Episode Archives

Brainstorm Brewery #200.2 – Act II

Brainstorm Brewery Brainstorm Brewery, Podcasts 01:39:51

There was an error with the initial release, this is the updated correct file.

It happened! It’s here! You thought it was never going to happen and that means you lost a fogo bet! You thought it wouldn’t come out before episode 300 and well… This is the second part of episode 200, recorded before episode 300 but released after 300, two years later… 

Also make sure to check us out on Youtube 

  • Banter
  • Ryan Plays Magic
  • Jason’s Jokes
  • Scumbag Corbin
  • Marcelisms
  • #Ray4Rookie
  • Babies R Us
  • Scandalous 
  • Marcel Mint
  • MTG Ryan
  • Punny
  • Impressions
  • eMails
  • Story Time

 

Send us your emails!

Support our Patreon!

Need to contact us? Hit up [email protected]

Contact Us!

Brainstorm Brewery – Website –  Twitter – Facebook – RSS – iTunes – YouTube

Ryan Bushard – E-mail – Twitter – Facebook

Corbin Hosler – E-mail – Twitter – Facebook

Jason E Alt – E-mail – Twitter – Facebook

Marcel White – E-mail – Twitter

Brainstorm Brewery #200.1 – Act I

Brainstorm Brewery Brainstorm Brewery, Podcasts 1:25:20

It happened! It’s here! You thought it was never going to happen and that means you lost a fogo bet! You thought it wouldn’t come out before episode 300 and you lose another FOGO bet, barely!

Also make sure to check us out on Youtube 

  • Banter
  • Rando jokes
  • Marcelisms
  • Jason’s rants
  • Corbin’s smrt
  • Ryan is a finance jeenyus
  • Are you guys even friends?
  • Magic chat
  • Shut up, Corbin
  • The interruption game
  • Guests?
  • Send us your emails!
  • Support our Patreon!

Need to contact us? Hit up [email protected]

Contact Us!

Brainstorm Brewery – Website –  Twitter – Facebook – RSS – iTunes – YouTube

Ryan Bushard – E-mail – Twitter – Facebook

Corbin Hosler – E-mail – Twitter – Facebook

Jason E Alt – E-mail – Twitter – Facebook

Marcel White – E-mail – Twitter

Money Draught #57 – Bigger Than Ever

Money Draught Money Draught, Podcasts 1:26:27

Topics include: The UK referendum, Eldritch Moon design choices, favorite spoilers, a possible objective way to measure power creep, JR’s confusion of Commander ethics as seen through the prism of Words of Waste, Eternal Masters draft impressions, the Japanese “Herbivore Men” phenomenon, and gun control.

** This cast is for mature listeners**

Your Hosts:
Jason Alt — @JasonEAlt
Slick Jagger — @slickJagger
JR — @time_elemental

Brainstorm Brewery #199 – We’re Not Gonna Make It

Brainstorm Brewery Brainstorm Brewery, Podcasts 1:14:26

You are absolutely getting an episode 200 extravaganza. We’re going to put together your favorite clips of the best moments from the last 100 episodes since the last extravaganza at episode 100 (which was, like, the 106th episode we did, but, whatever) and you’re going to love it. It will make you laugh and smile and remember why you love this podcast so much. You’re just not going to get it next week. Anything worth doing is worth doing right and it’s also worth waiting for. It’s not like we won’t do episodes in the mean time, either. We’re not going on hiatus. We’ll be back with Episode #201 next week. You’ll forget we skipped 200, then, BAM. Value. While you wait, check out this very, very solid episode where we address manipulation of the secondary market, read e-mails, rename our new segment and give you so much value that you’ll have to buy a second phone just to store it all. Feast your earholes on Brainstorm Brewery.

 

  • Spoilers!
  • Who’s the Martin Shkreli of MTG Finance?
  • E-mails!
  • Bulk to Binder! Breaking Bulk
  • Pick of the WEEEEK, but earlier. You won’t know where.
  • Help us with episode 200 -actually, it’s too late, I think.
  • Support our Patreon! DO IT. You know this cast makes you more than $1 a week
  • Need to contact us? Hit up [email protected]

 

Contact Us!

Brainstorm Brewery – Website – E-mail – Twitter – Facebook – RSS – iTunes – Stitcher

Ryan Bushard – E-mail – Twitter – Facebook

Corbin Hosler – E-mail – Twitter – Facebook – MTGPrice

Jason E Alt – E-mail – Twitter – Facebook – MTGPrice

Marcel White – E-mail – Twitter

Brainstorm Brewery #198 – Bulk to Binder

Brainstorm Brewery Brainstorm Brewery, Podcasts 0:59:47

We asked and you delivered! Listeners helped us name our new segment – Bulk to Binder, and it’s going to be a regular part of the rotation from now on. We may have even remembered to directly credit whomever came up with the name, so that’s obviously upside. With spoilers to discuss, there isn’t a ton of time for either dillying or dallying so we skipped both and got down to business. This is a boilerplate episode of Brainstorm Brewery and if you don’t love it, you’re the one who’s wrong.

 

 

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Jason E Alt – E-mail – Twitter – Facebook – MTGPrice

Marcel White – E-mail – Twitter

Brainstorm Brewery #197 – Down to the Wire

Brainstorm Brewery Brainstorm Brewery, Podcasts 0:47:21

It’s almost Episode 200 and you know what that means! Or maybe you don’t. I personally think it means we’ll start labeling our episodes “198.5, 198.9, 199.0” etc. Still, just because this isn’t our Episode 200 extravaganza doesn’t mean this isn’t an action-packed episode. There are spoilers to cover, finance happenings, e-mails to read, a new segment to keep doing – there’s a lot to do. And there is a lot that you as listeners can do, also. Help us name our new segment where we discuss cards that are surprisingly not bulk. Patronize our Patreon. Write us an e-mail asking a question. Tell us your favorite running jokes from the last 200 episodes. You guys are the best and you’re the reason we keep doing this cast.

 

 

Contact Us!

Brainstorm Brewery – Website – E-mail – Twitter – Facebook – RSS – iTunes – Stitcher

Ryan Bushard – E-mail – Twitter – Facebook

Corbin Hosler – E-mail – Twitter – Facebook – MTGPrice

Jason E Alt – E-mail – Twitter – Facebook – MTGPrice

Marcel White – E-mail – Twitter

Brainstorm Brewery #196 – Listening to Fans (For Some Reason)

Brainstorm Brewery Brainstorm Brewery, Podcasts 1:01:40

Marcel is hit with a work/baby 1-2 punch leaving him unable to join the cast. Things get very interesting when Liliana Alt decides she wants to emulate her father’s night owl lifestyle and forces Jason to cast with her in his lap, contributing verbally but unintelligibly when the mood strikes her. It’s adorable, and if you think “That’s unprofessional” or basically “That’s something other than adorable” then maybe you should have doctors check for tumors in the part of your brain where you experience joy. It’s a 4 person cast with a new segment, discussion about everything from Eternal Masters to the price spike on Library of Alexandria and everything in between. Well, not everything in between. That would be ridiculous. Like, two things in between. If that. I think those two things might have been discussed back-to-back. Still, though. Nice little episode. Why not just put it into your earholes?

 

 

Contact Us!

Brainstorm Brewery – Website – E-mail – Twitter – Facebook – RSS – iTunes – Stitcher

Ryan Bushard – E-mail – Twitter – Facebook

Corbin Hosler – E-mail – Twitter – Facebook – MTGPrice

Jason E Alt – E-mail – Twitter – Facebook – MTGPrice

Marcel White – E-mail – Twitter

Brainstorm Brewery #195 – Stitched Together

Brainstorm Brewery Brainstorm Brewery, Podcasts 1:00:16

Corbin had to leave early and Marcel had to show up late. It wasn’t ideal but neither was skipping another week. What were we to do? Record in two separate pieces and stitch it together with audio magic, that’s what! With Eternal Masters to discuss, a Merfolk deck winning a GP and e-mails to finally read, there was a lot to cover. Someone on reddit this week said he doesn’t think the cast of Brainstorm Brewery likes each other. I don’t even know how to respond to that other than to say having Ryan and Jason record two separate episode halves like Marcel and Corbin are divorced is pretty funny given the timing. Strap in and listen to your favorite podcast, why don’t you? This is Brainstorm Brewery.

 

 

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Brainstorm Brewery – Website – E-mail – Twitter – Facebook – RSS – iTunes – Stitcher

Ryan Bushard – E-mail – Twitter – Facebook

Corbin Hosler – E-mail – Twitter – Facebook – MTGPrice

Jason E Alt – E-mail – Twitter – Facebook – MTGPrice

Marcel White – E-mail – Twitter

Brainstorm Brewery #194 – Mailbag

Brainstorm Brewery Brainstorm Brewery, Podcasts 0:52:48

The gang talks about all of the announcements made by Wizards this week and discusses the financial relevance of each. After that, they do Pick of the Week. With the remaining time in the episode, they dig into the mail bag to read your e-mails and comments, so keep them coming!

 

 

Contact Us!

