Team Constructed is back for #SCGBALT!

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Newsletter
Thursday, November 16th

Before we get to the #SCGBALT action, we have to show you our completed Unstable preview! Thanks to everyone who helped us gather the pieces from StarCityGames.com, our YouTube channel, and everywhere else they were hiding!

Now then, let me ask you a simple question: When you playtest for events, when you need a break from your job and you want to jam some Magic, who do you text? Who's on your squad for the Baltimore Team Open on Saturday? Who do you picture holding the trophy with you? And who is playing which format?

At SCG, we're dedicated to helping you get there. This week, we've got Pro Tour Champion Ari Lax sharing the best tech in each format that (somehow) almost no one is utilizing! King of Humans Collins Mullen is excellent reading as well, especially if you're the team member everyone goes to for mulligan decisions. And believe it or not, Brad Nelson is putting Standard away because his team needs him for Modern. How is he learning a format this monstrous in less than a week?

— Danny West, Content Coordinator

December 1-3
Standard/Modern

January 6-7
Modern

January 20-21
Standard

Nine Cards You Should Play
At SCG Baltimore This Weekend
By Ari Lax  

I want to specifically mention Storm because of the Meddling Mage "problem." Meddling Mage is always going to be annoying for the deck, but getting Turn 2ed by it is a flash-in-the-pan play.

I have said for months the big shift due to Baral, Chief of Compliance was easier kills from fewer cards. Storm can afford to interact these days in ways the old Pyromancer Ascension lists couldn't.

You can't beat a literal 2/2? This is the selling point of the improved deck. I predict the changes required to beat "Meddling Mage, naming Grapeshot" are so minimal Humans players will have to switch to naming Gifts Ungiven before it just tutors up the answer.

Maybe Lightning Bolt isn't the best answer. An Echoing Truth or Repeal with Merchant Scroll is also in the cards. But wow, do you want something like this card, and wow, is it affordable.

Alex Lloyd approaches perfection at Grand Prix Atlanta!

Learning To Play With A Plan
By Collins Mullen  

Having a gameplan doesn't just help you with your in-game decisions. It can be an incredible tool to help you figure out how to act in all aspects of Magic. One clear example of this has to do with making mulligan decisions.

Some of the time, whether or not you mulligan can be obvious. No lands? Mulligan. Too many lands? Mulligan. But much of the time we are given hands with lands and spells and need to make our mulligan decision based on whether or not these spells can enact our gameplan. Game 1, this is typically easier, because ideally our deck is constructed entirely of cards that enact our gameplan.

Post-sideboard, however, this can be trickier. We might look at a hand that has lands and spells but simply doesn't do what we need to do in order to enact our plan in the matchup. When looking at a seven-card hand, you should be confident that your hand can follow through with your plan when deciding to keep.

Modern: How To Get Comfortable In A Format You're Uncomfortable With
By Brad Nelson  

Jumping back into Modern after an extended absence is rather daunting. There's the "play what you know" strategy, but what happens if the decks you're familiar with aren't well-positioned? You can emphatically test the "best deck" at the time, but the paranoia of being less knowledgeable can be quite real. Not only will the metagame be adapted to the strategy, but also those who have a deck they're familiar with will almost assuredly be comfortable in that matchup. It could be your first time in the matchup, making it difficult to know everything that could possibly happen, especially their specific sideboard strategies. The whole ordeal is just stressful! Especially when every deck will be present regardless of metagame predictions and recent tournament results. What is a person to do?