Faithless Brewing MTG: Modern and Pioneer for the Spike Rogue

Full Set Review: Wilds of Eldraine in Modern & Pioneer, Part 1

Season 19, Episode 1: Brewer’s Guide to Wilds of Eldraine
Once upon a time, Eldraine ruled the multiverse. An innocuous plane of fairy tales and enchantment quickly broke every format in Magic, thanks to brutally efficient cost reduction spells, pushed standalone threats (hello, Oko), and Adventures that allowed us to squeeze more out of a single piece of cardboard than ever before.
Wilds of Eldraine has a tough act to follow, but Wizards seems to have swung for the fences. Not only are Adventures back for seconds, but they are cheaper, free-r, and more colorful than ever before. On top of that, the innovative Role mechanic (and its counterpart, Bargain) has led to a set absolutely stuffed to the brim with 1 and 2 mana plays. These cards are meant to see play, and that means the rate is pushed across the board. It seems like every single 1 drop is “best in class” compared to the 30 years of Magic that came before.
Cavedan and Lawson kick off the new season of Faithless Brewing with a long look at the best Modern and Pioneer cards from Wilds of Eldraine. The bar is high in non-rotating formats, but when you fill a set with so many generously costed cheap plays some of them are bound to break through. Power creep intensifies with every visit to Oko’s woods; which new card will steal the trickster’s crown?
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Decklists for this episode can be viewed at FaithlessBrewing.com
 

Preordain: Scrying the Future of Modern and the Cutting Edge of Pioneer

Season 18, Episode 27: Weekly Roundup + Brew Session
Cavedan and David look three year’s into Magic future, and unpack the shocking return of Preordain in Modern. Did Wizards get it right in their “only-once -each-year-really-trust-us-we-promise” B&R update? What impact will blue’s newest toy have on the known and unknown decks of the meta?
They also discuss David’s latest experiments at the cutting edge of Pioneer, where he has been hunting trophies with Stern Lesson, Galazeth Prismari, BTL Valki, and Dread Presence Scapeshift. Is Reckoner Bankbuster the savior we need?
 
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Decklists for this episode can be viewed at FaithlessBrewing.com

Modern State of the Format: The Dark Lord Sauron Assembles Tron

Season 18, Episode 26: Weekly Roundup
Lawson Zandi returns to break down the results from Pro Tour: Barcelona, where The One Ring and Orcish Bowmasters put on dominant displays. Big mana was the big winner, with Tron and Amulet Titan harnessing The One Ring to tremendous effect while going way over the top of midrange and control players who had planned to outduel Rakdos Scam. And as for Rakdos itself? The most popular deck was also among the winningest decks, making it a ripe target for action in Monday’s upcoming B&R window.
There’s plenty to unpack this week, as we take stock of the current state of the format and speculate where Modern can go from here. We also take a look at Wilds of Eldraine, analyzing the first batch of sneak peek preview cards.
 
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Decklists for this episode can be viewed at FaithlessBrewing.com

The Time of the Orc Has Come: Modern Before the Pro Tour & Kefnet in Pioneer

Season 18, Episode 25: Weekly Roundup + Brew Session (God-Eternal Kefnet)
The age of man is over. You know what comes next.
David, Morde, and Manacymbal join forces this week for a Modern + Pioneer doubleheader. With Pro Tour weekend approaching, the M&M boys have their eyes on some spicy numbers in Modern, including a challenge-winning Game Objects deck with both Samwise Gamgee and Lonis, Cryptozoologist. Meanwhile, David is back in the laboratory in Pioneer, brewing up fresh concepts with a surprising combo engine: God-Eternal Kefnet!
 

The Best Kept Secret in Modern: An Interview with DackFayden07, the Lord of the Brews

Season 18, Episode 24: Modern 5-0s with Dack_Fayden07
The Greatest Thief in the Multiverse has stolen The One Ring, and stolen our hearts! Josip Jukic, better known as DackFayden07, has been on a stunning streak of 5-0 results, racking up trophy after trophy with original Lord of the Rings brews. He is the best kept secret in Modern, a Croatian aspiringspike, an indomitable brewer and a talented Blues Rock musician besides.
So what is the secret to Dack’s tremendous success? We find out today in a massive interview. Cavedan and Josip discuss the state of Modern with The One Ring, Orcish Bowmasters, and Delighted Halfling, and then take a deep dive into eight of Dack’s trophy winning Modern lists. They also peer into the Palantir to divine the future of Lord of the Rings in Modern. Which cards have more undiscovered potential? Josip has some ideas, and when he speaks, we listen.
Where to find Josip:
Subscribe to the Dack_Fayden07 YouTube Channel
Join the DackFayden07 Discord
Follow Josip on Twitter
 
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Decklists for this episode can be viewed at FaithlessBrewing.com
 
Decklists
Rakdos Rings ft. Waste Not (Decklist) (Gameplay)
Naya Winota Legends (Decklist) (Gameplay)
Bowmasters HollowVine (Decklist) (Gameplay)
Giada Flash Esper Scam (Decklist) (Gameplay)
Asmo Wizard Kitchen ft. Flame of Anor (Decklist) (Gameplay)
Urborg Scavengers Domain Zoo (Decklist) (Gameplay)
Zoo Ring ReScaminator (Decklist) (Gameplay)
Abzan Nissa Scam (Decklist) (Gameplay)