Brainstorm Brewery – Website – E-mail – Twitter – Facebook – RSS – iTunes – Stitcher

Ryan Bushard – E-mail – Twitter – Facebook

Corbin Hosler – E-mail – Twitter – Facebook – MTGPrice

Jason E Alt – E-mail – Twitter – Facebook – MTGPrice

Marcel White – E-mail – Twitter

Money Draught #56 – Pipe Dreams

Money Draught Money Draught, Podcasts 1:24:29

Topics include: Magic’s potential as an eSport and profession, Enter the Battlefield, the “top two” pilot errors resulting in aeronautic stalls, and an oddity within an oddity in avian evolution.

** This cast is for mature listeners**

Your Hosts:
Jason Alt — @JasonEAlt
Slick Jagger — @slickJagger
JR — @time_elemental

Money Draught RSS

Brainstorm Brewery #193 – Justification After the Cast

Brainstorm Brewery Brainstorm Brewery, Podcasts 0:50:43

We’re so tantalizingly-close to episode 200 you can practically taste it. How are we spending our time until then? By producing the best possible podcast on the planet. Seriously, you’re getting this podcast for free. That’s value. If you only know one thing about MTG Finance and it’s “The best MTG Finance podcast is free” then you know a lot. You’ll know even more after this week when we hit you with some knowledge bombs. We don’t even explode those bombs, we just hit you with them. Why would we detonate those bombs? The knowledge inside would blow up along with them. It’s like you don’t even think.

 

 

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Brainstorm Brewery – Website – E-mail – Twitter – Facebook – RSS – iTunes – Stitcher

Ryan Bushard – E-mail – Twitter – Facebook

Corbin Hosler – E-mail – Twitter – Facebook – MTGPrice

Jason E Alt – E-mail – Twitter – Facebook – MTGPrice

Marcel White – E-mail – Twitter

Brainstorm Brewery #192 – Clash Royale

Brainstorm Brewery Brainstorm Brewery, Podcasts 1:15:02

Sometimes we get on a good discussion before the cast gets started and 15 minutes in, we realize it’s too good not to include in the episode so we just roll with it. That happened this week. The gang got into a discussion about accessibility and affordability that needed to make it into the episode so that’s what happened.

 

Episode 200 is coming up soon so make sure to get your clips in if you’re still listening to them for us. This will be the best episode yet, so hang onto your hats, nerds.

 

 

Contact Us!

Brainstorm Brewery – Website – E-mail – Twitter – Facebook – RSS – iTunes – Stitcher

Ryan Bushard – E-mail – Twitter – Facebook

Corbin Hosler – E-mail – Twitter – Facebook – MTGPrice

Jason E Alt – E-mail – Twitter – Facebook – MTGPrice

Marcel White – E-mail – Twitter

Brainstorm Brewery #191 – Do They Call Them WotC the Bridgebuilder?

Brainstorm Brewery Brainstorm Brewery, Podcasts 1:10:30

A lot happened in Magic. A good Pro Tour happened. A good Pro Tour documentary happened. A really terrible Pro Tour announcement happened. Cards spiked. Orders were cancelled. Casual formats went largely unnoticed. Players are out for blood. Who can help you navigate the crazy world of this card game? We can, that’s who.

 

 

Contact Us!

Brainstorm Brewery – Website – E-mail – Twitter – Facebook – RSS – iTunes – Stitcher

Ryan Bushard – E-mail – Twitter – Facebook

Corbin Hosler – E-mail – Twitter – Facebook – MTGPrice

Jason E Alt – E-mail – Twitter – Facebook – MTGPrice

Marcel White – E-mail – Twitter

Changing Tides

Denis Stranjak Articles

This piece was written by a guest writer, Jeremy Aaranson.

Hey Guys! Due to school and work, I wasn’t able to write this article until a week after the GP ended. Hopefully, this still contains some financially relevant information. Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments, or let me know on twitter @xemitsellsmagic

GPDC was the 8th largest Grand Prix in Magic’s 20 year history. Financially however, it seemed one of the most relevant GPs in the last year. The same old faces that are a mainstay at every GP are still there, but under new names and shops. Many former buyers have become freelancers with many of the popular vendors falling off the GP Circuit. Another interesting development in vendor philosophy is the shrinking amount of vendors that are willing to take up the challenge of buying at a GP. One bad weekend can ruin many of the smaller vendor operations currently on the circuit, which is why in my opinion we’ve seen a smaller amount of individual shops apply for GP spots this year. The fees involved in getting a booth at these events have also finally stagnated, which paints a different picture from the fast growing rates TOs charged back in 2014 and 2015. Hasbro has also conceded that magic has stopped growing at insanely fast amounts per year in their stockholder report. With less new players entering magic every year, Hasbro has focused on increasing the amount of money each player spends on the game. This includes gimmicks such as the expeditions, and a plethora of supplemental product marketed toward every type of magic player this year.

Something that Ryan Bushard said at GPDC has stuck to me however. He remarked that the vendors whose models are buy everything at 50% will increasingly become archaic in the changing tide of the mtgfinance markets. The day before the tournament, Scout’s Warning spiked to quite a few dollars. The first day of the event, people were trying to sell the very same Scout’s Warnings that they had picked out of bulk boxes on the floor and at their LGS. The smart vendors no- sirred the hundred or so copies that each individual tried to flip, but some vendors bought them all at around 50% of the price they were going for at the time on TCG.  After talking with multiple finance cartel members about this practice, the general consensus is that vendors should be hiring knowledgeable people who check tools such as MTGStocks and put in more effort than checking TCG for every card at your booth. Technology has also changed the game at Grand Prixs.  The folks at Wizards Tower used up to date buylists and inputted each card into a spreadsheet at DC, meaning that two people trying to dump hundreds of copies of the same card to their different buyers at the same time wouldn’t work. Wizards Tower’s electronic buylist can also be changed in the blink of an instant on hundreds of cards. 

This means that they won’t receive complaints later in the day from someone demanding 14 on Thoughtseize when they bought a couple hundred copies in earlier in the day for example and have dropped their buylist down to 12. Another vendor who used a paper printed out buylist would still show 14 on the Thoughtseize instead of being able to electronically change it as they get copies in.

Talking about DC is great and all, but you guys read this site to make money or keep playing magic cheap. There’s quite a few cards that I like post-rotation, so let’s jump into it!

With no rare dual land cycle being spoiled in SOI, I quite like all of the lands in BFZ and OGW. The BFZ cycle could easily rise to 5-8 per card, and with them currently at a whopping 3 dollars, I would be actively trading and maybe even buying in to these cards. I am also a fan of lumbering falls at it’s near bulk price of $1.5 .

Kozilek, the Great Distortion is another easy money maker down the road. Multiple MTGPrice writers have bought in with cash. If you use Pucatrade, this would be a great tool to obtain Kozileks. A cash price of $5-6 is where many writers for this site would pull the trigger, including myself. This looks to be a casual favorite and an easy triple up down the road.

Purphurous and Thassa are two of the gods I have gone the deepest on. Purphurous is a casual favorite and is very popular in both EDH and 60 card. Thassa is another good card that occasionally sees play in merfolk. I don’t see these getting reprinted any time soon, and the fact that both Erebos and Kruphix have seen significant gains already solidifies my opinion of investing quite a bit into the gods.

Thawing Glaciers is a reserved list card that has yet to spike. This also received a Judge Promo before WOTC cut off that loophole. I would be targeting the Alliance copies in trade only.

I am still quite deep on Ashiok. This unique 3 cmc planeswalker is very popular in my local EDH groups, and could always break out in a 60 card deck. She has already risen almost $2 since rotation, but I’d be holding until she easily hits $10 in another year.

That’s all I have for now. See you guys at an upcoming GP near you, and as always, have a nice day!

Brainstorm Brewery #190 – Pick of the Month

Brainstorm Brewery Brainstorm Brewery, Podcasts 1:12:12

This cast is full of info but Corbin still manages to waste a ton of time on inane and frankly pointless stories. The cast is picking up speed heading into episode 200 and looking to retool a bit after that. Want to help? Listen to some older episodes and help out. Here’s a list.

 

  • Terrible story from Corbin
  • How do we look at preview episode predictions in the intervening weeks?
  • GP ABQ
  • GPs are getting expensive!
  • Scumbag story
  • Commander 2016?
  • Pick of the WEEEEK
  • The future of BSB
  • Help us with episode 200
  • Support our Patreon! DO IT. You know this cast makes you more than $1 a week
  • Need to contact us? Hit up [email protected]

 

Contact Us!

Brainstorm Brewery – Website – E-mail – Twitter – Facebook – RSS – iTunes – Stitcher

Ryan Bushard – E-mail – Twitter – Facebook

Corbin Hosler – E-mail – Twitter – Facebook – MTGPrice

Jason E Alt – E-mail – Twitter – Facebook – MTGPrice

Marcel White – E-mail – Twitter

Fighting Back Against Persecution in Magic

Denis Stranjak Articles

This is a guest post from Mark Nestico Jr. and was not written by Denis Stranjak. While the subject of this article is a little different than the usual fare you’ll find on Brainstorm Brewery, we believe this is a subject that is vitally important to the Magic community at-large, and we want to thank Mark for his willingness to tackle this difficult subject and share this piece with us.

