Faithless Brewing MTG: Modern and Pioneer for the Spike Rogue

Moderation: The Anti-Ledger Shredder

Season 14, Episode 23: Brew Session (Moderation) + Flashback (Fight Rigging)
I’ll be honest: I don’t like birds. It seems like Ledger Shredder is everywhere these days, and players in all formats are addicted to casting two spells a turn. What’s worse, those conniving little squawkers get to trigger off MY spells. It’s greedy, and frankly quite rude.
Today on Faithless Brewing we push back against the Ledger Shredder trend. What if we NEVER cast two spells in a turn? And what if we got paid off hugely for doing so? Enter Moderation. This forgotten gem from MH2 has one of the most powerful lines of text imaginable: “Whenever you cast a spell, draw a card.” Yes, the drawback is debilitating, but a payoff that strong is worth brewing for. And we’ll never have to trigger those pesky Ledger Shredders again.
Recent sets have brought tons of new cards that play nicely with Moderation. Instant speed is at a premium, ensuring that we draw on both halves of the turn cycle. Solitude, Force of Negation, Subtlety, The Wandering Emperor, and March of Otherworldly Light are a great start. Teferi, Time Raveler is at the peak of his powers , and he lets us bounce Moderation when we are done with it. Beyond that, we have sneaky effects that let us use mana without casting spells: channel lands (Boseiju, Otawara), cycling (Shark Typhoon), and even eternalize (Timeless Dragon) all work great. The pieces are in place, so let’s see if there’s a great Moderation deck to be discovered.
On the Flashback, our testing with Fight Rigging from last week also pushed us into anti-Ledger Shredder territory. What’s a great card against both the 1/3 flier and the Spirits deck that is trending up right now in Pioneer? Kraul Harpooner! This techy little insect is a great sideboard card right now, and its ETB can also trigger Fight Rigging all by itself. We share our findings with the unique hideaway enchantment, and suggest more directions to explore.
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Decklists for this episode can be viewed at FaithlessBrewing.com
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S14E23 Decklists and Timestamps
[1:38] Housekeeping
[3:37] Double Master 2022
Brew Session: Moderation
[9:40] Theorycrafting
[12:09] Sam Black’s original design of Moderation
[17:00] Power level questions
[23:26] Getting around the drawback
[27:42] More staple inclusions
[30:51] Card draw and countermagic
[32:59] Emi’s Bant Moderation (Y)
[41:50] Other cards to consider
Flashback: Fight Rigging
[46:41] David’s Sultai Valki Rigging
[48:58] Dan’s Mono Green Company Rigging
[58:39] Final thoughts
 

The State of Brewing in Modern (June-July 2022)

Season 14, Episode 22: Modern State of the Format + Picks of the Week
Two weeks ago, WotC declared Modern healthy and functioning as intended. No deck has too large of a meta share, the most popular deck (Izzet Murktide) is beatable, and plenty of people still succeed with their brews.
But at high level Modern tournaments, the top tables tell a different story. Three archetypes duel for dominance: the best control deck (4c Good Stuff), the best disruptive tempo teck (currently Izzet Murktide), and the best combo deck (currently Living End). It is a rock-paper-scissors dynamic that lesser decks struggle to disrupt.
Today on Faithless Brewing we put Modern under the microscope and dig into the top decks. Morde has been crushing with 4c Midrange lately (including a Top 32 finish in the Showcase Challenge two weeks ago) and shares his insights into the delirium package, the Elementals package, the importance of Wrenn and Six, and the strategy’s inherent variance. At the same time, other players have turned to big mana combos like RG TitanShift and alternative tempo shells like Grixis Ledger Shredder (formerly Grixis Death’s Shadow) to attack the format.
Finally, for the brewers at heart, we look at six under the radar decks that have recently found success in MTGO leagues. The rogue strategies pair forgotten classics like Vendilion Clique, Serum Powder, and Frantic Inventory with surprising new tech like Experimental Synthesizer, Michiko’s Reign of Truth, and Haktos the Unscarred. There’s still plenty of space to innovate in Modern if you are willing to brew outside the box!
 
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S14E22 Decklists and Timestamps
[3:32] Housekeeping
Modern State of the Format: The Top Tier
[6:14] The best cards in Modern right now
[9:43] 4c Midrange vs Izzet Murktide vs Living End
[12:08] When does a brew become a tier deck?
[17:41] The Elementals package vs traditional 4c Midrange
[21:32] The delirium package: Traverse the Ulvenwald, Emrakul, + Unholy Heat
[26:15] Can any ban hurt 4c Midrange?
[30:38] Wrenn and Six is the most important card
[36:05] RG TitanShift: a deck to slay Omnath
[39:08] Grixis Death’s Shadow
[43:36] Dealing with variance in Yorion decks
The State of Brewing: Spicy Lower Tier Decklists
[49:25] Mono Blue Tempo ft. Vendilion Clique
[51:57] Colorless Prison Tron ft. Serum Powder
[55:42] Shrapnel Red ft. Experimental Synthesizer
[57:37] Dreadnought Affinity ft. Michiko’s Reign of Truth
[1:01:31] Next Level Blue Moon ft. Frantic Inventory
[1:05:51] Mardu Ice Nine Special ft. Haktos the Unscarred
[1:09:45] Bant Soulherder
[1:13:53] Concluding thoughts
 

