Faithless Brewing MTG: Modern and Pioneer for the Spike Rogue

Season 18, Episode 22: The Brew Review (July 2023)

David and Cavedan review 10 spicy decks submitted by our listeners. Is the next great Modern or Pioneer deck hiding among them?

Like our content? Support us on Patreon and join our brewing community!

Decklists for this episode can be viewed at FaithlessBrewing.com

Decklists

Naya Exile by LurkingEvil

UB Rogues by Woosh

the Rock by Briger

Dredge for Bones by TuesdayTastic

Ms. Marvel by Ignacio E.

Legendary Combos by Patrick Thomas (ptom)

Winota Mardu Blink by Spencer Hanks

UB Cauldron (Pioneer Living End) by Odince

Vesuvan Mindbreaker of the Dross by Brandon Redden

Mono Green Jeskai Ascendancy by Topher

Season 18, Episode 21: Brew Session (Orcish Bowmasters) + Flashback (Chrome Host Seedshark)

Orcish Bowmasters was flagged early on as one of the top Modern cards from Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-Earth — and, it turns out, one of the most powerful Commander cards to boot. Everyone loved the base stats (a guaranteed 1/1! a free ping! instant speed!) and the potential for so much more. The only problem? No one could actually name a deck where Bowmasters fit.

One week after release, questions are beginning to be answered. Is Bowmasters strong enough on rate to slot into fair, low synergy decks? For Rakdos Scam and BG Rock players, the answer seems to be yes. But the ceiling on Bowmasters is much higher, and its baseline strength opens up many further brewing possibilities.

Today on Faithless Brewing, cavedan and Manacymbal tumble down the rabbit hole of Bowmaster brews, going deep into the world of Slitherwisp Flash, go-wide strategies with Convoke or Winota, and good old fashioned Sacrifice synergies. But we don’t stop there. Down in the icy depths, far beneath the iceberg, more adventurous brews await with forced card draw and “wheel” effects, from Narset + Dark Deal, to Burning Inquiry, and even Waste Not. Many of these strategies have already found success, and there’s still so much further to go.

Long term, it’s unclear whether Bowmasters has Modern legs. But what about their legs? They don’t need those. All we know for sure is that meat’s back on the menu, and we’re here for it. Happy brewing!

Like our content? Support us on Patreon and join our brewing community!

Decklists for this episode can be viewed at FaithlessBrewing.com

Decklists

Rakdos Scam by yungdingo (5-0)

Esper Goryo’s by Gab Nassif (5-0)

BG Rock with Saga by ElectricBob (5-0)

Golgari Yawgmoth by Xerk (Challenge Winner)

Rakdos Sac by aspiringspike

4c Slitherwisp by MordeToLight

UB Narset Wheels by wutup (T16 Modern Challenge)

Burning Inquiry Breach by benchsummer (4-1)

Flumph Combo by Iamthelaw2004

Season 18, Episode 20: Brew Session (Lord of the Rings Day 1)

Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-Earth hit the digital streets this week and already the Modern format is awash in brews. Morde and Manacymbal are on the case, sorting the wheat from the chaff and also firing off a half dozen decklists of their own.

The early winner is The One Ring, a card that looks so intensely powerful that the sky is the limit. Any deck capable of generating sufficient mana to cast The One Ring and deploy the endless cards it draws should slip on Bilbo’s ring. After all, why not? Why shouldn’t we brew it?

Beyond the raw power of the Ring, specific combos are the next big winner. Samwise Gamgee supports a new Cauldron Familiar loop, while Forge Anew gives more options to Hammer (and is especially tricksy with Kaldra Compleat). Orcish Bowmasters has massive hype (largely from EDH) but struggles to find a decent home outside of Morde’s crazy Esper Flash.

Like our content? Support us on Patreon and join our brewing community!

Decklists for this episode can be viewed at FaithlessBrewing.com

Decklists

Mono Black Coffers

Unholy Tron Mashup

Green Tron (Sourced from AspiringSpike)

Freakunasty Samwise 1

Freakunasty Samwise 2

Season 18, Episode 19: Brew Session (Invasion of Gobakhan) + Flashback (Omen Hawker + Training Grounds)

Where were you when they invaded Gobakhan? On that fateful morning, when the World Tree stopped turning?

We asked our researchers some important questions, like, Where is Gobakhan anyway? What is a Battle? Why did Invasion of Gobakhan spike to $20, and still hovers at $10 despite being a medium powered rare?

Answers are coming, but we’ll need to put on our brewing caps. David has three Pioneer decks meant to exploit Invasion of Gobakhan, using synergies with +1/+1 counters, Eldrazi Processors, and even casting things from exile (thanks, Pia Nalaar!).

On the Flashback, Zach went deep on Omen Hawker and Training Grounds, building numerous versions of combo decks with Drafna and Rona, while brewer extraordinaire laa11 honed a Blue Devotion Omen Hawker list. We also tried UW Lotus Field, which has finally seen breakout success in Pioneer in recent weeks.