I’m a funny guy.

I like to write satirical articles about decks or other trivial bits of nonsense that are meant to make you laugh. Sometimes people don’t understand that, at their core, those pieces are meant to hold a mirror up to the community. Whether it’s about the outcry for bannings in Modern, the distaste we may have for a format, or whatever else…I have always tried to give you something that would make people smile. I don’t always do the best job, but the heat from it never really bothered me. All I ever really want to do is entertain you.

Bear that in mind. It’s not about being entertaining- at least not today.

Over the weekend StarCityGames posted about the recent legislature, HB2, as it pertained to the upcoming Grand Prix in North Carolina. I won’t speak to it, because Pete explained everything about as perfectly as he could. The issue I have doesn’t stem from Mr. Hoefling’s words, but rather some of the comments posted in regards to them, and more so over various forms of social media. Perhaps I shouldn’t get ahead of myself. I had this set up all differently. I’ve already deviated from my outline. I guess it’s just time to write from the heart.

So anyhow; None of us are normal. Make sure you understand that before you proceed, because I assure you that’s a point we are going to drive home today.

Imagine for a moment you don’t belong. That shouldn’t be a terribly far-fetched concept, right? You’re not the captain of the football team nor are you the head cheerleader. You’re just you, and for some people you isn’t good enough. This is high school, middle school, elementary school, work, or wherever else all rolled into one. Eventually you start to think that you’re not good enough. Depression sets in. Pain sets in. Suffering sets in. You are suffering.

You’re not the person now that you were then, but you’re certainly a byproduct of it. All the downers, bullying, trolling, vicious comments, physical assaults, psychological assaults- they shape you. Not everyone can just “brush it off” or “stand up for themselves.” Amputate the leg and you’re no longer a track star. Amputate the self-esteem and  you’re no longer capable of fighting back.

Time passes.

You find Magic. Maybe you stumbled upon a store or saw it on the internet. It’s a children’s card game, but it has millions upon millions of people that play it, and there is a convergence of other people who just don’t belong meeting there a few times a week to battle, discuss, and share in a hobby. “What the hell.”

Forsaking your baser intuitions that tell you to avoid these kinds of interactions completely predicated on all of the unfavorable ones you’re used to, you go. You learn. You observe.

617d7b1dc3083eec2890c1e3c8b4adc5Time passes.

Magic isn’t just a hobby to you anymore- it’s the very air you breathe. Your friendships exist because of Magic. Your self-confidence has grown because of Magic. Your time is now spent between when you get to go to your local game shop and be happy and the life you loathe. Your life means more because of Magic. It has saved you.

Time passes.

You’ve spent so, so, so very much time being different. Not good enough in your own eyes, but Magic and good friends have finally given you the courage to be who you thought you always should be. When you go to these Opens or PPTQs or random events you’re surrounded by literally thousands of people who were all a little different, or made fun of, or outsiders/geeks/nerds/whatever the hell people need to call other people to make themselves feel superior. They all convene in one place for plenty of different reasons: commander, cosplay, to meet artists, trading, play competitively or casually, hang out with friends, draft, and a multitude of other possibilities.

With that in mind you decide you’re going to go to your first Grand Prix. Maybe it’s in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Developments in that state make you feel significantly less safe. Your pragmatism sets in, and you do your best to understand the “whys” and how they directly impact you. It’s not just HB2. It’s the reaction. Polarizing. You’re called names again. Your very state of being is called into question. You begin to feel those old notions of inadequacy- the kids in school who relentlessly tease you, or the adults who stare and point. It’s not just the bill. It’s the people and their treatment of their fellow man or woman. Anxiety sets in.

Here we are again, suffering- wasn’t I silly for thinking I could escape from you?

The Island of Misfit Toys

We are all beautiful, and beautifully broken. From the lowliest internet troll who seeks to inflict pain in order to feel something…anything to the most holier-than-thou crusader who finds offenses in everything regardless of if it exists or not. We all are something special, and usually that conflicts with the opposite end of the spectrum. Magic is the Island of Misfit Toys. Its where a lot of people who have never felt a sense of belonging go because they don’t know any other options. For some it’s the first, and for some it’s the last stop on a journey to find their place in this world. There’s nothing wrong with that.

There is something wrong, however, with acting like your place is somehow more sacred than another’s. Bullying is a hot-button topic. It has been for a few years. There are two camps:

1- Those who think the bullied should stop being soft and fight back.

2- Those who are bullied.

 

The interesting dichotomy that exists is that those who think it’s as simple as raising a generation of warriors often fail to realize how damaging it is to constantly be put down. Have you ever seen a boxer get knocked out? Does their corner rush to their side and scream “get up! You’re letting us down by being unconscious! What kind of loser are you?” Or do they rush to their side and try to take care of them? I’ll give you one guess, and it’s not the first one. We learn from getting knocked out, but some people become punch-shy, and they learn to dodge better rather than absorb a hit.
drown-in-sorrow-730x280

When I was a kid I was bullied, but I had a smart mouth and I wasn’t afraid to take a beating or dish one out. That’s just who I was, but when I went home do you know what I did? Watched television. Played with my action figures. Ate dinner. Talked to mom and dad. Went to bed. That was it.

People nowadays have no escape. Are you tortured at home? Lovely. Let’s continue that when you get home over social media- tweet at you how much we hate you, and tag you on Facebook statues about what a terrible person you are. Are you scared? You should be. Here come the text messages because we somehow got your number. Emails. Don’t even try to cover your ears. We’re everywhere.

This is the life that the bullied live nowadays. It’s not as easy as when I was young. We threw some punches and called it quits. There is literally no escape from being condemned for your race, sexuality, gender identity, looks, weight…your everything is on trial.

The Magic community, which is supposed to be a Safe Haven for those who enjoy the game, instead has fostered a subset of members who believe their hatred trumps compassion and reason. Look no further than the various comment sections of articles. We make a play or write about something you don’t agree with? We’re idiots. Don’t like our articles? We’re illiterate. Constructive criticisms are a thing of the past, because why be kind and understanding when you can just tell the other living, breathing, alive person with feelings that they should kill themselves. That’s the ticket, right? Forget the middle. Straight to the endgame.

It’s not about safe spaces or secret clubhouses. Magic is a game and it is meant to be enjoyed by every person who chooses to play it, and the injection of prejudices and ad hominem should be a notion so far removed from it that it makes almost no sense to me that a group of people just searching for happiness would cannibalize itself with hatred. Malice doesn’t come with impunity.

The Remedy

So far I’ve heard “stop shoving your changes down my throat,” “things were fine the way they were before,” and “political correctness is destroying America.” I’m here to hold your hand through this. It’s not the end of the world. Listen to my words: change is a good thing, accepting your fellow man and woman is ok, and not spewing hateful rhetoric will do your soul more good than it will harm.

We are blessed. So blessed. Beyond blessed that we have Magic. It’s not the game- because a game is just that. For some it’s a living, or a passion- a hobby or an escape route. You don’t know the extent that someone has ran away from persecution just to be able to sit across from you at the table, shake your hand, roll some dice, and battle some cards. Their struggles- internal or external- are a catalyst for their strength and determination, but are also scars they bare from battles you know nothing about. Just being in your presence shouldn’t be another war, nor should telling them how much they disgust you. They are a human. You are a human.

Despite philosophical, perceived, real or fake differences, hurting someone is never ok. Your rights do not begin based off of ending someone else’s.

Empathy.
Understanding.
Respect.

Emotion.

You can never underestimate these qualities. They are literally the perfect starting hand for interacting with those around us.
Magic should be all-inclusive, and even though the vast majority of it is, that doesn’t mean we can’t be better. We should want to be better. After all, what would you rather do?

Destroy a life?

Or save it? Your words can do either.

Embrace the power your can have over the Magic community. Spread love, not hate. Spread positivity, not malicious thoughts.
Free yourself from the thorned bonds that would prevent you from helping those around you. Exile bullying or doing harm to your fellow players. This is my declaration today, tomorrow, and for the rest of the time I play Magic.
Next week I’m sure I’ll write about some deck or do some satirical piece. I’m a funny guy, right?

Bad Commanders, Great Names

Andy Hull Articles

When it comes to choosing a general in EDH, you’ve got a lot of great legendary creatures to choose from. Budget or no, there are plenty of high powered, ready to kill, commanders that can have innovative and solid strategies built around them. There are also a lot of bad commanders and a quick look at gatherer can find generals that are literally unplayable (Haakon, Stromgald Scourge), ones that add nothing to your deck (Mishra, Artificer Prodigy) or just ones that are confusing and useless (General Jarkeld). There are vanilla commanders of course but that’s not what this article is about, no this article will highlight playable bad commanders that also have totally awesome names or at least names that are so dumb they’re pretty funny. So let’s play Bad Commander, Best Name.

Axelrod Gunnarson should be fronting a Norwegian metal band not blowing salt on these trees!

