Faithless Brewing MTG: Modern and Pioneer for the Spike Rogue

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
 

One Ring to Rule Them All: Day 1 Modern Brews

Season 18, Episode 20: Brew Session (Lord of the Rings Day 1)
Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-Earth hit the digital streets this week and already the Modern format is awash in brews. Morde and Manacymbal are on the case, sorting the wheat from the chaff and also firing off a half dozen decklists of their own.
The early winner is The One Ring, a card that looks so intensely powerful that the sky is the limit. Any deck capable of generating sufficient mana to cast The One Ring and deploy the endless cards it draws should slip on Bilbo’s ring. After all, why not? Why shouldn’t we brew it?
Beyond the raw power of the Ring, specific combos are the next big winner. Samwise Gamgee supports a new Cauldron Familiar loop, while Forge Anew gives more options to Hammer (and is especially tricksy with Kaldra Compleat). Orcish Bowmasters has massive hype (largely from EDH) but struggles to find a decent home outside of Morde’s crazy Esper Flash.
 
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Decklists for this episode can be viewed at FaithlessBrewing.com
 
Decklists
Mono Black Coffers
Unholy Tron Mashup
Green Tron (Sourced from AspiringSpike)
Freakunasty Samwise 1
Freakunasty Samwise 2

Gobakhan Girls, Training Grounds, and the Sad Tale of Owen Hawker

Season 18, Episode 19: Brew Session (Invasion of Gobakhan) + Flashback (Omen Hawker + Training Grounds)
Where were you when they invaded Gobakhan? On that fateful morning, when the World Tree stopped turning?
We asked our researchers some important questions, like, Where is Gobakhan anyway? What is a Battle? Why did Invasion of Gobakhan spike to $20, and still hovers at $10 despite being a medium powered rare?
Answers are coming, but we’ll need to put on our brewing caps. David has three Pioneer decks meant to exploit Invasion of Gobakhan, using synergies with +1/+1 counters, Eldrazi Processors, and even casting things from exile (thanks, Pia Nalaar!).
On the Flashback, Zach went deep on Omen Hawker and Training Grounds, building numerous versions of combo decks with Drafna and Rona, while brewer extraordinaire laa11 honed a Blue Devotion Omen Hawker list. We also tried UW Lotus Field, which has finally seen breakout success in Pioneer in recent weeks.
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Decklists for this episode can be viewed at FaithlessBrewing.com

Set Review: Brewer’s Guide to Middle-Earth, Part 2

Season 18, Episode 18: Set Review (Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-Earth)
With the full set of Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-Earth revealed and ready for action, Cavedan and Manacymbal join forces to rank the best new cards for Modern.
The set continues to deliver small role players and long shot build arounds, but few blue chip staples.
Stern Lesson is the cheapest version of Remove Soul, but that family of countermagic has no proven track record in constructed. Similarly, Flowering of the White Tree is the most powerful Anthem ever printed, but are Anthems viable in 2023 Modern? Goblins get a new toy in Moria Marauder, and Food strategies will be happy for the combo and value options that Samwise Gamgee provides.
Beyond those, we must look to the far green country for long shot brewing targets. Doors of Durin is both explosive and grindy, Lotho, Corrupt Shirriff has echoes of Ledger Shredder, and Phial of Galadriel offers intriguing card draw possibilities. One does not simply register a brew in Modern, but with good fellowship and true companions our quest for a new deck may yet succeed. Happy brewing!
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Decklists for this episode can be viewed at FaithlessBrewing.com
Timestamps
[3:53] Housekeeping
[5:55] The One Ring bounty
[13:13] Great Hall of the Citadel
[14:53] Stern Scolding
[18:04] Troll of Khazad-dum
[20:21] Lorien Revealed
[21:10] Birthday Escape
[24:08] Stone of Erech
[26:59] Samwise Gamgee
[30:54] Moria Marauder
[33:36] Lotho, Corrupt Shirriff
[36:13] Flowering of the White Tree
[38:43] Spiteful Banditry
[41:06] Shadow Summoning
[44:12] Theoden, King of Rohan
[45:52] Flame of Anur
[49:08] Phial of Galadriel
[53:24] Galadriel, the Lady of Lorien
[59:18] Sauron’s Ransom
[1:02:06] Radagast the Brown
[1:04:20] King of the Oathbreakers
[1:06:17] Doors of Durin
[1:10:20] There and Back Again
[1:13:38] The Balrogs
[1:16:17] Final thoughts

Pioneer State of the Format: June 2023 (ft. Lawson Zandi)

Season 18, Episode 17: Weekly Roundup
The US Regional Championships are in the books, where Pioneer took the spotlight once again. 1200 players descended upon Dreamhack Dallas to do battle with the strongest decks in the format, and put the newcomer Boros Convoke (”Boros Hogaak”) to the test. In the end, it was Engimatic Fires that ran the tables in the swiss, and Rakdos Sacrifice and Azorius Spirits that posted the top winrates overall. Boros, meanwhile, languished at a mere 47% win rate, and stock Rakdos Midrange (the most popular deck by far) performed even worse.
Lawson Zandi returns to analyze the state of Pioneer and share his findings testing for the event. What went wrong for Boros, and what can we expect going foward? Lawson and Cavedan also pick out under the radar sleepers from the RC, including a brand new Inverter-style combo using Archfiend of the Dross and Metamorphic Alteration.
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Decklists for this episode can be viewed at FaithlessBrewing.com
Decklists
Mono Green Devotion vs Lotus Field Matchup Strategy
Enigmatic Fires by Elliot Raff
Dimir Rogues by Toph Robinson
Boros Convoke by Max McVety
Mono Green Devotion by Evart Moughon
Rakdos Goblins by Luke Goodwin
Neoform Atraxa by Brent Waggoner
Archfiend Alteration by cftsoc

Set Review: Brewer’s Guide to Middle Earth, Part 1

Season 18, Episode 16: Set Review (Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-Earth)
Morde and Manacymbal join forces to analyze the best Modern cards from Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-Earth. Very few of these cards seem flashy enough for 2023 Modern, but heed Tolkien’s advice: all that is gold does not glitter. A brave little hobbit, such as Rosie Cotton of South Lane, might have the right stats to enable a new infinite combo, and the interactive value provided by Orcish Bowmasters gets more powerful in older formats. A legendary land cycle has generous activated abilities, and Equipment decks get a new toy in Forge Anew. Will any of these cards break in to the brutally powerful Modern meta? Let’s find out!
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Decklists for this episode can be viewed at FaithlessBrewing.com
Timestamps
[2:47] Housekeeping
[4:02] Middle-Earth: First impressions
[10:37] Barad-dur
[11:51] Minas Tirith
[13:02] Mines of Moria
[13:55] Many Partings
[15:31] Delighted Halfling
[17:50] Oliphaunt + Generous Ent
[19:20] Long List of the Ents
[22:50] Shelob’s Ambush
[25:44] Orcish Bowmasters
[28:44] Westfold Rider
[30:13] Council’s Deliberation
[32:39] Nasty End
[33:17] Boromir, Warden of the Tower
[34:56] Rosie Cotton of South Lane
[38:46] Forge Anew
[42:17] Grishnakh, Brash Instigator
[44:18] Swarming of Moria
[45:13] Fires of Mount Doom
[47:38] Nazgul
[53:59] Bill the Pony
[56:19] Hew the Entwood
[58:16] Tom Bombadil
[59:07] Gandalf the White
[1:06:30] Aragorn, the Uniter
[1:07:50] Sauron, the Dark Lord
[1:09:38] March from the Black Gate
[1:15:24] Closing thoughts: the future of mini-sets