The Mana Pool

Welcome back to Tribal Month! This time, we start off with a quick discussion of the Eventide Booster Pack preview that showed up on the Magic website for a few days. Here's the link that worked for us after they took it down, hopefully by the time you read this it'll still be working. Be sure to run your mouse over the Overbeing of Myth to see the full text.

http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=magic/preview/evepack

Next up we have the results of the first Old School vs. New School Tribal Decks Overly Long Named Thing, Onslaught Soldiers vs. Lorwyn Soldiers! Who won? Well you'll just have to listen to find out, won't you? Remember, we went with an almost Highlander deck for each one, only including cards that dealt specifically with Soldiers from each block, with one Captain as a four-of. The Captains were chosen by a vote on the forums, so thanks very much for everyone that participated in that. You can keep voting for non-Soldiers if you like. There was a bit of a problem with this format though. The Lorwyn Soldiers are woefully underrepresented, so we decided to allow for backup from Knights (slightly better class of soldier, right?), flavorful cards from the Lorwyn block (Coordinated Barrage, Daily Regimen), Kithkin cards (Wizened Cenn, Kithkin Harbinger), and finally non-rare Changelings (Changeling Sentinel, Avian Changeling). They also get two Captains, just to keep the numbers the same. The Onslaught Captain is Daru Warchief, and the Lorwyn Captains are Kinsbaile Borderguard (unanimous vote!) and Cenn's Tactician. The full decklists will be published in the Tribal Month thread on the forums (also where you can vote for the rest of the tribes), found here:

http://cardshark.freeforums.org/tribal-month-t179.html

In honor of Tribal Month here on the Mana Pool, we decided to dig around and find a tribal deck we could bring Out of the Deck Box for your listening pleasure. Since 3/4 of us have Zombie decks, we decided to go with that. Here are the decklists for those lovable undead guys.

Dirk's Zombies20 Swamps1 Lord of the Undead1 Vengeful Dead2 Boneknitter 2 Noxious Ghoul2 Severed Legion 2 Soulless One2 Twisted Abomination2 Undead Warchief3 Shepherd of Rot4 Festering Goblin4 Gravedigger1 Aphetto Dredging1 Debtor's Knell 2 Bubbling Muck2 Cruel Revival2 Dark Banishing2 Eradicate2 Patriarch's Bidding3 Consume Spirit

Mike's Zombies

17 Swamp3 Spawning Pool1 Unholy Grotto4 Soulless One4 Stromgald Crusader4 Twisted Abomination4 Undead Warchief3 Bone Dancer2 Grave Defiler2 Gravedigger2 Gravespawn Sovereign1 Grotesque Hybrid1 Helldozer1 Lord of the Undead4 Innocent Blood4 Strongarm Tactics3 Feast or Famine

Chewie's Zombies18 Swamp2 Barren Moor2 Unholy Grotto2 Carrion Feeder4 Festering Goblin2 Skirk Ridge Exhumer2 Rakdos Guildmage2 Zombie Master2 Lord of the Undead1 Zombie Trailblazer1 Undead Gladiator2 Vengeful Dead2 Brain Gorgers3 Soulless One3 Undead Warchief1 Balthor the Defiled2 Noxious Ghoul2 Twisted Abomination2 Gempalm Polluter1 Nefashu2 Gravespawn Sovereign2 Feeding Frenzy2 Zombie Infestation

And finally, we finish up by taking a quick look at Brian's experience at Regionals, where he piloted, appropriately enough, a Merfolk tribal deck. And since that's a complete episode, we decided to stop there.

Forum thread for this episode: http://cardshark.freeforums.org/episode-31-soldiers-and-zombies-and-merfolk-oh-my-t186.htmlEmail us at [email protected] Send me an article at [email protected] Cardshark located at http://www.cardshark.com RSS Feed: http://feeds.feedburner.com/themanapool This episode's music: Apparently Tribal Month and No-Music Month overlap. I didn't get the memo that they'd both be in June...

