Faithless Brewing MTG: Modern and Pioneer for the Spike Rogue

Leveling Up in Modern with Cameron Lantz, SCG Baltimore Champion

Season 15, Episode 4: Q&A with Cameron Lantz
Fresh off her victory at the SCG Baltimore Team Trios $25K, Cameron Lantz joins Morde to share her insights on the current state of Modern and Pioneer and her preferred approach to deck selection for team events. She also weighs in on the last batch of Dominaria United spoilers, including some final-day surprises like Shadow Prophecy, Flowstone Infusion, and The Cruelty of Gix.
 
Where to find Cameron:
Twitter: @sometimesIscry
Articles: Owl Central Games
Read Cam's SCG Baltimore Winner's Report for more insight on her preparation and deck selection process, and her team’s winning decklists in Pioneer, Modern, and Legacy.
Cameron also offers one on one coaching for eternal formats. Contact her on Twitter for more details.
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Decklists for this episode can be viewed at FaithlessBrewing.com
 
 

Set Review, Part 3: Final Look at Dominaria United Previews in Modern and Pioneer

Season 15, Episode 3: Brewer’s Guide to Dominaria United, Vol. III
While the final batch of Dominaria previews did not sport such mighty cards as Leyline Binding, it is still filled to the brim with brew arounds that catch the eye of our Faithless Brewers.
Ivy, Gleeful Spirit leads the 2 drop charge with a new twist on its effect that makes the Nephilim of old nothing but envious. Ivy allows us to not only get bonuses out of our own spells but also nullify our opponent's ones (or at least get the same value they will get), while also being a "MAY" ability, stopping us from getting blown out with a removal. The fact it works with any sort of spell and not just instant and sorceries is just icing on the mutated cake.
Vodalian Hexcatcher is the runner up as the second best lord of the set, making sure that Merfolk do not lag too far behind Goblins. This flash lord allows you to transform your Merfolk into Jwari Disruption for noncreature spells. Meanwhile the Elf lord, Leaf-Crowned Visionary, ensures you never run out of gas as you can keep cycling through your deck with an interesting twist on Glimpse of Nature.
Finally, Read Ahead sagas like The Elder Dragon War are extremely versatile spells, balancing value against tempo. Will they lead Morde down the Brought Back rabbit hole once more? Perhaps some 4/4 Dragons are just what the card needs to return to the Modern spotlight, or even better, make a surprise appearance in the Pioneer format. Tune in for all the info, hope you enjoy and happy brewing!
 
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S15E03 Timestamps
Set Review: Dominaria United, Part 3
[3:27] Housekeeping
[5:41] Thran Portal
[8:40] Combat Research
[11:24] Tail Swipe
[12:49] Runic Shot
[13:14] Battlewing Mystic
[15:23] Elas il-Kor, Sadisitic Pilgrim
[17:22] Shadow-Rite Priest
[21:19] Weatherlight Compleated
[24:37] Ivy, Gleeful Spellthief
[28:10] Baird, Argivian Recruiter
[31:48] Phyrexian Missionary
[33:16] Balmor, Battlemage Captain
[36:22] Leaf-Crowned Visionary
[38:13] Vodalian Hexcatcher
[40:15] Yotia Declares War
[42:29] Impulse
[44:33] Shanna, Purifying Blade
[46:05] Anointed Peacekeeper
[50:02] Meria, Scholar of Antiquity
[54:42] Braids’s Frightful Return
[57:16] Ertai’s Scorn
[58:48] Haughty Djinn
[1:02:35] Relic of Legends
[1:04:35] Lagomos, Hand of Hatred
[1:06:44] Aether Channeler
[1:08:56] Vodalian Mindsinger
[1:10:52] Astor, Bearer of Blades
[1:12:41] Nael, Avizoa Aeronaut
[1:14:37] Sheoldred’s Restoration
[1:15:51] Ertai Resurrected
[1:20:28] The Elder Dragon War
[1:24:17] Timeless Lotus
[1:26:43] Rith, Liberated Primeval
 

The Best Dominaria United Cards for Modern and Pioneer: Set Review Part 2 (ft. Manacymbal)

