Faithless Brewing MTG: Modern and Pioneer for the Spike Rogue

A Magic: the Gathering podcast for the spike rogue. Each week, we brew new decks in Modern and Pioneer. We put our creations to the test and share our findings on the air: what worked, what didn’t, and what can be improved for next time. Are you sick of going 0-5? We can help you go 3-2, in style! Created by Dan Schriever (@CavedanMTG), David Robertson (resident brew master), and Damon Alexander (brewer emeritus), and featuring Zach Ryl (@Manacymbal) & Emi Sagasti (@MordeToLight). Whether you’re a jank brewer, Day 2 warrior, FNM hero, or kitchen table end boss, our goal is to inspire your next great Magic deck. Take the Oath of Brewers and join our Discord community at patreon.com/faithlessbrewing, and visit our homepage FaithlessBrewing.com for all of our latest decklists.
Episodes
Episodes



Monday Oct 10, 2022



Friday Oct 07, 2022
Micromancer: Tiny Spells with Big Dreams (ft. IPlayBadDecks)
Friday Oct 07, 2022
Friday Oct 07, 2022
Season 15, Episode 15: Brewing with Antony Mannino (IPlayBadDecks)
On today's episode Morde is joined by good friend of the podcast Anthony Mannino, better known as IPlayBadDecks, for a dive into some of his newest brews for the Modern format.
We start high and mighty with a favorite of old mono white enjoyers, Martyr Proc. The deck got a brand new toy in the form of Serra Paragon, enabling it to buy back practically any card in the deck, be it a Ranger-Captain of Eos for some good grinding potential, or an Abiding Grace to enable a fog lock with Kami of False Hope.
From there we take a leap into Rakdos Waste Not, with the addition of Pioneer All-Star Sheoldred, the Apocalypse. Sheoldred gives the deck an additional payoff for its Burning Inquiry turns, as your opponents cycle through their hands.
And that's only half of it. Join our crew as they go deep into two other decks, and keep looking for ways to keep the format fresh and interesting.
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Decklists for this episode can be viewed at FaithlessBrewing.com
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Decklists
Ant’s Mono White Martyr
Ant’s Rakdos Sheoldred Waste Not
Ant’s Esper Vial



Tuesday Oct 04, 2022
Tolarian Terror: There’s Always a Bigger Zombie Fish
Tuesday Oct 04, 2022
Tuesday Oct 04, 2022
Season 15, Episode 14: Roundup (Brothers’ War Previews) + Brew Session (Tolarian Terror) + Flashback (Meria, Scholar of Antiquity)
Veteran players remember Gurmag Angler, the sleek delve threat once seen in decks like Grixis Shadow and Hollow One. At one mana, the Zombie Fish was brutally efficient and surprisingly hard to kill — so much so that Legacy players once thought Gurmag might need to be banned in their format (until cooler heads prevailed and identified Deathrite Shaman as the culprit).
The Zombie Fish has mostly disappeared from today’s Modern as removal has gotten better, black has gotten weaker, and stronger 1 mana threats have emerged. But what if Gurmag came with Ward? That’s the promise of Tolarian Terror, a new one mana threat from Dominaria United. Terror is in a much stronger color and doesn’t consume the graveyard, meaning that it’s possible to deploy multiple Serpents in one turn, while also leaving mana open for additional interaction. Sure, the opponent can kill them, but only at a tremendous tempo deficit thanks to Ward 2.
We are starting to see early returns on Tolarian Terror in both Modern and Pioneer. But questions remain. How far we can lean into the graveyard before exposing ourselves to hate? Can Terror earn its spot over even bigger options like Murktide Regent? Or can they perhaps be played together? Morde and Cavedan investigate this week, looking at several new decks.
On the Flashback, the crew shares their preliminary findings with Meria, Scholar of Antiquity, including Hullbreaker Horror Combo, Song of Creation Combo, and Artificers tribal Thopter-Sword. They also study the early previews from The Brothers’ War, including Urza, the Mightstone and Weakstone, and Surge Engine.
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Decklists for this episode can be viewed at FaithlessBrewing.com
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Decklists and Timestamps
[2:19] The Brothers’ War First Look
[7:24] The Mightstone and Weakstone
[9:51] Urza, Lord Protector
[13:53] Queen Kayla bin-Kroog
[16:01] Mishra’s Foundry
[18:18] Surge Engine
[20:22] Recruitment Officer
[21:24] Special promos
[24:59] Brew Session: Tolarian Terror
[27:32] Lessons from Pauper
[33:49] Grixis Tolarian Tempo by Selfeisek
[39:58] Izzet Prowess by MonkeyDBaboo
[42:21] Dimir Third Path Control by strangledangles
[48:05] Flashback: Meria, Scholar of Antiquity
[50:12] Dan’s Meria Hullbreaker Combo
[57:12] David’s Meria Song of Creation
[1:00:52] Emi’s Artificers Thopter-Sword Combo
[1:08:27] Final thoughts on Meria



