The Herald's Horn

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On this episode, Cal & Dan discuss the results of Spotlight Series:

Dragons, Birds of Paradise returning to MagicCons in a new exciting

space, and also we talk about the upcoming Commander changes for a half

hour. Let's get into it!

Herald's Horn Substack: https://heraldshorn.substack.com/

Cal's podcast about retro video games, Level Up:

https://linktr.ee/leveluppod_

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0:00 - Intro

0:39 - Welcome Dan!

2:23 - BK Wins Spotlight Series: Dragons!

5:46 - Birds of Paradise Return to Magic Events!

11:10 - Baseless Commander Speculation

34:07 - Product Watch: Secret Lair Commander!

41:10 - Dan's Final Thoughts

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Vorthos Month continues with Magic: The Gathering Story Lead Roy Graham.

It's not just the written story though - there's a lot more that goes

on behind the scene to create a cohesive storytelling experience for all

players!

Follow Jay: https://bsky.app/profile/vorthosjay.bsky.social

Herald's Horn Substack: https://heraldshorn.substack.com/

Cal's podcast about retro video games, Level Up:

https://linktr.ee/leveluppod_

Follow us: https://bsky.app/profile/heraldshorn.com

https://bsky.app/profile/moderatelymtg.bsky.social

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0:00 - Intro

0:55 - Welcome: Roy Graham!

1:22 - What's the Job?

5:07 - MTG Story in Different Mediums

7:36 - How Do You Tell a Story With Cards

15:38 - Hows the Work Split?

20:21 - The Roy Graham Era

26:58 - Favorite Part of the Job

32:25 - Ideas Made Reality

37:45 - What's Up With Loot Anyways

43:55 - Roy's Final Thoughts

Support the show, join the community & get exclusive content:

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On this episode, Dan, Emma, & Cal discuss the upcoming Spotlight

Series Denver & the resulting return of Sealed & Draft to the

big stage! We're excited about the focus on two premier players, LSV

& Reid Duke! Also, Tarkir has printing problems & Dan & Emma

know what cards they would write a book about.

Herald's Horn Substack: https://heraldshorn.substack.com/

Cal's podcast about retro video games, Level Up:

https://linktr.ee/leveluppod_

Follow us: https://bsky.app/profile/heraldshorn.com

https://bsky.app/profile/moderatelymtg.bsky.social

https://bsky.app/profile/blackgirlmage.bsky.social

https://bsky.app/profile/emmapartlow.com

https://bsky.app/profile/caljones.com

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0:00 - Intro

0:48 - Welcome Emma & Dan!

1:45 - Spotlight Series Denver

5:00 - Grand Prix LSV?

14:45 - Dragonstorm Print Quality Issues

17:29 - A Letter to the Editor

25:18 - The Product Watch

29:05 - Dan & Emma's Final Thoughts

30:32 - Outro

Support the show, join the community & get exclusive content:

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Vorthos Month continues with Magic Loremaster Jay Annelli! We discuss

continuity editing the behemoth that is MTG story, his own freelance

work writing Magic books, the highs and lows within, and plenty more.

Follow Jay: https://bsky.app/profile/vorthosjay.bsky.social

Herald's Horn Substack: https://heraldshorn.substack.com/

Cal's podcast about retro video games, Level Up:

https://linktr.ee/leveluppod_

Follow us: https://bsky.app/profile/heraldshorn.com

https://bsky.app/profile/moderatelymtg.bsky.social

https://bsky.app/profile/blackgirlmage.bsky.social

https://bsky.app/profile/emmapartlow.com

https://bsky.app/profile/caljones.com

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0:00 - Intro

0:58 - Welcome Jay!

1:28 - What Is the Magic Loremaster?

4:10 - How Does Jay Keep It Straight?

8:10 - How Did Jay Get Into MTG Story?

11:10 - The Vorthos Cast

15:33 - Are All Sets Created Equal?

