Faithless Brewing MTG: Modern and Pioneer for the Spike Rogue

The Best and Worst of 2020

Zendikar Rising, Episode 18: 2020 Year in Review
 
So long, 2020! It's been a remarkable year for Magic, with highs and lows that we couldn't have imagined before the year began. This week we look back at the best and worst of Magic in 2020. We also take stock of our year in brewing, picking our favorite decks and cards fromTheros, Ikoria, M21, and Zendikar Rising. Thanks for spending the year with us and see you in 2021!
 
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4:47 Nymris Flash (Modified Pioneer)6:46 Unexpected Maelstrom (Modified Pioneer)11:02 Toski, Bearer of Secrets18:23 A Special Message
Roundup: Magic in 2020
21:56 The Aftermath of Eldraine25:09 Three Turning Points26:23 Theros: Beyond Death29:04 Was Escape a Mistake?32:26 Mardu Stoneblade by illsicknasty (Modern)34:19 The Rise of COVID-1938:17 Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths40:22 Rogue Refinery (Faithless Brewing x WotC Video Series)46:16 Core Set M2148:33 Arcum’s Astrolabe50:30 End of the Combo Era in Pioneer54:55 Zendikar Rising
Flashback: Faithless Brewing in 2020
Theros: Beyond Death Season1:03:00 Damon’s Picks: Narset’s Undoing (Pioneer)1:05:34 David’s Picks: Blood for Bones Reanimator (Pioneer)1:07:45 Cavedan’s Picks: Turbo Elesh Norn (Modern)
Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths Season1:11:55 Damon’s Picks: Auratouched Winota (Modern)1:14:52 David’s Picks: Jeskai Rielle Cycling (Pioneer)1:17:50 Cavedan’s Picks: Lukka Cat Double Combo (Modern) and Curious Vadrok (Standard)
Magic 2021 Season1:21:17 Damon’s Picks: Dark-Dwellers Blue Moon (Pioneer)1:23:18 David’s Picks: Jolrael Enchantress (Pioneer)1:26:25 Cavedan’s Picks: Liliana’s Vessels (Pioneer)
Zendikar Rising Season1:29:20 Damon’s Picks: Heartless Urza (Modern)1:32:05 David’s Picks: Channel the Truth (Pioneer)1:34:24 Cavedan’s Picks: Drake Whack (Modern)
1:36:48 Special Episodes, Guests, and Thank Yous1:40:00 The Final Verdict: Hits and Misses of 20201:42:36 New Years Resolutions

Naughty or Spice? Gerry Thompson Reviews Your Brews

Zendikar Rising, Episode 17: Brew Review Holiday Edition
 
The Brew Review is back for the holidays, and we asked listeners to send in their spiciest decklists. We also invited Pro Tour Champion and legendary deckbuilder Gerry Thompson to be a special guest judge! We've read your lists and checked them twice, so which ones are naughty and which ones are spice?
 
Gerry has built a career seeking information from far-flung places, and knows better than anyone that inspiration can come from anywhere. Can the crew get these lists pointed in the right direction? We also discuss Gerry's heuristics for card evaluation, and put them to the test on the latest batch of previews from Kaldheim. Happy brewing!
 
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Decklists for this episode can be viewed at FaithlessBrewing.com
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Roundup: Kaldheim Previews + Picks of the Week
 
6:00 Gerry’s approach to brewing
15:10 Sarulf, Realm Eater
19:56 Realmwalker
22:26 Magda, Brazen Outlaw
26:10 Kaya, the Inexorable
29:48 Halvar, God of Battle // Sword of the Realms
33:03 Theme booster cards
35:35 Youthful Valkyrie
38:00 Pyre of Heroes
 
Picks of the Week
 
39:45 Damon’s Pick: Black Valakut by Lawson Zandi
45:34 Gerry’s Pick: Paradoxical Engine by sam_lawrence
53:26 Cavedan’s Pick: Mardu Transmogrify by mazenemaze
56:24 David’s Pick: Temur Midrange by cityofcards
 
Brew Review: Holiday Edition
 
59:45 Forsaken Eldrazi by Jon G
1:06:33 Paint Me, Like Your French Girls by Zach “Manacymbal” Ryl
1:12:38 Jeskai Ephemerate Wizards by Darshik
1:20:31 Mono-B Tron by Jiggywiggy aka Arun Singh
1:29:20 Flight of the Janklords by KilgoreTrout503
1:37:11 Song Besieged by Brian Madden
1:44:08 Next Level Grixis Control by Grixisism
 
 
 
 

40 Cards We'd Like to See in Modern Horizons 2

Zendikar Rising, Episode 16: Modern Wish List
 
The snow is falling, the previews are sizzling, and the holiday spirit is in the air. And what says "holiday spirit" better than a giant wish list of cards we'd like to see printed into our favorite format? Modern Horizons 2 doesn't release until later next year, but that hasn't stopped us from dreaming big. Let's just hope that Modern is on the "Nice" list this year!
 
Meanwhile on the Flashback, our testing with Heartless Summoning led us down wildly divergent paths, from the clickiest of click-heavy combos, to the fairest of the fair Jund decks, to the greediest of greedy Titan decks. When the dust settled, we'd notched a 24-11 record across seven leagues, and Heartless felt incredibly powerful in every build. Is it possible that the card has been slept on for too long?
 
