Monthly Archives: January 2015

The Secrets of Ugin, the Spirit Dragon

Ugin, the Spirit Dragon
Ugin, the Spirit Dragon put up a number of great results at the first opportunity:
a Star City Games Standard Open in Washington, DC.

Featured in multiple, distinct, strategies, Ugin, the Spirit Dragon was nevertheless only one of several Fate Reforged cards to make an immediate impact.

But what is the “secret combo” that Ugin, the Spirit Dragon shares with another one of Fate Reforged’s hot new additions?

Listen to the podcast and find out!

Patrick Chapin and Michael Flores run through a Standard Top 8 that features exciting new archetypes by Grand Prix Champion Gerard Fabiano and onetime US National Champion Ali Aintrazi, go all-in Azorius Heroic, and explore updates to metagame favorites like Boros Tokens, Abzan Aggro, and Abzan Midrange.

“The Secrets of Ugin, the Spirit Dragon” covers…

  • The question of just how good Tasigur, the Golden Fang is proving to be (already)
  • All different kinds of Sieges (in all different colors)
  • An all new archetype of creature-poor (but not creature-less) control
  • Whether Sylvan Caryatid sucks
  • Why Interpret the Signs has suddenly become a Standard powerhouse
  • How come Chained to the Rocks (and Heliod’s Pilgrim) suddenly stink
  • The mondo combo between Crux of Fate and Silumgar, the Drifting Death
  • … Oh yeah, and some amazing (yet easy to miss) combinations between Ugin, the Spirit Dragon and powerhouses new and rediscovered

Check it out!
“The Secrets of Ugin, the Spirit Dragon”

Direct Download

Your hosts

Patrick Chapin – @thepchapin
Michael J Flores – @fivewithflores

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Love our podcast? Check out these Magic: The Gathering books by Patrick and Michael:

Patrick’s Magic: The Gathering Books

Michael’s Magic: The Gathering Books

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Why Birthing Pod Was Banned

According to Patrick, “the real reason” Birthing Pod was banned can be traced back to a single, solitary event.

Wanna know what that event was? Listen to the podcast of course!

Birthing Pod
Birthing Pod Banned!

Earlier this week our lords and masters in Renton, WA dropped the ban hammer on formats various. Chapin and Flores discuss bans in Vintage, Legacy, and Modern.

VINTAGE

How is Gifts Ungiven powered in Vintage, relative to Fact or Fiction?

LEGACY

“Legacy is this format where there is this illusion that somehow it is a reasonable format despite the fact that Brainstorm is legal.”

Treasure Cruise was restricted and / or banned in three different formats. What does the banning of Treasure Cruise in Legacy (but the not-affecting of Dig Through Time) mean for Wasteland? For Burn decks?

Wanna feel really icky gooey gross inside? Come listen to Patrick’s rules explanation of Woldgorger Dragon in Constructed tournament play… Legacy or not.

Patrick’s prediction for Legacy: B/G decks will be back with a vengeance!

MODERN

Lots of players have opinions about the Modern bannings… Patrick actually has to prepare for a Modern Pro Tour in the next couple of weeks! He shares some of his team’s preparation procedure for Pro Tours.

Some people are “passionately” and “aggressively” … pretending they are quitting Magic over the bans. Thoughts?

“Every single Modern Pro Tour is going to involve bans. THEY ALWAYS HAVE.”

What are the implications of these Bannings on key decks in the Modern format?

Will Splinter Twin return to dominance with a predicted de-emphasis on U/R Delver (thanks to the banning of Treasure Cruise?

Will U/R Storm challenge Splinter Twin as the U/R combo deck of choice [for the same reasons]?

What is the context in which you would actually want to play a Burn deck (in Modern or otherwise)?

What will be the fates of Wild Nacatl, Vengevine, or the returning Golgari Grave-Troll in the new-look Modern?

All this and more is answered in:

“Why Birthing Pod Was Banned”

Direct Download

Love Top Level Podcast? Try these books by Patrick and Michael…

Patrick’s Magic: The Gathering Books

Michael’s Magic: The Gathering Books

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Tasigur, the Golden Fang (and more)

Patrick Chapin and Michael J Flores discuss the criteria for banning cards in Modern + the Tasigur, the Golden Fang and the best cards from Fate Reforged.

Tasigur, the Golden Fang
Tasigur, the Golden Fang
“Tasigur, the Golden Fang (and more)” discusses…

  • Speculation on the upcoming Banned List (kinda like everyone else) (but our dynamic duo resolve NOT to talk about the Banned List for an hour)
  • What it means for a card to be broken
  • How Treasure Cruise is better than “half the cards on the [present] Modern Banned List”
  • Criteria for banning a card
  • More of the modes on Abzan Charm!
  • All the great features on Tasigur, the Golden Fang
  • The first reason to “not be embarrassed” to play R/G or Temur?
  • Khans or Dragons?
    (which dragons)
  • If Manifest can make Trail of Mystery or Secret Plans happen (when Morph, alone, couldn’t)
  • And More!

