The Mana Pool

By Chewie SlateLeisure Games Hobbies

The Mana Pool episodes

July 08, 2010 Episode 136 - M11 and Guest of Many Podcasts
Well hello there. What's a dork like you doing on an internet like this? Ah, that makes sense. No, I won't tell your mom. This is Mike, taking the reins of the show notes while Chewie is working hard preparing the previous episode, sneaking it in underneath our rolling storage limit on the hosting site. You'll notice a familiar unfamiliar voice on this episode, as we once again have Eric the Pluronymic joining us for a fun time all around.M11 previews are still trucking right along, as would be expected. Thankfully, Wizards didn't drop another 80+ cards on us since the last time we recorded, so we're able to hit all of them. Among cards like Almost Johnny Magic, Sort of Man-o-War, Not Really Vengevine, and What Would Give You the Idea Scars of Mirrodin Has Artifacts, we have plenty to talk about. We start to bring home the second half of the show with a discussion of what the new Deathtouch templating actually means (for real this time [seriously]). It's a little embarassing to have jumped the gun when all the information I needed could have been inferred from what was already out there, but that just happens sometimes. Finally, we close with a special Out of the Deck Box segment from Eric, detailing a really amazing sounding deck that's all about wolves (feel free to Lock Up, Release, or associate with Winter, as appropriate to your personal Metal preference).Intro Music - Diamond by Swift: http://www.swift-band.comBreak Music - Flesh by Ill Mic: http://www.illmic.comForum thread for this episode: http://cardshark.freeforums.org/episode-136-m11-and-guest-of-many-podcasts-t551.htmlCheck out our archive at http://themanapool.libsyn.comEmail us at [email protected]Follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/themanapoolVisit Cardshark! http://www.cardshark.comCardshark Member Promotions: http://www.cardshark.com/member_promotions.aspSubscribe to our RSS feed: http://feeds.feedburner.com/themanapool
1 hr 56 min
July 01, 2010 Episode 135 - Double Standard, M11, and Spiders
NOTE: THIS EPISODE (AND THUS THE DISCUSSION ABOUT POSSIBLE CHANGES TO DEATHTOUCH) WAS RECORDED WAY BEFORE WIZARDS SAID ANYTHING ABOUT IT.THANK YOU, THE MANAGEMENTEric of Many Names is back with us again, adding fuel to the various and sundry fires. Speaking of fires, after a somewhat brief rant to clear out my system, we start this episode off right by looking at the new Extended format and the Banned and Restricted list changes. What do you guys think about it? We already know what one person thinks! We have a recorded message from Tosus detailing some of his thoughts on this as well as Archenemy. Note the fireworks going off behind him...you know, because it's funny.Holy crap I hate spiders. There's also some listener mail, the next Premium Deck Series announcement (Fire & Lightning - http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/arcana/477) and of course we have to take a look at some of the one million M11 cards that have already been shown (http://www.wizards.com/magic/tcg/article.aspx?x=mtg/tcg/magic2011/spoiler).There's an interesting discussion about some possible changes to Deathtouch, stemming from the new reminder text on Greater Basilisk. Of course, now we know all about what the changes are, but this entire discourse came about because Mike saw the new reminder text and tried to figure out why they would change it to that specifically. It's an excellent look at why Mike is our rules guy. Hope you enjoy!Star Wars Soundboards can be found here: http://www.starwars.com/games/playnow/soundboards/#/?theme=01Intro Music - Diamond by Swift: http://www.swift-band.comForum thread for this episode: http://cardshark.freeforums.org/episode-135-double-standard-m11-and-spiders-t544.htmlCheck out our archive at http://themanapool.libsyn.comEmail us at [email protected]Follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/themanapoolVisit Cardshark! http://www.cardshark.comCardshark Member Promotions: http://www.cardshark.com/member_promotions.aspSubscribe to our RSS feed: http://feeds.feedburner.com/themanapool
2 hr 14 min
June 26, 2010 Episode 134 - Of Villainous Intent
