Episode Seventeen - Today is the Day of Judgment

Hi everyone,

Welcome to episode 17 of The Gamer's Podcast, where we discuss the huge news from Zendikar, you ready for it?

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POW!

We discuss this bombshell and about the upcoming events.

Thanks

The Gamer's Podcast Team

Finalist, winner, and last decklists

The tournament is all done! Congratulations to Cyrus Bales, the champion!

Cyrus Bales' “Drastic Inquiry”

4 Hellspark Elemental

4 Shambling Remains

4 Dregscape Zombie

4 Viscera Dragger

4 Extractor Demon

4 Sedraxis Specter

24 creatures

3 Drastic Revelation

4 Terminate

2 Volcanic Fallout

4 Burning Inquiry

13 spells

4 Crumbling Necropolis

2 Drowned Catacomb

1 Dragonskull Summit

1 Vivid Marsh

1 Reflecting Pool

1 Sunken Ruins

3 Graven Cairns

1 Island

5 Swamp

4 Mountain

23 lands

60 cards

SB:

2 Earthquake

4 Deathmark

3 Black Knight

3 Thoughtseize

3 Thought Haemorrhage

Calum Stephenson's “Time Colander”

1 Glassdust Hulk

1 creature

3 Silence

4 Time Sieve

4 Time Warp

2 Tezzeret the Seeker

2 Jace Beleren

4 Elsewhere Flask

3 Kaleidostone

3 Cryptic Command

3 Pollen Lullaby

4 Open the Vaults

4 Howling Mine

4 Fieldmist Borderpost

4 Mistvein Borderpost

44 spells

3 Mystic Gate

3 Swamp

3 Plains

1 Reliquary Tower

6 Island

16 lands

61 cards

SB:

2 Disperse

1 Silence

1 Pollen Lullaby

1 Dispeller's Capsule

3 Vedalken Outlander

3 Negate

4 Ethersworn Canonist

Semifinalists + decklists

Carl Ansell's “Steve”

4 Oona's Prowler

4 Black Knight

4 Stillmoon Cavalier

3 Shriekmaw

15 creatures

4 Tendrils of Corruption

3 Sign In Blood

4 Bitterblossom

4 Thoughtseize

2 Duress

4 Doom Blade

3 Corrupt

24 spells

19 Swamp

3 Gargoyle Castle

22 lands

61 cards

SB:

2 Duress

3 Pithing Needle

3 Relic of Progenitus

1 Shriekmaw

3 Trip Noose

3 Dragon's Claw

Hubert Remillard's “Barnslayaa!”

3 Baneslayer Angel

3 Meddling Mage

2 Reveillark

4 Knight of the White Orchid

4 Mulldrifter

4 Vendilion Clique

4 Glen Elendra Archmage

24 creatures

4 Path to Exile

4 Fieldmist Borderpost

3 Broken Ambitions

4 Cryptic Command

15 spells

8 Island

6 Plains

4 Glacial Fortress

3 Mystic Gate

21 lands

60 cards

SB:

2 Reveillark

2 Austere Command

4 Ethersworn Canonist

2 Hallowed Burial

2 Celestial Purge

3 Burrenton Forge-Tender

Quarterfinalists + decklists

David Stiles' “Kithkin”

4 Figure of Destiny

4 Goldmeadow Stalwart

4 Wizened Cenn

4 Knight of Meadowgrain

4 Cloudgoat Ranger

20 creatures

4 Spectral Procession

4 Honor of the Pure

3 Ajani Goldmane

4 Path to Exile

15 spells

4 Rustic Clachan

4 Windbrisk Heights

2 Mutavault

15 Plains

25 lands

60 cards

SB:

4 Burrenton Forge-Tender

2 Reveillark

2 Ranger of Eos

3 Stillmoon Cavalier

2 Elspeth, Knight-Errant

2 Ethersworn Canonist

David Turner's “Hot Birds”

4 Swans of Bryn Argoll

4 Magma Phoenix

8 creatures

4 Ajani Vengeant

4 Lightning Bolt

4 Flame Javelin

4 Intimidation Bolt

3 Hallowed Burial

3 Volcanic Fallout

3 Pyroclasm

2 Banefire

27 spells

4 Mutavault

4 Rugged Prairie

4 Reflecting Pool

4 Jungle Shrine

4 Plains

5 Mountain

25 lands

60 cards

SB:

