0:00

When it's it's PCS time, know you

0:02

know the drill. research to new base, get

0:05

the get the kids in school,

0:07

because family supports family. At

0:09

American Public University, we support military

0:11

families with flexible, affordable online

0:13

education that moves with you. As

0:15

a military spouse, your tuition

0:18

rate is the same as your

0:20

your just rate is credit hour. your

0:22

American Public University, hour. that moves

0:24

with you. Learn more

0:27

at that moves with you. .edu slash

0:29

military. military. The pandemic

0:31

may have faded from the

0:33

headlines, but for some reason the

0:35

questions haven't. Was COVID actually

0:37

a natural disaster? What

0:39

happens when the scientists and the science are

0:41

at odds? Who are we supposed

0:44

to trust? From award

0:46

-winning director, Jenner First, check

0:48

out his new documentary,

0:50

Thank You Dr. Fauci, available

0:52

now. Go

0:54

to TYDFmovie.com to learn

0:56

more. Hello,

1:11

and welcome to the EDH Retcast,

1:13

where we're all about commander, data,

1:15

and dad jokes. I'm Joey Shultz

1:17

and I'm joined by my fantastic

1:19

co -host. Up first, he loves

1:21

that the card Sire of Seven

1:23

Deaths rules text is technically a

1:25

haiku. It's Matt Morgan. So

1:27

did you know that when Lord of the Rings

1:29

first came out, they made a LEGO set for

1:31

it, and they had all the different characters on

1:33

there, but they couldn't get Orlando Bloom to sign

1:35

over rights? And when they asked him, why couldn't

1:37

you sign, they said, well, it makes sense, doesn't

1:39

it? Because I am LEGO -less. Wow.

1:42

Okay. Cool. see now Matt you're

1:44

just making me wonder whether there's going

1:46

to be a universe is beyond

1:48

Lego Lord of the Rings magic set

1:50

like is that gonna happen I

1:52

wouldn't put it past them at this

1:54

point I really wouldn't honestly yeah

1:56

all right up next he looks fondly

1:58

at 2024 because Because he thinks

2:01

that means having a creature with

2:03

a creature 24 toughness, 24 toughness, it's Dana Roach.

2:05

I've said first thing I want

2:07

to do in 2025 is make

2:09

breakfast. I I figured the best

2:11

way to start a new

2:13

year is with a toast. with

2:15

a toast. Sounds delicious sounds delicious and I'm

2:17

on board. I love that. Even I

2:19

I can't screw up making toast.

2:21

Well, hopefully you Well, hopefully you don't

2:23

get things too scrambled on your

2:25

end, on Dana, I cannot say the

2:27

same for myself. I burn lots

2:29

of things when I cook. burn

2:31

what are we talking about this

2:34

week, Dana? are we talking We are

2:36

going to be doing the going

2:38

to be doing the which are

2:40

the best cards of the

2:42

year the year 2024. Yeah, we're we're taking

2:44

a really interesting look at the cards from

2:46

this past year and which ones deserve the

2:48

top spots. top spots and fun stuff that we've seen

2:50

throughout the year. Basically kind of want to

2:53

like, you know, end this year on a

2:55

high note celebrating the really cool cards that

2:57

we got. But we've got a couple of

2:59

things to get to before we dive into

3:01

that main topic. This show is being

3:03

brought to you by But we've got a our favorite

3:05

way to turn unplayed magic cards into that cards.

3:07

You add money to your Cardsphere account either

3:09

by sending out cards to people or it

3:12

it like you would into any and people will

3:14

send you their their the price to pick you

3:16

pick money in that account. It's simple to

3:18

use. I to got an immortal got for

3:20

a deck in the mail today and I'll

3:23

be sleeping today after this show. Just click

3:25

on the link in the video description

3:27

in the show notes to check them out

3:29

video description, the show notes, new year, out at a beer

3:31

with This new year, crack a beer with your slogan game

3:33

remains unmatched. You should get into that should

3:35

get I'm thinking about going into content creation.

3:37

going into thinking about it. And if you

3:39

would like to support the show, there's a

3:42

lot of ways that you can ways you

3:44

can like and subscribe on subscribe on YouTube. You

3:46

on your local podcast app. There's sorts of

3:48

free of to do that that. if you

3:50

would like to you can head over

3:52

to over to patreon.com/EDH recast. We have all sorts have all

3:54

sorts of over over there you can

3:56

join our discord community we're always interacting

3:58

with folks over there having conversations about different

4:00

decks, different different games. You can see

4:02

our episodes a day early, get some

4:04

bragging rights over your friends. There's

4:06

all sorts of different things you can

4:08

get over there at patreon.com/edhretcast. And

4:10

this week we have a very special

4:12

shout out coming up for Devin

4:14

Dixon. So Devin, I'm sorry that Daryl

4:16

and Merle, your brothers didn't really

4:18

have very good fates in the Walking

4:20

Dead series, but thankfully you're around

4:22

long enough to subscribe over at patreon.com/edhretcast.

4:25

So thank you Devin for all

4:27

of your support. Heck yeah, thank you

4:29

so much. Okay, guys, we're getting

4:31

into the 2024 Rifties, which is basically

4:33

the same level of prestige as

4:35

like the Tonys or the Oscars or

4:37

any of those things, right? It

4:39

is, yes. Dana, walk us through this.

4:41

This is something that you have

4:44

some familiarity with. You're bringing forward this

4:46

idea into our show here. What

4:48

are the rifties? Yeah. So I used

4:50

to do a podcast years ago

4:52

called Commander Central and my co -host

4:54

and friends Max Chris Dagnar and Luke

4:56

Whitten and I came up with

4:58

the idea. to do kind of

5:01

a play on the Emmys or the

5:03

Oscars. This was around the time that

5:05

Cyclonic Rift was a scourge of the

5:07

Format. So we nicknamed them the Rifty

5:09

Awards. And this is kind of our

5:11

version of a year -end award ceremony

5:13

for the best of each card type

5:15

that was introduced to Commander each year.

5:17

Heck yeah, So okay, how do we

5:19

choose which one wins best picture or

5:21

best actor or things like that? How

5:23

are we making an actual choice though?

5:25

Yeah, there's no set criteria for any

5:27

of this. It's entirely subjective. Quentin

5:30

Tarantino and Sandy Kubrick and Alfred

5:32

Hitchcock never actually won Best Directors at

5:34

the Oscars. So we're going to

5:36

try to explain our rationale for our

5:39

picks, but that rationale might be

5:41

nothing more complicated than vibes, frankly. Vibes

5:43

is totally valid, though. I mean,

5:45

that's Rachel Weeks' entire deck building Right,

5:47

exactly. exactly. How is this deck

5:49

coming along? It's just vibes. Absolutely. yeah.

5:51

That's what Commander's all about, is

5:54

the vibe. So yeah, we'll each pick

5:56

a favorite for the category. We'll

5:58

probably let folks know. which card

6:00

is actually the number one most popular card

6:02

of that category as well. And I'm kind

6:04

of interested to see the times that we

6:06

see the think that that most popular card is

6:08

the card that we would pick as that

6:10

we would sorcery or creature of the year. And

6:12

the times that we're like, the year. And the times

6:14

gonna pick something else yeah, no, I'm So pick may

6:16

end up being the answer, but I'm interested

6:19

to see the things that we've each picked

6:21

as our favorite cards of each category for

6:23

this year. our favorite there were just so

6:25

many for and deserving projects out there

6:27

that wanted to be nominees be we just

6:29

couldn't afford to give them all their

6:31

due time. But we want to thank

6:33

everyone But all the designers for all

6:35

their submissions all the whatever else they say

6:37

on the Tonys And Oscars and all those

6:39

projects. Tony's and the Oscars an honor just to

6:42

be nominated. It's an honor an honor just

6:44

to be nominated. Yes, exactly. right.

6:46

Dana, you are the most

6:48

familiar with the the Rifties, So so

6:50

us off. Where is it that

6:52

we're beginning with our with our awards

6:54

ceremony here for in no particular order,

6:56

no start with the best order,

6:59

sorcery spell of new sorcery spell of 2024. My

7:01

pick here pick here is it card

7:03

I used it for challenges.

7:05

That's a couple of months back,

7:07

I believe. Eagle that came

7:09

came out the Creed Creed set.

7:11

It's in a blue, draw three cards, but

7:13

it has free running. So So for the in

7:15

the blue, you can cast it if

7:18

you dealt combat damage to a player

7:20

this turn with an to a or a

7:22

commander. with an just so many decks a commander. There's

7:24

just so many decks where that's just a two-manna on that

7:26

is is... as good good as anything you're gonna

7:28

see in see in Commander. It's not the

7:30

card that goes in every deck, but

7:32

where the decks it goes, I mean,

7:35

that's an amazing draw rate, I think.

7:37

And I just love that spell. love that

7:39

mechanic has been very, very interesting. I'm

7:41

a big fan of the overpowering attack

7:43

card I'm a to get you extra combats

7:45

with that stuff too. But yeah, it's

7:47

sneaky you that mechanic. Yeah, if you have

7:49

any way to trigger any of these

7:52

free running cards fairly easily, Yeah, if you have

7:54

just want to give them a second look.

7:56

any three cards for two mana is incredibly

7:58

efficient so I can see very much. why Dana,

8:00

you especially love this card because that's just

8:02

what it's doing. It's just massively efficient card

8:04

draw. What about your pick, Matt? So my

8:06

card that I wanted to talk about the

8:08

most this year, sorcery was probably the most

8:10

crowded field for me as far as how

8:12

many cards do I want to talk about

8:15

versus how many can I actually nominate. So

8:17

the card that I am putting forth as

8:19

the best sorcery this year, we talked about

8:21

it a little bit a couple weeks ago

8:23

and it's one of the most played sorceries,

8:25

but Sundering Eruption is two in a red

8:27

for a sorcery. It says destroy target land,

8:29

its controller may search their library for a

8:31

basic land card put on the battlefield tapped,

8:33

then they shuffle and creatures without flying can't

8:35

block this turn. So it is an MDFC

8:38

as well. So you can play it as

8:40

a land that will enter tapped unless you

8:42

pay three life and just add a single

8:44

red. This does so many things that I

8:46

just love to be able to do. So

8:48

if you have a problematic land, like say

8:50

there's a glacial chasm out there, there's a

8:52

guy's cradle, anything going on over there, blow

8:54

up that land, replace with a basic, oftentimes

8:56

that's worth it. But then creatures can't block

8:59

this turn or creatures without flying can't block.

9:01

And a lot of times there's just a

9:03

gummed up battlefield. I love turning things sideways.

