Lab Notes!

  🔥 Lab Report 019: Mythic or Bust – June is for Degenerates Let’s be real: I’m not here to vibe . I’m here to climb . June is Mythic or Bust month on MTG Arena, and I’m done pretending that turn 4 and 5 kills are "fast." They’re not. They’re quaint . Cute. Like playing a rotary phone in a room full of speed dialers. So I’m switching gears and going full throttle into the degenerate depths of Historic with Greasefang Combo —because if I’m not reanimating a Parhelion II by turn 3, what even is the point? This deck is cruel, efficient, and deeply dishonest. Which is to say, perfect . 🎯 The Goal: Mythic. Pure and simple. It won’t just happen because I want it. This deck demands reps. It demands precision. It demands I play when the meta is soft and sleepy. I’ve already scouted the time zones, watched the Arena population graphs, and scheduled my life accordingly. I am the storm. 🔧 The Decklist (Import-Ready for Arena): Deck 4 Stitcher's Supplier (M19) 121 4 Fa...

  Lab Report 018: My Boss is the Worst Therapist Alive Signed, MaD SaXXon aka Tibalt’s Apprentice So, let’s talk about my mentor for a second. You know, the one who thinks empathy is for cowards and pain is the purest form of expression? Yeah. That Tibalt. Born on Innistrad—a plane already crawling with nightmares—Tibalt started off as your typical bitter intellectual: an alchemist obsessed with understanding suffering. Problem was, the “understanding” part fell away pretty fast. His methods? Let’s just say... peer review wasn’t an option once he started torturing people to learn about agony firsthand . When his colleagues understandably tried to cancel him with fire , he pulled the ultimate emo move: performed a ritual that fused his soul with demons . That burst of raw emotional trauma (and hellfire) ignited his Planeswalker spark. Poof—Tibalt 2.0: half-devil, full-tilt psycho. Since then? Chaos tourism. He's been hopping from plane to plane like a twisted art critic, usin...

  Lab Report 017: The Matchmaker Knows...      Ever feel like MTG Arena is reading your mind? Like every time you boot up your S-tier, battle-tested, ready-to-smash-some-face deck, you get paired into your absolute nightmare matchup? Yeah. Me too. And guess what? You're not crazy. Let’s break down why it feels like the algorithm has a personal vendetta—and what you can do about it.      1. Matchmaking Might Not Be Random Arena’s matchmaking system is a black box, but many believe it isn’t just about your rank . It probably takes into account the power level of your deck and maybe even your win rate. Play a deck that’s been tearing it up lately, and suddenly—BOOM—Mono-Blue with 4 Spell Pierces. Coincidence? Maybe. Maybe not.      2. The Meta Eats Itself Popular decks breed predators. If Mono-Red is crushing the ladder, people start jamming life gain, sweepers, or counterspells. You queue into them, and now you're the pre...

  By MaD SaXXon – Tibalt’s Apprentice There comes a time in every Planeswalker’s life when the chaos of experimental decks, janky combos, and spicy brews gets traded in for... efficiency . Not passion. Not style. Just sheer, unrelenting speed. I’m talking, of course, about Mono-Red Aggro. The reliable Honda Civic of Magic: the Gathering Arena. And yes, I’m playing it. Willingly. Why? Because I want to hit Mythic , and this deck gets the job done.   🔥 Here’s the decklist: 4 Monastery Swiftspear   4 Kumano Faces Kakkazan   4 Phoenix Chick   4 Play with Fire   4 Lightning Strike   4 Searing Barb   4 Feldon, Ronom Excavator   4 Bloodthirsty Adversary   4 Skewer the Critics   4 Kumano's Outrage   2 Mishra's Foundry   20 Mountain   Why it Works (a.k.a. Why I'm Playing the Same Spell Five Times a Game): Turn 1 Swiftspear into Turn 2 Burn + Burn is the gold standard. Y...

  Lab Report 015 From 3 Life to Legendary: The Grind, the Game, and Why We Keep Playing I’ll be honest: I probably should’ve lost that game. Sitting at 3 life with my board hanging on by a thread, the average player would have packed it in or scooped to save time. But that’s the thing — Magic isn’t about averages. It’s about persistence, patience, and the occasional divine top-deck. This game reminded me why I love the grind. Why I fire up MTG Arena even after a long day. Why I reshuffle paper decks at midnight on Spelltable. It’s not just about winning — it’s about almost losing, then finding a way to claw back. At 3 life, every play mattered. Every decision felt like it carried the weight of an epic saga. And then, somehow, with just the right combination of risk, timing, and a little madness, the tide turned. I didn’t win every game that night — not even close. But that win? That comeback from the brink? That’s the one that’ll stick with me. That’s the one I’ll think about...

