The Gam Podcast

The first decks of Kaldheim Standard have arrived and you know Gerry and Bryan can’t wait to dive in. Come explore the innovations (and conspicuous absences) from the first Magic Online league! Music: Mega Man 2 "Ending theme" Remix by zookun | Music composed by Manami Matsumae & Takashi Tateishi Timestamps: Boros Showdown - 6:14 Rogues - 8:18 Mono-Green - 11:47 Gruul - 16:47 Rakdos Sacrifice - 21:07 Mardu Pyromancer - 24:36 Mono-White - 30:16 Naya Showdown - 37:01 Dimir Control - 46:15 Boros Showdown - 51:06 Temur Ramp - 59:14 Mono-Red - 1:02:38 Cycling - 1:07:25 Mono-White - 1:09:23 arenadecklists.gg patreon.com/arenadecklists youtube.com/arenadecklists twitter.com/arenadecklists twitter.com/g3rryt twitter.com/bryango

No sleep. No food. No Genshin Impact or Teamfight Tactics. The boys lived on Magic Arena for the first day of Kaldheim’s release, and they’re already seeing the trends emerge. What has impressed and what has come up short? What important principles must deckbuilders keep in mind? Why is Haste the keyword you need to focus on right now? The answers are all here! Music: Mega Man 2 "Ending theme" Remix by zookun | Music composed by Manami Matsumae & Takashi Tateishi arenadecklists.gg patreon.com/arenadecklists youtube.com/arenadecklists twitter.com/arenadecklists twitter.com/g3rryt twitter.com/bryango

It’s the moment you’ve all been waiting for: Gerry and Bryan’s Top 10 list of the best cards in Kaldheim is here! Plus a bonus look at their Top 5 commons and uncommons in the set. Not to go full clickbait, but their number one card might shock you! Music: Mega Man 2 "Ending theme" Remix by zookun | Music composed by Manami Matsumae & Takashi Tateishi Timestamps: Commons & uncommons - 4:05 Honorable mentions - 4:26 #5 - 6:46 #4 - 7:42 #3 - 9:43 #2 - 10:56 #1 - 13:59 Rare honorable mentions - 18:01 #10 - 30:43 #9 - 37:25 #8 - 46:17 #7 - 48:40 #6 - 50:55 #5 - 54:15 #4 - 56:02 #3 - 58:34 #2 - 1:02:34 #1 - 1:09:55 Gerry's Aeon Chronicler story - 1:24:21 2007 Nationals Decklists: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/event-coverage/decklists-top-8-decks-2007-07-28 arenadecklists.gg patreon.com/arenadecklists youtube.com/arenadecklists twitter.com/arenadecklists twitter.com/g3rryt twitter.com/bryango

After a less than stellar start to the preview season, the last few days have brought some exciting new cards to Kaldheim. As always, the boys are following their own path, and there are a lot of hyped cards that they’re ready to completely pass on. At the same time, they’re starting to identify a couple cards giving off “broken” vibes. Listen and find out where your favorites fall! Music: Mega Man 2 "Ending theme" Remix by zookun | Music composed by Manami Matsumae & Takashi Tateishi Timestamps: Reidane, God of Justice - 0:30 Starnheim Unleashed - 10:25 Usher of the Fallen - 14:30 Ascendant Spirit - 16:51 Cosmos Charger - 20:55 Duskwielder - 24:03 Burning-Rune Demon - 26:25 Egon, God of Death - 29:03 Eradicator Valkyrie - 33:56 Skemfar Avenger - 36:06 Blood on the Snow - 37:11 Quakebringer - 41:52 Goldspan Dragon - 44:58 Jorn, God of Winter - 49:07 Esika, God of the Tree - 54:41 Esika's Chariot - 59:35 In Search of Greatness - 1:02:08 Battle of Frost and Fire - 1:08:09 Firja's Punishment - 1:09:25 Kar

