jeskai control | Quiet Speculation

December ’20 Brew Report, Pt. 1: Flagged!

Jordan Boisvert — Sun, 20 Dec 2020 17:00:15 +0000

The world's on fire, or so it can seem—depending on your news outlet, salvation may well be around the corner. In any case, there's one world that's blooming and flourishing, and that's the world of Magic: Online Modern invention! Today, we'll check out four of the coolest decks I've seen surface in December thus far, […]

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Here Be Questions: Ikoria Spoilers, Week 2

David Ernenwein — Thu, 16 Apr 2020 16:00:00 +0000

Well, that was fast. Normally we have three full weeks of spoilers, but Wizards has really rushed out Ikoria. I'm guessing the quarantine is a factor here and they're in a bit of a scramble. In any case, the entire set is now out. And it's a little mediocre, Modern-wise. As I mentioned last week, this […]

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Slow and Steady: Metagaming against Phoenix

David Ernenwein — Tue, 26 Mar 2019 16:00:39 +0000

Modern is vast and diverse enough to make metagaming a frequently terrible idea. However, sometimes it is warranted. With Izzet Phoenix, followed by Dredge, consistently dominating the big tournaments in a way that Modern hasn't seen in years, it makes sense for the first time in a long time to actively target the top decks. How to […]

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MTG Metagame Finance #24

Edward Eng — Fri, 21 Dec 2018 01:05:52 +0000

Ultimate Masters is still in full bounce back mode, and the last World Magic Cup has come to a finish. Plus, some sweet Ravnica Allegiance spoilers have hit the market so there’s gonna be a nice mix of things to talk about again in this piece. Owing to the spoilers, this might be a little […]

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Fighting Control: A Beginner’s Guide

David Ernenwein — Tue, 23 Oct 2018 16:00:20 +0000

The Beginner's Guide series offers advice to new to Modern players and dispels common myths about the format's workings. This week, inspired by some consistent misplays I've observed, I am going to be tackling Modern's control decks. There appears to be a perception that they're something to tread carefully around. But control is just another […]

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Hold ‘Em & Fold ‘Em #11

Edward Eng — Thu, 20 Sep 2018 18:30:11 +0000

For this week, Eddie brings more Guilds of Ravnica spoiler talk and a dive into one of Magic's newest formats to crop up, Premodern.

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Colorless Matchup Guide: Jeskai and UW Control

Jordan Boisvert — Fri, 31 Aug 2018 16:00:50 +0000

"Control is dead" has long been a mantra of those unsatisfied with Modern. But UWx control decks have had impressive showings lately on the competitive circuit—just last weekend, both Jeskai Control and UW Control made Top 8 at GP Prague and SCG Baltimore, respectively. Thanks to Search for Azcanta and Teferi, Hero of Dominaria, it's […]

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Anticipating the GP Las Vegas Metagame

David Ernenwein — Tue, 12 Jun 2018 16:00:58 +0000

At last, GP Las Vegas is upon us. Unfortunately, work-related complications mean I will not be going. But that won't stop me from examining the latest Modern results to anticipate the metagame. While these results are not entirely unexpected, interpreting the data with care ensures a more accurate metagame read. The data from the past […]

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Ground Level View: Testing for Las Vegas

David Ernenwein — Tue, 05 Jun 2018 16:00:37 +0000

There is an old proverb about the best-laid plans. I intended to examine the results from SCG Regionals this week, but at writing time, they had not been officially posted. The few forum and reddit posts provide patchwork at best data, so that article will have to wait. Instead, I will be discussing how I […]

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Dynamic Equilibrium: SCG Minneapolis

David Ernenwein — Tue, 29 May 2018 16:00:52 +0000

With hard metagame data being increasingly hard to come by, having several events in a row is a relief. Rather than extrapolation and conjecture, data and fact can guide my recommendations. This string of Star City events will provide an excellent guide for those heading to GP Las Vegas, and preparation and information are the […]

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It Was Foretold: Jeskai Control’s Return

