Faithless Brewing MTG: Modern and Pioneer for the Spike Rogue

Thunderkin Awakening

Modern Horizons / Core Set 2020, Episode 11: Elementals Week
 
The Elemental tribe is rising from the reef with a host of new printings from Modern Horizons and Core 2020. Thunderkin Awakener has already established itself as a player alongside Lightning Skelemental, but Risen Reef has brewers experimenting with all five colors of the rainbow. The decks are already sweet, and we've barely begun to scratch the surface of what this tribe can do. Will Vesperlark give Altar of Dementia a second chance at breaking Modern? Does Master of Waves push Risen Reef over the top? Can Thunderkin Awakener breathe new life into Rage Forger aggro? Join us this week for a journey to the Primal Beyond, as we discuss all things Elementals with some slick new brews.
 
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Timestamps
 
02:30 Lame Duck Modern + the post-Hogaak Metagame
 
17:40 Elemental Tribal: What We've Seen So Far
 
26:10 Brewing Elementals with the Scryfall Method
 
45:41 4c Vesperlark Value-Combo (Brew #1)
 
57:00 Bant Vesperlark Combo (Brew #1b)
 
1:02:45 RB Thunder Forger (Brew #2)
 
1:09:30 Temur Thunder Vine (Brew #2b)
 
Other lists referenced:
 
• Rakdos Skelemental (LordoftheLobsters, 6-1 Modern Challenge)
 
Skelemental, Thunderkin, Unearth, and Ball Lightning, plus Seasoned Pyro/Faithless Looting + standard B/R spell package, a couple Arcanists thrown in.
 
 
• Mardu Pyromancers (Kensuke Kato, 6-4 MC Barcelona)
 
Basically the same, but trimming Thunderkins and dropping Ball Lightning to make room for copies of Young Pyromancer, Lingering Souls, Smiting Helix.
 
 
• Jund 8-Ball (Victor Falcone, SCG IQ top 8)
 
8-Balls + Collected Company + Pelt Collector, the worst creature in Modern.
 
 
• 5c Skelementals (Elfkid, 5-0 league)
 
Risen Reef and a random assortment of creatures. Aether Vial + the tribal lands (Cavern, Unclaimed Territory, Primal Beyond) + Smokebraider enable all 5 colors.
 
 
•  5c Risen Reef (perseel, 5-0 league x2)
 
There are 2 more 5-0 "5c Elemental" lists that do not run Skelemental.
 
 
• Bant Risen Company (milikin, 5-0 league)
 
Reef as a value creature in Bant Company, with light Elemental package (mainly Voice of Resurgence).
 
 
• Jund Shamans (Caleb Durward, 5-0 league x2)
 
Rage Forger + a bunch of terrible creatures that happen to be Shamans.
 
 
• All-in Vesperlark Combo (Liam Cahalan)
Turbo mill to assemble Vesperlark + sac outlet + Image/Body Double.
 
• 5c Master of the Reef (Caleb Durward)
Miscellaneous 5c elementals, including Shorecrasher Elemental for increased devotion.
 
• Amulet Reef Combo (u/Jrax)
Play your whole deck with Amulet of Vigor + Risen Reef (explanation here).
 
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Hogaak Summer, Niv's Got It Lit: Cashing GP Minneapolis with 5c Niv

Modern Horizons / Core Set 2020, Episode 10: Niv-Mizzet Deep Dive
 
It's a Hogaak summer, it is what it is, but Niv's a 5-star dragon and we know he's got it lit. Dan and Damon spread their wings over Minneapolis last weekend with a new build of Rainbow Niv-Mizzet. The deck is sweet, but can you really cash a Grand Prix with a Faithless Brew? Yes, yes you can! Damon notched a 9-4-2 finish in the main event, and the deck is poised to get even better in the post-Hogaak metagame.
 
This week the crew breaks down everything Niv-Mizzet: our testing process, manabase considerations, sideboarding and matchup analysis, and recommendations for the build going forward. You won't want to miss this one!
 
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Niv-Mizzet GP Deck Tech (Damon)
 
Friday MCQ Decklist (Damon + Dan)
 
Saturday GP Decklist (Damon + Dan)
 
Sunday MCQ Decklist (Dan)
 
Hogaak without Leylines (Andrew Wolbers, Sunday MCQ Winner)
 
Unexpected Tron deck tech (Nathan Graves, Saturday round 6 feature match)
 
 
 
 

The Fundamentals of Brewing, Part 1

Modern Horizons / Core Set 2020, Episode 9: Fundamentals of Brewing
 
It's a homecoming week for the Faithless Brewing crew, as we descend on the Twin Cities for Grand Prix Minneapolis. In this episode, we discuss the fundamentals of brewing competitive rogue decks: how do you go from spark of an idea to finished decklist? What are some guidelines for constructing successful brews, and what are the common pitfalls? We are joined by special guest and master brewer Rhett Wilfahrt.
 
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Flashback: Watcher for Tomorrow
 
Watcher Blink: 3-2 league, Ephemerate is very powerful
 
 
 
 

Tomorrow Never Dies: Watcher for Tomorrow and How to Kill It

Modern Horizons / Core Set 2020, Episode 8: Watcher for Tomorrow
 
Look at your top 4 cards and choose the best one. Then, do it again. And again. As many times are you can blink! Watcher for Tomorrow offers selection and value reminiscent of Narset or even Dig Through Time, all stapled onto an efficient creature. The only catch? You have to make him die. The crew thinks they are up to the task, with a few different possible shells. Which ones will have what it takes?
 
Spice Roundup
 
Snowy Niv-Mizzet: 5-1-1, SCG IQ Newington. Promising results with this snow manabase featuring Arcum's Astrolabe, Pillar of the Paruns, Search for Tomorrow and Wrenn and Six.
 
Brewers' Mailbag
 
What is the most competitive Faithless Brewing deck? This question is like an onion: many layered and with lots of tears. The crew peels it back as we ponder deck options for GP Minneapolis.
 
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Flashback: Yawgmoth, Thran Physician
 
The Yawgfather has many talents, from card draw, to board control, to infinite combos with undying creatures. But how much should we lean on this card? Is the undying combo viable as a primary plan, or should that be a secondary angle in a creature based aggro deck?
 
Monoblack Zombies: 2-3 league, was using its recursive creatures too fairly
 
4c Undying Evolution: 6-4 leagues, Neoform + undying allows for a strong aggro plan, but the list can definitely be streamlined
 
Reference lists:
 
Jund Superfriends (lucky_dragon, 5-0 league): an intriguing take on Yawgmoth + tokens for value
 
Brew Session: Watcher for Tomorrow
 
Jeskai Saheeli
 
Bant Blink (Sketch)
 
UW Hatebear Blink (Sketch)
 
Reference lists:
 
Bant Blink (TscheggschDePoegg, 5-0 league)
 
Bant Blink (Gabriel Nassif, Fandom Legends)
 
Eternal Command (Shota Yasooka, Players' Championship 2012)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

The Doctor Is In: Yawgmoth, Thran Physician

Modern Horizons / Core Set 2020, Episode 7: Yawgmoth, Thran Physician
 
One month after Modern Horizons, the Good Doctor is well on his way to becoming a Modern staple. Free sacrifice outlets are powerful, free card draw is insane, and that's not even half of the card's text box! But is Yawgmoth best used as a value engine, a combo piece, or something in between? Brewers have been succeeding with both approaches, and the crew has a couple ideas of their own.
 
Brewers' Mailbag (New!)
 
Is it better to pick your best cards and play as many copies as you can, or is there value to playing a mix of 1-ofs? Does the equation change for main deck versus sideboard? What about for playtesting a deck versus registering for a tournament?
 
Have a question for us about the brewing process? Send them to us @FaithlessMTG and we will get to your question on air!
 
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Flashback: Brought Back
 
Brought Back for a land and another card is slick, and Brought Back for two lands is the slickest. But the resulting decks necessarily end up being white-based control, and graveyard-reliant on top of that. As great as Brought Back is, the ceiling for this card may just prove to be too low.
 
Bant Midrange v1: 8-7 leagues, functional but weaker than Karn version
 
Bant Midrange v2: 4-6 leagues, stronger, but still needs improvement
 
Sun Titan Control (fincown, 5-3 Modern Challenge): 3-2 league, solid but hard work
 
Abzan Shadow (cavedan, test deck): Brought Back maybe worse than Unearth here
 
Listener-submitted decks with Brought Back:
 
White Amulet (blakfishy, test deck): explosive but fragile
 
Eternal Value (breakfast4dinner911, test deck): needs more disruption
 
BW Smallpox (Matt Young, test deck): interesting planeswalker angle
 
Brew Session: Yawgmoth
 
Monoblack Yawgmoth (Sketch)
 
Yawgmoth Evolution (Sketch)
 
Yawgmoth Zombies (Nick Vallas)
 
Other lists referenced:
 
Unearth Zombies (zorloth, 6-3 Modern Challenge)
 
4c Yawgmoth (TheWillHallExp, 5-0 league)
 
Sultai Aristocrats (visitor636, 5-0 league)
 
Mardu Pyromancer (MisterKite, 5-0 league)
 
Jund Superfriends (lucky_dragon, 5-0 league)
 
 
 
 
 
 

Brought Back, Real Smooth

Modern Horizons / Core Set 2020, Episode 6: Brought Back
 
Core Set 2020's Brought Back took a star turn during our Lotus Field deep dive a couple weeks ago. So naturally, we Brought it Back for another chance at Modern glory, this time as the featured build-around. Part ramp, part card draw, part reanimation, Brought Back offers a little bit of everything. The only catch? You have to play white. Dave has some ideas, but what did we miss?
 
Spice Roundup: New Takes on Old Favorites
 
The wicked Bridge is dead, so it is time for the brewers to come out to play. Spicy decks are everywhere in the 5-0 league results, including some nice takes on cards we have previously explored.
 
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Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner
 
Kiora's Dragons (Damon): 2-3 Modern Invitational, powerful but sideboard has "leaky bucket" problem
 
Niv-Mizzet Reborn
 
Glittering Niv (lan2_13, 5-0 league): six dorks, 4 Glittering Wish, light on green sources
 
Rainbow Snow (Jiggywiggy, 5-0 league): 10 snow basics + Astrolabe, no Pillar of Paruns
 
Force of Virtue
 
 
WR Loxobots (Erks, 5-0 league)
 
 
Oketra's Monument (Rebus8, 5-0 league)
 
 
Zoo Squad (jjenson187, 5-0 league; Hybrid7, 5-0 league)
 
 
Flashback: Crashing Footfalls
 
We hoofed it through a few leagues with Crashing Footfalls, trying out multiple strategies for getting the rhinos into play. The card was quite powerful in a number of shells, but in the end there could only be one winner of the Rhino Rumble.
 
UR Rhinos (KyFly1): 4-6 test leagues, strong but narrow in scope
 
 
Restore Rhinos (Jakesbaked): 5-0 test league, felt more versatile against a wide field
 
 
BR Free (Dzy): 1-4 test league, fragile and very hard to cast Footfalls
 
 
Temur Ascendancy (SvenSveeterSven, 5-0 league)
 
Brew Session: Brought Back
 
Bant Brought Back (Sketch)
 
 
Naya Landfall (Sketch)
 
If you have a list with Brought Back, or suggestions for one of our builds, we would love to hear from you! Send us your build and we may feature it on next week's episode of the cast.
 
Contact Us
 
Twitter: @FaithlessMTG
 
Email: faithless.brewing@gmail.com
 
Homepage: faithlessbrewing.podbean.com
 

Rhino Rumble: All the Ways to Use Crashing Footfalls

Modern Horizons, Episode 5: Crashing Footfalls
 
Are you ready for a RHINO RUMBLE?!? Crashing Footfalls joins the lineage of "can't be cast" suspend cards that are historically powerful and ripe for abuse. The combination with Ancestral Visions gives a critical mass of generically powerful suspend cards, in contrast to all-in build-arounds like Living End, Restore Balance, or Wheel of Fate. But what is the best route for casting the Rhinos, and from which zone? Are we willing to wait for them, or do we need to make our Rhinos right now?
 
Roundup: Brewing After Hogaak
 
They actually did it. Bridge from Below got the axe after just four weeks on Magic Online. The crew discusses the post-ban metagame: what's still strong, what may rise again, and what a brewer should be prepared to face. Also: decks we plan to test in preparation for GP Minneapolis.
 
Flashback: Lotus Field
 
We put Lotus Field through its paces in four different builds, discovering quite a bit of clunk (drawing the 2nd copy is awful, Blood Moon and Damping Sphere are embarrassing) but also unlocking several powerful synergies. Blood Sun and the Brought Back + Flagstones + Ghost Quarter package were very solid and worthy of further exploration.
 
