CommanderCast – MTGCast

A three-man show this week, CommanderCast has Andy hosting Justin and Neale as they continue their investigation of Commander with a W5-style, hard-hitting journalistic approach. The following tough questions are explored: - Where is the place of fast mana in the format, if it has one at all? - What are some ways to get your friends excited to play Commander? - When should you play proactive decks instead of reactive strategies? - Why should you bother basing a strategy around a single, non-Commander card in your EDH decks? - Who is Braids, Conjurer Adept, and why is she so awesome? All this and more in another hard-edged, gritty episode of CommanderCast, where we're divulging the secrets THEY don't want you to know! For more Wrexial-approved content, hit us up at http://www.commandercast.com/, including information on the Gifts Given charity drive. This week’s CommanderCast is a very special episode. Just like every other one. I have Justin and Neale aka Wrongwaygoback joining me in our first three-person show of the season. While one might predict the lack of a fourth mic would lead to a DRASTIC drop in quality, we managed to bullshit our way through the hour and a half pretty effectively in my mind. This week’s show is a variety of topics covered in shorter segments than usual, closing out with a single, explosive and extended technology segment where we craft the Braids, Conjurer Adept deck; truly a crack-pipe dream, but a dream nonetheless. Also this week the Gifts Given charity drive continues to function as an explosive success. Monies are being raised, cards and being mailed, and soon funds will be inbound to the good folks at Child’s Play. As always, more information can be found on the right side of this website by following the link. SHOW NOTES 00:00 to 02:22: Intro: It’s CommanderCast! What is this show about and who’s on it? In case you didn’t know, we’re going over it again. Neale’s writings and his website, which is also his name and handle COMMUNITY SEGMENTS 02:33 to 15:29: Free-For-All Roundtable: Fast Mana: For the purposes of this discussion, we are considering ‘fast mana’ to be cards that are colourless and produce large quantites of mana for minimal investment. The usual offenders are Sol Ring and Mana Crypt, that kind of junk. What is their place is the Commander pantheon and do they belong there in the first place? Are we concerned about the impact of fast mana on Commander’s balance, or we give these mechanically-busted cards a free pass because of other factors? 15:39 to 26:51: Charity Cases: I speak on the contribution people have made to the charity drive and read their messages. The Gaming Goat, where you can find Matthew’s writings, and Matthew’s YouTube channel 27:03 to 40:34: The Hype Machine: This is a Twitter topic from @JustSomeLurker, who says: “I love commander, but my friends not so much. They humor me, but I’d like ideas to get them more excited about playing.” Suggestion one: GET BETTER FRIENDS Suggestion two: Listen to this segment for some ideas on building excitement about playing EDH with groups of friends who also like other games. WOOBERG.com, the hook-up for MtG alternative formats STRATEGY SEGMENTS 40:46 to 56:12: Proactive VS Reactive Strategies: Are you the guy who sits around for forty turns without doing anything, then swoops in and wins games? Are you also the same guy who complains about Armageddon? you don’t have to answer that question (you bastard), but you do represent the dichotomy between the more-commonly-accepted passive playstyle versus the more difficult proactive playstyles common to Commander groups. How does one move from being the person resolving problems to the one issuing the threats, and why should you bother? Why is playing proactive gameplans a good idea when being reactive seems so much easier? 56:23 to 1:10:01: Single Card Strategies: When you build a 99 card singleton deck,

In this episode of CommanderCast, we have recurring guest hosts and new segments. Cassidy Silver and Bennie Smith join Andy and Donovan in the continued quest for Commander enlightenment this week and discuss Doucheology, Voltron strategy, and the M12 set review. For more Wrexial-approved goodness, CommanderCast.com is the place to go. Also be sure to check out our ongoing charity effort at http://www.commandercast.com/contests/gifts-given-charity-drive/ Your Host(s):  Andy, Byron, Adam, Jeremiah, Donovan, Carlos Show's Email:  CommanderCast@gmail.com