1 Hallowed Burial

2 Banefire

1 Volcanic Fallout

1 Pyroclasm

1 Austere Command

4 Kitchen Finks

2 Manabarbs

3 Runed Halo

David Brannon

4 Mistbind Clique

3 Scion of Oona

3 Sower of Temptation

3 Spellstutter Sprite

2 Vendilion Clique

15 creatures

4 Agony Warp

2 Broken Ambitions

4 Cryptic Command

2 Essence Scatter

3 Jace Beleren

4 Bitterblossom

3 Thoughtseize

22 spells

4 Mutavault

4 Drowned Catacomb

4 Secluded Glen

4 Sunken Ruins

5 Island

2 Swamp

23 lands

60 cards

SB:

1 Scion of Oona

1 Thoughtseize

1 Vendilion Clique

3 Negate

3 Infest

3 Deathmark

3 Flashfreeze

Michael Parker's “HuRR DURR!”

4 Ranger of Eos

4 Elvish Archdruid

1 Cloudthresher

1 Burrenton Forge-Tender

2 Noble Hierarch

4 Elvish Visionary

4 Heritage Druid

4 Llanowar Elves

4 Regal Force

4 Nettle Sentinel

4 Devoted Druid

36 creatures

4 Primal Command

4 spells

1 Plains

3 Mosswort Bridge

8 Forest

4 Wooded Bastion

4 Sunpetal Grove

20 lands

60 cards

SB:

4 Gaddock Teeg

4 Path to Exile

2 Burrenton Forge-Tender

1 Cloudthresher

4 Great Sable Stag

Magic 2010 Game Day update #2

Carl writes...

Times I've won the game with Sign in Blood – 2 out of 4

Spotter on the floor has seen Time Sieve vs. transmuter... we're here for the duration.

Tim Willoughby writes...

Just won a game where my opponent had two Where Ancients Tread in play. I feel pretty lucky right now.

Louise writes...

The owls won me a game – at last!

Calum writes...

That's why I played that deck! Two incredibly tight wins against transmuter control (game two I killed him from 92 life by just taking extra turns) and bant means that I just I.d. In to top eight with, what is frankly, a bad deck. The top eight is this:

Kithkin

Elves combo

Faeries

Reveillark

RW Swans

Unearth

Sui Black

Time Sieve combo

I really need to avoid the Reveillark and Faeries decks in the top 8, and hope the other players knock them out! Here we go!

Magic 2010 Game Day update #1

Hi all and welcome to the Magic 2010 Game Day in Eclectic Games, Reading!

We'll be bringing you live updates from the tournament floor all throughout today, and Top 8 decklists when we get them.

HJ's update: David writing. We have 16 players fighting for the title today, with foil Mycoid Shepherds for the Top 8 and a certificate for the winner.

Robert Elkin writes...

11:10 and we're off.

Cyrus Bales against the younger Ansell promises to be the early match to watch, with the new tech Cyrus brings to the table likely to shape the format for months to come.

Calum writes...

Why did I play Time Sieve!!!! My deck is a time sieve combo deck whose worst matchups are decks that both attack and have counterspells. Unfortunately I just got paired against a Reveillark deck which sacrificed Glen Elendra Archmages 6 times in game two.... My estimate is that I can beat about 6 decks in the 16 deck field. Why did I choose such an awful deck!!!!!

Episode Sixteen - It's a trap!!!!!!!

Hi everyone!

The Gamer's Podcast team is back with the news of GP Brighton and the 2009 National Championships, as well as some great news about From the Vault: Exiled and ZENDIKAR!

Please email us at thegamerspodcast@googlemail.com with any discussion topics or views on our content or discussion. We'd love to hear from you.

But remember, IT'S A TRAP!!!

The Gamer's Podcast Team

Special Report: Coverage of Aaron Ansell vs Shuuhei Nakamura

The impossible has happened. At GP Brighton Tim Willoughby set up a grudge match between Aaron Ansell and Shuuhei Nakamura, and The Gamer's Podcast has the exclusive match report right here!