Your Hosts:

Patrick Chapin – @thepchapin
Michael J Flores – @fivewithflores

If you like this podcast, why not try some of our hosts’ books?

Patrick’s Magic: The Gathering Books

Michael’s Magic: The Gathering Books

Direct Download

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Abzan Aggro and Warden of the First Tree

“Abzan Aggro and Warden of the First Tree” discusses…

Identifying good cards… and playing them!

How and when to “kill your darlings” in deck building. When do you, say, cut a Sakura-Tribe Elder, Goblin Piledriver… Or Courser of Kruphix? <-- This is a key deck building superpower!

The secrets of the Abzan Aggro deck that Patrick and other top Pro players ran at Grand Prix Denver (including a second-place “steak knives” finish by friend, friend, and friend of the ‘cast Matt Sperling).

Matt Sperling’s Abzan Aggro (care of Paul Rietzl)

2 Bile Blight
1 Herald of Torment
2 Hero’s Downfall
4 Thoughtseize

4 Abzan Charm
3 Anafenza, the Foremost
4 Fleecemane Lion
3 Rakshasa Deathdealer
4 Siege Rhino
2 Sorin, Solemn Visitor

4 Heir of the Wilds

2 Wingmate Roc

3 Caves of Koilos
2 Forest
2 Llanowar Wastes
2 Plains
4 Temple of Malady
2 Temple of Silence
4 Sandsteppe Citadel
2 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
4 Windswept Heath

sideboard:
2 Bile Blight
1 Dark Betrayal
2 Drown in Sorrow
1 Murderous Cut
3 Back to Nature
2 Hunt the Hunter
3 Glare of Heresy
1 Wingmate Roc

Contextualizing Abzan Aggro for a post-Fate Reforged world… Where Patrick and Michael talk about newcomer Warden of the First Tree!

Warden of the First Tree
Warden of the First Tree

Many Warden of the First Tree ideas, and in-depth analysis of the card!

What are you waiting for? Listen to this great new episode!

Direct Download

Want to hear more from Patrick and Michael? Check out their Magic: The Gathering books:

Patrick’s Magic: The Gathering Books

Michael’s Magic: The Gathering Books

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Fate Reforged Asks – Ginger or Mary Ann?

This Podcast Discusses:

  • Current Standard
  • Fate Reforged spoilers (in particular Soulfire Grand Master and Jeskai Sage)

What does Patrick Chapin’s New Year’s Eve party bus have to do with a mid-2000’s Tsuyoshi Fujita deck design?

Our hosts discuss Standard – reviewing Mike’s Star City Super Invitational Qualifier Top 4, possibly in preparation of Patrick’s upcoming hometown event, Grand Prix Denver.

Mike’s R/W deck, as played:

2 Chandra, Pyromaster
4 Lightning Strike
4 Magma Jet
4 Monastery Swiftspear
4 Stoke the Flames

3 Brimaz, King of Oreskos
4 Chained to the Rocks
3 Heliod’s Pilgrim
4 Seeker of the Way
4 Wingmate Roc

4 Battlefield Forge
1 Evolving Wilds
10 Mountain
1 Plains
4 Temple of Triumph
4 Wind-Scarred Crag

sb:
2 Arc Lightning
2 Chandra Pyromaster
2 Sarkan, the Dragonspeaker
3 Elspeth, Sun’s Champion
2 End Hostilities
4 Erase

Potential future state of Mike’s R/W deck, via Patrick’s suggestions (sorry, Taylor Swiftspear):

2 Chandra, Pyromaster
1 Dragon Mantle
4 Lightning Strike
4 Magma Jet
4 Stoke the Flames

4 Brimaz, King of Oreskos
4 Chained to the Rocks
1 Elspeth, Sun’s Champion
4 Heliod’s Pilgrim
4 Seeker of the Way
4 Wingmate Roc

4 Battlefield Forge
1 Evolving Wilds
10 Mountain
1 Plains
4 Temple of Triumph
4 Wind-Scarred Crag

sb:
1 Anger of the Gods
2 Arc Lightning
2 Chandra Pyromaster
2 Sarkan, the Dragonspeaker
2 Elspeth, Sun’s Champion
2 End Hostilities
4 Erase

“Meaningful decisions are overrated.”
-Patrick Chapin

A general discussion of the great Fate Reforged two drops Soulfire Grand Master and Jeskai Sage. Did we say “great”? Interesting discussion from Patrick turns Mike around on a previously not-loved Jeskai Sage.

Editor’s Note: Patrick and Mike muse on using Soulfire Grand Master to recycle Temporal Tresspass. Temporal Trespass exiles itself so this is not a possible interaction.

Direct Download

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