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A staggering amount of Magic content is published each day each day on a plethora of content sites, blogs, podcasts, and discussion forums. No matter how honest an effort you make, it's easy to fall behind and miss incredible articles because there just isn't enough time to read everything.
To that end, we've collected some of the best articles of the week covering a broad range of topics. If you're looking for articles, these are the ones you don't want to miss!
On All Things Standard
There's no question: Junk Reanimator is at the top of the Standard metagame right now. Paulo takes this as an opportunity to take a look at a number of successful decks in Standard and how they can be tweaked to be successful in the weeks to come. This article is awesome because there isn't really a bias towards particular styles of decks. The point isn't to tell you which deck is the best, but to see how these decks can adapt to the new metagame. The ability to identify which cards are no longer pulling their weight or could be improved is critical for staying ahead of a format, and Paulo does a great job of demonstrating the necessary mindset.
ChannelFireball.com: Paulo Vitor Damo Da Rosa (@PVDDR) - Tuning Standard
Today I’m going to analyze the many different builds of some Standard decks, and give my opinion on what I think the best version is and what I would change. The main goal of this article is not necessarily to tell you which deck to play, but to help with finding the best version of a deck.
On Friday Night
LoadingReadyRun is an awesome sketch comedy group that's recently returned to DailyMTG.com. If you like comedy and Magic culture, then you'll certainly want to keep up with their Friday Nights series on the mothership. This is a relatively unexplored aspect of Magic media that is short, entertaining, and really shows how Magic culture is growing and evolving. Today it's sketch comedy, but what will tomorrow bring?
DailyMTG.com: LoadingReadyRun (@LoadingReadyRun) - Grinding
On Ruric Thar
Ruric Thar is one of the cards first spoiled from Dragon's Maze, and is part of a 10-card cycle of new guild champions. This week Jennifer Clarke Wilkes shows us the story behind Ruric, and gives us our first look into the Dragon's Maze. What kind of untold treasures and perilous traps wait for us below Ravnica? Read on to find out!
DailyMTG.com: Jennifer Clarke Wilkes - Ruric Thar
A cluster of javelins bounced off the huge ogre's chest, one just missing the larger head.
"Oi! That was too close. We need to smash our way outta here," shouted Ruric.
"Oh, sure, that's your answer to everything. We need a strategy."
"Oooh, what a big word. Did Mom teach you that?"
A wave of armored infantry slammed into Ruric Thar's towering form with a crash. For a few moments, the air was filled with hammering, yelling, and harsh breathing. Then a moment oddly silent.
"There's just too many of these Boros guys for us to get through."
"We can take 'em. What are you, chicken?"
"Did someone say chicken?"
Legacy on a Budget
Legacy is generally considered a format for players who have either been playing the game for years or for those who are willing to take out a mortgage to fund their deck. This week Mike sets out to show us that, even in Legacy, you can compete on a budget. What kind of budget strategy can keep up with Tarmogoyfs and Wastelands without relying on them itself? Only Mike knows:
GatheringMagic.com: Mike Cannon (@MTGCannon) - Legacy Building
Legacy can seem like a difficult format to get into, especially on a tight budget. With expensive and hard-to-find cards such as Force of Will in every deck, it can seem impossible to assemble a Legacy deck without breaking the bank. However, there are always options for budget players if you look hard enough. I've been doing some testing with a fun Legacy deck that's powerful enough to steal some games from the top contenders but that can be put together without spending a ton of money. And it doesn't require a single Force of Will!
On Gerry Thompson
Podcasts are an awesome form of Magic media. We all like playing the game and talking about the game, and getting a chance to listen in to your favorite personalities talk about the game that brings us all together. This week, Robert Martin interviews Gerry Thompson, Pro Tour Gatecrash Top 8 competitor. They discuss all topics related to the Pro Tour and Gerry's Top 8, as well as his experience with Team Channelfireball and his Magic-related goals looking forward.
GatheringMagic.com: Robert Martin (@TheBeme)- The Magic Studio #11: Gerry Thompson
This is The Magic Studio with your host Robert Martin, the interview podcast with the best in Magic: The Gathering. I'd like to thank GatheringMagic.com—where you can find this show and some of the best articles in Magic—and CoolStuffInc.com. Our guest this week is Gerry Thompson.
On Having Fun
If you were to make a list of people who have the most fun with Magic, Chris Lansdell would have to be near the top of the list. Chris is the kind of guy who knows exactly what kind of Magic he wants to play, and he's going to have a blast doing it. Underneath all of the competition, strategy, and metagaming, Magic is a game, and it's meant to be fun. We could all stand to be reminded of that from time to time.
Chris's series of articles, Achievement Unlocked is focused on brewing up sweet decks and doing awesome things. Because sometimes we've got to give Spike a break and let our inner Johnny and Timmy let loose. If you're looking to have a blast playing some off-the-wall decks and have a good time at FNM, you'll want to keep an eye on Chris's articles.
ManaDeprived.com: Chris Lansdell (@lansdellicious) - Winning at Life
The revelation was, I guess, that sometimes heavily-played cards really are just that damn good. Yes, I played a Sphinx’s Revelation deck at FNM this week. I had been resisting it for a long time, despite owning two foil copies. I have this instinctual aversion to the cards that everyone else is using, and for the longest time Revelation was one of those cards. On the other hand, my love for Rhox Faithmender is well-known, as is my more-than-love for Ghosty McJazzhands himself Drogskol Reaver. But the 100 life achievement had been reached last season, so what possible use could I have for these cards now?
Enter Vizkopa Guildmage. It didn’t take long for people to realize that there was a two-card combo with him/her and Exquisite Blood, and I knew I wanted to build around it. The combo requires you to activate the Guildmage’s second ability and then either gain life or have your opponent lose life. The Exquisite Blood or Guildmage will then trigger, causing the other one to trigger…and so on.
If you have suggestions for next week's recap you can send them through to us on Twitter, or share throughout the week in the comments below.
