Episode 031 — After the aTOPalypse

Hello, everybody and welcome back to another episode of The Brainstorm Show. In this episode we take on the recent banning of Sensei’s Divining Top, and cover which decks get better, which get worse, and where you probably want to be when the dust settles out.

Check out our latest brew, Natural Order BUG:

NO BUG
4 Deathrite Shaman
1 Noble Hierarch
1 Scavenging Ooze
1 Tarmogoyf
1 Snapcaster Mage
2 Vendilion Clique
2 Leovold, Emissary of Trest
1 Tireless Tracker
1 Progenitus

1 Jace, the Mindsculptor

4 Natural Order
3 Green Sun’s Zenith

4 Brainstorm
4 Ponder
4 Thoughtseize
3 Fatal Push
2 Abrupt Decay
1 Maelstrom Pulse

1 Dryad Arbor
1 Forest
1 Swamp
1 Island
2 Underground Sea
2 Tropical Island
1 Bayou
4 Verdant Catacombs
4 Misty Rainforest
3 Polluted Delta

SB:
1 Gaddock Teeg
4 Force of Will
1 Flusterstorm
3 Surgical Extraction
1 Umezawa’s Jitte
1 Reclamation Sage
2 True-Name Nemesis
1 Darkblast
1 Gurmag Angler

Episode 029 — Listener’s Choice

Hello faithful listeners of The Brainstorm Show! Apologies for the extended hiatus while we got back into the recording booth. In this episode we take on a bunch of questions that were generated from the Facebook community we have been building. Check us out at The Brainstorm Show Community Board.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/thebrainstormshow/

Special thanks to all the listeners who generated fun topics for us to discuss. We hope you enjoy!

Brief Brainstorm 007 — Deep Dive on BUG Standstill

Hello loyal listeners! As a treat for those who enjoy Standstill, Wilson goes solo for 45 minutes and takes you through the ins and outs of BUG Standstill. You can check out the latest list we have been testing and tuning below:

4 Deathrite Shaman
3 Snapcaster Mage
2 Vendilion Clique
2 Leovold, Emissary of Trest
2 Jace, the Mind Sculptor

4 Brainstorm
3 Fatal Push
2 Counterspell
4 Abrupt Decay
4 Standstill
2 Toxic Deluge
1 Maelstrom Pulse
4 Force of Will

2 Underground Sea
2 Tropical Island
1 Bayou
1 Forest
1 Swamp
1 Island
3 Mishra’s Factory
2 Creeping Tar Pit
1 Lumbering Falls
3 Verdant Catacombs
4 Polluted Delta
2 Misty Rainforest

SB
1 Flusterstorm
2 Thoughtseize
1 Duress
3 Surgical Extraction
2 Diabolic Edict
2 Pithing Needle
1 Null Rod
1 Darkblast
1 True-name Nemesis
1 Tombstalker

Episode 028 — How to (Fatal) Push It Real Good in Legacy

Welcome back to The Brainstorm Show, ladies and gentlemen! Three big topics in this episode:
1. Fatal Push and its place in Legacy
2. Three decklists to get you started brewing with Fatal Push
3. The role of cantrips in Legacy and the question of color balance

Content Links:
Sean Brown’s “This Week in Legacy” column on MTG Goldfish
The Brainstorm Show’s Community Discussion Board

Decklists:

BUG Leovold Midrange
4 Deathrite Shaman
4 Tarmogoyf
3 Snapcaster Mage
2 Leovold, Emissary of Trest
1 True-name Nemesis
1 Gurmag Angler

2 Jace, the Mind Sculptor

4 Brainstorm
4 Force of Will
2 Fatal Push
4 Abrupt Decay
1 Spell Pierce
1 Counterspell
1 Maelstrom Pulse
1 Painful Truths
2 Ponder
2 Thoughtseize

4 Polluted Delta
3 Verdant Catacombs
2 Misty Rainforest
3 Underground Sea
2 Tropical Island
1 Bayou
1 Island
1 Forest
1 Swamp
2 Wasteland
1 Creeping Tar Pit

SB
2 Pithing Needle
1 Umezawa’s Jitte
1 Vendilion Clique
2 Diabolic Edict
1 Go for the Throat
3 Surgical Extraction
1 Garruk Relentless
2 Duress
2 Toxic Deluge

BUG Standstill
4 Deathrite Shaman
4 Snapcaster Mage
2 Vendilion Clique
2 Jace, the Mind Sculptor

4 Brainstorm
3 Fatal Push
1 Spell Snare
2 Counterspell
4 Abrupt Decay
4 Standstill
2 Toxic Deluge
1 Maelstrom Pulse
4 Force of Will

