Thompson explains why linear decks are often not the strongest in any format. He uses this framework to explain why attacking on multiple angles gives your opponents more to think about, and making your games go longer means your opponents have more chances to make mistakes when they don’t know what you are doing.
“Being linear means you are the dead money in the tournament — the person everyone knows how to beat.” – Gerry Thompson, 2014
Thompson opens by explaining that the way your cards interact with each other dictates a level of power in your deck beyond stuffing it full of the most busted mythics you can find, but also beyond linear strategies where cards are too reliant on other pieces. The primary examples given deal with matching your removal to the rest of your deck, lining up your strengths and weaknesses in as advantageous as manner as you can, and then considering how this may be affected by what your opponent is doing. He also touches on the subject that is later explored in detail by Majors in the piece Traction.