Paper Pro Tours are some of my favorite Magic events, and last weekend we were lucky enough to watch a fantastic event in Pro Tour: March of the Machine. It was an exciting tournament with all the hallmarks of a quality event: new cards making their big-stage debut, fringe decks making deep runs and a stacked top 8 field. Before …
March of the Machine: The Aftermath’s place in Magic history
March of the Machine: The Aftermath is a very odd Magic set for multiple reasons. Technically a supplemental set, it’s the first such set to be legal in Standard. Every other out-of-normal-rotation set has skipped over Standard entirely. Even odder, however, is the set’s size and packaging when compared to the rest of Magic history. Aftermath has only 50 unique …
Three Year Rotation: The Impact of Standard Changes
While a great deal happened during Pro Tour March of the Machine last weekend, arguably the biggest news broke in the middle of the tournament. After years of the cards sticking around for a Standard rotation of two years, Wizards of the Coast announced plans to lengthen that period to three years. In effect, this means rotation won’t happen at …
Top 20 Mana Rituals in Magic
Mana rituals! These distinctive, potent and strategically narrow cards are most often used to accelerate the endgame of combo decks. Perhaps due to that dangerous power, new rituals have become something of a rare sight in recent sets, no longer something Wizards of the Coast’s design team feels needs to feature prominently in Magic. However, they are an elemental building …
MagicCon Minneapolis previews: Doctor Who, Commander Masters and more
As has become tradition for big events these days, Wizards of the Coast used MagicCon Minneapolis to give players their first previews of the upcoming Doctor Who Commander decks, set the tone for the Wilds of Eldraine, show off face cards in the Commander Masters precons and begin tempting us with another look at Lord of the Rings: Tales of …
March of the Machine: The Aftermath Standard Highlights
March of the Machine: The Aftermath previews are officially out, and despite the smaller size of the set, there’s a lot here to consider for this Standard legal set. Some decks are going to get new toys, old decks may be revitalized and brand-new archetypes may arise! With all that in mind, we’re going to look at some of the …
March of the Machine: Standard Deck Results
While all competitive eyes are looking at Pioneer for the regional championships, some players have lamented that such a great Standard format is just going to be ignored. I agree it’s a shame, so today we are taking a quick look at some of the Standard decks that have jumped out as both exciting and innovating in a big way. …
Five Ideas for Three Player Magic
What happens when some friends are looking to draft or get a Commander pod together, but Jenny’s out of town, Spike’s got to work and Timmy’s at his grandma’s birthday? You’re facing down three player Magic and you’re about ready to give up game night. Three can be an awkward number for Commander, after all — and unworkable for a …
March of the Machine: The Aftermath Early Look
March of the Machine: The Aftermath is coming up in May and we’re here with an early look at what we know about the out-of-the-ordinary set. The Lore March of the Machine: The Aftermath continues the story directly after March of the Machine, fittingly enough. Spoilers ahead for that set, so if you’re behind on the Magic storyline, I’d suggest …
March of the Machine: Updated Decks for Standard
March of the Machine is invading Standard, meaning decks in the format are due for an update. While new lists and archetypes are sure to emerge, sometimes you don’t want to give up on a deck you already know. So, here’s a look at how three current decks could evolve when the new set drops. Mono-White Control Mono-White Control has …