The Gam Podcast

Strap in. The boys have opinions. $250 dollar booster packs stuffed with cards you can't play anywhere, one of the worst designs in Magic history, the foretold Post Malone Secret Lair, and, of course, Transformers... It's been a heck of a week. And it's got one of the hosts contemplating a move they've never considered before. Did we just reach Magic's tipping point? Also, how about another preview season!? Music: Mega Man 2 "Ending theme" Remix by zookun | Music composed by Manami Matsumae & Takashi Tateishi arenadecklists.gg patreon.com/arenadecklists twitch.tv/arenadecklists youtube.com/arenadecklists twitter.com/arenadecklists twitter.com/g3rryt twitter.com/bryango

Bryan couldn’t make it this week, so Gerry recruited Pioneer specialist Todd Anderson to hang out, catch up, and get his perspective on Pioneer and which decks are actually good. Music: Mega Man 2 "Ending theme" Remix by zookun | Music composed by Manami Matsumae & Takashi Tateishi Timestamps: Cooking & Streaming with Todd - 1:21 OP system thoughts - 25:19 Mono-Green - 43:24 Abzan Greasefang - 49:37 Mono-White Humans - 55:15 Rakdos Midrange - 58:36 Azorius Control - 1:07:16 Spirits - 1:08:31 Jund Sac - 1:10:04 Izzet Phoenix - 1:12:29 Lotus Field - 1:17:47 Mono-Red - 1:20:35 arenadecklists.gg patreon.com/arenadecklists twitch.tv/arenadecklists youtube.com/arenadecklists twitter.com/arenadecklists twitter.com/g3rryt twitter.com/bryango

Standard season marches on and the first seeds of innovation have been planted. Gruul Aggro, Bant, and Izzet Control have begun to make appearances, but there's even wackier stuff going on if you're willing to dig a little deeper. Plus, you know the boys love them some discourse--what's their take on Unfinity preview season? Music: Mega Man 2 "Ending theme" Remix by zookun | Music composed by Manami Matsumae & Takashi Tateishi Timestamps: Unfinity & Pauper - 19:18 Standard Challenges - 43:40 arenadecklists.gg patreon.com/arenadecklists twitch.tv/arenadecklists youtube.com/arenadecklists twitter.com/arenadecklists twitter.com/g3rryt twitter.com/bryango

The boys are doing their best to diversify. Obviously there are post-Dominaria check-ins on Standard, Modern, and Pioneer. But would you believe the boys find the time to talk Limited and gasp Legacy this week!!?? Find out what's got the guys waxing on every format in Magic, and why Scarwood hag is way closer to a masterpiece than a disaster. https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/event-coverage/video-draft-tech-mill-yourself-gerry-thompson-2011-11-18 Music: Mega Man 2 "Ending theme" Remix by zookun | Music composed by Manami Matsumae & Takashi Tateishi Timestamps: Legacy - 1:20 Black Midrange in Standard - 19:10 Pioneer - 34:51 Design question for Bryan - 39:46 Throwing shade at Andrew Brown - 52:26 Modern - 1:01:04 arenadecklists.gg patreon.com/arenadecklists twitch.tv/arenadecklists youtube.com/arenadecklists twitter.com/arenadecklists twitter.com/g3rryt twitter.com/bryango

Dominaria United is a difficult set to evaluate, but Gerry and Bryan are going to try. With several cards on the Top 10 list that are either busted or unplayable, it's an episode that's... interesting. Timestamps: Honorable mentions - 3:18 10 - 15:06 9 - 17:12 8 - 20:39 7 - 24:31 6 - 25:56 5 - 27:15 4 - 29:30 3 - 31:07 2 - 33:11 1 - 38:10 arenadecklists.gg patreon.com/arenadecklists twitch.tv/arenadecklists youtube.com/arenadecklists twitter.com/arenadecklists twitter.com/g3rryt twitter.com/bryango

Week 1 of Magic’s newest set is in the books, and the boys are hard at work reviewing the results. Find out what’s impressed so far in Standard, Pioneer, and even get a quick check in on Modern! Music: Mega Man 2 "Ending theme" Remix by zookun | Music composed by Manami Matsumae & Takashi Tateishi arenadecklists.gg patreon.com/arenadecklists twitch.tv/arenadecklists youtube.com/arenadecklists twitter.com/arenadecklists twitter.com/g3rryt twitter.com/bryango

Dominaria United is a difficult set to evaluate, but Gerry and Bryan are going to try. With several cards on the Top 10 list that are either busted or unplayable, it's an episode that's... interesting. Music: Mega Man 2 "Ending theme" Remix by zookun | Music composed by Manami Matsumae & Takashi Tateishi Timestamps: Honorable mentions - 3:18 10 - 15:06 9 - 17:12 8 - 20:39 7 - 24:31 6 - 25:56 5 - 27:15 4 - 29:30 3 - 31:07 2 - 33:11 1 - 38:10 arenadecklists.gg patreon.com/arenadecklists twitch.tv/arenadecklists youtube.com/arenadecklists twitter.com/arenadecklists twitter.com/g3rryt twitter.com/bryango

