The Top Deckers

Dana and Franky discuss the recent bannings, coronavirus and it's effect on MTG, and MTG advertising for some events. Stay home, stay safe, and play online!

Dana and Franky discuss some major events from the last two weeks, who is the GOAT, player redemption, and WOTC hiding meta game data. They also attempt to navigate some “Flip it or rip it” chaos.World Championshiphttp://mtgtop8.com/event?e=24631&f=ST

Franky and Dana are back! There’s been a lot of moving pieces and changes for them; they’ll go over them this episode. As always, they discuss the most recent event results and what they’re running in each format.Third Time’s The Charm: How I Won SCG Knoxville With Golgari Yawgmothhttps://articles.starcitygames.com/premium/third-times-the-charm-how-i-won-scg-knoxville-with-golgari-yawgmoth/?utm_content=112748719&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter&hss_channel=tw-26833198

Franky and Dana are back from their cross country trip to SCGCON and go over how the event went for them. After that, they talk about some recent shake ups in standard, the current state of pioneer, discuss their perspectives on magic ethics, and muse over some of the latest vorthos developments. All that and more on this week’s episode of The TopDeckers Podcast!Note from Dana:I made mention in this episode that Liliana still had the chain veil which I later learned might not be accurate. In either case, based on my personal discourse, I hadn’t planned to read the book, but I apologize for any confusion this may have caused.Pioneer PSQhttp://old.starcitygames.com/decks/Players_Tour_Qualifier/2019-11-17_pioneer_Roanoke_VA_US/1/?_ga=2.156990195.933985041.1574735355-123194052.1537565745 Pioneer Invitationalhttp://old.starcitygames.com/decks/Star_City_Games_Invitational/2019-11-15_pioneer_Roanoke_VA_US/1/?_ga=2.156990195.933985041.1574735355-123194052.1537565745 Friday Modern PSQhttp://old.starcitygames.com/decks/Players_Tour_Qualifier/2019-11-15_modern_Roanoke_VA_US/1/?_ga=2.267091142.933985041.1574735355-123194052.1537565745 Saturday Modern PSQhttp://old.starcitygames.com/decks/Players_Tour_Qualifier/2019-11-16_modern_Roanoke_VA_US/1/?_ga=2.233551190.933985041.1574735355-123194052.1537565745 Modern Invitationalhttp://old.starcitygames.com/decks/Star_City_Games_Invitational/2019-11-15_modern_Roanoke_VA_US/1/?_ga=2.198580327.933985041.1574735355-123194052.1537565745 GP Columbushttp://old.starcitygames.com/decks/Grand_Prix/2019-11-23_modern_Columbus_OH_US/1/?_ga=2.233551190.933985041.1574735355-123194052.1537565745 Angle Shooting Articlehttps://www.channelfireball.com/all-strategy/articles/angle-shooting/

Dana and Franky are joined this week by Danielle! She adds some of her insight and humor to the episode as Dana and Franky prepare for SCG CON.MF Richmond Decklistshttps://coverage.channelfireball.com/event/40Mythic Championship VIhttps://www.magic.gg/events/mythic-championship-vi

Grab your pickaxes and shovels and join Dana and Franky as they put standard out to pasture and venture forth into the uncharted territories of Pioneer. On this episode they briefly discuss the state of standard and its effect on magic as a whole before setting off on the trail and diving into Pioneer for the first time. All that and more on top of the deck this week on, The Top Deckers Podcast. Modern Openhttp://www.starcitygames.com/decks/Star_City_Games_Open/2019-10-26_modern_Atlanta_GA_US/1/Modern Classichttp://www.starcitygames.com/decks/Star_City_Games_Classic/2019-10-27_modern_Atlanta_GA_US/1/Standard Classichttp://www.starcitygames.com/decks/Star_City_Games_Classic/2019-10-27_standard_Atlanta_GA_US/1/NRG CThttps://nerdragegaming.wpengine.com/decklists-archive/pioneer-nrg-ct-november-2019/?fbclid=IwAR11KeV5bvUspKu4-2SbV4ukCO0P-8uiTqJdHfXSh3MKtKETuyyFnqAkGJw