  Bridging the Divide: YouTube, Instagram, and the Creator's Paradox Field Report 005: Social Reflections from Tibalt’s Apprentice For a long time, I believed there was something of a paradox in the way my audience grew—or didn't—across platforms. I’ve been on YouTube longer. I’ve spent more time scripting, filming, editing, uploading, and promoting my videos. So naturally, I assumed I’d build more relationships there, that YouTube would be where I’d find the most connection and community. But reality didn’t match the expectation. After just two years on Instagram , I’ve seen faster growth, more regular interactions , and a stronger sense of community. People comment more, respond to polls, reply to stories—and many even reach out just to say they enjoyed a post or a deck I shared. It’s been rewarding and a little surprising. It made me ask: Why? 📉 The Myth: "More Work = More Community" I used to think, “If I put more effort into a platform, then it should nat...

  Field Report 006 – "No Pressure, Just Chaos (The Good Kind)" As a follow-up to Field Report 004: I got to play the Commander game tonight—and let me tell you, there was no need for nerves! It was an absolutely awesome experience, even though I didn’t win. The best part? We played using Archenemy rules —and that format is a game-changer for how new folks can join and enjoy a game. Instead of the usual free-for-all Commander style, Archenemy flips the table: One player becomes the Archenemy , taking on the role of a supervillain with extra power. The rest of the table forms a team of planeswalkers , working cooperatively to bring down the big bad. The Archenemy gets a special deck of Scheme cards , one of which is revealed each turn. These schemes are wild —extra turns, free spells, global effects—and they push the story and the stakes forward. It's less about politics and more about teamwork and theatrical moments , which made for a perfect low-pressure way ...

  🧪 Field Report 005 — Local Stores and Learning Curves Lately, I’ve been doing a lot of self-reflection about my local game store. It’s easy to get wrapped up in feelings of disappointment or frustration when things don’t click — when the games don’t fire, the vibe feels off, or you just can’t seem to find your rhythm. But if I’m being honest… maybe part of that is on me. I’ve started wondering: What could I have done differently? What should I have done differently? Maybe I should have visited more often — gotten to know the players, learned the tempo of the store, understood the social dynamics better. Instead, I showed up, ready to play the way I always had… forgetting that local culture matters . Every store is its own little ecosystem, and walking into a new one expecting it to match your last is like bringing a snowmobile to a desert rally. Truth is, I’ve been spoiled — blessed with years of abundant playgroups, busy shops, and plenty of weekly games. I didn’t alw...

  🧪 Field Report 004 — Spelltable Jitters and the Raidmother Gambit I’ve been playing Magic: The Gathering for over 30 years , and Commander specifically since 2011 , when Wizards of the Coast first made it an official product line. You’d think by now I’d be past the nerves — but I’m about to jump into a Spelltable game with another creator, and yep... I’m nervous. Some of it is just the classic deck panic. I’ve got over 30 Commander decks, and while that sounds like a blessing, it’s more like picking your favorite child during a fire drill. Some are easy to eliminate — the ones that steal opponents’ permanents or mess with turn order just don’t work well online. (Spelltable isn’t built for chaos gremlins like me.) But deeper than that, there’s a whisper of imposter syndrome . “Are you really a Commander player? You don’t win every game. You build weird decks. You still run Elixir of Immortality… for spite.” And honestly? Maybe all of that is true — but I’ve never pretend...

  Lab Report 013: The Less Magical Arena I don’t hate MTG Arena. Let me get that out of the way first. I still log in. I still crack the occasional pack. I still jam a game when I’m bored or need to test a new brew before committing to cardboard. But I don’t love it anymore. And I don’t think I’m alone. A Game That Keeps Slipping Away There was a time when Arena felt like a gift. A sleek, modern interface. Daily matches from the couch. A chance to brew and play without chasing cards at midnight on TCGPlayer. It was Magic — digitally translated — and for a while, it scratched the itch perfectly. But then came the drift. Not in visuals or speed — those things got better. The gameplay , however? That’s where it started to fray. Digital-Only Cards and That ‘Not Magic’ Feeling Once Arena introduced digital-only mechanics , something changed in the soul of the platform. Suddenly, cards were doing things that had no grounding in paper Magic: Conjuring brand-new cards ou...