Magic’s newest set continues its preview season, and we’re starting to get to the good stuff. Some of these cards are being dramatically misevaluated right now, and Gerry and Bryan are here to set the record straight. Get your head start in new Standard! Music: Mega Man 2 "Ending theme" Remix by zookun | Music composed by Manami Matsumae & Takashi Tateishi Timestamps: Snow lands - 3:38 Frost Bite - 7:26 Niko Aris - 8:47 Valki, God of Lies - 15:41 Invasion of the Giants - 23:20 Glimpse the Cosmos - 27:06 Binding the Old Gods - 31:06 Behold the Multiverse - 33:44 Sigrid, God-Favored - 37:57 Masked Vandal - 40:16 Elvish Warmaster - 41:54 Alrund, God of the Cosmos - 44:22 Alrund's Epiphany - 48:10 Old-Growth Troll - 50:55 Vorinclex, Monstrous Raider - 54:16 Koll, the Forgemaster - 56:58 Reflections of Littjara - 58:12 Question of the week - 1:12:30 arenadecklists.gg patreon.com/arenadecklists youtube.com/arenadecklists twitter.com/arenadecklists twitter.com/g3rryt twitter.com/bryango

The New Year is upon us, and that means it’s time to bid a not so fond farewell to 2020. What better way to do so than spending a couple hours with the guys as they go over their favorites (and least favorites) from the past year. Magic, movies, music, and more... it’s all in this mammoth episode! Music: Mega Man 2 "Ending theme" Remix by zookun | Music composed by Manami Matsumae & Takashi Tateishi Timestamps: Top 5 MTG players - 7:08 What will MTG look like in the future - 11:30 Top 5 card of 2020 - 20:03 Top 5 formats - 34:33 Top 5 video games - 44:19 Top 5 anime - 59:58 Top 5 tv shows - 1:05:05 Top 5 albums - 1:16:26 Top 5 movies - 1:23:02 Top 5 books - 1:24:45 Top 5 least favorite cards - 1:40:18 arenadecklists.gg patreon.com/arenadecklists youtube.com/arenadecklists twitter.com/arenadecklists twitter.com/g3rryt twitter.com/bryango

It’s the most magical time of the year... preview season!! A whole host of exciting new Magic cards have the guys feeling festive. Hear their takes on what cards are destined to shake up your favorite formats. Music: Mega Man 2 "Ending theme" Remix by zookun | Music composed by Manami Matsumae & Takashi Tateishi Timestamps: Historic - 1:25 Halvar, God of Battle - 5:13 Pathways - 13:10 Kaya the Inexorable - 18:30 Magda, Brazan Outlaw - 25:12 Toski, Bearer of Secrets - 32:14 Sarulf, Realm Eater - 36:56 Showdown of Skalds - 45:33 Realmwalker - 47:11 Pyre of Heroes - 52:04 arenadecklists.gg patreon.com/arenadecklists youtube.com/arenadecklists twitter.com/arenadecklists twitter.com/g3rryt twitter.com/bryango

Hope you’re ready for an episode that’s been years in the making! Before she leaves for Wizards of the Coast, Emma Handy makes her long overdue Arena Decklists debut to talk about Magic content as both a creator and consumer. Whether you’re looking to get in the content creation game yourself, or just increase the benefit derived from the media you follow, there’s something in this episode for everyone. Music: Mega Man 2 "Ending theme" Remix by zookun | Music composed by Manami Matsumae & Takashi Tateishi arenadecklists.gg patreon.com/arenadecklists youtube.com/arenadecklists twitter.com/arenadecklists twitter.com/g3rryt twitter.com/bryango

