[Article] - A Format Shift

[Machinus]

A brief update on the format. Let me know what you guys think.

http://www.starcitygames.com/php/news/article/14391.html

[Phantom]

A brief update on the format. Let me know what you guys think.

I always say first that any criticism should be taken with a grain of salt since writing these articles must be extremely challenging, and is certainly a task I would not want. That said, here goes:

I thought the first part was a tad arrogant (and needlessly). That's not a huge deal to me at least, but I thought I'd let you know how it reads.

The second part seems to say that Combo is getting better. And the third part says that that shift will make Threshold stronger and Goblins weaker. While all of this is probably true, and essential to the casual observer, the article doesn't seem to give much to the more hardcore Legacy follower. The last paragraph of part three seems to be the most interesting portion, but also the section where you make sure not to take a stand any particular direction.

I guess I just would have liked a little more on each subject. What are Belcher's weaknesses and bad matchups? What version of Thresh would you play (I'm assuming red) and why? Why can't Goblins simply feast on the Ag-Con decks and pray vs. combo like it did at Columbus? Would black splash or combo hate Goblins be viable? What directions should control decks go in? Why do you hold out hope for Stax and what does the deck need?

Anyway, the article was well written and I always appreciate the work you guys put in.

Off topic edit: Has anyone ever considered writing a series of articles where they create a deck (or a few) and develop the deck through the articles and feedback? I think it might be interesting to take a closer look at the testing and results and brainstorming that higher level players go through to create a deck. Maybe I'm crazy. Also, with the apparent success of the Q and A idea thread, maybe an article idea thread? If none of this makes sense, it's 1:47 in the morning.

[Machinus]

Thanks for the critcism.

I don't think the DCI actually "took advice" from me. I hope no one took me literally on that. However, I do pay enough attention to this format to know something about what they ought to be doing, and I'd be happy to go into a lot of detail about that in a different context. Look for an article on this subject in the near future.

I think it's quite important to competitive players to know that people are now basically prepared to beat Goblins in tournaments with non-Combo decks. This is a big change from what Legacy has experienced for a long time. The rise of Combo decks is a seperate phenomena, but one that decreases the viability of Goblins even more.

These two things together aren't just changing metagames; they are going to change the way people build decks in this format. The benchmarks for answers and strategies are being changed very drastically and this is going to have a big effect on the format.

There was an entire article the previous week solely on Belcher vs. Fish, and I didn't think it would make sense to go into detail more about Belcher. The article before that was the sixth part in a Threshold primer. Last month the second part of my two part Goblins primer was published. Goblins and Threshold both have incredibly detailed discussion threads. Frankly, there isn't much more to say about these decks right now. Belcher will require more discussion after it's major performance this summer.

As for the future of blue-based control and stax, I think that is an interesting question, but it's just as "obvious" as the other observations I am making about the format. When aggro is weak and combo is strong, of course these strategies are going to get better. There is much more to it than that, mainly innovation and new cards being printed, but this article was not about those decks. I am probably not going to write about them until I have a critical mass of evidence to analyze.

[Samshire]

Thanks for convincing the DCI to unban Replenish and Mind over Matter, this dynamic combo will surely bring the format to it's knees. Just kidding.

I enjoyed the article, it would be great for someone who has been thinking about entering this format to get a little heads-up of what it's like. But I didn't find it to be much of an 'in-depth' analysis. Some more information on these decks rather then 'this is what the deck does' would have been nice.

There also doesn't seem to be much point in putting a Goblins deck list in the article if you were going to say that the deck is growing weaker and going to be a lot harder to play. Seems like it was a little bit of a waste of time and space that could have been better used for another deck (like Landstill) or more details for the other two decks.

still, I enjoyed the article and wish Starcity would crank out more legacy articles. Considering the high attendance at Columbus you would think they would...

[hi-val]

Phantom, that's a cool idea but the problem is that we only have one column a month, which means it might be five months before the "created" deck was actually finished! That would make the deck most likely useless, as one or more sets would be out by the time it was done. Now if someone had a weekly article, that would be a fascinating idea.

[scrumdogg]

Then why not make the deck a collaborative effort over a single month? Even the differences of opinion (and playstyle) could be entertaining and illuminating. Something along these lines could also end up being a very good clinic in effective deckbuilding (which many players need, whether they realize it or not....).

[Hummingbird TG]

Why can't Goblins simply feast on the Ag-Con decks and pray vs. combo like it did at Columbus? Would black splash or combo hate Goblins be viable?

Maybe because Colombus had alot of slow, more disruptive Flash than all-in speed Flash combo, and Goblins could pray against slow Flash and actually have a chance, whereas against Fast turn 1 all-in combo like Belcher, Goblins can't do anything much.

[Phantom]

Phantom, that's a cool idea but the problem is that we only have one column a month, which means it might be five months before the "created" deck was actually finished! That would make the deck most likely useless, as one or more sets would be out by the time it was done. Now if someone had a weekly article, that would be a fascinating idea.

Do decks really get finished in a month? The meta is ever changing, the cardpool is ever changing, and feeback is always useful. Frankly, I'm not even looking for a tier 1 deck out of the process so much as a better view into the deck design process by others (for example developing the G/b Elf-Trinisphere deck would be pretty interesting) Also, after the deck is fairly solidified, writers could bust out some really hardcore testing (with detailed notes) and sideboard tweaking.

Developing multiple decks could prove useful so that you wouldn't have to write an article every month on the same deck (more like every meta shift or expansion release?). I'm not honestly sure this idea has any merit to it, but I know some writers were looking for new ideas.