u/nbutton93

Today it's time for the deck everyone loves to hate: it's Izzet Prowess. We know that this has been strong in the format for a while, but it's got a new card from Reality Fracture in the form of Pompous Battlemage, a new one red mana Prowess creature. Although this one is only a 1/1, it has the advantage of having Prepared and a spell that comes along with it, meaning it can trigger its own Prowess ability and gives you an additional noncreature spell outside of the ones already in your hand.

00:00 - Intro & Deck Tech

04:35 - Match One (Mono Green Devotion)

15:58 - Match Two (Lumra Scapeshift)

29:32 - Match Three (Golgari Roots)

Decklist: https://moxfield.com/decks/5iU3DPtc5UqrV0dHzOQkMA

Folks told me the new card they were most interested in seeing was Darklight Phoenix so I quickly (read: moved at moderate pace) recorded a video with it. There's been a few different builds I've seen using it, some heroically trying to run both types of Phoenix in the same deck, but I've settled on a Rakdos Sacrifice shell first. The ability to combine cards like Eyetwitch, Bloodtithe Harvester, Deadly Dispute and the like gives the deck a solid foundation of good cards to build on.

00:00 - Intro & Deck Tech
03:56 - Match One (Abzan Greasefang)
21:38 - Match Two (Lumra Scapeshift)
40:00 - Match Three (Selesnya Midrange)

Decklist: https://moxfield.com/decks/voZj0OCgsUywiilZUR4L8w

33M. So I suffer periodically from flare ups of loose stool and mild shifting stomach pain particularly when my health anxiety is playing up.

A couple of weeks ago I passed a particularly bulky stool and after the third wipe there was the appearance of a reasonable amount of blood on the paper. I wiped a few more times and it stopped. I could feel the lumps on my anua where the blood seemed to be coming from and was able to provoke a small rebleed by bearing down.

This continued for two days and then the bleeding stopped.

A week ago I came down with a really nasty bout of tonsillitis and went on antibiotics. As usual it really messed up my digestion and I thought I might have spotted some dark blood in my stool a couple of days in but it was in small pieces so could also have been food. Still finishing the course so my digestion is still messed up.

Seeing the GP this week but the combination of one thing after another has just got my health anxiety spiralling about more sinister things. Anyone had similar experiences?

Another creature type that got a card worth testing out from The Hobbit is Humans with The Queen of Dale. This powerful legend with Recruit (Connive but with a token instead of a +1/+1 counter) looks like it could slot nicely into a Humans list that leans towards legendary creatures and so can also run Mox Amber. It seems quite match up dependent but there's always some value to get out of it even if the opponent just kills it straight away.

00:00 - Intro & Deck Tech

03:34 - Match One (Boros Hammer)

17:21 - Match Two (Selesnya Midrange)

30:15 - Match Three (Mono White Humans)

38:44 - Match Four (Mono Red Prowess)

Decklist: https://moxfield.com/decks/KHcxgXoT60qYN3WvKDkG\_g

A few creature types have had neat additions to their archetypes from The Hobbit and today we're trying out Golgari Elves with Cantankerous Keepers and Elven Passage. The idea of drawing up to four cards off a 4/3 that costs one mana is pretty inticing as well as an almost Prismatic Vista that can fix our mana and thin our deck at the same time. Elves has existed in the format for a while but has never been truly competitive. Maybe these new cards will help power it up.

00:00 - Intro & Deck Tech
04:20 - Match One (Orzhov Life Gain)
20:29 - Match Two (Azorius Tempo)
29:36 - Match Three (Izzet Cauldron)
40:43 - Match Four (Mono Black Discard)

Decklist: https://moxfield.com/decks/7NbtrIN0ykq4x2IliP53nA

The Hobbit is here! While like the other small sets, we're not expecting enormous changes to the format as a result of this release, there are a few cards worth looking at. Today we're playing some Boros Dragons using the new Smaug the Magnificent and Desolation of Smaug. Combining the two on the same turn seems pretty potent as it lets you wipe the board and then get down a powerful 4/3 flying haster that can very quickly beat the opponent down, particularly if you already have a Treasure or two lying around.

00:00 - Intro & Deck Tech
04:22 - Match One (Lotus Field Combo)
16:26 - Match Two (Rakdos Ponza)
24:39 - Match Three (Dimir Mill)
34:39 - Match Four (Jund Midrange)

Decklist: https://moxfield.com/decks/Jfg114vfiUKpaQhTJdRTQA

Niv To Light is a very established archetype in the format and is usually pretty good fun to play, making use of all five colours to power out some outrageously powerful turns. Today we're trying Thor, God of Thunder in the deck as he can be fetched from a Bring to Light and then let you cast the Bring to Light again the next turn, doing five damage with it. With the addition of Professor Delian Fell as well, there's usually at least one or two new threats from each set that's worth considering in this.