Axelrod Gunnarson should be fronting a Norwegian metal band not blowing salt on these old twigs!

Axelrod Gunnarson

If I could go back in time and correct something about Magic’s history it wouldn’t be Avoiding Chronicles or Fixing any of the Jaces or anything dumb like that. If I could go back in time and fix something about Magic: The Gathering it would clearly be making sure the name Axelrod Gunnarson wasn’t wasted on this complete dud of a card. Not only is Axelrod’s ability the equivalent of mild salsa poured into a vat of milk, the art depicts a giant wearing tights blowing snow on a bunch of already-dead trees. So you had a super-nitro-rock & roll name and you made it into “Sven, the Giant Tree Blower”. Sorry Magic, but you fucked up.

Brutal helmet Jacques. That nose protector makes you look like a real dweeb.

Brutal helmet Jacques. That nose protector makes you look like a real chooch.

Jacques le Vert

Maybe its just because I’m Canadian and had to take French in school up until grade 10 but I think Jacques le Vert (or, Jack the Green to our non-officially bilingual American friends) is a righteous sounding, kickass French-Canadian Robin Hood-style forest guardian type, no? Certainly he’s some mono-green beater who pumps all your… swashbuckling rogues or something? This guy should be Errol Flynn meets Garruk Wildspeaker, right? No, instead our pals at Wizards gave JLV the “I’m 3 coloured but only care about one of the colours” treatment and even then, he only pumps toughness. Toughness? Come on guys, JLV mérite un meilleur traitement que cela!

"Then I drew some sick spikes on his gloves too." - Billy, grade 8 student who drew this.

“Then I drew some sick spikes on his gloves too.” – Mark Poole, grade 6 student who drew this.

Stangg

Am I the only person who sees the name Stangg and can’t help but think of the word “Dang” but said in a super sassy way? Stangg isn’t the worst Commander I guess, he essentially makes a copy of himself. Oh great, two green-red knights who both look like they were drawn by my best friend in grade 6. I’ll admit the picture of Stangg is pretty Metal, but that doesn’t make up for the fact that for some reason if he dies, his token dies too. Dang, Stangg. Also this has to be said, nice name Poole, think you could make it any bigger in this art?

Darigaaz the Igniter is cooler than his original name, Jeff the Fire Guy.

Darigaaz the Igniter is cooler than his original name, Jeff the Fire Guy.

Darigaaz, the Igniter

Look of the dragons with this ability Darigaaz is probably the worst one. But with a name like Darigaaz the Igniter, how could you not want this guy as your Commander? In fact, I think Ronny James Dio wrote a song called Darigaaz, the Igniter, didn’t he? I think it went something like:

Ancient being who flies up high/
Rides the wind with fires come nigh/
Strikes down evil, eyes Topaz/
Igniting Dragon Darigaaz!!
2 and a Red
2 and a Red
2 and a Red
Target player Dead

“She’s a very snakey girl, the kind you don’t bring home to Thassa” – Rick Jace

Pharika, God of Affliction

“Wait this is a new card, how can this be bad?” You maybe asking. Pharika isn’t the worst legend out there to be sure but she just doesn’t hold up to any of the others and it’s kind of like she was created by a committee of trolls and practical jokesters. If she just exiled creatures from graveyards and always gave YOU a snake token, she’d be great! Mess around with opponents graveyard, stop strategies and get value in a small army of deathtouchers. Sounds great. Instead we got a weird multilateral general who somehow ends up not really helping anyone. Pharika’s name on the other hand, is probably the best one. The GOD OF AFFLICTION bit already sounds like a tough Final Fantasy boss, but the ability to nickname your general “Super-Pharik” and always mention how “She’s super-Pharik-ay” is a sweet bonus that will not only have Rick James rolling in his grave, but have you rolling in sweet nicknames and probably a lot of new, very impressed friends. (No promises on that)

Cool names aside, when it comes to actually building around one of these Commanders, I think Pharika outclasses the rest of the crew when it comes to on-board abilities, so here you have a Pharika, God of Affliction budget EDH deck that maybe doesn’t suck. MAYBE. I’m not making promises.

Deck List

[Deck title=Bad Commanders, Great Names]
[creatures]
1 Archetype of Endurance
1 Archetype of Finality
1 Archfiend of Depravity
1 Blight Herder
1 Blood Seeker
1 Courser of Kruphix
1 Creakwood Liege
1 Dawntreader Elk
1 Doomwake Giant
1 Dreadbringer Lampads
1 Eidolon of Blossoms
1 Erebos’s Emissary
1 Goldenhide Ox
1 Grim Guardian
1 Humbler of Mortals
1 Krosan Tusker
1 Mazirek, Kraul Death Priest
1 Nighthowler
1 Noble Quarry
1 Nylea, God of the Hunt
1 Nyx Weaver
1 Ogre Slumlord
1 Pharika’s Mender
1 Reaper of the Wilds
1 Renowned Weaver
1 Riftsweeper
1 Ruin Processor
1 Sakura-Tribe Elder
1 Satyr Wayfinder
1 Seshiro the Anointed
1 Sewer Nemesis
1 Splinterfright
1 Stinkweed Imp
1 Thoughtrender Lamia
1 Ulamog’s Despoiler
1 Verduran Enchantress
1 Viscera Seer
1 Void Attendant
1 Wood Elves
1 Yavimaya Granger
[/creatures]

[spells]
1 Beastmaster Ascension
1 Daxos’s Torment
1 Deadbridge Chant
1 Deathreap Ritual
1 Decree of Pain
1 Diabolic Tutor
1 Dictate of Erebos
1 Druid’s Deliverance
1 Evolutionary Leap
1 Extinguish All Hope
1 Foster
1 Frontier Siege
1 Greed
1 Grisly Salvage
1 Jarad’s Orders
1 Life’s Finale
1 Night Dealings
1 Oath of the Ancient Wood
1 Palace Siege
1 Putrefy
1 Spidersilk Armor
1 Strength from the Fallen
1 Underworld Connections
[/spells]

[lands]
19 Forest
1 Golgari Guildgate
1 Golgari Rot Farm
1 Jungle Hollow
14 Swamp
1 Tainted Wood
[/lands]

[/deck]

So to fill up our yard we’ll get some classic dredge going with [card]Stinkweed Imp[/card] and we’ll mill ourselves with things like [card]Satyr Wayfinder[/card], [card]Nyx Weaver[card] and [/card]Foster[/card]. All solid options that will give us additional upside by grabbing lands, being an enchantment and getting us to more creatures quickly. Pharika is a weird general with weird abilities and weird opinions about how we should treat creatures in graveyards. It’s weird because you want to fill up your graveyard and sac creatures but as a result you also want to recur those creatures because getting a 1/1 snake with deathtouch is only just OK or not even good depending on your situation. I guess we could mill our opponents and give them the snakes? Maybe do something that punishes them for having creatures? That could work, but let’s keep our little slithery pals around and have them pay off by utilizing the Constellation ability – don;t forget those little snakes are also enchantments!

Best snake ever dude, didn't even need deathtouch.

Best snake ever dude, didn’t even need deathtouch.

When we get to make those snakes Pharika likes so much we’ll have a few Constellation creatures ready to trigger when they appear. Creatures like [card]Doomwake Giant[/card], [card]Thoughtrender Lamia[/card] and even [card]Goldenhide Ox[/card] can be deadly when you’re dropping a few deathtouching enchantment snakes every turn or so.

This strategy is pretty middle of the road and even if we get it off, it’s no guaranteed win so why not just jam some Budget Golgari goodstuff in here as well? I’ve been loving Archfiend of Depravity in EDH these days. If you’re in a creature-heavy meta, it’s unbelievably good at controlling the board and keeping your opponent’s boards in check. Palace Siege is another must include in just about any black deck with creatures doesn’t even have to be a mill strategy for this card to pull it’s weight. We’ve got a few sacrifice outlets, naturally, so let’s throw [card]Mazirek, Kraul Death Priest[/card] in there to help our snakes become a little more threatening, Mazirek is beginning to look like a decent card even if you plan on sacrificing very little yourself. I’ve played him in some games where only fetchlands have gone off and it’s been more than worth it. Finally, thanks to Modern Masters 2015 [card]Creakwood Liege[/card] is a card that is now in the budget cross hairs and thanks to its pumping of black and green creatures, our snakes as well as it’s own worms will be coming out as 3/3s.

Hey Gugliotta, maybe if you didn't spend all your time singing your glamour shots you'd win a game!

Timberwolves great, Tom Gugliotta, everyone. The Pharika, God of Affliction of the NBA.

All in all, in order to be successful with this deck you need to react to what you’re playing against, get your draw going, mill out your deck and see where the game is flowing, help out the players who need blockers and play the political long game. Pharika isn’t a powerhouse commander and frankly a lot of the cards in this deck aren’t either. But if you literally play your cards right, you can be the deck that no one sees coming, the disease that persists throughout the game and poisons your enemies at the exact right time. I bet the God of Affliction would be pretty pleased.

