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Keeping you up to date with what is new, interesting and powerful in the Magic the Gathering Pioneer format
Episodes
Monday May 03, 2021
Monday May 03, 2021
Following up our set review and brew episode, we had a lot of ideas for cards we thought were good but just couldn't find a home. Lots of these cards we considered from the Pioneer card pool seemed good, so why weren't they seeing any play? The First Pioneers needed a bigger brain to figure it out so we got the biggest brain we could think of, MTGO streamer ClaudiohMTG!
In this week's show we talk about which cards we think are good enough for Pioneer but haven't found a home yet (or currently don't have one). Claudioh plays the role of the "fun police", shutting down any cards that might be deemed too ridiculous to be playable, while Kevin and Ryan throw a wide range of ideas at him. We consider why these cards don't have a home, what archetype they could possibly fit into, and also what kind of deck would want them in the future. Whether you're a brewer or a competitive player looking for alternative cards for your decks, you'll want to listen to this week's episode!
As always, you can find our information on our Discord channel and are welcome to further discuss this topic so don't be a stranger and hop on in! You can also follow us on Twitter!
(NOTE: Apologies for some of the audio issues we had in recording this episode).
Our Discord: https://discord.gg/SBRF8DH
Our Twitter: https://twitter.com/MtgPioneer
Sunday Apr 25, 2021
Sunday Apr 25, 2021
Brewing around cards from a new set is one of my favorite times of the year, and it's also the one time I can convince my cohost Kevin to think as janky as possible. There are a number of build around cards in Strixhaven, and while we couldn't talk about all of them today we did do quite a few! We have combos, control, and killer cards galore in this week's episode! It's also our first time taking listener submitted decklists and talking about them on the show so if you want to share your brews next time and get a shoutout on air be sure to join our discord or follow us on Twitter!
(NOTE: All decklists can be found on our Discord if you'd like to see them in full!)
Our Discord: https://discord.gg/SBRF8DH
Our Twitter: https://twitter.com/MtgPioneer
Monday Apr 19, 2021
Monday Apr 19, 2021
Once more into the fray.
Jonathan Medina of Medina Streams on Twitch is back along with the First Pioneers to finish up all of the cards we couldn't talk about in last week's podcast. There are untold possibilities that Strixhaven could bring to the Pioneer format and we wanted to make sure all of our bases were covered. Today's topic centers around all of the Strixhaven two color school cards, as well as our top 5 for the whole set.
As always you can count on Kevin to be the voice of reason and competitive cards, Jonathan to mix in some EDH and talk about the buzz that's been going around the MTG community, and Ryan to bring you some sweet, sweet jank. This episode has all of those in spades! Be sure to give it a listen!
Our Discord: https://discord.gg/SBRF8DH
Our Twitter: https://twitter.com/MtgPioneer
Monday Apr 12, 2021
Monday Apr 12, 2021
It's that season again and after checking out the full Strixhaven spoiler last week the First Pioneers dialed up their good friend Jonathan Medina (from MedinaStreams on Twitch and medina_mtg on Twitter) and asked him to hang out and go over all of the Pioneer possibilities of the new set. We talked competitive cards, we talked jank, and we also talked about cards that we thought would be fun overall in the Pioneer format. This week's show covers only the mono colored cards so be sure to join us next week when we cover the multi-color and all the others!
If you have some suggestions about what cards will be good from Strixhaven that we didn't talk about, want to share some new brews, or want to add some information to what we said in the show, join our Discord chat or send us a line on Twitter! We'd love to have you in the discussion!
Our Discord: https://discord.gg/SBRF8DH
Our Twitter: https://twitter.com/MtgPioneer
Monday Apr 05, 2021
Monday Apr 05, 2021
Strixhaven is giving us some interesting one drops which got us thinking; just how important are one drops in a format and which ones are playable in Pioneer? We wanted to discuss which one drops were playable and the decks they were being played in, so who better to have on as a guest than Conorman11? Conorman11 is a Twitch streamer of all things aggro on MTGO, focusing mainly on the Pioneer and Modern formats. He's brought us interesting Pioneer decks such as Hammertime and RW Vehicles, and also has a lot of experience with BW humans and RW Burn. If you want to do things fast, Conorman is the person to talk to.
From creatures, to spells, to sideboard cards, we got it all covered. Decks need to have a good one drop, so before you go building your next tribal deck or beatdown strategy, be sure to give this episode a listen!
(NOTE: We had some audio issues and parts of the podcast had to be cut to preserve quality. We apologize if it sounds strange in some parts).
Our Discord: https://discord.gg/SBRF8DH
Our Twitter: https://twitter.com/MtgPioneer
Monday Mar 29, 2021
Monday Mar 29, 2021
It's only a matter of time until Pioneer is available on Arena, and when it finally does become available players can expect some of the same treatment that Standard and Historic gets on the platform. One such feature of having an online platform is letting people play test what it would be like if certain cards were removed from a format without actually banning the cards. This is what the MTG Arena team has dubbed "Shakeups". They choose a number of cards to be removed from either Standard or Historic and then sit back and watch.
