unbannings | Quiet Speculation

Video Series with Ryland: Bloodbraid Jund

Ryland Taliaferro — Wed, 07 Mar 2018 17:15:15 +0000

Well you had to know it was coming. We played with Jace, the Mind Sculptor last week, so this week was a bit obvious. I just wanted to give Bloodbraid Elf her time in the sun too! Frankly, Bloodbraid Elf is doing plenty fine without me giving her attention. Jace is the one who seems […]

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Jace and Bloodbraid: The Waiting Game

David Ernenwein — Tue, 27 Feb 2018 17:00:51 +0000

Since last Monday, it seems like Jace and Bloodbraid are everywhere. This should hardly be surprising. Exciting, powerful cards promote similarly excited brewing, and as the decklists reveal, players are actually following through. But this isn't Eldrazi Winter, and the new decks aren't obviously overpowered. There's more going on. It will take a few months before […]

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Video Series with Ryland: Jace Moon

Ryland Taliaferro — Wed, 21 Feb 2018 17:00:44 +0000

What an absolutely wild week for Modern. Playing with Bloodbraid Elf and Jace, the Mind Sculptor legal has been incredibly exciting and exhausting. With so many shells to try, and so many changes in deck-building philosophy (particularly for control decks) I feel like I'll never have enough time to explore all the avenues! Today's Blue […]

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The Four-Drops Are Coming! Unban Reaction

David Ernenwein — Tue, 13 Feb 2018 17:00:39 +0000

Wizards really dropped a bombshell on us Monday morning. Jace, the Mind Sculptor AND Bloodbraid Elf unbanned? Oof, didn't see that one coming. I'd been outlining articles for the various cards that I could see getting banned or unbanned, but these two together were not on the list. Never even considered it. However, it happened. I'll […]

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Testing Preordain: Qualitative & Quantitative Results

David Ernenwein — Wed, 27 Dec 2017 21:52:44 +0000

David is out for the holidays until next week. In the meantime, please enjoy his article from earlier this year where he presented results from the Preordain ban test. These results were originally presented in two separate articles (here and here), but I've divided them into parts for the purpose of easier reading. Part 1: […]

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A Modern Proposal: Six Years Later

Trevor Holmes — Thu, 10 Aug 2017 19:41:50 +0000

This week, I’m doubling down. Modern is returning to the Pro Tour, and with that, banned list discussion is certain to resurface. I’ve chosen to get out ahead of it; my article last week speculated on a potential opportunity for Wizards of the Coast to "solve" the banning problem once and for all. Unsurprisingly, this […]

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Bannings, Unbannings: A Question of Cantrips

David Ernenwein — Tue, 03 Jan 2017 17:30:04 +0000

Welcome to 2017! Hopefully you've recovered enough to actually face the new year, because we have a new set and a banlist announcement on the way. It's time once again for wild speculation and unrealistic expectations to flood the internet. Brace yourselves. We at Modern Nexus will do what we can to temper this and provide more grounded opinions […]

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Ordaining the Future: January 18th Banlist Predictions

Jordan Boisvert — Fri, 30 Dec 2016 22:51:41 +0000

Since the rise of Dredge, Modern has undergone some frightening changes. Linear aggro-combo decks have experienced a renaissance to fight off the Grave-Troll menace. Toting Eldritch Moon sleeper Grim Flayer, Jund has secured additional metagame shares as it combats these strategies. And Tron, never a favorite against pump-based aggro, has experienced perhaps more shifts than any of Modern's archetypes […]

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Testing Bloodbraid Elf: An Exercise in Futility

David Ernenwein — Tue, 20 Dec 2016 20:00:22 +0000

As the year, for better or worse depending on your perspective, draws to a close, I find that I have unfinished business. Or rather, I have business I thought was finished but others disagree. Specifically, players just won't accept that Bloodbraid Elf is not a serious consideration for unbanning. Despite addressing the issue several times, […]

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Banned List Testing: Rules and Possibilities

David Ernenwein — Tue, 18 Oct 2016 16:30:46 +0000

My article about testing Stoneforge Mystic generated a lot of conversation, both here on Modern Nexus and elsewhere. Judging by the reaction, people really do want some actual data and scientific method brought into discussions of the Modern banned list. Which means that I've got a lot of work to do. But I also know […]

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Modern Banlist Risks and Rewards

Jim Casale — Wed, 12 Oct 2016 20:08:16 +0000

Every three months a new set is released and people get really excited for Standard. Moderners get excited too, but not for the same reasons---each set release brings the possibility of an update to the Banned and Restricted list. Most of the time the entire article amounts to "no changes," but every once in a while […]

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A Foray into No Banned List Modern

Jason Schousboe — Wed, 03 Aug 2016 22:00:30 +0000

Few would disagree that the banned list in Modern is a net benefit to the format, facilitating its legendary diversity and ensuring games remain more or less interactive. There is, however, a certain curiosity that's hard to shake off---just what would our beloved format look like completely freed from all its shackles? No-banned-list Modern tournaments […]

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Fixing Modern: Pro Tour Ends and New Beginnings (Part 2)

Sheridan Lardner — Wed, 11 May 2016 16:00:00 +0000

Between the Platinum fee changes, the ensuing #PayThePros fallout, and Wizards' subsequent retraction, it's no wonder most Magic and Modern players have lost sight of Aaron Forsythe's seminal article, "Where Modern Goes from Here," released that same week. Talk about getting overshadowed. I can only imagine how the poor documentarians behind Enter the Battlefield felt […]

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Modern Banlist Predictions for January 18, 2016

Sheridan Lardner — Wed, 13 Jan 2016 18:25:12 +0000

By the time I publish my next article, the Modern collective will already be deep in the throes of rage, elation, shock, and joy after reading the January 18th banlist update. Monday can't come soon enough! The last time I was this excited about a scheduled announcement was the first Force Awakens trailer. As for […]

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Understanding the Turn Four Rule

Sheridan Lardner — Fri, 18 Dec 2015 17:00:01 +0000

The January 18 banlist announcement is now a month and a day away. If you play Modern, there's an excellent chance the inquisitors of the Modern community will scrutinize at least one of your decks. Probably all of them. Since December 1 alone, I've seen serious ban discussion aimed at Burn, URx Twin, BGx Midrange, Affinity, […]

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