Friday Sep 30, 2022
What’s Wrong with Modern? Can It Be Fixed? (Brewer’s Mailbag)
Friday Sep 30, 2022
Friday Sep 30, 2022
Season 15, Episode 13: Brewers’ Mailbag
Does Modern have a “five color problem”? If so, how can it be fixed? Has the format become hostile to brewing? And why has black become such a weak color?
Today, Cavedan and Morde open up the Brewers’ Mailbag to field listener questions about the state of Modern and Pioneer after several weeks of Dominaria United. Many listeners want to know, “What’s wrong with Modern?” and more importantly, what can be done about it? After a bit of soul searching (and weeping and gnashing of teeth), the crew has some recommendations to help you get the most out of these formats.
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Decklists for this episode can be viewed at FaithlessBrewing.com
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Timestamps
[4:17] Checking in
[7:33] White Rhinos by HamburgerJung
[10:02] Housekeeping
[12:15] Why not The Raven Man?
[14:55] Emi’s Micromancer Wizard Control
[22:36] The RCQ system: is it working?
[28:42] Brewing in Modern after MH2
[33:49] Are efficient answers good for brewing?
[35:27] Does Modern have a “5 color problem?”
[41:41] Search hate: pros and cons
[47:31] Rakdos Scam and how to beat it
[52:01] Deck building heuristics
[56:04] Should Morde be banned from Yorion decks?
[58:12] Deck diversity in Pioneer
[1:00:26] Reprints we want for Pioneer
[1:01:43] Why black is the worst color in Modern
[1:06:35] All time favorite limited format
[1:08:45] Card designs we want to see



Tuesday Sep 27, 2022
Five Color Legends?! Jodah, the Unifier in Modern and Pioneer
Tuesday Sep 27, 2022
Tuesday Sep 27, 2022
Season 15, Episode 12: Brew Session (Jodah, the Unifier) + Flashback (Soul of Windgrace)
The people have spoken! The votes have been tallied for our next monthly project, and two cards stood head and shoulders above the rest. Mechanized Production, an intriguing alternate win con using artifact tokens, was bested by the narrowest of margins, losing only to a card that is even more insane: Jodah, the Unifier.
For five mana, in WUBRG colors, we had better be getting an amazing deal. Jodah has a ridiculous text box that certainly gives you a massive advantage while he is in play. But five mana without an ETB effect is a very tall order. That’s Niv-Mizzet mana, after all, and we know that Niv can win the game just by entering the battlefield once. Jodah is going to make us work harder, to guarantee that either his anthem effect or his “buy one, get one” coupon for legends is enough to put the game away. Cavedan has some ideas for how to pursue this, so let the brewing commence!
On the Flashback, the crew also reviews their testing results with Soul of Windgrace, a card that is enjoying a breakout week of finishes. Morde stuck to more traditional Yorion good stuff shells, while Cavedan ranged further afield with Bard Class, Shigeki Fires, and Titania’s Fury. If Soul is on track to become a staple of Modern and Pioneer, what can we expect from this card?
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Like our content? Support us on Patreon and join our brewing community!
Decklists for this episode can be viewed at FaithlessBrewing.com
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[2:19] Voting results
Brew Session: Jodah, the Unifier
[7:24] Rules notes
[10:47] The Tibalt loophole
[14:30] Getting Jodah into play
[24:04] Building for anthem vs. building for cascade
[29:04] Micro-syngergies
[33:17] Jodah Pyre Humans by Rich Ellis
[36:39] Jodah Pyre Humans by DJeffMTG
[38:47] 5c Humans Company by IslandGoSAMe
[41:38] Dan’s 5c Jund Tibalt
[45:14] Jodah Winota by Mildpro
Flashback: Soul of Windgrace
[52:39] 5c Domain Delirium by aspiringspike
[54:17] Emi’s 5c Yorion Domain Delirium
[1:01:01] Jund Windgrace by claudioh
[1:04:09] Dan’s Jund Bard Class
[1:07:21] David’s Jund Shigeki Fires
[1:10:46] Dan’s Titania’s Fury
[1:16:50] Final thoughts on Soul of Windgrace