9:05

So this just does a lot of things

9:07

I love to do in so many of

9:09

my decks. And it seems that there's over

9:11

33 ,000 decks out there that agree with

9:13

that take. Matt, I really, really like that

9:15

pick too. At the times that I see

9:17

Sundering Eruption, I'm just like, oh, this might

9:19

have won someone the game. I actually feel

9:22

the same way about that as I do

9:24

about the other MDFC in Blue -White Suppression Ray,

9:26

which reads as an energy card, but you

9:28

can just have it tap all creatures that

9:30

target player controls and like, all right, cool,

9:32

free attack. And I really like those utility

9:34

effects on a lot of those MDFCs. So

9:36

this one, I also agree. I think a

9:38

lot of people have like discounted it at

9:40

first when we saw all of the other

9:42

things that the MDFCs of this year were

9:45

doing. But that one, when you see it

9:47

like, oh, if this one's being cast, you

9:49

might be about to die. And that's a

9:51

really cool thing to say about a card.

9:53

Oh, yeah. No, that's a good point because

9:55

this is a card I discounted initially, because

9:57

like, why wouldn't I just run another like

9:59

a Ghost Quarter -esque card in that slot

10:01

that doesn't come into play tapped and will

10:03

do the same thing, except for I I've

10:05

just seen enough situations where the ability to

10:08

keep creatures without flying turn this turn is relevant,

10:10

especially late in the game, when that ghost Ghost

10:12

Quarter isn't relevant at all. at all. like in there's

10:14

just enough situations that makes a huge difference,

10:16

and yeah, this card's really, really good. card is

10:18

destruction doesn't need to be the appeal, but

10:20

you can't block my stuff. is a really

10:22

cool appeal. you can't For my pick, though, for appeal.

10:24

of the year, though I came very, very

10:26

close to considering cards very of year of which is

10:28

a new very close to the year I came very like requisition

10:31

raid, which is a white like fangs card that will help

10:33

you destroy artifacts a counter buff up your entire team. I

10:35

And I was leaning towards those because I'm like,

10:37

I don't want to be biased because I play a

10:39

lot of graveyard stuff. And I don't want the

10:41

entire thing to just be. to And then we were

10:43

talking, we're like, were Joey, be biased. And so I'm

10:45

going to be biased, you guys. so I'm going to be biased, you guys.

10:47

The most prolific card that I've added to my decks

10:49

this year. year is is malevolent

10:51

rumble. in love with I'm just in love

10:53

with two-man, a a two sorcerer, reveal the top four

10:55

cards of your library. You may put a may

10:57

put a them into your hand, put the rest

10:59

into your graveyard, hand, put the rest graveyardy token that

11:01

you can sacrifice to add a colorless mana.

11:03

Matt, I Matt, I think this is also

11:05

a favorite yours of yours for this year. I just

11:07

love this thing. I just love this rumbles. I saw Malevolent

11:10

describe saw somebody describe this, and this was

11:12

for mind you, not even mind you, not even somebody said

11:14

but somebody said that this is just the

11:16

green with how it how it comes out to

11:18

play. at You look at top three cards, one

11:20

one in your hand. the other ones going to to

11:22

your graveyard or or excuse me, me. This is

11:24

is a a of type of powerful effect

11:26

get the you do get the mana refunded

11:28

to you in the form of an

11:30

ill-jawsie spawn. I love love this good. It fills good.

11:32

It fills up your graveyard. It's It's getting

11:34

you a card that you need. need. This

11:36

is, just, again, it's kind of like

11:38

my card. It does a lot of

11:40

little things so well well that you just

11:42

you want to find room for it. it.

11:44

It's easy to look at this and

11:46

kind of dismiss it as kind of

11:48

a kind of a draft chaff card. No, it's it well It

11:50

kind of it kind for it's like five draft chaff filler cards

11:53

on filler cards and one card and

11:55

does all of those things the same

11:57

time. did there, which is what's really useful

11:59

about it. it And the fact that it's a

12:01

permanent into your hand and not a creature

12:03

like a lot of times these are is

12:05

massive. Because you can use it if you

12:07

like kept a, you know, I don't know

12:09

if I should have kept this hand, but

12:11

like, well, now I can dig down forward

12:13

and probably find the land that I need.

12:15

And if I happen to land before, then

12:17

who cares? Then it's even, it's a bonus.

12:19

You know, there's a sack trigger. You refund

12:21

the man. You've got the block or you've

12:23

got the block or you've got stuff in

12:25

your block or you've got stuff in your

12:27

graveyard. Just so many things on one little

12:29

spell that when all is said and done

12:31

is going to cost you a single green

12:33

manor. Absurd. Yeah, you know how Sator Wayfinder

12:35

is a two-manna. creature that fills your graveyard,

12:37

but also finding you a land and it

12:39

leaves you a body on the field that

12:41

you can sacrifice for stuff, and how that

12:43

shows up in 45,000 decks, male rumble can

12:45

find you any permanent from your top four,

12:47

and it still leaves you a body that

12:49

you can even sacrifice for manna if you

12:51

need to. I'm playing this garden like five

12:54

decks, I'm playing this garden like five decks,

12:56

I just love it, I'm playing this garden

12:58

like five decks, I just wanted to put

13:00

in here to... almost effectively like. a very,

13:02

very minimal manna investment. Like I said, the

13:04

sorceries this year were so hard for me

13:06

to pick because there's five other cards I

13:08

could have talked about, whether it was rootcast,

13:10

a pred to ship, or arcane heist has

13:12

blown me away every time I've seen that

13:14

card played. There's just so many that. It

13:16

was very, very hard for me to pick

13:18

just sundering eruption. Notably, though, none of us

13:20

picked the top sorcerie of this year, which

13:22

is insatiable avaris, cards and lose three life.

13:24

This thing is extremely popular showing up and

13:26

4% of decks that are eligible to play

13:28

it. That's nearly 43,000 decks right now. Very,

13:30

very popular, but I think for the three

13:32

of us are like, eh, been there, done

13:34

that with the tutors and we weren't necessarily

13:36

quite as interested. So we found some stuff

13:38

that really speaks to our personal play styles

13:40

instead, I think. But looking at this card,

13:42

like, oh yes, I understand why this isn't

13:44

a gazillionazillion decks, makes, makes sense completely. Makes

13:46

sense completely. Those are our

13:48

nominees for the sorceries

13:50

of the year. get get

13:52

ahold of us. Let

13:54

us know in the

13:56

comments below what you

13:58

think is your top

14:00

sorcery of the year.

14:02

Which of the nominees

14:04

would you pick the

14:06

would you nominate something

14:08

else? And we'll move

14:10

on to our next

14:12

category. Let's talk about the else? And we'll

14:14

move on to Matt, Let's what do you got for

14:16

us? Let's nominee for best new instant, it's

14:18

not one of the most best It's a little

14:21

bit further down the list than our other

14:23

nominees we're gonna talk about today. a But

14:25

the stories that have come out of this our

14:27

other time I've seen it, it's just been

14:29

an absolute So I really want to really wanted to

14:31

talk about It's a steps ahead. It's a

14:33

very powerful card that would be my

14:35

honorable mention, but my actual card I'm

14:37

putting forth is take the bait, which

14:39

is a a red and a white for

14:41

an instant that says cast the spell only

14:44

during an opponent's turn and only during

14:46

combat. then you you prevent all combat damage

14:48

that would be dealt to you and be

14:50

dealt you control and tap all attacking

14:52

creatures and goad them after this phase,

14:54

there is an additional combat phase. an additional combat

14:56

off the bat, we love bat, we of

14:58

kind of type of. type of fog effects, anything

15:01

with a fog with upside, Basically, we

15:03

love on this show, whether

15:05

it's racknogenesis, it's any sort of

15:07

those cards in that category in that

15:09

category, the bait bait. has just

15:11

led to some of the wildest situations in

15:13

combat I've seen in a while. in I

15:15

love this every single magic con I was

15:17

at. I saw a chance for this to

15:19

be played and it did get played and

15:21

it just was such a blow. It was

15:23

so wild. So yeah, take the bait. yeah, It's

15:26

not the most powerful card by any stretch

15:28

of the imagination, by any but it. of the leads

15:30

to so many stories and

15:32

that's to me me why it's the

15:34

best instant of the year. year.

15:36

Yeah, Yeah, it's really giving illusionists gambit but

15:38

in a whole new color combination. Yes.

15:40

Which makes it feel makes it the

15:42

more surprising for it. And I love

15:44

the extra goad tacked on top of

15:46

that one. that also a personal favorite

15:48

of the favorite of the year too. Yeah, I agree

15:50

with all the things you said I have

15:52

nothing new to add other than other than I've seen

15:55

this card three times and every time it's

15:57

made people laugh. laugh like what it's changed or

15:59

like the shot. Yeah, yeah, because it altered what

16:01

everyone thought was about to occur. Excellent pick.

16:03

An excellent pick, but not as excellent as

16:05

my pick, is my, no, me and Matt.

16:07

My pick that I'm going to go for

16:09

a top instant. I think the card fleeting

16:11

reflection. is being slept on. This is maybe

16:13

my sleeper hit pick of the year. This

16:15

is a two-manna-blue instant from OTJ, and it

16:17

is two-manna to do any or all of

16:19

the following. It gives a creature hexproof, which

16:21

can blank a removal spell. It untaps a

16:24

creature. It untaps a removal spell. It untaps

16:26

a creature. It untaps a creature. Oh, it

16:28

untaps a creature. It's a bullet point. do

16:30

this or this or this, I think it

16:32

would be like, ooh, that's a really cool

16:34

charm. But it does all of those things.

16:36

The last time I played this card, I

16:38

turned a random token into an extra illustrious

16:40

wonder glyph to pump up all of my

16:42

artifacts by even more. This is how Blue

16:44

does combat tricks. I'm so enamored by this

16:46

spell. I don't know if you guys have

16:48

had any experience playing with it, but like

16:50

any time that you have fleeting reflection in

16:52

your hand, you're like, the world is my

16:54

oyster. And I really just absolutely adore this

16:56

incident from this year. So I haven't actually

16:58

had a chance to play with it myself

17:00

because I mean, it's an uncommon from outlaws

17:02

Leonard Junction wasn't really my cup of tea

17:05

but I see why you like this so

17:07

much and it looks like it's a kind

17:09

of a theme with a lot of the

17:11

cards that we like this year anyways is

17:13

it's doing a lot of little things but

17:15

it adds up to have such a massive

17:17

effect and flexibility. I think that's probably one

17:19

of the biggest things that probably the three

17:21

of us maybe value a little flexibility and

17:23

this has that in spades. It is such

17:25

a flexible way to get around so many

17:27

different situations. I see why you love this

17:29

card Joey. Yeah, it isn't ostentatious. It's only

17:31

showing up in like 2,600 decks right now,

17:33

but I promise this card is so freaking

17:35

cool. And the stuff that lets you do

17:37

isn't really, really neat. And Matt, like you

17:39

said about your pick, it creates stories and

17:41

often even laughs. Well, you both picked cards

17:43

that have kind of flown under the radar.