00:00 - Intro & Deck Tech

03:58 - Match One (Niv To Light)

15:55 - Match Two (Azorius Control)

31:55 - Match Three (Dimir Bounce)

Decklist: https://moxfield.com/decks/-GXWi4e16EakdV4nfyKpNQ

Got a couple of new cards to try out in Dimir Midrange that are particularly good against creature decks: The Wondrous Wasp as a tempo play that is subtly different to Flowpits Drowner and Elektra as a removal spell on a stick. As we've put these in the deck, it's inevitable now that we'll only play against decks that they don't really help with.

00:00 - Intro & Deck Tech

04:00 - Match One (Izzet Elementals)

23:22 - Match Two (Lumra Scapeshift)

32:19 - Match Three (Golgari Midrange)

36:15 - Match Four (Niv To Light)

Decklist: https://moxfield.com/decks/N3FOTHv5ZEOhFvt-mvzVeg

Namor, the Sub-Mariner is an intriguing card from Marvel Super Heroes. It doesn't really fit into a purely Merfolk typal deck because its ability doesn't want you to be playing a lot of creatures, so we're going to try it in a deck that just lots of blue cantrips and other spells with Namor as its only creature (kind of). This makes the deck incredibly reliant on the three drop but if it sticks and can be protected then it should very quickly be able to take over the game.

00:00 - Intro & Deck Tech

03:03 - Match One (Fiend Squirrel Combo)

11:15 - Match Two (Golgari Midrange)

26:28 - Match Three (Boros Exile)

Decklist: https://moxfield.com/decks/Ez1qLRZfD0aIuux7TZuIOQ

This is a list that has done well in a couple of recent challenges, although unusually for these days, there is a card missing from the MTGO version on Arena so we're playing Tome Scour instead. Dredgeless Dredge has been on the fringes of the format for quite a long time so it's nice to see it getting a bit of time in the sun. It's certainly quite a lot of explosive potential although it's incredibly glass cannon against certain strategies.

00:00 - Intro & Deck Tech
03:47 - Match One (Abzan Greasefang)
13:13 - Match Two (Abzan Midrange)
28:29 - Match Three (Izzet Prowess)

Decklist: https://moxfield.com/decks/s-5aDctPo02q0c8EX5wWow

It's unusual to find a competitive deck that doesn't chew through that many rare wild cards (relatively speaking), but this one might be it. It uses a lot of cheap cantrips and graveyard fillers to let you cast cheap Tolarian Terrors and Eddymurk Crabs, which can very quickly take over the game and beat the opponent down. By combining this with trusted interactions like Stormchaser's Talent / Boomerang Basics, this budget(ish) deck has a lot going for it.

00:00 - Intro & Deck Tech
03:19 - Match One (Bant Spirits)
25:55 - Match Two (Temur Marvel)
45:49 - Match Three (Orzhov Greasefang)

Decklist: https://moxfield.com/decks/EBzhCBcjmEqi-_RcpgBuKQ

We played a Boros Ponza list when Marvel Super Heroes first arrived with Avengers Disassembled giving the archetype a huge power boost. But the deck has settled into a bit more of a control variant, cutting the Buzzcrushers and the Hellkites and just running a few win conditions. This makes it easier for the deck to pivot into proper control when we face mono colour decks, which can only be a good thing.

00:00 - Intro & Deck Tech
03:35 - Match One (Gruul Aggro)
22:47 - Match Two (Mono Black Midrange)
42:54 - Match Three (Lotus Field Combo)

Decklist: https://moxfield.com/decks/MhPa2t-qekaG0Swh-1hnaw

Kid Loki makes for a nice addition to Izzet Cauldron, as combining it with Agatha's lets you give your creatures hexproof at instant speed and it's pretty easy to get counters on it as well. The list is a lot of Standard cards, or it would be if so many of them hadn't been banned from Standard from being so good...

00:00 - Intro & Deck Tech
03:50 - Match One (Sultai Control)
19:59 - Match Two (Dimir Midrange)
36:55 - Match Three (Mono Red Goblins)

Decklist: https://moxfield.com/decks/Sw4tex6Pd0m9gEscMNAcrw

Political Triumph is a sneakily powerful card from Marvel Super Heroes. For only one mana, you get a lot of value if it sticks around and you can put some creatures into play. We're running it in a Mono White Tokens list that can very quickly get it to four plan counters, buff the team and draw a card for our trouble. This combined with a load of other go wide payoffs like Practiced Offense and Elspeth seems like a good combination.