We're all here this time! First up it's our take on the M11 Prerelease and Launch cards, both of which are hardcore badassed. Then there's the last Archenemy deck, so of course we have to read the Scheme flavor texts out loud. And of course, my archnemesis has returned for this episode, those bastard clicks! I dealt with them as best I could, but they're never gonna die!Then we decide to take a look at some of the best antagonists in Magic history. Yes, we're talking about the villains! From Volrath to Leshrac to the big daddy evil dragon himself, we're checking out the bad guys! Who is your favorite villain?And to finish up, we end on a philosophical note regarding the actual villainy of the Eldrazi. This was really only a few minutes, but it was my favorite part of this episode. Let us know what you think on the forums!Intro Music - Diamond by Swift: http://www.swift-band.comBreak Music - Vlad by Ill Mic: http://www.illmic.comForum thread for this episode: http://cardshark.freeforums.org/episode-134-of-villainous-intent-t541.htmlCheck out our archive at http://themanapool.libsyn.comEmail us at [email protected]Follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/themanapoolVisit Cardshark! http://www.cardshark.comCardshark Member Promotions: http://www.cardshark.com/member_promotions.aspSubscribe to our RSS feed: http://feeds.feedburner.com/themanapool
2 hr 22 min
June 25, 2010 Bonus Episode - M11 Spoilers
Oh yes, it's spoiler time baby! We got the pooled spoilers again, this time it's Magic 2011! And it's not just us, oh no. We called in the reinforcements again for the spoilers, this time in the form of the inimitable Eric of Many Names. We've got the return of Mana Leak, who has been missing from Standard since 9th Edition rotated out oh so long ago. And two new cards, Back to Nature and Gargoyle Sentinel. On this bonus episode, your four host dorks and the special guest extraordinaire explore the flavor of these three cards and take a guess at what they might do for Standard (if anything). If you'd like a more in-depth look at these cards, be sure to check out our preview blog posts on the home page at http://themanapool.libsyn.com, there's one for each new card!Intro music is Diamond by Swift - http://www.swift-band.comForum thread for this episode: http://cardshark.freeforums.org/bonus-episode-m11-spoilers-t540.htmlCheck out our archive at http://themanapool.libsyn.comEmail us at [email protected]Follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/themanapoolVisit Cardshark! http://www.cardshark.comCardshark Member Promotions: http://www.cardshark.com/member_promotions.aspSubscribe to our RSS feed: http://feeds.feedburner.com/themanapool
19 min
June 19, 2010 Episode 133 - Crappy Cracker and the Local Colloquial
Holy special guest hosts, Batman! Because we lost our own Brian, we decided the only way to possibly fill the void was with another Bryan. But since no one can possibly ramble as much as Brian, we threw in the added bonus of Christian. Both of these guys are from the (sabbaticalized) Avant-Card Show, and they were gracious enough to join in the fun this episode.First up we have the Duels of the Planeswalkers paper decks. Then there are a couple more Archenemy decks to check out. Then there are a small handful of M11 cards that need to be addressed. That's about it for the first half of the show, really.We decided that we really didn't have enough time to get into the intended topic for this episode, but judging from the discussion we had after the recording stopped, you guys really weren't missing much. Instead, we have a special Out of the Deck Box and take a look at Mike's Scion of the Ur-Dragon EDH deck! We hope you enjoy, and thanks again to Bryan and Christian for joining us!Check out the Avant-Card Show at http://www.avantcardshow.comIntro Music - Diamond by Swift: http://www.swift-band.comBreak Music - Fallen by Ill Mic: http://www.illmic.comForum thread for this episode: http://cardshark.freeforums.org/episode-133-crappy-cracker-and-the-local-colloquial-t539.htmlCheck out our archive at http://themanapool.libsyn.comEmail us at [email protected]Follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/themanapoolVisit Cardshark! http://www.cardshark.comCardshark Member Promotions: http://www.cardshark.com/member_promotions.aspSubscribe to our RSS feed: http://feeds.feedburner.com/themanapool