17:45

This will be my most probably boring and...

17:48

obvious and popular pick

17:50

among the cards that

17:52

are out there. out pick

17:54

here is pick here is withering

17:56

torment. All right. Oh Two in

17:58

a in a black, destroy

18:00

a target creature or

18:02

enchantment or you lose two

18:04

life. you lose two life. That's

18:06

not remotely exciting or

18:08

interesting. It's just a

18:10

better version of a

18:12

removal option that black

18:14

has had before. had before. Feed

18:16

this But the reality

18:18

is is. Modern problems require

18:20

modern solutions. and at some some

18:22

point you need to

18:24

put stronger and stronger

18:26

removal spells in your

18:29

deck deck and to the

18:31

problems that are being presented. I just

18:33

think that that like there are more

18:35

and more problems hitting the table, you

18:37

need to have ways to deal

18:39

with those problems. And and my games go

18:41

better when I have ways to

18:43

deal with the So withering torment has a a that

18:46

gone into all of my of my black

18:48

it's not exciting. It is not

18:50

flashy, but it solves problems. And you

18:52

just need to solve problems. Yeah, and

18:54

Yeah. a a perfectly valid argument for

18:56

even why Dana Roach, who hates playing current

18:58

cards would a newer newer card, because within tournament, having

19:01

access to to enchantment It's pretty new.

19:03

Yeah, but it's pretty powerful It black

19:05

has often suffered from being able

19:07

to deal with that type of permanent

19:09

type of So yeah, I yeah, why you

19:11

just put so much so into that

19:13

into that. I Yeah, and shows up and shows

19:15

up this this. 18% of decks of decks that

19:17

are eligible to play to that is

19:20

is. While 450,000 decks and that's the sorcery that's the

19:22

sorcery version you lose you lose life equal

19:24

to the mana value of the

19:26

thing that you're getting the is an you're

19:28

one more mana, but of This is an instant

19:30

for it's already shown up in but of

19:32

decks that are eligible to play it. And

19:34

only is not that old. 8% It's a

19:36

pretty recent entry from this year. play and duskmorn

19:38

I that old. It's a a whole bunch of my

19:40

decks too. This is very good. I

19:42

like it a lot better than a sorcery

19:44

speed option to remove deny I color that

19:46

doesn't usually get that ability. But

19:49

I still like fleeting reflection

19:51

better. It is a

19:53

very good card. all all

19:55

excellent picks. As is top

19:57

top instant showing up in

19:59

in 2024, sink into stupor. in 91,000 decks. 9%

20:01

of the million decks, it's eligible to be

20:03

played in, I believe. Is that a typo

20:05

or a my reader? That's got to be

20:07

correct. Yeah, a lot of people updated their

20:10

decks around MH3 to get cards like this

20:12

into there, which is not surprising. To either

20:14

return a spell or to land, a great

20:16

instant. This card's amazing. I put this in

20:18

a whole bunch of my own decks too.

20:20

I think one of the reasons I didn't

20:22

end up picking up. we're hitting on for

20:25

this particular category. It's efficient, it's great, but

20:27

sort of like the withering torment thing, you're

20:29

just like, yeah, this is a good card.

20:31

And maybe for Matt and I, it seems

20:33

like we were looking for the silliness with

20:35

the instant category, which is why we went

20:37

with different picks. Yes. Well, and I would

20:39

say, like, I like Stinkin' a Super a

20:42

lot, but I've had it in my hand

20:44

where, like, it didn't quite do what I

20:46

wanted it to do. And I've never felt

20:48

that way about withering torment. I also think

20:50

that there's some amount of, I will never

20:52

remember casting a Stinkin to Super. I will

20:54

remember every single time that I have cast,

20:57

sure, take the bait. That's for me, that's

20:59

what's influencing my decision making my decision making

21:01

on at least the instant category on at

21:03

least the instant category. other arguments one way,

21:05

but it's so hard for me to argue

21:07

against that. But I also see why folks

21:09

sinking a super fell the profane. There's some

21:11

of the most played cards of the year.

21:14

I understand why. It's just for this category

21:16

specifically and why I like it personally. Again,

21:18

it's coming down to the stories that are

21:20

coming from it. Yeah, absolutely. Now, interestingly, Matt,

21:22

we don't necessarily have that exact same feeling

21:24

when we move to our next category, which

21:26

is the top. artifacts, our favorite artifacts from

21:29

2024. And you and I both converged on

21:31

the card that actually is the most popular

21:33

artifact of 2024, and that's Patchwork Banner. Yeah,

21:35

three mana artifact as it enters, you choose

21:37

a creature type, creatures you control of the

21:39

chosen type, get plus one, plus one, and

21:41

you add one manna of any color. This

21:43

is a manorock that is also attached to

21:46

a glorious anthem for your creatures. Kindra

21:48

one of the most

21:50

popular ways to play

21:52

Commander. play This is is an

21:54

incredibly, incredibly popular card

21:56

in up in 81 ,000

21:58

decks, of already that are

22:01

of decks that are

22:03

eligible to play it. as

22:05

a And play as a

22:07

card, card, that's especially

22:09

huge to have still

22:11

that much popularity all all

22:13

eligible decks and not

22:15

just decks of a

22:18

specific color. color. Patrick is

22:20

fantastic and really stole my heart

22:22

too even though I don't even play a whole

22:24

bunch of Kindred play a whole So how come this time

22:26

you and I both felt like we might nominate the

22:28

card that is the top artifact of the year? nominate

22:30

the cards are powerful cards. And it's

22:32

a of the year? Well I a very recent

22:34

set. are powerful cards and people how powerful

22:36

this card is. very It's very easy. a

22:38

six the same reason I like how

22:41

City. It's very easy to accidentally get

22:43

the same or six creatures that happen

22:45

to share a creature type on the

22:47

battlefield. to And this is gonna benefit

22:49

from them. And that's not even

22:51

counting the decks that are dedicated to

22:53

a specific creature type specific actually didn't

22:55

pick actually but I was really close.

22:58

I was really it was It was on like it

23:00

cards I was looking at the three cards I

23:02

was I gone that way. I gone that

23:04

way? could easily defend We could have all three

23:06

head picture packed Patrick Banner. It's It's just so good.

23:08

It's so many I mean, if I mean, if

23:10

I had been allowed to pick an

23:12

artifact creature, I pick would have chosen have

23:15

chosen giggling skitter But have spike. be real, Patrick

23:17

Banner is incredible. Patrick Banner is your pick this

23:19

year, Dana? pick this year, Dana? This is my, so talked

23:21

about like not picking something that was

23:23

like that was This is my most personal

23:25

pick. pick. The key to Vault. it's equipment equipment for

23:27

a one blue. and a blue. Whenever a creature deals common image,

23:30

that many cards from the top of

23:32

your library from you may of your library -land you may

23:34

among... a non-land you may cast the eggs

23:36

you without paying its mana cost. without paying its

23:38

you know, I You a very specific

23:40

deck deck where this really works works. equipment tend to

23:42

not be running not be I have a

23:45

blue equipment deck. I have a commander

23:47

that lets me equip it that lets me

23:49

or for, excuse me, for three or So

23:51

I'm not paying the, the so I'm not it.

23:53

tune of blue and it's a Voltron deck.

23:55

So like this is very regularly very at

23:58

a third of my library. put the

24:00

best thing in that third of

24:02

my library into play for free.

24:04

free. It's just an absurd card that deck.

24:06

I that deck. how I don't know

24:08

how many other decks where it's

24:10

that crazy powerful, but but what? know set up here,

24:12

there's no criteria here. This is is

24:14

just a card that like me feel things

24:16

me feel things whenever I've played

24:19

it because it does something stupidly

24:21

powerful every single time. Dana, this this

24:23

card was on my honorable mentions Only

24:25

because I've seen you play it and

24:27

it's been so powerful and I've

24:29

seen when I've seen you my only context and point

24:31

of reference. I haven't gotten to play it myself

24:34

yet, but to cow. myself yet, % agree. This This cow. I

24:36

does so many so powerful things, getting to dig

24:38

as deep as it does. it It would be

24:40

nice if it pumped up a little bit,

24:42

but a it's such a great card. great I think

24:44

that's the thing. We look at we're like, we're it

24:46

doesn't give a buff. It's not even giving

24:48

you any even We see the equipped cost of see

24:50

the and cost we're like, cost of we get this five

24:52

manna don't know. get this fact. I think also I thing

24:55

we do is the thing a lot of those. a

24:57

lot of you look at that many cards on

24:59

the top of your library. of And we expect

25:01

that the card you'll be able to cast from

25:03

among them the have a similar qualification the way

25:05

that to bird's invocation does. them look at that

25:07

many and the spell that you get also has

25:09

to be that many or lower. That's not

25:11

the case here. This is just like look at that

25:13

on the top, if it's a the you're fine.

25:16

That's great. I've also seen this one in many

25:18

I discounted it while it was in play. I

25:20

will not be making that mistake like forward. is

25:22

a lot of free stuff. This is a very

25:24

cool card to see. like cool. So a Dana, I

25:26

can't fault you in terms of artifacts that

25:28

will make smiles and make stories. fine. picked a

25:30

dang a one. good thank you very much. thank you

25:32

very much. that everyone

25:34

wasn't a wonderful wonderful card to

25:37

be considered here. It's honor just just to

25:39

be of in these categories. Shout

25:41

out to the other nominees to the that.

25:43

But there were some just great,

25:45

powerful artifacts this year just in

25:47

general. But year yeah, Patrick this year just shoulders

25:49

above for me, but even Banner stood

25:51

machine weren't so narrow, I think

25:53

that would have been super powerful if

25:55

on food so much. But then weren't

25:58

so I'm going to break break the rules. that

26:00

you you set for yourself. That's

26:02

an artifact, and it's great. It's

26:04

so powerful. I I really liked Codsworth

26:06

that had a lot of really

26:08

powerful implications along my decks, too.

26:10

Sorry, I just, I real quick,

26:12

I can get over it. It

26:14

sounded like you said Patrick Banner

26:16

instead of Patrick Banner. And that

26:18

is what I will be calling

26:20

that card from here on out.

