without Apprentice was five months too long.
Both of the combo decks I goldfished today sport Stifle-Nought with FOW backup as an alternate "oops" win condition.
Let's play for money.
Monday, December 14, 2009
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Getting older...
What if all the cards you remember playing with when you first learned about magic were suddenly legal again? Now, what if I told you they were? Pretty exciting to say the least. Now that I have your attention, I have a special treat for you today. Most of you know that when I write over here it's usually tournament features or deck features (which I haven't done in a while). Today, we're going to dive head first into the format known as Legacy.
Dan is usually good for random deck shout outs and event breakdowns from Legacy, but recently Starcitygames.com announced their plans for the Starcity Open Series. Expanding on the popular 5k series from the past few years they've added more dates across the US and made it so that every date is now 2 days with Standard and Legacy being featured. Players with enough points at the end of the year are eligible to compete in the Starcitygames.com Invitational to close the year. This means more people playing Legacy and a push to make Legacy a relevant format. So, why should we play Legacy?
Pete Hoefling describes Legacy as "the best format you're not playing" and I have to agree. You see, unlike Standard and Extended, Legacy is a very open format. Sure some decks are better than others, but it's the variety and diversity of Legacy that is the pure draw of the format. Many cards that may have been forgotten long ago by tournament grinders and people with pro level aspirations make an appearance and some are pretty successful. Think about how much fun you had playing with Survival of the Fittest on your kitchen table. Now, imagine winning some cash while playing those same Survivals.
ISN'T LEGACY REALLY EXPENSIVE TO PLAY?
Initially it can seem that way. A lot of the cost upfront comes from buying all the ABUR dual lands and Force of Wills. After that you don't need them anymore. So while you're buying the latest hot standard cards trying to keep up with an ever changing meta game the Legacy players who bought duals 6 years ago are still playing with those duals. Sure, you have to keep up with the new sets so you can continue to innovate your deck, but Legacy doesn't feature the same overhauls that Standard features. So, while it may seems expensive for a brand new Legacy player, the cost for being competitive isn't nearly as daunting as Standard.
WHY SHOULD I CARE ABOUT LEGACY?
Like it or not, this format is becoming relevant. With the newly minted Starcitygames.com open series along with this year's Grand Prix schedule we now have more chances than ever to play Legacy. Given the success of the 5k series in the past, this years outlook seems bright. I would expect more people to be playing magic this year than ever before as such more people will be playing Legacy than ever before. Did I mention how much fun this format is to play?
HOW CAN I FIND A DECK TO PLAY?
Finding a Legacy deck is as easy as looking for one. Deckcheck.net is an excellent resource for finding a deck to begin with. Be careful though, watch the dates and amount of people playing in an event when looking at deck lists. While, that False Cure/Skyshroud Cutter deck looks neat and won last week, the event only had 12 players. Also, mtgthesource.com is a forum dedicated to Legacy with lots of loyal readers and posters who can help you out with your list while sharing their current list. They've also broken down the top decks in the format usually with a primer for learning to play them.
WHERE CAN I LEARN MORE ABOUT LEGACY?
Obviously with the open series we'll be featuring a little more Legacy content. Already, Dan has been providing you with interesting decks and analysis on them. Starcitygames.com features 2 weekly Legacy writers on the free side. Combo that with mtgthesource.com and deckcheck.net and you have lots of resources to learn this format. Also, our podcast, DrawGo Radio is featuring more Legacy content complete with deck breakdowns and general information for being as good as you can be in Legacy.
Hopefully I've swayed you to the dark side of Magic. A land where Noble Hierarchs battle alongside Daze and Nimble Mongoose. A place where Grindstone and Progenitus are both competitive. in general, a place where combos battle big monsters and devastating control spells. Just a few games and I promise you'll be hooked just like the menfolk you could play!
Until next time,
Steven
Dan is usually good for random deck shout outs and event breakdowns from Legacy, but recently Starcitygames.com announced their plans for the Starcity Open Series. Expanding on the popular 5k series from the past few years they've added more dates across the US and made it so that every date is now 2 days with Standard and Legacy being featured. Players with enough points at the end of the year are eligible to compete in the Starcitygames.com Invitational to close the year. This means more people playing Legacy and a push to make Legacy a relevant format. So, why should we play Legacy?
Pete Hoefling describes Legacy as "the best format you're not playing" and I have to agree. You see, unlike Standard and Extended, Legacy is a very open format. Sure some decks are better than others, but it's the variety and diversity of Legacy that is the pure draw of the format. Many cards that may have been forgotten long ago by tournament grinders and people with pro level aspirations make an appearance and some are pretty successful. Think about how much fun you had playing with Survival of the Fittest on your kitchen table. Now, imagine winning some cash while playing those same Survivals.
