Thursday Jun 27, 2019
Revenge of the Goatnapped: Is Force of Virtue a Playable Card in Modern?
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.
Listen on:
Episodes
Episodes
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.
****
Decklists for this episode can be viewed at FaithlessBrewing.com
****
Like our content? Support us on Patreon and join our brewing community!
****
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
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.
****
Decklists for this episode can be viewed at FaithlessBrewing.com
****
Like our content? Support us on Patreon and join our brewing community!
****
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
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.
****
Decklists for this episode can be viewed at FaithlessBrewing.com
****
Like our content? Support us on Patreon and join our brewing community!
****
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
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.
****
Decklists for this episode can be viewed at FaithlessBrewing.com
****
Like our content? Support us on Patreon and join our brewing community!
****
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
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?
****
Decklists for this episode can be viewed at FaithlessBrewing.com
****
Like our content? Support us on Patreon and join our brewing community!
****
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
Wednesday May 15, 2019
Wednesday May 15, 2019
War of the Spark, Episode 3: Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner
War of the Spark is chock full of spicy planeswalkers, so it’s no surprise that Dan wants to go deep on… Kiora? Yes, Kiora! The Behemoth Expert ramps you like a big Arbor Elf (or a mini-Garruk, or a bootleg Amulet) and also keeps the cards flowing. This puts her in a class of her own. But can this intriguing engine find a home in Modern? David has some ideas, so let’s discuss!
Flashback: Niv-Mizzet Reborn
It was a promising week of Niv-Mizzet testing. Many dragon avatars were brought to light, and many, many cards were drawn. The control shell proved 5-0 worthy and is a solid concept, but the mana base needs more basic lands and the best ramp option has yet to be determined (Birds of Paradise? Sakura-Tribe Elder? Sarkhan Fireblood?). David also had good results with a turbo-ramp midrange shell, so there’s a lot here still to explore.
****
Decklists for this episode can be viewed at FaithlessBrewing.com
****
Like our content? Support us on Patreon and join our brewing community!
****
Niv to Light: 5-0 League https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/1885348#online
Turbo-Niv Midrange: 4-1 Leaguehttps://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/1910829#online
Brew Session: Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner
Sketch 1.0: Little Kid Abzanhttps://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/1910904#online
Sketch 1.1: Little Kid GWhttps://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/1910921#online
Sketch 2.0: Temur Ferocioushttps://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/1910934#online
Sketch 2.1: Gruul Ramphttps://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/1910948#online
Sketch 3: Vexing Zoohttps://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/1911962#online
Bonus ideas mentioned on cast:
Kiora + Nykthos (Green devotion shell)
Kiora + Eldrazi Temple (Bant Eldrazi shell)
Kiora + Sakura-Tribe Scout + karoos (Rampaging Baloths ramp)
Monday May 13, 2019
Monday May 13, 2019
War of the Spark Season, Episode 2: Niv-Mizzet Reborn
Dan has a chip on his shoulder and is eager to prove the haters wrong about Niv-Mizzet Reborn, his pick for War of the Spark sleeper hit in Modern. But how to make use of a 5 mana engine? How to build the rainbow mana base? And what two-color cards are we even trying to cast? We discuss several possible sketches, including Turbo-Ramp, Golden Hatebears, Niv to Light Control, and GBx Rainbow Rock. Let the Dragon ride again on the winds of time!
Flashback: Neoform
We discuss our results after a week of testing Bant Monkeyform, including a 5-0 competitive league and top 8 at an SCG IQ. Not too shabby! The deck is sweet and appears to have legs, and tails, and fins (or whatever frog-lizards have).
****
Decklists for this episode can be viewed at FaithlessBrewing.com
****
Like our content? Support us on Patreon and join our brewing community!
****
Bant Monkeyform: 5-0 League https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/1871220#online
Bant Monkeyform: SCG IQ Top 8https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/1885401#online
Brew Session: Niv-Mizzet Reborn
Sketch 1: Golden Hatebearshttps://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/1903261#online
Sketch 2: Niv-Mizzet Ramphttps://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/1903327#online
Sketch 3: Niv to Light Controlhttps://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/1885348#online
Sketch 4: Rainbow Rockhttps://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/1903415#online
Monday May 13, 2019
Monday May 13, 2019
War of the Spark Season, Episode 1: Neoform
Eldritch Evolution hit the gym and got a little leaner, a little meaner, and potentially a lot more powerful. The crew dives deep into Neoform, an exciting new tutor from War of the Spark. What can we do with this card? Is it just another creature toolbox option, or are there more powerful synergies to be unlocked?
Brew session: Neoform
Sketch 1: Allosaurus Combo
https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/1903165#online
Sketch 2: Neo-Eldrazi
https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/1903156#online
Sketch 3: Bant Monkeyform
https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/1903148#online
****
Decklists for this episode can be viewed at FaithlessBrewing.com
****
Like our content? Support us on Patreon and join our brewing community!
****
