by Johnny Cycles, April 3rd, 2026
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Secrets of Strixhaven is the big news of the month. It releases April 24th, which means I have most of the month to play cards and decks from previous sets that I didn’t get a chance to yet. But it also gives me a chance to do something that I’ve been wanting to for awhile. For most of the life of this site, I’ve published an article a week. This schedule has worked well for me…until now.
For this month, then, I’m going to publish two articles. And while this may seem like I’m cutting back on content creation, my goal is to use the extra time to pursue some other Magic-related projects. My goal with creating this site was to give me a creative outlet and a platform to share all of my janky and fun brews with the Magic community. In an effort to further this goal, I’m exploring some other avenues of engagement, all of which take time.
First, I’ve been experimenting with shorts on YouTube as a way of growing my audience and it’s been effective so far.
In the coming months, I’d like to make deck techs in this form for the Commander decks I’ve already written about, along with any updates/changes I’ve made as new sets have been released. I’ll spend some of the extra time doing this and I’ll post the updates to this site, as well.
Second, I want to put more time into the decks that I test out in order to provide the most refined list I can. With this in mind, I plan to test decks in the early part of the month until I settle on the most exciting, fun brew I have. I’ll then spend the second part of the month testing it and tweaking it.
Third, there are a few collaborative projects in the early stages of planning and I want to put more time towards these.
Finally, I’ve enjoyed making top 10 videos for Commander and Modern with each new set, as well as one new Commander deck based on the set, as well. I’ve made three new decks this year: Bumi, Unleashed from Avatar: The Last Airbender; Trigger Copy with Kirol, Attentive First-Year from Lorwyn Eclipsed; and Mutagen Man, Living Ooze, from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
With each of these decks, I’ve been pleasantly surprised at just how fun and powerful they can be. Going in to each set, no one legendary creature had me excited to brew a new deck. In previous years, I would’ve just taken what singles made the most sense as upgrades in my existing decks and moved on.
So when I decided to brew a new deck with every new set, I thought of it more as an exercise that may appeal to viewers and readers. Instead, I found myself loving the experience. Wizards deserves a lot of credit for continuing to put out powerful new cards for Commander, even if it often feels like we’re drowning in new sets.
What does all this mean for the schedule?
I’m going to leave the schedule empty for now. I want the freedom of time to work through some of these new projects and changes. That being said, be on the lookout for some viewer-submitted decks, one new Commander deck, and several shorter articles, like top 10s. Thanks for your patience and understanding as I make a change to my normal scheduling…at least for now.
The Usual Blurb
My goal is to publish an article between Wednesday and Friday every week. I am a stay-at-home dad of three with a part-time job, though, so there may be weeks that life gets in the way. Whenever possible, I’ll publish articles and videos when they’re ready. Published articles with edited game play are pretty time-intensive, hence the once-a-week-schedule. However, I’ll publish videos of unedited practice matches to my YouTube channel when I can and when it makes sense. Be sure to check there if you’re looking for a match but it isn’t yet on the site.
If there is a topic you want me to write about, a deck you want me to try out, or if you want less of one thing and more of another, let me know in the comments or email me: johnnycycles16@gmail.com. If you enjoy the site, please let your friends know via word of mouth or social media or messenger pigeon, if that’s your preference. This is a relatively new site that needs all the clicks it can get!
Thanks for reading and watching, subscribing and sharing!
About Me
I’m a former Russian literature professor who specialized in 19th-century Russian literature. I love Dostoevsky more than Tolstoy, but both will change your life. I’m currently a stay-at-home dad of three with a part-time job. I love fantasy fiction, mysteries, and horror movies. If you’re surprised at the length of my articles, hopefully my history as an academic plus my love of fantasy help explain it…
Thanks for reading! I look forward to reading your comments on my articles, Russian literature, or the best fantasy series ever written (Tolkien, Jordan, Sanderson?).