Money Draught 55 – Not Unlike the Harlem Globetrotters Episode of Gilligan’s Island

Money Draught Money Draught, Podcasts 1:35:23

Our friend Jack Wang (@JWang_MTG) joins us, and discussion includes: Artificial intelligence, AlphaGo and Magic, Primary prediction errors at FiveThirtyEight, the Hard Hat Riot of 1970, the structure of society, Marion Barry and the Hanafi Siege of 1977, Giraffe fighting techniques, Oliver Stone’s Talk Radio, bodybuilder Paul Dillet, and hanging out at GP DC with Yves McCrae (@YvesTM).

** This cast is for mature listeners**

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Jason Alt — @JasonEAlt
Slick Jagger — @slickJagger
JR — @time_elemental

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Brewing With Shadows over Innistrad

Josh Milliken Articles

Welcome back for Brewing With Shadows over Innistrad, and a new world order for Standard. With this latest set Standard is now a three block format that currently consists of Dragons of Tarkir, Magic Origins, Battle for Zendikar, Oath of the Gatewatch, and Shadows over Innistrad. This is a super exiting time, because screw [card]Siege Rhino[/card] and free rolling four color decks with the fetchlands, I won’t miss them. I’ve brought fifteen decks for you today, sideboards not included. Instead of having a fleshed out sideboard foe these decks, I have included four sideboard suggestions as cards you should heavily consider when constructing the sideboard for the deck. Now that that’s out of the way, let’s get to the deck lists…

This is one of the obvious decks to build with the new cards, but with a few cards people haven’t been considering such as [card]Scion Summoner[/card] as some additional ramp to make sure you get to your bigger spells. Most lists will run more token makers and less ramp spells, but the mana gets super difficult the more you push it into red.

[deck title= Gruul Tokens]
[Creatures]
4 Deathcap Cultivator
4 Den Protector
4 Leaf Gilder
4 Sylvan Advocate
4 Scion Summoner
2 Pia and Kiran Nalaar
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Oath of Chandra
4 Nissa, Voice of Zendikar
4 Arlinn Kord
3 Chandra, Flamecaller
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Cinder Glade
4 Game Trail
9 Forest
6 Mountain
[/Land]
[Sideboard Suggestions]
1 Boiling Earth
2 Crumble to Dust
3 Fiery Impulse
4 Plummet
[/Sideboard Suggestions]
[/deck]

The format seems to have slowed down a bit, which should give rise to some midrange decks doing well. I would be surprised if this deck isn’t at least a small part of the metagame over the next couple of months.

[deck title= Golgari Eldrazi Rock]
[Creatures]
4 Bearer of Silence
4 Den Protector
4 Wasteland Strangler
3 Liliana, Heretical Healer
3 Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet
4 Thought-Knot Seer
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
3 Dead Weight
3 Transgress the Mind
2 Grasp of Darkness
2 Ruinous Path
3 Read the Bones
2 Ob Nixilis Reignited
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Hissing Quagmire
4 Llanowar Wastes
4 Evolving Wilds
2 Blighted Fen
1 Sea Gate Wreckage
1 Westvale Abbey
1 Forest
1 Wastes
5 Swamp
[/Land]
[Sideboard Suggestions]
1 Duress
2 Flaying Tendrils
3 Reality Smasher
4 Ultimate Price
[/Sideboard Suggestions]
[/deck]

This deck really only lost [card]Ugin, the Spirit Dragon[/card], but actually gained a few options. I made a conscious decision to cut [card]Explosive Vegetation[/card] for [card]Hedron Archive[/card] to more easily facilitate Delirium on [card]Traverse the Ulvenwald[/card], if it doesn’t turn out to be good then it should go back in that slot. Expect a ton of this deck until players figure out how to fight it best.

[deck title= Gruul Ramp]
[Creatures]
4 Sylvan Advocate
4 World Breaker
2 Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
3 Oath of Nissa
3 Traverse the Ulvenwald
4 Ruin in Their Wake
4 Nissa’s Pilgrimage
3 Kozilek’s Return
3 Hedron Archive
2 Arlinn Kord
3 Chandra, Flamecaller
[/Spells]
[Land]
2 Cinder Glade
2 Shrine of the Forsaken Gods
3 Sanctum of Ugin
4 Evolving Wilds
8 Forest
2 Mountain
4 Wastes
[/Land]
[Sideboard Suggestions]
1 Crumble to Dust
2 Hangarback Walker
3 Jaddi Offshoot
4 Thought-Knot Seer
[/Sideboard Suggestions]
[/deck]

This deck heavily benefits from [card]Ugin, the Spirit Dragon[/card] leaving the format, but does get worse mana and loses [card]Outpost Siege[/card]. I may give it another shot soon if there aren’t too many control decks to fight through.

[deck title= Enchantress]
[Creatures]
4 Hearald of the Pantheon
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
3 Vessel of Nascency
4 Myth Realized
4 Oath of Chandra
4 Silkwrap
4 Stasis Snare
2 Nahiri, the Harbinger
4 Sigil of the Empty Throne
2 Starfield of Nyx
4 Quarantine Field
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Canopy Vista
4 Cinder Glade
4 Battlefield Forge
2 Needle Spire
11 Plains
[/Land]
[Sideboard Suggestions]
1 Chandra, Flamecaller
2 Hallowed Moonlight
3 Radiant Flames
4 Surge of Righteousness
[/Sideboard Suggestions]
[/deck]

I expect quite a bit of red aggro in the coming months, whether it’s Rakdos Aggro, Atarka Red, Mono Red, or even Rakdos Vampires I don’t know, but it has lost a lot of punch with this rotation. This version is just focused on going fast with efficient creatures, and maybe getting a small amount of card advantage back with [card]Asylum Visitor[/card] and [card]Abbot of Keral Keep[/card].

[deck title= Rakdos Aggro]
[Creatures]
4 Falkenrath Gorger
4 Village Messenger
3 Zurgo Bellstriker
4 Asylum Visitor
4 Ravenous Bloodseeker
4 Forerunner of Slaughter
4 Abbot of Keral Keep
3 Reckless Bushwhacker
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
3 Fiery Impulse
2 Avacyn’s Judgment
4 Dragon Fodder
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Forboding Ruins
4 Smoldering Marsh
11 Mountain
2 Swamp
[/Land]
[Sideboard Suggestions]
1 Act of Treason
2 Roast
3 Self-Inflicted Wound
4 Smash to Smithereens
[/Sideboard Suggestions]
[/deck]

This is likely the default for most aggressive red players, as it doesn’t stumble all over its mana. [card]Village Messenger[/card] will likely only be mediocre, but it’s still probably going to flip and deal three damage if you go first. There is only one discard outlet for [card]Fiery Temper[/card] in this deck, but often times you’re just going to cast it on your opponents turn anyways making the discount mostly irrelevant.

[deck title= Mono Red]
[Creatures]
4 Falkenrath Gorger
4 Village Messenger
3 Zurgo Bellstriker
2 Lightning Berserker
4 Ravenous Bloodseeker
4 Abbot of Keral Keep
3 Reckless Bushwhacker
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Titan’s Strength
3 Fiery Impulse
4 Dragon Fodder
4 Fiery Temper
[/Spells]
[Land]
21 Mountain
[/Land]
[Sideboard Suggestions]
1 Act of Treason
2 Boiling Earth
3 Roast
4 Smash to Smithereens
[/Sideboard Suggestions]
[/deck]

This seems like it will be a fun fair combo deck, but I have no idea if it will be any good. Turning on Delirium for [card]Traverse the Ulvenwald[/card] will be pretty easy in this deck, so there are a few silver bullet lands. This sideboard could also give you some silver bullet creatures and/or lands to aid in devouring the land.

[deck title= Jund Lands]
[Creatures]
3 Groundskeeper
3 Mina and Denn, Wildborn
3 The Gitrog Monster
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Traverse the Ulvenwald
4 Vessel of Nascency
4 Magmatic Insight
3 Molten Vortex
4 Tormenting Voice
3 Kozilek’s Return
2 Chandra, Flamecaller
[/Spells]
[Land]
2 Cinder Glade
2 Smoldering Marsh
4 Evolving Wilds
2 Drownyard Temple
1 Westvale Abbey
1 Blighted Fen
4 Hissing Quagmire
2 Llanowar Wastes
5 Forest
3 Mountain
1 Swamp
[/Land]
[Sideboard Suggestions]
1 Duress
2 Jaddi Offshoot
3 Languish
4 Roast
[/Sideboard Suggestions]
[/deck]

This deck hasn’t seen any love in a while, but it doesn’t lost much. With the format slowing down and a repeatable mill thirteen cards effect, it will be a little easier to get there. I expect quite a few players to make use of their [card]Jace, Vryn’s Prodigy[/card]s in this deck since he’s not as easy to flip anymore.

