Demonstrate the Loop

(Originally recorded June 7, 2021) In part 2 of this bonus recording, Drew goes into tin-foil hat territory about what the Universes Beyond initiative could mean for the mom & pop IP-based Trading Card Game industry.

Was that a howl?! No! It's a new Demonstrate the Loop! We're reviewing Magic's new Innistrad: Midnight Hunt set, giving our thoughts on the new cards, shouting out our favorites, and rating the set as a whole. Come sit down a spell and listen, won't you?

The Commander Rules Committee dropped a massive update this week by announcing the simultaneous banning of Golos, Tireless Pilgrim & unbanning of Worldfire. Our hosts discuss these developments & their implications in today's Demonstrate the Loop!

(Originally recorded 6/7/2021) In today's episode, we discuss Wizard of the Coast's "Universes Beyond" initiative, and give our thoughts about what future products could look like and how they might impact the game as a whole.

The first digital-only set in a long while is here! JumpStart: Historic Horizons adds hundreds of cards to the historic format, including some that will only be available digitally. In today's episode, we go over this set's new (and digital-only) mechanics and try to determine which of them could be adapted to paper, while also discussing if doing so would be good for the format. Do you want to see any cards from Historic Horizons make their way into your Commander games? Let us know!

(Originally recorded 8/24/21) Wizards streamed a MASSIVE showcase recently of a bunch of upcoming products/releases! Today, we go over each of these announcements and evaluate their impact on the game.

In today's episode, we go over both the well-worn player archetypes used by Wizards of the Coast and contrast them with the Commander-specific options presented in a recent Kristen Gregory article to find what is the more accurate descriptor. What player archetype do you fit into, and which set do you think more accurately reflect the current EDH player base? Kristen Gregory's CK Article: https://blog.cardkingdom.com/4-types-of-commander-players/?fbclid=IwAR3cMwjzc0x8fHhNJ9HFPRTQcNROeWNREqYAaE5LKH4pq3jFDdRNG4DAHm4

We're talking surprises, this time! Sometimes a new Commander drops into the format that's not only interesting, but also makes you reevaluate what you expect from future cards. In this episode, we go over the legends that (recently) surprised us the most, and just what we think makes them so interesting. What's Commander has surprised you recently? Do you agree with Drew's theory about Uncommon Legends? Get in those comments and/or tell us somewhere on the internet!

Wizards has released 4 new commander pre-constructed decks and we've got a review for them! In this episode we try out a rubric for analyzing pre-constructed product and give our thoughts on how these decks fare & server new players, old players, and the format as a whole. Pre-Constructed Decklists: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/news/adventures-forgotten-realms-commander-decklists-2021-07-09 Drew's Kestia Deck: https://archidekt.com/decks/1652751#Drew's_Kestia_Go-Wide_Voltron

We have not one, but two bannings to talk about today: Hullbreacher for Commander, and Book of Exalted Deeds for Standard 2022. Today we go over & give our thoughts on the justification for these bans, and assess their impact on the respective formats. Do you agree with us? Got any points we didn't bring up? Get in the comments and let us know! Hullbreacher Ban Announcement: https://mtgcommander.net/index.php/2021/07/12/july-2021-update/ Book of Exalted Deeds Ban Announcement: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/magic-digital/mtg-arena-announcements-july-14-2021

MTG meets DND! The latest set is officially out and we're here with a vast majority of our thoughts! We go over the new set mechanics, how understandable it is that Party didn't come back, and our favorite cards from the set. What were your favorite cards from the set? Let us know!

In our first ever "Salt to Taste" episode, each of us (sorta) looked over the saltiest commanders on EDHRec, and tried to build them in less grief-inducing direction. Did we succeed? Whether it's Political Voltron, Targeted Hug, or just a deck hellbent on self-destruction, we've got a little something for everyone. Let us know which deck is your favorite, and which Salty commanders you've built! Josh's Zur, Violent Benefactor: https://archidekt.com/decks/1556144#Zur,_Violent_Benefactor Daniel's Emrakul, the Promised Friend: https://archidekt.com/decks/1556108#Emrakul_the_Promised_Friend Drew's Oops! All Zombie Goliaths: https://archidekt.com/decks/652871#Sek'Kuar_Oops_All_Zombie_Goliaths

In our first episode back, we've got a set review for all of ya! How do your ratings for this set compare to ours? Do you think Josh will ever actually build that Crab deck? Is Drew over-rating Break the Ice? Let us know in those comments or at dtlmtgpod@gmail.com

Oops! Got this one out a little late. But in our third and final of our Visions series, our hosts look forward into the year and take their best guesses at what they hope & fear will enter the format for each of the 5 colors in 2021. Do you agree with any of our guesses? Do you think we were way off-base? Let us know!

