I have to admit that I’ve been a little bit nervous about this article. A few weeks ago, I wrote my Gatecrash Prerelease Primer, and my analysis was pretty different from what the majority of the MTG writing community predicted. Some of my key predictions were that the format would be very aggressive, Boros and Gruul would be the most played decks, but they would also be the worst, while Orzhov would be the best. Since then, the general consensus among the Magic community is that Boros is the best deck in the format, with Dimir being the worst. I went into this analysis wondering if I’d have to end up eating crow. On top of that, I’d be pretty disappointed if my predictions for the format turned out to be so wrong for the first time since Zendikar.

With that said, crunching the numbers lead me to some very surprising conclusions, and not in the way that most readers are going to expect. I think that this particular study has taught me more about its format than any other I have done. My AVR overview probably still has the record for the most groundbreaking study I’ve done, but this one definitely comes in a close second. In this article, we’ll take a look at the speed of the format, and then dive deep into the guilds. After that, I’ll have a section on splashes.

Tighten up your seatbelts, because here we go.

On a rugby pitch somewhere, a young man struggling with his sexual identity is called a homophobic slur and decides never to play rugby again. In a hobby store somewhere a young woman is teased by a room full of boys and decides never to play Magic again. The young man maybe fakes an injury while the young woman pretends to lose interest in the card game. Their decisions are completely understandable, normal, and soon forgotten. The decisions of Gareth Thomas and Melissa DeTora, on the other hand, are harder to understand and much harder to forget.

Now, I’ve been a journalist for much of my professional career. I’ve written on deadlines that were seemingly impossible, and as an editor, I’ve set deadlines that were seemingly impossible. I’ve rushed to break stories before anyone else, and I’ve submitted city council stories before the city council meeting was over. And yet, nothing compares to the rush of writing for a Magic tournament.

Think about it. In the span of about a round, we have to research and write a full article. Things are a bit easier than full-on news articles because all of our sources are right there and we’re already experts on the topic (Magic). However, we also have to deal with source availability—most of them are actually busy playing, after all—and other responsibilities, such as helping out with the Draft viewer or the cards in hand tool. Grands Prix can be even tougher with more rounds each day and fewer breaks to catch your breath.

And I love it. Other journalists will know why, but for the rest of you, just know that, when you finally catch your breath at the end of the day, you feel a pretty strong sense of accomplishment. We tend to feel pretty good about ourselves at that point.

"Philosophy," he said, eyes twinkling. "Now that's another matter entirely. Tell me about yours."

"The power we wield over life is staggering," she said. "And we have a responsibility to create more with it than biological curios. We can make things, like your lighting system here, that can improve people's lives. We can give them medical treatments unlike any others. We can make life in this city better, for everyone."

"Ahh," he said. "Dangerous ideas. Much simpler to toss a few animals together and see what comes out. Much safer. That gets you appointed, gets you publicity. Gets you research grants."

He grinned.

"But if you're not here for those things—if you care more about your philosophy than you do about your career—then maybe, just maybe, you can make a real difference in the world."

"In that case," she said. "I think I'm exactly where I should be."

It must be entertaining to people unfamiliar with Pauper that a format of all commons is allowed access to more powerful cards than a format like Modern. This is not an apples to apples comparison, seeing as how Wizards is closely monitoring Modern to craft the format. This is not the case with Pauper. So while Modern has to make do with Serum Visions and Sleight of Hand, Pauper gets the big guns of Ponder and Preordain. While Modern has the Urzatron, Pauper gets Cloudpost and the Locus Engine.

Cloudpost is currently the best end game in Pauper. This is due in large part to Mystical Teachings. Teachings requires a significant amount of mana to take over a game, which Cloudpost provides easily. While these two cards have existed in Pauper for years, it was not until the release of Glimmerpost that the strategy really caught on. Glimmerpost provides the necessary defense against aggressive decks, allowing the control player to undo attacks for the investment of a land drop. Since control decks like playing land, this is a win-win scenario. This is key in helping Izzet Post to survive long enough to allow its other tools to come online.

What direction was given to the creative team when designing the style guide for the Simic Combine?