Faithless Brewing MTG: Modern and Pioneer for the Spike Rogue

Season 11, Episode 10: Brew Session (Curse of Silence)

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Season 11, Episode 9: Brew Session (Slogurk, the Overslime) + Flashback (Teferi, Who Slows the Sunset)

Creatures above two mana have a hard time breaking into Modern, but Slogurk, the Overslime just might have what it takes. The leaves-the-battlefield trigger is worth three cards, which you get no matter what happens to Slogurk. The Ooze even comes with a built-in way to bounce itself, protecting itself from removal and cashing in on those three cards. 

Broadly speaking, Slogurk asks us to 1) Put lands into the graveyard, then 2) Get lands back from the graveyard. We need to find cards that enable this efficiently and profit from the effort. This will take us into the Lands space, as well as synergies with Graveyard recursion and self-mill space. We also need to decide if we want to trigger Slogurk’s leaves-the-battlefield effect ourselves, or be content with relying on our opponent to kill Slogurk. 

The list of Modern playables that feed into these synergies is very long indeed, so we’ll need to do our research to unlock the secrets of this ooze. We’ve got five new decklists with Slogurk to try to find a home for it in Modern. Slogurk is oozing with potential (sorry, had to do it) so let’s see what it can do!

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Timestamps

Season 11, Episode 8: Weekly Roundup + Flashback (Otherworldly Gaze)

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Timestamps

[4:40] CFB Las Vegas

Season 11, Episode 7: Teferi, Who Slows the Sunset (Brew Session) + Picks of the Week

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Season 11, Episode 6: Otherworldly Gaze (Brew Session) + Faithful Mending (Flashback)

Otherworldly Gaze is the most polarizing card to come out of Innistrad: Midnight Hunt. For some, the very idea of Gaze is anathema. “It doesn’t draw a card,” the haters say. “It’s Taigam’s Scamming all over again,” they say. “This effect is never worth a card.”

Haters are going to hate, but that doesn’t mean we have to listen to them. The truth is that any card with flashback does secretly say “draw a card” -- it’s just that the card you draw is always another copy of the spell. Then factor in that the flashback is often free if you manage to mill or discard Otherworldly Gaze (say, for example, off your first casting of Otherworldly Gaze). Both halves of Gaze are priced to move, at instant speed no less, and we already know that “surveil 3” is very powerful. If we can’t figure out how to make “surveil 3 twice” into a useful effect, that’s a deckbuilding failure, not a problem with Gaze itself.

Our testing last week with Faithful Mending already showed us the awesome power of Gaze, as we notched two 5-0 trophies (17-3 overall) with Jeskai Phoenix. Our build relies on Murktide Regent rather than Demilich, and uses a full boat of Otherworldly Gaze to find Arclight Phoenix and Ox of Agonas. We also tested out variations on Esper Reanimator, and found that Otherworldly Gaze has a nice home in that deck as well.

Today, we are going even deeper. Emboldened by his early successes, cavedan is looking to harness the power of Gaze in a slew of different archetypes in both Modern and Pioneer. There are infinite ways to get value from self mill + card selection, from old favorites like Pyromancer Ascension, Miracles, and Crabvine, to new toys like Calibrated Blast and Slogurk, the Overslime. We even get a little wild with a brew using Otherworldly Gaze to fuel Titan’s Nest and Willow Geist. And even this is just the tip of the iceberg. What other decks might be able to harness the power of the Gaze?

Happy brewing!

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Timestamps

[4:18] Flashback: Faithful Mending

Season 11, Episode 5: Brew Session (Faithful Mending)

The great thing about Looting? You always get a second chance. Faithful Mending has all the rules text we love: draw 2, discard 2, flash it back for value. It is an instant, which opens up reactive play patterns that Faithless Looting could only dream of. You even pick up some life for your troubles. This is, beyond doubt, one of the most powerful cards from Innistrad: Midnight Hunt for the non-rotating formats.

Still, it is no easy thing to learn to fall in love again. Faithless Looting offered speed and efficiency that we will never see again. Mending’s best draws will always be slower than Looting, and the mana of Mending decks is also likely to be much more complicated than Looting ever was. Can we simply slot Faithful Mending into all of our old Looting decks and call it a day? Clearly not, although people will certainly try.

Today’s brew session marks the beginning of what is sure to be a long affair with Faithful Mending. We start with obvious homes like Izzet Phoenix and Esper Reanimator, both of which already notched Top 8 appearances in this weekend’s Modern Challenge. We also consider Esper Urza’s Kitchen, Dredge, and Blue-White Control. But the gloves really come off in Pioneer, where David has plans for Faithful Mending in God-Pharaoh’s Gift and some truly wild decks with Peace of Mind and Paladin Class. 

“What has been banned can be restored. Faithless Looting lives on within us.” If the card is good, we have to rename the podcast.

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S11E05 Timestamps

[2:13] Brew Session: Faithful Mending

Season 11, Episode 4: Midnight Hunt Set Review, Part 3 of 3

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Timestamps

[4:11] Homestead Courage

Season 11, Episode 2: Brewer's Guide to Historic in 2021 (ft. Rhett Wilfahrt and Matt Young)

Historic is Magic's most dynamic format, with tremendous potential for discovering sweet brews. It is also the format most challenging to break into if you don't already play it. Everything from card availability, to a volatile metagame, to even understanding the rapidly changing card pool can be a barrier for brewers on the outside looking in.

But fear not! We have recruited two Historic masters, Rhett Wilfahrt and Matt Young, to guide us through the fast-paced world of Historic in 2021 after the release of Jumpstart: Historic Horizons. Whether you're new to the format or a seasoned mythic grinder, this Quickstart Guide has something for you.

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Season 11, Episode 2: Brewer's Guide to Innistrad: Midnight Hunt, Volume 2 + an Interview with Zach Ryl aka Manacymbal

Previews continue with a huge chunk of new cards. We talk through the most promising ones for  Modern and Pioneer. We kick things off with an interview with Zach Ryl aka Manacymbal to celebrate the launch of his brand new series, This Week in Modern (also available in podcast form).

Where to find Zach

YouTube: youtube.com/manacymbal

Twitch: twitch.com/manacymbal

Twitter: @manacymbal

Also check out "Randy Rootwalla" and This Week in Modern's "Mean Mono Green"

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Timestamps

[2:33] Introducing This Week in Modern (@TWIMMTG)

Season 11, Episode 1: Brewer's Guide to Innistrad: Midnight Hunt, Volume 1 + Flashback (Harmonic Prodigy)

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S11E01 Timestamps

[5:13] Housekeeping