2 hr 26 min
June 12, 2010 Episode 132 - Feel Human, Use Tools
We start off this episode with lots of news. I mean lots of news. We have the colors for the Magic 2011 Intro packs, which ordinarily wouldn't be a big deal. But this time they're multicolored! Wha?
http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/arcana/457Then we have the announcement for the next Duel Decks. This time it's gonna be Elspeth vs. Tezzeret. Maybe that means we'll be able to snag a few copies of Elspeth for less than 30 bucks apiece!http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/arcana/459Then we have a decklist for the first of the Archenemy decks, Assemble the Doomsday Machine. We go over all the schemes and give you a quick look at the deck itself, which looks entertaining to say the least.http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/arcana/462Then we come to the point. Brian bought a Deck Builder's Toolkit. So of course, we're going to crack it open, check out all the cards, and...then what? Well it's the Deck Builder's Toolkit, so we're gonna build a deck! This time, we're going to go for a multiplayer deck instead of the usual sealed pool stuff. As always, check the forums if you want the full list. The link is right down there. Here's what the Toolkit is, in case you're not aware.http://www.wizards.com/magic/tcg/productarticle.aspx?x=mtg/tcg/dbt/productinfoIntro music is Diamond by Swift - http://www.swift-band.comForum thread for this episode: http://cardshark.freeforums.org/episode-132-feel-human-use-tools-t535.htmlCheck out our archive at http://themanapool.libsyn.comEmail us at [email protected]Follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/themanapoolVisit Cardshark! http://www.cardshark.comCardshark Member Promotions: http://www.cardshark.com/member_promotions.aspSubscribe to our RSS feed: http://feeds.feedburner.com/themanapool
2 hr 2 min
June 04, 2010 Episode 131 - Brought to You by the Number L
And the letter 6! We start off this episode with lots of little things. Explanations for late episodes, listener emails, new products (Archenemy) and old products available to new people (Duels of the Planeswalkers on PC). Easy enough, right? Of course, we're a little silly after such a long time away from our microphones.Archenemy feature article:http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/feature/91Then there's another Rise of the Eldrazi Sealed pool. But instead of building it live on the air, we each built our own deck before we recorded. And we're going to do a compare and contrast sort of thing. Do we go with the levelers? What about burn? Should we ramp up into all these Eldrazi? We might even do all of those things! As always, if you want to see the entire pool, check the forum post for this episode. The link is right down there at the end of these show notes. What sort of deck would you build with this pool?Intro music is Diamond by Swift - http://www.swift-band.comBreak music is Just to Piss You Off by Social Outcast ub - http://www.myspace.com/socialoutcastubForum thread for this episode: http://cardshark.freeforums.org/episode-131-brought-to-you-by-the-number-l-t531.htmlCheck out our archive at http://themanapool.libsyn.comEmail us at [email protected]Follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/themanapoolVisit Cardshark! http://www.cardshark.comCardshark Member Promotions: http://www.cardshark.com/member_promotions.aspSubscribe to our RSS feed: http://feeds.feedburner.com/themanapool
2 hr 13 min
May 31, 2010 Episode 130 - EDH Live! (Mike is Dumb)
Yes, we're finally doing an episode about EDH! Not just any episode about EDH, but a LIVE episode about EDH! You'll see Brian piloting a Doran the Siege Tower deck, Dirk with my Wort, Boggart Auntie build, Mike with his brutal take on Scion of the Ur-Dragon, a terribly mana-screwed Chewie playing his Progenitus crazy good stuff nonsense, and finally our special guest AJ with his monowhite Commander Eesha. Sure it's long, sure it's crazy, and of course it's impossible to follow, but we know that no one listens to our live episodes to follow along closely with the game, so it'll be okay.
