Dominaria's Judgment

Last week we all made a horrifying discovery of something we already knew (Cascade is kinda messed up!) and watched Pioneer collapse on itself as a result. Since this recording Geological Appraiser has passed the test while any hosts foolish enough to register Quintorius got their ivory poached and bans are confirmed for Monday. Until then, we catch up on Vintage and Legacy ahead of Eternal Weekend NA in Pittsburgh, singing the praises of some decks and bombarding others with broadsides. Patreon / Twitter / Discord

After no changes, it's time to turn and face the strain. Ban talk is at a fever pitch, every MTGGoldfish screenshot of a Scam-infested Modern Challenge racks up hundreds of retweets and growls, and Grief has never been more aptly named. Elsewhere, the Beans talkers are obsessed with how to get an edge in the 4C mirror - the only thing that matters when everything else is too free for the Beans. Who needs to be taken down, how should they do it, and will we like what comes next? Show Notes Patreon / Twitter / Discord

Dom made a pilgrimage to Madison, Wisconsin last month to defend the honour of King Charles or Cube trying. In this solo episode he gives a report from this four-day Cube extravaganza, the lessons for Cube designers and drafters, and reflects on why Magic and Cube are pretty cool if you think about it. 00:00 An ode to Magic, Cube, and CubeCon  33:12 Wisconsin vs England! 37:02 Companion Cube Main Event Day 1  42:50 - Changeling Cube + breaking (down) new formats 58:45 - Artifact Cube + not hosing your own theme  1:03:25 - Creative Cube + the nature of synergy vs goodstuff  Main Event Day 2 1:18:10 - Buildaround Cube + interaction in a world of synergy  1:27:27 - Cascade Cube + the joy of the unknown  1:36:19 - Tiny Leaders + curves 1:42:43 - Interlude + Top 64 + Duplicate Team Sealed  1:46:25 - Vintage Cube but not as we know it Deck Pics/Notes Cube Lists Written Report + General Cube Stuff

Special guests are out and regular programming has resumed as your beloved hosts are back to break down an Ixalan set that actually has some cool cards this time! But first, a catchup on the discourse of the past few weeks, from play boosters (remember those?) to the Marvelisation of Magic past and present and even a vibe ranking of European cities that you might remember from a failed GP visit years ago (maybe not Berlin...) 21:20 LCI Previews Patreon / Twitter / Discord

As Dom and Ari swap their absentee roles for a bit, Gavin "alfaphrog" Thompson steps in to chat about the world of competitive Magic Online cube. How different are the try hard queues from your normal Vintage cube leagues, and what can be learned about drafting and building cubes from the experience of aiming to win over drafting the coolest Storm deck? Patreon / Twitter / Discord

With Ari off scaling the beanstalks of the Mediterranean, noted JOTS (Jarvis of the show) Jarvis Yu steps in for a rapid reaction to Monday's announcements and non-announcements. The nature of Booster Draft may or may not be able to change forever while Modern is chugging along as our previous guests do everything in their power to show why this visit to Eldraine may cause lasting damage too. Patreon / Twitter / Discord

Simon Nielsen has always been a fan favourite but he's no underdog now - he's the 2023 Player of the Year in a season that also saw historic runs from several of his comrades on Team Handshake. He loves giving interviews and he was kind enough to give us one this week, taking Dom through his background as a rising star first in Denmark and then the European and global GP circuit to his domination of online OP and the Pro Tour after its return to paper.  Competitive Magic with the Karnies (+ Simon) PT LOTR Draft Deep Dive Simon's YouTube channel Simon's coaching on Metafy Patreon / Twitter / Discord