Banning | Quiet Speculation

Late Summer Thaw: Arcum’s Astrolabe Banned

David Ernenwein — Tue, 14 Jul 2020 16:00:53 +0000

But for copyright concerns, I would have led off this article with the lyrics to "Another One Bites the Dust." I hope perfectly reasonable intellectual property law is happy with itself. There's been another B&R Announcement. This time something actually is banned in Modern. So that's nice. Even if it does moot a number of […]

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March 9th 2020 Banned and Restricted Announcement

Sam Lowe — Wed, 11 Mar 2020 11:00:55 +0000

Sam's back from his hiatus to analyze the post-ban landscape! Find out what he's been up to, and where he finds himself in the current Magic market.

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Best of 2019: Twin’s Role in Modern

David Ernenwein — Wed, 01 Jan 2020 17:00:39 +0000

Editor's Note: The Twin ban remained highly controversial into 2019, especially among what I assume to be an extremely vocal minority of Modern die-hards. That sentiment pushed David to revisit Twin's previous role in the format with a thorough, data-driven approach. Also included in this re-run are David's thoughts headed into 2020, which deal with […]

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Tales from the Buylist #5 – Modern in Flux!

Christopher O'Berry — Wed, 13 Mar 2019 17:07:11 +0000

With the release of Modern Horizons looming, Wizards announced no changes to the Banned & Restricted list. Christopher looks at the cards that stand to gain right now.

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Call the Police: Twin’s Role in Modern

David Ernenwein — Tue, 29 Jan 2019 17:00:31 +0000

Assumptions and collectively-held beliefs are fickle and powerful things. They can affect perception and, in a way, become reality if unchallenged. Therefore, it is critical for the skeptical mind to evaluate and investigate these ideas for validity, especially in the wake of recent bannings. After being challenged on long-held beliefs about Splinter Twin's effect on […]

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The Shadow Over Modern

David Ernenwein — Tue, 27 Jun 2017 16:00:12 +0000

I was planning to write a general guide to beating the top decks in Modern, as alluded to last week. However, my discussion kept circling back to Death's Shadow. Every time I talked about how various decks were constructed, it inevitably involved Shadow. The strategy discussion? Even as I described picking apart Counters Company with Lightning […]

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One of the Boys: Introducing TarmoDrazi

Jordan Boisvert — Fri, 15 Apr 2016 16:00:10 +0000

Some play Magic to win, and others play to have fun. Most players move up and down the spike scale depending on context---the casual nature of certain tournaments provides a perfect backdrop to test wacky ideas. With this principle in mind, I good-naturedly brought a neutered Eldrazi deck to FNM last week that splashed blue and green for playsets of Tarmogoyf, […]

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Preparing For A New Modern

Trevor Holmes — Thu, 07 Apr 2016 16:00:08 +0000

After weeks of waiting, the time has come! Eldrazi is gone, and we could possibly be on the precipice of a Control Takeover. Before I wake from this dream, I have to do the only thing I know how: analyze! This week, we’ll briefly go over the ban announcement, the immediate impacts, and make some predictions […]

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Investigating April 4 Banlist Update Consequences

Sheridan Lardner — Wed, 06 Apr 2016 16:00:04 +0000

A lot happened since Monday morning. At 9:39 AM, Wizards released its April 4 banlist update. About five seconds after 9:39 AM, the Modern community went nuts. While some have criticized aspects of the update, the overwhelming majority of players responded on the scale of cautious optimism to frenzied ecstasy. Surprising no one who lived […]

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Modern Banlist Update (4/4/2016): Eye of Ugin banned, Vision and Sword unbanned

Sheridan Lardner — Mon, 04 Apr 2016 16:17:53 +0000

In the beginning of Eldrazi Winter, there was darkness and tentacles and a Tier 0 deck where there had once been diversity. And Wizards said, "Let there be bans," and there were bans. And, to surprise the players they had forsaken and restore balance to the Modern Force, Wizards said, "Let there be unbans," and […]