More Wrexial-Approved content? Only from CommanderCast! This week, Andy is joined by Carlos, Byron and Frank of Crazy Talk fame to discuss Competition and Commander, Tax and Stax decks, and a new retro cycle review. Additionally, Andy announces CommanderCast's first-ever charity event, Gifts Given, in support of Child's Play. For more CommanderCast stuff from our homepage (updated thrice weekly), head over to http://commandercast.com/. Here you can find articles, videos, and more information on the Gifts Given charity drive. Your Host(s):  Andy, Byron, Adam, Jeremiah, Donovan, Carlos Show's Email:  CommanderCast@gmail.com

All hands on deck for CommanderCast S4E2: and by 'all hands' I mean myself (Andy), Justin, Donovan and special guest Sean McKeown! This episode has the fearsome four Commander commentators top-rope elbow dropping topics like cards that are damaging to playgroups, Savra the Queen of the Golgari, Secret Tech: Sean Edition, and more! Listen to this WITH YOUR EARS! For more Wrexial-approved content be sure to hit up CommanderCast.com for updates through the week and our complete back catalog of material. Your Host(s):  Andy, Byron, Adam, Jeremiah, Donovan, Carlos Show's Email:  CommanderCast@gmail.com

All hands on deck for CommanderCast S4E2: and by 'all hands' I mean myself (Andy), Justin, Donovan and special guest Sean McKeown! This episode has the fearsome four Commander commentators top-rope elbow dropping topics like cards that are damaging to playgroups, Savra the Queen of the Golgari, Secret Tech: Sean Edition, and more! Listen to this WITH YOUR EARS! For more Wrexial-approved content be sure to hit up CommanderCast.com for updates through the week and our complete back catalog of material. Your Host(s):  Andy, Byron, Adam, Jeremiah, Donovan, Carlos Show's Email:  CommanderCast@gmail.com

Commander's realest talk returns for round four! Andy, Donovan and Byron are on deck with Conor, their sound man, to spray that blazing-hot fire into the EDH cipher. In a near-two-hour podcast, we cover bases ranging from From the Vaults: Legends to a hands-on review of New Phyrexia. Broadcasting from the newly-opened CommanderCast World Headquarters at CommanderCast.com, we're bringing back Community, Strategy and Technology as only we can! LETS GET IT For even more Wrexial Approved Commander stuff--videos, articles, and podcasts--head over to the all-new http://www.commandercast.com/! Your Host(s):  Andy, Byron, Adam, Jeremiah, Donovan, Carlos Show's Email:  CommanderCast@gmail.com

Another block of CommanderCast episodes comes to an end, and with it, the migration from the sputtering, depleted husk of CommanderCast.blogspot.com to the new, vibrant CommanderCast.com. For our grand finale to the season, Andy is joined by three CommanderCast cornerstones; Byron, Donovan and Carlos. together, the three hit topics like life gain, the Kokusho issue, and in a super-community segment discuss what they feel are the best and worst attributes of Commander. The show will return in three weeks for the season four premiere on CommanderCast.com! Your Host(s):  Andy, Byron, Adam, Jeremiah, Donovan, Carlos Show's Email:  CommanderCast@gmail.com

Nine volunteers, two hosts, and one ridiculously ballin' podcast... it's CommanderCast's second call-in episode! In a rapid-fire roulette of listener topics, we cover a broad range of topics ranging from the art of pimping decks to playing Commander in German pubs. It's a change of pace with tons of new voices, a battery of awesome ideas, and yet still has that usual Community, Strategy and Technology you expect from the show. A huge thanks to our callers for making our second call-in episode another success! There's a ton of awesome links from this podcast. If you don't check out the full notes over at http://commandercast.blogspot.com/ then you're totally missing out. There's all sorts of sweet stuff over there! Your Host(s): Andy, Byron, Adam, Jeremiah, Donovan, Carlos Show's Email: CommanderCast@gmail.com

