Lorwyn: Kithkin Militia Review (Part 1 of 2)
With today’s deck- Kithkin Militia- we are now four decks deep in Lorwyn. Every one of the five has seen play now, if not as hero than at least as foil while they await their turn under the microscope. We’ve had a chance to see the set’s themes and mechanics, and how the environment plays out. In light of that, we’d like to pause and take stock of the set. On the one hand, we have our long anticipation of playing the set- it’s been near the top of the list for as long as we’ve run the site. On the other hand, we have the criticisms of the set by R&D stalwarts Aaron Forstyhe and Mark Rosewater which were woven through our introduction to Elvish Predation. The question remains: is Lorwyn really a failure?
Lorwyn: Boggart Feast Review (Part 2 of 2)
Next up in our tour of Lorwyn is a trip to see the Boggarts! The plane’s version of Goblins, they broke from the norm by blending together both Red and Black mana, and hopefully will let us see the best of both! For opposition, we have Sam piloting Elementals’ Path, a five-colour Flamekin-based deck. Which tribe will gain the upper hand?
Build a Magic 2013 Intro Pack Contest: Part 4
While the conversation was lively and spirited, in the end there could be only… two? That’s right, our last poll let you, the readers, pick the two rare cards for our Goblin Artisans “M13” Intro Pack build, and as our deck develops it will be doing so on the back of the Raiding Pirate!
Lorwyn: Boggart Feast Review (Part 1 of 2)
Like it or not, it is an aspect of the human condition that seeks to create not from scratch, but rather to modify or interpret. There are few elements of the Magic multiverse that do not, in some way, draw upon cultures already established in the much more mundane world of Earth. At the dawn of the game, this was done quite unabashedly with Magic’s first expansion, Arabian Nights. Since then, however, the element of the real has been increasingly concealed beneath the veneer of the fictional.
Lorwyn: Merrow Riverways Review (Part 2 of 2)
We’d been looking forward to exploring Lorwyn for a long time, but found the opening matchup of Elvish Predation vs Boggart Feast to be a little underwhelming. Would the guileful Merrow show us a side of the plane we might have missed? If anyone can, it might well be them…
Quiet Speculation: The Best Precons of Innistrad Block
For those who haven’t read enough preconstructed contesnt today, Ertai’s Lament’s own Jay has another piece up over at Quiet Speculation! As he did with previous blocks, he ranks the top five Intro Pack decks- and throws in a top two Event Decks to boot!
Come on over and check it out– the results might surprise you!
Build a Magic 2013 Intro Pack Contest: Part 3
Two polls down, and the Goblin Artisans M13 Intro Pack deck we’re building is shaping up! In our first poll, we asked you to determine a colour pairing, and by a slender margin Blue/Black struck out ahead. This time, the results for selecting a theme were not close. By a landslide, the deck’s theme will be…
Lorwyn: Merrow Riverways Review (Part 1 of 2)
Gamers of a certain age might remember a particular commercial that used to come on the television on Saturday mornings and during the afterschool cartoons. There were a number of variations, but the central narrative went something like this. A person is walking down the street eating chocolate. Another is walking the other way eating peanut butter (I know, but bear with it). Madcap slapstick hijinks happen, and the chocolate lands in the peanut butter. They pull it out, hesitantly take a bite, and… nirvana! And so Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups are “born.” A not entirely dissimilar process went in to the flavour of the races of Lorwyn- minus, of course, the madcap slapstick.
Lorwyn: Elvish Predation Review (Part 2 of 2)
TIme for our first visit to the world of Lorwyn! We’ve wanted to play these decks for some time now, and having finally finished assembling the collection we’re sleeved and ready to go. Joining me at the table is Jimi, who’s wasted no time in grabbing the deck of her favourite tribe, Boggart Feast. Will the Elves be able to put the ugly ones in their place?
Build a Magic 2013 Intro Pack Contest: Part 2
The colour pairing poll went up earlier this week, and after the requisite four days we’re back with the results! The race was tightly-fought to the very end, but when the final buzzer sounded there could be only one winner.
Ertai's Lament 