Blood Sun Eldrazi: 2-3 league, curve was disastrous, but Blood Sun is strong
 
RG Assault Loam: 2-3 league, needs speed and more versatile control elements
 
GW Brought Back: 3-2 league, Brought Back is strong, but needs better early plays
 
Twiddle Storm: 5-5 leagues, excellent in game 1, vulnerable after sideboarding
 
Brew Session: Crashing Footfalls
 
We take a slightly different approach this week, as several lists with Crashing Footfalls have already seen success. However, each of them tackles the "can't be cast" problem differently, opting to cheat the card into play either from hand, from graveyard, or from the top of the library. If you want to get really crazy, you can even suspend it the "normal" way and wait. Which routes are the most effective, and are there additional enablers that have not been fully explored?
 
Restore Dominance (Jakesbaked, 5-0 league x2)
Rhino enablers: 7 hand (As Foretold, Electrodominance), 2 graveyard (Finale of Promise). Green mana: yes.
 
UR As Foretold (KyFly1, 11-4 GP Dallas, 5-0 league, 6-2 Modern Challenge)
Rhino enablers: 8 hand (As Foretold, Electrodominance), 3 graveyard (Dreadhorde Arcanist). Green mana: no.
 
Black-Red Free (Dzy, 5-0 league)
Rhino enablers: 5 graveyard (Dreadhorde Arcanist, Finale of Promise), 4 hand (Electrodominance). Green mana: yes.
 
Living End "Fakeout" (MagicAids youtube + keatingn, 5-0 league)
Rhino enablers: 12 library (Violent Outburst, Demonic Dread, Bloodbraid Elf). Green mana: no.
 
Rhino Conjuring (Sketch)
Rhino enablers: 4 library (Collected Conjuring), 4 hand (As Foretold), 4 graveyard (Dreadhorde Arcanist, Finale of Promise). Green mana: TBD.
 

Life from the Lotus: Breaking Lotus Field in Midrange, Ramp, and Combo

Modern Horizons / Core Set 2020, Episode 4: Lotus Field
 
What's better than a Black Lotus? How about a free Black Lotus every turn? Magic 2020's "fixed" version of Lotus Vale comes with a host of interesting clauses: hexproof, sacrifice two lands, enters the battlefield tapped. The crew sets out to use every part of the buffalo, either dodging the drawbacks or turning them into advantages. There might even be some 9/9 hexproof attackers in our future. But which builds are competitive, and which are just a field of memes?
 
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Roundup: The New Tier One
 
The results from GP Dallas and SCG Pittsburgh are in. Hogaak established itself as tier zero, but it didn't sweep the events. Instead, a new tier one emerged, starring Izzet Phoenix and UW Control. But don't blink, because the London Mulligan is already here to shake up the format, and a B&R announcement is right around the corner. Plus: a tournament report with BG Rock. Good old rock, nothing beats rock.
 
Grim Flayer Rock: 2-3 SCG IQ, some things do in fact beat Rock
 
Flashback: Force of Virtue
 
While Tom Ross was cruising to a top 8 finish with Hogaak Bridgevine, we were working hard trying to squeeze playable decks out of his pet design Force of Virtue. The card proved surprisingly good, and the combo with Squadron Hawk should not be underestimated. The most competitive shell also proved to be the most delightful: Goat Devotion, harnessing the power of Nykthos, Ranger-Captain of Eos, and Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite.
 
Mardu PyroHawk : 4-6 leagues, felt much better than its record, Seasoned Pyromancer is the truth
 
Goat Devotion: 8-7 leagues, surprisingly good, but weak to decks that don't care about combat
 
Turbo Elesh Norn: 4-1 league, Elesh Norn is very well positioned
 
Esper Skies: 3-2 league, needs more disruption, less Pride of the Clouds
 
Brew Session: Lotus Field
 
Naya Value Town (Sketch)
 
Blood Sun Eldrazi (Sketch)
 
One-Punch Land (Sketch)
 
Twiddle Storm (Sketch)
 
Contact Us
 
Twitter: @FaithlessMTG
 
Email: faithless.brewing@gmail.com
 
Homepage: faithlessbrewing.podbean.com