26:22

Well, we'll have SpongeBob cards here

26:24

soon, so it makes sense. Oh,

26:26

no. You ruined it. Okay. Let's

26:28

just move to our next category.

26:30

When it's PCS time, you know

26:32

the drill. Pack research to new

26:34

base, get the kids in school,

26:36

because family supports family. At American

26:38

Public University, we support military families

26:40

with flexible, affordable online education that

26:42

moves with you. As a military

26:44

spouse, your tuition rate is the

26:46

same as your partner's, just 250

26:48

per credit hour. American Public University,

26:50

education that moves with you. Learn

26:52

more at apu .apus .edu/military. Was the

26:54

pandemic a natural disaster, or was

26:57

it the biggest cover up of

26:59

our time? And what happens when

27:01

the scientists and the science are

27:03

at odds? Who should you trust?

27:05

Thank you, Dr. the Fauci, is

27:07

available now. the trailer and visit

27:09

tydfmovie.com for more. Well, the next

27:11

category here will be the best

27:13

new enchantment of 2024. And

27:15

Joey, what was your pick here for your

27:17

favorite new enchantment of the year? All right.

27:19

Best enchantment. There's a big, I don't know

27:21

if elephant in the room is the way

27:23

to say it. There's a really big contender

27:25

this year. And I couldn't bring myself to

27:27

pick the top enchantment of the year. And

27:30

I know it's a highlight. We'll get to

27:32

it, Dana. I think it's your pick. But

27:34

I've personally become so enamored with the enchantment

27:36

ripples of undeath. It's a two -mana black

27:38

enchantment that will mill yourself for three cards

27:40

every turn, but you can pay a mana

27:42

and three life to keep one of those

27:44

cards if you need to. At two mana

27:46

to mill yourself for three cards, that's already

27:48

a good rate, because we see a lot

27:50

of other cards that help mill you for

27:52

like three cards. They tend to be about

27:54

three mana stuff like cemetery tampering, for instance.

27:57

But the ability for you to also snag

27:59

an emergency card from among the stuff that

28:01

you the Like, oh, I really want the caval

28:03

like, oh, I actually. want the That has made this

28:05

feel like a very, very a cool card compared

28:07

to other very options that we have in

28:09

Black. So this one just that my in black. heart

28:11

so much that I just had to pick

28:13

it. much that I just had to pick it. So my biases

28:15

are totally flowing through the episode. I understand.

28:17

But I like it. And I like that

28:19

it's not even obnoxious about the way that

28:21

it mills, the way that like like orbs or

28:24

some other effects can be a little obnoxious

28:26

or draw a lot of attention to you.

28:28

So to with something subtle for my subtle for my

28:30

I really like pick of really like Ripples of

28:32

of undeath of the problem that I have

28:34

with a lot of self a lot is

28:36

cards is I don't don't want to accidentally self mill

28:38

a super important card that I actually that I

28:40

my hand. And so my able to, being able to,

28:42

actually -O -L -T -E, sorry about that. that, being able

28:44

to pull it back into your graveyard for

28:46

a little bit of a cost. a I think

28:48

a lot of times think a is more than

28:50

worth the cost worth the just just of three

28:52

life life to, oh, I oh, I didn't mean to

28:54

mill that. Actually I need that in my

28:56

hand. in my That does pretty much the entire

28:58

reason I hate playing the mill decks is because

29:00

I don't want to self mill the important

29:02

cards out. hate, They belong in a graveyard, in a graveyard,

29:04

but sometimes also in your hand, be with... Oh, I love

29:06

this one so this one so much. It's showing

29:08

up in like decks right now, 4% of right now, 4

29:11

% of decks will play play it. I just

29:13

think it's a card that going forward is

29:15

impossible to ignore if you're doing graveyard stuff. it's

29:17

Probably. in a way, a I really appreciate it. Well,

29:19

in like Love it's also one of Rumble, those

29:21

cards that like lets you keep a hand

29:23

that might not quite have the lands you

29:25

want a hand that I go in a pinch, I

29:27

can cast this on turn you want pay that

29:29

extra mana oh, turn three, I guess, technically,

29:31

because you or to have one this on turn get

29:33

that land that you would have otherwise milled mana,

29:36

or turn carrying I guess, because you in the yard

29:38

or get that land back guess, land

29:40

dropped for the turn two. one it

29:42

has that early game utility, even if

29:44

you're not ready to reanimating stuff

29:46

just yet. It just does the things

29:48

that you wanna do. But I definitely can

29:50

acknowledge it is not the most popular

29:52

enchantment of the year. year. And Dana, you're

29:54

kind of conforming to trends with

29:56

your pick here. What's on, man? For

29:58

the second time, yeah. time, yeah. Over the years,

30:00

like we've gotten various white enchantments that are

30:03

like, this is finally the white for Xian

30:05

arena that's gonna give white a repeated draw

30:07

thing. And no, they've been varying degrees of

30:09

successfully doing that. Trouble in pairs, trouble in

30:12

pairs did it. Like, like, trouble in pairs

30:14

just full stop is that white enchantment that

30:16

sits there in play and. is going to

30:18

put cards in your hand very very consistently

30:21

every single time. It's too white. If an

30:23

opponent begins an extra turn, that player skips

30:25

that turn instead, which is just useful, but

30:27

not necessarily what's important. What is important here.

30:30

An opponent attacks you with two or more

30:32

creatures, or draws our second card each turn,

30:34

or casts our second spell each turn, you

30:37

draw a card. So you just draw a

30:39

card, like you're gonna draw a card every

30:41

single time. At least, if not two or

30:43

three cards, depending on what your opponents are

30:46

doing. It's just ridiculous, and that's why it

30:48

is so popular, and that's why it costs

30:50

$25. Yeah. Yeah, this thing shows up in

30:52

5% of decks that are eligible to $63.

30:55

By like it probably is the enchantment of

30:57

the year, but it's so annoying. So that's

30:59

why I didn't think it It's it is

31:01

very hard to keep track of and keep

31:04

up with but you are right Dana. It's

31:06

pretty much guaranteed to do something every single

31:08

turn It's it's a very very powerful white

31:10

draw effect that we we wanted for a

31:13

long time. Matt. What was your pick? Did

31:15

you also go with something really ostentatious in

31:17

the same way or? So I wanted to.

31:19

I did consider trouble in pairs. I also

31:22

considered war leaders call. I love those types

31:24

of effects too. But the card I'm going

31:26

to put forth is in keeper's talent. It's

31:28

one in a green for a enchantment. It's

31:31

a class. Level one at the beginning of

31:33

combat on the beginning. It's a class. Level

31:35

one at the beginning of combat on your

31:37

turn. Put a plus one plus one counter

31:40

which you would put one or more counters

31:42

on a permanent or player. twice many

31:44

of each each kind of

31:46

those counters on that

31:49

or player player So a way to

31:51

kind of way to kind

31:53

of get a doubling

31:56

season for your counters

31:58

that you're putting out

32:00

you're of effect. there This

32:02

is just such a

32:05

powerhouse in a lot

32:07

of my plus one,

32:09

plus encounter decks that

32:11

I And I realized the more

32:14

that I looked at

32:16

in keeper's talent, I I have a lot

32:18

of cards that just incidentally have plus plus one

32:20

counter synergies on there. on so this so this

32:22

is just such a powerful card in

32:24

so many varieties of decks, of even if

32:26

it's not a dedicated plus one, plus one

32:28

counter deck. counter deck. The cheapness of of it is

32:30

really catching my attention here. It's very

32:32

easy to get that protection and to just place little

32:35

little things here and there. An interesting

32:37

thing I noticed about plus one one is

32:39

that we have a lot of plus one

32:41

counter plus but sometimes we forget to put

32:43

the cards that actually put put counters on

32:45

things. put sort of load up on things. forgotten ancient

32:47

think that'll be good, but like, no, we actually

32:49

do need a couple of things that will provide

32:51

you with the counters in the first place. of This

32:53

does that. I'll admit for myself, if I were

32:55

to go with one of the does that I'll admit for myself

32:57

I think were to go with one of the sounds great. Yep.

32:59

Really captured my attention with think you for the tokens,

33:01

but that's because I play more tokens as opposed

33:03

to counters. I think I have like one plus

33:05

one great But Matt, you've got yourself a really

33:07

big niche of playing a whole bunch of stuff

33:10

that gets real big. So I see why you

33:12

like the thing that rewards you for having all

33:14

the big stuff, especially yeah it can turn into a

33:16

branching evolution you you level it to level three. Yeah, yeah,

33:18

yeah, absolutely. And I thought about Caretaker's Talent too.

33:20

I haven't gotten a chance to play

33:22

with one yet. So one yet. So I kind

33:24

of weird. I haven't seen haven't only seen

33:26

one in play one in play talent. Then

33:28

that was in a 60 card format.

33:31

So I card really I good faith in good faith

33:33

out there. But I do see why

33:35

it is so powerful. Yeah, as we

33:37

were saying in our Oscars fantastic fantastic potential

33:39

wonderful potential nominee. But like was I

33:41

think the harder actually the harder one for

33:44

me to pick this year. Matt, you

33:46

said like like was a really crowded field you. Enchantments had

33:48

a lot going on this year that I

33:50

thought was very, very cool. So cool. a hard

33:52

category to pick. Listeners, I'm really curious to hear

33:54

really of them are your favorite picks of the

33:56

year for the year for That'll move us, though, to

33:58

our next category. Dana, what do you

34:01

got? The best creatures of 2024 in the

34:03

first nominee is Storm Splitter, three in

34:05

a red for an utter wizard with

34:07

haste, and whenever you cast an incident, source-free

34:09

spell, create a token, it's a copy

34:11

of Storm Splitter, and you exit that

34:13

token at the beginning of the next end

34:16

step. So you make one token that's

34:18

a copy of Storm Splitter when you cast

34:20

that second spell, and so on, and

34:22

they all swing out. I think it's

34:24

actually a very, very fun design. But they're

34:26

also like one fours. You can build

34:28

up a crazy board state with these and

34:30

swing in for a good amount of

34:32

damage and cause a lot of problems.

34:34

But it's also not one of those cards

34:37

that feels like you just win the

34:39

game when you hit it out. You

34:41

have to actually have a very particular deck

34:43

to make it do work. But it's

34:45

just a fun car. Like this card, whenever

34:47

I've played it or seen it played,

34:49

it's just fun and you just start

34:51

seeing silly things happening. like Matt mentioned earlier,

34:54

this is a great story card. And

34:56

particularly for creatures, I always look for

34:58

a good story, maybe for some reason more

35:00

than, you know, a utility spell I

35:02

tend to like think of in terms of

35:04

instance or source reason. I wanted something

35:06

that made for good stories. And this

35:08

year, Storm Flitter was a creature that I

35:11

felt like made for the most good

35:13

stories. Nice. And it's an utter. So it's

35:15

really cute while it's killing you. There

35:17

we go. Yeah. Yeah. Exactly. Exactly. kind

35:19

of leaning more into convention here with some

35:21

of the most popular creatures of the

35:23

year. The most popular creature of the

35:25

year is witch enchanter. Seven percent of decks

35:28

that can play it are doing so.

