7th Edition: Infestation Review (Part 2 of 2)
At last we have arrived at the final match for the 7th Edition reviews, one which sees me pitting the mono-Red Infestation against the mono-Green Wild Way. As you might expect, Wild Way is filled with fat Green beaters, making it the perfect deck to put into the hands of Sam. Would Infestation have what it takes to secure the early advantage? Or would it wither before a massive beating dealt out by a stompy deck given too much time and space to establish itself? With only one way to find out, we sat down for our customary match and took the following notes.
2010-11 Precon Championships: Nagle Division (Part 1 of 2)
Today coverage of the eagerly-awaited 2010-11 Preconstructed Championships games begins! We’ll observe the customary order of beginning with the Nagle Division in the Rosewater Conference, and by the end of the day half of the field will be swept away by the tide of defeat. We have some new faces this time around, Event Decks straining at the bit to prove what they’re made of. Can the rest of the field withstand them to claim the ultimate prize- the ability to stand in the Hall of Champions as the best of your class!
7th Edition: Infestation Review (Part 1 of 2)
Although we’ve enjoyed our trip back in time to 7th Edition, I can’t say that collectively we’re not looking forward to returning to stronger fare. There’s a certain innocent charm about these 7th Edition decks, but by the same token it’s also a bit like looking at Magic’s fossil record. They’re very simple creatures, devoid of much of the intricacy and splendour that characterises its more developed kin. White swarms, Black kills, Green stomps, Blue flies and counters… and now, unsurprisingly, Red burns.
Oh, and Goblins.
Whispers of the Muse: ChouChou’s Knights (Duel Decks)
Time for another Whispers of the Muse, our occasional series where a reader asks you- the precon community- for help in modifying and improving their precon deck! Today’s request comes to us by way of ChouChou, who says the following:
I’m a big fan of the Knights vs Dragons duel decks and I’m hoping if a tune up of the Dragon deck can be done (making it more competitive!).
The deck can be legal for standard or extended. I would like the deck to stay mono-Red and tuned up so it can be more competitive.
Dragon Claw should be removed.
7th Edition: Bomber Review (Part 2 of 2)
With our recent holiday behind us, it was time to get back into the routine again, and that included testing Magic: the Gathering precon decks. Jimi and I cleared off the dinner table, brewed a kettle of tea and laid out the playmats to pick up right where we left off with 7th Edition. For my part, I was taking the recently-reviewed Bomber into the field, while Jimi opted to challenge with the mono-Black Decay. Here are the notes from our matchup.
MBtB: An Enchanted Afternoon
Last week on Magic Beyond the Box, we began the Standard Cube, a cubing project aimed firmly at beginners to the format. Ever wanted to build your own cube so you and your mates could draft it? By using a skeletal framework right out of today’s Standard environment, it takes a lot of the learning curve and difficulty out of it, allowing you to focus on the fundamentals.
In today’s piece, we next look at the colour White and all the enchantments it offers. We’ve also been challenged by a reader in last week’s comments, and our response changes the look of the cube for the rest of the project!
2010-11 Precon Championships: Make Your Predictions!
The first round of exciting Precon Playoff action should be coming to you this weekend, so it’s time to start making your predictions! Here are the first round matches:
7th Edition: Bomber Review (Part 1 of 2)
In our last review- Green’s Way Wild– we discussed how each of the five 7th Edition decks looked to distill the core essence of what each of the five colours was about. White’s Armada, for instance, was a quintissential White weenie deck, while Way Wild ramped into fat creatures to smash face in the red zone. Ignore the bellicose name of today’s deck, the mono-Blue Bomber- instead, what we have here is Blue’s specialty, the classic permission-based control. Because of the entry-level nature of these decks, and because it must hold its own with what it’s given in a more aggressively-minded field, Bomber still finds itself a bit heavier on the creatures than you might expect, but its framework is unmistakably permission.
The 2010-2011 Preconstructed Deck Championships
For the third time, we are descending into the battle arena with a season’s worth of contenders to battle for supremacy and determine the last deck standing! Having come to the end of the 2010-11 Season with the release of Magic 2012 (and Innistrad right around the corner), it’s time to crown a champion to stand beside 2008-09’s Dead Ahead and 2009-10’s Eldrazi Arisen. This time, though, there are some new faces vying for dominance, and the field is much more competitive.
To be sure, we have no shortage of decks lining up to do battle this season, coming in at the perfect number- 32! This time around, we’ll be looking at them in terms of tiers, to give you an idea of who the frontrunners look to be, and which decks are going to need a little extra luck- and a few upsets- on their path to glory.
Event Decks on the Mothership
Just a quick note to highlight a good article went up this morning on the mothership by Zac Hill about Event Deck design. Head on over and give it a read!
Ertai's Lament 