Saturday Sep 24, 2022
Better Than Urza? Meria Is Desperately Wanting to Be Good
Saturday Sep 24, 2022
Saturday Sep 24, 2022
Season 15, Episode 11: Weekly Roundup + Brew Session (Meria, Scholar of Antiquity)
Artifact strategies have been around forever, but Urza, Lord High Artificer was a game-changer. Urza unlocked massive amounts of mana, in quantities not seen since Tolarian Academy, and even gave you somewhere to spend that mana by playing free cards from your deck. On top of that, Urza brought a large Karnstruct friend, ensuring good value from your 4 drop even if your opponent succeeds in foiling whatever combo or big mana nonsense you are up to. This made Urza a perfect engine: explosive when unchecked, but also a viable standalone threat.
Imagine our surprise, then, when Dominaria United brought a new, cheaper Urza in Gruul colors. Meria, Scholar of Antiquity trades blue mana for green but retains the ability to draw large amounts of cards while also providing boatloads of mana. Meria is a full mana cheaper (a huge upgrade) and draws cards at an even faster rate. In exchange, we lose out on the Karnstruct and the ability to tap tokens, but those are merely bonuses, not the core of what makes Urza powerful.
Today on Faithless Brewing the crew takes a close look at Meria in several new builds in Modern and Pioneer. The intersection of Big Mana and Big Card Draw is a potent brewing space, as long as we’re willing to get our hands dirty and get into the weeds looking for the right artifact support. Meria has already earned trophies in combo decks like Paradox Engine, Thopter-Sword, and Hardened Scales, but are there more homes waiting to be unearthed? It will take a brilliant archaeologist to unlock Meria’s full potential, so let’s roll up the sleeves and get to work!
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Like our content? Support us on Patreon and join our brewing community!
Decklists for this episode can be viewed at FaithlessBrewing.com
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Decklists and Timestamps
[2:06] Housekeeping
[5:57] Unfinity spoilers
[14:43] Magic 30 woes
Brew Session: Meria, Scholar of Antiquity
[19:32] Rules notes
[29:41] Key interactions
[40:26] Paradox Engine Combo by mouthbreather1
[43:23] David’s Meria Song of Creation
[49:04] Dan’s Hullbreaker Horror Combo
[52:40] Gruul Hardened Scales by maxxattack
[55:53] Thopter Sword Combo by MTGBullent
[58:52] Meria Howling Mine Combo