Well, this was going to be our first Tribal Month episode, but Wizards went and threw a curve ball at us. There's a big bunch of announcements that appeared this week, and we're here to give you our two cents' worth. Well, there's four of us, so that's eight cents. Don't spend it all in one place. We discuss the changes, talk about some of the things Mark Rosewater said about the changes, and then talk about the changes some more. There's a new rarity (mythic rare!), a land in each booster (one less common), and smaller set sizes from here out (compensates for the other two changes). Also, they're changing up the way preconstructed decks are put together (still the same price though) and how the Magic novels are published (not that anyone's really going to notice). Now that I've typed all that, you can go listen to us rant about each of these tidbits. Find those announcements here:

http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=mtgcom/daily/20080602

And Rosewater's article here:

http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=mtgcom/daily/mr334

Then there's the obligatory discussion about the Old vs. New Tribal War that we're going to wage. Onslaught vs. Lorwyn, with the four tribes that cross over going head to head. Elves, Goblins, Soldiers, and Wizards from each block will attempt to beat the living crap out of the other block's tribe. But each deck needs a captain, and that's where you guys come in. We need you to hit the forums and let us know which option for captain is the best one. You can find those options in the forums, here:

http://cardshark.freeforums.org/tribal-month-t179.html

And last but not least, we bring Dirk's infamous Elf deck Out of the Deck Box, courtesy of a request by Mayshod. And speaking of which, here it is. It might not look utterly terrifying, but in a game consisting of 4-8 people, it's pretty freakin' scary. Trust us all on this. Freakin' scary.

Land

18 Forest

Creatures1 Allosaurus Rider1 Civic Wayfinder1 Elvish Soultiller1 Seedborn Muse1 Wren's Run Packmaster2 Elvish Champion2 Elvish Riders2 Imperious Perfect2 Nath's Elite2 Voice of the Wood3 Immaculate Magistrate3 Lys Alana Huntmaster4 Heedless One4 Llanowar Elf4 Wellwisher4 Wirewood Channeler

Other Spells1 Gaea's Anthem2 Naturalize2 Privileged Position

Forum thread for this episode: http://cardshark.freeforums.org/episode-30-and-now-for-something-not-completely-different-t185.html Email us at [email protected] Send me an article at [email protected] Cardshark located at http://www.cardshark.com RSS Feed: http://feeds.feedburner.com/themanapool This episode's music: No music again. This is like an episode and a half in length, you'll manage without the music.

In our triumphant return from a vacation hiatus, we promptly decided to skip the show we were going to do and do this one instead. Please forgive the quality of this episode, both content and sound quality, as it was kind of slapdash. On Memorial Day, your host dorks got together along with Chris (PhoenixRising422 on the forums) and Michael (Science_Fixes_Everything on the forums) to do a bit of dorking. Not just any dorking, it turns out, we did a Cube Draft! After we were done with all that, we rolled over to my apartment to record the show. So there were six of us sitting in my bedroom (only four real chairs, a video game chair on the floor, and the bed) trying desperately to be heard by the mic. Plus, I was getting sick when we recorded (am fully sick as I post this episode now) so I might sound a little...terrible. But enough excuses, what about this Cube thing?

Brian, being as he has more free time than he has sense now that his finals are over, decided to create a Cube so we could do a draft. A Cube is a whole mess of cards put together for the purpose of being drafted. He put a lot of effort into balancing the colors, the curve of each color, and putting in plenty of threats as well as answers, and it really turned out to be a whole mess of fun. So join us as all six of us discuss our decks as well as the games we played. You can find the entire list of the contents of the Cube on our website. Here's the link: http://themanapool.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=344508

Or if you'd rather download the Word file that lists the Cube contents in a handy-dandy table, then there's a link to that too!http://media.libsyn.com/media/themanapool/Brians_Cube.doc

Forum thread for this episode: http://cardshark.freeforums.org/episode-29-to-the-third-power-cubed-t180.htmlEmail us at [email protected]Send me an article at [email protected]Cardshark located at http://www.cardshark.comRSS Feed: http://feeds.feedburner.com/themanapool

This episode's music: No music this time, I'm sick.

