Faithless Brewing MTG: Modern and Pioneer for the Spike Rogue

A Magic: the Gathering podcast for the spike rogue. Each week, we brew new decks in Modern and Pioneer. We put our creations to the test and share our findings on the air: what worked, what didn’t, and what can be improved for next time. Are you sick of going 0-5? We can help you go 3-2, in style! Created by Dan Schriever (@CavedanMTG), David Robertson (resident brew master), and Damon Alexander (brewer emeritus), and featuring Zach Ryl (@Manacymbal) & Emi Sagasti (@MordeToLight). Whether you’re a jank brewer, Day 2 warrior, FNM hero, or kitchen table end boss, our goal is to inspire your next great Magic deck. Take the Oath of Brewers and join our Discord community at patreon.com/faithlessbrewing, and visit our homepage FaithlessBrewing.com for all of our latest decklists.
Episodes
Episodes



Friday Jul 12, 2019
Rhino Rumble: All the Ways to Use Crashing Footfalls
Friday Jul 12, 2019
Friday Jul 12, 2019
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.



Thursday Jul 04, 2019
Life from the Lotus: Breaking Lotus Field in Midrange, Ramp, and Combo
Thursday Jul 04, 2019
Thursday Jul 04, 2019
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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Decklists for this episode can be viewed at FaithlessBrewing.com
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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



Thursday Jun 27, 2019
Revenge of the Goatnapped: Is Force of Virtue a Playable Card in Modern?
Thursday Jun 27, 2019
Thursday Jun 27, 2019
Modern Horizons, Episode 3: Force of Virtue
White has a long history of getting shafted in cycles. Blue got Ancestral Recall, white got Healing Salve. Blue got Force of Will, white got Scars of the Veteran. Blue got Force of Negation, white got... Force of Virtue? Free spells are always worth a closer look, and the crew thinks this zero-mana Crusade might be sneakily competitive. We discuss potential builds of Mardu Tokens, Esper Skies, and Goat Devotion (no, not greatest of all time, just actual goats).
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Decklists for this episode can be viewed at FaithlessBrewing.com
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Roundup: Brewer's Guide to the Hogaak Meta
Hogaak continues to dominate the winners' meta in MTGO Premier events. Successful challengers last weekend skewed toward midrange and control, with creature aggro and big mana seemingly pushed out of the format. In the unified Modern League, though, it's a safari of wild brews. Plus: new cards with potential from Core 2020, and a tournament report from GP Seattle (undefeated on Day 2!).
Mardu Helix: 8-2 leagues, Smiting Helix is the truth.
Lantern Citadel: 6-4 leagues, effective against Hogaak.
Flashback: Ice-Fang Ninja Tempo
Ice-Fang Coatl proved to be a brilliant design: versatile and powerful, but requiring serious concessions to unlock deathtouch. The ninjas were all playable and surprisingly good, with Ingenious Infiltrator seemingly the best option, Mist-Syndicate Naga running second, and Fallen Shinobi the most greedy and least versatile.
BUG "Little" Ninjas: 6-4 leagues, Infiltrator and Seer are good, slow cards (Spellstutter, Snapcaster, Opt) are iffy. Sideboard needs more sweepers.
BUG "Big" Ninjas: 4-1 league, land count is greedy, 4 Shinobi is too many.
UG Obsession: 1-4 league, unplayable, removal is too plentiful and cheap to protect a non-hexproof creature.
Bant Flash: 3-2 league, solid if no one is playing Tron.
Queller Flash: 2-3 league, perfect deck for exhausting midrange slugfests.
Brew Session: Force of Virtue
Goat Devotion (Sketch)
Mardu Tokens (Sketch)
Esper Skies (Sketch)
Soul Sisters (Sketch)



