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    Yes, that's right. The next expansion for the Magic: The Gathering's
newest stand-alone expansion is Apocalypse, and if you've been keeping up,
opposing colors is the name of the game. And this is why it's all coming to
an end. Sure the world's going to blow up, and Gerrard's gonna die, boo hoo
hoo. But what's really coming to an end is a little format we call Limited.
    In Limited, either sealed deck or booster drafts of various sorts, you
build a deck from the deck and boosters you get, or the cards you are
passed. In Limited, one of the strongest colors is Red-Black. You can't deny
the strength of Pyre Zombie, Blazing Specter, Urza's Rage, and even Bog Down!
These, and many other great cards, have turned this into one of the most
desired decks to draft. But, thanks to the coming Apocalypse, if your goal
as you begin is to go straight red-black, one of your packs, the Apocalypse
pack, will be all but useless because those black cards are using green and
white abilities, with the red cards working with white and blue.
    Now this is not a good thing. Sure, at that point you could try splashing
into another color to work it, but there are 5 colors and eight people in a
pod. I sense a conflict of interest at that point. Everyone will be grabbing
at straws to trying and save their skins. And their decks will suffer, because
Invasion and Planeshift are geared towards the allied colors, and your last
pack will be trying to send you elsewhere.
    Now sure, the fact that they are opposed-oriented means that their costs
are a little better (I mean, Spectral Lynx is a deal*, and so is
Vindicate**), but it's still tearing you in different directions. It's like
trying to play an aggressive Millstone deck. It's not happening. No offense
to those who tried, or are trying, and good luck. But while you work on this
awesome draft version of Machine Head, grinning evilly, the guy on your right
will grin right back, because he's been thinking ahead to that Apocalypse
pack, and drafted accordingly. Three colors.
 "Not so unusual." You say, and yeah, it's not. But when you look at decks
that branch out, the more you branch, the worse your mana base will be.
Splashing a little blue into your black-red deck will be a lot harder since,
while at least some of the Apocalypse cards will have merit now (namely
red-blue oriented ones), they will force you even more into blue, which is
not good for any version of Machine Head, since blue is a more controlling
color. Now, though this means that the proverbial "smart guy" will not have a
totally superior deck, he's planning, and that goes a long way. One example
would be the red "sanctuary" card. If you stick to straight red-black until
the Apocalypse pack, it will be nearly useless. But if you drafted a few
play-worthy Invasion-Planeshift blue creatures, you could go ahead and at
least know it COULD work.
It's even worse when you were going blue-white-with-a-splash-of-green thanks
to that Treva, The Renewer you busted, and then you rip open a Spiritmonger,
take it, and get passed a Minotaur Illusionist. OUCH! All of these are power
cards. Now, the conventional "splash a little green" just went to, at best,
"splash two colors with another two as your core" and in order to use that
Illusionist, you'd have to also go into red. I don't think Five Color
blue-white is gonna catch on. There is a new powerhouse in town. Long known
as "Magic's weakest color," green is back with a vengeance.
With commons like Harrow, Primal Growth, Quirion Elves, and Quirion Explorer,
the uncommon cards Multani's Harmony and Elfhame Sanctuary, and the rare
Utopia Tree, plus many more, green won't even really strain under this load.
5CG was always possible. Only now, I think another kind of green will be
friendly, fun, easy, and good to draft: black-blue with a core of green. In
our current limited environment, people would just shake their heads at that.
Apocalypse makes it possible. Don't think that Its black-blue-green or bust;
just keep in mind that green can handle these changes, thanks to its ample
mana-making capabilities. I hope you try other strategies.
Without more knowledge on this new set, I can't elaborate much more. Also,
keep in mind that these are just my thoughts on our newest obstacle to
victory. I encourage you to formulate your own, and thank Pojo for a chance
to let me write. I need somewhere to vent, and my house welcomes not the
Magic. Thank you for your time.

Hope to see you at the next tourney,

Glenn Jones, The Magic Weasel
Aspiring Writer

Also, questions and comments (suggestions too) are welcome. My email spaceweasel3@cs.com