There is two of us! If you don't get the reference, please refer to Ali and Ali's sister. If you don't get that reference, then I bet you don't know how to type with boxing gloves on. If you didn't get that one either, you apparently haven't been subjected to the joy that is Strong Bad. But that's for neither here nor there, this is a Magic podcast! So back to the subject at hand.

There is two of us! This time, due to finals, dead internets, and various other issues, Mike and I are the only hosts. But that's okay, because we said so. This is sort of a potpourri episode, where we throw lots of things at you. We figured out a few more slang terms that we didn't cover last time, so first we handle those. Then, of course, we have to talk about the Shadowmoor Launch Party and how we all did there. Spoiler: We didn't all fail horribly this time. We then finish up with a quick announcement about an upcoming project that we want to tackle, but we need your input to help us out. So roll on over to the forums and let us know what you think!

Forum thread for this episode: http://cardshark.freeforums.org/episode-28-a-two-man-assortment-t172.htmlEmail us at [email protected] Send me an article at [email protected] Cardshark located at http://www.cardshark.com RSS Feed: http://feeds.feedburner.com/themanapool This episode's music: The Search by Swift Check Swift out at http://www.swift-band.com

In this episode Mike, Dirk, and I finish the discussion of the many, many terms that get thrown around in a game of Magic. Not the usual things like keyword abilities and phases of the turn and whatnot. Oh no, we're talking about the unique language that Magic players have invented to describe what's going on. Have you ever topdecked a fatty? Have you ever looted into burn? How about that time your opponent was tapped out and you decided to roll with an alpha strike, only to have him pitch a card to use his trick? And everyone has chumped with a weenie, whether they want to admit it or not. If you have no idea just what in the name of Jonny Magic I'm talking about, then this is definitely the episode for you. Since the discussion ran so incredibly long, I had to split it up into two parts. This is the last hour of that discussion, where we cram in more slang than you can fog an alpha strike with. Did that sentence make any sense at all? Keep listening to find out. Forum thread for this episode: http://cardshark.freeforums.org/episode-27b-talking-the-talk-part-2-t169.html Email us at [email protected] Send me an article at [email protected] Cardshark located at http://www.cardshark.com RSS Feed: http://feeds.feedburner.com/themanapool This episode's music: M-16 by Ill Mic Check Ill Mic out at http://www.illmic.com

In this episode Mike, Dirk, and I begin the discussion of the many, many terms that get thrown around in a game of Magic. Not the usual things like keyword abilities and phases of the turn and whatnot. Oh no, we're talking about the unique language that Magic players have invented to describe what's going on. Have you ever topdecked a fatty? Have you ever looted into burn? How about that time your opponent was tapped out and you decided to roll with an alpha strike, only to have him pitch a card to use his trick? And everyone has chumped with a weenie, whether they want to admit it or not. If you have no idea just what in the name of Jonny Magic I'm talking about, then this is definitely the episode for you.

Sadly, the discussion about slang terms ran incredibly long, so all you're getting here is the first half of the conversation. Stay tuned for Episode 27b, coming soon to an Internet near you.

Forum thread for this episode: http://cardshark.freeforums.org/episode-27a-talking-the-talk-part-1-t167.htmlEmail us at [email protected] Send me an article at [email protected] Cardshark located at http://www.cardshark.com RSS Feed: http://feeds.feedburner.com/themanapool This episode's music: M-16 by Ill Mic Check Ill Mic out at http://www.illmic.com

This episode, we have some special guests joining us on the show. Chris and Molly, better known as PhoenixRising422 and myboyfriendsagamergod on the forums. Shadowmoor was his first Prerelease, and this episode was recorded on his birthday, so we decided to have him on to give us his perspective on the tournament. Actually, Brian and I tell you how we did too. We then get Mike and Molly to give us their ideas about the set now that it's gone public. Tune in for lots of random discussions about the tournament, thoughts on the new set, and just general dorkiness in general.

