Island

Arclight Phoenix Variants in Modern

It's a bird! It's a plane! No! It's Arclight Phoenix! The Phoenix has taken the community by storm and appears, at first glance to be Modern material. Rone is here to answer that question and show you how to best utilize the hasty flier right here!

Partner Work Part 1: Legacy and Modern

Legacy is not perfect and other formats can teach it some lessons. In part one of "partner work," CabalTherapy looks at Modern's influence on Legacy.

When a Hug Doesn't Mean Love: Kynaios and Tiro Deck Tech

Ryan is back with more Commander deck techs. This time he's playing politics with a group hug pet project. Join him as he explains the art of the "deal."

The Standard Black-Green Midrange Compendium

PT Guilds of Ravnica may have had a Top 8 filled to the brim with White Aggro, but Hans believes Golgari Midrange still has what it takes to beat any of the format's big hitters. Take a look inside to know all about the inside-outs of B/G Midrange in Standard!

Dangerous Propositions: Punishing Fire

The Modern ban list is a maximum-security prison with 33 inmates, some of which pose a potentially serious threat to the meta. But now that Big Jace is free, anything can happen. Let's review each of the offenders to see if they're eligible for parole. This time, we talk of the burn spell that won't stay away.

Inner Workings: Spirit Aggro

In each installment of the Inner Workings series, we'll examine a different Modern archetype to find out what makes it tick. This time, it's the turn of a tribal deck that reached critical mass with a new, crucial addition on Core Set 2019, and it's been making strides ever since.

Cantripping through Memory Lane: Legacy Solidarity

It has been a while, but a brand new card from Ravnica revived Solidarity and could make it great again. It's a return to the roots of Legacy players everywhere.

Why You Should Play Baleful Strix: Part 1

Looking at the current Meta, the two most played decks are control decks. One of them plays four copies of Baleful Strix, but why? A 1/1 isn't that impressive in Legacy. Well Christopher is here to tell you what Strix is the perfect card for control and why you should be playing it!

Guilds of Ravnica: Red Decks in Standard

After a couple of weeks testing Standard, it's finally time to provide a snapshot of the metagame. This time around, Rodrigo is taking a look at Red and the strategies utilizing it to great effect.

Paradoxical Outcome in Vintage: The New Hotness?

Vintage format has been revolutionized by a card capable of winning games at instant speed and all on its own. It's not only because of its raw power, but also because of how easy it is to build balanced and synergistic decks around it. Pietro is here to tell you everything you could possibly want to know about Paradoxical Outcome in Vintage.

Changing Tides: U/R Delver in Legacy

For many years, U/R Delver has been a great choice for aggro players in Legacy. Its damage output via Delver of Secrets and Monastery Swiftspear fueled by Gitaxian Probe allowed for insane starts. But does it work nowadays?

Two Standard Decks You Might Have Missed

Since Guilds of Ravnica released, many have tried finding the best combination of cards to win in Standard. Some decks have become frontrunners of the format already but there is a lot left to be explore. Today Jamin introduces two decks you may not have seen before.

Azor's Gateway in Standard

Chrstian Seibold has been interested in Azor's Gateway since it was first spoiled. Filtering and a game-ending land is a potent combination, but Abrade was the card's natural enemy. Well Abrade is no more and Christian is back with his version of Gateway Control. If you're interested in awesome control brews, this is the deck for you!

Dangerous Propositions: Hypergenesis

The Modern ban list is a maximum security prison with 33 inmates, some of which pose a potentially serious threat to the meta. But now that Big Jace has been released, anything can happen. Let's review each of those offenders to see if they're eligible for parole. This time we talk of the ultimate green cheater.

Melting Ice: Flipping Thing in the Ice in Legacy

A 7/8 creature for two mana that does not see play in Legacy? That is totally unheard of! But that is currently the horror's fate. I think it is time to melt the ice.

Assassin's Trophy in Legacy: Is Sultai Viable Again?

Welcome to my first article for Cardmarket Insight. Loving Legacy, I want to take this opportunity and write about the impact of the new shooting star, Assassin's Trophy in Legacy. Hans talked about the possible changes in Modern, so I want to take this chance to write about one of my favorite colors in Legacy: Sultai or BUG.

Myth & Magic: Anima Mundi, the World Soul

Elementals are a wonderful creature type, as they can essentially be whatever a set needs at any given time. Their mythos and origins are somewhat more academic than goblins or dragons. So, make yourself a cup of tea and let me walk you through some of the philosophical aspects of what we know as Anima Mundi, the World Soul.

Grixis or Dimir? Preparing for Guilds of Ravnica Standard

Are you ready for rotation? The new Standard will soon kick-off with cards from Guilds of Ravnica. And for those Dimir and Grixis mages that want to keep playing their favorite strategy, here's a recap of their losses and additions to determine which guild will be successful.

Premodern: Why Is It Becoming Popular and Where Is It Headed

Premodern is an "old school" balanced format for nostalgic players but is not too expensive nor too limited when it comes to its card pool. Its future will depend on the players that it will attract, as well as the overall support it will get.

Myth & Magic: Goblins and Kobolds and Orcs, Oh My!

Next up in the Myth & Magic series, we're going to deal with all those little (and not so little) red Bois, some of whom have made an indelible mark on the game and will likely see a resurgence once the upcoming Ravnica set rotates in. We're talking Goblins and Kobolds and Orcs, oh my!

