grixis control | Quiet Speculation

MTG Metagame Finance #26

Edward Eng — Thu, 03 Jan 2019 05:00:43 +0000

Eddie takes a look at some cards to pick up during the winter lull, and prepares us for more Ravnica Allegiance spoiler speculation.

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Unlikely Gifts: Brewing with Precognition Field

Jordan Boisvert — Fri, 16 Mar 2018 16:00:15 +0000

By now, most Modern players have seen the Chinese Dominaria spoiler leak going around. If not, head on over to the Mothership, where Wizards themselves confirmed the leak and graciously posted translations of the cards. While unsolicited spoilers can ruin the season for some, for players experiencing a brewing lull, they can serve as a much-needed […]

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Relics of Prodigy-Ness: Eccentricity at Regionals

Jordan Boisvert — Fri, 10 Nov 2017 19:14:14 +0000

Another SCG Regionals is in the books. I had to change that link, by the way—in some crazed stupor, I accidentally waded through the results of the Season One Regionals tournaments from February (yes, the ones I even placed in) and wrote a 3,000-word article about all the rogue decks at those tournaments, which I […]

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Control Decks in Modern: Exploring the Variations in Viable Archetypes

Ryland Taliaferro — Wed, 30 Aug 2017 17:00:46 +0000

For a long time, control decks in Modern have struggled to gain some inkling of viability. Considering the huge breadth and diversity of Modern, a deck composed of all answers has be tuned just right for the current metagame. While this is already quite the lofty task, the next step is near impossible—getting pairings to […]

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Suspend Your Disbelief: Branching Out with As Foretold

Jordan Boisvert — Fri, 21 Apr 2017 16:00:38 +0000

Two weeks ago, I considered As Foretold's applications in Modern control decks. My starting points were Pillow Fort and UB Control, but by the end of the article (and, incidentally, the time I prepared to publish it), I'd turned my attention to integrating the Amonkhet highlight into Modern's longest-standing control deck: Jeskai. Over the past two […]

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The Next Level: The Case for Esper

Trevor Holmes — Thu, 23 Mar 2017 20:13:21 +0000

If you want to play control in Modern this week, Grixis is not the answer. Corey Burkhart has an excellent list that he’s been using to great success, and if you’ve read my articles over the past couple weeks by now you're familiar with my thoughts on the archetype. Unfortunately the word is out, and […]

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Rising and Falling Competitive Stock

Trevor Holmes — Thu, 16 Mar 2017 16:20:28 +0000

No, this isn’t a finance article—I leave those to the geniuses over at Quiet Spec (and Jim Casale of course). What I want to talk about today are individual cards whose "gameplay stock" is trending up or down based on recent trends in the metagame: "what’s hot and what’s not,” if you will. We’ve done […]

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Ancestral Vision: A Case Study

Trevor Holmes — Thu, 09 Mar 2017 18:58:22 +0000

As of this writing, a playset of Ancestral Vision will set you back 140 tickets on MTGO. Sure, some of that is finance garbage due to Snapcaster Mage and fetches being in MM3, but even before that the card was 25+ tickets. Corey Burkhart (and now Shaheen Soorani) have been in the spotlight in recent […]

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The New Fad: Conversations on Grixis Control

Trevor Holmes — Thu, 02 Mar 2017 17:28:40 +0000

Grixis Control has received a surprising amount of attention recently, due in large part to Corey Burkhart’s continued work on the archetype, and Shaheen Soorani’s recent adoption of the strategy. For those wondering about Richie Sledz’s 4th-place finish at the SCG Open in Indianapolis, look no further. His deck was almost a direct copy of […]

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The Fair Decks: A Beginner’s Guide

David Ernenwein — Tue, 31 Jan 2017 17:00:47 +0000

For the first time this year, welcome to The Beginner's Guide! For those new to this series, I am trying to simplify Modern to make it more approachable and comprehensible for those players new to the format. Previously I've covered sideboarding strategies, deck diversity, and an in-depth look at the aggressive strategies. Today, it's time […]