Forum thread for this episode: http://cardshark.freeforums.org/episode-26-prerelease-stories-and-special-guests-t161.html Email us at [email protected] Send me an article at [email protected] Cardshark located at http://www.cardshark.com RSS Feed: http://feeds.feedburner.com/themanapool

This episode's music: Breathless by Swift

Check Swift out at http://www.swift-band.com

In this extra special long episode, we take on the (almost) last of the preview cards. There will be one more small bit up by the time you read this, but we wanted people to be able to listen to the show before the Prerelease. Not only do we cover the four easy-to-find previews, but thanks to Brian we also uncover 5 preview cards hidden in the YouTube embedded videos in the feature article for today. And these hidden cards are all commons, so you're bound to see them at the Prerelease, whether they're in your deck or your opponent's, so be sure to listen closely.

Once that's done, we go back to a segment that hasn't popped up lately. What could it be? Out of the Deck Box! Requested a LONG time ago, Dirk and I finally discuss our UB Discard decks, which are then compared and contrasted. Here they are in their entirety.

Dirk's UB Discard Deck

Creatures

2 Nezumi Shortfang

3 Abyssal Specter

4 Screeching Buzzard

1 Lore Broker

2 Fatespinner

1 Silent Arbiter

Spells

4 Consume Spirit

2 Syphon Soul

1 Liliana Vess

3 Dark Ritual

3 Syphon Mind

4 Megrim

2 Honden of Night's Reach

2 Honden of Seeing Winds

3 Evacuation

3 Skullcage

Lands

8 Island

12 Swamp

Chewie's UB Discard Deck

Creatures

4 Solemn Simulacrum

4 Screeching Buzzard

4 Abyssal Nocturnus

4 Lore Broker

1 Magus of the Jar

1 Nihilith

1 Myojin of Night's Reach

Spells

4 Megrim

3 Wheel and Deal

3 Evacuation

2 Howling Mine

2 Time Spiral

1 Temporal Cascade

2 Ill-Gotten Gains

1 Windfall

1 Debtor's Knell

1 Prosperity

1 Well of Knowledge

1 Words of Waste

1 Memory Jar

1 Oversold Cemetery

Lands

2 Tainted Isle

2 Mikokoro, Center of the Sea

2 Dimir Aqueduct

4 Island

12 Swamp

Then we finish up by giving you the rest of the tokens in Shadowmoor, along with a quick word of advice about hybrid cards for anyone going to the Prerelease. Thanks for listening and everyone have fun at the Prerelease!

Forum thread for this episode: http://cardshark.freeforums.org/episode-25-shadowmoor-previews-6-t159.htmlEmail us at [email protected] Send me an article at [email protected] Cardshark located at http://www.cardshark.com RSS Feed: http://feeds.feedburner.com/themanapool

On this episode, we have technical difficutlies. Difficulties. See? It's just Brian and me, because apparently everyone else decided to run off to a foreign country with the hopes of getting a big musical career launched. It was news to me too. Anyway, something about connecting my computer and Brian's computer equals some kind of horrible joke in which we are the punch line. You'll hear Brian responding to stuff that I haven't said yet. Not because he's a psychic with amazing powers, but because Skype hates us. Hopefully you won't notice too much, as we went to great lengths to keep this from getting completely out of control. We marginally succeeded.

But other than that, we handle more Shadowmoor previews! Personally, I really like Murderous Redcap. And Torrent of Souls. And especially Midnight Banshee. Oh, the Deus of Calamity is awesome too. You know what, almost all of these are just good cards. You should totally listen to this episode.

Forum thread for this episode: http://cardshark.freeforums.org/episode-24-shadowmoor-previews-5-and-less-t157.html Email us at [email protected] Send me an article at [email protected] Cardshark located at http://www.cardshark.com RSS Feed: http://feeds.feedburner.com/themanapool

In order to get this to the most people, I've decided to put this up on my RSS feed as well as send it to the boss at Cardshark. Inside you'll find anything you could ever want to know about going to the Prerelease. Included are tips for preparation, getting there, surviving once you get there, and actually playing. There's a quick tutorial on building your deck with a focus on the new set. I also give a rundown of mechanics new and old that will be in the set, along with a few tips for each one. I hope this is some help to you. Stay tuned for a new episode of The Mana Pool coming soon!