[deck title= Izzet Tutelage]
[Creatures]
4 Jace, Vryn’s Prodigy
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Magmatic Insight
4 Tormenting Voice
4 Avacyn’s Judgment
4 Oath of Jace
4 Sphinx’s Tutelage
2 Harness the Storm
4 Startled Awake
2 Chandra, Flamecaller
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Wandering Fumarole
4 Shivan Reef
4 Evolving Wilds
2 Drownyard Temple
6 Island
4 Mountain
[/Land]
[Sideboard Suggestions]
1 Horribly awry
2 Kozilek’s Return
3 Negate
4 Thing in the Ice
[/Sideboard Suggestions]
[/deck]

This deck lost its best one drop and combo kill, and barely gained anything. It will likely see some play, but the removal is now much better in this format making it’s weak creatures and spells seem unexciting. But it did gain [card]Thing in the Ice[/card] and a variety of Madness spells that could be good depending on how the metagame shapes up.

[deck title= Izzet Prowess]
[Creatures]
4 Thing in the Ice
4 Jace, Vryn’s Prodigy
4 Elusive Spellfist
4 Abbot of Keral Keep
4 Stormchaser Mage
1 Jori En, Ruin Diver
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
2 Expedite
3 Slip Through Space
2 Rush of Ice
3 Fiery Impulse
4 Titan’s Strength
2 Avacyn’s Judgment
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Wandering Fumarole
4 Shivan Reef
4 Evolving Wilds
6 Island
5 Mountain
[/Land]
[Sideboard Suggestions]
1 Boiling Earth
2 Negate
3 Roast
4 Welcome to the Fold
[/Sideboard Suggestions]
[/deck]

This is how I envision Atarka Red now after playing red decks almost exclusively for the past two years. Another card that could be considered in the sideboard is [card]Nissa, Voice of Zendikar[/card], but she will be hard to cast quite frequently. I expect a lot of this deck for a while, most likely misbuilt and warping it’s mana to have [card]Nissa, Voice of Zendikar[/card] in the main.

[deck title= Atarka Red]
[Creatures]
4 Falkenrath Gorger
3 Lightning Berserker
3 Zurgo Bellstriker
4 Abbot of Keral Keep
4 Thopter Engineer
3 Reckless Bushwhacker
2 Pia and Kiran Nalaar
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
3 Fiery Impulse
4 Dragon Fodder
4 Atarka’s Command
3 Arlinn Kord
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Cinder Glade
4 Game Trail
2 Forest
13 Mountain
[/Land]
[Sideboard Suggestions]
1 Act of Treason
2 Boiling Earth
3 Roast
4 Plummet
[/Sideboard Suggestions]
[/deck]

This will be another deck that players will gravitate to, but I’m not sure it’s all that good. If it is, it will be time to break out the [card]Virulent Plague[/card]s to shut this deck down. This deck really only gains [card]Archangel Avacyn[/card], which might not even be all that great in it with [card]Dragonlord Dromoka[/card] being a great option in that slot as well. But with a slower metagame it will be easier to set up the kind of plays this deck wants to do.

[deck title= Selesnya Tokens]
[Creatures]
4 Hangarback Walker
4 Deathcap Cultivator
3 Archangel Avacyn
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Traverse the Ulvenwald
4 Oath of Nissa
4 Dromoka’s Command
4 Oath of Gideon
4 Nissa, Voice of Zendikar
4 Gideon, Ally of Zendikar
2 Secure the Wastes
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Fortified Village
4 Canopy Vista
4 Evolving Wilds
1 Westvale Abbey
6 Forest
4 Plains
[/Land]
[Sideboard Suggestions]
1 Declaration in Stone
2 Plummet
3 Silkwrap
4 Surge of Righteousness
[/Sideboard Suggestions]
[/deck]

This seems like it could be either really good or terrible depending on what the other decks are trying to do. I hope it’s really good, because I do like to play Jund when I can. It doesn’t have the best options for removal though, and could be gone under by some fast aggro decks.

[deck title= Jund Walkers]
[Creatures]
4 Deathcap Cultivator
4 Den Protector
2 Leaf Gilder
2 Liliana, Heretical Healer
1 Nissa, Vastwood Seer
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Oath of Nissa
4 Oath of Chandra
3 Read the Bones
1 Kolaghan’s Command
3 Nissa, Voice of Zendikar
3 Arlinn Kord
2 Ob Nixilis Reignited
2 Chandra, Flamecaller
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Game Trail
4 Cinder Glade
3 Smoldering Marsh
4 Hissing Quagmire
4 Llanowar Wastes
6 Forest
[/Land]
[Sideboard Suggestions]
1 Duress
2 Plummet
3 Roast
4 Self-Inflicted Wound
[/Sideboard Suggestions]
[/deck]

This is the deck that everyone is talking about as the aggro deck of the format, and it does seem pretty powerful. I expect a lot of variations on this deck as long as Shadows over Innistrad is legal, since the only vampire not from the set in it is [card]Drana, Liberator of Malakir[/card] , and we will assuredly get more good vampires in Eldritch Moon.

[deck title= Rakdos Vampires]
[Creatures]
4 Falkenrath Gorger
4 Indulgent Aristocrat
4 Ravenous Bloodseeker
4 Heir of Falkenrath
4 Asylum Visitor
3 Drana, Liberator of Malakir
3 Olivia, Mobilized for War
4 Incorrigible Youths
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Avacyn’s Judgment
4 Fiery Temper
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Forboding Ruins
4 Smoldering Marsh
4 Evolving Wilds
6 Mountain
4 Swamp
[/Land]
[Sideboard Suggestions]
1 Dead Weight
2 Duress
3 Roast
4 Self-Inflicted Wound
[/Sideboard Suggestions]
[/deck]

Esper didn’t lose a heck of a lot that couldn’t be replaced, but the mana it lost is pretty painful. I expect to see a lot of this deck as people try to make the mana work. I will be glad to no longer have to worry about [card]Dig Through Time[/card].

[deck title= Esper Dragons]
[Creatures]
4 Jace, Vryn’s Prodigy
3 Dragonlord Ojutai
2 Dragonlord Silumgar
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Dead Weight
4 Silumgar’s Scorn
3 Anguished Unmaking
4 Foul-Toungue Invocation
4 Scatter to the Winds
2 Ojutai’s Command
2 Planar Outburst
2 Epiphany at the Drownyard
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Prairie Stream
4 Sunken Hollow
2 Port Town
2 Choked Estuary
2 Haven of the Spirit Dragon
4 Shambling Vent
8 Island
[/Land]
[Sideboard Suggestions]
1 Duress
2 Negate
3 Surge of Righteousness
4 To the Slaughter
[/Sideboard Suggestions]
[/deck]

I saved my favorite for last, and to everyones shock it’s not a red deck. I started with the Golgari Eldrazi Rock deck in my brewing process, and once I saw [card]Declaration in Stone[/card] and [card]Anguished Unmaking[/card] I knew this is where I wanted to be to start the new standard format. This deck should be capable of fighting anything the format can throw at it with proper sideboarding. Some options that are being considered are [card]Virulent Plague[/card], [card]Pick the Brain[/card], [card]Grasp of Darkness[/card] and [card]Ruinous Path[/card]. I have completed a sideboard for this one, as it’s what I will initially be testing.

[deck title= Orzhov Eldrazi Rock]
[Creatures]
4 Hidden Dragonslayer
4 Bearer of Silence
4 Wasteland Strangler
3 Liliana, Heretical Healer
3 Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet
4 Thought-Knot Seer
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
3 Dead Weight
2 Declaration in Stone
2 Silkwrap
2 Read the Bones
3 Anguished Unmaking
2 Ob Nixilis Reignited
1 Sorin, Grim Nemesis
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Shambling Vent
4 Caves of Koilos
4 Evolving Wilds
2 Westvale Abbey
1 Sea Gate Wreckage
1 Plains
1 Wastes
6 Swamp
[/Land]
[Sideboard Suggestions]
1 Anguished Unmaking
1 Declaration in Stone
3 Duress
3 Flaying Tendrils
2 Reality Smasher
1 Sea Gate Wreckage
2 To the Slaughter
2 Transgress the Mind
[/Sideboard Suggestions]
[/deck]

That’s all I have for now. I’ll see you again for Brewing With Eldritch Moon. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to leave them below and I will do my best to answer them.

Thanks for reading,

Josh Milliken

@joshuamilliken on Twitter

Brainstorm Brewery #189 – Modern Banhammer

Brainstorm Brewery Brainstorm Brewery, Podcasts 0:55:06

I’d like to go more in depth with the show notes, but literally we only talked about Modern bans. We did Pick of the Week early, but we didn’t want that out there too much because we didn’t want people shutting the podcast off after they extracted our tasty knowledge morsels. That’s why we put it at the end. This week we’re on the honor system so don’t make us regret it. Also, there isn’t much Marcel. So this is basically the perfect way to follow up the last episode being kind of late. I regret nothing.

 

  • Marcel has to bounce
  • Pick of the Week is early
  • What will the bans and unbans do to Eldrazi?
  • Is there a thopter sword deck imminent?
  • Did anyone prerelease?
  • Hit us up to help with episode 200
  • Support our Patreon! DO IT. You know this cast makes you more than $1 a week
  • Need to contact us? Hit up [email protected]

 

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Marcel White – E-mail – Twitter

Ruric Thar Brings It Back To Reality

Bryan Scholl Articles

Sometimes, when things get a bit too ridiculous, a bit too unfair, one needs a return to the basics.