21:24 - Jay's Favorite MTG Character

23:11 - People's Expectations for Story

31:44 - Writing the Books - Literally!

44:24 - The Three Audiences

51:50 - Loot.

1:03:18 - Jay's Final Thoughts

Support the show, join the community & get exclusive content:

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On this episode, Cal & Emma go wild, talking nearly an hour about

the latest bans and unbans and some of their own experiences with cool

stuff. Also - a Deadpool Secret Lair. What?

Herald's Horn Substack: https://heraldshorn.substack.com/

Cal's podcast about retro video games, Level Up:

https://linktr.ee/leveluppod_

Follow us: https://bsky.app/profile/heraldshorn.com

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https://bsky.app/profile/blackgirlmage.bsky.social

https://bsky.app/profile/emmapartlow.com

https://bsky.app/profile/caljones.com

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0:00 - Intro

0:40 - Welcome Emma!

1:35 - It's Ban Discussion Time!

2:55 - Quick Ban Recap

3:24 - What Do We Think?

7:51 - Modern Bans!

18:34 - Legacy!

25:25 - Pauper!

41:27 - Commander Changes April 22nd!

44:07 - The Product Watch!

44:20 - Tarkir Prerelease Weekend

47:27 - Deadpool Secret Lair

51:51 - Our Final Thoughts

53:24 - Outro

Support the show, join the community & get exclusive content:

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We kick off the first ever Herald's Horn theme month (Vorthos Month)

with Cary Thomas! The prolific Magic archivist (amongst many other

things) has Opinions on why it's so hard to get into Magic story &

what we can do to help. Heck, they even have a few different places that

you can start!

Follow Cary: https://bsky.app/profile/acry.bsky.social

Check Out Cary's Website: https://mtglore.com/

Herald's Horn Substack: https://heraldshorn.substack.com/

Cal's podcast about retro video games, Level Up:

https://linktr.ee/leveluppod_

Follow us: https://bsky.app/profile/heraldshorn.com

https://bsky.app/profile/moderatelymtg.bsky.social

https://bsky.app/profile/blackgirlmage.bsky.social

https://bsky.app/profile/emmapartlow.com

https://bsky.app/profile/caljones.com

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0:00 - Intro

1:08 - Welcome Cary!

1:28 - How Does One Get Into MTG Story?

3:50 - MTG Story is Very Unconnected

14:22 - Is a Card Game a Good Story Medium?

16:37 - Magic's Story is Defined by Change

27:11 - Let's Talk About MTGLore.com

40:49 - Wizards Could Do More!

51:28 - Cary's Final Thoughts!

Support the show, join the community & get exclusive content:

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On this episode, Cal, Dan & Emma discuss yet another round of Secret

Lair issues, Arena events, new Tarkir cards, and also do our first ever

set retrospective for Aetherdrift. General vibes, our favorite cards,

our least favorite cards, and our top art are all up for discussion.

Let's get into it!

The Week That Was: A Return Like No Other -

https://magic.gg/news/the-week-that-was-a-return-like-no-other

Metagame Mentor: The Spiciest Decklists from the Spotlight Series and

Beyond -

https://magic.gg/news/metagame-mentor-the-spiciest-decklists-from-the-spotlight-series-and-beyond

Herald's Horn Substack: https://heraldshorn.substack.com/

Cal's podcast about retro video games, Level Up:

https://linktr.ee/leveluppod_

Follow us: https://bsky.app/profile/heraldshorn.com

https://bsky.app/profile/moderatelymtg.bsky.social

https://bsky.app/profile/blackgirlmage.bsky.social

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https://bsky.app/profile/caljones.com

----------------------------

Support the show, join the community & get exclusive content:

https://www.patreon.com/heraldshorn

On the 40th interview for the Herald's Horn, Cal is joined by his good

friend (and new Magic player) Gabe Pyle! Gabe is an industrial design

professor, in addition to other things, which gives him some interesting

insights and reflections on his new player experience and that of

others. Cal wanted to hear about this experience, being over a decade

removed from his own beginnings, so here we are!

