After talking about a starter version for Queen Marchesa Aikido in the last episode, Andy gets into some broader concepts of how the strategy has evolved over the last few years. Andy brings a couple new deck ideas to play at the edges of Aikido and see what else can be done with the strategy. As always, find deck lists from the podcast on the Disc…

Andy has long been a practitioner of Queen Marchesa aikido. He’s gotten into a lot of theory, but in this episode he outlines the journey the deck has been through to its current iteration. He also outlines a starter deck if you are looking to get into the aikido game. As always, find deck lists from the podcast on the Discord server’s #lists-from-…

If you’re new here, we like to take a pause before we get too far into the Magic: the Gathering product future and forget about the products of the past. As we get into another spoiler season, we’re checking out some listener decks from March of the Machine, Tales of Middle-Earth, Commander Masters, and Wilds of Eldraine to help us all remember tha…

Let’s get into another starter deck. This time Kyle chats with Andy about all of his experience with butts. And then they extrapolate what may be the best things to do with big butts. Kyle then shares his starter deck for Doran, the Siege Tower. As always, find deck lists from the podcast on the Discord server’s #lists-from-the-pod channel. Be sure…

As we close out the deck rating exercise, let’s explore the more consensus votes and see if there are any lessons to glean from where decks landed. Is there something that we can see in how people interact with and want to experience decks that they play against? Join us as we look at several decks and look for the leylines. Be sure to check out An…

Now that everyone’s commander is a raging clue detective, let’s take a look at cards that can slot into the other 99 of your decks. Our listeners are coming at us with all their niche insights and comments on the obvious hot picks from the set to try out in your decks. Be sure to check out Andy’s other podcast while you’re listening: --------------…

Let’s keep dropping clues for how you can use this set in your commander rotation. Part two brings you the remainder of the legends, as listed below. And look for our other 99 episode next week with all the niche picks from our listeners that you commander players ought to be paying attention to. Tomik, Wielder of Law Kylox, Visionary Inventor Mele…

We’re back on Ravnica with the intent to make magic players buy more than one Hasbro game. But of course, we’re here for the cards for commander players and our listeners are dishing on all the new commanders. Like last time, we’re doing this in two parts. You’ll find the below legends in this episode. Look for part two later this week for the rest…

Andy and Kyle continue to look at the groups rankings for each other’s decks to see where power levels are perceived to be. This time they take a look at the decks that divide the group. Half the people place it at one tier and the other half at another tier. Be sure to check out Andy’s other podcast while you’re listening: ------------------- Patr…

There is a constant hum in the commander community about power levels and assessing commanders and decks. But when you really sit down with your friends, do you all have a similar perspective on the power of the decks getting played? Andy and Kyle take a look at how their group feels about each other’s decks and they start off with the decks that l…

Folks have long clamored for us to take our commander color identity series to the three-color commander identities. We finally bring our thoughts on the matter out into the open. Andy and Kyle bring their thoughts together for a collision of thoughts to see what has held the podcast back from exploring the fertile ground of commanders with more co…

Last time we talked about rehabilitating a deck’s reputation after your group has grown to hate it. We illustrated the idea with a few of our own experiences. Now let’s look at a few listener decks and see what kind of PR plan we can come up with. As always, you can find decks lists we reference in our Discord server’s #lists-from-the-pod channel. …

What do you do with those decks that just seem to put a little hate into the actions of your opponents? How do you manage a reputation that precedes your commander? Andy and Kyle talk about why decks might garner a reputation and explore ways to manage the issue so you can just sit down and play like every other average Joe. ------------------- Pat…

We are closing out our Lost Caverns of Ixalan coverage with cards to consider for the other 99 of your deck. As usual with reviews, the listeners have the analysis, Andy and Kyle are here for the ride, and random comments. Be sure to check out Andy’s other podcast while you’re listening: ------------------- Patreon: YouTube: ------------------- The…

The set review continues! We get further into all the multi-color legends. Our listeners are bringing all their studied insights into each new one. We offer the armchair commentary. If you didn’t notice, this is part two. You’ll find the below legends in this episode. Look for the others in part one. Captain Storm, Cosmium Raider Saheeli, the Sun's…

New set review! Time to get into all the pirates, dinos, vampires, and more. Our listeners are bringing all their studied insights into each new legend. We offer the armchair commentary. We’re breaking this up into two parts. You’ll find the below legends in this episode. Look for part two for the others. Ojer Taq, Deepest Foundation // Temple of C…

We all have a concept of archetypes in our mind when it comes to Magic: the Gathering. But have you considered how those archetypes coexist with deck-building templates? Andy poses the topic and then through listener decks explores if we can find this tension between archetype and template. You can always find deck lists from the podcast posted on …

For many of us commander players and big part of the enjoyment of the format is brewing lists and imagining how they would play at the table. But how do you decide when to take the digital concept and sleeve up the idea for real life play? Kyle guides a chat with Andy trying to figure out when they each build their brews and attempts to decide on w…

We all build decks that seem to land in different experiential zones. Our friends enjoy playing against some and others not so much. We have a great time with some of our decks, while others just aren’t as fun as the theory. While other decks still can win an appropriate number of games, some don’t win enough, and some too many. Join us as Andy tak…

We’re getting in on reviewing cards for the other 99 of your decks. Our listeners are dropping some of the obvious and not so obvious cards from the Wilds of Eldraine that we all ought to take a look at as commander players. Be sure to check out Andy’s other podcast while you’re listening: ------------------- Patreon: YouTube: ------------------- T…

It’s been a minute since we have done a review of new legal commanders. With the Wilds of Eldraine dropping over the weekend, it’s time for all of us to decide if we’re going to actually build the commanders we’ve been ogling for the last few weeks. Our listeners have all the new legends covered with their pithy and insightful reviews. Come join us…

It’s been a while since we’ve had a good, honest discussion about how various Magic: the Gathering products have landed with us. Join us as Kyle and Andy discuss various sundries, from Universes Beyond to Commander products to Secret Lair. Be sure to check out Andy’s other podcast while you’re listening: ------------------- Patreon: YouTube: ------…

Andy carries on the quest to settle his mono-black deck itch. If you heard our last episode, Andy is looking to hone the perfect mono-black experience. As the exploration continues, he provides a compelling starter deck for anyone looking to get in on the unique experience of piloting Gonti, Lord of Luxury. He also gives his current build to show w…

Have you tried out EDHREC’s “View Similar Commander” tool? Go check it out. Kyle takes Andy into a conversation about ways that it is useful to find and explore commanders comparable to the ones you are brewing. They then gives the EDHREC tool a spin to see how good it is at offering useful comparisons. As a side quest, Andy looks to see if the que…

So you’ve gotten your hands on the new Lord of the Rings cards. You know the stories, but have you thought about them in depth lately? Samuel Griffin (aka Suns) joins us to talk about the wide world that Tolkien created. Samuel, Kyle, and Andy explore the setting for Lord of the Rings, dive into some favorite characters and events of the trilogy, a…