2020-07
2020-07
Friday Jul 24, 2020
The New Sylvan Library: Brewing Mazemind Tome
Friday Jul 24, 2020
Friday Jul 24, 2020
Core Set 2021, Episode 5: Mazemind Tome
M21's Mazemind Tome certainly looks unassuming. For a small 2-mana down payment, you get the option to "crack a Clue," as it were, by paying another 2-mana installment. If you don't want to spend mana, you can trade a Clue for a scry 1. Do that four times, then collect 4 life. Sounds simple enough. Can a bootleg Tireless Tracker really set the Modern format on fire?
Well, don't take our word for it, just ask the Eldrazi Tron players who have adopted this card en masse while surging to the top of the metagame in the wake of last week's B&R. You can blame those players too for the Sylvan Library comparison: it's not that there is an actual mechanical similarity between the two cards, but exude that same energy of "I've got this": if you get your engine down safely and have a few turns to extract value from it, you feel like a million bucks.
The beautiful thing about Tome is that it is colorless and cheap, which means it can potentially fit in a host of different strategies. It's not exactly a "build-around," as it asks very little of you and mostly supports whatever else your deck is attempting. But it does its job efficiently and well, and who isn't in the market for a reserve supply of 4 Clues? We've asked the question, so we'll do our best to answer it this week with some new homes (and some old ones) for Mazemind Tome in both Modern and Pioneer. Happy brewing!
****
Decklists for this episode can be viewed at FaithlessBrewing.com
****
Like our content? Support us on Patreon and join our brewing community!
****
Roundup: Modern + Pioneer After the B&R
UW SharkBlade (by HeyPharaoh, 2nd place Modern Champs)
Eldrazi Tron (by TheTunnelingCat, 1st place Modern Champs)
Mono-White Tokens (by Marxelo, 7-2 Modern Champs)
Fervent Sunforger (by qbturtle15, 5-0 Modern League)
Pioneer: Aggregate results from Challenge + last four Prelims (by FamousOnLine)
Flashback: Teferi, Master of Time
Teferi Delirium (Dan): 6-4 leagues (a "Robertson 9-1," three losses were timeouts)
Teferi Phoenix (David): 2-3 league
Izzet Moon (Damon): 3-2 league
UW Miracles (Dan): 2-3 league
Brew Session: Mazemind Tome
Reference: Blue Moon (Damon)
Reference: Eldrazi Tron (by TheTunnelingCat, 1st place Modern Champs)
Reference: Dice Factory (by Hampuse1, 5-0 Modern League)
Reference: Blue Tron (by Lordofthelobsters, 5-0 Modern League)
Reference: Skred Red (by utopia_mycon, 5-0 Modern League)
Sketch 1: Klothys Prison
Sketch 2: Tome Diviner
Friday Jul 17, 2020
Teferi Is Better than Jace, Change My Mind
Friday Jul 17, 2020
Friday Jul 17, 2020
Core Set 2021, Episode 4: Teferi, Master of Time
Recently, certain members of the Faithless Brewing brain trust expressed skepticism that new Teferi could ever possibly be better than Jace, the Mind Sculptor (I won't name names, so let's just call them D***). How could any 2UU walker ever compete with JTMS, perhaps the greatest planeswalker of all time? But here's the thing: they don't write the show notes.
This week, we settle the score once and for all by putting Teferi through his paces in four different archetypes. And we do so set against the brave new landscapes of two formats completely refreshed by this week's B&R announcement. The metagame is brand new! Anything is possible now in Modern and Pioneer! .... ***wait, what's that? oh.... Modern only? no bans this week in Pioneer? awkward...*** Correction: Modern looks brand new and Pioneer looks as healthy and balanced as ever, so let's forge ahead!
****
Decklists for this episode can be viewed at FaithlessBrewing.com
****
Like our content? Support us on Patreon and join our brewing community!
****
Notable decks from around the leagues:
Chromatic Combo Tron (by Trellon, 5-0 league)
Liliana 8-Rack (by D00mwake, 5-0 league)
Sultai Neo-Evolution (by sivek, 5-0 league)
Flashback: Archfiend's Vessel
Abzan Horse Vessel: 1-4 league
BW Liliana’s Vessels: 4-1 league, 3-2 league
Archfiend Jund: 2-3 league
Brew Session: Teferi, Master of Time
Sketch 1: Te4eri Delirium (Pioneer)
Sketch 2: Te4eri Phoenix (Pioneer)
Sketch 3: Izzet Rielle (Modern)
Sketch 4: UW Miracles (by Zach Allen, Top 8 Modern Challenge)
Friday Jul 10, 2020
Big Surprises in Tiny Archfiend's Vessels
Friday Jul 10, 2020
Friday Jul 10, 2020
Core Set 2021, Episode 3: Archfiend's Vessel
Archfiend's Vessel is a card to make your jaw drop. 5/5 flying? For a single black mana? Move over, Gurmag Angler; where can we sign up?
As with most demonic bargains, the truth is that Archfiend's Vessel is rife with hidden costs. On the surface, the bargain is simple: kill my vessel, then bring it back for demonic fun and profit. But the card gives no guidance on how we are actually supposed achieve this. A 1/1 lifelink is not a relevant combat creature, so you can't rely on your opponent to kill the Vessel for you. And it's not like "reanimate a creature" is an effect that just gets thrown around for free. Once you set out to solve all the puzzles, the Archfiend might not feel like such a bargain after all. But, as we know, there's only one way to find out, so let's build some decks!