Happy new years, listeners! To start off the new year, we have the second in our series of fortune-telling episodes for Commander in 2021! In this episode, our hosts try to imagine what new Commander options each of the new sets will have for us in 2021. Do you think any of our predictions were off-base? Do you have any predictions? Let us know!

Hey folks! As the year winds down, we've started looking towards what 2021 might have in store for us. In this episode, we look deep within ourselves and try to figure out what we fear/hope the Commander format as a whole will bring us in the upcoming year. Are our predictions totally off-base? What are YOU predicting for EDH in 2021? Let us know!

Hey everyone! For the final episode in our series on welcoming new players to the format, we go over potential card inclusions that can help newer players make some important decisions and ease them into the higher-level gameplay decisions common to a game of commander; while not having to hamstring your own deck in the process. Are there cards that we missed? Are you running any cards more so for how they can help newer players than how they help you? Let us know!

Play Commander in-person for any amount of time, or discuss it online, and you're bound to come across this conversation: "my deck's probably about a 7-8, what about yours?" In today's episode we discuss the Power Level Discussion - what is it, how is it used, and what might be some useful alternatives for you when going to the Commander table to ensure that everyone has a good time.

Commander Legends is out! In this episode we go over our criticisms & favorite aspects of the set, talk about the role of set-attached Commander pre-constructed decks, and discuss some of the potential for White card advantage going forward in Commander. Do you agree with our takes? What are your favorite cards from this set? Let us know!

In keeping with our welcoming, November episodes, this episode is all about deck advice: both how to get the most out of the advice receive as well as how to give better advice to other players. When reaching out to other players/the community for deck help what has been successful for you? What advice do you typically give to other players? Let us know in a DM, or in the comments below!

In the spirit of November and Thanksgiving, we're doing a series of episodes intended to welcome everyone to the table of Commander. For the first episode in this series, each of us are speak to our process when deck-building to hopefully give you a useful reference for building your own deck. With this as with all these episodes, send us any questions about our deck-building processes that you may have or any additional tips that you have for other new players either via DM or emailed to dtlmtgpod@gmail.com

We've got an extra holiday treat for you! In the Halloween spirit, we all built spooky themed commander decks that we'd love to share with you (except for Drew, because he really didn't think his was all that good when going back to do the edit). We've got the deck lists to Josh & Daniel's linked below, so let us know what you think of our spooky brews! Josh's Gitrog's Grody Gang: (https://archidekt.com/decks/878826#Gitrog's_Grody_Gang) Daniel's SAW: (https://archidekt.com/decks/878839#SAW)

Hey everyone! This week, Daniel leads a discussion going into detail about how the highest-end mana rocks & ramp pieces should be reprinted until they are as inexpensive as possible, for the health of the format. And if that helps his Kangee, Aerie Keeper deck to hang at cEDH tables, then so be it.

*SPOILER ALERT*: At ~55:30 in this episode there is a discussion of a card which was part of a recent leak of cards in the upcoming Commander Legends set. In this episode our hosts discuss some mechanics from old Magic that we'd like to see come back, going over why each mechanic has fallen out of favor as well as how we think it could make a return. Do you long for the days of 'mana burn' and 'fast effects'? Let us know what old Magic mechanic you'd bring back in the comments or by sending an email to dtlmtgpod@gmail.com

It's Secret Lair time! Everyone's talking about it, including us! In this episode, we go over our thoughts about the Secret Lair X Walking Dead release and its potential impact on the game we play

This episode, Drew is truly going for it as we discuss how cards designed 'for Commander' can actually hinder the format as a whole for both Commander players and the players who are playing other formats in which such cards are legal.

Love isn't always on time, and neither are our set reviews! But our review of Zendikar Rising is finally here, complete with speculation on its impact to commander, a plea for Wizards to please help the game punish ramp strategies from our resident Green player, and our top picks from the set! Give it a listen and let us know your thoughts!

This is our first in our (hopefully) long-running "Return to Rabiah" series, where we attempt to pitch ways in which Magic could return to sets that we feel haven't gotten the most fair shake. In this series, each of our hosts picks a plan from Magic's past that's high-up on the scale, and imagines a hypothetical return set, using only previously-established Magic mechanics and an eye towards the plane's established identity in their designs. Let us know what you think of our 3 pitches, and what plane you'd most like to return to! Mark Rosewater's article on the 'Rabiah Scale': https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/making-magic/rabiah-scale-part-1-2018-11-12

Hey everyone! We've been giving it some thought, and Josh & Daniel have some additional thoughts on Jump/Start after having actually played it at least once. So, in a follow up to our review of JumpStart, here's our experiences after having actually played it.

