There are sets that are good for Commander, and then there are sets that are great for it! Rivals of Ixalan is one of the latter! So which cards are fueling the fun? And could this be the best Commander set of all-time?
…Unless you’re also playing Horobi, Death’s Wail, which then makes<br> life interesting-especially if you’re playing…
The Brothers’ War is full of goodies, so full that Sheldon Menery is putting over 50 cards in his Commander MTG decks. He shares the list and explores the highlights.
…thrives on either a big Fling or an asymmetrical Living Death. The latter is much easier to achieve when opponents…
Conspiracy: Take the Crown has provided a ton of new toys for Commander mages! Aggro mages included! See the latest commander Sean has starting a melee all over the format!
…Hallowed Moonlight stops the worst graveyard-reanimation shenanigans like Living Death while also shutting down Tooth and Nail. Since both…
…long time, probably because I never got to play Living Death and always wanted to. The Recur comes up as…
The always entertaining former Vintage World Champion recaps his Star City P9: Rochester experience. Awesome sauce not included.
…Ashok and Liz seemed a bit unsettled by our rustic surroundings, but after my experience of living on the West…
Commander games are often about blowing up the whole table, but we can still get a lot of use out of traditional removal as well! Bennie Smith provides a quick guide to killing the most troublesome permanents without harming everything else!
…ish) • Ghave, Guru of Spores (Melira Combo) • Glissa Sunseeker (death to artifacts!) • Glissa, the Traitor (undying artifacts!) • Grimgrin, Corpse-Born…
Bennie Smith still has plenty of ideas for all the new Commander 2016 legends, even the ones that are already forgotten! He’s also breaking out his Standard rogue deck that is crushing his local meta! Check it out!
…ish) • Ghave, Guru of Spores (Melira Combo) • Glissa Sunseeker (death to artifacts!) • Glissa, the Traitor (undying artifacts!) • Grimgrin, Corpse-Born…
No one doubts the impact that Rich Shay’s Control Slaver has had on the Type One metagame. The idea was simple: an opponent can’t defeat you if he or she can’t actually play. So the question is simple: if it works so well in Vintage, can we do it in the new post-banning Standard?
…That one-turn window really mattered enough, since opponents could Wrath, Death Cloud, or even use standard spot removal to…
Bennie Smith is happy to use the long-awaited Bear leader, and he doesn’t need a tribe to do it! His tribe is big beasts of all varieties! Here’s his list!
…ish) • Ghave, Guru of Spores (Melira Combo) • Glissa Sunseeker (death to artifacts!) • Glissa, the Traitor (undying artifacts!) • Grimgrin, Corpse-Born…
Dominaria has more legends than virtually any set modern Commander players have ever seen! Bennie Smith keeps the legendary parade rolling with another new deck!
…ish) • Ghave, Guru of Spores (Melira Combo) • Glissa Sunseeker (death to artifacts!) • Glissa, the Traitor (undying artifacts!) • Grimgrin, Corpse-Born…
…Mass creature removal for black! Sure, Living Death was cool for that sort of thing, but this has less potential…
Adrian takes an in-depth look at the brewing process, with a step-by-step view of how new decks are born. The birth of any deck starts as an idea, but what do you do once you’ve had that first shock of inspiration?
…Magic doesn’t care how you did yesterday, it is always changing and living in the past won’t get…
Tuesday, August 31st – EDH Guru Sheldon Menery rocks his favorite Kresh deck in the latest chapter of his exciting EDH league. He provides play-by-play today.
…of Pain<br> Demonic Tutor<br> Explosive Revelation<br> Living Death<br> Natural Order<br> Regrowth INSTANTS (11)<br> Berserk…
Join Todd Anderson as he explores deckbuilding options for an unlikely yet dynamic pair — Wrenn and Six and Urza’s Saga
…Lurrus of the Dream-Den or Kroxa, Titan of Death’s Hunger are often seen alongside it because they’re…
…Shizo, Death's Storehouse Shizo, Death's Storehouse Shizo, Death's Storehouse is almost a staple in EDH decks that…
…Ranna Beleren, ever in control, hides her alarm at the bleeding monsters that fell into her living room. Ranna approaches…
How will the Mystery Boosters affect your Magic budgeting? And what can we expect in Standard after Mythic Championship VI in Richmond? Chas Andres covers both topics, plus This Week’s Trends!
