brew | Quiet Speculation https://www.quietspeculation.com Play More, Win More, Pay Less Tue, 22 Mar 2022 16:08:45 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://www.quietspeculation.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/favicon.png brew | Quiet Speculation https://www.quietspeculation.com 32 32 March ’21 Brew Report, Pt. 2: Storm’s a-Brewing https://www.quietspeculation.com/2021/04/march-21-brew-report-pt-2-storms-brewing/ https://www.quietspeculation.com/2021/04/march-21-brew-report-pt-2-storms-brewing/#respond Thu, 22 Apr 2021 16:00:34 +0000 https://quietspeculation.com/?p=22872 Just before Strixhaven dropped, we observed some intriguing developments among Modern's top decks in Jund Shadow and Omnath piles. While all the talk's been focused around Clever Lumimancer latelty, with the card showing promise (and also, floundering) depending on the shell, I'd like to remind us all that some players were breaking the mold before […]

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]]> https://www.quietspeculation.com/2021/04/march-21-brew-report-pt-2-storms-brewing/feed/ 0 Good Fortune: Thieves’ Guild Enforcer in Rogues https://www.quietspeculation.com/2020/08/good-fortune-thieves-guild-enforcer-rogues/ https://www.quietspeculation.com/2020/08/good-fortune-thieves-guild-enforcer-rogues/#respond Mon, 10 Aug 2020 03:52:46 +0000 https://quietspeculation.com/?p=22011 I'm a firm believer in playing what you love in Modern, and in Magic. For me, that often means Tarmogoyf, although I do occasionally try other flavors. Among my Goyf-related pet projects is Rogues, a longstanding deckbuilding challenge with a simple rule: run 4 copies each of Thieves' Fortune and Tarmogoyf. Creating and holding to […]

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]]> https://www.quietspeculation.com/2020/08/good-fortune-thieves-guild-enforcer-rogues/feed/ 0 It’s A-Brewing: Stormwing Entity in Temur Delver https://www.quietspeculation.com/2020/06/its-a-brewing-stormwing-entity-temur-delver/ https://www.quietspeculation.com/2020/06/its-a-brewing-stormwing-entity-temur-delver/#respond Mon, 22 Jun 2020 16:00:24 +0000 https://quietspeculation.com/?p=21841

M21 spoilers have wrapped up, and as David predicted, most of the Modern goodies were revealed early on. But there is one particular card that caught my eye from the outset, and that I've been working on implementing into Delver shells ever since. Stormwing Entity, at best, is a flying Tarmogoyf that resists Fatal Push. […]

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]]> https://www.quietspeculation.com/2020/06/its-a-brewing-stormwing-entity-temur-delver/feed/ 0 Conspicuous Snoop: The Goblins’ Twin? https://www.quietspeculation.com/2020/06/conspicuous-snoop-goblins-twin/ https://www.quietspeculation.com/2020/06/conspicuous-snoop-goblins-twin/#comments Tue, 16 Jun 2020 16:00:24 +0000 https://quietspeculation.com/?p=21821 Spoiler season is rolling on. However, my prediction at the end of last week's article has been holding: Core 2021 spoiled the obviously Modern-playable cards early. Sure, there have been plenty of interesting cards, but they're all role-players or interesting build-arounds rather than massive shake-ups. And that's rather welcome, considering how often Modern's been churned up […]

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]]> https://www.quietspeculation.com/2020/06/conspicuous-snoop-goblins-twin/feed/ 5 Spoiler Scouring: Two New Ikoria Brews https://www.quietspeculation.com/2020/04/spoiler-scouring-two-new-ikoria-brews/ https://www.quietspeculation.com/2020/04/spoiler-scouring-two-new-ikoria-brews/#comments Mon, 06 Apr 2020 16:00:44 +0000 https://quietspeculation.com/?p=21511 As starved as many are for distractions in this day and age, distractions also abound, and got the better of me this time. Like a silent, scaled predator, this set crept up on me. I had to double-check if Ikoria, Lair of Behemoths was even slated to be sanctioned in Modern. Wait a minute... Behemoths? […]