Also in this edition: a first look at Kaldheim, Splinter Fin combo, and an unholy alliance of Rogues and Crabs.
 
Decklists for Episode 85 can be found here: https://faithlessbrewing.com/40-cards-wed-like-to-see-in-modern-horizons-2/
 
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Decklists for this episode can be viewed at FaithlessBrewing.com
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Heartless Summoning, The White Whale of Modern

Zendikar Rising, Episode 15: Heartless Summoning
 
Heartless Summoning holds a special fascination for Modern brewers. So much of the card screams “broken”: it’s low cost, splashable, and provides massive cost reduction. The drawback of shrinking your creatures can be a combo enabler in itself. Effects like this are very rare, and very dangerous.
 
And yet, after 10 years, the ugly truth is that Heartless Summoning has yet to find any tournament success. Many have tried, and many have failed. Just four 5-0s are recorded in the last three years. Most brewers have cut their losses and given up the quest. For a few, the card has become an obsession, such as this modern day Captain Ahab who has uploaded 106(!) Heartless lists to MTGGoldfish in the past six months alone. 
 
So what does the future hold for Heartless Summoning? Modern has changed drastically in the last two years, and new tools are always being added. Is it possible that a broken Heartless deck is just waiting to be discovered? Or are we also doomed to failure as we chase Modern’s white whale? We’ve got five new decklists and a half-dozen more bizarre ideas, so let’s find out!
 
Decklists for Episode 84 can be found here: https://faithlessbrewing.com/heartless-summoning-the-white-whale-of-modern/
 
Also in this edition: 
* When Should You Play One-Ofs in Modern?* Picks of the Week: Blood Sun Jeskai, Goblins, and Hysterical Emrakul* Testing results with Sea Gate Stormcaller: Grixis Arcanist Shadow, Naban Vial Wizards, and Izzet Drake Whack
 
Happy brewing!
 
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When Snapcasters Go Bad: The Case for Sea Gate Stormcaller

Zendikar Rising, Episode 14: Sea Gate Stormcaller
 
Snapcaster Mage has been with us since 2011. In those ten years, we have learned an important lesson: Accept no substitutes! New printings might aspire to the throne, but no one can topple the King of Snap.
 
So what does that mean for a card like Sea Gate Stormcaller? The stats are similar, but the play pattern is entirely different: Stormcaller plays at sorcery speed, and only works on small spells that are still in your hand. The upside? You get a very tempo-positive turn, and a copy effect that interacts favorably with additional costs like Neoform or Village Rites. Stormcaller is a challenge to be sure, but a potentially rewarding one if we can crack the code. Time to put on our brewing caps and head to the queues!
 
Also in this edition: the impact of Lightning Bolt, Big Red in Pioneer, Mardu Smallpox in Modern, testing with Astral Drift, and more.
 
Decklists for Episode 83 can be found here
 
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Brewers' Choice 2020 Voting Guide

Zendikar Rising, Episode 14: Brewers' Choice Nominees
 
Seventeen cards are on the ballot for the next edition of Brewers' Choice. The nominees run the gamut: exciting new printings (Valakut Exploration, Confounding Conundrum, Zendikar MDFCs), classic staples (Tarmogoyf, Life from the Loam, Sorin, Imperious Bloodlord), tricky tools (Witch's Cottage, Lazav, the Multifarious), and wacky engines (Heartless Summoning, Mirror Gallery, Paradox Engine). There's even a card that first appeared in Legends, and is still best in class more than two decades later (Boomerang)!
 
We've done our best to assess each card's strengths and weaknesses, but what happens next is up to you. Which card(s) will get featured in an upcoming episode of Faithless Brewing? Sign up for our patron poll and tell us what you'd like to see!
 
Decklists for Episode 82
 
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We'd Like to Party: Coveted Prize, Zagras & Archpriest of Iona

Zendikar Rising, Episode 12: Party Week
David has been pretty adamant that Zendikar Rising's party mechanic is not meant for Constructed. It's not hard to see why: getting four unique creatures onto the battlefield is exceedingly rare in Modern and Pioneer. It doesn't help that most of the Party payoff cards use cost reduction: imagine trying to cast Karn Liberated if all of your Mines, Towers, and Power Plants died to Fatal Push and Lightning Bolt.
 
Nevertheless, some of the payoffs are enticing, especially Coveted Prize, Zagras, Thief of Heartbeats, and Archpriest of Iona. 2020 has been an exceedingly long year, and we sure would like to party. There’s no shortage of Rogues, Clerics, Warriors, and Wizards if you’re willing to do a little digging, so fire up Scryfall and let’s dig! The decklists are spicy and the squad is lit, so grab the supplies, assemble your crew and let’s get the party started!
 
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Attack of the Clones: Is Glasspool Mimic the Best Kept Secret in Modern?

Zendikar Rising, Episode 11: Glasspool Mimic
 
The best-kept secret from Zendikar Rising has been hiding right in your manabase. While flashier mythics have grabbed the headlines, Glasspool has quietly burrowed into a huge variety of successful decklists. Does your deck play creatures? Would you perhaps like more of those creatures? Look no further, Glasspool is your Mimic, at the low cost of a tapped blue land.
 
Optionality is powerful and the baseline stats are already solid, but synergies with Aether Vial, Collected Company, and blink effects might just take Glasspool to the next level. There's only one way to find out!
 
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Decklists for Episode 80