The Brainstorm Show

Episode 012 — Legacy Misconceptions & Miracles Crushers

Welcome back to The Brainstorm Show! In Episode 012, we dispel with some common misconceptions about the Legacy format and offer up some sweet lists to slay the Miracles monster. Dig Through Time is here to stay for the next two months at least, so don’t be afraid to engage in some “if you can’t join them, beat them” warfare with us.

Lists & Helpful Links:

The Brainstorm Show’s Death and Taxes:
4 Mother of Runes
4 Stoneforge Mystic
4 Phyrexian Revoker
4 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
2 Serra Avenger
1 Spirit of the Labyrinth
3 Flickerwisp
3 Vryn Wingmare
2 Brimaz, King of Oreskos

4 AEther Vial
4 Swords to Plowshares
1 Batterskull
1 Umezawa’s Jitte
1 Sword of Fire and Ice

3 Karakas
4 Wastland
4 Rishadan Port
1 Cavern of Souls
2 Horizon Canopy
8 Plains

SB
4 Ethersworn Canonist
3 Rest in Peace
3 Holy Light
2 Armageddon
2 Path to Exile
1 Disenchant

The Brainstorm Show’s Manaless Dredge:
4 Golgari Thug
4 Golgari Grave-Troll
4 Stinkweed Imp
4 Chancellor of the Annex
4 Bridge from Below
4 Ichorid
4 Nether Shadow
4 Shambling Shell
4 Gitaxian Probe
4 Street Wraith
4 Cabal Therapy
4 Dread Return
3 Balustrade Spy
4 Phantasmagorian
1 Flayer of the Hatebound
4 Narcomoeba

SB
4 Force of Will
4 Disrupting Shoal
3 Whirlpool Rider
1 Ashen Rider
3 Faerie Macabre

The Brainstorm Show’s U/B Tezzerator:
4 Baleful Strix

4 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
4 Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas

1 Seat of the Synod
1 Island
1 Swamp
4 Ancient Tomb
3 City of Traitors
3 Darkslick Shores
3 Polluted Delta
4 Underground Sea
1 Academy Ruins
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth

4 Chalice of the Void
3 Dimir Signet
1 Engineered Explosives
1 Ensnaring Bridge
1 Ratchet Bomb
1 Sword of the Meek
3 Talisman of Dominance
2 Thopter Foundry
4 Force of Will
2 Thirst For Knowledge
2 Transmute Artifact
2 Toxic Deluge

SB
2 Ensnaring Bridge
1 Grafdigger’s Cage
1 Nihil Spellbomb
1 Pithing Needle
2 Trinisphere
2 Vendilion Clique
1 Toxic Deluge
3 Duress
1 Night of Soul’s Betrayal
1 The Abyss

The Brainstorm Show’s Infect:
4 Glistener Elf
4 Blighted Agent
4 Noble Hierarch

2 Misty Rainforest
2 Polluted Delta
2 Scalding Tarn
2 Flooded Strand
4 Tropical Island
4 Inkmoth Nexus
2 Pendelhaven

4 Brainstorm
4 Ponder
2 Gitaxian Probe
4 Force of Will
4 Daze
4 Invigorate
2 Vines of the Vastwood
2 Berserk
1 Become Immense
1 Dig Through Time
1 Sylvan Library
1 Crop Rotation

SB
3 Flusterstorm
2 Krosan Grip
2 Spellskite
1 Sylvan Library
2 Grafdigger’s Cage
2 Hydroblast
1 Crop Rotation
1 Bojuka Bog
1 Karakas
———————————————————————————
Bryant Cook’s The Epic Storm Website

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: iTunes | Android | RSS

Episode 011 — GP Lille & Magic: Origins

We’re baaaaaaack! Phil and Paul take on GP Lille and Magic: Origins. Looks like Dig Through Time is here to stay at least for the time being. As Phil says in the episode, though, the writing might be on the wall. We will have to see how things develop over the next few months.

Hope you enjoy, and as always don’t forget to follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: iTunes | Android | RSS

Episode 010 — Brewing with the Brainstorm Boys

Welcome back to another episode of The Brainstorm Show. In this episode, courtesy of Reddit user mpaw975, we discuss how we approach brewing in Legacy and introduce a sweet new deck idea: Mentor Tempo.

For some background on shells in Magic, which we use to frame part of our discussion, we would like to refer you to Legacy Breakfast’s episode on the topic and recommend their podcast as a very nice Legacy resource.