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]]> https://www.quietspeculation.com/2020/04/spoiler-scouring-two-new-ikoria-brews/feed/ 2 Goyfs That Fly: Brewing UB Trap https://www.quietspeculation.com/2019/09/goyfs-that-fly-brewing-ub-trap/ https://www.quietspeculation.com/2019/09/goyfs-that-fly-brewing-ub-trap/#comments Fri, 20 Sep 2019 16:00:15 +0000 http://quietspeculation.com/?p=20728 In his assessment of the latest spoilers, David commended Throne of Eldraine for bringing the brewing fun back to Modern with its innovative, flavorful design. Restrictions breed creativity, they say, and I agree that after the format-crushing power of Modern Horizons, it's refreshing to have a Standard-power-level set to tinker with. Today's article focuses on […]

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]]> https://www.quietspeculation.com/2019/09/goyfs-that-fly-brewing-ub-trap/feed/ 4 June ’19 Brew Report, Pt. 1: Tribals, Tribulations https://www.quietspeculation.com/2019/07/june-19-brew-report-pt-1-tribals-tribulations/ https://www.quietspeculation.com/2019/07/june-19-brew-report-pt-1-tribals-tribulations/#respond Fri, 05 Jul 2019 16:00:30 +0000 http://quietspeculation.com/?p=20353 In "Stitched Together: Early Successes from Horizons," we looked at some of the breakout cards in Magic's newest expansion. The month has now ended, and it's left plenty of new developments in its wake. Today, we'll look at the veritable explosion of tribal aggro strategies in Modern as well as a few novel takes on […]

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]]> https://www.quietspeculation.com/2019/07/june-19-brew-report-pt-1-tribals-tribulations/feed/ 0 May ’19 Brew Report: Sticking It to ‘Em https://www.quietspeculation.com/2019/06/may-19-brew-report-sticking-it-em/ https://www.quietspeculation.com/2019/06/may-19-brew-report-sticking-it-em/#respond Fri, 07 Jun 2019 16:00:46 +0000 http://quietspeculation.com/?p=20219

Between the impactful War of the Spark, the approaching Modern Horizons, the looming Core Set 2020, and the approved London Mulligan, now is quite a time to be a Modern player. But that's not all—Modern's continued period of adjustment to War is yielding more novel decks weekly than I can shake a stick at. It's nonetheless my job […]

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]]> https://www.quietspeculation.com/2019/06/may-19-brew-report-sticking-it-em/feed/ 0 Two Weeks In: War of the Spark Tech Review https://www.quietspeculation.com/2019/05/two-weeks-war-spark-tech-review/ https://www.quietspeculation.com/2019/05/two-weeks-war-spark-tech-review/#comments Fri, 10 May 2019 16:00:08 +0000 http://quietspeculation.com/?p=20036 It's been half a month since War of the Spark went live on Magic Online, and we're already seeing the myriad effects it's having on Modern—heck, on all non-rotating formats. But of course, being Modern Nexus, we'll focus on just the one! While I enjoy the Friday writing slot, it occasionally has its detriments. In […]

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]]> https://www.quietspeculation.com/2019/05/two-weeks-war-spark-tech-review/feed/ 4 Brew Report: That’s Wizard’s Chess https://www.quietspeculation.com/2019/04/brew-report-thats-wizards-chess/ https://www.quietspeculation.com/2019/04/brew-report-thats-wizards-chess/#respond Fri, 26 Apr 2019 16:00:51 +0000 http://quietspeculation.com/?p=19969 By the time this piece is published, Mythic Championship London will be streaming, and Modern players will be testing the London mulligan in a high-pressure environment for the first time. The results of that event will have a massive effect on the format's future. For those who just can't wait until the Top 8 ends […]

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]]> https://www.quietspeculation.com/2019/04/brew-report-thats-wizards-chess/feed/ 0 Brew Report: February Decks, Pt. 2 https://www.quietspeculation.com/2019/03/brew-report-february-decks-pt-2/ https://www.quietspeculation.com/2019/03/brew-report-february-decks-pt-2/#comments Fri, 08 Mar 2019 17:00:43 +0000 http://quietspeculation.com/?p=19707 Halfway through last month, I published "Brew Report: Perfect Pairs," picking out happy couples from among Wizards' decklist dumps. As is common in Modern, more innovative decks were published in February's latter half, including ones built around Standard-legal enchantments, age-old Modern artifacts, and even a few known staples. Today we'll unearth and assess that tech. […]