  Lab Report 012: What’s Your Spite Card? Let’s get personal for a second — do you have a spite card ? You know what I mean: that one card someone told you was garbage, useless, a waste of a slot... and ever since then, you've played it in everything out of pure stubbornness . Mine? 💧 Elixir of Immortality. Yeah, that one. The 1-mana artifact that gains you 5 life and shuffles your graveyard into your library. It’s not flashy. It’s not broken. But ever since a friend told me (and let’s be honest, he probably didn’t say it this harshly — but it’s how I heard it), that “Elixir is a trash card and I was dumb for playing it,” I’ve made it my personal mission to jam it into every deck possible. What started as petty rebellion turned into a long-term love story. And the thing is? It’s actually saved me : Kept me from milling out. Gained me just enough life to survive a turn. Gave me a surprise card draw when I needed it. Now it’s not even about the spite. It’s traditi...

  Lab Report 011 – Commander Deck Fatigue Is Real by MaD SaXXon, Tibalt’s Apprentice I have over 30 Commander decks—and I’m adding more even as I write this. This may be too many. Back when I was going out to play twice a week, it made sense. I could rotate through up to six decks per session, test ideas, revisit old favorites, and always keep things fresh. But now? I’ve played exactly one paper game in the last two months. A handful of matches on SpellTable, sure, but the rhythm just isn’t there. So now I’m stuck with this weird pressure: dismantle some decks to focus on a few? That feels like I’m being forced to have fun with what’s left—and that kind of forced fun never really works. In the past, the abundance of both play opportunities and deck options gave me peace of mind. If a game flopped or a deck bricked, no big deal. There was always next time . But now “next time” isn’t guaranteed. I’m not writing this because I have the answer. I’m not even sure there is a prob...

  Lab Report 010: Adapt or Resent (And That’s a Choice) I’ll be real—if you play Magic with a mindset frozen in 1999, you’ll only ever see what’s wrong with the game today. Too fast. Too complicated. Too many set mechanics. Too much product. Too much Commander damage out of nowhere. (OK, that last one might still sting a little.) But if you choose to evolve your play patterns—even a little—you open up new ways to find joy in the game again. Start by asking: Am I playing outdated cards because I like them , or because I refuse to learn new ones? Am I building my decks to survive in the modern environment, or am I expecting the environment to cater to my nostalgia? Am I giving newer players grace for growing up in a completely different Magic world? I had to ask myself all of these. And I realized that clinging to the “good old days” was actively making me enjoy the game less. – MaD SaXXon, Tibalt’s Apprentice

  Lab Report 009: This Isn’t Old School Magic (And That’s Okay) By MaD SaXXon, Tibalt’s Apprentice Let’s start with a hard truth: Magic: the Gathering isn’t what it used to be. Now, before you reach for your binder of Revised basics or start ranting about how “everything used to be a sorcery,” hear me out. The game has changed. The pace, the power level, the expectations, the sheer volume of cards —everything is faster, flashier, and more finely tuned. Commander isn’t a fan format you play with your kitchen table crew anymore—it’s a worldwide phenomenon with precon releases, spoilers, influencers, and podcasts for days. If you're still showing up with 7-mana spells and the assumption that the table will give you time to durdle, you’re going to have a rough time. But here’s the thing: That doesn’t mean the game isn’t fun anymore. It just means you have to meet it where it is now.

  Lab Report 008: Necromantic Delight – A Deep Dive into Ghoulcaller Gisa Ah yes… Ghoulcaller Gisa . A name that evokes shambling hordes, stitched abominations, and endless value. If you’ve ever wanted to cackle maniacally as you convert flesh into fodder and fodder into overwhelming advantage, you’re in the right place. This deck is mono-black zombie aristocrats with a splash of pure glee. It doesn't rely on infinite combos or convoluted win cons—just classic synergy, flavorful play patterns, and the sheer joy of drowning the board in the undead. If you’re like me and enjoy making the worst versions of the best commanders , this one hits the sweet spot: strong enough to stand its ground, but janky enough to make every win feel earned. Let’s crack open the graveyard and see what’s crawling out. The Core Engine: Gisa and the Grave At the heart of the deck is our beloved Gisa, who transforms any creature—friendly or otherwise—into a fresh crop of zombies. Pairing her with cards...