Like our content? Support us on Patreon and join our brewing community!

Decklists for this episode can be viewed at FaithlessBrewing.com

Season 18, Episode 18: Set Review (Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-Earth)

With the full set of Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-Earth revealed and ready for action, Cavedan and Manacymbal join forces to rank the best new cards for Modern.

The set continues to deliver small role players and long shot build arounds, but few blue chip staples.

Stern Lesson is the cheapest version of Remove Soul, but that family of countermagic has no proven track record in constructed. Similarly, Flowering of the White Tree is the most powerful Anthem ever printed, but are Anthems viable in 2023 Modern? Goblins get a new toy in Moria Marauder, and Food strategies will be happy for the combo and value options that Samwise Gamgee provides.

Beyond those, we must look to the far green country for long shot brewing targets. Doors of Durin is both explosive and grindy, Lotho, Corrupt Shirriff has echoes of Ledger Shredder, and Phial of Galadriel offers intriguing card draw possibilities. One does not simply register a brew in Modern, but with good fellowship and true companions our quest for a new deck may yet succeed. Happy brewing!

Like our content? Support us on Patreon and join our brewing community!

Decklists for this episode can be viewed at FaithlessBrewing.com

Timestamps

[3:53] Housekeeping

[5:55] The One Ring bounty

[13:13] Great Hall of the Citadel

[14:53] Stern Scolding

[18:04] Troll of Khazad-dum

[20:21] Lorien Revealed

[21:10] Birthday Escape

[24:08] Stone of Erech

[26:59] Samwise Gamgee

[30:54] Moria Marauder

[33:36] Lotho, Corrupt Shirriff

[36:13] Flowering of the White Tree

[38:43] Spiteful Banditry

[41:06] Shadow Summoning

[44:12] Theoden, King of Rohan

[45:52] Flame of Anur

[49:08] Phial of Galadriel

[53:24] Galadriel, the Lady of Lorien

[59:18] Sauron’s Ransom

[1:02:06] Radagast the Brown

[1:04:20] King of the Oathbreakers

[1:06:17] Doors of Durin

[1:10:20] There and Back Again

[1:13:38] The Balrogs

[1:16:17] Final thoughts

Season 18, Episode 17: Weekly Roundup

The US Regional Championships are in the books, where Pioneer took the spotlight once again. 1200 players descended upon Dreamhack Dallas to do battle with the strongest decks in the format, and put the newcomer Boros Convoke (”Boros Hogaak”) to the test. In the end, it was Engimatic Fires that ran the tables in the swiss, and Rakdos Sacrifice and Azorius Spirits that posted the top winrates overall. Boros, meanwhile, languished at a mere 47% win rate, and stock Rakdos Midrange (the most popular deck by far) performed even worse.

Lawson Zandi returns to analyze the state of Pioneer and share his findings testing for the event. What went wrong for Boros, and what can we expect going foward? Lawson and Cavedan also pick out under the radar sleepers from the RC, including a brand new Inverter-style combo using Archfiend of the Dross and Metamorphic Alteration.

Like our content? Support us on Patreon and join our brewing community!

Decklists for this episode can be viewed at FaithlessBrewing.com

Decklists

Mono Green Devotion vs Lotus Field Matchup Strategy

Enigmatic Fires by Elliot Raff

Dimir Rogues by Toph Robinson

Boros Convoke by Max McVety

Mono Green Devotion by Evart Moughon

Rakdos Goblins by Luke Goodwin

Neoform Atraxa by Brent Waggoner

Archfiend Alteration by cftsoc

Season 18, Episode 16: Set Review (Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-Earth)

Morde and Manacymbal join forces to analyze the best Modern cards from Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-Earth. Very few of these cards seem flashy enough for 2023 Modern, but heed Tolkien’s advice: all that is gold does not glitter. A brave little hobbit, such as Rosie Cotton of South Lane, might have the right stats to enable a new infinite combo, and the interactive value provided by Orcish Bowmasters gets more powerful in older formats. A legendary land cycle has generous activated abilities, and Equipment decks get a new toy in Forge Anew. Will any of these cards break in to the brutally powerful Modern meta? Let’s find out!

Like our content? Support us on Patreon and join our brewing community!

