News       

• Souls and Virtue Banned in Block—Greg Haenig recaps the ban hammer’s blow to Block token decks.
• The Guardian, the Witch, and the Angel—Doug Beyer foretells the flavor of Avacyn’s restoration.
• Venser vs. Koth Decklists Revealed—Adam Styborski had first crack at the newest Duel Decks, their alternate art, and full deck lists.
• Duke is King of Nashville—Reid Duke translated his success from Magic One to the Music City.

Standard and Block

• Preparing for Standard at the Invitational—($SCG) Sam Black weighs the risks of “next-leveling” in the current environment.
• Sacramento Standard—Josh Silvestri highlights Esper Control and U/W Pristine.
• Esper Control: A Complete Primer—Josh S. highlights the pitfalls of several of Esper Control’s usual matchups in a reader-friendly format.
• GP Nashvile 2^nd and Birthing Pod in Standard—Todd Anderson’s updated Birthing Pod list and some insight into his Sealed success.
• The Anatomy of Innistrad Block Constructed—Adam Koska’s analysis was still accounting for Lingering Souls, but it’s still a solid block analysis.

Limited

• First Impressions of Magic Online Cube—Usman Jamil brings his designer’s eye to this critique of Magic Online’s first official cube.
• DII#2—Nassim Ketita’s B/W Humans deck demonstrates that the archetype can still win even if the pieces don’t all come together.
• Sealed Luck—Darwin Kastle’s foundational article on the Sealed format argues against conventional wisdom on the role of luck.

Vintage, Legacy, and Modern

• Modern Season 1 Review—($SCG) A brand-new competitive format doesn’t come around all that often. Ari Lax re-caps the inaugural season of Modern.
• Mishra’s Workship Strikes Back—Brian DeMars examines the resurgence of Espresso Stax.
• GP Indianapolis Report: 2^nd—Kenny Castor went 1-9 in pre-tournament testing against Maverick with his RUG Tempo deck, but ran hot once the main event began.

Casual and Variant Formats

• Riders of Ruhan—Robby Rothe takes a swing at building a Ruhan deck in a Commander project designed to showcase deck-building diversity.
• Olivia Voldaren—Sheldon Menery is waiting for an alternate-art Olivia, but you don’t have to wait any longer to see Scott Larabee’s list.
• Colorless Lands—Devon Rule on the colorless lands that might make the cut even with the popular three-color generals.
• 100 Combo Decks—Abe Sargent is doing his part in making every combo deck a net deck.
• Venser’s Deck Review—Ertais Lament begins his break down of the Venser half of the new Duel Decks.

Finance

• Steal this Article—Chad Andres raises awareness on the growing problem of theft, and what traders stand to lose if people stop bringing binders to events.
• Re-investing in Magic—Craig Wescoe recommends the Magic equivalent of penny stocks.
• Karma: It’s not Just for Swamps—Kelly Reid organizers his binders and helps you pack for the Gold Rush.
• Covering your Collection—($QS) Chad Havas explains how to value and insure your collection.
• FNM Hero—Jon Medina’s new series kicks off with an event deck and a ban on value trading.

Theory and Miscellany

• Metagame Analysis and Tournament Preparation—Jonas Walther looks to get his reader ahead of the curve, and ready for tournaments.
•  Fixing Grand Prix Byes—Matt Sperling suggests ways to restore the value of byes.
•  Card Signing Guides—John Dale Beety’s SCG Invitational artist guide might make you pine for the days of the large pre-release.
•  Sea the World—Jules Robbins takes World Design under the sea.
•  Tie Breakers—Tie-breakers can be tricky business.  Chris Mascioli highlights the variables.