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.

Imagine for a moment a Modern format without Jund as we have known it for the past several years (Standard, Extended and then Modern).  Now imagine a Modern format without Storm.  This PTQ season was just disrupted by an episode of the Twilight Zone...

Sorry for the delay.  Technical issues prevented me from posting this yesterday.

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...

Prereleases are always exciting events.  Players are getting their hands on the new cards for the first time and really seeing what they can do.  Sometimes a card will look powerful in the abstract, but when you actually play with it, it does not live up to expectations.  And sometimes, cards you had written off as unplayable will surprise you.  I run the prereleases for my local shop, and, this week, I’m going to go over a Prerelease Preparation Guide.  I am going to do this in two parts.  Today will be about playing sealed deck in general and how it pertains to the prerelease.  In the second part, tomorrow, we will look at the five guilds of Gatecrash and some sealed deck strategies specific to each one.

We are currently about a month into the Modern PTQ season and so far Jund still dominates the landscape.  Jund is an archetype that uses the best cards within its color range (mostly RBG or the Jund shard) but will splash for other colors too.  Some players have clamored for cards in Jund to be banned (like Bloodbraid Elf, Tarmogofy, or Dark Confidant).