A simpler time. A time when we just played sweet creatures and theme decks, with no wrath effects or busted artifacts. [card]Shivan Dragon[/card]s and [card]Craw Wurm[/card]s everywhere.

Well, not for me, I played [card]Hamletback Goliath[/card] and [card]Boldwyr Intimidator[/card].

Giants are sweet.

Anyway, in response to my local group’s move towards a more hostile environment towards creatures, and the recent acquisition of a [card]Yawgmoth’s Will[/card] by our local mono-black player, I felt a need to push my own agenda a bit: The agenda of fair creatures.

Enter Ruric Thar. The fairest of the fair.

[deck title=Ruric Thar: The Fairmaker]

[Creatures]

*1 Elvish Mystic

*1 Fyndhorn Elves

*1 Llanowar Elves

*1 Ulvenwald Tracker

*1 Genesis Hydra

*1 Sakura-Tribe Elder

*1 Skarrg Guildmage

*1 Zhur-Taa Druid

*1 Borderland Ranger

*1 Burnished Hart

*1 Caller of the Claw

*1 Civic Wayfinder

*1 Courser of Kruphix

*1 Dosan the Falling Leaf

*1 Eternal Witness

*1 Farhaven Elf

*1 Fertilid

*1 Fierce Empath

*1 Heartwood Storyteller

*1 Reclamation Sage

*1 Vile Redeemer

*1 Wood Elves

*1 Yavimaya Elder

*1 Yavimaya Granger

*1 Boartusk Liege

*1 Ghor-Clan Rampager

*1 Masked Admirers

*1 Nylea, God of the Hunt

*1 Ogre Battledriver

*1 Oracle of Mul Daya

*1 Solemn Simulacrum

*1 Surrak, the Hunt Caller

*1 Temur Sabertooth

*1 Acidic Slime

*1 Conclave Naturalists

*1 Garruk’s Packleader

*1 Genesis

*1 Kessig Cagebreakers

*1 Whisperwood Elemental

*1 Xenagos, God of Revels

*1 Bane of Progress

*1 Dragonlair Spider

*1 Endbringer

*1 Greenwarden of Murasa

*1 Hellkite Charger

*1 Primordial Sage

*1 Rampaging Baloths

*1 Savage Ventmaw

*1 Soul of the Harvest

*1 Woodland Bellower

*1 Avenger of Zendikar

*1 Dragonlord Atarka

*1 Garruk’s Horde

*1 Gruul Ragebeast

*1 Hamletback Goliath

*1 Krosan Tusker

*1 Molten Primordial

*1 Omnath, Locus of Rage

*1 Pelakka Wurm

*1 Stalking Vengeance

*1 Craterhoof Behemoth

*1 Terastodon

[/Creatures]

[Land]

*1 Blighted Woodland

*1 Cinder Glade

*1 Flamekin Village

*13 Forest

*1 Fungal Reaches

*1 Ghost Quarter

*1 Gruul Guildgate

*1 Kazandu Refuge

*1 Kessig Wolf Run

*7 Mountain

*1 Rootbound Crag

*1 Rugged Highlands

*1 Skarrg, the Rage Pits

*1 Strip Mine

*1 Tectonic Edge

*1 Temple of Abandon

*1 Timber Gorge

*2 Wastes

[/Land]

[Commander]

*1 Ruric Thar, the Unbowed

[/Commander]

[/deck]

tumblr_nc9mi7xd4i1ri1r1uo1_1280

Game Plan

Ruric Thar is a midrangey-aggressive deck with a gimmick: creatures and lands only. Normally, I’m not the gimmicky type, being a particularly Spike-y kind of Timmy (See Timmy, Johnny and Spike by Mark Rosewater). However, I believe a gimmicky deck every now and again can help keep things diverse within one’s playgroup. The last time I tried a gimmick deck, the idea was a [card]Treva, the Renewer[/card]-led pillowfort enchantment deck. That wasn’t fun for anyone, but THIS. THIS is fun for the whole table!

Most games, another player will be the dominant force for the majority of the game. That’s okay. Ruric Thar cares not for beating the busted decks at their own game. Just ramp it up, play value creatures, and try to have Ruric Thar on the table at all times to keep the game as fair as possible.

Once the game has progressed to  an induced parity, that’s when the big guns can come to the party. Unleash the wombo-combos to help end the game quickly. [card]Savage Ventmaw[/card] along with [card]Hellkite Charger[/card] can keep the pain train rolling for as long as you can pay red mana, which shouldn’t be hard for the “LITERALLY ALL DUDES AND LANDS” deck. Beyond that, the sweet combo of Force of Nature plus Savage Roar [card]Ogre Battledriver[/card] plus [card]Kessig Cagebreakers[/card] or [card]Avenger of Zendikar[/card] can end games very quickly doing huge amounts of damage that scale with the length of the game. Of course, should that fail, our good friend, the one-card combo, Mr. [card]Craterhoof Behemoth[/card] can sweep things up nicely.

Strengths

Ruric Thar is able to play second-best very easily. In a game of politics, like most Commander games are, appearing weaker than you are can be an extremely valuable asset towards winning the game. Playing a ton of kinda durdly value creatures is a great way to appear inconspicuous, which is the main game plan of the deck. The deck is very resilient to wraths. Not only does it punish wraths naturally with Ruric Thar, the deck plays both [card]Vile Redeemer[/card] and [card]Caller of the Claw[/card] to help recuperate the damages and bring righteous fury upon whoever was bold enough to try and wipe the board. The deck also naturally generates a ton of card advantage, enough to keep up with most decks. Ruric Thar is also strong at forcing others to play our game, with [card]Dosan the Falling Leaf[/card], and [card]Heartwood Storyteller[/card] to keep the game to a creature-fest, where we can truly shine.

Weaknesses

Being such a linear strategy can lead to some notable downsides. Decks with large amounts of targeted removal will give us headaches, and any deck with an abundance of [card]Grave Pact[/card]-style effects will be difficult to deal with. This is, in fact, just lands and dudes, and any deck that can repeatedly wrath the board will give this deck fits. [card]Genesis[/card] and other similar effects can only go so far to mitigate the damage that will do to our game plan.

Matchups

Graveyard Decks

Likely our worst matchup, these are the decks where [card]Grave Pact[/card]s live. They do, however, like the card [card]Living Death[/card], which is great for us, as many of our creatures naturally end up in the yard as a result of normal gameplay. A card worth considering to help combat this style of deck is [card]Loaming Shaman[/card].

Voltron Decks

This is an average matchup. We have many ways to punish them for enacting their normal game plan, with cards like [card]Reclamation Sage[/card], [card]Acidic Slime[/card], and [card]Conclave Naturalists[/card] to help keep the augmentation under control, and Ruric Thar himself doing great work in giving them pause on whether or not that [card]Spectral Flight[/card] is really worth it.

Big Mana Decks

This is an average matchup for us. We accelerate slightly slower than they do, but we tend to maintain resources longer than they do and we recover much better from a wrath than the average big mana deck. Should the game go long, and we establish a form of a card advantage engine, we should be able to win.

Mana Cheat Deck

This is a fine matchup. Being an apparently weaker deck is our biggest advantage here, as the Kaalia or Jhoira deck is likely to target the obvious threat rather than the person playing random durdly creatures. Should the game go long, though, we will likely be able to push back and take over.

Good Stuff Decks

This is a 50/50 kind of matchup. They tend to be on a similar gameplan to you, but likely have individually stronger cards. Where Ruric Thar can fight back is the card advantage fight, as we will be able to generate way more cards than an average good stuff deck.

Power Level

Ruric Thar is an archetypal 75% deck: Good enough to beat the strong decks given done good luck and tight plays, but not so strong as to win 100% of games against someone who wants to play a Commander deck right out of the box. It will likely fold to a table full of powered commanders such as Zur, Animar or Derevi. However, in a friendly game with friends or at a local commander league, it should be just the right strength.

Feel free to make suggestions or comments on how to improve. I love the dialogue.

All the best,

Bryan  

Brainstorm Brewery #188 – Shadows Over Innistrad Set Review

Brainstorm Brewery Brainstorm Brewery, Podcasts 2:02:41

It’s a Set Review but this time Ryan had an idea to switch up the format, hope you like it.

 

Contact Us!

Brainstorm Brewery – Website – E-mail – Twitter – Facebook – RSS – iTunes – Stitcher

Ryan Bushard – E-mail – Twitter – Facebook

Corbin Hosler – E-mail – Twitter – Facebook – MTGPrice

Jason E Alt – E-mail – Twitter – Facebook – MTGPrice

Marcel White – E-mail – Twitter

Otherworldly Journey – MTG in the Middle Kingdom

Brady Harrison Articles

The great Chinese philosopher Laozi once said: “the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step” and true now as it was then my [card]Otherworldly Journey[/card] into the MTG scene in Asia started with a chance encounter with the greatest game ever made.

