Conflux: Grixis Shambling Army Review (Part 2 of 2)
It’s a classic match of good versus evil today, as Jimi has selected Bant on the March to act as foil for Grixis Shambling Army. Will her exalted beaters triumph at swordpoint, or will their broken bodies be added to the bonepiles of Grixis?
Conflux: Grixis Shambling Army Review (Part 1 of 2)
2009’s Conflux had a difficult act to follow. The large set of the block- Shards of Alara- had repeated Ravnica’s trick of tying storyline and theme together with distinct colour combinations, though this time they were in three-colour “shards” rather than two-colour “guilds.”
Innistrad: Deathfed Review (Part 2 of 2)
This time the tables are turned, and it’s time to pilot Deathfed into battle against Jimi, whose Hold the Line taps into her favourite archetype- White Weenie. Would we see a repeat of the deck’s struggles last time, or would I lead Deathfed to greater glory?
Innistrad: Hold the Line Review (Part 2 of 2)
Now it’s time to head to the field of battle, Innistrad Event Decks in hand, and put the decks to the test. In our review of the deck, we found Hold the Line to be an admirably aggressive White Weenie deck, but would it meet its match in the slower, stalling Deathfed? To find out, Sam took up the gauntlet of the three-colour challenge, and here are the notes from our match.
Innistrad: Deathfed Review (Part 1 of 2)
In our last feature, a review of Hold the Line, we mentioned the intriguing place in preconstructed history occupied by Innistrad. Hold the Line was the first time a mono-coloured Event Deck had been of a repeat colour (following the mono-White War of Attrition from New Phyrexia). Left unsaid at the time was a similar factoid: this is also the first time we’ve seen the repeat of a multi-colour deck as well- and the first for a three-colour deck. Read more 
Innistrad: Hold the Line Review (Part 1 of 2)
1998’s Urza’s Saga had a number of superlatives associated with it, not all of them proud and glorious. For instance, Mark Rosewater has labeled the set his “biggest mistake” in his Making Magic column on the mothership, and even went on to add that this set “was is the only time in the eight years that I’ve been working at Wizards that R&D as an entirity got pulled into the president’s office and was yelled at.” It was also the first set of a block that would go on to have the most cards ever banned from organised play.
Whispers of the Muse: Spectral Legions (Innistrad)
Welcome to the first Whispers of the Muse piece for Innistrad. This week we’ve received not one, but two requests for a second look at Spectral Legions, the Blue/White ‘skies’ deck featuring some of the many Spirit-centered cards on offer. Let’s see what they had to say. Our first letter comes from Bradley B, who had the following to say:
News: Wizards Spoils Innistrad Event Decks
If you haven’t seen them yet, head on over to today’s Arcana on the mothership for the strategy and decklists for Deathfed and Hold the Line! With a release date of 10/29, you can be certain we’ll be giving them the full Ertai’s Lament treatment!
Innistrad: Spectral Legions Review (Part 2 of 2)
All good things must come to an end, and in saying that we’ve reached the final review for our long-anticipated Innistrad decks. We’ve had an absolute blast with these in a way we didn’t with Scars of Mirrodin, and are quite taken wit hthe set’s overall themes and flavour. We’ll have another dose coming up with Dark Ascension (and the Innistrad Event Decks at the end of the month), but we don’t want to just leave it there. Since Innistrad was in essence a reimagining of 2001’s Odyssey, that’s the set we’ll be reviewing next!
But of course, we’re getting ahead of ourselves here. We still have Spectral Legions to put through its paces, and to do so I’ve enlisted Jimi’s help. She’s selected the flashback extravaganza, Eldritch Onslaught, and here are the notes from our clash.
Innistrad: Spectral Legions Review (Part 1 of 2)
One of the most common White/Blue archetypes also happens to be one of the game’s least interesting when it comes to Intro Packs. Although it’s hard to argue against the enduring recurrence of the popular ‘skies’ deck, there often isn’t a whole lot that can give the strategy a unique and intriguing flavour. Its not that Wizards hasn’t tried. Alara Reborn’s Legion Aloft was the first of this type, and it gave the skies strategy an artifact theme. Still, it was a bit of a hodge-podge amalgamation of defender creatures and gimmicky ones like the Aven Mimeomancer.
Worldwake next tried to get in on the act with Flyover, which featured a synergy between a high number of flyers and the Archon of Redemption, which gave you life for each one. Even the nonflyer support contingent of cards like the Surrakar Banisher and Kor Cartographer could get in on the action thanks to the Wind Drake, but overall the deck couldn’t shake a somewhat pedestrian feel. Outside of the Archon, cards like Apex Hawks and Lightkeeper of Emeria were serviceable, but not especially exciting. It felt more like ‘a collection of cards’ rather than a deck, which is a fair charge to level to most anything without Vampires in it from Zendikar and Worldwake.
Ertai's Lament 