Ponder

In this episode we welcome Jamie Rigatti as the permanent third host to the podcast. Jamie is making a big push into creating more Magic content and she talks about her plans for the future. We also discuss all the new planeswalkers and ponder what the heck the Commander Advisory Group is doing. The Rhystic Studies article mentioned by TJ is at: https://www.rhysticstudies.com/single-post/2019/04/05/Some-Maxims

To celebrate our 50th episode, what could be bigger than talking about the million dollar tournament that just wrapped up? Of course the best person to recap it would be someone who actually played in it, so we get our good friend Jamie Topples back to tell us all about. She gives us the highs and the lows from the weekend, and we ponder some life or death planeswalker choices.

With the Mythic Invitational this weekend, the double Best of One format has people asking how this affects deck building. Are there lessons from Magic's past that we can use? We talk to special guest Coleman Falk about the concept of deck building, trying to next level the meta. We also ponder weird baseball stats. You can find Coleman on Twitter @slowlycrashing You can find his podcast 'Building Blocks' on SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/user-464604352-645937237

With Magic growing so quickly, people are looking for more between FNMs and the scattered major events. This is where Mat Bimonte and the Nerd Rage Gaming NRG Championship Series step in. Mat is a commentator for the third largest tournament scene North America. We talk how the series got started and how it has grown so fast. We also talk a lot about the Chili's restaurant. You can find Mat on: Twitter @matbimonte Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/matbimonte/

Modern Horizons is the first set ever to be printed with the intent to skip Standard and go directly into Modern. To figure out what this could mean, we have our in house Modern expert brewer Dave (AKA Boottodahead) join us to talk about the potential impact of a Modern set, which decks could get big improvements, and what mechanics we'd like to return. We also find out which creature type TJ hates. You can find Dave on: Twitter: @cardslingerdave Twitch: https//www.twitch.tv/boottodahead

With Magic Arena giving Mythic Invitational invites to the top players, people were giving it their all, including pro player and streamer Jim Davis! Jim returns to discuss his feelings on playing for and missing the invite, talks about the highs and lows of the massive influx of streamers and viewers, and also ponders a new career in the circus.

The very first Mythic Championship is in the books and to help up catch up on everything that happened is our returning guest, Hallie Santo! We talk with Hallie about what Autumn's win means to the community, how the Championship went overall, and we also ponder ...TJ recipes? You can find Hallie on Twitter: @halcansan Twitch: www.twitch.tv/halliemtg

A mysterious trailer for the next set, War of the Spark has everyone looking for meaning. To get a better idea of the symbolism involved and how it relates to the lore and story line, we are joined by special guest Steven, the Reveler. He gives us his thoughts on what the trailer could be telling us, and how important lore is to the game. You can find Steven on: Twitter: @Trapixieum YouTube: www.youtube.com/c/Trapixieum

It's the slayer of pros, the toppler of opponents, the mythical player, and the collector of tiny pigs. It's Jamie Rigatti! We get the scoop from Jamie on what it's like to be a Mythic Invitational player, and how she balances that with real life and prepares to face pros. We get to catch up with her on streaming, playing in tournaments, and find out why she's known as Jamie Topples! Twitter: @jamietopples Twitch: twitch.tv/jamietopples

In this important episode, we have two great guests, Chantelle Campbell and Emma Handy, stop by to talk about the Magic community. Chantelle and Emma are both long time players and well known content creators, as well as prominent community voices. We discuss the difficulties they have experienced and how we can improve in supporting and uplifting marginalized players and communities in both our content and competitive play. (Due to technical difficulties, some of Emma's audio track at the end is missing)

Finance might seem like a dirty word in Magic, but special guest Jason Alt helps explain what every Magic player should know about finances and managing their collection. We talk the finance impact of new sets and the importance of EDH. Speaking of Commander and EDH, Jason is a long time expert on the format and helped define an entire EDH philosophy.

A long time friend of both TJ and Melvin, Zack Kanner joins us this week to see how the early Standard meta is shaping up with the release of Ravnica Allegiance. Zack, a pro tour player, SCG grinder, and fellow streamer, lets us know what decks got better, what brews are popular, and what to watch out for in Arena. TJ also decides to spice up our #PonderThis questions with some rapid fire doozies. @zkannermtg www.twitch.tv/zkannermtg

The full list of Ravnica Alegiance is out, and we can't wait to talk about them. Joining us this week is pro player/streamer/podcaster Jake Tilk, who walks us through his picks for the hottest constructed cards. And it wouldn't be a set review without our old buddy, Smooth Bruce.

Arena is pretty great, but how does it stack up to all the other TCGs out there? We brought in our buddy and TCG expert, Tucker French, to share his vast experience with the most popular TCGs. We ask him what Arena is doing better, and what it could learn. We also get some tips on applying our Magic skills to other TCGs. Find Tucker French streaming at: https://www.twitch.tv/professorfrench

We're getting ready for MagicFests, but we're still kind of confused as to what they are. So we asked Nick Prince and Olivia Gobert-Hicks to discuss what they see as the possible future for these events, and what they could offer to players, cosplayers, casuals, and everyone. Then we ponder which planeswalker are smoochable. #SnogDack