The Gam Podcast

The first Magic Online results are in for Dominaria! Gerry and Bryan go through the first wave of decklists one-by-one, talking about what they like, what they dislike, and where you want to be heading into Week 1 of Dominaria Standard. Initial thoughts on Standard - 2:19 Mono-Blue - 9:36 R/B Aggro - 11:44 New Perspective - 12:57 Mono-white tokens - 13:49 U/W Eternalize -15:29 Esper Control - 16:32 G/R Dinos - 23:21 Sultai Constrictor - 24:16 G/B Saprolings - 25:19 Mono-red GPG - 27:01 Mardu Vehicles - 30:09 U/W Control - 33:06 G/W Explore - 36:01 Mono-Green - 41:37 U/B Control - 45:09 Sultai Karn - 45:58 U/R Wizards - 48:54 U/W Midrange - 52:09 U/R Control - 56:09 U/R Flash - 1:00:23 Bant Ramp - 1:03:02 Question of the week - 1:05:30 twitter.com/thegampodcast twitter.com/g3rryt twitter.com/bryango patreon.com/thegampodcast

The full Dominaria set has been previewed and Gerry and Bryan are both excited! They each break down their top 10 picks from the set, but it easily could have been a top 30. As always, they both have some picks that will surprise you and each other. GP Hartford experience - 1:05 Gerry's #10 - 6:56 Bryan's #10 - 9:48 Gerry's #9 - 18:18 Bryan's #9 - 21:14 Gerry's #8 - 26:53 Bryan's #8 - 30:52 Gerry's #6 - 34:43 Bryan's #6 - 35:18 Gerry's #5 - 36:51 Bryan's #5 - 39:22 Gerry's #4 - 41:26 Bryan's #4 - 44:33 Gerry's #3 - 50:26 Gerry's #2 - 54:49 Bryan's #1 - 1:01:52 Reprints - 1:03:40 Question of the week - 1:07:50 twitter.com/thegampodcast patreon.com/thegampodcast

Gerry and Bryan quickly discuss Grand Prix Seattle, Gerry's Top 4 finish with R/B Aggro, and whether this Standard format was a success or not. The real meat of the episode is about Modern, Grand Prix Hartford, and how Bryan doesn't know what to play. Should he default to playing Karn again? GP Seattle - 2:15 Was this a successful Standard format? - 19:25 DOM spoilers - 22:31 GP Hartford deck choice - 27:12 Question of the week - 57:26 patreon.com/thegampodcast twitter.com/thegampodcast

There are format truths in Standard, Modern, and Legacy, but people don't always come to the same conclusions. In this episode, Gerry and Bryan agree on the truths of the formats, but take wildly different approaches to adapting to those truths. How do aggro decks hold their ground against Walking Ballista and a bevy of removal? How do you get an edge in the Hymn to Tourach / Kolaghan's Command grindfest in Legacy? Humans and Hollow One are the best decks in Modern, but how do you beat them? How is everyone else going to beat them? While this is "just" an episode about deck selection for the coming weeks, it's a fascinating look at how people can tackle the same problems in different ways. Tournaments we're attending - 2:56 Standard - 7:49 How Gerry prepares for tournaments - 16:25 Modern - 20:28 Living End & Hallow One - 32:41 Bring to Light Scapeshift - 36:45 Why does Hollow One play bolt? - 52:05 Legacy - 57:05 Question of the week - 1:08:28 twitter.com/thegampodcast patreon.com/thegampodcast

In what could be the greatest episode yet, Gerry and Bryan tackle the subject of greatness. What does it mean to be "great" at something? What does it take to get there? What are some traits shared by people with the capability for greatness? Inspired by the movie "Whiplash," this is a can't miss "level up" episode, no matter your skill level. Whiplash the Movie - 3:15 Main topic - 5:49 How to measure greatness - 11:58 Finding the truth - 24:54 Being honest with yourself - 32:33 Time management - 41:51 Progress - 1:06:13 Question of the week - 1:16:51

After dipping his toes back into the waters of Modern, Gerry recounts his experience playing the innovative Human Company deck. What was good about the deck, and what fell short? There's still more Dominaria previews to go over and one hour wasn't nearly enough last time. As it turns out, this podcast wasn't enough either!

Gerry and Bryan waste some precious minutes bragging and talking about recent Standard and Modern trends, but then it's time for Dominaria! Classic characters as planeswalkers, new card types, beloved reprints, and homages position Dominaria to be the greatest Magic set of all time, and it's not enough to cover in just one episode.

