Faithless Brewing MTG: Modern and Pioneer for the Spike Rogue

Teferi Is Better than Jace, Change My Mind

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!
 
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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)
 
 

Big Surprises in Tiny Archfiend's Vessels

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.
 
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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)
 
 
 

Confessions of a Smitten Ghoul

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)
 

Death by Snoopy

Core Set 2021, Episode 1: Conspicuous Snoop
 
"Umm... Is that a goblin with his face pressed up against our window?" "Yeah" "Is he... spying on us?" "Yeah, it's exactly what it looks like."
 
Today's episode is exactly what it looks like. During preview week, it took approximately 7 minutes for the Modern community to latch onto the hot new combo involving Conspicuous Snoop. Play Snoop, play Boggart Harbinger, put Kiki-Jiki on top, easy as you please. As far as combos go, this one is pretty conspicuous.
 
So should we as Faithless Brewers even bother exploring this card, or should we trust in the collective efforts of the hive mind to Figure It Out? Everyone else is also working on this deck and the concept is very powerful, seeming to slot into an already solid Goblins strategy. That said, we don't often get chances to do a Goblin Week, and when you dig deeper into the tribe, it turns out there are many branching paths that can take a Goblins deck into unexpected places. This is especially true in Pioneer where the infinite combo is not available. As clear-cut as the combo is, there are many questions to be answered, not least of which is: How good is Conspicuous Snoop, really? We've got our first round of M21 deck sketches ready, so let's head to the queues to find out!
 
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Roundup: Top Picks for M21
 
6:45  Kinnan Urza (Jiggywiggy, 7-1 Modern Challenge)
Kinnan Urza Deck Guide (by ManaCymbal)
 
Core Set 2021 Preview Roundup
15:30  Most Overrated
20:48  Most Underrated
33:15  Best fits for Existing decks
36:00  Best for spawning new archetypes
39:00  Most Fun / Most Excited to Brew With
44:50  Top 5 Overall
 
Flashback: Sprite Dragon
 
47:55  Izzet Prowess (Modern): 5-5 leagues
55:30  Grixis Lurrus (Modern): 2-3 league
1:04:48  One Mind Prowess (Pioneer): 2-3 league
1:10:45  Dragon Tempo (Pioneer): 6-4 leagues
1:18:30  Sprite Phoenix (Pioneer): 7-3 leagues
 
 
Brew Session: Conspicuous Snoop
 
1:30:12  A History of Goblins
1:33:20  Bushwhacker Aggro
1:37:13  Post-MH1 Midrange Goblins
1:40:40  Grumgully Combo Goblins
 
1:47:06  Sketch 1: "Classic" Snoop Combo (Modern)
1:52:35  Sketch 2: Snoopy Double Combo (Modern)
1:58:33  Sketch 3: Snoopwhacker Aggro (Pioneer)
 
 

The Littlest Dragon with the Biggest Heart

Ikoria, Episode 11: Sprite Dragon
 
The brewers have spoken! Two weeks ago, we unveiled the ten nominees for our Brewers' Choice episode. Now, the ballots have been cast, the votes have been tallied, and the winning card is... Sprite Dragon!
 
Narrowly edging out Sundial of the Infinite, Sprite Dragon could not be more different from the goofy artifacts we have busied ourselves with in past editions of Brewers' Choice. Sprite Dragon is, by many accounts, a "good card," even a format staple in certain metas. And yet, if it's true that a card is only as good as the decks it engenders, we must also admit that there is not currently an established "Sprite Dragon deck." The reign of Lurrus Grixis Delver in Modern was short-lived. Izzet Prowess in Pioneer has seen some recent success in the 5-0s, but beyond that it seems that the adorable hellkite is still searching for its forever home.
 
In other Magic news, we have the full set reveal for Core Set 2021, which means it is time for Part 2 of our Brewers' Guide to M21! The set looks stacked with intriguing build-around options. It also seems much more balanced than previous sets, with a noticeable lack of outlier cards likely to upend Magic's tournament formats. In short, it is a true brewer's paradise. We talk through the cards we are most excited to start building decks with, as well as our testing results with Sea-Dasher Octopus from last week.
 
Finally, if you haven't done so already, be sure to check out our sixth and final episode of Rogue Refinery! We gave the series a proper send-off with some truly awesome decks with Rielle, the Everwise (and multiple 5-win events to show for it). WotC is eager for feedback on this pilot series, so if you liked this style of content and would like to see more of it in the future, be sure to leave a comment on the video and show some love! Watch the series finale of Rogue Refinery here: https://youtu.be/e_74lZDfYps
 
Roundup: M21 Previews, Week 2
 
Timestamps
 
10:42  Speaker of the Heavens -- 14:21  Thieves' Guild Enforcer -- 18:03  Miscast -- 20:00  Conspicuous Snoop -- 25:34  Heartfire Immolator -- 28:45  Conclave Mentor -- 30:58  Track Down -- 32:56  Ghostly Pilferer -- 35:33  Shacklegeist -- 37:57  Lofty Denial -- 39:00  Frantic Inventory -- 41:59  Barrin, Tolarian Archmage -- 44:30  Demonic Embrace -- 47:44  Silversmote Ghoul -- 50:58  Nine Lives -- 52:54  Radha, Heart of Keld -- 55:11  Sporeweb Weaver -- 56:30  Garruk's Uprising -- 58:03  Garruk, Unleashed -- 1:00:23  Transmogrify -- 1:02:55  Terror of the Peaks -- 1:05:46  Discontinuity -- 1:07:48  Sublime Epiphany
 
Flashback: Sea-Dasher Octopus
 
 
Pioneer
 
1:14:10  Mono-Blue Octopus Flash: 4-1 league
 
1:22:14  Emry Octopus: 3-2 league, 3-2 league
 
Modern
 
1:29:33  Bant Octoform: 0-2 league, 0-3 league
 
Brew Session: Sprite Dragon
 
1:36:49  Theorycraft: Finding a Home for Sprite Dragon
 
Modern
 
1:42:48  Sketch 1: Stormwing Prowess
1:46:35  Sketch 2: Jeskai Dragons
 
Reference lists (pre-Companion nerf)
Lurrus Grixis Delver (Zonast, MTGO SuperQ, 1st place)
Lurrus Grixis Shadow (WhiteHatMan, 5-0 league)
Lurrus Jeskai Control (Nilsfit, 5-0 league)
 
 
Pioneer
 
1:51:17  Sketch 3: Dragon Tempo
1:55:53  Izzet One-Mind Prowess (doshimo1110, 5-0 league)
 
Reference lists:
Izzet Wizard Prowess (MangoPunch, 5-0 league)
Lurrus Jeskai Heroic (pre-nerf) (PigNorton, 6-2 Pioneer Challenge)
 
 
 

Ninja of the Deep Waters: Brewing Sea-Dasher Octopus

Ikoria, Episode 10: Sea-Dasher Octopus
 
Is there anyone who doesn't love Sea-Dasher Octopus? When Ikoria was revealed, what feels like years ago, the Octopus was warmly embraced by players near and far. Part Curious Obsession, part Ninja of the Deep Waters, with a fail-safe mode of Ophidian with flash, it certainly seemed like the Octopus could do it all. And that's not even accounting for all of the nifty synergies with the Mutate mechanic, or even something as pedestrian as Flash tribal.
 
And yet, a few months later, here we are. Sea-Dasher has not a single 5-0 to its name in Modern, and only two half-hearted 5-0 results in Pioneer. It doesn't even see play in Standard, not even in the Flash decks. Was the Octopus simply a casualty of the Companion apocalypse? Or are there larger structural problems that we just didn't see?
 
Core Set 2021 previews are coming fast and furious, but we've got unfinished business with Ikoria and a certain eight-legged bandit. What mysteries will the deep waters reveal?
 