In this episode, Franky and Dana introduce you to arguably magics most popular format, Modern. They discuss the history of the format, power level and power creep, the effects of the ban list on the format, then go over some of the formats most played decks. They wrap up with some tips and tricks on how you can tackle the format preparing you for your first modern event or you next for those seasoned players. All that and more on the top of the deck this week at the Top Deckers Podcast. 1st Announcement of the Modern Format: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/latest-developments/modern-proposal-2011-05-27Formal Announcement of the Modern Format: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/latest-developments/welcome-modern-world-2011-08-12

This week, Franky and Dana discuss the current state of the modern metagame while analyzing the results of SCG Indy. They also briefly discuss the current state of standard and the upcoming banned and restricted announcement while looking at the future of standard. Do you think they’ll ban field of the dead? All that and more, this week on The Top Deckers Podcast.Humans of Magic: Interviews with the Game’s Greatest Minds by James Hsuhttps://www.amazon.com/Humans-Magic-Interviews-Games-Greatest/dp/1697457886/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=james+hsu&qid=1571108079&sr=8-1Modern Openhttp://www.starcitygames.com/decks/results/format/28/event_ID/53/start_date/11-10-2019/end_date/13-10-2019/city/Indianapolis/state/IN/start/1/finish/138/w_perc/0/g_perc/0/r_perc/0/b_perc/0/u_perc/0/a_perc/0/order_1/finish/limit/100/start_num/0/Modern Classichttp://www.starcitygames.com/decks/Star_City_Games_Classic/2019-10-13_modern_Indianapolis_IN_US/1/Standard Classichttp://www.starcitygames.com/decks/Star_City_Games_Classic/2019-10-13_standard_Indianapolis_IN_US/1/

Dana and Franky discuss Throne of Eldraine’s impact on various formats, what players were expecting from this most recent B&R Announcement, and the TCGPlayer Sales Tax.Team Openhttp://www.starcitygames.com/decks/results/format/1-28-3/event_ID/49/start_date/04-10-2019/end_date/06-10-2019/city/Philadelphia/state/PA/country/US/start/1/finish/28/w_perc/0/g_perc/0/r_perc/0/b_perc/0/u_perc/0/a_perc/0/order_1/finish/limit/100/start_num/0/Standard Classichttp://www.starcitygames.com/decks/Star_City_Games_Classic/2019-10-06_standard_Philadelphia_PA_US/1/Modern Classichttp://www.starcitygames.com/decks/Star_City_Games_Classic/2019-10-06_modern_Philadelphia_PA_US/1/Legacy Classichttp://www.starcitygames.com/decks/Star_City_Games_Classic/2019-10-06_legacy_Philadelphia_PA_US/1/4C Metal Craft Control (Pauper): Maindeck (60)  1 Kor Skyfisher  3 Spellstutter Sprite  1 Archaeomancer  2 Bleak Coven Vampires  4 Mulldrifter  3 Ephemerate  2 Firebolt  4 Galvanic Blast  2 Chainer's Edict  3 Terminate  1 Mystical Teachings  4 Thoughtcast  4 Arcum's Astrolabe  4 Prophetic Prism  4 Great Furnace  1 Mortuary Mire  4 Seat of the Synod  4 Snow-Covered Island  3 Snow-Covered Mountain  1 Snow-Covered Plains  1 Snow-Covered Swamp  4 Vault of Whispers  Sideboard (15)  2 Gorilla Shaman  2 Standard Bearer  1 Bleak Coven Vampires  1 Annul  2 Dispel  3 Electrickery  3 Pyroblast  1 Reaping the Graves

Dana and Franky discuss Franky’s recent “Legacy Trip” to SCG Syracuse (where he finished in the Top 64) and MF Atlanta. They also go over Dana’s Tucson Legacy City Championship and  touch on the Throne of Eldraine Deluxe Edition.SCG Syracusehttp://www.starcitygames.com/decks/Star_City_Games_Open/2019-09-14_legacy_Syracuse_NY_US/1/MF Atlantahttps://coverage.channelfireball.com/event/33