Impossible 5-0 Lists with Fight Rigging

Season 14, Episode 21: Brew Session (Fight Rigging) + Flashback (Jinnie Fay, Jetmir’s Second)
 
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Decklists for this episode can be viewed at FaithlessBrewing.com
S14E21 Decklists and Timestamps
[2:07] Housekeeping [4:32] Double Masters 2022 [6:55] Magic 30th Anniversary Brew Session: Fight Rigging [9:39] Rules notes [14:49] Power level considerations [17:12] Fair vs unfair plans [20:35] Best creatures to unlock hideaway [28:59] Best payoffs [31:18] Other synergies [31:57] David's Sultai Valki Release [37:30] BG Collected Company by SuperCow12653 [40:53] David's Selesnya Rigged Scales [46:51] Sultai Rigging Ultimatum [50:09] BG Massacre Wurm [54:04] Simic Monkeys on Ice [57:48] Future directions to explore Flashback: Jinnie Fay, Jetmir's Second [1:01:10] Dan's Cabaretti Kitchen [1:07:26] Dan's 5c Gingerbread Galazeth BTL
 

The Reality Chip: Uploading the Newest Pioneer Tech

Season 14, Episode 20: Weekly Roundup + Brew Session (The Reality Chip)
One week after the B&R, a new metagame is taking shape with Mono Green and Rakdos at the top. But beneath the surface, an ocean of spice is brewing. An amazing 54 decks were in Monday’s 5-0 deck dump, the highest number since January 2020.
Today on Faithless Brewing, Cavedan and David look at six of the most interesting lists from the post-Winota world. These include new experiments with Raffine and Extraction Specialist, red-less Arclight Phoenix, a re-imagining of Vampires, and multiple attempts to break Omnath with Pioneer’s available fetch lands. 
After that, we plug in The Reality Chip to see if there are more brews to discover with the legendary Jellyfish. Reality Chip shows up in Modern Stoneforge packages as well as some of the more spectacular Pioneer combos (Song of Creation, Jeskai Ascendancy, Paradox Engine). But can pairing the Chip with Tezzeret unlock a new style of midrange deck? Only time and testing will tell.
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S14E20 Decklists and Timestamps
Weekly Roundup: Pioneer After the B&R [4:28] Tier 1 winners: Mono Green + Rakdos [11:57] Fetchland Niv-Mizzet by forenmagra [19:29] Dimir Phoenix by Veraquios [22:48] Esper Raffine Humans by ilidioTheBrabo157SL [26:41] Bant Pyre Humans by AlabasterWolfie [31:59] 5c Widespread Thieving by tara [36:30] Grixis Vampires by Arianne Brew Session: The Reality Chip [40:38] David's Bant Tezzerator 2.0 [46:04] Grinding Breach by Jiggywiggy [47:08] Fervent Stoneblade by YungDingo [48:13] Combo decks: Song of Creation, Paradox Engine, Jeskai Ascendancy [49:50] Izzet Antiquities War by New_Player-123 [54:19] Other directions to explore

The Truth About Cats & Dogs: Jinnie Fay in Modern and Pioneer

Season 14, Episode 19: Brew Session (Jinnie Fay, Jetmir's Second)
 
Today on Faithless Brewing we explore the Cabaretti capo, Jinnie Fay, Jetmir’s Second. Jinnie won our patron vote by a wide margin and it’s not hard to see why. Token engines are always fun and Jinnie is very open ended. But is she powerful? That’s what we hope to find out.
As a general rule, the worse the original token, the more Jinnie’s upgrade ability is worth. Food, Clues, Treasures, and Blood stand out here, as the difference between a noncreature token and a 2/2 haste Cat or 3/1 vigilance Dog is huge. Tokens with drawbacks, such as decayed Zombies from Jadar, Ghoulcaller of Nephalia, are also ripe for upgrades. Mechanics that generate 0/0 tokens like Germs or Fractals also become attractive; can we interest you in a 6/6 Batterskull with Haste? Jinnie also plays nicely with cards that generate tokens tapped and attacking (hello, Den of the Bugbear), or that create a token and then separately give it haste (hello, Sokenzan, Crucible of Defiance).
The possibilities for Jinnie are nearly limitless, so we’re going to need several attempts to find the most promising configurations. Today we discuss six possible shells in Modern and Pioneer where Jinnie Fay’s cats and dogs are ready to get their party on. Where should we look next?
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S14E19 Decklists and Timestamps
[1:27] Results of the last vote [3:29] The Reality Chip [5:12] Moderation [8:42] Mausoleum Secrets Brew Session: Jinnie Fay, Jetmir's Second [11:16] Rules notes [22:35] The best tokens to upgrade [30:01] Synergies with individual cards [50:03] GW Tokens by MerynMoon (Modern) [53:50] Emi's Naya Tokens (Modern) [56:56] Dan's Naya Company Kitchen (Modern) [1:01:47] Emi's Sultai Lonis Kitchen (Modern) [1:05:21] David's Gruul Jinnie Ramp (Pioneer) [1:09:13] David's GW Tokens (Pioneer) [1:11:31] More directions to explore
 

