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Hey guys!
It was my intention this week to write about [Shadowfang Keep], and its current uses and impact on the way things will look in the Core Constructed format come RCQ and Darkmoon Faire Los Angeles time. However, I figured that I will save that for the end of this article. I've already talked about it for a little in my previous discussion of the Dungeon Decks.
For now, I want to use this time to address a few things related to the site.
Year 2 Inc!
For those of you who started following Daily Metagame late, we are now in our 2nd year of running this site. Our first anniversary was in late November, and regrettably, it went by without so much as a whimper from us. That was primarily due to unfortunate timing: Tim and the crew were recovering from Worlds (which he'll be talking about in detail, along with his adventures at the Metamart 5k, later in January). I had a one day recovery time between editing and publishing the Worlds coverage and my next gig: editing in San Francisco for the 2011 Magic World Championship. By the way, if you play both games, isn't it sweet to be in a time where both of the current block's Limited formats are insanely fun?
Regardless, I've had no time to even write up a little "Hey, we're a year old!" article. So with that...Hurray! We're over one year old!
That being said, we wouldn't be around today if it wasn't for your support. Seriously guys. It keeps us going, even when things get really hectic. We've had a couple of slowdowns during the year, and a couple of card pop-up issues from time to time (I've gotten those Sava'gin pop-ups sorted out, finally, in all articles from here on out), and for that I apologize.
In that one year time, we've had a host of writers who have appeared on this site to contribute to the community.
Some of the game's most recognized faces from the Darkmoon Faire events, such as Brad Watson, Tim Rivera, Corey Burkhart, and Stuart Wright have all chipped in with either occasional articles when they find time or they have dedicated themselves to bi-weekly content. I've appreciated all of it, from Corey's consistent interest in exploring the unknown in Constructed formats, to Brad's witty comparisons to Tim's draft camp as a death trap (when players don't RTFC at draft camp, the beatings are severe).
Aric Jack, one of the most recognizable faces from the Champions of the Black Flame (well, other than that time when he lost his 'stache to a bet), has gone above and beyond what I ever expected of anyone contributing to the website with his Mozu Report video series. Here's a plug for you Aric: if you are looking for some WoW action and are willing to drive to Tucson, he's running his big end of year blow-out event, which is sure to be a lot of fun if you can make it!
We've not just been limited to content from the fifty states either. Oliver Gehrmann has been an avid contributor for us as part of Bootcamp LE, and has also been responsible for some awesome draft videos, which you can find at our Youtube channel. Marcin Filipowicz, with his series of match breakdowns and Reddit references, has also kept up with contributions. Hell, we've even been fortunate to get stories on the TCG scene in China and Southeast Asia thanks to Jonathan Lee-Mars and Team Rampage!
DMG hasn't just been a local region website. It's not simply all about Tanaris to us. It's about the community on a global scale. Thanks again for you support from all over the world. It means a lot guys.
2012
There's a lot coming in 2012 for DMG. I really wish I could share with you what we've got planned except, well, I can't. It's a secret. I'm pretty sure Tim would chain me up in whatever dungeon he keeps Pip in if I spilled the beans on anything.
What I can say is this: keep checking back for updates on what is going on with the site, as well as what's going on with the community has a whole.
Shadowfang Keep
DMG updates aside, I did want to talk about [Shadowfang Keep] for a little bit more. For my initial thoughts, check out my last article which talks about the Dungeon Deck cards.
In a nutshell, [Shadowfang Keep] poses an interesting question for players: what do you value more? The full-on Saurfang/[Kor'kron Vanguard] package, or [Mazu'kon] reach damage that also invalidates a lot of ways that decks have of controlling the powerful 6/6?
I'm going to ignore these magical dream scenarios where you combine with [Trade Prince Gallywix] and some number of Goblins and tokens to make a turn 2 or turn 3 [Mazu'kon]. Let's be real; it's not worth it in Core unless you have the gas to play a turn 4 [Mazu'kon] after that and, honestly, you'll probably be out of cards by then.
Instead, I want to focus on the real debate surrounding [Shadowfang keep]: is it good enough to replace Saurfang? If the format is based around Girdle decks and Hammer decks, then I believe it is. The location adds necessary consistency to early bombs, and turns cards that have little value in those matchups ([Jex'ali], Cairne tokens, etc) into accelerants.
However, it's hard to argue against the natural combination of cards like [Riptide] with [Kor'kron Vanguard]. Also, [Saurfang the Younger, Kor'kron Warlord] remains one of the iconic allies that just ends games. It's very good at that job, but it's also very good at being a dude that often takes out an opposing ally while providing you with a resource.
That being said, [Shadowfang Keep] helps better enabler turn 3 Edwins, turn 4/5 [Mazu'kon]s, and incredible reach damage with the six drop. So which one do you play?
Well, why not both?
I recall Dan Clark's NACC Warlock list ran the full play-set of [Undercity]s, alongside one copy of [Kor'kron Vanguard] and one [Saurfang the Younger, Kor'kron Warlord]. Well, why not run Saurfangs with your [Shadowfang Keep]s? You can include one or two copies of [Kor'kron Vanguard] to fetch up with your Saurfangs, and you'll have a ton of consistency for playing him on turn 3. Saurfang will still do his job, you still threaten some quick games, and the [Shadowfang Keep] will do what it is supposed to do and then can be turned face-down when you don't need it anymore.
This isn't something I've tested yet. However, as someone who has tested Hammer variants with just [Shadowfang Keep] and just [Kor'kron Vanguard], it has been something that I have considered trying. Perhaps I'll talk about it more in a future deck dump.
For now though, I did want to mention the possibility. If you try it, let me know how it works for you by posting in our forums!
-Mike
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