Mentor Tempo

Creatures (13):
4 Delver of Secrets
4 Deathrite Shaman
4 Monastery Mentor
1 Gurmag Angler

Spells (28):
4 Brainstorm
4 Ponder
4 Gitaxian Probe
4 Force of Will
4 Daze
4 Swords to Plowshares
2 Spell Pierce
1 Murderous Cut
1 Dismember

Lands (19):
4 Polluted Delta
2 Flooded Strand
2 Misty Rainforest
3 Underground Sea
3 Tundra
1 Tropical Island
4 Wasteland

SB (15):
4 Meddling Mage
2 Cabal Therapy
2 Nihil Spellbomb
2 Zealous Persecution
1 Disenchant
1 Disfigure
1 Darkblast
1 Pithing Needle
1 Council’s Judgment

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: iTunes | Android | RSS

Episode 009 — Deck Dissections for SCG Worcester

Happy days! The Brainstorm Show is back in action. This episode, we talk SCG Worcester Top 8 decklists — what we liked, what we didn’t like, and what changes we would make. As always, we hope you enjoy and want to hear from you. Hit us up on Twitter and Facebook! Ideas for future episodes or deck discussions are always welcome. If you want to send in a decklist for us to talk about, we would also enjoy doing that! Have a great week, everyone.

Disclaimer: It’s not all puppies and rainbows during our discussion of the decks. Please do not take our comments as a criticism of the individuals in the Top 8 — in fact, we want to congratulate every one of them for battling through two days and 15 rounds of competitive Legacy. That is a major accomplishment! Our aim is to create discussion around card choices and deckbuilding, and we find being open and honest most conducive to this objective.

SCG Worcester Top 32 Decks

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: iTunes | Android | RSS

Brief Brainstorm 001 — Esper Delver (Mentor Tempo)

The Brainstorm Show has been brewing and has a dedicated Monastery Mentor deck they have been trying. The idea is to use Deathrite Shaman to power out an early Monastery Mentor then protect it with free counters and power out an army of Wild Nacatls with a boatload of cantrips. Try it out and let us know what you think!

4 Deathrite Shaman
4 Delver of Secrets
4 Monastery Mentor
1 Gurmag Angler
4 Force of Will
4 Daze
2 Spell Pierce
4 Brainstorm
4 Ponder
4 Gitaxian Probe
4 Swords to Plowshares
1 Dismember
1 Murderous Cut
2 Misty Rainforest
4 Polluted Delta
2 Flooded Strand
1 Tropical Island
3 Tundra
3 Underground Sea
4 Wasteland
SB: 4 Cabal Therapy
SB: 1 Council’s Judgment
SB: 1 Disenchant
SB: 2 Disfigure
SB: 3 Meddling Mage
SB: 2 Nihil Spellbomb
SB: 2 Zealous Persecution

Episode 008 — Lands

Hello loyal listener-folk and welcome back! We do apologize for the long wait between episodes. We had a long series of technical issues and scheduling conflicts, but we are back on track and back to our old habits. This week we take on Lands, specifically RG Combo Lands. Enjoy and as always your feedback is welcome and appreciated. Also, follow us on Twitter and like our Facebook page!

The Brainstorm Show’s RG Combo Lands List:

Lands (34)
1 Forest
1 Bojuka Bog
1 Glacial Chasm
4 Grove of the Burnwillows
3 Maze of Ith
1 Misty Rainforest
4 Rishadan Port
2 Taiga
4 Thespian’s Stage
2 Tranquil Thicket
1 Verdant Catacombs
4 Wasteland
1 Windswept Heath
1 Wooded Foothills
1 The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale
3 Dark Depths

Spells (26)
4 Mox Diamond
4 Exploration
2 Manabond
4 Crop Rotation
4 Punishing Fire
4 Gamble
4 Life from the Loam

Sideboard (15)
1 Chalice of the Void
4 Sphere of Resistance
2 Thorn of Amethyst
1 Zuran Orb
1 Ghost Quarter
4 Krosan Grip
1 Karakas
1 Dark Depths

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: iTunes | Android | RSS

Episode 007 — Legacy in the Land of the Rising Sun

Welcome back, welcome back, welcome back! This week the Brainstorm crew talks GP Kyoto. There were some crazy card choices and a metagame very different from the US’s or Europe’s showed up. Given the limited information Wizards released about the event, we did our best to go over what was popular, what dominated, and what was new. Please refer to the links below for the Top 8 decklists and a really quality SNL sketch.