35:30

That's the MDFC, sort of the white reclamation

35:32

stage that can be a land on

35:34

the other side. I think I was

35:36

so focused on those because they've a lot

35:38

of those types of cards have made

35:40

their way into my decks. And the

35:42

one that I know is just going to

35:44

be bugging me for forever is Bogart

35:46

trawler. That's that's the Bajuka Bog-esque MDFC here.

35:49

It can be a land on one

35:51

side, but it's also a goblin that

35:53

can exile. player's graveyard on

35:55

the front the And

35:57

it's not a bad

35:59

stat not a It's

36:01

a decent creature type,

36:03

even. It's a very, even. It's a

36:05

very, hey, watsy, I hate it. A type of card. of

36:08

I think those are the are ones that have

36:10

captured my attention. And even though I hate things

36:12

excelling my graveyard, though probably that's why Bogertroller looms so

36:14

big in my that's But this also is an

36:16

effect that I'm using to try and make sure

36:18

that my opponents don't do the same gross graveyard

36:20

stuff that I'm trying to do. So I think

36:22

I end up going with Bogertroller as my pick

36:24

for the best creature of the year, or the

36:26

most important one in my brain at least. to do the

36:29

same gross card is powerful stuff that to talk about to

36:31

So It's probably worth mentioning for everybody else

36:33

out there. as my pick it's just

36:35

another case of the end of the end. MDFCs

36:37

so flexible and doing well. to include it so

36:39

include it in so many have it as a

36:41

land. Oh, I it as a land. Oh,

36:43

I need a three graveyard because graveyard because they're

36:46

getting ready to or off or whatever. Yeah,

36:48

absolutely. It's kind of like Dana's withering You want

36:50

to have this type of effect in your

36:52

in no matter what. what. The one toughness on

36:54

it makes it easily it easily skull If you

36:56

revive it, you're going to get that it, a

36:58

couple more times if you need to. a That's

37:00

very easy to do in this color. There's

37:02

a lot. do. going for it in

37:04

ways that are really annoying. Wizards, why'd you

37:06

do this to me? And yet I'm also

37:08

taking advantage of it myself. So that's why

37:10

I think it just like looms so big

37:12

in my brain here. But those are our

37:14

picks. so big how about yours? brain So I really

37:16

didn't want to make a decision because there

37:18

were so many really, really good creatures out

37:21

there this year. because there were getting to cast really

37:23

good There's a bunch of cards out there

37:25

like that. I loved getting to cast it's also hard for

37:27

me to like a $40 card and say

37:29

it's good because like that. Vaultborn So I'm gonna

37:31

cheat here. I'm just gonna say the entire enduring

37:33

cycle. I know I'm taking the the easy way out

37:35

here. oh my gosh, But a my gosh, on said

37:37

a few times on the show, it's the

37:40

best gotten a a long time. I I maintain

37:42

that because every time I've gotten to

37:44

play one of these cards, it's changed the

37:46

course of the game, whether it's enduring

37:48

vitality, which is the green one which

37:50

is the down gives all your creatures comes down,

37:52

type of your have to tap to

37:54

add one man of any color type of effect

37:56

which to you draw cards man of any color,

37:59

two or less. enters the battlefield, but but

38:01

the important part of this enduring cycle is

38:03

you have to kill these things twice. It

38:05

comes down and they're enchantment creatures, but then

38:07

if they die, if enduring vitality, for example,

38:09

dies, if it was a creature, return it

38:11

to the battlefield under its owner's control as

38:13

an enchantment. And that is such a important

38:15

thing to have. I just, I love this

38:17

cycle. Every one has found a home in

38:20

some sort of deck for me. All right,

38:22

well, if you're cheating to pick a whole

38:24

cycle, I pick all the MDFC creatures. No,

38:26

I'm kidding. That's fine. These are truly fantastic.

38:28

I might change my pick to yours, Matt.

38:30

Well, one thing worth noting, too, it's not

38:32

only that you have to remove them twice.

38:34

The second time is harder than the first.

38:36

Yeah, the second time, they're an enchantment. So

38:38

you're only allowed to use enchantment removal or

38:41

just general removal to get rid of them,

38:43

versus the first time where, okay, you can

38:45

have as far as the plowshares in hand,

38:47

but you need to have specifically enchantment removal

38:49

for the second time around. They are absolutely

38:51

enduring as the perfect world they stick around

38:53

forever and cause nothing but problems and all

38:55

five cards in the cycle are good. This

38:57

isn't one of those cycles where there's a

38:59

standout or two and there's a couple of

39:02

ones that just feel like afterthoughts. Every one

39:04

of these is an excellent card. Yeah, isn't

39:06

I've just, like I said, any single time

39:08

I've had an opportunity to put one of

39:10

these in a deck, I've looked for it.

39:12

It's just, you want this type of effect

39:14

in pretty much any deck that is playing

39:16

those colors. And so if I had to

39:18

be serious about this, like I said, I

39:21

mentioned a couple others. A card that I

39:23

seriously wanted to talk about more is Dream

39:25

Tined Whale. That card, putting pressure on your

39:27

opponents, has been really, really fun to watch.

39:29

It's two and a blue for a creature

39:31

whale vanishing two, which you take counters off

39:33

every turn and then you sacrifice when the

39:35

counters are gone. But whenever a player casts

39:37

their second spell each turn, you proliferate. That

39:39

put a lot of pressure onto a lot

39:42

of opponents that I didn't see coming. So

39:44

I was very surprised how much I liked

39:46

Dream Tined Whale but overall I just, the

39:48

enduring cycle will endure so much longer than

39:50

the whale will stick around. Yeah, that whale

39:52

is really cool. That also feels to be

39:54

like a potentially underrated card. I came close

39:56

to picking Sire of Seven Deaths because that

39:58

is such a new, cool iconic card. a It's a

40:01

It's a haiku. a haiku. text is haiku. Half the cards

40:03

that we get from each set are creatures. set

40:05

This is technically the most crowded field. There

40:07

are so many amazing things to pick from.

40:09

so I like your tactic of choosing an

40:11

entire cycle because that's a of good way to

40:13

cover a whole lot of bases. because that's a

40:15

be running away with this one when people whole

40:17

us know what their favorites of these picks

40:19

are. Or if they let us know what

40:22

their individual picks are, what their like a creature

40:24

that we didn't name here. or if they so

40:26

much going on in the creature category. So

40:28

much so I think we probably need. to move

40:30

on to a less crowded category so

40:32

that we can cleanse the palette a

40:34

little bit here. a Let's talk about

40:36

the best new Let's talk about which there weren't

40:38

a whole lot of this year, only

40:40

like 12 or 13. year, only I would

40:42

say I actually quite like the fact

40:44

that they've really cut back on the

40:47

amount of planeswalkers cut back on the model planes them

40:49

much easier to to like. Look at at

40:51

and take seriously and consider in a

40:53

way that a way felt like the last

40:55

few years when we were getting, when we

40:57

know, You know 50 or 60 or 68 years felt

40:59

like felt like the of them of them

41:01

had gone away. It's like we're back to

41:03

where we were upon a time a time where

41:05

it like a big deal to see

41:08

a to see a a game or in a game

41:10

cracked in a pack. in a pack Do you

41:12

know planes did you go with? My My

41:14

personal favorite, and again this is very

41:16

this is very viby because it's a creature -esque situation

41:18

here. I really like like grist, feracious larva. Okay. know

41:20

single manna, death touch, one, two, and and whenever it

41:22

or another creature enters battlefield under

41:24

your control If it came into play

41:27

from your graveyard or you cast

41:29

it from your graveyard you can pay

41:31

a single your and if you do

41:33

you can pay a single into the if you do, you

41:35

flip grist into the got just form. gross art

41:37

I like grist as a character. I think as

41:40

a character. I think it's such

41:42

a unique compared to know to, you

41:44

know, all of the very

41:46

typical planes planes have.

41:48

we have. a fan of everything

41:51

a fan of I about it and I especially

41:53

like this iteration. You know You know what, Dana?

41:55

I had actually actually picked

41:57

for my potential planeswalker of the

41:59

year the year also. one -mana thing, one of those

42:01

flip walkers. I had initially picked Tamio inquisitive

42:03

student because one -mana O3 flyer, it gives

42:05

you a clue token when you draw your

42:07

third turn and it'll flip and the abilities

42:09

on the backside are pretty cool, but I

42:11

don't know if you're supposed to do this

42:14

mid -award ceremony. I'm gonna switch my pick to

42:16

yours. Everyone's

42:19

voting for the gross little dude. Yeah, I'm

42:21

just like, one -mana one -two death touch is also

42:23

just cool. It's got the new graveyard stuff

42:25

going on. We said before we started recording, Joey,

42:27

feel free to lean into your biases. I'm

42:29

doing it. There weren't a ton of planes walkers

42:31

to pick from this year, but I will

42:33

go with the one that says graveyard on it.

42:35

think Tamio is pretty neat though. That says plus

42:37

two effect that it's got, I feel like

42:39

it's easy to flip and it's easy for her

42:41

to defend herself and get to that ult

42:43

pretty quickly, but Grist's ult is just cool and

42:45

clever and it does a thing that I

42:47

like seeing from a planes walker ultimate. For each

42:50

creature in your graveyard, you'll make a copy

42:52

of it that is an insect. That's neat. That's

42:54

the kind of thing I haven't seen before

42:56

and that's an aspect of planes walkers that I

42:58

enjoy. I'll switch over to yours. The one

43:00

man of planes walker flip things of this year

43:02

is a neat thing to see into Lingerend.

43:04

What do you have for us here, Matt? Are

43:06

you going with Grist too? Yeah, of switch over?