Season 15, Episode 2: Brewer’s Guide to Dominaria United, Vol. II
Three of the most important cards for Modern and Pioneer headline the second installment of our Dominaria United Set Review.
Rundvelt Hordemaster powers up Goblins decks in a huge way. The first true 2 mana Goblin lord is also a tremendous source of card advantage and resiliency. Turning every death (including tokens, including itself) into fresh draws while also curving out well in aggressive starts is a game changer. Hordemaster also pairs with cost reduction effects and has combo potential with Skirk Prospector. We already liked Squee, Dubious Monarch, and now we like it a whole lot more.
Leyline of Binding is stunningly powerful. It may be the most powerful removal spell since Swords to Plowshares. Leyline provides a massive incentive to assemble a Domain mana base, and will be format-defining removal in both Pioneer and Modern. On top of its raw power, it can even synergize with proven engines like Enigmatic Incarnation or Enchantress to pull off some crazy feats.
Finally, low curve decks have a new enemy to fear in Temporary Lockdown. Certain strategies like Hammer, Hardened Scales, or tribal aggro get absolutely devastated by Culling Ritual. Temporary Lockdown makes this effect cheaper and even repeatable, thanks to Yorion and Teferi, Time Raveler.
From there, the offerings get more speculative, but no less interesting. Tolarian Terror has Gurmag Angler vibes with huge upside, but relying on the graveyard is a risk. Founding the Third Path may subsidize delve or See the Truth. And of course it wouldn’t be a Faithless Brewing Set Review without Cavedan going crazy over new kicker cards for his Drake Whack deck.
Prodigal co-host Zach “Manacymbal” Ryl returns today to help us break down all the hits and misses, and to catch up on the latest MTG news. Happy brewing!
 
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Decklists for this episode can be viewed at FaithlessBrewing.com
 
S15E02 Decklists and Timestamps
Roundup: MTG News
[3:41] Housekeeping
[6:03] Praise from SaffronOlive
[8:58] Follow-up on Dan’s LotR conspiracy theory
[13:12] 4c Yawgnota by Darshik
[14:46] SCG Baltimore Winner
[16:12] eBay buys TCGPlayer: what does it mean?
[22:18] Catching up with Zach “Manacymbal” Ryl
Set Review: Dominaria United, Part 2
[34:38] Plaza of Heroes
[37:43] Tolarian Terror
[42:18] Leyline of Binding
[50:47] Rona’s Vortex
[54:03] Phoenix Chick
[57:09] Rundvelt Hordemaster
[1:03:03] Joint Exploration
[1:06:04] Yavimaya Iconoclast
[1:06:37] Fires of Victory
[1:07:13] Stronghold Arena
[1:10:05] Founding the Third Path
[1:13:13] Temporary Lockdown
[1:16:23] Llanowar Greenwidow
[1:18:09] Karn, Living Legacy
[1:23:10] Ratadrabik of Urborg
[1:25:49] Defiler of Vigor
[1:28:07] Defiler of Faith

Set Review: The Best of Dominaria United in Modern and Pioneer, Part 1

Season 15, Episode 1: Brewer’s Guide to Dominaria United + Magic in 2023
Today on Faithless Brewing we kick off our set review with the first batch of previews from Dominaria United. The set looks beautiful, but the criteria for playability in Modern and Pioneer are stricter than ever as the formats keep getting powered up. Do any of these new cards have a shot?
Squee, Dubious Monarch stands out as a multi-format staple. While it invites initial comparisons to Goblin Rabblemaster, the cards play very differently. Squee gets on the board faster (3 power with haste across 2 bodies), works better with lords, and provides unlimited access to a Den of the Bugbear-class threat. Rabblemaster, by contrast, spends most of its time in the graveyard after dying to removal.
Liliana of the Veil, the former jewel of Modern, looks humble in comparison to the endless value from cards that cost 2R. Liliana will be powerful but not broken in Pioneer; her existential struggle against Squee and Fable of the Mirror-Breaker for the soul of Rakdos will be a trend to watch.
Beyond those blue chips, the pickings get more speculative. Braids, Arisen Nightmare is a sneakily great draw engine masquerading as a punisher effect. Soul of Windgrace has Primeval Titan vibes at a decent mana cost. And Archangel of Wrath delivers a massive life swing, albeit on a clunky body. It will take some work to unlock these cards, but the power is there.
We also kick things off with a lighthearted look at the major announcements for Magic’s upcoming lineup in 2023. What cards did we miss on, and what did we get right? Tune in to find out.
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Decklists for this episode can be viewed at FaithlessBrewing.com
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S15E01 Decklists and Timestamps
Roundup: “Wizards Presents” Announcements
[2:55] Is D&D more popular than Magic?
[5:36] Housekeeping
[7:14] Dan’s article: Mastering Variance with Sultai Crabvine
[10:03] Lord of the Rings conspiracies
[15:51] Magic in 2023 release schedule
Set Review: Dominaria United
[27:27] Pain land cycle
[32:03] Radha’s Firebrand
[35:47] Guardian of New Benalia
[38:40] Jhoira, Ageless Innovator
[41:07] Raff, Weatherlight Stalwart
[42:52] The Raven Man
[48:11] Benalish Sleeper
[49:43] Nishoba Brawler
[52:27] Impede Momentum
[53:29] Squee, Dubious Monarch
[59:31] Ajani, Sleeper Agent
[1:02:52] Resolute Reinforcements
[1:03:20] Micromancer
[1:04:55] Lilliana of the Veil
[1:09:34] Zur, Eternal Schemer
[1:11:29] Braids, Arisen Nightmare
[1:14:44] Soul of Windgrace
[1:17:23] The Phasing of Zhalfir
[1:20:16] Sheoldred, the Apocalypse
[1:24:05] Archangel of Wrath
[1:26:42] Nemata, Primeval Guardian
[1:30:07] Sol’Kanar, the Tainted
[1:33:03] Defiler of Dreams
[1:34:54] Sphinx of Clear Skies
[1:36:07] The World Spell
[1:40:56] Herd Migration
 

