole Domination deck, packed with exalted. It dismantled its opposition during its playtest… whose aggression will prove the greater?
Ertai's Lament 