Standard may only be a week old, but there's already a pretty clearly defined best deck, that may even be facing a ban at record pace. We talk this week about our efforts to tune Omnath for the mirror in this weekend's events, how to attack th

Episode 53: More Zendikar Rising Spoilers

Sep 11th, 2020 52m 37s

This week we look at our favorite new tools for aggressive decks and Baker breaks down Sea Gate Stormcaller and how to leverage it in every constructed format

Episode 52: First Taste of Zendikar Rising

Sep 5th, 2020 1h 8m

Taking a look at our top picks from the first couple days of spoilers, including the planeswalkers, DFC lands, our favorite party cards and the old classic Lotus Cobra

Episode 51: Even More Bans

Aug 8th, 2020 1h 3m

Standard, and Pioneer received huge shakeups Monday, plus a light pass on Pioneer, so we're breaking down the philosophy behind the latest ban updates and how to adapt to the new environments

Episode 50: Breaking down the (Un)Bans

Jul 15th, 2020 43m 20s

A new banlist has arrived and we're ready to explore what post-Astrolabe modern looks like and the many uses of Oath of Nissa

Episode 49: Beating Down Week One

Jul 4th, 2020 50m 2s

Nick and Baker have been exploring all the ways to run the Growth Spiral decks over before they can turn the tide with haymakers, including Gruul Haste, GW Conclave Mentor variants, and an Izzet Spells list that Baker top 8'd the standard chall

Episode 48: Core Set 21 Previews

Jun 19th, 2020 1h 4m

We're back this week, breaking down some of the most exciting new cards from Core set 21 and how to build around them

Episode 47: Incoming Bans and the Failings of Organized Play

May 27th, 2020 40m 10s

We discuss the gross nature of WotC's latest decision to strip most of the promised prize pools from the tournaments that were postponed to Arena and the impact it has on the trust of players

Episode 46: UW Lurrus Ensoul

May 22nd, 2020 36m 25s

Baker's been working on a new twist on a classic archetype (if you can call any Pioneer deck classic anyway), and is sharing the best ways to build it and play the key matchup against burnThe list: https://scryfall.com/@VTCLA/decks/10086c7d-9

Episode 45: The Problems in Standard

May 15th, 2020 49m 5s

We talk our way through which cards in standard are making it difficult to attack from novel angles (or enjoy) and the best choice for this weekend's arena tournaments

Episode 44: 95 Card Pickup

Apr 30th, 2020 55m 57s

Turns out Yorion is a pretty good card! Nick has been working on the more conventional Bant Yorion deck, while Baker explores all the possibilities of Yorion Fires so now we pool our knowledge on the best ways to make use of your extra 20 card

Episode 43: Animal Friends in Standard

Apr 23rd, 2020 1h 7m

Now that we've gotten the chance to play with the cards, let's talk about how broken some of them are! Breaking down how to build the most popular standard decks in this episode, most of which come with a buddy

Episode 42: Ikoria First Impressions

Apr 17th, 2020 1h 3m

Thanks to the streamer event we got our first look at Ikoria, and we're breaking down which cards, decks, and interactions caught our eye and how to update them for week one standard.

Episode 41: Ikoria Spoilers

Apr 9th, 2020 54m 25s

Ikoria Lair of Behemoths is right around the corner, and we're talking about Companion, Mutate, which cards we think shine the most and how to take advantage of them

Episode 40: Breaking Down the First MagicFest Online Results

Apr 2nd, 2020 45m 45s

With Ikoria spoilers around the corner, we're taking one last look at Theros Beyond Death standard and how we expect it to play out over the next couple weeks in the MagicFest Online tournamentsTop 8 lists: https://www.channelfireball.com/all

Episode 39: Temur Rec and Sultai Break Out

Mar 27th, 2020 50m 10s

Baker's fresh off a win with Temur in the MTGO Standard Challenge, so he walks us through how to update it this week for the MagicFest Online Qualifiers, as well as a look into the Sultai deck by Yuta Takahashi that had a breakout performance i

Episode 38: Uro in Standard

Mar 20th, 2020 49m 16s

Everyone has a lot of time to grind Arena ladder these days, so we cover the latest developments in Standard, including UG Adventures, RB Cat, and the return of Temur Reclamation

Episode 37: Modern after Once Upon a Time

Mar 11th, 2020 51m 27s

A new wave of bans just hit, but maybe not in the format you were most expecting. Quite a few decks were affected in Modern, so we talk through how much they each are impacted and what will happen to the metagame going forward

Episode 36: Special Guest Aaron Gertler

Mar 3rd, 2020 51m 33s

Fresh off his win at Dreamhack Anaheim and the meteoric rise of Temur Clover, Aaron sits down with Baker to go in depth about building and playing the deck.Find Aaron at https://twitter.com/AaronGertler

Episode 35: Standard for the Mythic Challenge

Feb 29th, 2020 57m 24s

Nick's prepping for the Mythic Points Challenge this weekend, so we walk through his plans for how to attack the format in the wake of a big shakeup from Dreamhack weekend.Also: Baker's plans for Pioneer and Modern for the MOCS Showcases

Episode 34: Standard in an Azorius World

Feb 21st, 2020 1h 5m

Blue-White Control has established itself as the best deck in standard, so in the wake of Worlds we discuss the ways to attack it.

Episode 33: Week One Theros Standard

Jan 25th, 2020 1h 4m

We get an early look in at which decks have stuck around from last format, and which ones are poised to break out with new cards.Also: a quick THB limited primer from Baker's testing

Episode 32: Modern After Opal

Jan 16th, 2020 58m 21s

With a new set of bannings (and a new set of cards!) arriving, we go in depth on which decks are most likely to emerge and rise to the top.

Episode 31: Breaking Heliod + Ballista

Jan 11th, 2020 1h 6m

A powerful new combo is being introduced to Pioneer with the release of Theros Beyond Death, so we're getting a head start by trying to find the best ways to build around it!

Episode 30: Urza in the MOCS Playoffs Win

Jan 2nd, 2020 43m 52s

Baker won the MOCS Playoffs this week with his own build of Urza midrange, so this week we're breaking down how his preparation led him to these card choices, what we would change, and matchup with the new Simic Field deck he played against in