00:00 - Intro & Deck Tech
03:47 - Match One (Azorius Namor)
24:52 - Match Two (Golgari Midrange)
47:48 - Match Three (Selesnya Midrange)

Decklist: https://moxfield.com/decks/pboeju00kkKKablC0_Prmg

Giving the opponent ten poison counters is a way of winning the game we don't do nearly enough in Pioneer. Today we're playing a Bant Toxic deck that combines Venerated Rotpriest with cards like March of Swirling Mist and Hidden Strings to maximise those poison triggers and win the game out of nowhere. It's surprisingly powerful and resilient for a strategy that relies on a load of one drops that don't see play anywhere else.

00:00 - Intro & Deck Tech
03:52 - Match One (Niv To Light)
13:25 - Match Two (Four Colour Lands)
20:59 - Match Three (Mono Black Devotion)
28:19 - Match Four (Mono White Humans)
35:30 - Match Five (Mono Red Prowess)

Decklist: https://moxfield.com/decks/yyoBD3c7DkidgAoknsZ-hA

Azorius Metalwork is a deck that I always enjoy playing in Pioneer, with Simulacrum Synthesizer and Colossus providing some super explosive games where you can put dozens of power onto the board in a single turn and then close out the game. This deck has always been a bit of glass cannon but with cards like Iron Man Armor and Castle Doom coming from Marvel, there's some more resilience and evasion now in the strategy.

00:00 - Intro & Deck Tech
03:51 - Match One (Dimir Control)
18:58 - Match Two (Azorius Blink)
35:31 - Match Three (Boros Ponza)

Decklist: https://moxfield.com/decks/PQ704ouWiUyQezHCGA5dMA

Playing a slightly different Mono Black Devotion list today, which is the one that D00mwake recently used. I didn't find Baron Helmut Zemo particularly impressive first time around but I've decided to give him another chance in a slightly different build, which should hopefully maximise the potential value we can get off him.

00:00 - Intro & Deck Tech
03:32 - Match One (Izzet Cauldron)
23:24 - Match Two (Boros Ponza)
33:45 - Match Three (Boros Possibility Storm)

Decklist: https://moxfield.com/decks/XqT71flJOEGysViNu8szgQ

Stepping back for a moment from the new Marvel cards to play a Rakdos Goblins list that 5-0ed a tournament a couple of weeks ago. We've got all the pieces for a fun, if flawed, aggro deck that can power out a lot of damage very quickly but folds hard to format staples like Temporary Lockdown and Culling Ritual. Let's see if pure speed and creature type support can win out.

00:00 - Intro & Deck Tech
03:55 - Match One (Lotus Field Combo)
15:18 - Match Two (Orzhov Greasefang)
24:38 - Match Three (Niv To Light)
31:26 - Match Four (Rakdos Artifacts)

Decklist: https://moxfield.com/decks/ty5domEEJk-Pn_ZTU4sHKQ

Self Bounce has been a solid Tier 2 strategy in Pioneer for a while now, and today we're trying out what is arguably the most powerful card from the new set in terms of multi-format impact, Loki, in the shell. Because a lot of enchantments have ETBs that target either a creature or an opponent, there's plenty of opportunity for getting the extra card regularly. An Esper shell that can routinely bounce stuff at instant speed, however, could perhaps be a better way to go.

00:00 - Intro & Deck Tech
02:54 - Match One (Mono Black Midrange)
28:17 - Match Two (Golgari Midrange)
44:53 - Match Three (Izzet Lessons)

Decklist: https://moxfield.com/decks/OtiJS0uzTE-y4E6H7n4OBA

Cloak and Dagger is a nice little addition to an Orzhov Humans build, giving a versatile removal or hand disruption effect. In an aggressive deck like this, the kind of tempo advantage it can bring is crucial, particularly when you're aiming to end the game on turn four or five. Splashing into Black also gives us access to fun cards like General Kudro and removal like Fatal Push, even though the core of the deck remains similar to Mono White Humans.

00:00 - Intro & Deck Tech
03:32 - Match One (Golgari Midrange)
19:58 - Match Two (Four Colour Greasefang)
35:39 - Match Three (Lumra Scapeshift)
46:56 - Match Four (Simic Merfolk)

Decklist: https://moxfield.com/decks/UxfU76rsHkCpXwS6K-Lo3g