With two big Historic events on tap this weekend, Gerry and Bryan are diving into the results of the Zendikar Rising Championships to figure out what to play. The usual suspects are all discussed, but there’s also a new deck that’s starting to catch the team’s attention. On top of that, the guys weigh in on aliens, quicksand, and how Gerry can stop setting himself on fire. This episode might have gone a little off the rails... Music: Mega Man 2 "Ending theme" Remix by zookun | Music composed by Manami Matsumae & Takashi Tateishi Timestamps: Lack of patience with Uro - 1:51 Gerry's laptop problem - 6:12 Sultai vs 4 Color - 18:52 Sacrifice decks - 33:53 Goblins - 42:22 Azorius Auras - 45:54 Azorius Control - 48:56 Colorless Ramp - 52:25 Question of the week - 1:00:45 arenadecklists.gg patreon.com/arenadecklists youtube.com/arenadecklists twitter.com/arenadecklists twitter.com/g3rryt twitter.com/bryango

High-level Magic is back on the menu this week, and Gerry and Bryan are perusing the decklists from both formats of the Zendikar Rising Championship. What decks do they love, like, and loathe? Listen and find out! Music: Mega Man 2 "Ending theme" Remix by zookun | Music composed by Manami Matsumae & Takashi Tateishi Timestamps: Zendikar Rising Championship - 0:40 Standard Overview - 6:08 Yorion decks - 21:05 Historic - 35:59 Are players copying Gerry less? - 38:58 Fringe decks - 54:46 Secret Lairs and YouTube - 1:10:26 arenadecklists.gg patreon.com/arenadecklists youtube.com/arenadecklists twitter.com/arenadecklists twitter.com/g3rryt twitter.com/bryango

When Gerry and Bryan are in perfect agreement on a deck, it’s usually time to take notice! Both of the boys have fallen in love with Gerry’s unique take on Rakdos Sacrifice, and they’re here to break down exactly what makes the deck tick. Pick up the best deck in Historic before the word gets out! 3 Woe Strider 2 Castle Locthwain 4 Cauldron Familiar 4 Witch's Oven 4 Fabled Passage 4 Claim the Firstborn 4 Mayhem Devil 4 Priest of Forgotten Gods 3 Midnight Reaper 4 Scrapheap Scrounger 4 Bomat Courier 3 Dragonskull Summit 2 Thoughtseize 4 Blood Crypt 3 Mountain 7 Swamp 1 Phyrexian Tower Sideboard 2 Soul-Guide Lantern 3 Witch's Vengeance 3 Noxious Grasp 1 Bedevil 2 Abrade 2 Chandra, Torch of Defiance 2 Thoughtseize Music: Mega Man 2 "Ending theme" Remix by zookun | Music composed by Manami Matsumae & Takashi Tateishi Timestamps: Decklist - 4:08 Trimming 3 drops - 15:50 Core interactions - 26:12 Sideboarding - 33:42 Why Collected Company doesn't belong - 53:07 Giving Thanks - 1:01:43 arenadecklists.gg patr

This week the focus remains on Historic, as Gerry and Bryan try to unpack all the effects of Kaladesh Remastered. The early days of the format have been packed with surprises, as some hyped cards fizzled out and some underrated gems have established themselves as format staples. If you’re participating in this weekend’s SCG Tour Online, this is a can’t miss episode! Music: Mega Man 2 "Ending theme" Remix by zookun | Music composed by Manami Matsumae & Takashi Tateishi Timestamps: Questions of the week - 3:02 Sultai Midrange - 17:20 WOTC curating Historic - 24:06 Aetherworks Marvel - 31:55 Mono-red - 48:37 Gruul - 52:35 Auras - 55:21 Colorless Ramp - 56:39 Jund Sacrifice - 1:00:21 Rakdos Pyromancer - 1:05:10 Vehicles - 1:07:15 arenadecklists.gg patreon.com/arenadecklists youtube.com/arenadecklists twitter.com/arenadecklists twitter.com/g3rryt twitter.com/bryango