At this point, Dominaria United is out on MTG Arena, but Gerry and Bryan haven't even finished reviewing the set yet! Get their final thoughts before their Top 10 show in a couple days. Music: Mega Man 2 "Ending theme" Remix by zookun | Music composed by Manami Matsumae & Takashi Tateishi Timestamps: Defiler of Instinct - 4:21 The Elder Dragon War - 7:30 Radha's Firebrand - 9:25 Squee, Dubious Monarch - 16:15 Sprouting Goblin - 19:13 Hurloon Battle Hymn- 21:50 Fires of Victory - 23:12 Electrostatic Infantry - 25:34 Phoenix Chick - 27:21 Silverback Elder - 30:30 The World Spell - 35:54 Urborg Lhurgoyf - 37:42 Defiler of Vigor - 38:39 Leaf-Crowned Visionary - 41:06 Quirion Beastcaller - 41:55 Llanowar Greenwidow - 43:17 Tear Asunder - 46:08 Ajani, Sleeper Agent - 47:23 Rith, Liberated Primeval - 54:33 Soul of Windgrace - 1:01:29 Ertai Resurrected - 1:03:52 Meria, Scholar of Antiquity - 1:06:52 Stenn, Paranoid Partisan - 1:09:32 Uurg, Spawn of Turg 1:11:23 Baird, Argivian Recruiter - 1:12:29 Karn, Living

After missing last week, Gerry and Bryan have plenty of Dominaria United previews to catch up on. There's not one, but two cards Gerry thinks were made just for him, and that's just in the first half of the set! Music: Mega Man 2 "Ending theme" Remix by zookun | Music composed by Manami Matsumae & Takashi Tateishi Timestamps: Serra Paragon - 8:09 Valiant Veteran - 11:33 Leyline Binding - 12:36 Danitha, Benalia's Hope - 15:19 Anointed Peacekeeper - 16:36 Defiler of Faith - 18:39 Guardian of New Benalia - 22:45 Aether Channeler - 26:33 Vodalian Hexcatcher - 28:36 Haughty Djinn - 30:03 Vodalian Mindsinger - 32:08 Defiler of Dreams - 33:37 Founding the Third Path - 35:28 Joint Exploration - 38:30 Protect the Negotiators - 40:44 Tolarian Terror - 41:34 Liliana of the Veil - 44:06 Sheoldred the Apocolypse - 45:53 Drag to the Bottom - 47:59 Defiler of Flesh - 49:19 Stronghold Arena - 51:05 Braids, Arisen Nightmare - 54:41 Sheoldred's Restoration - 56:12 Pilfer - 57:52 Cut Down - 1:01:15 Writhing Necromass - 1:

As the qualifying season continues, Gerry and Bryan continue to keep tabs on all of the most important news and formats. This week, the boys are talking about Modern, Magic’s 30 anniversary celebration, and their favorite genres of music. Music: Mega Man 2 "Ending theme" Remix by zookun | Music composed by Manami Matsumae & Takashi Tateishi arenadecklists.gg patreon.com/arenadecklists twitch.tv/arenadecklists youtube.com/arenadecklists twitter.com/arenadecklists twitter.com/g3rryt twitter.com/bryango

Despite already having his invite, Gerry hit the road to observe a few Pioneer PTQs this week. Hear what underappreciated tool he built his deck around as the boys weigh in on all the best decks in Pioneer. And this time around, they're reading the front AND THE BACK of their cards! Timestamps: Bryan's RCQ - 3:20 Mono Green - 19:17 Rakdos Sacrifice - 28:46 Judges at PTQs - 42:58 Music: Mega Man 2 "Ending theme" Remix by zookun | Music composed by Manami Matsumae & Takashi Tateishi arenadecklists.gg patreon.com/arenadecklists twitch.tv/arenadecklists youtube.com/arenadecklists twitter.com/arenadecklists twitter.com/g3rryt twitter.com/bryango

The boys are back with a show covering a menagerie of topics, including their first impressions of Dominaria United! Also featuring Bryan’s PTQ top 8 flameout, how and when to goldfish, recruiting others to join your cult, and the importance of clear communication in Magic. Something for everyone! Music: Mega Man 2 "Ending theme" Remix by zookun | Music composed by Manami Matsumae & Takashi Tateishi arenadecklists.gg patreon.com/arenadecklists twitch.tv/arenadecklists youtube.com/arenadecklists twitter.com/arenadecklists twitter.com/g3rryt twitter.com/bryango