Decklists for this episode can be viewed at FaithlessBrewing.com

Timestamps

[2:47] Housekeeping

[4:02] Middle-Earth: First impressions

[10:37] Barad-dur

[11:51] Minas Tirith

[13:02] Mines of Moria

[13:55] Many Partings

[15:31] Delighted Halfling

[17:50] Oliphaunt + Generous Ent

[19:20] Long List of the Ents

[22:50] Shelob’s Ambush

[25:44] Orcish Bowmasters

[28:44] Westfold Rider

[30:13] Council’s Deliberation

[32:39] Nasty End

[33:17] Boromir, Warden of the Tower

[34:56] Rosie Cotton of South Lane

[38:46] Forge Anew

[42:17] Grishnakh, Brash Instigator

[44:18] Swarming of Moria

[45:13] Fires of Mount Doom

[47:38] Nazgul

[53:59] Bill the Pony

[56:19] Hew the Entwood

[58:16] Tom Bombadil

[59:07] Gandalf the White

[1:06:30] Aragorn, the Uniter

[1:07:50] Sauron, the Dark Lord

[1:09:38] March from the Black Gate

[1:15:24] Closing thoughts: the future of mini-sets

Season 18, Episode 15: Brew Session (Omen Hawker + Training Grounds)

The dream of Sol Ring is alive and well thanks to March of the Machine’s astonishing blue mana dork, Omen Hawker. This little one drop taps for stunning amounts of mana — but only to pay for activated abilities. It’s the kind of unique effect that promises so much power, but at the expense of consistency. Outside of oddballs like Zirda, Biomancer’s Familiar, Powerstone tokens and Renowned Weaponsmith, specialized mana producers like Omen Hawker were mostly going it alone.

Enter Training Grounds. This slick little reprint from March of the Machine: Aftermath suddenly doubles our options for a deck full of activated abilities, and opens up combo loops besides. It’s not an exact parallel: not every Omen Hawker deck will be a Training Grounds deck, but every Training Grounds deck can potential benefit from the Omen Hawker. This is a brewing space that has barely been touched in three decades of competitive Magic, so it’s all the more exciting to finally see what activated abilities can do.

Cavedan and David are brewing up a storm with eight new decklists featuring Omen Hawker, Training Grounds, or both. We’ve got Pioneer Drafna combo decks, Shark Typhoon control decks, pump knight aggro, Nykthos devotion, and even turbo Urza’s Saga. If that sounds far fetched, consider that Omen Hawker has already notched a 12th place Challenge finish in Modern, using Wizardcycling of all things! And the synergies in Pioneer keep getting better and better. It’s a great time to be a blue creature brewer, so head on down to The Training Grounds and Activate Your Game (TM).

Like our content? Support us on Patreon and join our brewing community!

Decklists for this episode can be viewed at FaithlessBrewing.com

Timestamps

[0:00] Manacymbal presents: Activate Your Game

[8:06] Brew Session: Omen Hawker + Training Grounds

[10:36] Key synergies

[16:41] Key similarities and differences

[21:05] UW Hawker Control by Pascal Maynard

[22:23] David’s UW Lotus Hawker

[29:59] David’s Simic Drafna Combo

[39:05] David’s Sultai Tome Diviner

[43:30] Dan’s Dimir Captive Weird

[47:38] David’s Dimir Wizard Class Combo

[52:17] Article: The complete guide to Blue Nykthos Devotion (ft. Omen Hawker) by laa11

[57:59] Izzet Wizardcycling by xfile

[1:02:13] Dan’s Sultai Tyvar Kitchen

Season 18, Episode 14: Weekly Roundup

Magic Twitter is a place prone to meltdowns, that’s no surprise. But a meltdown over a Boros Convoke deck using Venerated Loxodon? That’s a bit of a stretch. Nevertheless, with the Regional Championships around the corner, a “Hogaak Summer” has been declared by many grinders trying to break through in Pioneer.

Prolific streamer and Faithless Brewer-at-large Zach “Manacymbal” Ryl returns to help us sort through the latest technology in Modern and Pioneer, from new flavors of Izzet Control with Chandra, Hope’s Beacon, to a unique Golgari Elves toolbox, and a surprisingly competitive build of Cragganwick Kitchen featuring Yargle and Multani. We also peer into the future of Standard with a major B&R coming that will set the tone for what 3-year Standard will look like.

Like our content? Support us on Patreon and join our brewing community!

Decklists for this episode can be viewed at FaithlessBrewing.com

Timestamps

[1:34] Catching up with Manacymbal

[5:27] Housekeeping

[8:15] The future of Standard

[18:35] The Aftermath of MOM:Aftermath

[20:20] Boros Hogaak (RW Convoke) by Sodek

[27:56] Cragganwick Kitchen by Alesha_

[36:12] Jund Yargle Traverse by nikkuniku

[38:13] Pia Nalaar Prowess by Dack_Fayden07

[42:15] Izzet Chandra Control by TSPJendrek

[53:25] Golgari Elves Toolbox by rage_hs

[57:21] Gruul Samut Aggro by DookieTrouserMD

Season 18, Episode 13: Mailbag

David and Cavedan open up the brewer’s mailbag to field listener questions about the state of brewing in Modern and Pioneer, the health of the metagame, the future of Magic crossovers, and more. They also look at an impressive new combo deck using the Pioneer Elementals package and the Vadrok + Double Major combo.

Like our content? Support us on Patreon and join our brewing community!

Decklists for this episode can be viewed at FaithlessBrewing.com