Faithless Brewing MTG: Modern and Pioneer for the Spike Rogue

Now, That's a Zombie!

Throne of Eldraine, Episode 14: Rotting Regisaur
 
Fires of Invention was a real firecracker of a card. Last week's builds saw spectacular successes and spectacular failures across a wide range of strategies, and yet we've barely even scratched the surface of the card. It should be no surprise that Niv-Mizzet Fires is the build that seemed closest to breaking Pioneer, notching another Faithless 5-0 after the banning of Oko and Nexus of Fate. Sometimes all Niv does is win (including delivering Damon a 1st place trophy in his Modern 1K over the weekend). But there's so much more to explore that it's hard to call the book closed on Fires of Invention. I suspect we'll be seeing this card again sooner than later.
 
As for this week's brew-around, what is there to say? It seems almost unfair to theorycraft Rotting Regisaur; thinking too hard feels against the spirit of the card. Spend three mana, get a giant zombie. Discard a card or two. Turn sideways and try not to get turned into an Elk. It's a 7/6 monster that asks very few questions beyond, How would you like to use it? We've got a few ideas in both Modern and Pioneer, let's see which one roars the strongest!
 
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Roundup: Pioneer Bans, Theros Previews
 
Oko + Nexus of Fate ban (Announcement)
 
Change to B&R schedule (Announcement)
 
Theros previews (official)
 
 
Flashback: Fires of Invention
 
Modern
 
Gruul Escape 1.0: 2-3 league
 
Gruul Escape 2.0: 3-2 league
 
Gruul Escape 2.1: recommended for testing
 
 
Reference lists:
 
Temur Turns (Daniel Wong): 5-0 league
 
Urza Charm (Urchin Colley): 5-0 league
 
 
Pioneer
 
Niv Fires, pre-ban (David): 7-3 leagues
 
Niv Fires, post-ban (Damon): 5-0 league
 
Temur Elemental Fires (David): recommended for testing
 
 
Bonus list:
 
Abzan Horse (Zyrnak): 5-0 league
 
Brew Session: Rotting Regisaur
 
Modern
 
Sketch 1: Heartless Regisaur (by Ryan from Maine)
 
Sketch 1.1: Heartless Regisaur (David)
 
 
Pioneer
 
Sketch 1: Golgari Hengisaur
 
Sketch 2: Vampire Madness
 
Sketch 3: Abzan Beefy Evolve
 
Bonus Sketch: Varolz Counters
 
Bonus Sketch: Rotten Company
 
 
Reference lists:
 
Rotting Crabvine (Episode 26): 4-1 league
 
Zombies (Kotva): 5-0 league
 
Red-Black Pyromancer (Ivan_Catanduva_Br): 5-0 league
 
Rakdos Regisaur Midrange (Zxrogue): 5-0 league
 
Regisaur 8-Rack (destricted): 5-0 league
 
Melira Rotten Company (Sinisstar619): 5-0 league
 
Sultai Dino Delver (ocelot823): 5-0 league
 
Golgari Adventure (Chris Kvartek): Mythic Championship VII (Standard)
 
 
 
 

We Have the Fires

Throne of Eldraine, Episode 13: Fires of Invention
 
"If it's free, it's me." The timeless words of Bryan Gottlieb teach us to pay close attention to anything that can be cast for free, one of the most powerful and potentially broken effects in all of Magic. Fires of Invention grants that text to any spell in your deck, allowing you to cast it without tapping lands. And then, it does it again. Two free spells every turn, and you still have all your mana available to spend on other effects? Yeah, that's me. Sign us up for a playset!
 
Fires of Invention is Throne of Eldraine's entrant into the "broken four-mana enchantment engine" category, and it has already proven its chops in Standard as well as Pioneer and Modern. More similar to a Wilderness Reclamation than an Experimental Frenzy, Fires offers an insane mana advantage, provided that you can successfully navigate its numerous constraints. This week the crew has some explosive builds designed to do just that. You want decklists? "Just tell us how many you want and get out of the way!"
 
