Tag: magic

Brief Brainstorm 003 — Esper DeathMentor with Paul

In Brief Brainstorm 003, Paul talks about the deck he is bringing to SCG D.C. Here it is below and the Carsten Kotter article that spawned it:

Carsten Kotter Article

Creatures (10)
4 Deathrite Shaman
4 Monastery Mentor
2 Snapcaster Mage

Spells (31)
4 Brainstorm
4 Ponder
4 Gitaxian Probe
4 Dig Through Time
4 Force of Will
4 Swords to Plowshares
3 Cabal Therapy
2 Counterspell
2 Spell Pierce

Lands (19)
3 Underground Sea
4 Tundra
1 Tropical Island
1 Creeping Tar Pit
4 Polluted Delta
4 Flooded Strand
2 Misty Rainforest

SB: 2 Disenchant
SB: 2 Zealous Persecution
SB: 2 Surgical Extraction
SB: 1 Cabal Therapy
SB: 1 Darkblast
SB: 1 Pithing Needle
SB: 4 Meddling Mage
SB: 2 Disfigure

 

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Brief Brainstorm 002 — Wilson

Introducing the Brief Brainstorm! These will be short (5-10 minute) recordings where the hosts will share their thoughts on specific topics and answer listener questions/feedback. In this Brief Brainstorm, Wilson lets the listeners know what he has been testing in Legacy, answers some listener mail, and talks about decks as an extension of self.

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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.

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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

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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

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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

 

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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

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Episode 003 — The Good Side of Bad

After a short hiatus, Wilson and Paul are back to talk about the “bad” decks in Legacy and why you should not only be prepared for them but also appreciate them. Phillip “Tremaine” Braverman is off galavanting on a nude beach somewhere with his parents, so Wilson and I decided to have a little fun with this episode. Next week, expect Phil and Wilson to tell everyone how they approach Miracles, its matchups and how to play/combat it. For your reference, below you will find links to the most recent and highest placing finish of each deck that we discuss here. Hope you enjoy!

LED Dredge
Manaless Dredge
Belcher
Oops! All Spells
Big Zoo
Cheerios
Pox
MUD (Metalworker)
Burn
Tezzerator
Enchantress (G/W)
12-Post
Dragon Stompy

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Episode 002 — Ad Nauseam Tendrils (ANT)

In this episode, we invite GP New Jersey Top 8 competitor, Phillip Braverman, onto the show to help us discuss ANT. Wilson and Phil go back and forth about key matchups, what cards matter in each, and how to craft the game from both sides of the table.

We also talk about Wilson’s most recent ANT list and we hear why he thinks you shouldn’t even be playing Ad Nauseam in the mainboard! Here is the list for your reference:

Main:

4x Polluted Delta
2x Flooded Strand
1x Misty Rainforest
1x Scalding Tarn
1x Bloodstained Mire
2x Underground Sea
1x Volcanic Island
2x Island
1x Swamp

4x Lion’s Eye Diamond
4x Lotus Petal
4x Dark Ritual
4x Cabal Ritual

4x Brainstorm
4x Ponder
4x Gitaxian Probe

4x Duress
3x Cabal Therapy

4x Infernal Tutor
2x Grim Tutor
2x Past in Flames
1x Empty the Warrens
1x Tendrils of Agony

Sideboard:

1x Tropical Island
2x Xantid Swarm
3x Abrupt Decay
1x Ad Nauseam
2x Chain of Vapor
2x Thoughtseize
2x Massacre
1x Inquisition of Kozilek
1x Ill-gotten Gains

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Episode 001 – Overview of the Legacy Metagame

In this, the inaugural episode of the Brainstorm Show, Wilson and Paul talk a little bit about themselves and a lot bit about the Legacy metagame as it stood in February 2015. We lay out our philosophy as a show — that we will never take card choices as givens and we will seek to objectively analyze the deckbuilding decisions we make to compete in various metagames.

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