The First Pioneers

#88 - Challenging Pioneer

A few weeks back Wizards of the Coast announced they would be releasing Pioneer Challenger decks for players both new to the format as well as those looking for a competitive deck that does more damage to your opponents than to your wallet. No stranger to building on a budget and brewing decks in the Pioneer format, the First Pioneers were very impressed with what Wizards released. So much that we wanted to know more about how the new challenger decks came to be.

 

We reached out and got a hold of Michael Hinderaker, a Game Designer at Wizards of the Coast who worked on the Pioneer Challenger decks and picked his brain about each and every choice he made while he put them together. If you have ever wondered about the process Game Designers go through when they produce supplemental material like this and about the hard choices they have to make to keep the decks fair and affordable, you don't want to miss this week's episode!

 

Our Discord: https://discord.gg/SBRF8DH

Our Twitter: https://twitter.com/MtgPioneer

#87 - The Midnight Hunt Brew Episode

While everybody loves spoiler season and seeing all the new cards, the second best thing about a new set is all the wonderful new brews it brings. Innistrad: Midnight Hunt was chock full of tribal cards for wolves, vampires, and zombies, but it also brought the Flashback mechanic back to us. We also got a number of other interesting cards that could super charge some lesser known archetypes that had been lost to time and the metagame. MTGO grinder extraordinaire EkerossMTG joins the First Pioneers after his short vacation from streaming to talk about how excited he is to brew with this new set.

I can proudly say that this episode is heavy with jank and that we explored quite a bit of the lesser known archetypes of Pioneer in this episode. If you have any cool brews you'd like to share with us, be sure to check out our Discord and post it in either our Channel O' Jank or Decklist channel. Looking forward to seeing what you came up with!

 

Our Discord: https://discord.gg/SBRF8DH

Our Twitter: https://twitter.com/MtgPioneer

#86 - Midnight Hunt Pioneer Set Review

MTGO end boss ClaudiohMTG joins First Pioneer host Kevin Finkle and special guest Jonathan Medina for the set review of Innistrad: Midnight Hunt! We've always wanted to have a competitive player on a set review and thankfully Claudioh answered the call! With Ryan taking the week off, the focus shifted more to competitive playable Pioneer cards, but as always Mr. Medina is there to keep the dream of Timmy's alive. Whether you're a brewer, a competitive grinder, or a casual Pioneer player, you'll want to hear about all the new set has to offer.

 

You can check out our Top 5 lists in our discord, and don't be afraid to add your own as well!

 

Our Discord: https://discord.gg/SBRF8DH

Our Twitter: https://twitter.com/MtgPioneer

# 85 - Heavy Rotation 2

Back in the day standard rotations didn't mean much in Magic the Gathering. Most cards that were popular in eternal formats or in EDH were bought early and when sets did leave the standard environment those cards usually cratered in price. But with Pioneer to pick more of the misfit cards that don't belong in older formats, will this still be the case? In the second ever standard rotation with Pioneer as an eternal format, The First Pioneers thought it would be a good idea to check out what deals could be had on some of these cards while their use as at it's lowest and their supply is at its peak.

 

This week we talk about which cards from M21, Ikoria, Theros Beyond Death, and Throne of Eldraine are worth picking up for Pioneer and also talk about how the new Pioneer Challenger decks will affect prices too. If you didn't go out and buy cards after our Paper Pioneer Collection episodes, this could be your last chance to do so before Pioneer takes off! As always, if you think we missed any cards that would be a good pick up at rotation, be sure to join the conversation in our Discord and on Twitter to let us know!

 

Our Discord: https://discord.gg/SBRF8DH

Our Twitter: https://twitter.com/MtgPioneer

#84 - Midnight Mechanics

The Midnight Hunt spoiler season has been teased but with only a few more weeks to go until it is released, we couldn't wait to talk about it any longer. While it's unfortunate there hasn't been any new cards added to the spoiler in more than a week, what we DO know about the set so far has our imaginations working in over drive. In today's episode The First Pioneers and guest host EkerossMTG talk about what's shown up so far from Midnight Hunt and how it could fit into Pioneer, what past plane of Innistrad cards we'd love to see reprinted for the format, and also how Flashback will impact it. We're hoping that Wizards will start to shake the format up with even more past mechanics like Flashback in the future and even talk about which ones we'd like to see in Pioneer the most!