Now what if this feature was available in Pioneer? What cards would be removed and how would the format settle without them? This week the First Pioneers chose which cards had the biggest impact on the Pioneer format and removed them to see how Pioneer would react. Does the new version of the format still seem enjoyable? Do your favorite cards survive? And last but not least, is your 'jank' now playable? (short answer is probably not ;) ). Be sure to listen to this week's podcast and join us on Twitter and Discord to share what decks you would play during a "Pioneer Shakeup"!
Our Discord: https://discord.gg/SBRF8DH
Our Twitter: https://twitter.com/MtgPioneer
Sunday Mar 21, 2021
Sunday Mar 21, 2021
Card evaluation isn't an exact science. We've done a lot of set reviews with special guest Jonathan Medina on our show since the Pioneer format started back in 2019. We've made a lot of crazy calls, evaluated some cards incorrectly, and sometimes forgot to talk about some playable cards altogether. But on the other hand we also made some really good picks and while everyone might not have agreed with us initially it does feel good to finally be validated.
Covering Theros Beyond Death, Ikoria, the M21 Core Set, and Zendikar Rising, today the First Pioneers talk about how we feel about the correct calls we made about Pioneer playable cards, why we think the incorrect ones didn't pan out, and if we think there is still hope for some of these cards we were originally very high on.
Feel free to check out our original episodes down below or join our discord to talk about what we got right and poke fun at us for what we got wrong!
- Zendikar Rising Part 1
- Zendikar Rising Part 2
- M21 Core Set
- Ikoria
- Theros Beyond Death Set Review Part 1
- Theros Beyond Death Set Review Part 2
Our Discord: https://discord.gg/SBRF8DH
Our Twitter: https://twitter.com/MtgPioneer
Sunday Mar 14, 2021
Sunday Mar 14, 2021
Sideboarding can be tough, especially with a metagame that changes every season. Just because a card was good in a previous season doesn't mean it will still be worth a sideboard slot in this one. You also have to consider how important the sideboard card is which then in turn affects how many slots you devote to it. Do you have enough exile effects? Enough disruption? Enough targeted hate cards?
In this week's episode The First Pioneers focus on how important sideboarding is in the Pioneer format and discuss multiple strategies for dealing with various archetypes. We suggest numerous cards that you should consider for you sideboard and also which types of cards you absolutely MUST have in it. As the format settles this season, make sure you're ready for whatever comes your way!
Be sure to join our discord and follow us on Twitter if you have some more suggestions and want to join the conversation!
Our Discord: https://discord.gg/SBRF8DH
Our Twitter: https://twitter.com/MtgPioneer
Monday Mar 08, 2021
Monday Mar 08, 2021
The bannings in Pioneer not only let the decks that were being held back by Uro and Teferi shine, but they also opened the format to a much larger variety of strategies we had never seen before. We only had a few weeks to enjoy Kaldheim in the format before the bans shook the format to its core. Now the door has been flung open and anything seems possible. A huge number of "Rogue" decks that previously didn't exist as an archetype in Pioneer are putting up good numbers and creating utter chaos in the metagame.
In this week Martin Porter, aka Harry13SCO on Twitch and Twitter, joins us once again to discuss just which of these new rogue decks have what it takes to rise to the top and become a permanent part of the Pioneer scene. If you're looking for some new strategies to try out or just can't make heads or tails of the Kaldheim meta, give it a listen and join the conversation in our Discord and on Twitter!
Our Discord: https://discord.gg/SBRF8DH
Our Twitter: https://twitter.com/MtgPioneer
Sunday Feb 28, 2021
Sunday Feb 28, 2021
A format is the sums of all its sets, and not just the best cards in it. Pioneer has been around for more than a year now and has seen many cards come and go due to bannings and the ever evolving metagame. Just because you only see the best cards show up in top decklists doesn't mean the format is figured out or that another card isn't good. It just means that there's still so much to learn. When Kevin and I first started this series last year we set out with one mission in mind:
Explore the Pioneer format.
With today's final episode on Ravnica, we bring the series to a close. We talk about the mechanics, the archetypes, and the best cards the plane has to bring to the Pioneer format and discuss all the possibilities available to us with these cards. Covering 7 sets, (including War of the Spark) was no easy task and choosing the best cards wasn't simple either. If you're a fan of brewing, new to the Pioneer format and what kind of things you can do with the cards available to you, or if you're just curious which cards are the best from the plane, you'll definitely want to listen.
If you're interested in hearing the rest of the series, I've compiled a list for you so you can check them out when you have the time! We've explored the format so you don't have to do it yourself!
- Dominaria and Origins
- Kaladesh (basically a Planes episode)
- Theros
- Tarkir
- The Core Sets
- Zendikar
- Ixalan and Amonkhet
- Innistrad (with special guest Christian Calcano!)
JOIN THE DISCUSSION ON OUR TWITTER OR DISCORD!
Our Discord: https://discord.gg/SBRF8DH
Our Twitter: https://twitter.com/MtgPioneer