I boarded the cardboard crack train like many others.  With the kind of free time only available to under achieving college students, I ambled over to my friend’s house one weekday afternoon to play some Smash Brothers and enjoy our daily dose of cheap lager beer. But instead of smashing a cacophony of Nintendo IP characters against each other they were playing Magic. A game I had been vaguely aware of in my Pokemon days but never got into. I was never more than an average Smasher (only being able to competently play a single character really limits success), so I thought: why not? As a single dude with little romantic prospects my social calendar was less than full so learning a new game would be a great distraction from labwork and studying. My introduction to the game was less dramatic than some for sure (it was literally a kitchen table introduction, [card]Somnophore[/card] was the best card in the group by a mile) but its role in my life has been anything but. The true significance of Richard Garfield’s creation would manifest itself more than 6,000 miles away in the Yangtze River Delta.

Before I get into that a short introduction is in order. My name is Brady and most of my friends will tell you that I take the same calculating approach to Magic as most aspects of my professional and personal life (paralysis by analysis is a phase uttered more than once in regards to my thought process). That approach is an asset as a graduate student in politics and economics where data, relationships, and concepts benefit from careful thought and research. Any player with a love affair for my favorite Magic related geographic feature can already tell where this is going… I am a blue player through and through. The first deck I ever built was Blue-White Control in ZEN-MBS standard (it was terrible). [card]Tumble Magnet [/card] and [card]Mana Leak[/card] where my favorite cards with [card]Sphinx of Jwar Isle[/card] as my only win condition. Our play group rarely played anything other than casual constructed, chaos draft, or EDH (I forced blue in all formats). My first EDH general was [card] Grand Arbiter, Agustin VII [/card] Tax-Control, so I was a zero-sum fun player from the beginning.

In the fall of my sophomore year (after the existential crisis of finding out I didn’t really want to go to Med-School after all) I discovered my passion for China during an introductory course on modern Chinese culture and history.  After that initial taste, I took all the classes I could on China and Asian culture offered at my small rural liberal arts college. Following the conclusion of the first few courses I began to toy with the idea of actually going to China rather than just studying it from afar. After some early clandestine planning I informed my parents I wanted to take a year off from school to attend a Chinese university. I expected a flat refusal from my dyed-in-the-wool mountain west parents; surprisingly they gave their full support. Shortly thereafter I began planning in earnest for what would become the defining experience of my young life. In the summer of 2011 I enrolled into the Chinese language program at a Chinese teachers college in Shanghai.

To say I was nervous would be an understatement; I had never lived outside of my home state, let alone another country. I was leaving my hometown of 25,000 to a city of more than 25 million with only introductory academic knowledge and no Chinese language skills. Little did I know that a chance encounter with a classmate during that first semester would change my relationship with MTG and my friends in both the Pearl of the Orient and rural America.

If you have never experienced the thrill and terror of stepping off the plan into an unknown land where you don’t speak the language I would recommend it at least once. I spent the majority of the first semester on hiatus from Magic as I was trying to get the language down and working on getting oriented in the city. For the first couple months I could barely order my food, at the time I couldn’t imagine trying to play a game of Magic in Chinese. As a result my circle of friends was almost exclusively limited to my classmates. Outside of the language barrier its quite difficult to make friends with the Chinese students under the weight of their course loads (making friends with the bumbling foreigner is hard as is without the specter of the Chinese education system constantly looking over your shoulder). That is not to say I was deficient in good times, mornings were spent in Chinese class with the afternoons filled with beers in the park, pick-up basketball or soccer, and just hanging out in the big city.

That all changed when one night on our way to dinner one night I saw John, a member of our dinner and drinks crew, running on the track in a GP Singapore shirt. John was an Indo-Chinese kid with a wit as sharp as his Swiss trained chef’s knife and an easy joking laugh with a penchant for sarcasm. John was always down to have a snack or check out a new restaurant. We had been friends but nothing ever really close. I tried to keep the ‘fan boying’ to a minimum as I had yet to meet another magic player during my 3 months in Shanghai. I asked John if he played, as expected he said: “Yeah, a bit.” I would come to find out how much of an understatement at the time by the end of the semester. John was a Day 2 regular with experience playing all over Asia. Coming from someone who’s town has never had an SCG IQ let alone a GP I was impressed.

After that initial shock of finding someone I was already friends with also played Magic, let alone was a much better player, was awesome. I now not only had someone I could play with, but someone to learn the game from. I spent the rest of the semester building bad standard decks from John’s collection to play against his brews and Tier 1 decks he would take to the next GP or PTQ where I would be regularly crushed. When not playing paper John was an MTGO fiend. I never saw his constructed rating, but he was going infinite for sure. He was the kind of player enshrined in the MTGO lore as not only being infinite but making enough money to live just grinding Event Tickets. Some of my biggest level-up moments were looking over John’s shoulder playing and asking questions (in hindsight many of them stupid or with obvious answers), but John would explain the line ith a sarcastic joke and a laugh. I spent a lot of time that semester eating fried eggs and tomatoes over rice from the Japanese place around the corner and watching John crush opponents with U/W Delver. It’s amazing the kind of skill growth you can see when you have a high level player available at all times. This was before the explosion of popularity of twitch streaming when having direct access to Platinum Pros’ at all hours through twitch chat was a thing.  So having the kind of live in tutor for Magic was more of a rarity than today when I can fire up twitch almost any day of the week and get responses from Hall of Fame players at an instance (and maybe a sub).

While I certainly developed as a player, the more interesting part was the development of our relationship. Whereas before John was certainly my friend, I would not have said he was my best friend, but much like I grew from kitchen table casual to [card]Dragon Fodder[/card] at sanctioned events under his wing our friendship expanded eventually leading to me spending Chinese New Year with his family in Indonesia. The story of my first Dark Ascension draft at a small LGS and that trip to Indonesia is a story for the next part of my [card]Otherworldly Journey[/card] playing MTG in the Middle Kingdom.

Brainstorm Brewery #187 – Previews, Baby!

Brainstorm Brewery Brainstorm Brewery, Podcasts 0:58:01

We are previewing our card! If you’re not a regular listener of the case, we threw our explanation and analysis of the card into the front of the episode so you don’t have to skip to the end. We want to make things convenient for you because we already counted your traffic. Whether you listen to all of it or 10 seconds, you count. Your money is in our pocket. Why not make things easier on you? You’re welcome. Enjoy the preview.

Fevered Visions_EN_HRR

Regular listeners, this is a great episode and you’ll love the rest of the episode that isn’t the preview. Because we preview a card in the beginning. Because they let us.

  • Brainstorm Brewery Shadows preview card!
  • Corbin is here for part of it!
  • What is the future of Modern? What gets banned?
  • The new cycle of rare lands is discussed.
  • Hit us up to help with episode 200
  • Support our Patreon! DO IT. You know this cast makes you more than $1 a week
  • Need to contact us? Hit up [email protected]

 

Marcel’s Fevered Visions Modern Deck

3 Snapcaster Mage

4 Fevered Visions

3 Howling Mine

1 Crucible of Worlds

 

4 Fog

3 Holy Day

1 Pull from Eternity

2 Life from the Loam

4 Sylvan Scrying

3 Compulsive Research

4 Supreme Verdict

1 Sphinx’s Revelation

 

3 Maze’s End

4 Mana Confluence

1 Blighted Fen

1 Buried Ruin

1 Ghost Quarter

2 Azorius Guildgate

2 Boros Guildgate

1 Dimir Guildgate

2 Golgari Guildgate

2 Gruul Guildgate

2 Izzet Guildgate

1 Orzhov Guildgate

1 Rakdos Guildgate

2 Selesnya Guildgate

2 Simic Guildgate

 

Contact Us!

Brainstorm Brewery – Website – E-mail – Twitter – Facebook – RSS – iTunes – Stitcher

Ryan Bushard – E-mail – Twitter – Facebook

Corbin Hosler – E-mail – Twitter – Facebook – MTGPrice

Jason E Alt – E-mail – Twitter – Facebook – MTGPrice

Marcel White – E-mail – Twitter

Brainstorm Brewery #186 – We’re a Real Podcast

Brainstorm Brewery Brainstorm Brewery, Podcasts 0:41:54

Marcel is gone but he is not forgotten in this bite-sized episode where the remaining team digs into the mailbag. Announcements are made, help is requested, e-mails are read, things of the week are picked. Just listen.

 

  • Brainstorm Brewery is getting a Shadows preview card!
  • Tune in next week for an early episode
  • Mailbag!
  • Pick of the Week!
  • Hit us up to help with episode 200
  • Support our Patreon! DO IT. You know this cast makes you more than $1 a week
  • Need to contact us? Hit up [email protected]

 

Contact Us!

Brainstorm Brewery – Website – E-mail – Twitter – Facebook – RSS – iTunes – Stitcher

Ryan Bushard – E-mail – Twitter – Facebook

Corbin Hosler – E-mail – Twitter – Facebook – MTGPrice

Jason E Alt – E-mail – Twitter – Facebook – MTGPrice

Marcel White – E-mail – Twitter

Select Brainstorm Brewery Eps

Contact Us

Email: [email protected]