Dangerous Propositions: Umezawa's Jitte

The Modern ban list is a maximum-security prison with 33 inmates, some of which pose a potentially serious threat to the meta. But now that Big Jace has been released, anything can happen. Let's review each of those offenders to see if they're eligible for parole. This time we talk about the most broken piece of equipment ever designed.

Modern Metagame Review: 2018 Summer Edition

Summer is over and the Guilds of Ravnica spoilers have officially begun. While waiting for new cards to improve or create new archetypes, let's review how the Modern format has been performing during the past three months divided into winners, losers, and new brews.

Land Ahoy - Realms of the Cube

Hoist the sails and raise the flag! It's time for another installment of Cube for Squares, our beginner’s guide to Cube-building. Today, we venture on a path to discover lands to conquer and shiny cards to fill your coffers – or what other storage solution you use to house your treasured Limited environment.

Storming Off in Prague

The Modern Metagame is in a constant state of change these days. A few months ago, Andifeated thought his pet deck U/R Gifts Storm has been pushed out of the top decks because of an abysmal Humans matchup, but the tides have changed again. Follow him through his deck choice process and tournament for Grand Prix Prague.

The Post-GP Prague Metagame Breakdown

Although the European Modern scene leans toward control more than its American counterpart, the numbers that W/U Control put up at GP Prague came as an eye-opener for someone like me who expected things to be a lot more linear. Regardless, I want to take a look at the archetype's performance, examine an up-and-comer from the tournament, and wrap things up with a look towards the future. Without further ado, let's jump right into the deck of the hour, W/U Control.

Lord of Specters: Nicol Bolas Commander Deck Tech

M19 gave players the origin of Nicol Bolas his very own flip walker, to symbolize his getting a planeswalker spark. This means that commander players now have the opportunity to build Nicol Bolas decks with a decent Bolas commander. In this article, I will showcase a particular build for [Nicol Bolas, the Ravager] that focuses on hand disruption and reanimation.

Five Legacy Decks That Could Play Snapcaster Mage But Don't

No other creature plays such an important role in Legacy and Modern alike. Snapcaster Mage truly is the most flexible creature in all competitive Magic and, for some reason, there are still some decks not playing him.

My Top 3 Modern/Extended Decks

Christian has played Magic for a long time now. Last time, he covered his favorites from Standard. Here, he's looking at Modern and Extended. Read on to find out his personal favorites, from metal men to titans of Magic history.

Winning the Modern MOCS Playoff

In a fortunate series of events, Jamin took down a Modern MOCS playoff. In this week's article he talks about his road to the MOCS, his experience in Modern and how he arrived at the deck he played to this impressive finish.

Aftermath of German Nationals 2018

This past weekend, 548 Mages met in Marl, Germany in order to decide on the 2018 German national champion and which two players would join the pro point leader to earn glory at this year's World Magic Cup. Andifeated was there and tried to earn his spot on the team and tells you everything about one of the biggest National Championships in the world.

Top 3 Decks for Legacy from Pro Tour 25

The team Pro Tour 25 in Minneapolis featured Legacy and many players had feared drastic changes to the format once the pros start working on decks. In the end, we experienced a rather average snap shot of the meta paired with some smaller surprises. In the following, I present my top three conclusions from the Pro Tour and how they will affect the near future of Legacy.

Dangerous Propositions: Stoneforge Mystic

The Modern ban list is a maximum security prison with 33 inmates, some of which pose a potentially serious threat to the meta. But now that Big Jace has been released, anything can happen. Let's review each of those offenders to see if they're eligible for parole. This time we talk of the infamous equipment dealer.

Three Magic Players Walk into a Bar - KCI At PT25A

After PT 25th Anniversary, it's come time to tell you about the journey of three fierce warriors, set out to conquer the lands of Standard, Modern, and Legacy. Join me for some storytelling about the tournament and how I came to pick KCI as my pick for the Modern portion of the event.

Top 3 Standard Decks I've Played at Pro Tours

Standard has been pretty dull lately, turbo fog and paradoxical outcome aside. Christian has decided that instead of rehashing the same old broken standard decks sporting a certain whirling goblin, he'd look back at his favorite decks through the ages in this look back at Standard years past.

Surprises in Standard at Pro Tour 25th Anniversary

M19 has been available in Standard for a bit and while it seemed like the existing decks were going to continue to dominate, there were many surprises during the Pro Tour. Jamin covers his expectations, the coolest decks from the PT, and a surprising Online PTQ metagame.

MKM Series 2018 Prague: The Death of Delver

Shorty after the groundbreaking ban of Deathrite Shaman and Gitaxian Probe, the MKM Series visited Prague, eagerly awaiting a brand new Legacy format and the new brews it would entail. Miracles ended up the best-performing deck and carried the once mighty Delver to its grave.

M19 Standard for Pro Tour 25th Anniversary

Pro Tour 25th Anniversary is just around the corner and constructed Team Trios will be the format of choice with M19 Standard playing a major role in the tournament. In this article, I will try to highlight the latest additions while guessing which archetypes could be chosen by the pro players of the event. Let’s break it down!

The Next Step for Storm

No more Shaman, no more Probe. Storm lives on but will have to adapt and change much like everything else. Seizing opponents' thoughts and wrapping them in tendrils is still going to be one of the best ways of ending games of Legacy, even if its players are forced to adapt.

Modern Shadows Part 1: Grixis

Death's Shadow has been one of the most dominant cards in Modern these recent years. In this series of articles, Rone discusses its evolution and the various shells that thrive on self-inflicted pain. Part one is focused on the Grixis shell and its past, present and future.

Inner Workings: Ad Nauseam