David Ernenwein — Tue, 22 May 2018 17:40:13 +0000

I've been doing a lot of theoretical work over the past few months. With Dominaria's release there was plenty of need—and opportunity—to explore and brew. During this process I was constantly underwhelmed by Modern's ostensible top deck, Humans. It was a fine deck, but it didn't really shine. As I explained last week, this left me perplexed about […]

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Why Not Control? – Attacking the Humans Meta

David Ernenwein — Tue, 15 May 2018 16:00:45 +0000

Humans is currently the best deck in Modern. The data is very clear about this: Humans is on top everywhere and has been for most of the year. This is causing a kind of dynamic stability to take over the format. The top decks have remained relatively the same for some time while the rest […]

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Deep Analysis: Comparing Metagame Methodology

David Ernenwein — Tue, 12 Dec 2017 17:00:40 +0000

The plan for this week was to update my metagame data tables with the results of the Grand Prix. However, Jason surprised all of us with the actual metagame update. Not that I'm complaining, mind you; it was a very nice surprise. I'm glad the more rigorous and comprehensive table is back in action. In […]

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A Complicated Metagame: Invitational Weekend Update

David Ernenwein — Tue, 05 Dec 2017 17:00:18 +0000

Once again, it's time to update my paper metagame table! Magic's had a busy weekend---between the SCG Invitational and the World Magic Cup, it was easy to miss the Roanoke Open. Which feels very odd to say, considering how popular and pervasive Opens are, but it's the truth. Not that it matters; the data it […]

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A Fatal Push Retrospect and the Future of Fair

Jordan Boisvert — Fri, 17 Nov 2017 17:00:11 +0000

Modern's detractors have long cast the format as a writhing mess of linear decks, all ignoring each other or skillfully opening sideboard hosers all the way to each hyper-aggressive Top 8. But until recently, Modern's pound-for-pound fairest deck---Jund---has commanded more metagame shares than almost anything else. That deck's resignation as king gave way to a variety […]

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Enter Clean-Up Step: Metagame and Ixalan Updates

David Ernenwein — Tue, 14 Nov 2017 17:00:23 +0000

Sometimes it's necessary to revisit older topics. Whether it's previously unavailable data coming in, or assumptions and beliefs evolving, it's good to revisit previous statements and articles to see if they're still valid. Today I will first finish off my Regionals update, then I need to revisit some Ixalan cards both because I missed them and […]

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Metagame Developments: The Regionals Update

David Ernenwein — Wed, 08 Nov 2017 18:15:51 +0000

So, here it is, the big update. After today, we will definitely have enough data to make actual conclusions about the metagame. I won't go as far to say that it is the definitive metagame—it's not that big. However, this will show what you can expect going into Grand Prix Oklahoma City. The online metagame has […]

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The Strange Case of the Metagame and the Unbannings

David Ernenwein — Tue, 31 Oct 2017 16:30:21 +0000

It begins, gentle seekers of glory. Today is a day of great opportunity and gangrenous rot. The pallid sun meekly illuminates the great ravenous hordes as they linger, eager and anxious, waiting for their moment, when they shall be unleashed upon the world to slack their unending hunger for inadequately-proportioned sugary confections. For those whose […]

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Metagame Developments: SCG Cincinnati Analysis

David Ernenwein — Tue, 24 Oct 2017 16:00:40 +0000

Another week, another Star City Open, another round of data collection. As a general observation, the metagame diversity on display is remarkable. As the data will show, there are numerous viable archetypes and considerable diversity within those archetypes. However, clear front-runners are emerging. Should these continue through Regionals I think the metagame tiering will emerge. […]

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Shifting Metagame: SCG Charlotte Analysis

David Ernenwein — Tue, 17 Oct 2017 19:45:46 +0000

You may not have heard, but there's a Modern Pro Tour coming up. This is leading to an influx of interest in our beloved format and increased tournament support. The past weekend had an SCG Modern Open in Charlotte; next weekend there's another in Cincinnati, SCG Regionals are in November, and then the SCG Invitational and GP […]

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