3 Underground Sea
2 Tropical Island
1 Bayou
1 Forest
1 Swamp
4 Mishra’s Factory
2 Creeping Tar Pit
4 Verdant Catacombs
3 Polluted Delta
2 Misty Rainforest

SB
1 Flusterstorm
3 Thoughtseize
3 Surgical Extraction
1 Murderous Cut
2 Diabolic Edict
1 Pithing Needle
1 Null Rod
1 Garruk Relentless
1 Massacre
1 Darkblast

BUG Delverless
4 Deathrite Shaman
4 Tarmogoyf
4 Nimble Mongoose
2 Leovold, Emissary of Trest
2 True-name Nemesis

4 Brainstorm
4 Ponder
4 Daze
4 Force of Will
4 Abrupt Decay
2 Fatal Push
2 Thoughtseize
2 Spell Pierce

2 Verdant Catacombs
2 Scalding Tarn
2 Misty Rainforest
2 Flooded Strand
3 Underground Sea
3 Tropical Island
4 Wasteland

SB
2 Winter Orb
1 Pithing Needle
1 Flusterstorm
2 Go for the Throat
2 Fatal Push
2 Painful Truths
3 Surgical Extraction
2 Thoughtseize

BUG CounterTop Control (by listener Christofer Vikstrom)
4 Deathrite Shaman
3 Snapcaster Mage
2 Leovold, Emissary of Trest
2 True-Name Nemesis

2 Ponder
4 Brainstorm
4 Sensei’s Divining Top
1 Counterspell
4 Abrupt Decay
4 Counterbalance
1 Maelstrom Pulse
2 Toxic Deluge
2 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
4 Force of Will

1 Creeping Tar Pit
1 Forest
1 Swamp
2 Island
3 Misty Rainforest
3 Polluted Delta
3 Tropical Island
3 Underground Sea
4 Verdant Catacombs

SB
2 Flusterstorm
4 Fatal Push
1 Ashiok, Nightmare Weaver
1 Engineered Plague
1 Vendilion Clique
2 Krosan Grip
4 Leyline of the Void

Episode 022 — Miracles-Slayer Delver

Welcome back to The Brainstorm Show, listeners! This week we take the ceaseless chatter about Miracles bans head on by showing you how you can take a common archetype and rethink it to be more competitive against the “best deck in the format.” We built a BUG tempo deck, and in this episode we walk through the card choices and some of the popular matchups. Take a look at the list below and the sideboard plan for the common decks in the current metagame. Enjoy!

Maindeck
4 Delver of Secrets
4 Deathrite Shaman
4 Nimble Mongoose
2 Vendilion Clique
4 Brainstorm
4 Ponder
4 Daze
4 Force of Will
4 Stifle
4 Abrupt Decay
2 Dismember
2 Spell Pierce
4 Wasteland
3 Underground Sea
3 Tropical Island
4 Polluted Delta
4 Verdant Catacombs

SB
2 Disfigure
2 Go for the Throat
2 Painful Truths
2 Winter Orb
1 Pithing Needle
1 Flusterstorm
3 Surgical Extraction
2 Thoughtseize

Sideboarding Guide
Miracles:
-2 Dismember, -2 Wasteland, -2 Daze
+2 Winter Orb, +1 Pithing Needle, +1 Flusterstorm, +2 Painful Truths

Shardless BUG:
-4 Force of Will, -2 Spell Pierce
+2 Go for the Throat, +2 Painful Truths, +2 Disfigure

Delver:
-4 Force of Will, -2 Spell Pierce
+2 Go for the Throat, +2 Painful Truths, +2 Disfigure

Eldrazi:
-4 Stifle
+2 Go for the Throat, +2 Thoughtseize

Storm:
-4 Abrupt Decay, -2 Dismember
+3 Surgical Extraction, +2 Thoughtseize, +1 Flusterstorm

Lands:
-4 Daze, -2 Dismember
+3 Surgical Extraction, +2 Winter Orb, +1 Pithing Needle

Death and Taxes:
-4 Stifle, -2 Pierce, -1 FoW
+2 Disfigure, +2 Go for the Throat, +2 Thoughtseize, +1 Pithing Needle

Sneak and Show:
-2 Abrupt Decay, -2 Dismember
+1 Flusterstorm, +2 Thoughtseize, +1 Pithing Needle

Infect:
-4 Force of Will, -2 Spell Pierce
+2 Go for the Throat, +2 Disfigure, +1 Pithing Needle, +1 Flusterstorm

Episode 021 — Shardless BUG Deck Tech

Welcome back to the show. This week we do a full 2-hour episode on Shardless BUG, running through all the popular matchups from both sides of the table. The list is below, along with a complete sideboarding guide. Enjoy!