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Roundup: M21 Previews, Week 1
 
Timestamps
 
14:55  Archfiend's Vessel
17:45  Village Rites
20:17  Selfless Savior
22:38  Chandra's Incinerator
25:00  Seasoned Hallowblade
26:59  Angelic Ascension
29:42  Eliminate
31:56  See the Truth
34:30  Stormwing Entity
37:45  Waker of Waves
40:37  Mazemind Tome
44:11  Volcanic Salvo
44:26  Pack Leader
46:22  Alpine Houndmaster
48:49  Sparkhunter Masticore
51:59  Gadrak, the Crown-Scourge
54:01  Bolt Hound
54:51  Basri Ket
56:31  Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose
57:47  Idol of Endurance
59:18  Teferi's Tutelage
1:01:18  Teferi, Master of Time
1:08:32  Liliana, Waker of the Dead
1:11:52  Carrion Grub
1:13:07  Basri's Lieutanant
1:14:58 Teferi's Ageless Insight
1:16:57  Chandra, Heart of Fire
1:20:02  Elder Gargaroth
1:22:46  Containment Priest
1:26:50  Fierce Empath
1:29:07  Massacre Wurm
1:29:13  Baneslayer Angel
1:29:22  Cultivate, Solemn Simulacrum
1:29:31  Azusa, Lost but Seeking
1:29:35  Runed Halo
1:29:56  Faith's Fetters
 
Brew Session: Sea-Dasher Octopus
 
Theorycraft: The Modes of Sea-Dasher Octopus
1:34:48  Octopus vs. Curious Obsession
1:36:10  Octopus vs. Ninja of the Deep Hours
1:39:08  Octopus vs. Ophidian
 
Pioneer
 
1:45:42  Sketch 1: Mono-Blue Tempo
1:54:50  Sketch 2: Bant Flash Company
1:59:02  Sketch 3: Bant "Metalcraft"
 
Modern
 
2:05:17  Bant OctoForm: 4-1 league
 
 
 

Brewers' Choice: And the Nominees Are...

Ikoria, Episode 9: Brewers' Choice Nominees
 
The Magic content in this episode begins at 16:00.
 
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Timestamps
 
The View from Minneapolis: George Floyd, Black Lives Matter, and Police Brutality
 
01:08 Updates from Minneapolis
02:14 Updates from Seattle
11:40 How to Stay Informed
 
16:00 Housekeeping
 
Roundup: Companion Change + B&R Update
 
 
18:14  The New Companion Mechanic
29:00  Lessons from the Standard B&R
45:07  The Dangers of Functional Errata
 
 
Brewers' Choice: Meet the Nominees
 
The winning card will be determined via patron poll, which will be posted in our Discord and on our Patreon feed.
For non-patrons, a public poll will also be posted on our Twitter feed (@FaithlessMTG).
Listen to our analysis and then cast your votes!
 
58:10  Abandoned Sarcophagus
1:00:36  Aggressive Mining
1:05:35  Athreos, God of Passage
1:10:15  Kinnan, Bonder Prodigy
1:15:01  All the Nicol Bolases
1:21:11  Song of Creation
1:25:22  Sprite Dragon
1:29:57  Sundial of the Infinite
1:33:08  Umori, the Collector
1:36:51  Winota, Joiner of Forces
 
 

The Last Days of Companion

Ikoria, Episode 8: Days of Thunder
 
"On Monday 6/1 there will be an update to the Banned & Restricted list impacting the Standard and Historic formats that will also address the Companion mechanic." Thus spake WotC's official Twitter account on Tuesday, and just this morning Blake Rasmussen confirmed that there will indeed be a functional change to Ikoria's flagship mechanic. Let the speculation commence!
 
While few would contend that nothing needs to be changed, there is broad disagreement about what fix, if any, would satisfy the goals of Wizards and the player base at large. Can the Companion mechanic be saved? Or is it safer, in the sage words of David Robertson, to "nuke it from space"? And what lessons can be drawn from the changes to Standard and Historic that are also on the horizon?
 
Add this episode to your time capsules, as it will surely be fun to look back and laugh at our wild predictions when the truth is finally revealed to all in just a few short days.
 
Modern Metagame Analysis (via MTGModernMetrics)
 
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Flashback: Vadrok, Apex of Thunder
 
Tempo Strategies
Tribal Zoo by beestjes (6-2, Modern Challenge)
Jeskai Tempo (Standard)
Mardu Vehicle Vadrok (Pioneer)
 
Token Strategies
Vadrok Boros Tokens (Pioneer)
Jeskai Tokens Vadrok (Pioneer)
 
Combo Strategies
Chance for Glory combo (Modern)
Infinite Manamorphose Combo (Modern)