It's been a while, but Gerry played paper Magic and won his first RCQ with the Omnath deck he's been talking about for months. Is 4c Omnath the absolute best deck to be playing in Modern or are there weaknesses to exploit? Music: Mega Man 2 "Ending theme" Remix by zookun | Music composed by Manami Matsumae & Takashi Tateishi arenadecklists.gg patreon.com/arenadecklists twitch.tv/arenadecklists youtube.com/arenadecklists twitter.com/arenadecklists twitter.com/g3rryt twitter.com/bryango

With their first PTQs just around the corner, it's time for the guys to get to work and do some playtesting. Thankfully, one of them seems to understand that, and Gerry has a weekend's worth of observations about the best decks in Modern. And Bryan... well he definitely bought some new Magic cards! You can't say the team doesn't understand their strengths and weaknesses! Music: Mega Man 2 "Ending theme" Remix by zookun | Music composed by Manami Matsumae & Takashi Tateishi Timestamps: Marvel Snap - 9:27 Steam deck - 24:31 Modern metagame - 27:50 arenadecklists.gg patreon.com/arenadecklists twitch.tv/arenadecklists youtube.com/arenadecklists twitter.com/arenadecklists twitter.com/g3rryt twitter.com/bryango

PTQs are in full swing, including on Magic Online where huge fields competed in both Pioneer and Modern. Find out what the boys are sleeving up for their own events, and what they think of this week’s developments. Music: Mega Man 2 "Ending theme" Remix by zookun | Music composed by Manami Matsumae & Takashi Tateishi arenadecklists.gg patreon.com/arenadecklists twitch.tv/arenadecklists youtube.com/arenadecklists twitter.com/arenadecklists twitter.com/g3rryt twitter.com/bryango

Just like old times, the boys are doing their best to get everyone ready for a PTQ season! This particular episode is designed to serve as a timeless guide to the small steps you can take along the way to guide yourself to success. From deck selection tips to evaluating your opponents, there’s something here to give everyone the edge they’re searching for in securing that (now hypothetical) blue envelope! Music: Mega Man 2 "Ending theme" Remix by zookun | Music composed by Manami Matsumae & Takashi Tateishi arenadecklists.gg patreon.com/arenadecklists twitch.tv/arenadecklists youtube.com/arenadecklists twitter.com/arenadecklists twitter.com/g3rryt twitter.com/bryango

With Bryan working on other things, it’s up to Gerry to teach him everything he needs to know about Explorer! Bryan wants to know which decks are best, how the metagame is shifting, and even forces Gerry to give his personal recommendations. Music: Mega Man 2 "Ending theme" Remix by zookun | Music composed by Manami Matsumae & Takashi Tateishi arenadecklists.gg patreon.com/arenadecklists twitch.tv/arenadecklists youtube.com/arenadecklists twitter.com/arenadecklists twitter.com/g3rryt twitter.com/bryango

With Bryan currently traveling across the world, Gerry is joined by Dreamhack Dallas winner Mason Clark. They talk about how he keeps winning with Omnath in Modern, why they call him eSports, and even drop some hot takes. Music: Mega Man 2 "Ending theme" Remix by zookun | Music composed by Manami Matsumae & Takashi Tateishi Timestamps: Dreamhack Dallas Modern discussion - 13:19 Pioneer Bans - 1:11:16 arenadecklists.gg patreon.com/arenadecklists twitch.tv/arenadecklists youtube.com/arenadecklists twitter.com/arenadecklists twitter.com/g3rryt twitter.com/bryango

And we do mean brief. The boys intended to talk about Arena’s newest format in depth but pressing matters like turtles, international travel, and the difference between the bourgeoisie and the proletariat took over the broadcast. We’ll get ‘em next time! Music: Mega Man 2 "Ending theme" Remix by zookun | Music composed by Manami Matsumae & Takashi Tateishi Timestamps: Bryan's travel - 1:00 Pete from SCG interview - 27:23 Sealed PTQ results - 54:15 Explorer - 1:12:01 arenadecklists.gg patreon.com/arenadecklists twitch.tv/arenadecklists youtube.com/arenadecklists twitter.com/arenadecklists twitter.com/g3rryt twitter.com/bryango

#MTGSNC had a huge impact on Standard. Gerry and Bryan cover the highlights and innovation of this powerful eight set Standard format (and the pitfalls of hosting large tournaments on MTG Arena). Music: Mega Man 2 "Ending theme" Remix by zookun | Music composed by Manami Matsumae & Takashi Tateishi Timestamps: Streets of New Capenna championship - 13:31 Arena problems - 18:39 Historic - 35:44 Standard metagame breakdown - 40:48 arenadecklists.gg patreon.com/arenadecklists twitch.tv/arenadecklists youtube.com/arenadecklists twitter.com/arenadecklists twitter.com/g3rryt twitter.com/bryango