The Brainstorm Show’s Shardless BUG:

Main deck (60)
Spells (23)
4 Brainstorm
4 Ancestral Vision
4 Abrupt Decay
4 Force of Will
2 Hymn to Tourach
2 Liliana of the Veil
2 Maelstrom Pulse
1 Umezawa’s Jitte

Creatures (16)
4 Deathrite Shaman
4 Baleful Strix
4 Tarmogoyf
4 Shardless Agent

Lands (21)
1 Swamp
1 Forest
3 Underground Sea
2 Tropical Island
2 Bayou
4 Verdant Catacombs
3 Polluted Delta
2 Misty Rainforest
2 Creeping Tar Pit
1 Wasteland

SB (15):
4 Leyline of the Void
2 Disfigure
2 Hymn to Tourach
2 Toxic Deluge
2 Duress
1 Pithing Needle
1 Murderous Cut
1 Garruk Relentless

Sideboarding Guide:

Eldrazi Stompy
+2 Toxic Deluge, +1 Murderous Cut
-2 Hymn to Tourach, -1 Ancestral Vision

Grixis Delver
+2 Disfigure, +2 Toxic Deluge, +1 Murderous Cut, +1 Garruk Relentless
-4 Force of Will, -2 Hymn to Tourach

Mirror
+2 Disfigure, +2 Hymn to Tourach, +1 Murderous Cut, +1 Garruk Relentless
-4 Force of Will, -2 Abrupt Decay

Death & Taxes
+2 Disfigure, +2 Toxic Deluge, +1 Pithing Needle, +1 Murderous Cut
-4 Force of Will, -2 Hymn to Tourach

Miracles
+2 Hymn to Tourach, +1 Pithing Needle, +1 Garruk Relentless
-4 Baleful Strix

Maverick
+2 Disfigure, +2 Toxic Deluge, +1 Pithing Needle, +1 Murderous Cut
-4 Force of Will, -2 Hymn to Tourach

Aggro Loam
+4 Leyline of the Void, +2 Disfigure, +1 Murderous Cut
-4 Force of Will, -2 Hymn to Tourach, -1 Umezawa’s Jitte

U/G Infect
+2 Disfigure, +2 Toxic Deluge, +1 Murderous Cut, +1 Pithing Needle
-4 Ancestral Vision, -2 Hymn to Tourach

BUG Delver
+2 Disfigure, +2 Toxic Deluge, +1 Murderous Cut, +1 Garruk Relentless
-4 Force of Will, -2 Hymn to Tourach

Elves
+2 Disfigure, +2 Toxic Deluge, +1 Murderous Cut. +1 Pithing Needle
-2 Liliana of the Veil, -2 Hymn to Tourach, -2 Baleful Strix

DeathBlade
+2 Hymn, +2 Toxic Deluge, +1 Pithing Needle, +1 Garruk Relentless
-4 Force of Will, -2 Baleful Strix

Dredge
+4 Leyline of the Void, +2 Duress
-2 Liliana of the Veil, -2 Hymn to Tourach, -2 Ancestral Vision

UR Delver
+2 Disfigure, +2 Hymn to Tourach
-2 Maelstrom Pulse, -2 Liliana of the Veil

ANT
+4 Leyline of the Void, +2 Hymn to Tourach, +2 Duress
-4 Abrupt Decay, -4 Baleful Strix

TES
+2 Hymn to Tourach, +2 Duress, +2 Toxic Deluge
-4 Abrupt Decay, -2 Baleful Strix

Lands
+4 Leyline of the Void, +1 Pithing Needle
-1 Umezawa’s Jitte, -2 Hymn to Tourach, -2 Liliana of the Veil

RUG Delver
+2 Disfigure, +1 Murderous Cut
-2 Hymn to Tourach, -1 Maelstrom Pulse

Reanimator
+4 Leyline of the Void, +2 Hymn to Tourach, +2 Duress
-2 Maelstrom Pulse, -4 Abrupt Decay, -2 Baleful Strix

Sneak and Show
+2 Duress, +2 Hymn to Tourach, +1 Pithing Needle
-4 Abrupt Decay, -1 Baleful Strix

Burn
+2 Hymn to Tourach, +2 Duress, +2 Disfigure
-2 Maelstrom Pulse, -4 Ancestral Vision

Jund
+2 Disfigure, +2 Toxic Deluge, +1 Murderous Cut, +1 Garruk Relentless
-4 Force of Will, -2 Abrupt Decay