Thursday Jun 20, 2019
How to Train Your Ninja: Faerie Seer, Ice-Fang Coatl, and Other Clever Disguises
Thursday Jun 20, 2019
Thursday Jun 20, 2019
Modern Horizons, Episode 2: Ninja Faerie Tempo Snake
Is that a winged snake with deadly fangs of poison ice... or an ingenious ninja in disguise? Dreams of ninja glory become real this week as the crew explores David's favorite archetype of all time: sneaky blue tempo decks. Ice-Fang Coatl, Faerie Seer, Ingenious Infiltrator, and Fallen Shinobi offer a host of new tools for players looking to chip away for value while fighting battles on the stack. The ninjas are sweet and the faeries are classy, but are they just too fair for today's Modern?
Roundup: The Rise of Creature Combo
Hogaak Bridgevine continues to dominate online and in paper, but players are punching back with linear combo decks of their own, looking to exploit Hogaak's lack of interaction. Both Devoted Vizier and Saheeli combo are putting up strong results, and the crew has some builds that we like. Plus: Core 2020 previews and a tournament report with Niv-Mizzet Reborn.
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Decklists for this episode can be viewed at FaithlessBrewing.com
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GW Vizier Combo: 5-0 league, very strong in current meta
Jeskai Supercats: 7-3 leagues, Watcher for Tomorrow is promising
Flashback: Ranger-Captain of Eos
It turns out that if you take an underpowered strategy and add Ranger-Captain of Eos, the result is an underpowered deck with Ranger-Captain of Eos. Martyr Proc does not line up well against today's modern. The Kirin combo seemed to get there on power level, but finding a build that can assemble the combo quickly while not falling prey to the inherent weaknesses of GW midrange proved challenging.
Martyr Proc: 4-6 leagues, Ranger-Captain didn't change the outlook for this strategy
GW Kirin (Vivien): 4-6 leagues, hard to assemble combo and the GW shell felt underpowered
GW Kirin (Eladamri's Call): 4-1 league, more successful at combo but surrounding GW cards are still mediocre
Boros Geddon: 3-2 league, needs better value engines to snowball an advantage
Brew Session: Ninja Tempo
Sultai Ninja Faeries
UG Curious Obsession
UB Ninja Faeries
Temur Sea Stompy



Thursday Jun 13, 2019
Winter Is Coming: Ranger-Captain of Eos in a Hogaak Meta
Thursday Jun 13, 2019
Thursday Jun 13, 2019
Modern Horizons, Episode 1: Ranger-Captain of Eos
It's a tale as old as Winterfell: our plains and forests are covered in snow, the army of the dead is coming, and all that shields the realms of men are a few brave Rangers. Hogaak Vine has swept through the Magic Online metagame, but for now the crew wants to fight for the side of the living. Ranger-Captain of Eos offers considerable talents at an attractive mana cost, but can fair creature decks stand up to the zombie hordes? Damon and David have some ideas, so let's discuss!
Flashback: Bolas's Citadel
They say that great wisdom grows from defeat. If so, Dan might be the wisest person alive after a week of getting stomped while exploring Bolas's Citadel. The engine was powerful, but glass-cannon strategies quickly proved too fragile in this hostile meta. Three directions remain promising: Lantern-style control with mill rocks, creature-based strategies using the Viscera Seer-Blood Artist engine, and lifegain control with a generous helping of Smiting Helix.
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Decklists for this episode can be viewed at FaithlessBrewing.com
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Lantern Engines
BUG Lantern: 0-5, lantern is hard, meta is hostile
RB Trashy Engineer: 1-4, slightly too slow and still fragile
RB Engineer Control: 2-3, can compete but needs tuning
Aristocrats Engines
Abzan Aristocrats: 2-3, creatures were too weak
Esper Shape Anew: 3-2, decent despite the unplayables
4c Shape Anew: not yet tested
Lifegain Control
Mardu Helix: 4-1, clunky but promising
Madcap Mardu: 1-4, awful, do not try at home
Brew Session: Ranger-Captain of Eos
Sketch 1: Mono-W Martyr Control
Sketch 2: GW Kirin Armageddon



