So there have certainly been a few changes since my last article, both in magic and at ManaNation. First, I will no longer be appearing on Tuesdays and will now be appearing on Thursdays. [Though today is Friday, he's right normally it'll be on Thursdays. Mea culpa my friend. -- Trick] Oddly enough I'm fine with this decision. I originally told Trick I was going to declare some sort of war on the writers who currently hold my spot but I decided perhaps making glorious battle is not the right call. Thursday gives me more time to write and digest the deck changes that have been made following the previous week's EDH league, which I will now be able to participate in regularly. The second reason I'm good with this swap is the fact that I only teach Monday through Thursday.

Come Thursday I'm ready for time off and all full of rambunctious energy, which is sure to show through in writing. The last reason really can't be overstated, and that's the fact that I can now concentrate on Monday Night Football with no guilt. I know that it doesn't matter too much right now with the season almost over but another season is just around the corner. Sure, there's a preseason and a draft, but those are just methadone for football fans! Knock on wood for no lockout of course.

While I love football as much as the next guy, let's instead talk about the changes that have come to EDH since my last couple of articles. First off, Emrakul, the Aeons Torn is banned. I've seen reactions ranging from ‘sky is falling' optimism to genuine belief that the format is better off for his banning. Personally I tend to take a wait and see approach. I've been on the receiving end of Emrakul a few times and it's fairly unpleasant. Unless it's fairly late game you really can't recover from a swing and it essentially ends the game for the person who's being attacked. If there are only two players in the game then I guess that's fine, but it tends to ruin the play experience of the guy who just lost all his stuff and got knocked out of the game and now has to wait for everyone else to finish. I saw this even though I use Bribery, tons of Wrath effects and ample ways to destroy Emrakul. Sometimes it's just better for a card to be gone and I think time will tell if getting rid of the spaghetti monster was a good or bad thing.

Another big change is that of "color identity." Color identity is not as tricky as it sounds and can be summed up in a few simple statements. First, look at the color(s) in the upper right corner. Now, look at any colors that show up in the rules text of the card. Now, look at anything the card tells you about its color. The phrase CDA, or "characteristic defining ability" gets tossed around some, it's just a fancy term that tells you "Here is rules text to tell you what the card normally says in the upper right hand corner." An excellent example of a CDA is Pact of Negation. Pact of Negation has a color identity of blue, and as such can only appear in blue edh decks.

What does all this chatter about color identity mean? Well, it's for the best in my opinion. Bosh the Iron Golem and Memnarch are now playable as generals! So is Thelon of Havenwood, which makes thallid decks significantly more viable, and just might help us define the topic of my next article. Now there's a slight downside, which is the official impact on the Bringers. Up until now I know a lot of play groups who were willing to let the Bringers appear in their respective colors, meaning a red deck could run Bringer of the Red Dawn. Now this was not in line with the rules, but most groups looked the other way. While this isn't a new change I would fully expect this to be enforced much more with the new formalization of the format.

Another big change that hasn't been mentioned quite as much is the advent of the new preconstructed EDH decks. First off, the fact that cards are being printed solely for their use in this format is a fantastic development. I look forward to seeing what development has in store and I trust that nothing will be too broken. Second, oversize generals are a great idea! My only regret is that there's no giant sized Progenitus for me to slam into play. The idea that older cards can be printed (to some extent) in these decks is also great news. I'd love to see some cards get updated treatments, cards like Sensei's Divining Top and Scroll Rack, which can be a little on the expensive side would be a fantastic reason for newer players to purchase these decks. My only real concern with the new EDH products is support from WotC. Having played Archenemy and Planechase and enjoyed both experiences I've been a little disappointed with their discontinued support after what seemed like quite a promising beginning.

I suppose the lesson here is that not all change is bad. We are all in some way Holden Caulfield, and I'm certainly no different. Change is almost always met with skepticism online, whether it be opening a new card and letting it be legal, or simply telling players that a card is just too powerful there is always someone who will stand in opposition. Remember that the rules committee and WotC research and design have the best in mind for the format, trust them, or if you can't trust them at least be a little patient with the changes. Well those are my words of advice for this week. Join me next week when we look at a fun thallid list, one that should bring some solid beats!