43:08

I'm not gonna go with Grist. No,

43:11

I'll stand true to my own biases

43:13

as well. So, Raul Monsoon Mage is gonna

43:15

be my nominee for planes walker switch the

43:17

year. This one, any time you see

43:19

a cost reduction on any card, you wanna

43:21

give it a second glance. I think

43:23

a lot of folks really didn't give it

43:25

with Raul Monsoon Mage just because so

43:27

many people were playing it in modern. It

43:30

reduction was kind of the backbone of a

43:32

modern mono red storm deck. And also,

43:34

it got pretty expensive. It was six bucks

43:36

or so and for a two drop,

43:38

that's sometimes a lot. But Raul is one

43:40

in a red for a creature human

43:42

wizard, one three, and it says, instance and

43:44

sorcery spells you cast cost one generic

43:46

mana less to cast. And whenever you cast

43:48

an instant or sorcery spell during your

43:51

turn, flip a coin. If you lose the

43:53

flip, Raul deals one damage to you

43:55

and if you win the flip, you may

43:57

exile Raul and you can return him

43:59

flipped onto the. backside with all sorts of

44:01

abilities there too. but really having just

44:03

a cost reduction mechanism for your instance and

44:05

sorceries with upside. So with just RAL does

44:07

a lot of just little things really,

44:09

really well that typically, you know, you're only

44:12

seeing in is it colors? So if

44:14

you have a spell selling your type of

44:16

deck that isn't containing blue, you probably

44:18

want to give RAL a look because you

44:20

are getting so much of a bonus

44:22

and upside from that cost reduction. And again,

44:24

it was just absolutely housing people at

44:26

the modern pro tour, right when modern horizons

44:28

three came out. We all picked

44:30

flip walkers Joey's, even his changed the

44:32

Tamia was a flip walker as well

44:34

That's actually my favorite iteration of planes

44:36

walkers. think because they tell a story.

44:38

Yeah, which I really like on a

44:40

card like you have this this this

44:42

pre Version of the character we all

44:44

know and see as a planes walker

44:46

You can just them be younger before

44:49

their was ignited right there in one

44:51

card but that's just a great mechanic

44:53

in a whole bunch of ways and

44:55

I think that's Definitely one of the

44:57

reasons I picked Grist, I think that's

44:59

why we all like as well and I

45:01

hope we see this kind of thing more often

45:03

going forward. Yeah, and why another one

45:05

of the more popular ones from this year was

45:07

Soren of House Markov, which is doing some

45:09

extort and lifelink -y stuff and flips into a

45:11

classic Sorin type of ability. Although the most popular

45:13

planes of the year, Matt, it's funny that

45:15

you would pick Monsoon Mage. The most popular one

45:17

was Raul Crackling Wit, which is the four

45:19

mana otter arch version of Raul from Bloomberg, which

45:21

gets more loyalty counters as you're casting more

45:23

and more non -creature spells. It's showing up in

45:25

4 % of decks that are eligible to play

45:27

it. It's a that two -color card, so that is

45:29

a lesser amount, but we do see that

45:31

a lot with planeswalkers that are doing all of

45:33

this. type of character stuff. I guess I'm a

45:35

little curious, Matt, while you went with Raul,

45:37

the flip walker as opposed to Raul, the crackling

45:39

wit as your pick of the year. there,

45:41

uh, you suppose you just like the cost reduction,

45:43

I assume. I mean, yeah, the cost reduction

45:45

is a big thing. I think there's a lot

45:48

of pull and none of the planes, walkers

45:50

this year really jumped out to me as, you

45:52

know, this is a powerhouse type of card

45:54

game breaking, anything like that. And like Dana said,

45:56

we just didn't get very many planes walkers

45:58

this year. And I think that's probably. playing a

46:00

a little bit of here here. Rock crackling wit

46:02

is a is a great card If you're

46:04

playing some sort of prowess deck it's gonna

46:06

get out of gonna get out of hand

46:08

pretty quickly Especially when you you know

46:10

the ultimate ability that isn't really all

46:12

that hard to reach reach of being able

46:14

to to minus 10 to draw Three cards and

46:16

you get an emblem emblem says says and

46:18

sorcery spells you cast you cast half storm. That just

46:20

gets out of hand storm is not

46:22

a mechanic to be messed with and yeah

46:24

I see the of that. I think the power of

46:26

that I think just more consistently the other hand

46:28

probably just gives you a the other hand benefit just

46:30

gives you a more consistent benefit throughout the bit

46:32

more too. seen it a little bit more of the lesson

46:34

think that's kind of the lesson for the exciting

46:37

is like it exciting things that it looks like

46:39

they can do versus the that that they'll actually

46:41

provide you and some of the flip of the flip

46:43

walkers. are really good at really good at providing some of

46:45

that early consistency to then then flip that you the

46:47

time can know You can defend them and then

46:49

start getting getting to those cool ultimates. So that makes a lot

46:51

of sense But I mean there's only a

46:53

handful of options from this as opposed to the

46:56

crowded field that was the creature category. So planes walkers are

46:58

are really interesting. I'm curious to hear to hear other

47:00

folks out there will pick for this

47:02

one? this one. That does move us now

47:04

to our next category here, about the

47:06

best here about the of the year. And the

47:08

you had talked about how you enjoy

47:10

talked City, which is the most popular

47:12

land of the year. which Presumably, that's your

47:14

top land of the year, right? mean,

47:16

it's showing up in 94 that's right

47:19

now. land of there. the your pick for it's showing

47:21

up It is decks actually. is up Tree City,

47:23

I pick this card. I think it

47:25

is super, super powerful. So, Three I'm going

47:27

to cheat here this I'm to choose I

47:29

entire cycle super, super, that's going to be

47:31

the I lands. these I think that

47:33

these combined great card. It's one of the a great

47:35

card. It's one of the most

47:37

played cards of the year reason, very

47:39

good reason about before, about before. But

47:41

the upside of having that give that give

47:44

you control over your next top deck

47:46

deck speed when you combine them with

47:48

fetch lands or anything going on like

47:50

that anything going on like that. The super

47:52

super powerful in ways that

47:54

just that just, still discovering even as a

47:56

been playing for for 15

47:58

years 15 years. is is. a great land cycle.

48:00

Anytime you get fetchable dual lands, you have to

48:02

give it a second look. I'm so with you

48:05

here. I also picked the surveillance. There we go.

48:07

I've said that three tree city. I think it's

48:09

better in like tokens decks than it is in

48:11

kindred decks. I think that there are places where

48:13

it shows up where it doesn't necessarily pay off

48:15

the best in the way that people might expect

48:17

that it does. So I consider that card a

48:19

little bit like it. Be more cautious with it.

48:21

They have to be cautious with these at all.

48:24

They're vegetable, they can fill your card with an

48:26

extra yard. These have changed the way that I

48:28

interact with my decks when I get a fetch

48:30

land or a far seeker, anything like that. Matt,

48:32

it might have been you or Dana, I don't

48:34

know if it was you, who was talking about

48:36

how wizards took like two leaps with these. They

48:38

were giving you the land types and also moving

48:40

the scry to a surveale, which has a graveyard

48:43

applicability here. These cards are not all right. like

48:45

they have to be my lands of the year.

48:47

As much as I want to pick other things

48:49

like shifting woodland, which is a great land, great

48:51

land to pick the surveillance, they're so good. This

48:53

actually might have been my hardest category. There were

48:55

so many good lands this year that came into

48:57

the format, including the surveillance, which I strongly considered.

48:59

Except for the fact that Talon Gates of Madara.

49:02

Yeah. Probably changed the course of more games I've

49:04

played this year than any single card I saw

49:06

from 2024. Really? And I would dare say it's

49:08

not close. Whether it's like the worst case scenario

49:10

is it's just kind of a terrain generator that

49:12

lets you put a land into play for four

49:14

manna, not a great rate, but like not terrible.

49:16

That's the worst case scenario because when it enters

49:18

the battlefield, one target creature phases out and that's

49:21

an ability on a land. So like protection from

49:23

colors and things like that don't affect that. me

49:25

playing this just for four manna or playing it

49:27

before I cast a boardwalk as my land or

49:29

getting it off a cracked erza's cave and either

49:31

saving my creature or phasing out a creature that

49:33

was gonna. cause a bunch

49:35

of problems for a turn.

49:37

This has just changed

49:40

the course of so many

49:42

games. I can't stress

49:44

how amazing this card has

49:46

been for me this

49:48

year. I started off putting

49:50

in a couple decks

49:52

to test and it's one

49:54

of those things where

49:56

like every week when I

49:59

go to my LGS,

50:01

I would like, I wanna

50:03

grab another talent gate

50:05

for this deck. Oh, this

50:07

one doesn't have it

50:09

either. I'm gonna put one

50:11

on my card sphere

50:13

list. Like I've started off

50:16

with two of them

50:18

and I now have, I

50:20

think talent gate in

50:22

like all of my decks,

50:24

it has been so

50:26

impactful. I can't stress enough

50:28

how great this is. Well,

50:30

the synergy that you pointed out Dana combining

50:32

it with Urza's Cave, is another possible nominee

50:35

for land of the year really. you You

50:37

can tap it to add a colorist man

50:39

but can pay three and tap it sacrifice

50:41

Urza's Cave to search your library for a

50:43

land card, put on battlefield tapped and then

50:45

shuffle It's just any land card.

50:47

So you can grab a Field of the

50:49

Dead. You can grab a Valicant Molten Pinnacle.

50:51

You can grab a Talon Gates. You can

50:54

grab literally anything with Cave and think that

50:56

type of flexibility at instant speed. There's so

50:58

much going on there. I There's I somebody,

51:00

Urza's Cave for a Glacial Chasm in the

51:02

face of a lethal Alpha Strike. There's so

51:04

much play with Urza's Cave. That's not even,

51:06

we haven't even gotten to shifting Woodland yet.

51:08

There's a lot of really, really powerful lands

51:10

that came out this year. It's really hard

51:13

to pick. You could name any land. really

51:15

it this came out It's year. really year I wouldn't

51:17

fault you at all. I came so close

51:19

to picking shifting Woodland for mine, but I

51:21

had to cheat and pick a whole cycle

51:23

with Matt. Yeah, yeah. We picked 10 things

51:25

for ours. It's fun to cheat things into

51:27

play, Joey. You're a necromancer. I like sneak

51:29

attack. We're cheating. We're cheating all the time.

51:31

When you fetch into a Surveillance, you put

51:33

a nine drop into your graveyard and then

51:35

you animate dead that on the very next

51:38

turn. That's not okay, wizards. You shouldn't let

51:40

me do these things. Yeah. Yeah. There's so

51:42

much play with all of these. I agree

51:44

with you, Dana. There's Yeah. play these. many different

51:46

ways you could go. with

51:48

all these lands it's hard to pick.

51:50

Yeah, very contentious category Listeners, Let us

51:52

know what your favorite land of the

51:54

year is. That moves us to another

51:56

one. This isn't a specific card type.