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Roundup: Weekend Results
 
 
Simic Food Ramp (Gerry Thompson)
 
Gruul Kiora (Dan): 3-3, SCG IQ Newington
 
Azorius Approach (Tyler Surovy): 3rd place, SCG IQ Newington
 
 
Flashback: Crested Sunmare
 
 
Modern
 
GW Eldritch Horse: 1-4 league
 
 
Pioneer
 
Orzhov Horse: 3-2 league
 
Abzan Horse: 7-3 leagues
 
 
Brew Session: Fires of Invention
 
Modern
 
Sketch: Gruul Fires Escape
 
 
Pioneer
 
Sketch 1: Temur Elemental Fires
 
Sketch 2: Niv-Mizzet Fires
 
 
Reference lists:
 
Standard
Jeskai Fires (Paulo Vitor Damo da Rosa)
5c Niv Fires (Ken Yukuhiro)
5c Golos Fires (Shota Yasooka)
 
 
Modern
Izzet Turns (lsv, 5-0 league)
Izzet Turns (Gfrpaac, 5-0 league)
4c As Firetold (PetyrBaelish, 7-2 PTQ)
4c As Firetold (Runeskjold, 5-0 league)
 
Pioneer
Jeskai Fires Superfriends
 
Lawson Zandi (Niv-Mizzet streams): https://www.twitch.tv/zanman1414
 
 
 

Maximum Horse Power

Throne of Eldraine, Episode 12: Crested Sunmare
 
Giddy-up, brewers! It's Horse week at Faithless Brewing, the theme episode you never knew you needed, but now can't recall how you ever lived without. David has been champing at the bit to get Crested Sunmare on the docket, a truly majestic steed that nevertheless failed to cross the finish line during its time in Standard. But don't believe the neighsayers! Despite this rather equestrian Standard pedigree, Sunmare has already galloped to a Grand Prix Day 2 finish in Modern of all places. Was it simply a lack of enablers that made the Standard builds come up lame? Or will the Modern shell prove to be a one-trick pony? In the greener pastures of Pioneer, David thinks he has a thoroughbred, but will his unbridled enthusiasm land him on the whinnying side? There's only one way to find out! This week we've got the horses in the back, horse decklists attached, sleeves are matte black, got the tokens black to match. Saddle up!
 
ALSO: This week, we have a very special bonus episode! We joined forces with our friends at The Dive Down for our first-ever podcast crossover, a deep dive into Niv-Mizzet Reborn in Modern! You can find that episode (The Dive Down, Ep. 51: "ROY G. NIV: 5c Niv-Mizzet, ft. Faithless Brewing") over at www.thedivedown.com, or subscribe to The Dive Down on iTunes, Spotify, Google Play, Stitcher, or YouTube to catch all of their outstanding content. Don't miss it!
 
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Roundup: Modern Playoffs + Pioneer B&R
 
Pioneer
Pioneer B&R Announcement (Smuggler's Copter, Field of the Dead, Once Upon a Time)
Reference: 2017 Smuggler's Copter Ban Announcement (Standard)
GW Knights (Phill_hellmuth): PTQ Winner
Ari Lax B&R analysis (thread)
 
Modern
Format Playoffs Top 16
 
Flashback: New Perspectives + Witch's Oven
 
 
New Perspectives
 
Blood Sun Perspectives (Dan): 3-2 league, 0-5 league
 
Growth Spiral Perspectives (Danny + David): 4-1 league, 0-3 league
 
 
Twiddle Field (Runeskjold): PTQ Top 8 (x3)
 
 
Witch's Oven
 
Sultai Cat Dredge: strong, but likely does not survive bannings
 
Orzhov Cat Oven: 4-1 league, can be re-tooled without Copter and Lookout, see below
 
 
Temur Emerge Oven: 4-1, but played like a weaker version of Ryan Overturf's non-Oven Temur Emerge. No need for green without OUAT.
 