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From the Heart: Writing on Magic & Modern

Trevor Holmes — Thu, 22 Dec 2016 22:09:55 +0000

This one isn’t going to have much analysis. You could call it an opinion piece, but really there isn’t an opinion I’m arguing here. Rather, this week is just one unfiltered voice, from one Magic player to another. Call that a disclaimer if you want, but today I’m going to be talking about some of the […]

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Keeping Up With the Karpathians: Tuning For a Linear Metagame

Jordan Boisvert — Fri, 25 Nov 2016 17:49:41 +0000

Looking solely at the Top 16s of recent events, observers might argue that Modern has become shockingly interactive. Todd Stevens' Sun and Moon, a white-red prison deck with a midrange slant, just won a Star City Games Open in Knoxville, headlining a Top 16 packed with more Sun and Moon, Skred Red, and Jund. Earlier this month, […]

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Grixis Control Today: Fine-Tuning for the Meta

Trevor Holmes — Thu, 20 Oct 2016 16:36:26 +0000

Last week I introduced my new submission for Grixis Control, Fall 2016 style. My reasons for revisiting the archetype were simple: Modern is polarizing, Grixis hasn’t been putting up results lately, and the deck is freakin' awesome. If you missed last week, be sure to catch up to speed first. That article framed most of the discussion […]

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Post-Kaladesh Grixis Control

Trevor Holmes — Thu, 13 Oct 2016 18:11:33 +0000

With no SCG events to analyze, and the next Modern Grand Prix in Dallas still almost a month away, I’m left with a “free” topic of sorts this week. Unchained of the duty of analyzing set impact, as Kaladesh appears to be making only a minor impression in Modern, the sky’s the limit as to […]

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The Colors of Modern – Part Two: Blue

Trevor Holmes — Thu, 09 Jun 2016 16:30:48 +0000

Last week, I began a five-part series focused on analyzing the varying impact each color in Magic has upon Modern, based on the individual cards that see play in the format and, to a broader extent, the archetypes made possible by these cards. If you missed last week’s article on white, check it out there; I’ll […]

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Welcome to Modern: A Beginner’s Guide

David Ernenwein — Tue, 17 May 2016 16:00:55 +0000

So, you want to play Modern? I’ve been hearing a lot of that lately. Standard players have been flocking into the format since the start of Eldrazi Winter. A good number also flocked out when that anomaly was corrected, but quite a few have stuck around and by my observations seem a bit lost. Modern […]

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Tracking Ancestral Vision at SCG States

Jason Schousboe — Thu, 28 Apr 2016 16:00:12 +0000

The month of April has brought about a bevy of changes to the Modern format. Between the banishing of the Eldrazi back to from whence they came, to two notable unbannings, to the announcement that the Modern Pro Tour is no more, there has been plenty to discuss and ruminate over. While some big questions […]

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Building Ancestral Grixis in the New Modern

Trevor Holmes — Thu, 14 Apr 2016 16:00:34 +0000

Today I will be focusing on Grixis Control. Where it came from, the challenges it faces, how it can respond to the new Modern landscape we find ourselves in, and what role it will play moving forward. For those unfamiliar with my opinions on this deck, you can brush up here, here, and here. While […]

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Fighting Eldrazi: History and Recent Technology

Trevor Holmes — Thu, 03 Mar 2016 17:00:19 +0000

For better or for worse, the events of tomorrow will forever go down in history. Children will be told tales of the weekend’s events; be they whispered over a smoldering fire in some remote cave, or trumpeted from the ramparts of some lofty castle. Eldrazi, or the Allies? The delicate fate of our very existence […]

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Beating Eldrazi with Grixis Control

Trevor Holmes — Thu, 25 Feb 2016 17:00:40 +0000

Eldrazi might be too powerful. We’ve known this since the Pro Tour, and it really has never been a serious question. Since Pro Tour Oath of the Gatewatch, a lot of drama has occurred, both in the Magic community and in the comments of our own site. Maybe a ban is necessary, maybe it’s not. […]

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