All the Articles on our Site
Two weeks ago, in The Unwilling Speculators, I wrote about the Modern format and how its affordability (or lack thereof) is quickly spiraling out of control. The article got some good discussion going—thank you to all the commenters who contributed. The article wasn’t intended to be another “blame Wizards” piece. I can only fit so…
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Just like everyone else, I have been busy trying to craft a Modern deck reflecting the DCI Banned & Restricted List changes that you are all likely aware of by now. Previously, I had been playing with a Naya-plus-[card]Deathrite Shaman[/card] build (a la Brian Kibler) that I liked very much, but with this update I…
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This time on C+C Magic Factory, we’ll be reviewing the Commander 2013 deck, Evasive Maneuvers. Here’s a review of the grading system we’ll be using. The first grade for each card is a Cube grade, the second, a Commander grade. Cube: [A+]: First-pick card on power level alone or tier 1 for associated archetype(s). [A]: High…
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For those who don’t know, I play Zoo exclusively in Legacy, and likely would have been playing it exclusively in Modern too if it wasn’t for one small issue…[card]Wild Nacatl[/card] is banned. Well, not anymore! There were significant changes to the DCI Banned & Restricted list this time around, with [card]Deathrite Shaman[/card] getting booted from…
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If you’re not, you should be. Rare drafting is a vital strategy if you’re seeking to cut down on your Magic expenses or go infinite. It is a way to help boost the EV of a given draft and make sure you’ll have the money to enter the next draft you want to play in….
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Hello, everyone, and welcome back to the Puzzle Box! I have been showered with compliments these last few weeks since my final reflections on our little project were published. Maybe showered is a bit strong of a word, but it is certainly how I feel. People have been asking about the process of building the…
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Three things I think I know: 1. Modern has had a barrier-to-entry problem since its inception. It used to be (incorrectly) attributed to things like copies of [card]Hallowed Fountain[/card] being $40, but as the format has grown in popularity, very real scarcity issues have caused staples to spike at a rate far beyond anything most…
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Buying season for Modern is here. Or long past, as some would like to say, as prices of perceived staples have already quadripled or more. To say that there has been a cataclysmic shift in the Modern metagame due to the B&R announcements would be an understatement. Modern prices are shooting through the roof as speculation…
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For the third installment of C+C, we’ll be reviewing the Eternal Bargain preconstructed deck, looking at the impact of new cards and notable reprints for Cube and Commander. The first two installments can be found here and here. Here’s a review of the grading system we’ll be using. I’m switching it up to match the…
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This weekend marked the first in the tenure of Born of the Gods in Standard. That being said, every Standard deck that managed a top-eight finish this weekend belonged to a preexisting archetype. While I have no doubt that Born of the Gods will have a significant impact on the Standard landscape, it seems that one…
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The time around the release of a new set is one of the best to be involved with our favorite trading card game. New product being opened, new decks breaking the format, and best of all, money to be had. The question is, what do I buy? What will be good in the upcoming meta?…
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Welcome back for part two of Brewing with Born of the Gods. You can read part one here. Once again, I can’t provide tuned lists or sideboards, as there’s no way I could test that much, but I can provide some suggestions to consider for each sideboard. I’ve updated a couple of the top-tier decks this…
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Hello, everyone, and welcome back to Serum Visions! Last week we took a look at some introductory methods of making beer: the can, the kit, and the steep. If anyone has taken a shot at making their own beer—whether through inspiration from this series or as long-time home brewer—leave me a message in the comment…
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It’s the first set of 2014! The second installment of Theros block, Born of the Gods, is here, ready to improve your favorite Standard brew. More importantly for MTG financiers, a whole batch of potential investments are waiting for speculation. Here are my five picks for a beneficial Born of the Gods speculation session (say…
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Welcome back, readers, to [card]Conjured Currency[/card]! Until now, this series hasn’t had a name, but thanks to my roommate and good friend, Sean, that is no longer the case. Although my articles won’t always have an extremely specific common topic, everything I write for this website does deal with specific goals. I always want to…
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There has been a lot said and written about the spikes in Modern card prices over the past few months, and much of it has been aimed at speculators. I completely understand the frustration with ever-increasing Modern card prices—I am a player and I feel it too. Until last weekend, I would have told you…
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Author’s note: Since this article series was started, Born of the Gods has been released. Its addition alters the Dimir, Simic, and Gruul decks enough to warrant a revision of the example deck lists. Those lists will be included in part two of this article. For a Standard Commander format, Gatecrash guilds are going to…
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There is something slightly poetic about [card]Dark Depths[/card] dominating Legacy events while the Midwest is trapped in a seemingly never-ending “polar vortex.” Today I’d like to look at a pile of different [card]Dark Depths[/card]-powered combo decks that have been seeing success in Legacy recently. Maverick Depths The first time a Dark Depths deck posted successful…
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Welcome to my first brewing article for Brainstorm Brewery. For those who haven’t read my brewing articles in the past, I try provide a glimpse at what I feel is possible in Standard. Since I obviously can’t test all of these decks, though, I don’t build complete 75-card decks. Instead, I provide four cards to…
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Hello, everyone! Welcome back to the Puzzle Box. Today, we’ll be reflecting on the past couple months. When this whole thing got started, I actually had no idea what I was doing and how good this cube would look in the end. I was afraid that this thing could be a catastrophic failure and my writing…
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Lately, I’ve been a little down on GW’s chances in the new metagame. You may have noticed that recent results show mono-blue and mono-black winning almost ever tournament. Neither of these matchups are great and sometimes these decks can have hands where you just lose. I love GW Scion too much to just quit, however….
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The Dude abides. I don’t have to take this abuse from you, I have hundreds of people dying to abuse me. Well, here’s another nice mess you’ve gotten me into. Congratulations! You have slogged through a sea of numbers to get here. The last couple Investing 200 articles were short but dense. We broke down…
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In my last article, I discussed all the parts that play into estimated value (EV). This article is going to have lots of terms and math from the previous article, so if you haven’t read it yet, I’d recommend going back and doing that first. Picking a Queue The math behind picking a queue takes…
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Hello, fellow speculators! Are you all looking forward to the prerelease this weekend? I know I’m not, as Born of the Gods has close to zero implications for Modern. As if it wasn’t bad enough that the prerelease is on Super Bowl weekend. What everyone does care about is the upcoming Modern banned and restricted list…
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Welcome to the second installment of C+C Magic Factory, where we’ll be reviewing the Mind Seize Commander 2013 deck with regards to its impact on the Cube and Commander formats. So let’s get to it! Here’s a review of the grading system we’ll be using. The first grade for each card is a Commander grade,…
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