With Kaladesh Remastered hitting MTG Arena this week, Bryan and Gerry comb through the set and point out all of the potential haymakers that may impact the Historic format. Music: Mega Man 2 "Ending theme" Remix by zookun | Music composed by Manami Matsumae & Takashi Tateishi Timestamps: Aetherworks Marvel - 3:37 Fatal Push - 17:25 Winding Constrictor - 18:37 Bomat Courier - 20:43 Scrapheap Scrounger - 23:23 Sram, Senior Edificer - 25:20 Fast Lands - 26:33 Blossoming Defense - 28:47 Metallic Rebuke - 30:18 Heart of Kiran - 33:38 Baral, Chief of Compliance - 35:58 Toolcraft Exemplar - 37:46 Refurbish - 40:35 Torrential Gearhulk - 41:29 Minister of Inquiries - 44:03 Whir of Invention - 45:33 Chandra, Torch of Defiance - 48:27 Aethersphere Harvester - 51:33 Hope of Ghirapur - 52:41 Ceremonious Rejection - 54:20 Skysovereign - 59:56 Question of the week - 1:03:10 arenadecklists.gg patreon.com/arenadecklists youtube.com/arenadecklists twitter.com/arenadecklists twitter.com/g3rryt twitter.com/bryango

Gerry and Bryan are back to review the decklists from another Magic Online league, and this time their focus is on Modern! The format is in one of the healthiest states it’s seen in a long time, and a lack of competitive focus on the format seems to be inspiring some wild deck choices. Follow along at https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/mtgo-standings/modern-league-2020-11-03 Music: Mega Man 2 "Ending theme" Remix by zookun | Music composed by Manami Matsumae & Takashi Tateishi Timestamps: Rakdos Shadow - 2:54 Valakut - 3:40 Eldrazi - 6:10 Zombies - 9:18 Rakdos Midrange - 10:54 Yorion Scapeshift - 12:34 Ghosts of Standard's Past - 15:22 Heliod - 18:22 Field of the Dead - 20:34 Sultai Control - 23:02 Azorius Yorion - 25:01 Humans - 27:55 Izzet Phoenix - 29:13 Amulet - 30:20 Mono-Red Eldrazi - 32:03 Polymorph - 33:37 Storm - 35:35 Jeskai - 38:30 Bant Company - 41:14 Life gain - 42:42 Temur - 46:06 Abzan Company - 49:13 Goblins - 51:20 Gyruda - 52:33 Golgari Midrange - 54:50 Neoform - 56:08 All Sp

Standard has been through some tough times over the past year, but this current incarnation is proving to be a return to form. As Gerry and Bryan get ready to make their return to the caster's booth for the Red Bull Untapped Finals, they're unpacking the results of last weekend's league play. What do they have to say for Yorion? Did Bryan trick everyone into playing a bad deck Week 1 AGAIN? What's the plan for the upcoming Arena Open? All this and more on this week's episode! Music: Mega Man 2 "Ending theme" Remix by zookun | Music composed by Manami Matsumae & Takashi Tateishi Timestamps: Red Bull Untapped - 1:04 MPL Rivals results - 8:10 Temur - 24:41 Gruul Adventures - 35:55 Arena Open - 46:14 Question of the week - 56:29 arenadecklists.gg patreon.com/arenadecklists youtube.com/arenadecklists twitter.com/arenadecklists twitter.com/g3rryt twitter.com/bryango

This is a big weekend for tournament Magic and Yorion is the headliner. What caused its meteoric rise and can anything stop it? Gerry and Bryan share their experiences with the different Yorion variants, their mirror match strategies, and the other decks in the format that have their attention. Music: Mega Man 2 "Ending theme" Remix by zookun | Music composed by Manami Matsumae & Takashi Tateishi Timestamps: MPL & Rivals - 0:50 Standard Yorin - 11:28 Lukka setups - 27:58 Rogues - 36:27 Adventures - 46:00 Ramp - 51:11 Fake Blue Tron - 59:57 Rakdos & Mono Green Food - 1:04:35 arenadecklists.gg patreon.com/arenadecklists youtube.com/arenadecklists twitter.com/arenadecklists twitter.com/g3rryt twitter.com/bryango