Between SCG Worcester, the Magic Online Championship Series, and Gerry finally streaming Standard, there's a lot to talk about! Hear about Bryan's Legacy experience, what Gerry and Bryan thought about the MOCS results and their impact for Modern, and what Gerry likes in Standard. Grixis Delver - 1:34 MOCS - 10:51 Guillaume Bant - 13:06 Bogles & Tron - 15:42 Standard - 22:54 Grixis Energy - 28:01 Mono Red - 30:36 U/B Midrange - 32:12 Decks we might play - 57:42 Question of the week - 1:04:28

Bryan's Standard predictions are all coming to fruition! Is it time for Gerry to concede that he's been right all along? What happened at Grand Prix Memphis and where does Standard go from here? Also, what's going on in Legacy? Profane procession - 1:00 Hunter Burton Memorial Open - 6:42 GP Memphis - 10:50 Tyler's winning list - 18:51 Climb/Hydra list - 21:52 Mardu Vehicles - 26:44 B/R Aggro - 31:59 Brad's U/B Midrange - 34:00 U/B Control 37:57 Legacy 45:54 Legacy as Pro Tour format - 55:35 Question of the week - 58:37

Neither Standard nor Modern are in a solved state, so Gerry and Bryan share their thoughts on both formats thus far. Bryan convinces Gerry on a great choice for Standard and both discuss what the best Jace deck is. Standard level 0 decks 4:56 U/B Control - 8:42 Grixis - 13:56 G/W Aggro - 18:49 W/U Sram - 29:50 Modern 43:52 Zoo - 45:05 Modern Challenge decklists - 49:07 Jace decks - 53:04 What decks would we play? - 1:02:20 Question of the week - 1:06:15`

There's so much to cover in this episode! From Gerry's Pro Tour Rivals of Ixalan experience to Bryan's near miss at Grand Prix Toronto and the unbannings, get ready for the craziest Modern episode yet. With Jace, the Mind Sculptor and Bloodbraid Elf unleashed on Modern, where does the format go? Are Gerry and Bryan's decks of choice still viable? Gerry's Pro Tour recap - 2:17 Staticaster play & Top 8 - 19:04 HOF possibilities - 32:46 Unbans - 47:40 MTGO decklist change - 1:01:13 Patreon question - 1:04:05 https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/273374#paper https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/194915#paper

The first results of RIX Standard are in. What's killing it, what's underperforming, and what looks well-positioned in the coming weeks? Pro Tour Rivals of Ixalan is coming up, and it's Modern! Find out how Gerry and Bryan would approach selecting a deck for that tournament and what they have their eyes on. Standard week 1 price is right - 3:20 Mardu Vehicles - 8:05 Merfolk - 15:40 Modern Pro Tour - 26:07 Midrange decks - 33:19 Humans - 36:35 Will there be bans post pro tour? - 40:33 Amulet - 49:45 What are we playing in Standard? - 54:42

Gerry and Bryan go deep on a number of topics, including why everyone is in an uproar about the proposed economy for MTG Arena, why the Standard bannings are great (and why they're not), and what looks good going forward. Are Temur and Hazored dead? What have the two of them been playing in the "new" Standard format? Arena - 2:55 Standard bans - 8:28 The new metagame - 14:22 Profane Procession - 19:06 Mono-Red - 21:50 Temur - 25:31 Manabases - 32:46 Green's color identity in Standard - 35:54 Macro archetypes - 41:31 What decks are we playing - 48:57 Patreon question - 59:59

Gerry and Bryan reveal their Top 10 lists for Rivals of Ixalan and their lists aren't even close! Gerry #10 - 5:47 Bryan #10 - 9:48 Gerry #9 - 15:27 Bryan #9 - 20:27 Preorders - 24:12 Gerry #8 - 25:25 Bryan #8 - 25:27 Gerry #7 - 30:25 Bryan #7 - 36:23 Gerry #6 - 43:08 Bryan #5 - 47:49 Bryan #6 - 49:04 Gerry #5 - 52:55 Gerry #4 - 53:45 Bryan #4 - 55:25 Gerry #3 - 57:44 Bryan #3 - 58:55 Gerry #2 - 1:00:53 Gerry #1 - 1:01:55 patreon.com/thegampodcast twitter.com/thegampodcast

With Magic in a lull for a couple weeks, The GAM Podcast brings you a little bit of everything, including time stamps for your convenience! Favorite holiday movie - 2:03 Modern metagame - 4:19 Modern Pro Tour - 11:06 Printing only Modern legal cards - 14:39 Lantern (and polarizing decks) - 17:32 B/G Midrange - 30:55 Standard - 34:19 Yuuya Temur - 34:33 Big Sultai - 41:00 Bans in Standard? - 44:09 What to play in Hearthstone - 47:07 Christmas gifts - 49:09 GAM merchandise - 51:48 Patreon question of the week - 55:38

This episode is all things Modern! We talk about the rise of big mana, how to approach building a sideboard in Modern, and why Gerry had to go back on his word regarding U/W Control.

Gerry breaks down his World Magic Cup experience, how he went 8-1 with Sultai, plus the hows and whys of his success. Sultai is much better than people think it is! There have been some whispers of a potential Attune with Aether ban in Standard, but what do Bryan and Gerry think about that? With Grand Prix Oklahoma City coming up, there's also some Modern talk at the end.

In this timeless episode, Gerry and Bryan volunteer up some of their many weaknesses and discuss how they apply to Magic and life. Playing games competitively isn't as simple as playing the games. Sometimes it takes some real self-awareness to fix your weaknesses.

Despite spending a lengthy amount of time talking about Temur Energy and Ramunap Red, the real story of Standard is the new decks that are popping up. How do Temur and Red deal with these new threats and where does the metagame go next? Spoiler: Cut your Disenchants this weekend!

In this episode, Gerry breaks down his Pro Tour Ixalan experience, including the changes he made to his Temur Energy list to combat the field. Past that, there were six decks that did well at Pro Tour Ixalan that might still be under the radar.