 
Bonus lists:
 
Kiora Dragons (Pedro Almeida): 8-0, LATAM qualifier series
 
Sketch: Bant Teshar Combo
 
Sketch: Orzhov Teshar Aristocrats
 
 
Brew Session: Crested Sunmare
 
 
Modern
 
GW Eldritch Horse (Martin Colding, Fluffywolf2): GP Birmingham Day 2, 5-0 league
 
 
Pioneer
 
Sketch: Selesnya Horse Evolution
 
Sketch: Orzhov Horse Control
 
Bonus sketch: Abzan Life Rider
 
Bonus sketch: Ghost Dad Kiora
 
Bonus sketch: Orzhov Infinite Archangel
 
 
 
 

New Perspectives on Combo (ft. Danny Salvatore)

Throne of Eldraine, Episode 11: Scrap Trawler, New Perspectives, Astral Drift
 
It was a golden weekend for Niv-Mizzet at Grand Prix Columbus, with Dan and Damon both posting 10-4-1 finishes with our favorite Faithless Brew. Is Niv the last control deck in Modern? What we do know is that, at the last Grand Prix of 2019, Niv quietly had one of the best performances of any archetype in the field.
 
This week, however, we depart from the realm of flashy five-color control, and turn our attention instead to some truly bizarre combos. Scraps from the Oven? New Perspectives? Astral Drift Turbo-Land? Oh yes, these are going to be spicy ones.
 
We are joined this week by special guest brewer Danny Salvatore, fresh off a Top 4 finish at the SCG Invitational. We talk about his preparations in Modern and Pioneer leading up to the Invi and the GP, before we collectively dive headfirst into assembling the combo machine.
 
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Flashback: SCG Invitational + Grand Prix Columbus
 
SCG Invitational (Pioneer / Modern)
 
Green Devotion (Danny Salvatore, 3rd place)
Grixis Shadow (Danny Salvatore, 3rd place)
 
GP Columbus (Modern)
 
Utopia Niv-Mizzet (Dan + Damon, 10-4-1, 40th & 42nd place)
 
Rakdos Bone Picker: 2-3 league, needed more creatures to crew with
 
Brew Session: Comboing Off
 
Sketch #1: Scraps from the Oven
 
Sketch #2: New Perspectives (Growth Spiral version)
 
Sketch #3: New Perspectives (Blood Sun version)
 
Brainstorm Session: Astral Drift Turbo-Land
 
 

What's Cooking? Firing Up the Witch's Oven

Throne of Eldraine, Episode 10: Witch's Oven
 
Let's face it, Vantress Gargoyle is probably not going to make the leap to eternal playable anytime soon. It struggles to attack in Pioneer, although our Modern explorations did yield some very interesting builds using powerful tools like Archive Trap and Into the Story. That being said, when a card can't even hack it in Standard, we shouldn't ask too much of it off the bat.
 
On the other hand, when a card is dominating Standard and meets the benchmark metrics for eternal playability (best in class effect, highly efficient, useful card type) it is certainly worth a closer look. Witch's Oven fits that bill. The "Kentucky Fried Kitten" / "Meow Mix" combo with Cauldron Familiar was a breakout star at the most recent Mythic Championships, and those two have started to make some inroads into Pioneer as well. But how good is this combo really? And is there more to the Oven than just cat food? While Damon and Dan are busy prepping Niv-Mizzet in Modern for GP Columbus, David has been cooking up some spicy Oven lists that he thinks just might hit the sweet spot.
 
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Flashback: Vantress Gargoyle
 
Modern
 
Simic Flying Goyfs: 3-2 league. Extremely effective at finding big flyers and attacking with them, but struggles against creature decks and high density of removal.
 
Sultai Flying Goyfs: 2-3 league, noticeably clunkier than the Simic version because Glimpse and Hedron Crab fight for mana, but some additions like Drown in the Loch are well worth the price of admission.
 
