Uro | Quiet Speculation

Nuked From Orbit: The February ’21 Banning

David Ernenwein — Tue, 16 Feb 2021 17:00:36 +0000

Wow. There are bannings, and then there are bannings. This was definitely the latter. Wizards looked at non-Standard Constructed, saw that it was poor, and nuked it. All of it, Historic, Pioneer, Legacy, and most importantly, Modern. Vintage also saw an unbanning. Because somebody had to get thrown a bone. Monday morning, Wizards dropped the largest […]

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MTGJoeD’s Top Three Kaldheim Singles

Joseph Davidson — Tue, 09 Feb 2021 12:00:53 +0000

Kaldheim is out and starting to impact constructed formats! Joe takes a look at the three singles he's most excited from in the set and their potential to be good speculations for your spec box.

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Challenge Accepted: January ’21 Metagame Update

David Ernenwein — Tue, 02 Feb 2021 17:00:59 +0000

Hot on the heels of my practical examination last week, it's time to formally close the books on the old metagame. Or at least that expression of the old metagame. Who knows how Kaldheim will actually affect Modern, but regardless, the old metagame will see turmoil and change. I expect whatever emerges from Kaldheim to be similar […]

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So It Ends: December 2020 Metagame Update

David Ernenwein — Tue, 05 Jan 2021 17:00:20 +0000

And now, to formally close the books on a terrible year. Yes, it is in fact 2021; time did truly progress, and we're not trapped in a Doctor Who-style loop. However, a new month means a new metagame update, which means that I must remind everyone of the past year. Sorry! The data set is […]

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Modern Banlist Watchlist: 2021 Edition

David Ernenwein — Tue, 29 Dec 2020 17:00:38 +0000

Final article of the year! Good riddance, 2020. Hopefully, things start to turn around quickly and we can have the gathering part of Magic: The Gathering back again. But, this isn't about a virus or vaccine. Today, I have business that must be finished before 2021 begins. For the third year running, it's time to update my […]

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Wild Speculation: MH2 Speculation, Part 2

David Ernenwein — Tue, 15 Dec 2020 17:00:19 +0000

With the metagame update done, that ends the heavy content for 2020. It's time to coast to the finish! I think we've all earned a nice easy December considering how 2020's gone, so going into the new year, let's destress and remember what hope felt like. I miss FNM. To that end, I'll be picking […]

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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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Alternative Medicine: Modern’s Land Problem

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

It's important to consider alternative solutions to any problem. No matter how clear the solution to a given problem may be to you, never discount the possibility of other perspectives offering insight. Or that biases can blind to us to potential solutions. Either way, entertaining alternatives can get the creative juices flowing. Which is why […]

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Spell Spotlight: Uro, Titan of Nature’s Wrath

Jordan Boisvert — Fri, 20 Nov 2020 17:00:40 +0000

My last article was about Scourge of the Skyclaves... and it still opened by acknowledging that Modern's general narrative currently revolves around Uro, Titan of Nature's Wrath. Yes, Uro is everywhere, and Modern players seem up on the fact that it's incredibly strong—if they aren't playing it, they're finding ways to beat it, or more […]

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Zendikar Rising and the Future of Modern, Part 1

Joseph Davidson — Thu, 19 Nov 2020 12:00:35 +0000

Paper Magic tournaments are going to come back someday post-pandemic which will undoubtedly lead to an increase in paper Magic card prices. Modern especially seems like a format prime for price increases, and today Joe takes a look at three popular decks from the Modern meta that are full of prime speculation targets.

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Uro on MTGO: Lessons from the MOCS

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

Continuing on with article types that have been vanishingly rare this year, it's time to look at the lessons from a specific tournament. I haven't done this since February because there just haven't been any Modern tournaments. Wizards has neglected every other format in order to push Arena. Which means that other competitive formats have been neglected. […]

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Practical Example: A League Story

David Ernenwein — Tue, 10 Nov 2020 17:00:18 +0000

Alright, now. Everybody exhale. Last week is over. We can all try to grind our way through the rest of the year. We've been through enough already. Now it's time for some lighter fare, especially the kind that used to be my bread and butter. Then, the lockdown rendered then impossible. I am of course […]

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Omnath Impresses: A Study in Variations

David Ernenwein — Tue, 20 Oct 2020 16:00:10 +0000

Zendikar Rising has had a notable effect on Modern, but it's been mostly positive. Whether it's making Death and Taxes finally viable or shaking up the Prowess decks, the new additions seem to be providing the right incentives without being oppressive. However, one card is drawing ire, mostly by association rather than anything it's actually […]

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Insider: QS Insider Cast 10/1/20 – Uro Bites the Dust and The Walking Dead

Christopher O'Berry — Fri, 09 Oct 2020 00:58:38 +0000

We had another great QS Insider Cast last week! Chroberry and Joe discussed the impact of the Uro ban on Standard, the drama surrounding The Walking Dead Secret Lair, Commander Legends, and more!

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September ’20 Brew Report, Pt. 2: Hard Landings

Jordan Boisvert — Fri, 02 Oct 2020 16:00:38 +0000

The second half of September 2020 brought us swaths of new decks, as Zendikar Rising did more than its fair share in shaking up the Modern metagame. Today, we'll explore new combo options and view the myriad directions ramp strategies are starting to take. Kombo Krazy We'll start with Belcher, a deck that recently received […]

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September ’20 Brew Report, Pt. 1: Future Flavors

Jordan Boisvert — Mon, 21 Sep 2020 16:00:21 +0000

New sets always inspire brewing and changes of pace, but this month, I was pleased to see that some of the ideas I've had about future metagame developments seem to be more realistic than I'd thought! If these decks have legs now, imagine what they'll look like when Zendikar Rising drops... maybe quite similar, and […]

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Investigating Confounding Conundrum

David Ernenwein — Tue, 08 Sep 2020 16:00:49 +0000

Ah, spoiler season. The time when I don't have to stretch myself doing statistical work. Just looking at the new cards, doing some basic analysis, and speculating about whether there's a place in Modern for them. Simple and low-pressure, just what this year's called for. Then, something had to come in a ruin everything: a […]

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August ’20 Metagame Update: Red’s Ahead

David Ernenwein — Tue, 01 Sep 2020 16:00:50 +0000

It's the start of a new month, and that means it's time for a new metagame update. Yes, I do intend this to be a regular monthly feature. Based on how discussions are going, there's never been a greater need for clear data. Additionally, I've been doing it piecemeal via events for quite some time […]

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August ’20 Brew Report, Pt. 2: Bant from TV

Jordan Boisvert — Fri, 28 Aug 2020 16:00:40 +0000

Earlier in the month, we saw Stoneforge Mystic come to form the backbone not just of popular UW and Stoneblade decks, but of Colossus Hammer combo decks and bulkier flash strategies. Blue aggro-control decks also had an interesting month, with Arclight Phoenix making a comeback and Devotion to Blue rearing its head. The latter trend […]

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Buylist Competition Is Heating Up

Sigmund Ausfresser — Mon, 29 Jun 2020 11:00:55 +0000

With COVID-19 halting paper events, vendors need to find alternate ways of restocking cards. Star City Games and ChannelFireball have been touting their buylist pretty hard lately. But can their prices compete with Card Kingdom and ABUGames? This week Sig investigates!

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