![Mysteries Incarnate]()
January 30, 2020
Theros Beyond Death, Episode 3: Enigmatic Incarnation
When you give a card an outlandish name like "Enigmatic Incarnation," you'd better step up and deliver something deliciously and awesomely weird. Luckily, in this case, the R&D and Creative teams came through, offering a truly mysterious new tutoring engine. Superficially similar to Birthing Pod and Prime Speaker Vannifar, Enigmatic Incarnation throws those precedents out the window by triggering only once per turn (on end step) and feeding on one card type (enchantment) while tutoring for another (creature). It is truly a mystery wrapped in an enigma, drawing on an entirely different slice of the card pool and asking brewers to invent their own play pattern if they hope to unlock its power over multiple turns. The decision trees are complex and the rewards are potentially massive. Let's start brewing!
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Decklists for this episode can be viewed at FaithlessBrewing.com
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Flashback: Heliod, Sun-Crowned
Pioneer
Modern
Turbo Elesh Norn 2.0 (Dan): 4-0* league. Played this league after we recorded this show, so stay tuned for next week's episode for more info on it.
Brew Session: Enigmatic Incarnation
Pioneer
Sketch 1: 4c Rhino Incarnation
Sketch 2: Sultai Enigmatic Inversion
Modern
Sketch 3: Mystery Ponza
Sketch 4: Bant Hatching Plans
Sketch 5: Enigmatic Conscription
![The Sun God Rises]()
January 21, 2020
Theros Beyond Death, Episode 2: Heliod, Sun-Crowned
All things must come to an end, and for Mox Opal, that end proved to be a rather unceremonious bludgeoning with the ban hammer in Modern. Also banned are Oko, Thief of Crowns (yet again) and Mycosynth Lattice (thank you, next), the largest shakeup in Modern since... the printing of Throne of Eldraine. The crew pours one out for the fallen victims of last week's B&R, and takes another look ahead at promising new printings from Theros: Beyond Death.
But while the sun sets on an entire era, another sun rises, in both Modern and Pioneer -- specifically Heliod, the Sun-Crowned, who is perhaps the most hotly anticipated printing from Theros: Beyond Death. Heliod's infinite damage combo with Walking Ballista has echoes of Saheeli Felidar, or even (some say) Splinter Twin. Can the new God possibly live up to the hype? In truth, Heliod Ballista is an enormously mana intensive combo, but there are sneaky tools available to shave on mana costs and arrive at a leaner, meaner 1-2 combo punch. In Modern, this can also mean eschewing Ballista altogether, and instead pursuing infinite life with Spike Feeder or Kitchen Finks. And if that fails? Well, nothing says we can't turn our 5/5 indestructible beater sideways. Will any of these decks rise to glory? Let's find out!
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Decklists for this episode can be viewed at FaithlessBrewing.com
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Roundup: Modern B&R + Theros Previews
Flashback: Ghirapur Orrery
Brew Session: Heliod, Sun-Crowned
Modern
![Theros Previews & Brew Review #1]()
January 14, 2020
Theros Beyond Death, Episode 1: The Brew Review
Theros: Beyond Death is upon us! The newest set looks poised to continue the recent trend of Standard-legal expansions massively impacting eternal formats, with a slew of exciting previews to unpack. At the same time, Modern as we know it continues to evolve and change, with results from major tournaments in paper and online giving a final snapshot of the Oko era before the latest round of massive bannings. (Note: this episode was recorded before Monday's B&R, so you can enjoy one last analysis of the Oko metagame as a fun little capsule in time.)
For our last episode before taking the plunge into the underworld of Theros, we are debuting a new segment on the show: the Brew Review! Instead of picking a single card to focus on this week, we instead solicited our listeners to share with us some of their spiciest brews in Modern and Pioneer: whether polished lists they've been testing extensively, or wild ideas that came to them in a rapturous fever dream of brewing energy. From End-Raze Forerunners combo, to Fires of Invention Angels, to a comprehensive brewer's guide to Myth Realized, this edition of the Brew Review has something for everyone!
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Decklists for this episode can be viewed at FaithlessBrewing.com
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Roundup: Modern Championships + SCG Columbus
The Brew Review, Part 1
Mono-red Blitz (by Jiggywiggy) [Modern]
Cryptolith Pod (by Matt Baker) [Pioneer]
GW Mentor (by Shane B.) [Pioneer]
Speed Pigs (by KilgoreTrout503) [Pioneer]
Narset for Days (by unpronounceable) [Pioneer]
Angel Fires (by Paimon) [Pioneer]
Esper Mythseize (by Spotred) [Modern]
Bonus Brews:
GW Gideons (by allfordelilah) [Pioneer]
MonoGreen Ponza (by EnderXenocide) [Modern]
Blue Bird Arclight Dredge (by Jonathan Walsh) [Pioneer]
Agent of Duplication (by unpronounceable) [Pioneer]
Mighty Morophon Sliver Tron (by unpronounceable) [Modern]
![You Pick the Card: Ghirapur Orrery]()
January 7, 2020
Throne of Eldraine, Episode 15: Ghirapur Orrery
The results are in! In the final days before Theros: Beyond Death, we let our listeners choose the card that we would brew around for the week. Many outstanding cards from Magic's past and present were nominated, but in the end, only one could emerge victorious in the patron poll: Ghirapur Orrery! This forgotten gem from Kaladesh hearkens back to the days when we were small children with a poor understanding of Magic's rules: we were convinced, for example, that if you played your last card from hand you immediately got to draw a fresh seven, or that if you declared "fast mana" you could play multiple land drops at once. Well guess what, children: with Ghirapur Orrery in play, now you can do both, and it's not even against the rules! The dream of going nuts with an Orrery is certainly enticing, but to make this card competitive, a lot has to go right. David has some ideas for getting the ball rolling, so let's dive into the lists!
Also in this episode: a GP Portland tournament report, 2019 in Review, Theros: Beyond Death Previews, Regisaur testing results, and more!
You Pick the Card Poll Results: Summary
Roundup: GP Portland + 2019 in review + Theros Previews
Flashback: Rotting Regisaur
Modern
Reference:
Pioneer
Follow-ups from previous weeks:
Brew Session: Ghirapur Orrery
