Well folks, it has been a minute since I last felt the compulsion to write about Magic: the
Gathering. Personally, my life has been somewhat of a whirlwind. I have kept up with the
current events to a point, and I am aware that a new set has been released. I, also, happen to
know that the Standard format is about to change dramatically. Gone are the days of Olivia
Voldaren, Huntmaster of the Fells, Restoration Angel, and Thragtusk. We now usher in a new
era brimming with divine intervention. Theros beckons for us to tread her rolling plains. She
begs we conquer her illustrious mountain peaks. She pines for us to dive deeply into her
sprawling waters. She wills us to creep ignorantly about her fetid marshlands. Her forests urge
all passerby to venture between the trees. With that in mind, I would like to make an attempt at
some Standard decks that could potentially show some teeth come this fateful Friday.

My dearest Phyrexians, it has been too long. Dragon’s Maze is legal in Standard, and everything has changed. Well, honestly, not much has changed. Junk Rites is still the deck to beat, as Sin Collector allows the deck more interaction versus dedicated hate cards. The midrange Jund strategies gained a powerful weapon with Sire of Insanity. Red Green Aggro lists have become the default aggressive shell in the format, as widespread adoption of Ghor Clan Rampager seems to finally have taken a foothold in the aggressive decks.

All in all, Dragon’s Maze has not been format shifting, but it did bring a few golden nuggets out of the woodwork. Yet, if we look closely, there are few new decks that can be found amongst the Forest, Plains, and Islands. SCG Charlotte has come and gone, and the Bant shard yearns to be seen. First things first, how about we crank the annoyance up to eleven?

Friends, humans, soon to be Phyrexians, lend me your eyes. It would seem that Niv Mizzet has constructed a maze that needs to be solved. Luckily, enough powerful resources have been strewn about Ravnica that conquering the Dragon's Maze is not a mere dream, but an obtainable reality. The full spoiler has been released, and the Dragon's Maze prerelease is only a scant few days away. So, without, further adieu, let us take a gander at some of the newest tools to impact competitive play brought to us by the newest set, Dragon's Maze.

Hello arena attendees. Today is the story of another top eight choke by yours truly. In what is becoming an alarming trend, it would seem I am having trouble closing at tournaments. I suppose that means no Glengarry leads for me, since those are for closers.

Hello to attendees of the Colosseum. Today, here within Phyrexian Arena, we are proud to feature a special pit fighter.  A champion's champion made to defeat the Standard minotaurs, werewolves, vampires, and beasts in the glorious art of combat.  We present a deck that is not afraid to bite it's thumb against the supreme verdict of the emperor.  Behold the mighty. The legendary.  The one. The only; Junk!

Charred ash floats hypnotically through the air, resembling a peaceful snow on a cool winter morning. Slowly, melodically, the mild tremor rumbles throughout the quiet world, as if gently waking it to life. The fauna begins to frantically scramble from the base of the mountain, eager to escape the impending plight of the land. At first, the locals are unaware, but the ground seizes. Shouts raise above the hungry growl of nature, alerting the masses to the disaster looming. Beyond the chaotic cries of the general public, the Church of Orzhov works towards a means to bring the disaster to an end. It is a dark end. It is a dreadful end, but it is an effective end nonetheless. Mount Gatecrash has erupted, and the only way to appease the gods, is to offer up a human sacrifice to the volcano.

Good day ladies and gents.  The results from SCG Atlanta are in, and Gatecrash has turned the Standard format on it's ear.  Eddie Walker, from this wonderful site, decided he wanted some spending money, and stormed to the top eight only to lose out to the eventual champion.  Also, as it turns out, Boros Reckoner is the card that was beloved by the masses, and with good reason.  It is an aggressive monster with two excellent abilities... that I completely missed.  Turns out that I did not RTFC, and thought it only dealt damage to players, which while good, is not even close to the board impact that Reckoner provides.  Being able to cleanup the ground and positively interact with Thragtusk is pretty bonkers in Standard.   I normally do not miss really big, and I believe that Boros Reckoner will come down from his lofty climb.  So speculators, I apologize for that one. I missed on him. Now with the pleasantries out of the way, let us take a gander at the winning list from the tournament:

This week boys and girls, let us talk about the direction that Magic: the Gathering has gone over the past few years. I would like to offer up a stroll down memory lane...