Vivien and the Arkbow: A Tale of 10 Brews

Season 14, Episode 37: Brew Session (Vivien’s Arkbow, Getaway Car) + Flashback (Heart of Kiran, Rielle the Everwise, Humble Defector, Ugin’s Nexus)
David and Cavedan brew with Vivien’s Arkbow, the runner up in this month’s voting. Morde is a believer, but the old men will need some convincing. Are there ways to cheat on the activation cost? Make use of the discard outlet? Or perhaps even enable sweet Werewolves brews?
David also takes a crack at Getaway Car, an odd little vehicle that leans aggressive but can enable shenanigans with Voldaren Epicure and other ETB effects.
On the Flashback, the crew shares their testing results with Grixis Heart of Kiran, an updated Izzet Looting build with Rielle the Everwise, Mardu Charming Prince + Humble Defector, and a new attempt to crack Ugin’s Nexus.
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S14E37 Decklists and Timestamps
[3:00] David’s picks: movies from the 1990s
[12:00] Brewing Vivien’s Arkbow
[20:38] David’s Bant Renowned Arkbow
[28:24] Emi’s GW Devoted Druid
[30:58] Gruul Werewolves by Judge Rob
[35:00] BG Werewolves by pugsonchairs
[38:22] Brewing Getaway Car
[41:18] David’s Boros Getaway
[45:41] David’s UW Getaway
[51:22] Flashback: Grixis Week etc
[51:43] David’s Grixis Heart of Kiran
[59:27] David’s Izzet Rielle 2.0
[1:06:21] Dan’s Mardu Charming Defector
[1:11:48] David’s Jund Ugin’s Nexus
 

What Is This? A Tournament for Ants? Magic 30 Las Vegas

Season 14, Episode 36: Week in Review
The party of the year is happening in Las Vegas, and the tickets are already gone. The four Modern Qualifiers feeding the Beta draft sold out in mere hours (and the VIP badges went even faster than that). Is this insane demand or artificial scarcity? A genius marketing move or another Wizards blunder?
As for tournaments you can actually play: Cavedan took his trusty Crabvine deck to a local Regional Championship Qualifier, with the express goal of mastering the art of the mulligan and collecting some hard data on the variance of a graveyard deck.
After that, we continue our exploration of Resurgent Belief. Morde brewed up a spicy little number with Bring to Light and Seals. The deck showed promise, but can it be powered up further? Meanwhile David took the enchantment reanimation concept to Pioneer, where related effects like Starfield of Nyx and Brilliant Restoration might hold the key to victory.
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S14E36 Decklists and Timestamps
[2:49] Housekeeping
[5:00] Magic 30 Las Vegas
[17:05] Dominaria United
[20:33] Dan’s Sultai Crabvine (Modern RCQ Report)
[35:08] Emi’s BTL Resurgent Seals
[44:54] Bloodbraid Marauder Cascade by TheGreenSpeed
[47:25] David’s Bant Starfield of Nyx
[57:00] Mardu Brilliant Restoration by LurkingEvil
 