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Sifting Through the Grand Prix Eldrazi Rubble

Sheridan Lardner — Mon, 07 Mar 2016 17:00:24 +0000

On Saturday and Sunday, the Gatewatch made their last stand against the Eldrazi in three cities across the world. The Grand Prix battles were fierce. Opposition was stiff. Weeks of debate and analysis led to this point, and the Modern community rallied with the best technology and innovation in its arsenal. But in the end, the outcome […]

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Louisville, Eldrazi, and the Modern Metagame

Sheridan Lardner — Wed, 24 Feb 2016 17:00:41 +0000

Welcome to week three of the Eldrazi Apocalypse! On Monday, I tried to distract us with promises of greener April pastures, but even the most indefatigable Modern optimist struggled to forget the weekend's horrors. StarCityGames' Louisville Classic was one of the ugliest Modern events I've ever seen. I described it as a "twisted, tentically nightmare" […]

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On Banning and Beating Eldrazi

Sheridan Lardner — Wed, 10 Feb 2016 17:07:15 +0000

Somewhere between answering comments to Monday's article, talking Magic with my pals, and battling waves of forum doomsayers, I realized I'd yet again been lured into the ban discussion trap. Didn't I just promise, and then re-promise, to stay clear of banlist mayhem? Darn you, Wizards and your colorless hordes! Even beyond the warped Pro […]

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A Last Word on the Splinter Twin Banning

Sheridan Lardner — Mon, 25 Jan 2016 18:35:46 +0000

I made a New Year's resolution to minimize participation in ban discussions throughout 2016. Modern has more than enough banlist din in Twitch chat, Reddit threads, and article comment sections across the content-sphere. Then the Splinter Twin banning happened. Wizards' announcement has made it impossible to discuss any aspect of 2016 Modern without some reference […]

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A Defense of the Splinter Twin Ban

Jordan Boisvert — Fri, 22 Jan 2016 17:00:46 +0000

My Saturday morning kicks off a lot like yours. I roll out of bed, throw on some Future, have a latte. Get on Facebook. Then, my inbox starts exploding. "Is Modern dead?" “How do you feel about the ban?” Dead? What ban? Wait, there are links. Links from Magic players I’ve never met. The same link, […]

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The Quest for a Splinter Twin Successor (Pt. 1)

Sheridan Lardner — Wed, 20 Jan 2016 18:06:18 +0000

I know many Modern players who read the January 18th ban announcement and wanted to eBay off their collections on the spot. Or burn them and overnight the charred Splinter Twin remnants to Wizards in Hallmark condolence cards. Have faith, ye Modern faithful! I too am deeply dissatisfied with Wizards' handling of this recent update, but I'm also a devoted Modern […]

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Saturday Brief – Summer Bloom and Splinter Twin Banned

Sheridan Lardner — Sat, 16 Jan 2016 15:11:48 +0000

A man can't even have a peaceful Friday night without the entire Magic world exploding due to easily the worst Modern-related announcement in the format's history. Wizards has never made a Modern update or announcement that has forced a "Well then, I really think I'm going to quit" reaction out of me. That is, until […]

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The Case for an Amulet Bloom Banning

Sheridan Lardner — Tue, 12 Jan 2016 17:00:47 +0000

A reckoning is coming. After months of ban mania, speculation, theorycrafting, and general rage against the Wizards machine, the January 18, 2016 banlist update will decide if Amulet Bloom is an acceptable Modern deck. Many authors players have vehemently opposed the combo strategy since Justin Cohen's February run at Pro Tour Fate Reforged. Others, including […]

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Three Modern New Year’s Resolutions for 2016

Sheridan Lardner — Tue, 05 Jan 2016 17:00:13 +0000

New Year's resolutions are the high point of every January 1st celebration. Or maybe that's just champagne. Or bowl game blowouts so outrageous they make Jeff Hoogland's weekend loss to Bobby Fortanely's Amulet Bloom look fair. Whether you prefer the booze or the club bashes to the boring promises, I'm sure you made at least […]

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