Learn More about Gabe: https://gabepyle.com/

Herald's Horn Substack: https://heraldshorn.substack.com/

Cal's podcast about retro video games, Level Up:

https://linktr.ee/leveluppod_

Follow us: https://bsky.app/profile/heraldshorn.com

https://bsky.app/profile/moderatelymtg.bsky.social

https://bsky.app/profile/blackgirlmage.bsky.social

https://bsky.app/profile/emmapartlow.com

https://bsky.app/profile/caljones.com

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0:00 - Intro

0:58 - Welcome Gabe!

2:09 - Reluctance to Get Into Magic

4:00 - Introduction to Magic & More

9:16 - Magic's Complexity is Interesting

15:12 - Is It Harder to Learn Magic Now?

20:59 - What Is It Like to See New Players Learn?

26:23 - User Personas & Player Archetypes

32:25 - How Do You Intro People to MTG?

42:42 - How's Opening Packs Going?

46:49 - Gabe's Final Thoughts!

Support the show, join the community & get exclusive content:

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Cal rides alone for Episode 40 of the Herald's Horn! On this one, he's

discusses the remaining SCGcon schedule for 2025, Tarkir: Dragonstorm

previews, Tarkir's Story, the weird cat vs. dog Secret Lair drop, &

what Magic card he would write a book about.

Herald's Horn Substack: https://heraldshorn.substack.com/

Cal's podcast about retro video games, Level Up:

https://linktr.ee/leveluppod_

Follow us: https://bsky.app/profile/heraldshorn.com

https://bsky.app/profile/moderatelymtg.bsky.social

https://bsky.app/profile/blackgirlmage.bsky.social

https://bsky.app/profile/emmapartlow.com

https://bsky.app/profile/caljones.com

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0:00 - Intro

00:39 - Thank You Patrons!

01:54 - 2025 SCGCon Slate Announced

07:12 - Go Read the Dang Tarkir Story

09:12 - Introduction: Interview Theme Months

11:47 - The Product Watch

12:26 - Secret Lair: Cats vs. Dogs

16:52 - Tarkir: Dragonstorm Previews!

24:00 - Letter to the Editor

28:31 - Cal's Final Thoughts

29:40 - Outro

Support the show, join the community & get exclusive content: https://www.patreon.com/heraldshorn 

On the 39th (not 40th, holy L) interview of the Herald's Horn, Cal is joined by Matt Sperling to discuss how the pros prepare for the Pro Tour. Also covered: Judging Discourse, pro team dynamics, how to keep your head up when stuck, common misconceptions about Pro play, and more! 

Follow Matt: https://bsky.app/profile/mattsperling.bsky.social 

Herald's Horn Substack: https://heraldshorn.substack.com/ 

Cal's podcast about retro video games, Level Up: https://linktr.ee/leveluppod_ 

Follow us: https://bsky.app/profile/heraldshorn.com 

https://bsky.app/profile/moderatelymtg.bsky.social 

https://bsky.app/profile/blackgirlmage.bsky.social 

https://bsky.app/profile/emmapartlow.com 

https://bsky.app/profile/caljones.com 

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0:00 - Intro

1:00 - Welcome Matt Sperling!

3:30 - Pro Tour Prep: How Does It Work?

8:44 - High Level Magic as a Part-Timer

12:45 - Team Prep is Surprising to Some

18:49 - Pros/Cons of Shorter Prep Times

26:01 - Common Pro Play Misconceptions

31:00 - Sperling's Sick of It: Judging Discourse

36:20 - More Misconceptions

43:00 - Matt's Recent PT Performances

44:38 - Spiking vs. Consistency Incentives

53:49 - Back to Matt's Last Year

58:35 - Advice for Those Who Feel Stuck

1:03:46 - Is Matt Almost Done With Magic?

1:09:08 - Matt's Final Thoughts

1:10:08 - Outro