GP Kyoto Top 8 Decklists

SNL’s Maine Justice

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: iTunes | Android | RSS

Episode 006 — A Mélange of Myths and Mulligans

In this episode we take a freeform approach to discussing a few interesting Legacy and strategy topics. Join us on our quest to create the most awkward segues and puns available to the human race. We take on Dragons of Tarkir, mulligans, Extirpate effects, the hot new rW Death & Taxes, and we even brew up a Jeskai Delver deck we would be proud to take to a tournament. We hope you enjoy the (jarring) ride!

Jeskai Delver List:

Creatures (13):
4x Delver of Secrets
4x Young Pyromancer
3x Myth Realized
2x Monastery Mentor

Spells (28):
4x Brainstorm
4x Ponder
4x Gitaxian Probe
4x Daze
4x Force of Will
2x Spell Pierce
4x Lightning Bolt
2x Swords to Plowshares

Lands (19):
4x Polluted Delta
2x Misty Rainforest
2x Flooded Strand
3x Tundra
3x Volcanic Island
1x Underground Sea
4x Wasteland

SB (15):
4x Cabal Therapy
2x Meddling Mage
2x Rest in Peace
3x Pyroblast
2x Wear//Tear
2x Swords to Plowshares

Red-splash Death & Taxes List:

3x Magus of the Moon
2x Imperial Recruiter
4x Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
4x Mother of Runes
4x Flickerwisp
3x Phyrexian Revoker
4x Stoneforge Mystic
2x Serra Avenger

1x Umezawa’s Jitte
1x Batterskull
1x Sword of Fire and Ice
4x Æther vial
4x Swords to Plowshares

4x Wasteland
4x Rishadan Port
3x Karakas
4x Windswept Heath
2x Flooded Strand
2x Plateau
4x Plains

Sideboard:
3x Sudden Demise
2x Ethersworn Canonist
2x Rest in Peace
2x Council’s Judgement
2x Cataclysm
2x Enlightened Tutor
1x Manriki-Gusari
1x Circle of Protection: Red
(Source — user hill_giant from mtgthesource.com)

Links:

WUBRGxyz Twitch Channel
Drew Levin’s “The Ultimate RUG Delver Primer”

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: iTunes | Android | RSS

Episode 005 — Invi (and Other Deadly Sins)

The Brainstorm Show is back after a weekend off playing at the SCG Invitational in Richmond. In this (much shorter) episode, we discuss how Phil and Wilson chose their deck, how the metagame felt, and which decks you should consider for the near future. The Richmond Invitational was full of bittersweet moments, and some utter depravity. We hope you enjoy!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: iTunes | Android | RSS

Episode 004 — Miracles

Hello everyone and welcome back to the Brainstorm Show. In this episode, we bring back Phil Braverman for his first episode as an official co-host! This week we give Miracles the same treatment we gave ANT, with deck building philosophy and two-way matchup analysis. If this show format appeals to you and you want us to continue doing these deep deck analyses, please let us know in the comments. Links to referenced decklists are including below. Enjoy the show!

Phil Braverman’s current list (March 2015)

4 Sensei’s Divining Top
4 Brainstorm
4 Ponder
4 Swords to Plowshares
3 Counterbalance
2 Counterspell
1 Vendilion Clique
1 Councils Judgement
2 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
4 Force of Will
4 Terminus
2 Entreat the Angels
3 Dig Through Time

2 Arid Mesa
4 Flooded Strand
4 Scalding Tarn
4 Island
2 Plains
3 Tundra
3 Volcanic Island

Sideboard
1 Pithing Needle
1 Spell Pierce
2 Flusterstorm
2 Pyroblast
1 Red Elemental Blast
1 Wear//Tear
2 Rest in Peace
2 Stoneforge Mystic
1 Batterskull
2 Blood Moon

Phil’s GPNJ Top 8 List (Stoneforge Miracles)
RiP/Helm Miracles
Joe Lossett’s Legendary Miracles
Philipp Schonneger’s Ponder Miracles
Jim Davis’ BUG Delver

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: iTunes | Android | RSS

Table of Contents:

Jeskai Delver List:

Red-splash Death & Taxes List:

Links: