Planechase 2012: Savage Auras Review (Part 1 of 2)
Prior to last November, once could be forgiven for feeling that Planechase had died a death unfulfilled. When the product released in 2009- the first of the new line of annual multiplayer-themed releases- it had tremendous potential, though it seemed to sputter and fizzle shortly after leaving the gate.
Avacyn Restored: Humanity’s Vengeance Review (Part 2 of 2)
As a third act, Avacyn Restored was everything you’d expect to get out of, say, a Return of the Jedi. Pushed to the brink, the good folk of Innistrad have fought back from the precipice, emboldened by the return of their archangel. Fittingly, the last two Event Decks of the block give us the same monsters vs humans matchup, but today the tables are turned. Piloting Humanity’s Vengeance, I’m joined at the table by Sam, who is at the helm of the Zombie-filled Death’s Encroach. Let’s see how the Humans hold up!
Avacyn Restored: Death’s Encroach Review (Part 2 of 2)
Having given both decks the once-over, we’re ready to move on to the playtesting stage. For our opener, I’ll be piloting the mono-Black Death’s Encroach, while Jimi will be on the other side of the table with the White/Blue Humanity’s Vengeance. We all know how the story ends in Innistrad, but can I write a different ending on the battlefield?
Avacyn Restored: Humanity’s Vengeance Review (Part 1 of 2)
After the initial release of the Event Decks with Mirrodin Besieged, the design of the product moved towards mono-coloured decks. After all, if the idea was to build a budget-conscious deck that had a limited card framework (read: limited rares and no mythics), then swift aggro was a perfectly viable avenue to take. Both New Phyrexia as well as Magic 2012 turned in single-colour offerings, but to continuously offer a rotating stable of such decks would surely doom the product to monotonous predictability.
Avacyn Restored: Death’s Encroach Review (Part 1 of 2)
Even Deck reviews, for us, have tended to become bittersweet affairs. Although it’s great to tear into a new precon- especially one tuned to the higher degree these tend to be- it also signals that our time with a particular set is drawing to a close. After these reviews have concluded, the next time we’ll be looking at the world of Innistrad through the prism of its precons is in Autumn when the next Preconstructed Champonships take place. Of course, there’s always the hope that we might oneday return to the plane in a future set.
Beatdown: Aerodoom Review (Part 2 of 2)
We had a great time testing the Beatdown boxed set from the Ground Pounder perspective, but will it hold up just as well when the tables are turned? To find out, I challenged Sam to a duel, and here are the results.
Ertai’s Lament: Ground Pounder Review (Part 2 of 2)
With reviews of both of Beatdown’s decks behind us, it’s time to put them to the test! Today I take the role of the Red/Green Ground Pounder, with Jimi volunteering to pilot the Blue/Black Aerodoom.
Beatdown: Aerodoom Review (Part 1 of 2)
Fresh from our look at the Red/Green Ground Pounder, today we move on to the other half of the Beatdown equation, Aerodoom. It is the opposite of Ground Pounder in nearly every way save one: it, too, brings the plain with a ton of fat creatures.
Beatdown: Ground Pounder Review (Part 1)
By the standards of the earlier days of the game, what we have available to us now is enough to make one feel downright spoiled. Not only does each new set carry with it a slate of Intro Packs, but we get two more decks a month or so later when the Event Decks release. There’s not one, but two paired-deck releases per year as the Duel Decks touch down each Autumn and Spring. We’re treated to an annual all-foil deck with the Premium Deck Series, and on top of it all we get a “casual multiplayer” set like Planechase or Commander once a year as well.
Planechase: Elemental Thunder Review (Part 2 of 2)
It’s out final visit to the world of Planechase until later this year when the next expansion releases, and we’ll be looking forward to seeing the brand-new cards and other advances the line has made since its release in 2009. To field test our last deck, the Red/Green tribal offering Elemental Mastery, Jimi has enthusiastically volunteered to pilot Strike Force, a deck firmly in her wheelhouse. Here are the notes from the match.
Ertai's Lament 