…That sound you hear is the collective groan of everyone whose job it is to sort cards for a living…
…nationals last year and has made the new tradewind living death deck that has been doing very well at tournaments…
Sheldon’s 100th article contains seven Top Ten lists (not quite 100 items, but… close enough?). Fun tidbits include cards he’d consider banning, awesome people on the Pro Tour, and notable moments in the format’s early years.
…Gaming Society, set right after the death of Pope Gregory and the Schism in the Catholic Church. We ran the…
It’s already well into June, and the world of Magic: The Gathering in Japan is heating up along with the weather. Find out what Standard decks American Ryan Schwenk has been facing in Japan lately.
…Somebody I recently met (who just moved to Japan from the USA and is living in Kyoto) said that he…
With Thanksgiving Day tomorrow in the USA, Sheldon Menery has a lot to be thankful for! You, the reader, are on the list, but there’s plenty more involving Magic, Commander, and the great life that surrounds them!
…Living Death: It’s been my favorite card since it came out all those years ago. Nothing has usurped it…
…focused on reanimate effects from with the likes of Living Death. #38. Mikokoro, Center of the Sea Mikokoro, Center of…
…During *Theros Beyond Death,* Klothys, the god of destiny, arose from the underworld. Her goal was to reweave everyone's…
…players that I traveled with back when I was living in NYC. At that PPTQ I ended up getting knocked…
The story of how one of the funniest men in Magic started 0-2 and clawed his way all the way back to his third Pro Tour Top 8 appearance. This article is an absolute treat to all readers, whether you are a long-time Walamies fan or just discovering the Finnish master for the first time.
…It took me about six months to start making a living as a professional. When my British colleagues hear this…
Welcome back to our corner of cyberspace where the articles are dedicated to the realm of the casual. Last week, I told you about the loss of my laptop for a while, which had about five or six articles already written on it. Therefore, I had to write an article quickly for the week. It still hasn’t come back, so I am had to write another article and find a new idea.
…From Replenish to Living Death, I really like brining back things from the yard. I counted any deck that either…
In this edition of Retiring The Most Underused Cards Of All Time, Abe lists ten cards from Zendikar block and tells you why he feels they’re underused.
…Black Ashling, the Extinguisher<br> Attrition<br> Bane of the Living<br> Carrionette<br> Crypt Angel<br> Dark Suspicions<br…
Monday, August 30th – Losing the die roll to a dedicated Workshop player is one of the most disheartening feelings in all of Magic. Magic players have kindly taken steps on our behalf to warn us not to fall for the trap of the Workshop.
…How would we separate the good men from the bad across multiple simultaneous lives? What about when living a thousand…
…If you make your living ripping players off, your bad rap will end your business venture rather quickly. Building a…
Read the reasons why Bennie thinks players should minimize the number of Tutors they include when building their Commander decks. Also see how he did in an M13 Draft event at SCG Open Series: Washington, DC.
…Grixis (evil and Spike-ish) - Yeva, Nature’s Herald (living at instant speed) - Johan (Cat Breath of the Infinite) - Riku…
Why are so many seemingly powerful cards missing from Standard play? Bryan Gottlieb creates his Top 10 list and mines it for hidden gold!
…the death of card advantage. It’s wild how many of these cards previously defined the format. Niv-Mizzet, Parun…
Tuesday, May 27th – Is Akroma scaring you? Do you fear that your combo deck will be stopped just as you are ready to go off? Perhaps you fear someone else playing the combo, and defeating your creature deck? That’s why you need… countermagic!
…other players’ winning conditions, such as a Biorhythm, Armageddon, Living Death, Traumatize, and more. You are relying on your counters…
…Eventually I'll either combo off or cast Living Death and make them pay. Am I in big trouble if…
…From a competitive standpoint, most bad rares end up living up to their label. As a result, I'm not…
Truth be told, I’m still not entirely satisfied. I still wish I knew a way to fit Krosan Tusker in the deck. I still wish I could feel more comfortable with the deck’s mana situation in general, actually. I still wish I knew a card – something like Centaur Glade or Flamewave Invoker – that could help me better abuse the large amounts of land along with Seedborn Muse. I still wish I had another month or two to hammer out these issues. The Marksman is far from perfect, even for a casual deck.
