Aggro Is Running Over Pioneer

Mason ClarkPioneer

The Brothers’ War previews have just begun, and in that time Pioneer has produced some really great innovations. However almost all come from a singular archetype: Beatdown, otherwise known as Aggro. While normally not thought of very highly by most players, the goal of Magic is to make your opponent dead, and these decks do that in spades. Aggro has …

What we wanted banned

Magic Banned and Restricted assessment: October 2022

Michael RappLegacy, Modern, Pioneer

Wizards of the Coast updated the Banned and Restricted list on Monday, which naturally led to the kind of discussion that always comes up when this happens  — whether the update hit everything players wanted. Naturally, some players ended up happy while others wondered if this approach was enough. Many players expected bans across Pioneer and Legacy, too, with additional …

Mono Green Devotion Guide for Pioneer

Mason ClarkPioneer

Pioneer has given players a lot to talk about since the first Regional Championship will ask that players compete using the format. Yet in the months since that announcement, as players searched for something that could bring them the coveted victory, one deck has stayed on top of the metagame: Mono Green Devotion.  Since this summer, the deck has been …

Dominaria United five updated decks for Pioneer

Dominaria United: Five updated decks for Pioneer

Mason ClarkPioneer, Strategy

To commemorate Dominaria United releasing next week in paper and this week on Magic Online, we are going over five decks featuring new cards for the Pioneer format. These archetypes range from familiar faces to possible new contenders, so they should prepare players for the new challenges ahead of them. Jeskai Ascendancy Jeskai Ascendency is one of the cards people …

Explorer Anthology 1 closes the gap

Explorer Anthology 1 Closes the Gap to Pioneer

Tom AndersonPioneer

When Magic: The Gathering Arena launched Explorer, its stated purpose was to ease players into Pioneer by aligning the formats over time. A key part of this process are anthologies — a specifically curated collection of cards injected right into Arena, available for purchase as a whole. And now, three months after Explorer’s release, Explorer Anthology 1 is here. But …

Preparing for MTG tournaments

A Winner’s MTG Mentality: Preparing for Tournaments

Michael RappModern, Pioneer, Standard, Strategy

As the Regional Championship Qualifier season gets into full swing, many people will be playing in more competitive MTG tournaments than they have in a long time. As players return to paper Magic, it is important that they come back with the right mentality. Like anything else in life that involves competition, if you want to win, you’ll need to …

Expressive Iteration’s domination of Magic formats

Mason ClarkLegacy, Modern, Pioneer, Standard

Expressive Iteration is in every top deck in every format it’s legal in. If you go and check the data, Standard, Modern and Legacy are all run by the best card draw spell printed since Treasure Cruise. Pioneer, a format where Treasure Cruise is legal, recently banned Expressive Iteration. So, how is this little uncommon that didn’t even get noticed …