In Development – Packing My Jittes
Standard was once dominated by Umezawa’s Jitte, but obviously that card can’t be replaced, or can it?
Alexander Shearer
In Development – Old Tools and Curious Plays
Alexander put his money where his mouth is, bringing out an old friend en route to the semifinals of the Channelfireball $1k. He discusses what he played and why it worked!
In Development – On Tilt
When your opponent topdecks the card they need for the win, how do you react? Alexander provides some helpful advice.
In Development – What Do You Fold To?
“Deck X just autoloses to deck Y!” It’s often said and rarely true. Alexander shows you how to go beyond the surface.
In Development – Exploring Sideboards in an Age of Pyroclasms
Pyroclasm has found a resurgence as a quasi-Wrath of God effect, so how do you adjust for that?
In Development – Transform and Roll Out
Having a transformational sideboard can be quite potent and catch your opponent completely off guard.
In Development – Dr. Shaman and the Ooze
Standard may have rotated, but Fauna Shaman did not, and Alex delves deep into builds that can maximize the power and utility of the Survival Bear!
In Development – Which Lands Can I Run?
With even more lands entering Standard, there is an abundance of choices when building your manabases.
In Development – Ya Gotta Have a Plan
A point every Magic writer agrees on is that you have to have a plan, and today Alexander offers a number of steps that can aid you in forming one.
In Development – The Mythical Four Mana Mark
Some planeswalkers are constructed staples, while others waste away in trade binders.
In Development – Building Your Character Sheet
This week, Alexander Shearer provides a way to identify our strengths and weaknesses – with a little help from our friends!
In Development – Magic Effectiveness Project – Strength, In Your Words
Alexander discusses some of the results of the Magic Effectiveness Project so far, touching on subjects like practice, bluffing, and tells!
In Development – Multiple Lines of Attack
Taking a single, linear line of attack is likely to end up in failure in today’s Standard due to the diversity of threats.
Mono-Black Control: It’s Spreading Like Wildfire
Nostalgia isn’t what it used to be, and that’s why it’s important to look at decks of yesteryear with a very careful eye when trying to port them…
In Development – Three Months, Three Topics: The MEP Questionnaire, Jund, and Some M11 Hits
This is the first time two core sets have been legal in Standard at the same time, and Alexander’s eyeing the environment between now and September.
In Development – Magic Effectiveness Project, Part 1 – RFC (Not That RFC)
When someone says they want to be successful at Magic, what does that really mean?
In Development – Play to Your Strengths, Play to Reality
It’s tempting to address your weaknesses as a player, but what if you instead played to your strengths?
In Development – Using Abstractions in Deck Design
Much more common than wholesale deck building is deck tweaking, but that brings with it its own set of things to think about.
In Development – Discovering Planeswalkers in Standard
Planeswalkers truly are Standard, and Alexander offers a detailed analysis of their numbers and how they may correlate to winning.
In Development – Swinging with Incurable Threats: Vengevine Junk
Vengevine is popping up everywhere, so how can Alexander miss a chance to revamp Junk with it in mind?