Visions: Wild-Eyed Frenzy Review (Part 2 of 2)
Before we diverted to cover the most recent Duel Decks release, Venser vs Koth, we were looking at the Theme Decks of Mirage block. Unlike Mirage’s decks, Visions were entirely created in-house at Wizards, and we’ve enjoyed seeing how the expanded card pool has helped deliver higher grade of deck. The mono-Red Wild-Eyed Frenzy is an aggressive Red deck featuring a gaggle of Goblins, some fat beaters, and some burn. To see how well it delivers, I challenged Sam to a match. For her part, she’s piloting the Red/Green beats deck, Savage Stompdown.
Visions: Wild-Eyed Frenzy Review (Part 1 of 2)
One of the more intriguing aspects of Magic’s many sets- yet one of the more overlooked- are the creative talents that go into crafting them. If you play the game for any length of time, certain personalities tend to become prevalent, as thgey take on the role of the face of the game. Who reading this deosn’t have at least some passing familiarity with Mark Rosewater or Aaron Forsythe? Most should recognize the name Richard Garfield, at the very least as creator of the game itself. Perhaps if you’re a regular reader of the mothership, you can rattle off a number of the game’s other contributors, but as the game nears its second full decade of existence, the contributions of those that have come before risk being fading into obscurity.
Visions: Unnatural Forces Review (Part 2 of 2)
Today we have a go with the Blue/Black Unnatural Forces. Serving as opposition is the mono-White Legion of Glory, fresh off of its own full review and playtest. CanUnnatural Forces recycle its “187 creatures” to keep the red zone clear and take control of the board, or will it fall to White’s phalanx of shock troops?
Visions: Unnatural Forces Review (Part 1 of 2)
In our opening review for Visions, the White Weenie deck Legion of Glory, we charted the development of the first two sets of Mirage block as being direct offshoots of Alpha, along with Ice Age and Invasion. Known then as Menagerie, the set developed by some of Magic’s original playtesters would contain enough content to fill out the bulk of two sets. Read more 
Visions: Legion of Glory Review (Part 2 of 2)
It’s our opening round of playtests with Visions, having just wrapped up with the four decks of Mirage. We’ve already begun noting improvements in the decks themselves thanks to the expanded card pool and greater thematic support, but how will that play out in an actual game? To find out we pitted Legion of Glory against another mono-coloured Visions deck, Wild-Eyed Frenzy. With Jimi as the pilot, will the Legion get the job done, or can she burn out my hopes of victory?
Visions: Legion of Glory Review (Part 1 of 2)
As you might have read previously, we’re calling 2012 as our “Year of Firsts.” We’ve covered a number of sets that have had the distinction of being the first at something significant. Whether it be the game’s first five-colour deck (Invasion), the first-ever Theme Decks (Tempest), or our most recent set which had the distinction of being the first-ever Magic: the Gathering Online-only Theme Decks (Mirage), nearly every romp through Magic’s history this year has paused to reflect upon something new that set brought to preconstructed Magic.
Mirage: Burning Sky Review (Part 2 of 2)
It’s our final match-up for Mirage, and we’re eager to end on a high note after what has felt at times like a slog through mediocrity. Although we’ve enjoyed our introduction to Jamuraa, and the decks have had some truly unique origin stories, the quality has been a little more difficult to spot. With Burning Sky being one of the set’s more interesting offerings, we’re hoping it doesn’t disappoint. Playing the part of the opposition is Sam, who’s opted for the mono-Black Night Terrors. Will her Night Stalkers rule the day, or will she fall to the elemental fury of fire and air?
Mirage: Burning Sky Review (Part 1 of 2)
Throughout the course of our Mirage Theme Deck reviews, the name Frank Gilson has been mentioned more than once, mainly as the member of R&D that collaborated with mothership columnist Jay Moldenhauer-Salazar on Night Terrors, and with MTGO tourney winner Markus Pettersson with his prize, the design of Jungle Jam. Gilson re-enters our story here with our last Mirage review, the Blue/Red Burning Sky, as it was he who first put the idea to the readers of the mothership in a column in early October 2005. Read more
Mirage: Jungle Jam Review (Part 2 of 2)
Back into the jungle we go, ready for the final two Mirage decks. Today I’m giving the Griffin-centered Jungle Jam a go, a deck put together by the winner of an MTGO tournament. Putting my deck to the test is Jimi, who has thrown her lot in with the flank-Knights of Ride Like the Wind. Will it be smooth skies ahead, or will my deck be crushed under the thundering trample of hooves?
Mirage: Jungle Jam Review (Part 1 of 2)
We return from the dark plane of Innistrad to the sweltering, chattering jungles of Jamuraa for the second half of our Mirage coverage. As we’ve discussed, the Theme Decks of Mirage block were done well after the release of the actual set in 1996. Created for the Magic: the Gathering Online (MTGO) release some nine years later, Wizards took a unique approach in their construction. Read more
Ertai's Lament 