Meanwhile, around the Multiverse: a surprise B&R announcement has us putting on our speculation hats again, this time for both Pioneer and Modern. There's plenty that we'd like to see changed, but the timing of the announcement is also suspicious: is it possible that something will be freed from B&R purgatory? We make our best guesses before the bombshell is dropped on Monday. Also on the Flashback: our testing results with Silversmote Ghoul.
****
Decklists for this episode can be viewed at FaithlessBrewing.com
****
Like our content? Support us on Patreon and join our brewing community!
****
Roundup: B&R Predictions
Modern Predictions
Pioneer Predictions
Flashback: Silversmote Ghoul
Mardu Helix (Modern): 3-2 league
WB Silversmote Midrange (Pioneer): 1-4 league
Sultai Blood for Ghoul (Pioneer): 1-4 league
Sultai Jolrael Delirium (Pioneer): 4-1 league
Brew Session: Archfiend's Vessel
Theorycraft
Four Conceptual Challenges
Reanimation Options
Decklists
Reference: BR Lurrus Rites (by Wolfie98, 4-1 Pioneer preliminary)
Sketch 1: Rakdos Archfiend Rites (Modern)
Brainstorm: Archfiend Pox (Modern)
Sketch 2: Abzan Collected Sacrifice (Pioneer)
Sketch 3: Abzan Horse Rallier (Pioneer)
Friday Jul 03, 2020
Confessions of a Smitten Ghoul
Friday Jul 03, 2020
Friday Jul 03, 2020
Core Set 2021, Episode 2: Silversmote Ghoul
Life comes at you fast when you're a 200-year-old vampire. One day, you're a suave, brooding heartthrob, the envy of your high school. Your skin sparkles in sunlight, you play baseball during thunderstorms, and you just proposed to your girlfriend the day after her prom (that's not weird at all, right?). Here's hoping Bella says yes!
Then, one day, some Hero McJerkface sticks a silver dagger in your back, and suddenly you're a Zombie Vampire. You're now 200% undead, your hair starts to fall out, and when you look in the mirror... yikes. Such is the life of a silver-smitten ghoul. Tough break, Edward!
Nobody asked for a Twilight meets World War Z crossover, and to be honest nobody asked for Silversmote Ghoul either. But it's here, and it's free, so we should probably take a very close look. The new Prized Amalgam has a unique trigger condition and has already made a splash in both Modern and Pioneer, thanks to the incidental lifegain tacked onto format staples like Creeping Chill and Uro, Titan of Nature's Wrath. And that's just the tip of the iceberg. We've got seven new Ghoul lists this week, plus more coming down the pipeline.
Also in this edition: a first look at M21 tournament finishes; our testing results with Conspicuous Snoop; and a difficult listener question about the future of Pioneer and Historic. Let's dive in!
Roundup: First Results with M21
03:46 Conspicuous Snoop
04:38 Frantic Inventory
07:21 Stormwing Entity
Izzet Prowess (by Spiderspace, 5-0 league)
Temur Delver (by TubbyBatman, 5-0 league)
10:34 Chandra’s Incinerator
Mono-Red (by Cherryxman, 5-0 league)
14:46 Thieves Guild Enforcer
Grixis Vantress Delver (by RogerSteady, Top 8 Modern Challenge)
Fierce Empath
Amulet Titan (by Moniz0801, Top 16, Modern Challenge)
18:51 Sublime Epiphany
Simic Reclamation (by talos41, T16 Pioneer Challenge)
23:00 Eliminate vs Heartless Act
25:41 Lofty Denial + Shacklegeist
UW Spirits (by Phil_Hellmuth, 5-0 league)
28:45 Selfless Savior
GW Devoted Druid (by Meanfannypack, 5-0 league)
30:20 Teferi, Master of Time
Modern Bant Snow (by McWinSauce, T16 Modern Challenge)
Pioneer Esper Control (by killersuv, T32 Pioneer Challenge)
Worldgorger Dragon Combo (by fire10798, Legacy Challenge Winner)
32:58 Silversmote Ghoul
33:36 Mailbag: The Future of Pioneer and Historic
Flashback: Conspicuous Snoop
Modern
55:40 "Classic" Snoop (by Sebastian Steuckl): 1-4 league
59:50 "Double Combo" Snoop: 3-2 league
1:03:06 5-Discard Snoop (by kanister, 5-0 league)
Pioneer
1:13:59 Snoopwhacker Aggro: 1-4 league
1:15:40 Snoopcleaver Aggro: 3-2 league
Brew Session: Silversmote Ghoul
1:25:54 Sketch 1: Mardu Helix (Modern)
1:32:16 Sketch 2: Sultai Ghoul Emerge (Pioneer)
1:35:53 Sketch 3: Sultai Dredge (Pioneer)
1:41:48 Sketch 4: Abzan Energy (Pioneer)
1:45:47 Sketch 5: Silversmote Vampires (Pioneer)
1:48:56 Sketch 6: Blood for Bones Reanimator (Pioneer)
1:51:48 Sketch 7: Jolrael Sultai (Pioneer)
Reference lists:
Silversmote Dredge (by Sodeq, T4 Modern Challenge)
Sultai Dredge Emerge (by AlexFiero, 5-0 League)
Sultai Dredge (by PigNorton, 5-0 League)
Sultai Reanimator (by illsicknasty, 12-3 Leagues)