Also, as promised, we have the listener-supplied Magic Mad Lib from the forums. In fact, it'll be the very first thing you hear, so pay attention as soon as you hit play.We hope you enjoy it as much as we did! Try to catch the theme running through the whole show that Mike is, in fact, dumb. But we still love him, right everyone?Forum thread for this episode: http://cardshark.freeforums.org/episode-130-edh-live-mike-is-dumb-t529.htmlCheck out our archive at http://themanapool.libsyn.comEmail us at [email protected]Follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/themanapoolVisit Cardshark! http://www.cardshark.comCardshark Member Promotions: http://www.cardshark.com/member_promotions.aspSubscribe to our RSS feed: http://feeds.feedburner.com/themanapool
3 hr 4 min
May 24, 2010 Episode 129 - Mortal Instinct Fighter Calibur Vs!
Welcome to this much-delayed episode of The Mana Pool! Chewie here, and I'd just like to say sorry about that. If this one wasn't worth the wait, the next episode should make up for it. Trust me on this one. But first, this episode! We start off with some random stuff, and here are the links that go with those things!Chuck & Beans strip about Magic, sort ofhttp://www.shoeboxblog.com/?p=16935StarCity's coverage of the StarCityGames Open: Atlantahttp://www.starcitygames.com/php/news/article/19251.htmlThen we go back to a segment we started a short while ago, the Story Circle! We have two Story Circles this time around, one that Mike started and one that I started. These are definitely way out there, so we hope you enjoy them. And don't mind the Aven Riftwatcher in the second one, they just wouldn't let me take it out. For the full listing, check the forum thread for this episode, the link is down there at the bottom of these show notes.Then it's time for another of Brian's creative segments. I give you - Mortal Instinct Fighter Calibur Vs! Through painstaking research and hours of meeting arduous criteria, Brian has assembled 16 creatures from Magic's history to meet in mortal...instinct...um...fighter calibur vs? Yeah. Anyway, we go through the entire bracket, pitting creature against creature, victor against victor until only one remains!I'd like to issue a special thank you to the announcers from the World Warrior and Killer Instinct tournaments for helping us out this episode. And a big SCREW YOU to Shao Kahn for being such a douche.Music for this episode provided by Swift, check them out at http://www.swift-band.comIntro music - Diamond"I can't hear the words that you tell me" - Diamond"Save me, I don't wanna die, don't just stand there" - The Guatemalan"We'll be running, running away from them" - Release the Wolves
Forum thread for this episode: http://cardshark.freeforums.org/episode-129-mortal-instinct-fighter-calibur-vs-t528.htmlCheck out our archive at http://themanapool.libsyn.comEmail us at [email protected]Follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/themanapoolVisit Cardshark! http://www.cardshark.comCardshark Member Promotions: http://www.cardshark.com/member_promotions.aspSubscribe to our RSS feed: http://feeds.feedburner.com/themanapool
2 hr 8 min
May 16, 2010 Episode 116 - Outta the Deck Box: Mike & Chewie Edition
Chewie here. On this episode, it's just me and Mike. So this time, we decided to do something entertaining that wasn't an actual "topic," so we decided to do a couple of Out of the Deck Box comparisons. We both have a Grixis deck, and we both have a Big Green Stupid deck, so that's what we decided to go with. As always, look for the decklists in the forum post for this episode. Hope you guys enjoy the laid back two host episode!

Forum thread for this episode: http://cardshark.freeforums.org/episode-116-outta-the-deck-box-mike-chewie-edition-t464.html

Check out our archive at http://themanapool.libsyn.com

Email us at [email protected]

Follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/themanapool

Visit Cardshark! http://www.cardshark.com

Cardshark Member Promotions: http://www.cardshark.com/member_promotions.asp

Subscribe to our RSS feed: http://feeds.feedburner.com/themanapool

Intro music - Diamond by Swift: http://www.swift-band.com

Break music is Macarron Chacarron by El Mudo
1 hr 43 min

About The Mana Pool

From the publisher's feed

Chewie, Mike, Brian, and Dirk have been talking about Magic: The Gathering on the internet for almost 10 years (at the time of this writing). Since there are so many shows about strategy and…