In this episode, we do a breakdown of Daniel's Vial Smasher & Ludevic partner commander deck, featuring Obosh, the Preypiercer as a companion. In addition to the card inclusion breakdowns and discussions of strategy, we also go over what inspired Daniel to build the deck to begin with, and also discuss Daniel's experience with building a deck around the controversial companion mechanic. Have you built a deck around any of the companions? What has been your experience? Let us know! Daniel's Vial Smashser/Ludevic/Obosh deck list: https://archidekt.com/decks/666555#10_Hand_Obosh

In this episode, we do a full breakdown of Drew's Zirda/Zacama companion commander deck referenced in our very first episode. In addition to the typical card-by-card break downs, we also go over the deck building experience when building around a companion and what Drew believes is the strength of this approach. Have you built a deck around any of the companions? What has been your experience? Let us know! Drew's Zirda/Zacama deck list: https://archidekt.com/decks/667212#Zirda/Zacama_Companion_EDH

In this episode, we approach the idea of Magic players in other formats coming into Commander. While arguably the most identifying aspect of Commander is its added deck-building restrictions, that doesn't necessarily have to mean you can't play your deck from Standard when you migrate over, just that it'll take some tweaking. Over the course of this episode Josh, Drew, and Daniel discuss their experiences going from Standard/Limited/Kitchen Table Magic players to the Commander players they are today, and Daniel & Drew show their work by taking two popular recent Standard decks, Temur Adventures and Esper Doom Dance respectively, and showing how they can be pretty simply updated to function as originally intended in the Commander format (deck lists for each below in the description). With this, we hope to show how leaving your format behind, or just taking a break from it, shouldn't mean that you have to leave your favorite/pet deck behind too, and that ultimately Commander is a format driven by player expression arguably moreso than any other; with enough effort, anything you can think of can be done. If you liked this episode, please be sure to let us know! Drop a review on your podcast platform of choice, share it around & tell your playgroup about it, and follow us on our social accounts. If you really liked it and want to see us do more, let us know by sending us an email at dtlmtgpod@gmail.com or through our Facebook/Twitter/Instagram page. Do you have a MtG deck from another format you want us to try to convert? Let us know! Daniel's Riku Temur Adventures decklist: https://archidekt.com/decks/648175#Dan's_Temur_Adventures Drew's Alela Esper Doom Dance decklist: https://archidekt.com/decks/646188#Drew's_EDH_Doom_Dance

JumpStart is here! Just a forewarning, we're pretty critical in this one. Honestly more critical than I really wanted to be. But sometimes that's how it goes. Ultimately I think that the roll-out for JumpStart did it a lot more harm than good, but maybe we'll be proven wrong. But what did you think? Do you think that JumpStart is a worthwhile set to buy into? What do you make of Drew's argument comparing veteran players buying this set in comparison to Unstable (& the other Un-sets) - will JumpStart appeal to the same player base? Let us know! #MtG #MtGJMP #JumpStart

Core 2021 is out! In this episode we share are thoughts on the new cards, go over our favorites, and discuss the implications that cards like Teferi, Master of Time will have on the Commander format. After you give the episode a listen, let us know your thoughts on printing new cards featuring classic Magic characters, super-powered cards in Commander, and what your favorite cards from this set are!

You ever have a bad idea? Just an awful, truly indefensible idea for a deck that you can't get out of your head? Maybe a single card that you're just positive you can break wide open, founding an entire archetype all on your own? Anyway, in a special show we're calling "Minimum Viable Decklist", Daniel & Drew take you through their attempts to build several different commander decks all around The Ozolith and Planeswalkers. They discuss deck-building theories, card selection, and entertain the idea for probably much longer than they should have. Have you built any decks around The Ozolith? Have you built either of these decks? Let us know your experience in those comments! Daniel's MVD - Jeskai Ozolith Aristocrats: https://archidekt.com/decks/630011#Daniel's_Elsha_Ozolith Drew's MVD - Uhhh, 4-color pile of cards: https://archidekt.com/decks/630049#Drew's_Breya_Ozolith

*Editors Note* This episode was recorded prior to the Companion rules changes. Seeing Drew's arguments are more from a flavor perspective than a rules one, we didn't feel the need to necessarily go back and re-write/re-record the arguments, but that may impact your opinion on it. Thank you for listening, and please comment with any constructive feedback that you have, as we're still finding our bearings with this show. Have you built a commander deck with a companion? Why/why not? Has the rule change for companions influenced your decision either way? Let us know!