Magic is back baby! Sweeping bans have finally made the format feel fresh again, and Gerry and Bryan have been hard at work figuring out the rules of engagement for new Standard. They present their pillars, and explain how the presence of five format defining cards should be shaping your deck building in the coming weeks. Music: Mega Man 2 "Ending theme" Remix by zookun | Music composed by Manami Matsumae & Takashi Tateishi Timestamps: B&R - 3:41 What Standard looks like now - 15:35 The Great Henge - 20:36 Heartless Act - 30:34 Ruin Crab - 34:39 Food decks - 39:37 Embercleave - 42:39 Shark Typhoon - 47:49 Skyclave Appartition - 51:30 Izzet Spells - 57:39 Setessan Champion - 1:02:21 Question of the week - 1:14:22 arenadecklists.gg patreon.com/arenadecklists youtube.com/arenadecklists twitter.com/arenadecklists twitter.com/g3rryt twitter.com/bryango

Two formats and a small field of some of the best players in the world have left Gerry and Bryan with plenty of food for thought headed into the biggest Magic tournament of the year: the Grand Finals! The guys talk about why the Omnath problem has proven so difficult to solve in Standard, and whether the competitors here have found any glimmers of hope. When it comes to Historic, Omnath is only beginning to assert its dominance. Did anyone in this field find the answer? Also, what video game came out of nowhere this week to consume the lives of our hosts? Music: Mega Man 2 "Ending theme" Remix by zookun | Music composed by Manami Matsumae & Takashi Tateishi Timestamps: Grand Finals small metagame - 8:43 Standard decks - 22:08 Rakdos - 30:11 Historic - 51:12 Question of the week - 1:07:40 arenadecklists.gg patreon.com/arenadecklists youtube.com/arenadecklists twitter.com/arenadecklists twitter.com/g3rryt twitter.com/bryango

Look, the bans didn’t go exactly how Gerry and Bryan had hoped. Omnath remains a huge fixture of Standard, and engines are still the order of the day. However, there’s still work to be done and moves to make. The guys are hard at work, both figuring out the best version of Omnath and the best way to fight it. Hear what’s been working for them, and learn about Standard’s surprisingly deep second tier. Do any dark horse archetypes have what it takes to unseat the four-armed menace? Music: Mega Man 2 "Ending theme" Remix by zookun | Music composed by Manami Matsumae & Takashi Tateishi Timestamps: Uro Ban & Playing Omnath - 2:44 Mono-Red - 25:53 Mono-Green - 35:38 Gruul Adventures - 40:23 4 Color Adventures - 47:22 Mill - 54:17 Dimir Control - 1:05:03 Rogues - 1:12:18 Question of the week - 1:21:38 arenadecklists.gg patreon.com/arenadecklists youtube.com/arenadecklists twitter.com/arenadecklists twitter.com/g3rryt twitter.com/bryango

Wow. Prior to the actual release of Zendikar Rising, bans are already on the horizon. Why does this keep happening, and what do Gerry and Bryan think needs to change to prevent bans in the future? What cards do they expect to get the axe? Is this the straw that breaks the camel’s back when it comes to player morale? It’s not all bad news this week though. With Standard temporarily on ice, the guys check in on a Modern league, and find a format picking up some exciting new tools from Zendikar Rising. Is Modern the best format in Magic again? Music: Mega Man 2 "Ending theme" Remix by zookun | Music composed by Manami Matsumae & Takashi Tateishi Timestamps: Incoming B&R announcement? - 0:55 Modern - 29:37 Neoform - 40:44 Mono-White Taxes - 42:08 Scourge of the Skyclaves - 46:01 Grixis Shadow - 48:42 Belcher - 52:33 Niv-Mizzet vs Omnath - 55:21 Uro Ramp - 57:50 Naya Landfall Scapeshift - 1:01:59 Kiki Chord - 1:05:07 8 Crab - 1:08:56 Azorius Control - 1:11:00 Jeskai Control - 1:14:08 Eldrazi Tron - 1:16:54 B