  Lab Report 007: “Codex Shredder: It’s Trash, But It’s My Trash” There’s something about Codex Shredder that just sings to my janky, chaotic soul. Maybe it’s because it looks like hot garbage—a one-mana artifact that mills someone for one? That’s it? But no, my friend, that’s not it. That’s just the bait. The real beauty lies in its second ability: pay five, tap, and sacrifice it to return a card from your graveyard to your hand . Suddenly, you’ve got recursion in colors that shouldn’t have it… and you’ve got it stapled to a piece of junk nobody’s afraid of until it’s too late. Let me paint you a picture from a recent Windgrace game. I had already milled Darkness and Blessed Respite earlier in the game (see Lab Report 004, shout-out to the anti-combat tech!). Opponent tries to go wide and swing for lethal commander damage. I activate Codex Shredder, grab Darkness , and blow their whole turn apart. But it’s not just about clutch fogs. In my Aminatou deck, Codex Shredder lets...

  Lab Report 006: When the Jank Hits Just Right You ever survive a Voltron swing with a single black mana and a dream? Let me set the scene: I’m piloting my chaotic value-engine of a Lord Windgrace deck, holding on by the edge of my beard at 6 life, and facing down a commander swinging for exactly lethal . The table thinks it's over. Someone even starts scooping their tokens. But me? I’ve been here before. I tap one black and whisper: “ Darkness. ” The look on their face? Priceless. Moments like that are why I play this game the way I do. It’s not about having the flashiest combos or the most efficient board wipes. It’s about timing the weird cards—the ones that usually get cut during “proper” deck tuning—for maximum drama. It’s about dodging death with Blessed Respite , a card most folks shrug off until it tucks their graveyard and fogs their perfect combat step. See, I’m not here to win the fastest—I’m here to win the hard way . Or sometimes, not win at all but make it me...

  Lab Report 05: Cracking Precons, Cracking Smiles Something has changed in Commander, and for once, it’s a good thing. Let me rewind. I’ve been playing this format since before precons were a regular thing, back when building a deck meant sorting through bulk bins, finding weird synergies, and slowly cobbling together a 100-card Frankenstein’s monster that only kind of worked. It was chaotic, creative, and deeply personal. But not always accessible. That has changed. The last few years, WOTC has really stepped up their game when it comes to preconstructed Commander decks. The average precon these days? It actually plays . It has a plan, synergy, and just enough spice to make you feel clever when you win with it. Take "Growing Threat" (Brimaz, Blight of Oreskos) from March of the Machine. It’s dripping with Phyrexian flavor, and with a little tuning, it becomes a synergistic recursion machine. Or "Grave Danger" , one of the standout releases from 2022, where zombi...

  Field Report 003 – Invisible at the Table Logged by MaD SaXXon, Tibalt’s Apprentice Ouch. My second visit to the LGS hit every insecurity I’ve ever carried—hard. Let me be clear: this wasn’t the shop’s fault. But it was rough. I sat there for an hour... and then quietly left. I’ll own it—maybe I didn’t give off the warmest vibe. Maybe I looked unapproachable. But the thing is, no one even looked long enough to find out. Outside of the genuinely kind greeting I got from the person behind the counter, I felt invisible. And that’s when my brain started picking at old scars. “Maybe I’m too old.” “Maybe they don’t want to play with someone who’s handicapped.” “Maybe it’s because I’m bald.” (Yeah, I know—LOL... but also ouch .) None of that is probably true. It’s likely just the result of not feeling seen in a space where I hoped to feel welcome. So why write this down at all? Because someone needs to say it: if you’re the new person, try to be seen. And if you’re one of the ...

  Lab Report 004 – Ten Years in a Four-Person Meta Filed by MaD SaXXon, Tibalt’s Apprentice Ten years in one pod taught me to do everything wrong! Okay—not everything —but a decade in a closed loop of four familiar faces definitely shaped my Commander play in ways that weren’t always constructive. It wasn’t always an arms race… but it often turned into one. Petty grudges, predictable play patterns, and counter-picking specific commanders became the norm. If someone was bringing The Ur-Dragon, I was showing up with Whiptongue Hydra. That’s just how it went. We even made up house rules to "save time," like setting three lands beneath your commander at the start of the game—one per turn, drawn instead of card draw. Sounds innocent enough, right? Until someone ( cough, me ) waited for the table to burn their free lands, cast Armageddon , and then played mine after. We created an ecosystem that rewarded spite and punished experimentation. Eventually, I realized I didn’t like ...

