The Gam Podcast

Bryan and Jonathan are back for the second episode of Head GAMs! This week, the hosts are talking about coping with failure. Bryan talks through one of his greatest failures, as Jonathan clues him in on exactly what is happening in the brain when humans experience failure. How does failure relate to the five stages of grief? What are some exercises you can do during a potential failure to help avert disaster? Should failure be an essential part of your practice routines? All of this and more on this episode of Head GAMs! Contact and Support: twitter.com/bryango twitter.com/JonathanACarter twitter.com/HeadGAMsPodcast headgamspodcast@gmail.com

Bryan has been working hard on perfecting Turbo Fog for Grand Prix Los Angeles. Some, including Gerry, have thought Turbo Fog was dead now that people know about it, but Bryan disagrees! They talk about Standard's winners and losers heading into the weekend, but after that, it's all Turbo Fog, all the time. Gerry plays devil's advocate, grilling Bryan on each of his card choices and the viability of Turbo Fog in general. Music: Scott Pilgrim vs the World Time stamps: Announcements - 1:47 Standard metagame - 7:29 Turbo Fog - 26:23 Gerry's deck choice - 59:59 Question of the week - 1:06:47 Contact and Support: https://twitter.com/g3rryt https://twitter.com/bryango https://twitter.com/TheGAMPodcast thegampodcast@gmail.com https://www.patreon.com/thegampodcast

Welcome to the very first episode of Head GAMs! Jonathan Carter is an accomplished performance psychology consultant who has worked with some of the best in e-sports. Bryan Gottlieb is a guy who talks a bunch. Together, they want to make you great at everything. Head GAMs is a discussion of the mental aspects of competition. No matter how you compete, Head GAMs will do its best to help you take your mental game to the next level! In this first episode, the hosts introduce themselves and discuss the genesis of Head GAMs. Bryan then puts Jonathan immediately to the test, asking for the highest impact adjustments he can make to his mental game to see improvement today. Links: Five-minute Journal – https://www.intelligentchange.com/products/the-five-minute-journal What Good Are Positive Emotions by Barbara L. Fredrickson – http://www.unc.edu/peplab/publications/Fredrickson%201998.pdf Contact and Support: twitter.com/bryango twitter.com/JonathanACarter twitter.com/HeadGAMsPodcast headgamspodcast@gmail.co

With PT25A finally in the books, it's time to look ahead to future events, like GP Orlando and GP Brussels, and how PT25A is going to shape them. While Gerry's team had a dismal performance, was it because of their deck choices? If Gerry or Bryan were playing this weekend, what would be their weapon? This week's show wraps up with some HUGE announcements that you won't want to miss. Make sure you stick around for the entire episode! Music: Persona 4 Arena Time Stamps: Limited on the Pro Tour - 2:04 Legacy metagame at PT25A - 6:27 Standard - 27:03 Modern - 46:17 Question of the week - 58:49 Big announcements - 1:09:07 Contact and Support: twitter.com/g3rryt twitter.com/bryango twitter.com/TheGAMPodcast thegampodcast@gmail.com patreon.com/thegampodcast

GAM E87 - Breaking PT25A The decklists are submitted and it’s time to battle! Gerry thinks he may have broken the format for PT25A and Bryan has many questions! The decks Gerry, Josh Cho, and Matt Severa settled on might surprise you, but they needed to make bold decisions to gain an edge. Get an update on what’s happening in each format and what’s going to stand out at PT25A in this all-encompassing episode. Music: Tactics Ogre Timestamps: Team Pro Tours - 7:29 Standard - 19:49 Modern - 32:17 Past Pro Tour decisions - 48:45 Legacy - 56:09 Question of the week - 1:10:33 Contact and Support: twitter.com/g3rryt twitter.com/bryango twitter.com/TheGAMPodcast thegampodcast@gmail.com www.patreon.com/thegampodcast

GAM E86 - Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About The GAM Podcast Ever wanted to know who would replace Gerry or Bryan if they left the cast? Thanks to our wonderful Patrons from Patreon.com/thegampodcast, we now do five episodes per month. In this bonus episode, Gerry and Bryan solicited questions from The GAM Podcast Discord channel. They. Answered. Them. All. In this mammoth episode, you get to hear Gerry’s and Bryan’s takes on coverage, relationships, pizza, and everything in between. Music: Soul Blazer Contact and Support: https://twitter.com/g3rryt https://twitter.com/bryango https://twitter.com/TheGAMPodcast thegampodcast@gmail.com https://www.patreon.com/thegampodcast