Good Ban / Bad Ban: Pioneer after Expressive Iteration & Winota

Season 14, Episode 18: Weekly Roundup + Flashback (Extraction Specialist)
 
 
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S14E18 Timestamps
[2:51] HousekeepingRoundup: News of the Week[5:21] Analyzing the Pioneer B&R[7:52] Winota: Good ban or bad ban?[13:14] Expressive Iteration: Good ban or bad ban?[24:23] Predictions: the future of the Pioneer meta[36:39] A new Pioneer tier list[38:29] Health check: the state of Modern[42:00] More bans coming soon?Flashback: Extraction Specialist[44:05] Emi's Esper Hatebears w/ Dark Confidant[51:58] David's Esper Raffine Aggro[56:13] Dan's Orzhov Coveted Prize [1:03:10] PSA: MTGO All Access

Hidden Gem? Extraction Specialist Is Seeing Play in Every Format

Season 14, Episode 17: Brew Session (Extraction Specialist) + Flashback (Jund Week)
Extraction Specialist looks unassuming, but packs a huge punch. A fully powered Specialist returning a high value 2 drop rivals Collected Company in power but costs 1 less and asks for minimal deckbuilding costs. 3/2 lifelink impacts the battlefield in ways that Renegade Rallier never could, and more importantly, the ETB effect just plain works — no fiddly revolt setups required.
All of this combines to make Extraction Specialist a quiet star from Streets of New Capenna and perhaps the most successful white card from the set. It is already seeing playing in Modern Humans and Legacy Taxes decks. But the card is capable of even more, especially in smaller formats.
Today on Faithless Brewing we tackle the newest addition to white’s 3 drop arsenal. We explore basic Humans tribal, sacrifice synergies with Pyre of Heroes, wombo combos with Archfiend’s Vessel, and even dust off the party mechanic to try to make Coveted Prize happen. What else can Extraction Specialist do? Let’s find out!
In the Flashback segment, we report on our testing results from Riveteers week. We tried builds with Riveteers Ascedancy, Tenacious Underdog, Riveteers Charm, and Ziatora’s Envoy in Modern and Pioneer. Which deck was able to achieve the “Jund 5-0”?
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Decklists for this episode can be viewed at FaithlessBrewing.com
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S14E16 Decklists and Timestamps
[4:12] Housekeeping [11:46] Gruul Lukka Trasmogrify [19:54] Mono Green Stompy w/ Fight Rigging [25:44] Boros Midrange (Boat Brew 2022) [30:55] Bant Nine Lives Combo Prison [36:36] Simic Paradox Engine w/ Courier's Briefcase [40:19] GW Angel Company + Bant Angel Company [44:31] Esper Angel Pyre w/ Angel of Suffering Combo [49:11] Rakdos Waste Not w/ Ob Nixilis, the Adversary [55:02] Rakdos Madness Vampires [1:00:17] Esper Greasefang w/ Raffine + The Modern Age [1:04:38] The state of brewing in Pioneer

10 New Decks That Will Restore Your Faith in Pioneer

Season 14, Episode 16: Weekly Roundup
Pioneer is a brewer’s paradise and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. While the top tables at the weekly Challenges may have familiar archetypes, look a little further and you will find no shortage of spice. In today’s episode of Faithless Brewing we dissect 10 fun Pioneer decks from recent leagues and challenges that found success far off the beaten path. We look at Fight Rigging Stompy, Nine Lives Prison, Paradox Briefcase Combo, Angel Pyre with Angel of Suffering Combo, and much more. These are best Pioneer lists to nourish a brewer’s soul and restore your faith in the heart of the cards. Will any of them become a fixture in the meta? That part is up to you.
 
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Decklists for this episode can be viewed at FaithlessBrewing.com
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S14E16 Decklists and Timestamps
 
[4:12] Housekeeping [11:46] Gruul Lukka Trasmogrify [19:54] Mono Green Stompy w/ Fight Rigging [25:44] Boros Midrange (Boat Brew 2022) [30:55] Bant Nine Lives Combo Prison [36:36] Simic Paradox Engine w/ Courier's Briefcase [40:19] GW Angel Company + Bant Angel Company [44:31] Esper Angel Pyre w/ Angel of Suffering Combo [49:11] Rakdos Waste Not w/ Ob Nixilis, the Adversary [55:02] Rakdos Madness Vampires [1:00:17] Esper Greasefang w/ Raffine + The Modern Age [1:04:38] The state of brewing in Pioneer