Wednesday Jun 05, 2019
Enter the Citadel: Yawgmoth's Bargain Meets Channel
Wednesday Jun 05, 2019
Wednesday Jun 05, 2019
War of the Spark, Episode 6: Bolas's Citadel
Dreadhorde Arcanist proved challenging to work with, but the crew was eventually able to convert its versatility into another Faithless 5-0. But Dan is tired of chipping away for 1 damage plus a cantrip: this week, he just wants to break Modern in half. Bolas's Citadel can potentially do just that, offering an insane card draw engine stapled to an insane mana engine. But what about all those deckbuilding restrictions? And how are you going to get this pricey artifact into play? The crew breaks down a host of different directions, including some spicy additions from Modern Horizons.
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Decklists for this episode can be viewed at FaithlessBrewing.com
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Flashback: Dreadhorde Arcanist
Temur Atarka's: 3-2 league, weak to control
Grixis Value: 4-1 league, takes too long to win
Grixis Shadow: 2-3 league, needs better SB
Jund Atarka's: 5-0 league, versatility was promising
Brew Session: Bolas's Citadel
Sketch 1: Trash for Treasure
Sketch 2: Goblin Engineer
Sketch 3: Lotus Bloom
Sketch 4: Shape Anew
Sketch 5: Grand Architect



Wednesday May 29, 2019
The Dreadhorde Arcanist Dilemma
Wednesday May 29, 2019
Wednesday May 29, 2019
War of the Spark, Episode 5: Dreadhorde Arcanist
Modern Horizons previews are burning up the internet, but the crew still has unfinished business with War of the Spark. Dreadhorde Arcanist is a powerful two-drop that has proven itself in Legacy, but hasn’t yet made a splash in Modern. Is the Arcanist best used for grinding value, or should we be smashing face? Dave has a decklist for each strategy, so let’s discuss!
Flashback: Karn, the Great Creator and Teferi, Time Raveler
It was a shorter than normal week of testing, but we still played enough to learn that we hated the Liquimetal Jund list. Play Karn, but don’t play Karn here. Teferi Scepter seemed more promising, but there is plenty of work still to be done.
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Decklists for this episode can be viewed at FaithlessBrewing.com
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Liquimetal Jund: tried and rejected
Teferi Scepter Lock: more testing needed
Brew Session: Dreadhorde Arcanist
Grixis Value Arcanist
Temur Phoenix Arcanist
Bonus Content: Modern Horizons Quick Hits
Dan has some early takes on cards he is excited about. Find his article here on the Modern subreddit!



Wednesday May 22, 2019
The Planeswalker Fun Police: Karn, Prison Warden and Teferi, Time Cop
Wednesday May 22, 2019
Wednesday May 22, 2019
War of the Spark, Episode 4: Karn, the Great Creator and Teferi, Time Raveler
You don’t have to look far these days to find Karn, Teferi, and Narset locking down battlefields across all formats. We don’t have to like it, but we owe it to ourselves to at least try them out in some brews. David is intrigued by Liquimetal Coating and Isochron Scepter, while Dan has his eye on Lavinia, Azorius Renegade.
Flashback: Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner
Another week, another Faithless 5-0! We recap our week of testing with Kiora, which led us to create a sleek new Glorybringer list that would make the Mother of Dragons proud (is it too soon?). But we didn’t stop there; the crew also tried numerous other builds featuring a wild menagerie of 4-power creatures: Vexing Devil, Rampaging Baloths, Thought-Knot Seer, God-Eternal Oketra. Which ones are tournament ready and which ones are best discarded?
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Decklists for this episode can be viewed at FaithlessBrewing.com
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Vexing Zoo: tried and rejectedhttps://www.mtggoldfish.com/decks/new#online
Abzan Little Kid: needs tuninghttps://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/1919346#paper
Dragon Ramp: tournament ready (5-0 league, 16-4 overall)https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/1929876#online
Proposed but not tested: Green Devotion, Temur Ascendancy, Bant Eldrazi
Brew Session: Karn, the Great Creator and Teferi, Time Raveler
Liquimetal Jund:https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/1928177#online
Teferi, Isochron Silencer:https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/1928110#online
Teferi-Lavinia Lock:https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/1928144#online
Mix and Match Walker Combo:https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/1928204#online
Reference lists mentioned on cast:
Mono-Red Karn Prison:https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/1895722#online
Teferi-Knowledge Pool Lock:https://www.mtggoldfish.com/archetype/modern-azorius-control-85955#online
Copycat PW Extravaganza:https://www.mtggoldfish.com/archetype/modern-four-colors-copycat-86068#online
Narset Pitch Blue:https://www.mtggoldfish.com/archetype/modern-pitch-blue#paper