51:58

We're moving on to some. actual categories

52:00

here of best new mechanic. So not a specific

52:02

So not a specific or us or

52:04

anything like that. The new mechanics

52:07

of the year. So we got

52:09

stuff like free running free gift and

52:11

stuff like like rooms, which which is the

52:13

the kind of thing that Dana,

52:15

you and I really bonded over

52:17

this year. over this was our collective

52:20

pick for our favorite mechanic from from

52:22

2024. rooms is really kind of of strange because

52:24

when I first glanced at it,

52:26

it's like, oh, it's just another

52:28

variant of, of, you know. the split cards kind of

52:30

of thing we've had in the

52:32

past. the past. Or the joke the joke that

52:35

like everything is is kicker, you on what

52:37

you want to do. on what But it's

52:39

to do. But it's it's just It's just really

52:41

great version of something we've had before.

52:44

You can pick which version of

52:46

the effect best suits you in

52:48

the moment. And you very rarely

52:50

feel bad about not activating the

52:52

second half. act with when you do

52:54

activate the second half, it's usually

52:56

like push something over the top. the

52:58

top. Most of them were. designed with with

53:00

like very useful modes both ways. It's

53:02

just like we, you know, Matt talked

53:05

earlier in the show about how much

53:07

we like in have flexibility. These are

53:09

just so flexible. that It's just a mechanic

53:11

that like, I think it reminds me

53:13

when I first saw sagas just that

53:15

just feels right. I I really like the

53:17

execution this all the way down. I

53:20

This is the next iteration of that

53:22

to me where I'm like, yeah, this

53:24

just feels right. I love how it

53:26

was designed. Yeah, it's a split card that

53:28

you get to play. to play of of

53:30

you want to play them. They inspired

53:32

me to build a Marine a marina vengell

53:34

I just adore rooms so much. They've

53:36

been fascinating to explore. And I do

53:38

love the right, Here's one that you can

53:40

use use And then here's a really

53:43

cool effect to get cool I've played a

53:45

handful of these a handful of these in decks. room

53:47

decks, for instance, pumping up all of

53:49

your creatures equal to the number

53:51

of creatures you have. That's an unreasonably

53:53

good wind condition. a number of creatures have. doing

53:56

so much damage whenever you mill

53:58

yourself, which which I am to do.

54:00

do. occasionally in games of commuter. Like there

54:02

are just some that are very, very effective,

54:04

very powerful, and they've got other cool things

54:06

tacked on to them. They've been delightful to

54:09

explore. So Dana, I'm totally with you. Rooms

54:11

are a really, really cool addition to the

54:13

magic world here in 2024. Matt, what were

54:16

your picks though? So I didn't go with

54:18

rooms. I haven't actually gotten a cast one

54:20

yet. I've only put a couple in decks.

54:22

None of them really get me super excited.

54:25

But one mechanic especially that, I mean, Dana,

54:27

you mentioned we really like flexibility. This mechanic

54:29

is all about having flexibility on the cards

54:31

is Spree. So Spree was the mechanic where

54:34

you can pay one or more additional costs

54:36

in addition to the base cost of the

54:38

spell to get all sorts of different modes

54:41

out there. I love, every time I've had

54:43

a card with Spree in my hand, I've

54:45

not been lunching for different options. Whether it

54:47

was three steps ahead, which was almost my

54:50

instant of the year, being able to counter

54:52

a spell or create a token, getting two

54:54

new cards into my hand and getting to

54:56

do some looting, it's that or in spatial

54:59

average, which is one of the most played

55:01

sorceries of the year. There's all sorts of

55:03

just flexibility baked into this mechanic. I really

55:05

like how they made everything modal. And again,

55:08

yes, quite literally everything is kicker. And how

55:10

many times do you want to kick any

55:12

given spell? But there's so many powerful, powerful

55:15

spells with this requisition raid, final showdown, all

55:17

sorts of things going on with spree cards.

55:19

that I really really love, and if I

55:21

want a card that I don't really know

55:24

what I need to be doing specifically, Spree

55:26

cards is a very, very good option to

55:28

kind of fill that gap in my deck

55:30

building process. It's funny you say that about

55:33

your instant. Matt, that I almost picked was

55:35

return the favor. Yeah. When it's locked in,

55:37

it being four mana, sometimes you don't have

55:40

the ability to leave that up and cast

55:42

it, whereas return the favor, there's a little

55:44

bit more flexibility for you to play around

55:46

with there. And so, yeah. I quite agree.

55:49

agree. I would come

55:51

close to picking spree

55:53

spree, for the room for

55:55

the room this year, but

55:58

three cards are very,

56:00

very cool. And they

56:02

keep popping up in

56:04

my deck are very, very cool

56:07

and they keep popping up in my

56:09

was the too. one I

56:11

was considering that, with

56:14

the was the other one I was considering

56:16

I with what it was called mechanic

56:18

from, I forget what it similar thing. in Bloomberg,

56:20

but that does a a way to

56:22

execute a way to new a new flavorful, interesting

56:24

twist on something we've seen

56:26

a billion times before, but they

56:29

made it feel fresh. it And

56:31

the the cards were they also felt

56:33

really well designed designed that, like you

56:35

you were forced to make

56:37

really intelligent choices the choices the choices

56:39

you've made impacted the game

56:42

in different ways every time. time. So

56:44

yeah, I that that mechanic and spree a

56:46

ton as well. And I think those

56:48

are both are both really good good picks. I could have maybe

56:50

had a different day gone of either of those two

56:52

as well. I think it's interesting, the top

56:54

card that features a new mechanic of the

56:56

card the top card of the year that

56:58

features one of of mechanics is is Dawn's Truice, which

57:00

which is that thing a card, you gift

57:02

a card that being the new mechanic be

57:04

you'll be able to give your stuff hexproof

57:06

and indestructible. talked We talked about this one

57:09

like some of us like it, some of

57:11

us don't. We feel like this this is

57:13

kind of a crowded field for protection, protection,

57:15

but like that potential group ability or you get get some

57:17

extra benefits if you give other people stuff There

57:19

are a a handful of those gift cards

57:21

that I do I do play think I think is

57:23

very interesting. is I interesting. think interesting. I is another

57:25

one. I do enjoy that I do I'll

57:27

give up a card I'll means I can

57:29

destroy if it artifacts, destroy two things like that. and

57:31

The gift mechanic was also interesting The year,

57:33

specifically because you have to measure up, like,

57:36

can I make a temporary ally with

57:38

giving an extra card or giving extra tokens

57:40

or things like that? card or extra benefits

57:42

that I get, or things that I quote, kicker, am I am

57:44

I get off of those get off of those things

57:46

here so there's flexibility on those kind of what we've think

57:48

that's kind of what we've noticed from a lot

57:50

of the mechanics this year basically lot of that a

57:52

lot of the mechanics this year really leaned into

57:54

the flexibility and the different opportunities that they can

57:56

unlock for you in games of So it's kind kind

57:58

of an interesting running theme. theme. the new mechanics of

58:00

2024. Yeah, well let's wrap up the show then,

58:03

so we have one more category to get into,

58:05

and it's the big one, it's the best film

58:07

of the year type of category here. It is

58:09

the best new commander, and I don't know about

58:12

you guys, but this was, I mean, it's kind

58:14

of a no-brainer to say this is the hardest

58:16

one there, because there's so much that goes into

58:18

choosing a single best new commander. Yeah, very crowded

58:21

field. So for me it could have been bellow,

58:23

it could have been nadu, it could have been

58:25

vogia, though it's just looking at it from things

58:27

on the aspect of power level. If I want

58:29

just a brute force commander that all it's gonna

58:32

do is do some silly, silly, powerful things, I

58:34

think all three of those could have been very,

58:36

very easy choices, very easy nominations, but there's fun

58:38

decks out there too. active and interested in playing

58:41

commander so it there's a lot of really really

58:43

good options it's so hard to say just one

58:45

I think if we're gonna say one commander that

58:47

just made me go like Holy cow, like what

58:49

is this thing even doing? I think Bellow, part

58:52

of the Brambles, is probably my nominee, but that's

58:54

not even bringing up like any of the Marvel

58:56

commanders that came out like Storm Force of Nature.

58:58

That's probably one of the most broken commanders they've

59:01

put out in the past couple years. I've put

59:03

out in the past couple years. I've played so

59:05

wild. I have played against Storm and I will

59:07

never let someone play your deck. I just will

59:09

never let you play your commander or or on

59:12

tap with it in play. Yeah. There was just

59:14

so many just so many just so many just

59:16

Silly powerful commanders, but if I had to choose

59:18

just one that I thought created again, the best

59:21

experience is that I looked at that deck and

59:23

said, holy cow, what is that even doing? I

59:25

think Belle O'Bard of Brambles is my pick there.

59:27

This is so interesting. Matt, I think I'm converging

59:29

with you once again. I really hemmed and hawed

59:32

about this a lot too, because like the top

59:34

commanders, you mentioned one of the most popular commanders

59:36

of the year was voice. of the the

59:38

Conclave. It's got 11,750 decks, rank

59:41

number 58 out of all of the legends

59:43

of all of the legends

59:45

from the past two

59:47

years. And it's only been

59:49

around for one year. year.

59:52

I think climbed the ranks really,

59:54

really fast. And it's

59:56

definitely one of those cards

59:58

that that a bit of

1:00:01

a mistake. of a mistake. as

1:00:03

as well, was such a

1:00:05

mistake that it got

1:00:07

banned quite and had it

1:00:09

not been banned, it definitely

1:00:12

would have continued to

1:00:14

climb. And the top to

1:00:16

from the top of this year

1:00:18

was the wise of this year

1:00:21

up mothman showing up with decks,

1:00:23

Rank number 48 far this year.

1:00:25

far this year. And that

1:00:27

was from the set and I

1:00:29

am surprised a little little bit that you didn't

1:00:32

pick a a follow-up I know how much you

1:00:34

love it. It was it was hard not

1:00:36

to pick love but I was hard not to for

1:00:38

me, but I know I got a lot of

1:00:40

people excited. Yeah, but there were there were

1:00:42

so many options. Some of them leaned a

1:00:44

little bit too heavily into what they were

1:00:46

doing, but that Some necessarily what I remember little

1:00:49

bit too heavily I don't remember it as the but

1:00:51

that isn't a little bit too I do kind of remember

1:00:53

some of the cuteness and the playfulness while

1:00:55

still having power and a little bit of

1:00:57

that the stuff. So and the of the brambles

1:00:59

I I also my pick. my pick. Animating your

1:01:01

artifacts and enchantments that are big enough,

1:01:03

letting you draw a couple of cards off

1:01:06

of them if they do get to

1:01:08

hit, of making them indestructible so that you're

1:01:10

not them risking them too much in combat.

