“[In Stage 1], you are basically mana screwed.” When Mike Flores said this, he introduced the concept of the 3 stages of Magic*. The article is one of his best, and covers all aspects of a game of Magic, but today I just want to focus on Stage 1.
Looking at the current Standard metagame, I realized that almost all of the best decks share a common ability to control the way their mana develops. This means being able to play additional mana sources when you are light on lands, and also having something to do with your mana when you have excess lands sitting around.
Avacyn Restored
Dark Ascension
Innistrad
New Phyrexia
Mirrodin Besieged
Scars of Mirrodin
