Magic Monday-February 27, 2023-Labyrinth's Latest Magic: The Gathering News

• Posted on 26 February 2023
• By Ed
• 0

Our weekly update on Magic singles and Magic: The Gathering events at Labyrinth!

It’s just another Magic Monday!

The store championship is upon us and there are just five spots left for Sunday’s event. Register to claim your spot before they’re all gone.

There are two cards in our singles inventory to feature this week. They’re both powerful legendary angels played almost exclusively in Commander, but with very different flavors.

Linvala, Keeper of Silence
The first is a foil Linvala, Keeper of Silence. A 3/4 flier for four mana is already a great rate. But Linvala’s ability can be devastating. Turning off all activated abilities includes mana abilities, which is almost as good as shutting off your opponents’ lands.

Atraxa, Praetors’ Voice
And there’s Atraxa, Praetors’ Voice. One of the headliners of Commander 2016, Atraxa is a four color 4/4 powerhouse with flying, vigilance, deathtouch, and lifelink. And best of all, Atraxa allows you to proliferate at the end of your turn. Although it’s always been popular with strategies like superfriends or +1/+1 counters, the printing of Phyrexia: All Will Be One has generated a spike in demand for Atraxa. With all the new ways to put poison counters on players, Atraxa’s proliferate ability allows you to end a commander game in just a few turns.

You can find both Linvala and Atraxa on our singles page.

Modern Regional Championship Qualifier
There’s a little more than two weeks until our Modern Regional Championship Qualifier (RCQ) on March 19th. You can register for it and all of our events, including this Friday’s draft and Modern tournaments at https://www.labyrinthdc.com/events/calendar/. With the RCQ so close, it’s a great time to talk about the Modern format and what makes it so great.

Modern Format Benefits
Firstly, Modern is one of the most diverse formats of Magic. Only one deck represents more than 10% of the metagame at the moment. Although many decks are fast, there are many varieties of combo, control, midrange, and aggro decks out there. And they each are capable of winning a tournament on any given day. And for many players, a modern deck is expressive; it reflects who they are and what love about Magic.

Modern is also a skillful format. Knowledge of the metagame, sideboarding choices, and deck complexity means that Modern players have to truly be on top of their game to succeed at a tournament like an RCQ. Every choices matters, even those made before the first game is played. Crafting your deck and its sideboard can make or break your chances against the field. And knowing your opponents’ win conditions is just as important as knowing your own.

And finally, Modern Magic is powerful. Modern includes cards going back 20 years. Some of the greatest cards ever printed feature in the format, and even some under-appreciated cards can shine in the right deck.

Hopefully you’ll join us for what should be an exciting tournament on March 19th. That’s all for this week. See you next Magic Monday!