1:01:12

It pushes games forward in a really interesting

1:01:14

way. games It's aggressive. a The pre -con feels

1:01:16

really fun pre-con out of the box, and

1:01:18

there's a lot of room for flexibility

1:01:20

that doesn't necessarily feel like it's completely feel

1:01:23

to me. That is the That of thing

1:01:25

that I really enjoyed seeing. enjoyed I don't

1:01:27

play a lot of a lot of I enjoy playing

1:01:29

against decks like this. So that's one of

1:01:31

them that's really taken the cake

1:01:33

for me, which I did not expect

1:01:35

to be be the case. But has really

1:01:38

really impressed me way a polite way the

1:01:40

to some of the other things

1:01:42

that this this year, I guess. I

1:01:44

don't know how to say it. I think

1:01:46

Matt just like saying Bard of the the

1:01:48

think he I think he think I think and Oswald

1:01:50

really like Bellowbarred Brambles. you and I and

1:01:52

like of of our listeners right now remember

1:01:55

that and bit from from 14 years ago.

1:01:57

Yeah. I'm trying I'm trying to check myself

1:01:59

here because... I cannot but wonder whether I feel

1:02:01

this way about Bellow because it's a pre-con commander.

1:02:03

So I'm associating that good feeling not just from

1:02:05

Bellow as a card, but like from that whole

1:02:07

deck. Like is that another bias of mine or

1:02:09

something? Because if I am going to talk about

1:02:11

a full pre-con, then I'd actually totally pick the

1:02:13

Valghav Rachto Spunisher pre-con. That thing is in. Red

1:02:16

Apple. I played that pre-con against a group of

1:02:18

very tuned decks this year and I want to

1:02:20

handily on turn eight. It is a very very

1:02:22

good pre-con. So those are top contenders but outside

1:02:24

of just pre-con legends I also look back on

1:02:26

this year and remember standouts like Delney and a

1:02:28

jolly balloon man. Delney copying all those tiny creature

1:02:30

triggers is very very very powerful. Whereas the balloon

1:02:32

man is Really powerful by making token copies, but

1:02:34

it still feels fair by making them one one

1:02:36

so there's a lot of room for ETB stuff

1:02:38

or populate a lot of flexibility there and I

1:02:41

guess that powerful but fair and flexible thing is

1:02:43

also what initially drew me to Bellow that effect

1:02:45

is really really good and Bellow can draw you

1:02:47

a whole lot of cards but has that threshold

1:02:49

of only counting your four mana stuff to make

1:02:51

it happen and not just counting like all your

1:02:53

treasures for instance so I like seeing that restriction

1:02:55

that kind of a lot of wild thoughts there

1:02:57

I think I'm gonna go with my instinct and

1:02:59

just simplify pick the raccoon but this is a

1:03:01

hard choice to whittle things down there are a

1:03:03

lot of really intense options yeah what about you

1:03:06

Dana what about you Dana Gorgon assassin, two of

1:03:08

the best card types to see on a card.

1:03:10

It's a one-three with death touch. The best keyword

1:03:12

to see on a card. One of the tax,

1:03:14

you can pay one in a hybrid guagawery. And

1:03:16

if you do, you make a one-one black snake

1:03:18

creature talking with death touch. The best kind of

1:03:20

tokens are ones with death touch. And you can

1:03:22

spend four in a black, you know, and to

1:03:24

turn whenever one or more Gorgons and or snakes

1:03:26

you control deals common damage to a common damage

1:03:28

to a player. That player, that player loses half

1:03:31

their life their life rounded up. I just love

1:03:33

everything about what that commander wants to do, but

1:03:35

it doesn't hold your hand for it necessarily either.

1:03:37

You have to figure out how to give those

1:03:39

things evasion or... Make them them survive

1:03:41

the obvious blocks that

1:03:43

are going to happen to

1:03:45

do have to spend some

1:03:47

mana to make those

1:03:49

things to make each turn so

1:03:51

like it requires some

1:03:53

work to get there get there

1:03:55

I like things that are I

1:03:58

are cool. I like

1:04:00

that. That's powerful I like

1:04:02

that it requires you to

1:04:04

actually have to you

1:04:06

know to, you know, up with

1:04:08

an interesting brew for it,

1:04:10

too It's just it's

1:04:12

kind of my platonic ideal

1:04:14

from what I see

1:04:16

in a commander Yeah, I

1:04:18

love that the trajectory

1:04:20

this episode was Joey initially

1:04:23

leaned into his was for

1:04:25

this final pick leaned was

1:04:27

like, you know, I'll

1:04:29

I'll try but myself this final pick, I was

1:04:31

like, you know, I'll try and that. I

1:04:33

can run from this words, Dana's I

1:04:35

absolutely would want to do

1:04:37

touch stuff, I love, I love. Excellent. I feel

1:04:39

I lot like a lot of

1:04:41

the commanders from from the

1:04:43

jumpstart packs would just be so much

1:04:45

more popular and they weren't A, Yeah. I

1:04:47

so hard to find which is 50 bucks

1:04:50

so yeah. You also expensive. Viceroy, Plunder, mean, $30,

1:04:52

and you have $60 rev tie the is a lot

1:04:54

bucks right there. commanders out there, but just also

1:04:56

have cards like really. At that price point, it's

1:04:58

really, it's really, is really, really, really, really, really, really, really,

1:05:00

have a really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really,

1:05:02

there's a lot of really, really expensive

1:05:04

really, really, really out there, but really difficult, really to

1:05:06

get a chance to see them difficult,

1:05:08

At that price point, it's really, really

1:05:10

difficult for sure. really difficult This was really interesting

1:05:12

and engaging year for year for though. It

1:05:14

was. of the year, not building anything,

1:05:17

and then by the end of the

1:05:19

year, I think year, I commanders from one

1:05:21

set. I've got a one set. I've a one

1:05:23

Toby deck, and a Toby deck, and a winter

1:05:25

all from one set. So I certainly

1:05:27

had a personal set. So I certainly had a personal that

1:05:29

I did. even anticipate to. the dust one set in

1:05:31

were fun, engaging things. I was really happy

1:05:33

with the options that we got this

1:05:35

year. I feel like there's even more I

1:05:37

could continue to explore. that So got this even

1:05:39

though it did have the occasional nadu situation. On

1:05:41

situation, on the whole, the Commodore options that

1:05:43

it came up with, I'm really tickled

1:05:45

by them, especially the ones that started to

1:05:47

emerge as the year was coming to a

1:05:49

close. I think think ended on a really

1:05:51

great high note. note. Yeah, we talked about

1:05:53

that in our in our of the sets of

1:05:55

the year, how we we all through just the

1:05:57

last half of the year the year that of Bloomberg

1:06:00

through Foundations run. And I'm still feeling

1:06:02

that here a month later. I just

1:06:04

really like have was happy where the

1:06:06

whole game, the game was a whole

1:06:08

and commander especially went in regards to

1:06:10

the cards that added in the back

1:06:12

half of 2024 and has been really

1:06:14

looking forward to 2025. Yeah, the trajectory

1:06:16

of where Magic is heading. When it

1:06:18

comes to just what's on the cards,

1:06:20

it is encouraging. They're getting wordy for

1:06:23

sure. There are some things you can

1:06:25

nitpick about. But overall, the health of

1:06:27

the game and especially Commander, I think

1:06:29

we're in a very, very good spot

1:06:31

and we should be encouraged moving forward

1:06:33

that there's going to be some really,

1:06:35

really cool things down the pipeline too.

1:06:37

Yeah. So those were our picks that

1:06:39

was the Rifties of 2024. Listeners, you

1:06:41

got to let us know which of

1:06:43

these categories, which cards are you picking

1:06:45

out there? What is your favorite commander

1:06:47

of the year? Your favorite instant of

1:06:49

the year? Which cards did we miss

1:06:51

that? Which cards did we miss that

1:06:53

are your favorite? Did we miss that

1:06:56

are your favorite? Did we miss that

1:06:58

are your favorite? Did we miss that

1:07:00

are your favorite? And indeed, when folks

1:07:02

do let us know, as we're calling

1:07:04

this episode to a close, guys, where

1:07:06

can our listeners get in touch with

1:07:08

us to let us know about their

1:07:10

picks? Dana? You can find me online

1:07:12

at Dana Rote. I'm especially on the

1:07:14

Blue Sky these days. I'm running articles

1:07:16

for the media tracking commanders Harold, and

1:07:18

you can find all of us together

1:07:20

at patreon.com, slash media cast. And Matt,

1:07:22

how about you? So you can find

1:07:24

me at pretty much any social media

1:07:26

platform at Mathemus 55 55 55. Well,

1:07:29

it's a great way to exchange all

1:07:31

your old cards for some great new

1:07:33

cards help building decks and stretch your

1:07:35

dollar further than any other site out

1:07:37

there. So make sure you check out

1:07:39

card sphere.com. And I'm Joe Shultz. You

1:07:41

can find me at Joseph M. Shultz

1:07:43

everywhere online, mostly on places like Instagram

1:07:45

or Blue Sky, and you can find

1:07:47

the Cast Ever online at EDH Rec

1:07:49

Cast. Plus, if you got a question

1:07:51

for us at EDH Rec at gmail.com.

1:07:53

Listeners, we'll be

1:07:55

back at you next

1:07:57

week with more

1:08:00

data and insights. But

1:08:02

until then, remember, at

1:08:04

you you wreck your

1:08:06

deck. week

1:08:08

with more

1:08:10

data and

1:08:12

insights, but

1:08:15

until then,

1:08:17

remember, EDH

1:08:20

Wreck your pandemic

1:08:22

may have faded from the

1:08:24

headlines, but for some reason

1:08:26

the questions haven't. Was COVID

1:08:29

actually a natural disaster? a natural happens

1:08:31

when the scientists and the

1:08:33

science are at odds? the Who

1:08:35

are we supposed to trust? the science

1:08:37

are at odds? Who are we check

1:08:39

out his new

1:08:41

documentary, award-winning now. Jenna

1:08:44

Go to Check out

1:08:46

his.com to learn

1:08:48

more. Thank you, Dr. Fauci,

1:08:50

available now. When it's

1:08:52

it's time, you know you know

1:08:54

the drill. research to new base, get the

1:08:56

get the kids in school,

1:08:59

because family supports family. At

1:09:01

American Public University, we support

1:09:03

military families with flexible, affordable

1:09:05

online education that moves with

1:09:07

you. As a military spouse,

1:09:09

your tuition rate is the

1:09:11

same as your your just rate is

1:09:13

credit as your American Public $2.50 per

1:09:16

credit hour. that moves with you.

1:09:18

Learn more at that moves with you.

1:09:20

Learn .edu slash military.