Tuesday Sep 20, 2022
Soul of Windgrace: The Love Child of Omnath and Primeval Titan
Tuesday Sep 20, 2022
Tuesday Sep 20, 2022
Season 15, Episode 10: Brew Session (Soul of Windgrace) + Flashback (Aether Channeler)
Three Faithless Brewers looked at a new Dominaria United card. One said, “That’s a Primeval Titan.” Another said, “No, that’s Solemn Simulacrum.” The third brewer said, “Actually, that’s Jund Omnath.”
Soul of Windgrace has the potential to be all of these things, and maybe more. Legendary four drops that generate mana and card advantage have the potential to be format-defining centerpieces of strong, unfussy decks. Or, they could completely flop like the Sad Robot himself (sorry Jens Thoren, we still love you). For those who like to dream big, Soul of Wingrace even has echoes of Prime Time, but at a much more affordable mana cost.
Today we put our theories to the test and build a half dozen decks with Soul of Windgrace. From proven strategies like Jund Sagavan and 5c Omnath, to ambitious brews like Bard Class, Titania Ramp, and even some attempts to bring Jund land ramp into Pioneer. Who is right, and who is getting high off their own mana supply? There’s only one way to find out!
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Like our content? Support us on Patreon and join our brewing community!
Decklists for this episode can be viewed at FaithlessBrewing.com
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Decklists and Timestamps
[1:01] Updates on the kittens
[6:10] Housekeeping
Brew Session: Soul of Windgrace
[12:27] Rules notes
[15:54] Key questions
[22:15] Comparisons: Omnath, Primeval Titan
[30:39] Jund Sagavan by YungDingo
[33:18] Emi’s 5c Omnath
[40:03] Dan’s Jund Bard Class
[45:02] Dan’s Jund Titania’s Fury
[50:04] Naya Maverick by ChaosVeiler89
[51:52] David’s Jund Titan Ramp
[1:00:15] David’s Shigeki Fires 2.0
Flashback: Aether Channeler
[1:06:13] Emi’s Bant Soulherder
[1:08:38] David’s Bant Teleportation Circle
[1:13:26] Dan’s Mono Blue Devotion
[1:17:54] Bant Humans by StarwalkeroO
[1:18:47] Bant Company by FreeMyFelidar
[1:19:47] Closing thoughts



Saturday Sep 17, 2022
14 Terrible Cards That Might Actually Be Sweet (Serum Visions #4)
Saturday Sep 17, 2022
Saturday Sep 17, 2022
Season 15, Episode 9: Faithless Brewing x Serum Visions #4
The Serum Visions gang returns to wrap up our third monthly project. Last time, the listeners voted for Resurgent Belief, a challenging card that asks us to combine two dubious strategies: reanimator, and enchantments. Fortunately, these strategies get new tools all the time, with powerful sagas like Fable of the Mirror-Breaker or surprising removal like Leyline Binding and Temporary Lockdown. Unfortunately, a few decent enchantments does not a playable deck make. Was the crew able to crack the code on Resurgent Belief before the clock ran out? Or does this strategy need some new printings to replenish its hopes?
After that recap, we turn our attention to new and wonkier things. 14 cards are on the ballot for next month’s project, running the gamut from Commander favorites like Jodah, the Unifier and Lithoform Engine, to nasty combo enablers like Erayo, Spreading Algae, and Necrotic Ooze. There’s something for everyone in this eclectic mix of cards, and possibly even a few hidden gems. What card will we brew next? Only you can decide!
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Like our content? Support us on Patreon and join our brewing community!
Decklists for this episode can be viewed at FaithlessBrewing.com
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Timestamps
Flashback: Resurgent Belief
[5:38] Zach’s BTL Resurgent Seals
[13:47] Dan’s Leyline Cascade Resurgence
[22:38] Concluding thoughts on Resurgent Belief
Nominees for Next Month’s Project
[31:02] Aggressive Mining
[35:52] Spreading Algae
[39:27] Lotleth Troll
[41:56] Ingenious Infiltrator
[44:39] Erayo, Soratami Ascendant
[48:51] Kamahl’s Druidic Vow
[52:10] March of Burgeoning Life
[58:15] Jodah, the Unifier
[1:02:31] Mechanized Production
[1:08:39] Bayou Groff
[1:12:00] Shepherd of the Flock
[1:15:41] Necrotic Ooze
[1:19:37] Danitha, Benalia’s Hope
[1:21:48] Lithoform Engine