ISN'T LEGACY REALLY EXPENSIVE TO PLAY?
Initially it can seem that way. A lot of the cost upfront comes from buying all the ABUR dual lands and Force of Wills. After that you don't need them anymore. So while you're buying the latest hot standard cards trying to keep up with an ever changing meta game the Legacy players who bought duals 6 years ago are still playing with those duals. Sure, you have to keep up with the new sets so you can continue to innovate your deck, but Legacy doesn't feature the same overhauls that Standard features. So, while it may seems expensive for a brand new Legacy player, the cost for being competitive isn't nearly as daunting as Standard.
WHY SHOULD I CARE ABOUT LEGACY?
Like it or not, this format is becoming relevant. With the newly minted Starcitygames.com open series along with this year's Grand Prix schedule we now have more chances than ever to play Legacy. Given the success of the 5k series in the past, this years outlook seems bright. I would expect more people to be playing magic this year than ever before as such more people will be playing Legacy than ever before. Did I mention how much fun this format is to play?
HOW CAN I FIND A DECK TO PLAY?
Finding a Legacy deck is as easy as looking for one. Deckcheck.net is an excellent resource for finding a deck to begin with. Be careful though, watch the dates and amount of people playing in an event when looking at deck lists. While, that False Cure/Skyshroud Cutter deck looks neat and won last week, the event only had 12 players. Also, mtgthesource.com is a forum dedicated to Legacy with lots of loyal readers and posters who can help you out with your list while sharing their current list. They've also broken down the top decks in the format usually with a primer for learning to play them.
WHERE CAN I LEARN MORE ABOUT LEGACY?
Obviously with the open series we'll be featuring a little more Legacy content. Already, Dan has been providing you with interesting decks and analysis on them. Starcitygames.com features 2 weekly Legacy writers on the free side. Combo that with mtgthesource.com and deckcheck.net and you have lots of resources to learn this format. Also, our podcast, DrawGo Radio is featuring more Legacy content complete with deck breakdowns and general information for being as good as you can be in Legacy.
Hopefully I've swayed you to the dark side of Magic. A land where Noble Hierarchs battle alongside Daze and Nimble Mongoose. A place where Grindstone and Progenitus are both competitive. in general, a place where combos battle big monsters and devastating control spells. Just a few games and I promise you'll be hooked just like the menfolk you could play!
Until next time,
Steven
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
It's beautiful.
Dredge list with ACTUAL LANDS + Bloodghast and a transformative beatdown sideboard rocks an 80-man.
Boosh.
That Dark Painter list is a new one by me as well.
In a slightly smaller event, Entomb once again shows it is crazy.
Most of the time when I read Cunning Wish in Uwb Landstill lists I think it should be Vindicate. The tempo-loss of wishing seems huge when you're most vulnerable in the early game; by the time Wish gets awesome you should be all locked up anyway. But for Steven's benefit, here is a list that does basically everything we thought it should.
The rest of that Top 8 is worth looking at too just for the highly novel Loam list and a very strange Iggy/Belcher hybrid.
In other news, Survival of the Fittest turns me on, whether it be the Gbr variant with Thoughtseize, Therapy and potentially Recurring Nightmare, or the Bant/Exalted shenanigan.
Bant-wise though, this is my new crush.
Go ahead and click through to that Top 8 for an aggro Dark Depths list as well. Supercute!
Oh, and last thing: Did you know Noble Hierarch into Cold-Eyed Selkie is the play in Vintage right now? It's news to me, too, but color me excited.
Boosh.
That Dark Painter list is a new one by me as well.
In a slightly smaller event, Entomb once again shows it is crazy.
Most of the time when I read Cunning Wish in Uwb Landstill lists I think it should be Vindicate. The tempo-loss of wishing seems huge when you're most vulnerable in the early game; by the time Wish gets awesome you should be all locked up anyway. But for Steven's benefit, here is a list that does basically everything we thought it should.
The rest of that Top 8 is worth looking at too just for the highly novel Loam list and a very strange Iggy/Belcher hybrid.
In other news, Survival of the Fittest turns me on, whether it be the Gbr variant with Thoughtseize, Therapy and potentially Recurring Nightmare, or the Bant/Exalted shenanigan.
Bant-wise though, this is my new crush.
Go ahead and click through to that Top 8 for an aggro Dark Depths list as well. Supercute!
Oh, and last thing: Did you know Noble Hierarch into Cold-Eyed Selkie is the play in Vintage right now? It's news to me, too, but color me excited.
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