Beyond Belief: Resurgent Brews for the Modern Enchanter

Season 14, Episode 35: Brew Session (Resurgent Belief)
Our third monthly project kicks off with a look at Resurgent Belief, the surprise winner after an intense round of voting. Belief promises to restore the glory of Replenish decks of old. But do the tools exist to compete in today’s Modern? Our task this month is to find out.
At first glance, Belief resembles Living End and follows simple steps. 1. Put enchantments in the graveyard. 2. Find and cast Resurgent Belief. 3. Win with whatever you got back. But each stage is rife with challenges.
For starters, most enchantments don’t put themselves into the graveyard. Beyond a handful of cards with cycling or channel (Colossal Skyturtle, Shark Typhoon, Lay Claim, Cast Out), we need to choose either Sagas or use non-enchantment effects to loot cards away. As always, if we lean too far into the graveyard angle, we risk getting devastated by graveyard hate.
Finding and casting the namesake card is also tricky. Cascade is the most effective method, but most support cards for cascade have little to do with putting enchantments into the graveyard. Weaker options like As Foretold and Fires of Invention could support an enchantments-matter theme. There is even the possibility that Bring to Light is a viable option: Replenish was busted at 4 mana, so is Belief really so far-fetched at 5 mana?
The last step, winning the game, ought to be the simplest. Yet even here, we find that few enchantments are truly game winning by themselves. Unlike Living End, Resurgent Belief does nothing to wipe the board or disrupt the opponent, so we need enchantments that will catch us up and pull way ahead in one fell swoop, which is a tall order.
All of this combines to make Resurgent Belief a powerful, challenging card that is well worth the effort to crack open. We discuss a few possible directions today on Faithless Brewing, including some intriguing builds proposed by our Discord community. Can we solve the puzzle of Modern Replenish? What directions should we explore next?
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Decklists for this episode can be viewed at FaithlessBrewing.com
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S14E35 Decklists and Timestamps
[3:06] Brew Session: Resurgent Belief [4:38] The original Replenish deck [12:24] Rules notes [13:31] Key questions [19:53] Game-winning enchantments [26:21] Cycling, channel, and self-sacrificing enchantments [36:29] Prison enchantments [38:16] Combo enchantments [40:25] Utility enchantments [43:58] Graveyard related enchantments [45:04] UW Belief by Gionax (5-0 league) [49:00] UW Ancestral Belief by Jim Davis [51:26] 4c As Foretold Electro by IPlayBadDecks [55:54] 4c BTL Resurgent Reanimator by 1stTurnNegator [1:01:01] 4c BTL Seals by Epochally [1:04:48] Closing thoughts
 

How to Win with Bad Decks (ft. IPlayBadDecks)

Season 14, Episode 34: Modern 5-0s with Anthony Mannino
Few Modern players these days are willing to embrace “bad” cards. With the format powered up heavily by MH2 and years of aggressive designs, the older tier 2-3 strategies have simply faded away. They were fringe to begin with, the thinking goes, and so they certainly can’t compete in this day and age.
Enter Anthony Mannino (IPlayBadDecks on Twitch and MTGO). Anthony is the last brewer of Modern’s golden age, a player not afraid to sleeve up the discarded tools of bygone eras and put them to the test in new configurations. He has been rewarded with a string of truly spectacular 5-0 finishes, starring such hits as Ulamog’s Nullifier, Braids, Cabal Minion, Kethis, the Hidden Hand, Michiko’s Reign of Truth, and Voice of Resurgence, to name just a few.
Today on Faithless Brewing, Anthony joins Cavedan and Morde to discuss the art of brewing (and winning) with bad decks. He shares his latest creations, from an unholy mashup of Winota and Yawgmoth, to a hybrid Dimir Inverter and Eldrazi Processors brew, to the latest tech in Sultai Crabvine. These decks exemplify Modern at its very best, when all things are possible for those who believe in the heart of the cards.
 
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S14E34 Decklists and Timestamps
[3:07] Housekeeping
[13:41] 4c Yawgnota
[32:10] UB Valki Processors
[47:44] BW Braids Smallpox
[1:02:16] UW Michiko’s Affinity
[1:04:23] Kethis Grinding Breach
[1:11:52] Sultai Crabvine