 With Dana out on a business trip, this week Andew Klein joins us on the podcast to discuss some Throne of Eldraine previews and other recent results before Franky goes to SCG Syracuse and MF Atlanta. GP Indianapolis Day 1 and Day 2 Archetype Breakdownshttps://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vSsh9wpyhBTSTOjTmUrsiOOrSCyO1K0zsPK0E2gh2I1m9bRFCZ2BoIyNeL2gR7AQuWxYD2LQM_mX30A/pubhtmlAll GP GP Indianapolis Decklistshttps://coverage.channelfireball.com/event/31Throne of Eldraine Mechanicshttps://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/feature/throne-eldraine-mechanics-2019-09-04

In this episode, Franky and Dana take a deep dive into the recent tournament results since the modern banned and restricted announcement and talk on the importance of diversity and representation in the magic community. AUGUST 26, 2019 BANNED AND RESTRICTED ANNOUNCEMENThttps://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/news/august-26-2019-banned-and-restricted-announcement-2019-08-26SCG Openhttp://www.starcitygames.com/decks/Star_City_Games_Open/2019-08-31_modern_Dallas_TX_US/1/SCG Modern Classichttp://www.starcitygames.com/decks/Star_City_Games_Classic/2019-09-01_modern_Dallas_TX_US/1/MTGO Modern Challengehttps://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/mtgo-standings/modern-challenge-2019-09-01Modern MCQhttps://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/mtgo-standings/modern-mcq-2019-09-02The Lady Planeswalkers Societyhttps://www.facebook.com/groups/LadyPlaneswalkersSociety/

In this episode, Dana and Franky preview all the happenings coming up at MF Las Vegas, discuss some of the most recent Tournament results, and the recent organized play announcement.The Future Of Magic Esports - https://www.magic.gg/news/the-future-of-magic-esportsGP Birmingham (Modern) - http://coverage.channelfireball.com/event/29SCG Team Open Richmond (Open and Classics)- http://www.starcitygames.com/events/170819_richmond.htmlEternal Weekend Asia (Legacy & Vintage) - https://mtg-jp.com/coverage/ewa19/decklist/0032938/?fbclid=IwAR1fxqEI89TjqO5AZ-Um9P3D4ieNXhvk7nWDzYbvTf8ttw1r3-APxNaUczg

EPISODE NOTE: We recorded this episode prior to “The Future of Magic Esports” (link down below) announcement this week, so some of the discussion here is talked about without those details. And although the announcement covers some of the things we talked about, it doesn’t cover everything, so there is still plenty of content this week.Dana and Franky discuss some of their favorite Commander 2019 spoilers then discuss the future of magic’s organized play program. They talk about their hopes and reservations for the future of OP and the various things that affect it, including the new judge academy and content creation. All this and some of the latest magic news awaits you in this week’s episode.CFB Article: https://www.channelfireball.com/articles/the-past-present-and-future-of-competitive-magic/Magic Organized Play/E-Sport announcement: https://www.magic.gg/news/the-future-of-magic-esports

On this episode, Franky and Dana take a deep dive on the intangible aspects of the game to include body language and bluffing. Through a series of anecdotes and examples, they explain how players give off tells with the way they sit across from you, how to sell a bluff to maneuver your opponent into a losing position, and classic examples used in the game. MKM Frankfurt 2019 Resultshttp://series.magiccardmarket.eu/coverage-overview-cm-series-frankfurt-2019/LSV's Bluff at PT Guilds of Ravnicahttps://youtu.be/BQKaJrUaYTI?t=2174

Magic: The Gathering' Leads Hasbro's Second-Quarter Earningshttps://www.forbes.com/sites/laurenorsini/2019/07/24/magic-the-gathering-leads-hasbros-second-quarter-earnings/ Orzhov Vampires - Standard: Maindeck (60) 4 Knight of the Ebon Legion 3 Skymarcher Aspirant 4 Vicious Conquistador 4 Adanto Vanguard 4 Legion Lieutenant 2 Sanctum Seeker 4 Champion of Dusk 4 Sorin, Imperious Bloodlord 2 Cast Down 2 Mortify 4 Legion's Landing 4 Godless Shrine 4 Isolated Chapel 7 Plains 8 Swamp Sideboard (15) 2 Plague Mare 2 Gideon Blackblade 1 Ajani, Adversary of Tyrants 4 Duress 2 Despark 4 Noxious Grasp