merfolk | Quiet Speculation

Improving Aether Vial: MH2 Testing

David Ernenwein — Tue, 15 Jun 2021 16:00:49 +0000

As the paper release date for Modern Horizons 2 approaches, brewing and testing new decks is kicking into high gear. Players are eager to display their creations and figure out what Modern actually looks like after a year with paper play and numerous new sets. The online metagame is as always suggestive, but provably inbred […]

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The Losers from Modern Horizons 2

David Ernenwein — Wed, 09 Jun 2021 16:00:33 +0000

All decks aren't created equal: some are Splinter Twin, others are Mono-Green Aura Stompy. The same goes for every set: some are Dominaria, others Legions. Thus, the impact of every new set will be felt unequally both by Modern as a whole and by individual decks. Not every set can have Modern-playable cards, and not every […]

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MH2 Overview, Pt. 1: Home Cooking

Jordan Boisvert — Thu, 03 Jun 2021 16:00:27 +0000

The bars are opening, and with them, certain among the FNM registry's many stinky basements. In other words, it's officially Christmas. And if you don't celebrate Christmas, well, it's time to start: Modern Horizons 2 is fully spoiled as of yesterday! On that note, I'm thrilled to welcome you, fellow Modern fanatic, to the first […]

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Choosing The Right Bullet: A Beginner’s Guide

David Ernenwein — Tue, 25 Aug 2020 16:00:57 +0000

It's time, once again, for a return to The Beginner's Guide to Modern. This my long-running but periodic series where I cover the fundamentals of Modern for those new to the format. Though, as happens with a series that's four years old at this point, I've already covered all the fundamentals and obvious misconceptions long […]

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A Positioning Gift: Metagamed Merfolk

David Ernenwein — Tue, 18 Aug 2020 16:00:24 +0000

Decks come, and decks go. The metagame has no sacred cows. A deck must find its niche and then hold it to maintain relevance. Strength in a vacuum doesn't matter, nor does the dedication of the player base. Three years ago, Grixis Death's Shadow was an absolute monster of a deck, to the point that […]

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November Brew Report: Icy-Fresh Brews

Jordan Boisvert — Fri, 29 Nov 2019 17:00:15 +0000

The metagame is settling down, and players are learning how to attack the top dogs. So November was a slower month for brews. It still possessed Modern's telltale spark of ingenuity, though. Today, we'll look at the most exciting online winners from this month. New Takes on Aggro Standbys Playing Ol' Faithful's all well and […]

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Stitched Together: Early Successes from Horizons

Jordan Boisvert — Fri, 14 Jun 2019 16:00:15 +0000

Modern Horizons becomes legal today in the paper world, but it's been tearing up Magic Online for a good week. Wizards has published two events since then: a Modern Challenge and a league. Today, we'll scour each for the hottest tech stirring up the format. Scourge of the Format? In the very first Horizons-featuring event […]

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War of the Spark: Spoilers and More!

Christopher O'Berry — Mon, 15 Apr 2019 12:50:31 +0000

The Mythic Invitational this weekend will be the first debut of official War of the Spark spoilers! Be sure to check back with Quiet Speculation as the info rolls in.

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Power Levels: How Tiers Work

David Ernenwein — Wed, 27 Feb 2019 17:00:43 +0000

Determining a deck's tiering is a fairly simple process: take the decks that place in tournaments, compile them in a spreadsheet, rank them by population, done. This is a fine system, and is the only remotely objective way to determine the tier list. However, it doesn't tell the full story because it can't explain what […]

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MTG Metagame Finance #30

Edward Eng — Thu, 07 Feb 2019 18:19:42 +0000

This week, Eddie takes a deeper look into how Ravnica Allegiance is starting to affect all formats, along with his resulting portfolio updates.

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Hold ‘Em & Fold ‘Em #16

Edward Eng — Thu, 25 Oct 2018 12:08:51 +0000

The SCG Dallas Open showcased some interesting developments in several formats. Eddie takes stock of new technology and logs the changes to his portfolio in response.

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New Tricks: A Dominarian Merfolk Interlude

David Ernenwein — Tue, 08 May 2018 16:00:17 +0000

Merfolk has always been my workhorse Modern deck, but I haven't written about it in months. The metagame has shifted to a place I don't like with Merfolk, and so I've been playing other decks; as such, I had nothing much to say. However, I'm finding the deck's potential new includes from Dominaria promising enough to get […]

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Beating the Heat: Anti-Jace/Bloodbraid Tech

Roland F. Rivera Santiago — Wed, 14 Mar 2018 17:08:26 +0000

As the first tournament results since last month's landmark unbans roll in, it has become abundantly clear that Bloodbraid Elf and Jace, the Mind Sculptor are going to be major players in the metagame going forward. Competitive players need a plan to face these cards. Fortunately, Modern's card pool has plenty of options for exactly this […]

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The Spice of Rivalry: Brewing with Rivals

David Ernenwein — Tue, 20 Feb 2018 17:00:32 +0000

So, a new set released and I haven't addressed it at all. It's not that I didn't want to, or lack things to discuss. I was just a bit busy with a far more important project. And then with watching a Pro Tour. And then with chaos. I realize that talking about Rivals of Ixalan is […]

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Just Keep Swimming: SCG Classic Top 16 Report

Roland F. Rivera Santiago — Wed, 31 Jan 2018 17:00:48 +0000

The 2018 Star City Games Team Constructed Open was held in "Philadelphia" (the location of the event was about a half hour drive away from the actual city) this past weekend, and given that it's the first major paper tournament that's been held within an hour of me in a long time, I resolved to […]

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Walking on Water: Merfolk After Rivals

Roland F. Rivera Santiago — Thu, 04 Jan 2018 17:00:20 +0000

I normally prefer waiting until spoiler season is over to begin publishing think pieces on the upcoming cards, but had to make an exception this week. The announcement of Merfolk Mistbinder in Rivals of Ixalan has profound implications for my Modern deck of choice. While adding green to Merfolk is something pilots of the deck have […]

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UG Merfolk: You Got Ixalan in My Fishbowl!

David Ernenwein — Tue, 10 Oct 2017 16:00:38 +0000

The past month has been odd for me. I have been advocating UW Merfolk forever, but almost every other Fish player is mono-blue. It made sense. Perfect, painless mana all the time is really appealing. Then Ixalan happened and everyone is experimenting with other colors. I'm not complaining but it feels weird. The fact that they're still not […]

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Back on the PPTQ Grind: Week Six

David Ernenwein — Tue, 12 Sep 2017 16:00:25 +0000

An unexpected problem with managing a long running series is the intro. This is the sixth time I've had to report that I didn't get there and I'm worried that I'm just retreading old ground at this point. My only hope is that by pointing this fact out and turning it into my intro, I […]

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That’s So Modern: GP Las Vegas Report

David Ernenwein — Thu, 22 Jun 2017 16:00:18 +0000

Grand Prix Las Vegas was massive. You knew that from the coverage, but numbers don’t have the same impact as being there. I had to elbow my way to the match slip box past hundreds of players milling around the Vintage Magic and Quiet Speculation booths while over half of the actual GP contestants played […]

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Beginner’s Guide: Managing Deck Complexity

David Ernenwein — Tue, 30 May 2017 21:15:34 +0000

Welcome back to the Beginner's Guide. Once again, it is time for some general advice for those making the transition from Standard to Modern. As always, my intention is to provide a foundation for newer players to build on. Once this is established, only then are you ready to talk about all the nuance that aficionados […]

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