The latest episode of CommanderCast has arrived... listen to this WITH YOUR EARS! Andy is joined by Byron, Donovan and guest beast Scotty Mac in an episode containing screams of rage, tears of sorrow, and none of the above. But seriously. This episode it's Commander and monies, Respawn Magic, multiplayer card draw and the return of the retro cycle review with a SUPER cycle review. Need more? Hit up http://commandercast.blogspot.com and LETS GET IT Your Host(s): Andy, Byron, Adam, Jeremiah, Donovan, Carlos Show's Email: CommanderCast@gmail.com

This week CommanderCast has completely run out of money and as a result, it talking about Pauper Commander. In a world of only common cards, how does the landscape of Commander games change? Andy has this format variant explained to him by Donovan, Carlos, and guest host Adam Styborski. The rule set variations, acceptable rarities for Commanders, strategies that run on no money, and Pauper tech are all touched on. If you need more Commander-related stuff, I recommend http://commandercast.blogspot.com/ for articles, videos, and more. Your Host(s): Andy, Byron, Adam, Jeremiah, Donovan, Carlos Show's Email: CommanderCast@gmail.com

On a stirring episode of CommanderCast, Andy is joined by Brionne, Donovan and Alex from the Commander Rules Committee to discuss your questions. They're also rounding out the series of monocoloured-centric episodes by reviewing mono-W, finishing with an Entourage segment for Celestial Kirin. If you somehow don't regret listening to this one, then head over to http://commandercast.blogspot.com/ on Monday, Wednesday and Friday for more Commander-related goodness. Your Host(s): Andy, Byron, Adam, Jeremiah, Donovan, Carlos Show's Email: CommanderCast@gmail.com

It's the colour everyone loves to hate! This week on CommanderCast, the monocoloured madness continues as we're hit by a deluge of stack manipulation, boring combos, and card draw as we dive into the mono-blue segments! Andy is accompanied by Byron, Carlos and guest Neale in a laserbeam-focused show. It's all mono-blue for the whole running time! What is blue's role in the format? Is blue overhyped? How about obnoxious blue spells? If you like Islands, winning, or just making everyone mad, this week's CommanderCast has something for you.   Also, we try to sing the intro music. This doesn't go well.   If you somehow don't regret listening to this one, then head over to http://commandercast.blogspot.com/ on Monday, Wednesday and Friday for more Commander-related goodness. Your Host(s):  Andy, Byron, Adam, Jeremiah, Donovan, Carlos Show's Email:  CommanderCast@gmail.com

Monocoloured madness continues as we step into the lush, savage and Elf-infested world of mono-G strategies! Andy is joined by Justin and Byron, his mightiest mono-G warriors, as they are guided into the realm of ramp, trample, and hurricanes by guest host Cassidy. We also hit up Mirrodin Besieged with a set review and speak on some proposed changes to colour identity. Your Host(s):  Andy, Byron, Adam, Jeremiah, Donovan, Carlos Show's Email:  CommanderCast@gmail.com

In the second of an ongoing series of monocolour-centric episodes, Andy brings Donovan and Adam (BACK IN ACTION) to light the way as they plunge into the utter darkness of mono-Black decks. Guiding this adventure into the madness-inducing depths of mono-black's power is guest Don, who has harnessed the evil energies of Swampy mana and retained his sanity... OR SO HE CLAIMS. We also touch on some other stuff. More Commander-related goodness is always available at http://commandercast.blogspot.com/, where we have new stuff for you to check out every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday! Your Host(s):  Andy, Byron, Adam, Jeremiah, Donovan, Carlos Show's Email:  CommanderCast@gmail.com

We're examining the best colour this week with the first installment of our mono-colour series. Red is in the spotlight during Strategy and Tech! But the real star of the show is Devon, aka Obsidiandice, who is guest BEASTING in this episode as our mono-R specialist. He also provides his perspectives on card design and we round things out by continuing to climb the mana curve with CMC 2 cards in Curving Out. Don't forget, this is also the last week to get your sharpie alters in for the Season Three Contest! You know http://commandercast.blogspot.com/ is where it's going down for full show notes, articles, videos, and links. Your Host(s):  Andy, Byron, Adam, Jeremiah, Donovan, Carlos Show's Email:  CommanderCast@gmail.com