Skill Issue Magic

mfy.gg/guides/view/mono-blac… UPDATE Matchup Strategies

Improving or Adapting? Understanding Metacall Decklists. Following some questions about the GW Landfall list that went 5-0 yesterday, I wanted to share a brief explanation of the process behind its construction and some of the card choices. Yesterday’s list was evaluated by the analysts on my team, @FirstStrikeTeam. During our broader metagame analysis, we identified an increase in Jund’s presence and, consequently, anticipated a possible rise in Lifegain decks, which tend to perform well in that environment. Based on this, the team suggested some specific cards that could be particularly effective against certain strategies. When analyzing lists from recent competitions, we noticed that Doorkeeper Thrull was appearing in maindecks. This confirmed our initial assessment and even went beyond our expectations, since we had initially considered these cards much more as sideboard options. But this raises an interesting question: Is this list better? My answer would be: yes and no! In an environment with the characteristics we identified, this version is better positioned and can certainly generate good results. A great example was yesterday’s 5-0, where I faced two Lifegain decks, and Doorkeeper Thrull was decisive in winning those matches. mtggoldfish.com/deck/8035996… On the other hand, in a more unpredictable or randomized metagame, I would choose the traditional Green Landfall list and add Karn from FRA, which can work as a sort of Doorkeeper Thrull, giving us a similar tool while maintaining a more flexible approach. And this brings us to an important distinction: there are different ways to identify a Metacall list and a more standard build. 1. Metacall Lists These lists include cards that don’t necessarily contribute directly to the deck’s core strategy but provide efficient answers against strategies that have a significant presence in the metagame. Doorkeeper Thrull is a good example. Its value comes from its ability to disrupt specific decks that we expect to encounter more frequently. 2. Hybrid Lists: Strategy and Metacall There are also lists that include creatures that help develop the deck’s main strategy, even if they aren’t necessarily the best possible options for a particular mana slot. These cards contribute to the deck’s game plan while also punishing specific strategies. Magebane Lizard, Razorkin Needlehead, and Scalding Viper are good examples of this approach. The result is a deck that maintains its ability to execute its own game plan while also presenting tools to make the opponent’s life more difficult. 3. Proactive Lists Finally, we have lists without a particularly strong Metacall focus. These builds prioritize developing their own game plan, focusing on cards that strengthen the deck’s core strategy and, in many cases, simply trying to execute their game plan without paying as much attention to what the opponent is doing. Tomorrow, we’ll take a closer look at some of these builds, especially considering the testing and changes that the arrival of STK may bring to the metagame. Ultimately, there is a difference between improving and adapting. Improving a list means finding ways to execute what the deck is designed to do more effectively. Adapting a list means understanding the environment we’re playing in and adjusting our choices to better respond to it. Once we start recognizing this difference, deckbuilding becomes much more interesting, and our decisions when preparing for tournaments become much more intentional. I hope you enjoyed the analysis! If you have any questions or want to discuss specific card choices, I’m always happy to talk. El Professor @fireshoes @ManaLabApp @Mana_traders