Gargoyles, Please!: 2-3 league. Yes, this is a Modern list with four copies of Didn't Say Please. The concept here is not bad, but the execution could use refinement.
 
Turbo Trap Control: 4-1 league. This strategy might be secretly excellent. Needs a more diverse set of spells in the main deck, but Mystic Sanctuary + Into the Story is incredible and the sideboard juke plan can steal games.
 
Pioneer
 
Emry Ascendancy: achieved numerous turn 3 kills, but this deck relies super heavily on Emry surviving, and probably shouldn't run any Gargoyles as they can never attack
 
Gargoyle Gift: 3-2 league, Gargoyle is actually a decent blocker here and synergizes with both Kiora and Gift
 
Bonus list: Retraction Helix Ascendancy by MrRaeb
 
Brew Session: Witch's Oven
 
Pioneer
 
Sketch 1: Sultai Cat Dredge
 
Sketch 2: Rakdos Bone Picker
 
Sketch 3: Grixis Emerge Oven
 
Sketch 4: Orzhov Life Gain
 
Modern
 
Utopia Niv-Mizzet (GP Columbus build)
 
 

The Real Gargoyles of Castle Vantress

Throne of Eldraine, Episode 9: Vantress Gargoyle (Modern & Pioneer)
 
Just when you thought you'd seen it all, it turns out the castles of Eldraine are guarded by blue Tarmogoyfs with wings. At 5/4 flying for 1U, Vantress Gargoyle is an absolute unit. It's even an artifact to boot, with an illustrious pedigree of potential synergies. The catch? It might be a while before you can start attacking. Oh, and if you want to block, better make sure that hand size doesn't get too low. Perhaps you'd like to tap and mill for 1 instead?
 
Good cards come to those who break them, so this week, the crew is leaving no stone unturned with new lists for Vantress Gargoyle in both Pioneer and Modern. Will we ever attack with this card? Will we ever get to block with it? And perhaps most important of all, is this strong enough to be the centerpiece of its own deck, or is the Gargoyle better utilized as a role player in small numbers? As always, there's only one way to find out!
 
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Roundup: Pioneer B&R, Redux
 
Blue Moon Canlander (Damon): Top 8, Puget Sound Battleground 1k (Individual); Top 4, Puget Sound Battleground 1k (Team Trios)
Pioneer B&R Announcement
 
Flashback: The Royal Scions
 
 
Modern
 
Izzet Arcanist: 2-3 league (adapted from this 5-0 list by Habster)
 
Blue Moon (by thepensword): 7-3 leagues
 
Temur Prowess: 1-4 league
 
 
Pioneer
 
 
Grixis Arcanist: 4-6 leagues
 
Temur Deathtouch: 4-1 league
 
4c Royal Vehicles: 2-3 league
 
Izzet Firebirds: updated sketch (compare to these Izzet Firebirds lists from Challenge)
 
 
Additional concepts:
 
Grixis Flamewake Phoenix: updated sketch
 
Grixis Ninja Scions (by Pedro Almeida): sketch
 
Royal Frenzy Aggro (by Elvis Alcomb): sketch
 
 
Brew Session: Vantress Gargoyle
 
Pioneer
 
Sketch 1: Dimir Citadel Devotion
 
Sketch 2: Dimir Control
 
Sketch 3: Sultai Artifacts
 
Sketch 4: Vantress Ascendancy
 
Sketch 5: Mystic Forge
 
Sketch 6: Gargoyle Gift
 
 
Modern
 
Sketch 1: Dimir Turbo Trap (by Jordan Boisvert, based on this article at Modern Nexus)
 
Sketch 2: Sultai Delirium
 
 
 

Royal Pain in the Scions

Throne of Eldraine, Episode 8: The Royal Scions
 
Kiora delivered us a fresh 5-0 last week, but we knew that would happen, as Kiora has always been great. The combination with Glorybringer is excellent in Modern and even stronger in Pioneer, although the mana requirements proved to be much trickier without the smooth shock-fetch manabase. Eldrazi add an interesting wrinkle to the Gruul ramp archetype, and Niv-Mizzet got in on the 5-0 action too.
 