Archfiend Like a BOSS: Brewing with the New Dimir Inverter

Season 18, Episode 23: Brew Session (Archfiend of the Dross) + Flashback (Invasion of Gobakhan)
Archfiend of the Dross burst onto the scene at DreamHack Dallas, where cftsoc unleashed a devastating combo with Metamorphic Alteration that took the tournament by storm. Turning an opponent’s creature into a copy of Archfiend, without access to Oil counters, means instant death on their upkeep. The one two punch of a 6/6 flier for 2BB, paired with a blue two drop, harkens back to the days of Dimir Inverter, when the unique combo-control strategy menaced the Pioneer format while racking up an impressive 47% win rate.
Excitement for the Archfiend combo has abated in recent weeks. Despite the heavy scrutiny among dedicated Pioneer players, there is still no stock build of the combo that has delivered consistent results. While cftsoc splashed blue into a mostly Rakdos shell, others like laa11 and DJeffMTG have pushed for a dedicated Dimir build. Then there are weirder options like Golgari Fight Rigging, or even Jund with Harmless Offering — all decks predicated on the promising observation that Archfiend of the Dross is a powerful standalone card. This is a combo that should work, and it’s a great mystery why the new Inverter has so far failed to live up to its billing.
Today on Faithless Brewing, David and Cavedan put on their sleuthing caps to get to the bottom of the mysterious missing demon. We look at eight different Pioneer builds with Archfiend, some featuring Metamorphic Alteration, and others not. We also review our testing results with Invasion of Gobakhan, which snagged David a nifty 5-0 trophy with a unique aggro brew.
 
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Decklists for this episode can be viewed at FaithlessBrewing.com
 
Decklists
David’s Sultai Fiend Rigging
Sultai Fight Rigging by biz1 (5-0)
David’s Jund Harmless Offering
Dimir Archfiend Combo by DJeffMTG
Dimir Alteration (Yorion) by laa11 (5-0)
Dimir JVP Alteration by OafMcNamara (T16 Pioneer Challenge)
David’s Atraxa Rise to Glory
Drossed to Kill by KilgoreTrout503
David’s RW Shatterskull Invasion (5-0)
Dan’s BW Demonic Processors
 

The Brew Review: We Asked Listeners for Their Spiciest Decklists

Season 18, Episode 22: The Brew Review (July 2023)
David and Cavedan review 10 spicy decks submitted by our listeners. Is the next great Modern or Pioneer deck hiding among them?
 
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Decklists for this episode can be viewed at FaithlessBrewing.com
 
Decklists
Naya Exile by LurkingEvil
UB Rogues by Woosh
the Rock by Briger
Dredge for Bones by TuesdayTastic
Ms. Marvel by Ignacio E.
Legendary Combos by Patrick Thomas (ptom)
Winota Mardu Blink by Spencer Hanks
UB Cauldron (Pioneer Living End) by Odince
Vesuvan Mindbreaker of the Dross by Brandon Redden
Mono Green Jeskai Ascendancy by Topher

Orcish Bowmasters: Looks Like Meat’s Back on the Menu, Boys!

Season 18, Episode 21: Brew Session (Orcish Bowmasters) + Flashback (Chrome Host Seedshark)
Orcish Bowmasters was flagged early on as one of the top Modern cards from Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-Earth — and, it turns out, one of the most powerful Commander cards to boot. Everyone loved the base stats (a guaranteed 1/1! a free ping! instant speed!) and the potential for so much more. The only problem? No one could actually name a deck where Bowmasters fit.
One week after release, questions are beginning to be answered. Is Bowmasters strong enough on rate to slot into fair, low synergy decks? For Rakdos Scam and BG Rock players, the answer seems to be yes. But the ceiling on Bowmasters is much higher, and its baseline strength opens up many further brewing possibilities.
Today on Faithless Brewing, cavedan and Manacymbal tumble down the rabbit hole of Bowmaster brews, going deep into the world of Slitherwisp Flash, go-wide strategies with Convoke or Winota, and good old fashioned Sacrifice synergies. But we don’t stop there. Down in the icy depths, far beneath the iceberg, more adventurous brews await with forced card draw and “wheel” effects, from Narset + Dark Deal, to Burning Inquiry, and even Waste Not. Many of these strategies have already found success, and there’s still so much further to go.
Long term, it’s unclear whether Bowmasters has Modern legs. But what about their legs? They don’t need those. All we know for sure is that meat’s back on the menu, and we’re here for it. Happy brewing!
 
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Decklists for this episode can be viewed at FaithlessBrewing.com
 
Decklists
Rakdos Scam by yungdingo (5-0)
Esper Goryo’s by Gab Nassif (5-0)
BG Rock with Saga by ElectricBob (5-0)
Golgari Yawgmoth by Xerk (Challenge Winner)
Rakdos Sac by aspiringspike
4c Slitherwisp by MordeToLight
UB Narset Wheels by wutup (T16 Modern Challenge)
Burning Inquiry Breach by benchsummer (4-1)
Flumph Combo by Iamthelaw2004