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]]> https://www.quietspeculation.com/2019/03/brew-report-february-decks-pt-2/feed/ 9 Brew Report: Perfect Pairs https://www.quietspeculation.com/2019/02/brew-report-perfect-pairs/ https://www.quietspeculation.com/2019/02/brew-report-perfect-pairs/#comments Fri, 15 Feb 2019 17:00:32 +0000 http://quietspeculation.com/?p=19590 Roses are red, violets are blue—it's time for another Report About Brews! This (day after) Valentine's Day, we'll take a look at some of the exciting developments Modern has seen this month, and present each deck alongside its significant other: another deck that's somehow related. In the words of a certain heart-shaped candy, LET'S GET BUSY! […]

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]]> https://www.quietspeculation.com/2019/02/brew-report-perfect-pairs/feed/ 7 Brew Report: Spell-Attack Renaissance, Pt. 1 https://www.quietspeculation.com/2018/11/brew-report-spell-attack-renaissance-pt-1/ https://www.quietspeculation.com/2018/11/brew-report-spell-attack-renaissance-pt-1/#comments Mon, 26 Nov 2018 17:00:23 +0000 http://quietspeculation.com/?p=19173 New aggro decks in Modern tend to be streamlined synergy machines full of critters. But "goodstuff"-style creature decks à la Jund, which wield Modern's known best cards, do slip through occasionally. Perhaps the best-known example of this phenomenon is Traverse Shadow, a deck that blew Modernites away when it first reared its head over a […]

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]]> https://www.quietspeculation.com/2018/11/brew-report-spell-attack-renaissance-pt-1/feed/ 2 Brew Report: Playing with Fire https://www.quietspeculation.com/2018/09/brew-report-playing-fire/ https://www.quietspeculation.com/2018/09/brew-report-playing-fire/#comments Fri, 28 Sep 2018 16:00:11 +0000 http://quietspeculation.com/?p=18846 I've had lots on my plate the last few weeks, including finally installing Magic Online on my Macintosh and playing in a couple of paper PPTQs for old-time's sake. While life passed me by as I struggled to 5-0 a competitive league, as much an exercise in beating the program's hostile interface as besting my opponents, […]

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]]> https://www.quietspeculation.com/2018/09/brew-report-playing-fire/feed/ 2 Spell-Based Brewing with Guilds of Ravnica https://www.quietspeculation.com/2018/09/spell-based-brewing-guilds-ravnica/ https://www.quietspeculation.com/2018/09/spell-based-brewing-guilds-ravnica/#comments Fri, 14 Sep 2018 16:00:16 +0000 http://quietspeculation.com/?p=18697

Guilds of Ravnica spoilers are underway, and the set is meeting my high expectations. It's even exceeding them thanks to a certain Golgari instant. Join me today as we discuss that card and explore some of the possibilities Guilds promises for spell-based fair decks the format over. The Trophy's Legacy Plenty has been written about […]

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]]> https://www.quietspeculation.com/2018/09/spell-based-brewing-guilds-ravnica/feed/ 10 Brew Report: Further Down the Spiral https://www.quietspeculation.com/2018/08/brew-report-further-down-spiral/ https://www.quietspeculation.com/2018/08/brew-report-further-down-spiral/#comments Fri, 24 Aug 2018 16:00:21 +0000 http://quietspeculation.com/?p=18586 Now that the maniacal calls for banning Bridgevine have subsided, Modern players and observers alike are free to gaze once more at the format's incredible diversity. In this week's Brew Report, we'll take a look at novel interpretations of Jund, Delver, and Zoo from online leagues. Once You Go Jund... I know a few Jund […]

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]]> https://www.quietspeculation.com/2018/08/brew-report-further-down-spiral/feed/ 2 The New Crackback: Introducing Miracle Bo https://www.quietspeculation.com/2018/08/new-crackback-introducing-miracle-bo/ https://www.quietspeculation.com/2018/08/new-crackback-introducing-miracle-bo/#comments Fri, 03 Aug 2018 16:00:42 +0000 http://quietspeculation.com/?p=18431

There's a new Delver in town, and this one doesn't need delirium or a white splash to put the hurting on opponents as of turn one. All it requires is a single, generic mana and an appetite for attacking. Meet Bomat Courier, my latest addition to Temur Delver. Noah Walker's breakout Legacy performance with post-ban Grixis […]

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