 

If you want to share your list of mechanics you'd like to see show up in or just want to join in the conversation, come say hello on Twitter or in our Discord!

 

Our Discord: https://discord.gg/SBRF8DH

Our Twitter: https://twitter.com/MtgPioneer

#83 - Pioneer on a Budget: Summer 2021 Edition

It has been a while since we worked on some budget builds of the best decks in Pioneer, but with all the renewed interest in the format we thought it would be both a fun exercise and a way to help those new people getting into the format without breaking the bank. The question is, can you still win with a budget version of the best decks in the format? The First Pioneers, along with budget Pioneer deck aficionado ServoToken, try to prove that you can. We go over semi-budget $120 versions, as well as budget $50 decks of Mono black aggro, Phoenix, Spirits, Ensoul Artifacts, Enigmatic Incarnation, as well as Black/Red Arcanist so whatever your price point we got your covered.

 

After you listen, be sure to tell us which versions are your favorite on our discord or Twitter!

 

Our Discord: https://discord.gg/SBRF8DH

Our Twitter: https://twitter.com/MtgPioneer

#82 - Pioneer Reborn

There has been a lot of news and buzz surrounding Pioneer over the last week or so and we wanted to talk about what this means for the format. It all started with the announcement of Historic Horizons on Arena, and once it was revealed that the format could only ever be played online, people suddenly gave Pioneer a second look as a paper format. Who's talking about it? What are people saying? And what does this mean for Pioneer going forward? We discuss the implications of the Arena announcement and cover all the other Pioneer news that came out recently in this week's topic.

 

Our Discord: https://discord.gg/SBRF8DH

Our Twitter: https://twitter.com/MtgPioneer

# 81 - Pioneer 101: UB Control

Control players unite! Your archetype is not dead or forgotten in Pioneer! You just need a hero who will carry the mantle of "Draw Go" on their shoulders into battle, and that hero is UB Control specialist Harry13SCO, MTGO grinder and Twitch Streamer. Fresh off of multiple top finishes with his deck in various MTGO Pioneer events, we thought it would be a great time to have him on the show to help people wrap their heads around how to play the deck, how to play against it, and how to win with it.

 

A long time player of Pioneer, his wisdom and experience of the deck should help you master this archetype in time for your next Pioneer event, be it online or in paper as more people get vaccinated in your area!

 

Find his deck in our discord and join the discussion!

Our Discord: https://discord.gg/SBRF8DH

Our Twitter: https://twitter.com/MtgPioneer

# 80 - First Foray into the Forgotten Realms Pioneer Metagame

MTGO streamers and grinders Harry13SCO and EkerossMTG join us on this week's show to talk about how the new AFR Pioneer metagame is shaping up, how their decks are doing, what cards they are most excited about, as well as where they think the metagame is going. If you're looking to jump into competitive Pioneer this season, be sure to to check out this episode for insight into the new decks as well as what you should look out for when you start playing.

 

You can find each player on both Twitter and Twitch respectively at Harry13SCO and EkerossMTG. Also be sure to jump into our discord if you want to talk about everything that's going on in Pioneer!

 

Our Discord: https://discord.gg/SBRF8DH

Our Twitter: https://twitter.com/MtgPioneer

#79 - Building Your Paper Pioneer Collection - Colorless, Artifacts, Lands, and 3 Colors or more

We wrap up our series on building your Paper Pioneer collection this week with probably one of the most relevant episodes. Mana bases are the most important part of any format and with all the choices that Pioneer offers, which ones should you be investing in? We go over which color producing lands you should get as well as what the best utility lands are before diving into the most integral artifacts in Pioneer and what 3 color or more multicolor cards should be on your radar.

 

Whether you are a competitive player trying to build your gauntlet of decks or a brewer wanting to do powerful and fun things, be sure to check out this episode before you start building decks and buying cards! Also, if you have any other tips or suggestions about which cards people should pick up in Paper, join our Discord or give us a follow on Twitter! We'd love to have you in on the discussion!

 

Our Discord: https://discord.gg/SBRF8DH

Our Twitter: https://twitter.com/MtgPioneer