We Have the Fires

Throne of Eldraine, Episode 13: Fires of Invention
 
"If it's free, it's me." The timeless words of Bryan Gottlieb teach us to pay close attention to anything that can be cast for free, one of the most powerful and potentially broken effects in all of Magic. Fires of Invention grants that text to any spell in your deck, allowing you to cast it without tapping lands. And then, it does it again. Two free spells every turn, and you still have all your mana available to spend on other effects? Yeah, that's me. Sign us up for a playset!
 
Fires of Invention is Throne of Eldraine's entrant into the "broken four-mana enchantment engine" category, and it has already proven its chops in Standard as well as Pioneer and Modern. More similar to a Wilderness Reclamation than an Experimental Frenzy, Fires offers an insane mana advantage, provided that you can successfully navigate its numerous constraints. This week the crew has some explosive builds designed to do just that. You want decklists? "Just tell us how many you want and get out of the way!"
 
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Decklists for this episode can be viewed at FaithlessBrewing.com
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Roundup: Weekend Results
 
 
Simic Food Ramp (Gerry Thompson)
 
Gruul Kiora (Dan): 3-3, SCG IQ Newington
 
Azorius Approach (Tyler Surovy): 3rd place, SCG IQ Newington
 
 
Flashback: Crested Sunmare
 
 
Modern
 
GW Eldritch Horse: 1-4 league
 
 
Pioneer
 
Orzhov Horse: 3-2 league
 
Abzan Horse: 7-3 leagues
 
 
Brew Session: Fires of Invention
 
Modern
 
Sketch: Gruul Fires Escape
 
 
Pioneer
 
Sketch 1: Temur Elemental Fires
 
Sketch 2: Niv-Mizzet Fires
 
 
Reference lists:
 
Standard
Jeskai Fires (Paulo Vitor Damo da Rosa)
5c Niv Fires (Ken Yukuhiro)
5c Golos Fires (Shota Yasooka)
 
 
Modern
Izzet Turns (lsv, 5-0 league)
Izzet Turns (Gfrpaac, 5-0 league)
4c As Firetold (PetyrBaelish, 7-2 PTQ)
4c As Firetold (Runeskjold, 5-0 league)
 
Pioneer
Jeskai Fires Superfriends
 
Lawson Zandi (Niv-Mizzet streams): https://www.twitch.tv/zanman1414
 
 
 

Maximum Horse Power

Throne of Eldraine, Episode 12: Crested Sunmare
 
Giddy-up, brewers! It's Horse week at Faithless Brewing, the theme episode you never knew you needed, but now can't recall how you ever lived without. David has been champing at the bit to get Crested Sunmare on the docket, a truly majestic steed that nevertheless failed to cross the finish line during its time in Standard. But don't believe the neighsayers! Despite this rather equestrian Standard pedigree, Sunmare has already galloped to a Grand Prix Day 2 finish in Modern of all places. Was it simply a lack of enablers that made the Standard builds come up lame? Or will the Modern shell prove to be a one-trick pony? In the greener pastures of Pioneer, David thinks he has a thoroughbred, but will his unbridled enthusiasm land him on the whinnying side? There's only one way to find out! This week we've got the horses in the back, horse decklists attached, sleeves are matte black, got the tokens black to match. Saddle up!
 
ALSO: This week, we have a very special bonus episode! We joined forces with our friends at The Dive Down for our first-ever podcast crossover, a deep dive into Niv-Mizzet Reborn in Modern! You can find that episode (The Dive Down, Ep. 51: "ROY G. NIV: 5c Niv-Mizzet, ft. Faithless Brewing") over at www.thedivedown.com, or subscribe to The Dive Down on iTunes, Spotify, Google Play, Stitcher, or YouTube to catch all of their outstanding content. Don't miss it!
 
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Decklists for this episode can be viewed at FaithlessBrewing.com
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Roundup: Modern Playoffs + Pioneer B&R
 
Pioneer
Pioneer B&R Announcement (Smuggler's Copter, Field of the Dead, Once Upon a Time)
Reference: 2017 Smuggler's Copter Ban Announcement (Standard)
GW Knights (Phill_hellmuth): PTQ Winner
Ari Lax B&R analysis (thread)
 
Modern
Format Playoffs Top 16
 
Flashback: New Perspectives + Witch's Oven
 
 
New Perspectives
 
Blood Sun Perspectives (Dan): 3-2 league, 0-5 league
 
Growth Spiral Perspectives (Danny + David): 4-1 league, 0-3 league
 
 
Twiddle Field (Runeskjold): PTQ Top 8 (x3)
 
 
Witch's Oven
 
Sultai Cat Dredge: strong, but likely does not survive bannings
 
Orzhov Cat Oven: 4-1 league, can be re-tooled without Copter and Lookout, see below
 
 
Temur Emerge Oven: 4-1, but played like a weaker version of Ryan Overturf's non-Oven Temur Emerge. No need for green without OUAT.
 
 
Bonus lists:
 
Kiora Dragons (Pedro Almeida): 8-0, LATAM qualifier series
 
Sketch: Bant Teshar Combo
 
Sketch: Orzhov Teshar Aristocrats
 
 
Brew Session: Crested Sunmare
 
 
Modern
 
GW Eldritch Horse (Martin Colding, Fluffywolf2): GP Birmingham Day 2, 5-0 league
 
 
Pioneer
 
Sketch: Selesnya Horse Evolution
 
Sketch: Orzhov Horse Control
 
Bonus sketch: Abzan Life Rider
 
Bonus sketch: Ghost Dad Kiora
 
Bonus sketch: Orzhov Infinite Archangel
 
 
 
 

New Perspectives on Combo (ft. Danny Salvatore)

Throne of Eldraine, Episode 11: Scrap Trawler, New Perspectives, Astral Drift
 
It was a golden weekend for Niv-Mizzet at Grand Prix Columbus, with Dan and Damon both posting 10-4-1 finishes with our favorite Faithless Brew. Is Niv the last control deck in Modern? What we do know is that, at the last Grand Prix of 2019, Niv quietly had one of the best performances of any archetype in the field.
 
This week, however, we depart from the realm of flashy five-color control, and turn our attention instead to some truly bizarre combos. Scraps from the Oven? New Perspectives? Astral Drift Turbo-Land? Oh yes, these are going to be spicy ones.
 
We are joined this week by special guest brewer Danny Salvatore, fresh off a Top 4 finish at the SCG Invitational. We talk about his preparations in Modern and Pioneer leading up to the Invi and the GP, before we collectively dive headfirst into assembling the combo machine.
 
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Decklists for this episode can be viewed at FaithlessBrewing.com
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Flashback: SCG Invitational + Grand Prix Columbus
 
SCG Invitational (Pioneer / Modern)
 
Green Devotion (Danny Salvatore, 3rd place)
Grixis Shadow (Danny Salvatore, 3rd place)
 
GP Columbus (Modern)
 
Utopia Niv-Mizzet (Dan + Damon, 10-4-1, 40th & 42nd place)
 
Rakdos Bone Picker: 2-3 league, needed more creatures to crew with
 
Brew Session: Comboing Off
 
Sketch #1: Scraps from the Oven
 
Sketch #2: New Perspectives (Growth Spiral version)
 
Sketch #3: New Perspectives (Blood Sun version)
 
Brainstorm Session: Astral Drift Turbo-Land