For the first time ever, Gerry and Bryan take a deep dive into the Modern Magic Online decklists. They discuss each of the 46 decklists, talking about what they like and dislike, while also giving their opinion on each deck’s place in the format. From Vengevine to Death’s Shadow and Cragganwick Cremator to Erayo, this is an episode Modern players won’t want to miss! Music: Demon's Crest Timestamps: Goblins - 3:10 G/R stuff - 10:09 Infect - 15:27 KCI - 17:10 Mono-Blue Tron - 21:20 Dredgevine - 22:36 Bant Spirits - 28:05 Jeskai Control - 31:00 U/B Mill - 33:52 Amulet - 37:08 Reveler Jund - 44:09 G/R Eldrazi - 45:24 R/W Prison - 49:40 Esper Midrange - 53:16 Ponza - 1:02:32 Humans - 1:07:32 U/W Control - 1:12:26 G/R Valakut - 1:16:18 Modern match stats across the last 3 modern GP's: https://www.reddit.com/r/spikes/comments/907n9x/modern_last_3_gps_combined_stats/?st=JK2QA0GU&sh=0bc53577 Credit to https://www.reddit.com/user/Erzel_ Contact and Support twitter.com/g3rryt twitter.com/bryango twitter.com/Th

Goblin Chainwhirler is unplayable! Nah, just kidding, but it does seem to be just another great card in a sea of great cards. Is the reign of Goblin Chainwhirler finally over? Has Steel Leaf Champion taken the throne? How do Nicol Bolas, Sai, and the rest of Core Set 2019’s all-stars fit into the mix? Is Paradoxical Outcome the real deal? Gerry and Bryan cover all this, plus the Core Set 2019 card that’s poised to have the biggest impact in Modern! Music: We Love Katamari Timestamps: Militia Bugler in Modern - 1:30 Standard - 9:31 Vine Mare - 19:10 Zombies & Sarkhan's Unsealing - 33:02 Paradoxical Outcome - 38:20 Question of the week - 53:03 Contact and Support: twitter.com/g3rryt twitter.com/bryango twitter.com/TheGAMPodcast thegampodcast@gmail.com patreon.com/thegampodcast

Core Set 2019 is officially out on Magic Online and the brewers have been doing work! Gerry and Bryan take a deep dive into the first 17 decklists to go 5-0 on Magic Online and pick out their favorites for the upcoming weeks. Who was the big winner from Core Set 2019? Is Stitcher's Supplier as great as Gerry predicted? Is Nicol Bolas running amok? Where do you want to be going forward? The GAM Podcast answers all these questions and more. Music: Donkey Kong Country Decks we've been playing - 7:34 B/U GPG - 13:23 Sifter Wurm - 22:11 Jeskai Control - 25:06 Grixis Midrange - 29:27 Zombies - 32:55 Steel Leaf Stompy win percentage - 46:04 B/U Midrange - 56:27 W/B Knights - 1:01:49 Question of the Week - 1:11:05 Contact and Support twitter.com/g3rryt twitter.com/bryango twitter.com/TheGAMPodcast thegampodcast@gmail.com patreon.com/thegampodcast

There’s more than one way to prepare for a tournament. Most of the time, you’ll narrow down your deck choice from among the best options, but what if you started in reverse? Gerry and Bryan break down the recent Modern events, talk about where the format is heading, and talk about things that absolutely won’t work in Modern going forward. None of your favorite decks are safe! Music: Cuphead Timestamps: GP Barcelona & SCGATL - 2:44 B&R Announcement - 12:39 Cards you shouldn't be playing in Modern - 21:52 Gerry's #1 - 27:30 Bryan's #2 - 34:09 Gerry's #2 - 36:58 Bryan's #3 - 39:01 Gerry's #3 - 43:52 Bryan's #4 - 48:54 Gerry's #4 - 50:20 Bryan's #5 - 52:01 Gerry's #5 - 56:37 Question of the week - 1:03:04 Contact and Support twitter.com/g3rryt twitter.com/bryango twitter.com/TheGAMPodcast thegampodcast@gmail.com patreon.com/thegampodcast

With Core Set 2019 fully previewed, it's time to fully break down the set and talk about what looks good for Standard. Yes, there are Goblin Chainwhirler issues, but with the Standard metagame stabilizing and this set being chocked full of power, there will be cards from Core Set 2019 to make their way into Standard. Gerry and Bryan both have some surprises on their Top 10's. Can you guess which ones? Music: Legend of Zelda Four Swords Adventures Time Stamps Gerry's #10 - 5:53 Bryan's #10 - 10:45 Gerry's #9 - 11:48 Bryan's #9 - 16:13 Bryan's #8 - 19:51 Gerry's #7 - 23:58 Bryan's #7 - 29:19 Gerry's #6 - 36:21 Gerry's #5 - 38:44 Gerry's #4 - 43:38 Bryan's #4 - 48:21 Gerry & Bryan #3 - 53:01 Bryan's #2 - 55:56 Gerry's #1 - 57:21 Question of the Week - 1:12:22 Contact and Support https://twitter.com/g3rryt https://twitter.com/bryango https://twitter.com/TheGAMPodcast thegampodcast@gmail.com patreon.com/thegampodcast

