Modern Match-Up Guide: Burn vs. Death’s Shadow

Michael RappModern

Modern is home to so many interesting and unique decks and strategies from Mill, to Urza decks, to Tron, and even Bogles. Today, I want to talk about my favorite match-up in all of Modern: Grixis Death’s Shadow vs. Burn. This match-up looks incredibly easy and straightforward, but once you experience it from either side, you’ll find the games are quite …

Preparing for CommandFest

DeQuan WatsonCommander

CommandFest is a brand new event from Wizards of the Coast, and the first events are coming up this weekend in Seattle and Chicago. Unlike MagicFest and Grand Prix events, these events will not be anchored by a competitive tournament – instead, the focus will be entirely on casual play. If you’re heading to a CommandFest this weekend, here’s what …

Brewing for Pioneer

Anthony LowryPioneer

When the Pioneer format was announced last week, I was initially reserved. I wasn’t sure what to expect, as it was so sudden. Plus, I was already so neck deep in Modern and Standard, that I wasn’t sure if I could put time into another format. But after about twelve hours, I fell in love with Pioneer. All of the …

Intro to Innistrad

Alex KatzMagic Story

With Halloween on the horizon, let’s pay a visit to Magic‘s spookiest plane, Innistrad. The setting for the five sets in the Innistrad and Shadows Over Innistrad blocks, Innistrad is beloved for its gothic horror atmosphere, tribal themes, and flavorful mechanics. Creatures and Characters Innistrad is known for its ally-colored tribes, and a number of memorable characters associated with those …

Modern Urza Deck Guide

Michael RappModern

Since the release of Modern Horizons, Urza, Lord High Artificer has been one of the most impactful cards in Modern, spawning several new decks. With so many variants to choose from, it can be tough to decide which one to play. My goal today is to lay out a number of those variants and explain what they do so you …

Pioneer: Cards to Watch

Hallie SantoPioneer

Pioneer is Magic’s newest Constructed format, and it’s been the talk of the Magic community this week. It’s a non-rotating format whose card pool extends back through Return to Ravnica, one of the first sets released after the creation of the Modern format. Return to Ravnica also came out during a time of unprecedented player growth in Magic (I myself …

B&R Analysis: October 21, 2019

Hallie SantoStandard

When Wizards of the Coast moved their latest Banned and Restricted List update up to October 21st, Magic players knew that change was coming – most likely in Standard. As many suspected, Field of the Dead has earned a spot on the Standard banned list due to its warping effect on the format. Bant Golos decks thrived in midrange mirrors …

Mythic Championship V Recap

Tom AndersonStandard

This weekend saw 68 of the world’s best Magic players put their Standard skills to the test in the most high-stakes arena possible. Mythic Championship V was the definitive test of the early Throne of Eldraine metagame – and with Wizards announcing early B&R changes, it was likely also the final test. Many Standard players were begging for that B&R …

An Intro to Pioneer

Card KingdomPioneer

Magic players were bracing for the latest Banned and Restricted list announcement today (more on that later this week), but they weren’t prepared for Wizards of the Coast to reveal a brand-new Magic format. Pioneer is coming to Magic Online and tabletop tournaments near you this fall, so here’s the low-down. What is Pioneer? Pioneer is a non-rotating Magic format …

How to Mulligan

Michael RappStrategy

Deciding when to mulligan is one of the hardest skills to develop in Magic. I, like everyone else, have found myself scratching my head and wondering if I have a functional hand whenever I look at seven cards. I have found the single biggest factor in determining if a starting hand is keepable or if I should mulligan is not …