…No Birds of Paradise or Living Wish allowed. I couldn’t wait for feedback from my last article before I…
For multiplayer, I see a lot of interesting cards, although I am depressed about Insurrection. Altar of Dementia and Reins of Power was a powerful, but reasonable, deck. Altar of Dementia and Insurrection is pretty awful – it just wins in way too big a style. A few other cards have similar impacts – and I hate to see any simple combo that just wins too easily.
…In that case, it could be interesting in Emperor, but seems less useful that Living Death in most other cases…
Grand Prix Atlanta is going to have a special side event all weekend just for Commander players, and Sheldon Menery is getting his finely-honed decks ready for a long weekend of Embracing the Chaos… and hoping that you’ll join him not just in the games but in the spirit of the weekend.
…Decree of Pain<br> Damnation<br> Genesis Wave\*<br> Living Death<br> Planar Cleansing<br> Skyshroud Claim<br> Victimize<br…
Sheldon Menery gives you a glimpse of his local Commander playgroup by way of some incredible gamestates, a full decklist, and of course, card-by-card commentary!
…other effects, like setting up graveyards for a big Living Death or something. Energy Arc: From Alliances, Energy Arc offers…
…Bane of the Living<br> Big Game Hunter<br> Bloodsoaked Champion<br> Bone Shredder<br> Cast Down<br> Chainer’s…
Monday, April 12th – Last week, we left off with Starship Troopers after an 8-1 record on the first day of Grand Prix: Houston. Now, Grand Prix tournaments are incredibly large compared to most Magic tournaments, which makes making Top 8 that much more difficult. With that said, I knew that doing well on Day 2 would be very hard, since those remaining in the tournament were probably solid players.
…However, he doesn’t draw anything off it, and I just crash him to death with a 20/20 on…
Bennie gets back into Standard with a G/W Monsters deck of his own design. Will it help him get his competitive mojo back? Read on to find out!
…casting Phage from Command Zone!) - Yeva, Nature’s Herald (living at instant speed) - Nefarox, Overlord of Grixis (evil and Spike…
Bennie shares his thoughts on the M14 rules changes and a couple new Standard brews he’s been working on. Let him know what you think in the comments!
…Commander decks currently on hiatus: - Yeva, Nature’s Herald (living at instant speed) - Nefarox, Overlord of Grixis (evil and Spike…
…the release of Rise of the Eldrazi, and are living in a world where Gerry Thompson is crushing the Open…
…If you leverage your speed to find Scavenger Folk with Living Wish and play it with Elvish Spirit Guide you…
…Lantern Control, Death and Taxes, Living End). Only a proper control deck can leverage these reactive answers, ideally alongside their…
…Not only to death, either. Ravnica doesn't grieve alone.” Judith opened her mouth to answer and stopped as Kaya…
Thursday, April 28 – The mass hysteria over Mental Misstep has flooded Matt’s Facebook wall, and he wants to set things straight. He outlines exactly which decks will and won’t use the new counterspell that has everyone in an uproar.
…Green Sun’s Zenith, Genesis Wave, Summoner’s Pact, Living Wish, and Regal Force. On the<br> other hand, Goblins…
…Over the past few years, the city had begun to heal, to become a place worth living in, and it…
…Judgment Wishes - Cunning Wish is at 6 tix, Living Wish is at 2 tix, and Burning Wish is under a…
Thursday, January 8th – I was staying with my in-laws in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula over the New Year’s weekend. That’s snow country, and it snowed. Officially, we got 20” between Friday evening and Sunday noon. Other than some cross country skiing, curling up in front of the fire and eating, I played Magic online. My goal was to play as much Magic, in as many different formats, as possible.
…I have single copies of most of what I wanted — Grindstone, Scroll Rack, Sapphire Medallion, Altar of Dementia, Living Death…