Grand Prix Las Vegas is in the books, and Krark-Clan Ironworks emerged victorious again. Gerry played trusty Mardu Pyromancer to a respectable 12-3 finish and shares his thoughts on the archetype. There was also the Modern PTQ on Magic Online that was won by... Goblins?! Infect is also silently crushing it, so where is Modern going next? Core 2019 continues to impress with reprints and new cards alike. Is there anything in the set that can contend with Goblin Chainwhirler?

Despite so many different events happening at the same time, The GAM Podcast aims to cover them all! Hear Gerry’s take on the B/U Midrange deck he played at the SCGINVI and his thoughts on Mardu Pyromancer leading up to Grand Prix Las Vegas. There’s also the RPTQ metagame and some talk about the first batch of cards previewed from the return to core sets.

Thanks to our wonderful Patrons for helping us reach our stretch goal -- The GAM Podcast now happens five times a month! These episodes are meant to be timeless classics, either as "level up" episodes or those interviewing guests. With that in mind, The GAM Podcast is proud to present our first returning guest: Kevin "The Daddy" Jones! Kevin talks about his monumental run at Pro Tour Dominaria that ultimately lead to him finishing a heartbreaking 17th place. Join Gerry, Bryan, and Kevin as they discuss the highest highs and lowest lows of playing on the Pro Tour. Daddie! Music: Smash Brothers Melee

At Pro Tour Dominaria, Gerry blew a 3-0 start with a mediocre Standard record with R/B Midrange. Get his thoughts on the PT, the prevalence of red in general, and what to do going forward. Bryan spent the weekend glued to coverage, so he’s got his own thoughts on the matter as well. What’s more important is the RPTQs coming up and how to configure your team’s lineup. If you’re not sure what decks to play, The GAM Podcast has you covered! Music - Wave Race 64 Time Stamps PT Dominaria - 2:53 RPTQ prep - 31:41 Seat assignment & communication - 53:02 Question of the week - 1:01:28 Contact and Support https://twitter.com/g3rryt https://twitter.com/bryango https://twitter.com/TheGAMPodcast thegampodcast@gmail.com Patreon.com/thegampodcast

There will be a Pro Tour Dominaria recap next week (and some recommendations for Team Unified Standard), but for now, it's time to talk Modern! Is Jeskai Control the best deck in the entire format? Despite what Bryan says, it sure as hell isn't Tron. What about Humans? Mardu Pyromancer? Where do all these decks stand at the moment and what's the deck to play for SCG Regionals? Gerry and Bryan share their picks for the weekend! There will be a Pro Tour Dominaria recap next week (and some recommendations for Team Unified Standard), but for now, it's time to talk Modern! Is Jeskai Control the best deck in the entire format? Despite what Bryan says, it sure as hell isn't Tron. What about Humans? Mardu Pyromancer? Where do all these decks stand at the moment and what's the deck to play for SCG Regionals? Gerry and Bryan share their picks for the weekend!

Gerry and Bryan (along with Todd Anderson) teamed together for Grand Prix Toronto and learned plenty of valuable lessons along the way. Hear about what The GAM Toddcast chose to play in each format, why, and what they would change. After last weekend, Gerry is confident he may have broken the team constructed format and can’t wait to put it into practice. There’s also a nice rant about Finding The Truth, what that means, why matchup percentages are irrelevant, and how to utilize it in your preparation.

W/B Aggro may have won the Magic Online PTQ, but R/B Aggro was the dominant force at Grand Prix Birmingham. Six copies made the Top 8 and eventually took it down, and that sort of success came seemingly out of nowhere. Gerry was on the ground floor at GP Birmingham, so he knows how it all went down. Goblin Chainwhirler is having a massive effect on Standard, to the point where Llanowar Elves may not be playable. Is Goblin Chainwhirler a more egregious Rampaging Ferocidon? How did this happen? How is Standard going to evolve going forward? Also, don't miss the biggest "I told you so" moment in GAM Podcast history!

Dominaria has caused some massive shifts on the Standard landscape. White has completely supplanted black as the midrange and control color of choice, but why? And why should it have happened sooner? What should you be doing to combat this new format? Gerry and Bryan have the answer!

Dominaria has caused some massive shifts on the Standard landscape. White has completely supplanted black as the midrange and control color of choice, but why? And why should it have happened sooner? What should you be doing to combat this new format? Gerry and Bryan have the answer!