  Field Report 002 – Tactical Retreat Logged by MaD SaXXon, Tibalt’s Apprentice This week’s mission to return to the LGS was… aborted. I couldn’t make it early, and after how cold the first contact felt, I didn’t feel the fire to force my way back in late. I’ve been reflecting: if my first experience had been warmer—if names had been exchanged or even a “glad you joined us” thrown my way—I might’ve pushed harder to get there. But as it stands? Meh. This isn’t surrender, mind you—just a tactical retreat. I’ll regroup and return on Monday, early this time. Every great plan needs a little recalibration. Until then, —MaD SaXXon, Tibalt’s Apprentice

  Field Report 001 – First Contact at the LGS Logged by MaD SaXXon, Tibalt’s Apprentice My first incursion into the local game store felt more like infiltration than camaraderie. I arrived early—eager, if not anxious—but for nearly an hour, not a word was spoken to me. Eye contact was a rare commodity, and I felt like a ghost drifting between tables of established pods. Eventually, I summoned what courage I had and asked a nearby group if they could use a fourth. To their credit, I was welcomed in... but not by name. Just: “What commander are you playing?” “What does your deck do?” No names. No banter. Just business. I tried to keep pace—kept a sketchy opening hand to avoid delay, took my free mulligan, and still ended up with two lands (one of them a bounce land). The table said I could mulligan again, but I didn’t want to push it. I shuffled, drew, and fate handed me yet another two-lander. With 34 lands and several fetches, no less. Classic. The game went okay—I stumbl...

  This one’s a tough lesson—one that hits like a well-timed Chaos Warp and sticks with you for years. Playing Commander is a lot like performing a magic trick. When you're learning sleight of hand, you put in hours of invisible work just to make the illusion seamless. And that’s the paradox: the better you get at hiding the work, the more invisible it becomes—until no one even notices it. That same tension shows up when you choose a “strong” commander but fill the deck with offbeat, suboptimal tech. People don’t see your clever build decisions or weird card choices. They just see Aminatou , Korvold , Atraxa , or whoever, and assume the worst. They assume you're going for a tried-and-true win con and will often hit you first and hardest—whether or not your board state actually warrants it. The truth is, you might be catching flak for playing a deck you didn’t build to dominate. And yet—here’s the paradox again—you are still trying to win, right? That’s the game. So in a way...

 LAB REPORT 002: In my years of playing Commander, I’ve asked myself this question more times than I can count: Can playing to win and playing for joy really coexist? The answer I’ve come to is yes—but only with intentional effort, especially from those of us who prioritize fun. When you’re playing in a small, consistent pod of four or five people, it’s easy for the dynamic to drift into an arms race. One player upgrades their deck, then someone else responds with something stronger, and before you know it, you’re all running tuned lists just to keep up. And sure, those games can still be fun—but if your joy hinges on pulling off a strange combo or watching a janky idea somehow take flight, that environment can start to feel stifling. Floating between pods, you’ll experience both good and bad nights. Sometimes, you’ll find a table that welcomes your offbeat builds. Other nights, you’ll get steamrolled before you can even draw your third land. But here’s the thing: the more self-...

 LAB REPORT 001: The Binary Trap — Why Fun Should Be the Goal Commander is one of the richest formats in Magic, but all too often I see players fall into what I call the binary trap . It's the idea that there's only one acceptable outcome: winning. When winning is your only goal, the game becomes black and white—either you win and have fun, or you lose and walk away disappointed. Every card, every turn, every interaction is judged by whether it contributes to a victory, and if it doesn’t, it’s seen as a waste. That’s a lot of pressure to put on a game. But when you make fun your primary objective, the whole game opens up. Suddenly, there are infinite shades of gray between winning and losing. You start to notice the little victories—the perfect topdeck, the unlikely combo that almost goes off, the chaos you unleash with a single card. You laugh more. You engage more. You remember more. Fun doesn’t have to be the opposite of winning—it can include it—but it’s far more susta...

 Report 21: The Art of the Mulligan By Tibalt’s Apprentice Let’s be honest—most of us treat the mulligan like a walk of shame. A sigh, a reshuffle, a reluctant toss of one card, then we try to make the best of what’s left. But what if I told you that getting to Mythic might hinge more on your first seven cards than your next thirty draws? This month, I’ve been all-in on optimizing my games on MTG Arena. And the biggest upgrade to my play wasn’t adding a mythic rare… it was rethinking how I mulligan. So What Is a Good Mulligan? A good hand isn’t always one that “feels playable.” It’s one that pushes your game plan forward. Whether you’re trying to cheat out Parhelion II with Greasefang or slam a turn-three Scholar of the Lost Trove, your opening hand should scream "I’m about to do something dangerous." If it doesn’t? Mull it. Mythic Climb Tip: Mulligan with Purpose Before you queue up, ask yourself: ❓ What does my ideal opener look like? ❓ What’s the fastest path to winning? ❓...