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:
Odyssey: One-Two Punch Review (Part 2 of 2)
With as much fun as Jimi and I had for Innistrad, Sam is eager to get back into the mix and ready to experience Odyssey. For her deck she’s selected the Blue/Green Trounce-O-Matic, while I’ll be taking the flashback-filled One-Two Punch into battle. Here are the notes from our match.
Odyssey: One-Two Punch Review (Part 1 of 2)
All good stories- like all good things- must come to an end. It is trite but true, and this was the situation facing Wizards for their 2001 release. Weatherlight, which came out in June of 1997, had ushered in the first long-standing story arc in the history of the game. “The Weatherlight Saga,” as it would be known, continued in one way or another for the next four expansions. The real story kicked off in 1997’s Tempest block, continued in 1999’s Mercadian Masques block, then wound its way through the following year’s Invasion block. The small break in the middle- 1998’s Urza’s Saga- was set as a sort of prequel or backstory to the whole affair. All told, the Saga spanned thirteen different releases of the game.
It was time, concluded Wizards, for something new.
2010-11 Precon Championships: We Have a Winner
When we first began the Preconstructed Deck Championships a year ago, we knew we wanted to get to a place with it that engaged you, the reader, but we weren’t quite certain how. We gave it some further thought the next time, for the 2009-10 Champions, and were encouraged when a number of you continued to leave predictions for each match. Third time lucky, as they say, we’re thrilled with the format- and turnout- for this inaugural contest event, and you can be sure we’ll be doing it this way going forward.
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.
2010-11 Precon Championships: The Finals
Welcome to the final installment of the 2010-2011 Preconstructed Deck Championships! It’s been a heckuva ride this far, with a full field of 32 decks at the outset now whittled down to a Final Four. Most remarkable was the resurgence of the Duel Decks. From their strong showing in the 2009-10 season, they fell far short of expectations in the following 2008-09. This time they came back with a vengeance, and now we have the exciting prospect of an all-Duel Deck finals between Knights and Elspeth. On the other hand, Archenemy would like nothing more than to smash Elspeth beneath a horde of reanimated undead, as Bring About the Undead Apocalypse stakes its claim to the title. And of course this season’s feel-good Cinderella Story torch is carried by Mirrodin Besieged’s Doom Inevitable. Usually the regular Intro Pack decks have solid representation in the finals, but this time there’s only the one.
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.
Innistrad: Deathly Dominion Review (Part 2 of 2)
Can the Humans of Repel the Dark withstand the death-obsessed fiends of Deathly Dominion? Jimi and I aim to find out, and see how the morbid mechanic plays out in the heat of the moment. Will I be able to crank out massive bruisers against which to prayer can withstand? Or will Jimi’s Humans come together and drive back the dark after all? To find out, we sat down for our usual three games, and here are the notes.
2010-11 Precon Championships: Final Round and the Leaderboard
At long last, we’re on the very eve of the Championship Final! This coming week-end will see this season’s winner crowned and installed in its rightful place alongside 2008-2009’s Dead Ahead and 2009-2010’s Eldrazi Arisen. Last week the field was narrowed down to the final four contestants. Infect & Defile trounced Mirromancy, then waited as Elspeth took down the Premium Deck Series, Fire & Lightning. Now we come to the final week as these two go up against Knights and Doom Inevtiable in the Rosewater Conference to see whose name will be etched in gold ink into the history books, and who will be just another footnote.
Last week’s predictions turned up some surprises as well. The players were about evenly split on whether Elspeth or Fire & Lightning would prevail, and so the final game of the division offered few points to our pedictors. Still, credit must be due to fillip who went 3-for-3 here, and has correctly guessed every match of the Lauer Division. This puts him as a longshot- to win he would have to guess all three of the final matches correctly, our frontrunner Icehawk would need to get all three wrong, and no-one else could get more than one correct. But hey, stranger things have happened, no?
Ertai's Lament 