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Alex Poling

Alex Poling

Written Content Creator

Alex, an information technology consultant who recently graduating with his bachelor's degree in systems analysis, is also a part-time high school teacher. When he is not studying or working, he spends his remaining free time playing Magic: The Gathering. He claims his favorite part of Magic is counting to 10.

TES Matchup Battles: Boros Initiative

Matchup Battles

Boros Initiative is a fast and aggressive creature-based deck. The entire deck revolves around getting aggressive and disruptive creatures into play as fast as possible. This means the deck is comprised of mostly fast mana and creatures. These creatures are divided into two categories, fast clock and disruptive. The fast clock piece is the namesake Read More »

TES Matchup Battles: Painter II

Matchup Battles

Painter is a deck that revolves around the card [[Painter’s Servant]] and [[Grindstone]]. [[Painter’s Servant]] chooses a color, and then all cards become that color. When you then activate [[Grindstone]], you can continue repeating the process because the cards share at least one color since they are all the same color. The process will repeat Read More »

TES Matchup Battles: Orzhov Death & Taxes

Matchup Battles

Orzhov Death & Taxes has the same core deck as mono white Death and & Taxes, but since the printing of [[Orcish Bowmasters]] it has made splash black most of the time. There are many decks in Legacy that draw cards or have one toughness creatures, so [[Orcish Bowmasters]] has quickly become a staple of Read More »

TES Matchup Battles: Temur Rhinos

Matchup Battles

Temur Rhinos is a deck aimed at assembling a pair of [[Rhino Token]] from [[Crashing Footfalls]] by the first or second turn. [[Crashing Footfalls]] can't be cast off suspend by that early, but instead is cast off of a cascade trigger from [[Shardless Agent]] and [[Violent Outburst]]. The only card that you can cascade into Read More »

TES Matchup Battles: Reanimator II

Matchup Battles

Reanimator is a type of deck that has seen play in every format since the early days of Magic's history. The strategy is to put an expensive creature into the graveyard and then put it into play with cards like [[Reanimate]], [[Exhume]], and [[Animate Dead]]. The creatures they are trying to reanimate are [[Griselbrand]] and Read More »

TES Matchup Battles: 8 Cast II

Matchup Battles

8 Cast is a deck named appropriately for playing eight cards like [[Thoughtcast]] in four copies of [[Thoughtcast]] and four copies of [[Thought Monitor]]. It's a slower artifact deck that aims to out card advantage the opponent with eight copies of cards that draw two cards, [[Emry, Lurker of the Loch]], [[Sai, Master Thopterist]], and Read More »

TES Matchup Battles: Gruul Initiative

Matchup Battles

Since the initiative mechanic has been released there have been many different decks trying to utilize it. Mono-white, Esper control, mono-black, and now Gruul decks have attempted to leverage the mechanic. Gruul Initiative is a red-green stompy deck playing eight copies of initiative creatures and [[Minsc & Boo, Timeless Heroes]] to present a fast clock Read More »

TES Matchup Battles: Cephalid Breakfast

Matchup Battles

Cephalid Breakfast is an Esper combo deck that is based around [[Cephalid Illusionist]]. When [[Cephalid Illusionist]] is targeted by either a [[Shuko]] or [[Nomads en-Kor]] then three cards will be milled into the graveyard. This will be repeated until the entire deck has been milled into the graveyard. In the process three copies of [[Narcomoeba]] Read More »

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