This week, we're on to the next 3 CMC walker with absurdly high loyalty. Oko has already been widely accepted as planeswalker royalty, but what about Eldraine's actual royalty, the dashing Kenrith Kids? Two useful +1s and an achievable ultimate make The Royal Scions an attractive card to brew around, in both Modern and Pioneer. We've got more than a dozen new lists, so whether you like looting for value, unlocking graveyard synergies, or pumping creatures and turning them sideways, there's something for everyone this week!
 
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Roundup: Pioneer B&R Announcement
 
Pioneer B&R Announcement
 
Aaron Forsythe tweet
 
Kiora Green Devotion (Dan): 3-2 league
 
Flashback: Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner
 
Modern
 
Classic Niv-Mizzet (Damon): 5-0 league
 
Once Upon KiorDrazi (Dan): 5-0 league, 3-3 Modern Challenge
 
Once Upon Kiora (Damon): 4-1 league
 
Pioneer
 
RG Dragons (David): 2-3 league, 4-1 league
 
RG Dragons (Damon): 0-4 league, 4-1 league
 
Jeskai Dragons (David): 4-1 league, 1-4 league
 
Jeskai God-Pharaoh's Gift (David): 2-3 league
 
Brew Session: The Royal Scions
 
Pioneer
 
Sketch 1: Grixis Royal Arcanist
 
Sketch 2: Izzet Royal Prowess
 
Sketch 3a: 4c Royal Vehicles v1
 
Sketch 3b: 4c Royal Vehicles v2
 
Sketch 4a: Grixis Flamewake v1
 
Sketch 4b: Grixis Flamewake v2
 
Sketch 5: Temur Deathtouch Company
 
Sketch 6: Temur Pummeler
 
Sketch 7: 4c Faeburrow Company
 
 
Modern
 
Sketch 1: Grixis Royal Arcanist
 
Sketch 2: Temur Royal Phoenix
 
Sketch 3: Wrenn and Scions Midrange
 
Sketch 4: Izzet Collected Ponza
 
Reference: Blue Moon (thepensword)
 
Reference: Temur Kiora (Dan, 5-0)
 
Reference: Faeburrow Niv (Damon, 5-0)
 
 
 

Bonecrushing and Glorybringing in Modern and Pioneer

Throne of Eldraine, Episode 7: Bonecrusher Giant
 
It's finally time to dive into Pioneer, so it's no surprise that the first card we want to brew around is... Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner? That's right, Kiora! An old favorite on Faithless Brewing, Kiora has always been secretly excellent in Modern, especially when paired with Glorybringer in a ramp shell. New additions from Eldraine have Dan interested in updating the Modern list, while David believes that the basic shell can be ported over to Pioneer as well. But that's not all that Kiora can do. Looking outside of green, David has some wilder ideas for unlocking Kiora's synergies in Esper, Grixis, and Izzet. Do any of them have what it takes to keep up in the wild west that is Pioneer?
 
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Also, Dan has a new article up at Arenadecklists.gg, covering the rules of engagement for building successful decks in Pioneer. Check it out!
https://arenadecklists.gg/pioneers-rules-of-engagement/
 
Roundup: SCG Atlanta + Week 1 of Pioneer
 
Simic Urza Oko Goose (by Zan Syed): 4th place, SCG Atlanta Modern Open
 
Boros Burn (by Lichking7): 7-1, Pioneer Challenge
 
Brew Session: Kiora in Modern and Pioneer
 
Modern lists
 
Bonecrusher Oko-Kiora (Dan): 5-0 league
For a writeup on the evolution of this deck, see this article.
 
Once Upon KiorDrazi (Dan): 5-0 league
 
Pioneer lists
Sketch #1: Gruul Ramp
Sketch #2: Esper Dragons
Sketch #3: Grixis Hollow One
Sketch #4: Izzet God-Pharaoh's Gift