mono-red prowess | Quiet Speculation

June ’21 Brew Report, Pt. 1: Rags to Riches

Jordan Boisvert — Sat, 03 Jul 2021 16:00:48 +0000

Modern Horizons 2 has been around for a month, and the format has adjusted thoroughly. That's not to say the dust has settled; just that the world is very different now. Today, we'll take a look at the directions fair decks are headed, featuring a pair of red one-drops that have already begun to redefine […]

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Ramp Rising: November 2020 Metagame Update

David Ernenwein — Tue, 08 Dec 2020 17:00:01 +0000

Alright, no more delays. All the data is finally in, and so it's time to do November's Metagame Update. So far, the metagame has generally been dynamic. The top deck hasn't been consistent between months, though Rakdos Prowess and its descendant Scourge Shadow have been consistently Tier 1 since I started doing these again. Will […]

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Companion Modern: Consistency vs. Certainty

David Ernenwein — Tue, 26 May 2020 16:00:25 +0000

Another week of data, another update to the Ikoria metagame. The trends had been moving towards companion stabilizing in Modern. Last week, the individual companion cards seemed volatile in terms of usage, but the mechanic itself appeared to have achieved saturation. We observed some signs suggesting that companions might be been fading in Modern, which […]

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Dream-Den’s Alurr: Lurrus in RG Prowess

Jordan Boisvert — Fri, 08 May 2020 16:00:37 +0000

Days before the impact of companion on Modern was impressed upon me, I came across an article over at Good Grief Games by Kenan Diab on his RG Prowess deck. The idea was simple: take the persistently successful Mono-Red Prowess deck and cover for some of its glaring weaknesses by accommodating green creatures, in this […]

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Online Only: MTGO Metagame

David Ernenwein — Wed, 25 Mar 2020 16:00:05 +0000

*Sigh* Oh, Magic Online. It is only now, with paper Magic shut down, that I am forced to regularly use you. And remember that I love/hate you. The ability to pick up and play my preferred format anytime, and against anyone in the world, is a true joy. Having to navigate your stubbornly obtuse command schemes […]

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To Be Continued: Post-Ban Snapshot

Jordan Boisvert — Tue, 17 Mar 2020 16:00:23 +0000

It's been just over a week since Once Upon a Time got the boot in Modern, so we don't have a lot of information with which to decisively answer the question on everyone's mind: where does the format go from here? We do, however, have some data points. Today, we'll look at a few decks […]

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Right Tools for the Job: Top-Tier Tech

David Ernenwein — Tue, 18 Feb 2020 17:00:24 +0000

The metagame is beginning to take form, and now is the time for players to start adapting. This could mean adjusting which decks they play, how they play them, or what cards they play. Now is naturally a time for experimentation, but no such transitional period is free from common mistakes. Whether it's misunderstanding how […]

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Titanic Whimper: The Meta Develops

David Ernenwein — Tue, 11 Feb 2020 17:00:13 +0000

Last week, we made a forecast about Modern in 2020. And with a starting point established, we can now begin tracking developments! I previously concluded that the SCG circuit was overplaying Amulet Titan, and that Modern players were forgetting to pack their graveyard hate. This week, I will be adding to the data with additional […]

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And So It Begins: Metagame Starting Point

David Ernenwein — Tue, 04 Feb 2020 17:00:22 +0000

Everything has to begin somewhere. The Modern metagame is no exception, and last week I used the MTGO metagame as a bellwether for the emerging format. The five decks I examined have done well online. However, as I noted, the data isn't necessarily accurate or indicative of what players will encounter at a Modern event. […]

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Season’s Greetings: Early Metagame Indicators

David Ernenwein — Tue, 28 Jan 2020 17:00:42 +0000

That Modern is changing should be obvious: there's a lower-power set coming out and we just had a major banning. But how Modern is changing is an open question. The only major Modern events for the next month are SCG Classics and Team Opens, which aren't the most reliable sources for data. So we'll have […]

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December Brew Report: A Story to Tell

Jordan Boisvert — Fri, 03 Jan 2020 17:00:16 +0000

Full bellies? Droopy eyes? Scrolling and clicking? It's the new year, all right! But why focus on the future when we could dwell on the past? Read on for an after-holiday treat: the spiciest brews to come out of 2019's death throes. Technologic Urza and Oko might be hogging the spotlight, but artifacts have a […]

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