Welcome back to another Ideas Unbound. The first major Standard event using Theros is in the books. Today we are going to look at those results and see if we can get an idea of where the format is heading. I’m still planning on attending Grand Prix Louisville, and I want to try to have a firm grasp on the metagame.

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.

With the end of the current Innstrad and M13 Standard format coming, its time to look back at the top cards that influenced the standard format.

So, I am sure that the few readers I had (yes, I like to falsely reassure myself with my own feelings of self importance) are wondering, where's the posts at? What happened to you, Matt? Where've ya' been?

Welcome back to another Ideas Unbound. We have reached the pinnacle of Standard where the most cards possible are legal before the Fall release cuts our card pool almost in half. This is always an exciting time because more cards available means more options. Unfortunately last summer, it was Delvers as far as the eye can see, and the summer before that it was Squadron Hawks and Batterskulls. This summer we still have a couple of heavy hitters but there is a larger range of decks available. Let’s take a look at what Standard looks like at the moment.

Welcome back to another week of Ideas Unbound. Sorry for the lack of content, lately. I am going to try to post something weekly, but that is not always going to happen. I will soon be playing a lot more Magic Online so, hopefully, I will have more to write about as well as some video content.

This past weekend, I attended the Star City Classic in Knoxville. I ended up 5-3 and dropped before the last round. Not my greatest performance, but certainly not my worst either. Today we are going to look at my results.

I would like to welcome everyone back to Ideas Unbound. First of all, let me apologize for the long delay since my last content. I have been busy with work and life, and haven’t had a lot of time for Magic lately, but I’m planning on changing that and getting back to a regular content cycle. Hopefully, this will also encourage my fellow Arena writers to get back to it as well.

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?

A bag of goodies to talk about today, and as promised, a larger portion for your reading pleasure. Highlights for this week's article include: Standard decklists galore, Ramblings, Tips on improving, and more...

Welcome back (well hopefully) and welcome all you glorious new readers! I really want this column to be weekly, published on Fridays, but with my current schedule that may prove to be difficult at times. Please don't worry loyal reader! When I miss a week, I will write even more for the following week.

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.

After I placed Top 8 at the SCG Atlanta Standard Open, the following comments were made on my Facebook wall by fellow Phyrexian Arena writers.

I played in the SCG Open in Atlanta this weekend, and managed to finish in 8th.  I am very proud of this accomplishment and is my best performance so far in this game.  I have now achieved one of my Magic resolutions this year, which was to qualify for the SCG Invitational or Pro Tour.  Still working on the Pro Tour side, but I will be attending the SCG Invitational in Atlanta on April 5-7.  What follows is my tournament report from this past weekend.

We have a new Standard format upon us and it's time to get our hands dirty.  The first event using the new format is going to be SCG Atlanta.  I have the fortune of being able to attend this event.  That means I need to find a deck.  Picking the right deck can be difficult, though.

There were plenty of events that happened this weekend with 2 GP and a SCG Standard Open, so there is a lot of data to look at this week.

Time for a little Thirst for Knowledge.  There have been 5 SCG Standard Opens and 5 different decks have won those events.  Now, this isn't the whole story.  There are some decks that continue to show up in high numbers early on as this format continues to evolve.  There have been 1846 players at these events and these were all the Top 16 decks from those events:

There was 2 major events this past weekend, SCG Indy and PT Return to Ravnica.  I'll start with the Standard cards on the uptick after this weekend: