by Johnny Cycles, November 3rd, 2025
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Hello! It’s a short week and a short month (of Fridays), which means there’ll be a little less content than usual. My kids have a 4-day weekend this week, which means I won’t be getting to any content until Wednesday at the soonest. I can’t realistically test and play a deck, then write an article in two days.
I love this card. I love this card so much that I’m testing a Pioneer deck built around it and the janky, less-than-great fetch lands the format has access to. Unfortunately, Mono Red is everywhere in Pioneer and I doubt we’ll ever win a match against them. Still, I’m going to try.
Otherwise, our latest non-Magic Magic set is due to release November 21st. I have very little knowledge of Avatar: The Last Airbender as a franchise. I watched the movie when it first released and all I remember is that I didn’t like it. One in a long line of disappointing movies from M. Night Shyamalan after he peaked with The Sixth Sense.
I recently rewatched it with my kids and, well, the movie is awful. So. Bad. And I remember now that I thought, what a waste. This movie could be so much better.
And it could be, but it would need to be at least a trilogy. And better casting and acting.
Anyway, all that being said, I have the bare minimum of a frame of reference for the flavor of this set and its relation to the overall story of Avatar. What I do know is that it feels much more like Magic than Spider-Man. Monks and temples have been a part of Magic for awhile now, so it’s not much of a stretch to have this story incorporated into the game. It’s not quite as seamless of an absorption as Lord of the Rings, but it’s certainly not as jarring as seeing a bagel on a card.
The other thing I know about this set is that it looks really fun. I think the power level is strong and I’m excited to try out some of the cards. Be on the lookout for my top 10 Modern cards from the set, as well as some of those cards in action.
But as to the schedule, I want to begin wrapping up the year by revisiting some of my favorite decks from 2025. I plan on upgrading them and running them through a league to see which one is the best. Right now I’m leaning towards Cat Tribal, Mono Green Landfall, Changeling Tribal, and Dragonback Assault. Okay, technically I played Cat Tribal last December, but I really want to try it again. AND I have a second version I built back then that I never wrote about and barely tested. If there’s time, I also want to give Bird Tribal a second chance. But that’s going to be for December, though I hope to start playing some of the decks again before then, so be on the lookout on my YouTube page for some bonus game play.
Schedule
November 7th – Off
November 14th – Dragons in Pioneer – Dragonback Assault. Can we ramp fast enough and make enough 4/4 flying Dragons to compete with the best decks in the format?
November 21st – If Avatar cards are out in time, I’ll post something, probably in Modern. If not, I have a Werewolf Tribal deck submitted by a viewer that I want to try out.
November 28th – Off – It’s Thanksgiving in the States, which means my kids will be home a lot. I’ll probably make time to at least post chapters 5 and 6 of Zemlyanin, A Podkind Novel. I’ll see what else I can get to.
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!
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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?).
