We're going

to the Star City Open in Indianapolis next month.

I've long been a fan of Back to Basics in Legacy because it limits most decks to maybe three functional lands. In other words, it causes your opponent to stop playing Magic. A summer ago I went 3-2-1 in a Chicago 50-man playing Mono-Blue Control, maindecking four Back to Basics and four Propaganda. Aggro Loam and Domain Zoo haaaaated me; it was lovely. But I went to time a lot, and Mono-Red Goblins was a nightmare match-up. Further, Morphling just isn't good enough anymore.

This deck seems to address a lot of those complaints. Splash white but keep the Basics plan - Why didn't I think of that?

First thing I'm doing is cutting the Cunning Wishes for extra copies of Back to Basics, and probably dumping the Divining Tops for fourth copies of Fact or Fiction and Counterspell.

Past that, I get to board in Meddling Mage? Hell and damn yes. Plus the Sphinx is everything you pay 5 mana each turn to wish Morphling was, and I want to marry Elspeth.

In other news, this Pox deck seems exciting, although I've never been keen on Nether Spirit. "Ooh, my 2/2 with no abilities just won't go away, hahah, unless you're playing the most common removal spell in the format. What, Swords my guy? Aww..." I guess he chumps Tarmogoyf for awhile. Great. (I don't mean that. I do not think it is great at all. AT ALL.)

I mean, at the very least you could play Bloodghast instead...

Oh, and if like me you've been wondering whether that Vintage Selkie deck could find a viable port into Legacy, here's your answer.

Last thing: I don't really want to play Storm in Indianapolis, but if I were assembling a build for someone to test against, this would be it. No Lion's Eye Diamond, decent protection, and no ridiculously complicated kills using Doomsday or Ill Gotten Gains. In other words it's cheaper and easier to learn. Which is to say, in the hands of an idiot it's probably the more effective build.

That's what I love.

-Dan

Never Grow Old

I'm awfully excited about how cool Legacy suddenly is.

Anyway, here are the lists that have set my heart aflutter in anticipation of Indiana next month.

Generic Dragon-Stompy lives! Note the complete lack of Zoo in that Top 8; Magus of the Moon is worthless against an opponent running Lightning Bolt, and Qasali Pridemage could give a damn about basically a third of your deck. Good luck being the beatdown in That match-up, Dragon Stompy! Still a fun deck though. Anyway.

Ryan Hatcher doesn't even know how bad he wants to cuddle with this 42-man winning Legacy Death Cloud build.

Lots of strange choices going on in this Reanimator build, which apparently sports a semi-transformational sideboard. Interesting.

This looks like an update on BHWC Landstill from two or three years ago, mixed with Goyfstill. I like it because of its strong Cunning Wish count: zero. What I am saying is that I do not like Cunning Wish in Landstill.

I've built the Bitterblossom/Spellstutter Sprite/Terminate tempo deck three times now and each time I've been bored off my face. And each time someone adds a new tweak to lure me back: first it was Jitte and Firespout, and now they're incorporating Blightning and Vendilion Clique, the latter of which makes Riptide Laboratory a neat inclusion as well.

-

In other news, have you checked the price on uncommon Legacy staples like Wasteland and Aether Vial? $20 and $10 respectively. Evidently you're lucky to pick up a Force of Will for under $30. So I hope you realized Legacy was cool awhile ago, because apparently a lot of other people have figured it out too, and are shopping accordingly.

-

Oh, and speaking of eternal formats, have you seen the Bant deck in Vintage? First turn Hierarch, second turn Selkie, third turn Pridemage, draw three? Six representatives in the above-linked Top 8, from a 50-man. And then there's this Selkie deck, which won an event of 100+. It eschews UW for Red, giving it Magus of the Moon, Gorilla Shaman, and effectively a red Ancestral Recall with flashback in the form of Reckless Charge via Selkie. How's THAT for a 61st card?

Oh, and in case you wonder, no, Vintage is not too insanely good for Skullclamped Elves to just murder you.

So yeah, let's play for money. Jump, gypsy!
JUMP!

-Dan

Five months

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.

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