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 […]

Greetings, Nexites. For this week’s Deck of the Week segment I’m taking over from Rob, but you can expect him back in full force next week. Last weekend was an interesting one for Modern, as we saw an old fringe deck put up not one, but three finishes in high-level MTGO tournaments. I’m talking, of […]

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 […]

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 […]

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. […]

The Star City Games Charlotte Open results are in, and there are numerous other Modern events on the horizon. In a few short months, we’ll have a Modern Pro Tour on our doorstep as well. Summer is over, fall is here, and Modern is back in the spotlight. It is time. This week, I’ll be […]

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 […]

We’re back! Today, we’re looking at the rest of the spoiled cards for Ixalan, to see what could make an impact in Modern. Like I discussed last week, I’m choosing to approach these spoilers from the mindset of the best-case scenario, imagining what would have to happen to make them see play. As is often […]

Yes, you read that title correctly. For better or worse, this series is coming to its end for the year. The only remaining PPTQ for PT Rivals of Ixalan is Sealed Deck, so this is the end. Until the Modern grind resumes next year, anyway. I really wasn’t sure what to expect this week. The PPTQs […]

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 […]

Argh. Falling short of your goals is disheartening enough. Knowing it was because you didn’t perform at you best is far worse. Doing so on your home turf is humiliating. This week’s PPTQ did not go well; that’s the tagline here. Just in case it wasn’t immediately apparent. This week’s PPTQ was held at my […]

Whoa crazy crazy. After two weeks in the weeds discussing possible major changes to Wizards’ approach to Modern, it’s high time for nice, wholesome event analysis, and what a weekend for it. Two Grand Prix in Birmingham and São Paulo, a Modern Open and a Modern Classic in Richmond, not to mention two weeks of online […]

This is a very frustrating week for me. You see, I have a very good result to report on and an embarrassingly bad one as well. It’s not the ideal result, but much better than previous weeks. I almost got there, but that just isn’t good enough for me. I’m massively competitive and will never be […]