Coverage by Calum Stephenson

GP Brighton, August 10^th 2009

So, we're finally here, I really can't believe this is happening, but Aaron Ansell has just sat down and begun shuffling his deck opposite one of the world's greatest players, Shuuhei Nakamura.

This whole match begun win an innocuous comment from Aaron Ansell regarding his skills as a 5 Colour Control player. As sure as the sun rises, this lead to comparisons between Mr Ansell and Mr Nakamura by the other Reading local players. As these comments got rather out of hand, Mr Tim Willoughby decided to take it upon himself to set up a showdown between the Tank of Reading, and Nakamura of Japan.

A big crowd has gathered round, muttering in disbelief at what they are seeing.

The players shuffle up and Aaron is wondering how he got himself into the mess he's in. Everybody is expecting an absolute schooling from the Japanese pro, but Magic has ways of throwing up a surprise or two.

The players roll some digital dice on trading expert Matt Light's smartphone, and Aaron rolls a max 12 and gets to play first. Unfortunately due to time limits we're looking at only one game, instead of a three game match.

Aaron takes a mulligan after some thinking hard with a hand of 2 cryptic commands, 2 hallowed burial and 3 lands. Shuuhei keeps his seven, 3 lands, cryptic command, agony warp, Plumeveil and hallowed burial. A mulligan is not an ideal start for Aaron in the most daunting of matches, but the six card hand is better but not by much.

Vivid lands from both followed by five colour lands mean that both players are developing their mana whilst playing draw go. On Aaron's turn five, Shuuhei drops a Plumeveil at the end step. The first spell is player after 9 turns of the match. Another two turns go by before Aaron taps three for a Jace Beleran in his main phase. With 4 mana open, Shuuhei plays cryptic command, which counters it and draws a card. Aaron could have countered back and resolved the blue planeswalker, but decides against it as it might lead to him getting targeted by Cruel Ultimatum on Shuuhei's next turn.

Another couple of turns of land-go means that this match is going to lead to an explosive finish as both players stockpile their best cards. Esper charm draws two cards for Aaron, but doesn't stop the land-go play. Extra counters are drafted in from passers by to cover the shortage from the mass of vivid lands on the table.

By the time the match kicks off there are 25 lands split between the players. Aaron attempts to play the new threat of Baneslayer Angel. Shuuhei plays Esper Charm in response but lets it resolve. Shuuhei attempts to get rid of the angel with Hallowed burial, which is hit by negate from Aaron. The Baneslayer Angel gets over its summoning sickness and crashes in to the red zone. Met by a previously played Plumeveil and an Agony Warp from Shuuhei almost takes down the angel, only for the Agony Warp to be countered by Cryptic Command. Shuuhei thinks about a response but chooses to let the Plumeveil bite the dust, The life totals are 25-20 in Aaron's favour.

Seven mana is tapped and Cruel Ultimatum resolves for Shuuhei, reversing the life totals and causing a huge swing in card advantage. The three cards Shuuhei draws are far more important than the return of Plumeveil, which gets discarded during the cleanup step. Aaron discards down to a just a few cards and Mulldrifter for Shuuhei puts him further ahead. The next turn Aaron plays Esper Charm in an attempt to get back in to the game, after the aptly named seven mana sorcery.

An Ajani Vengeant resolves and locks down a Vivid Meadow, but with so many lands Shuuhei is unfazed. As he has a Mulldrifter in play it doesn't look likely that the gold cat will be destroying any lands any time soon. Mulldrifter attacks Ajani the next turn, which Aaron attempts to get a blocker in with Plumeveil but it's met with Essence Scatter. Ajani loses two counters and a Volcanic fallout deals the final damage to Ajani putting the life at 20-23. Aaron continues to draw two cards with more Esper Charm. Both players have a lot of lands open, but not much action is happening. Shuuhei plays an end of turn Esper Charm, draws what he needs and follows it with a Volcanic Fallout, making him ahead in the life stakes by 21-18. But then Shuuhei untaps, and calmly puts a Banefire on the table, taps all his lands and announces “Banefire you, for 20”, Aaron extends his hand and the game is over!

Banefire, always one of the most powerful weapons in a 5CC mirror means that Shuuhei doesn't have to give up any of his reputation just yet, and Aaron returns to Reading with his head held high, knowing that the game was still bigger than almost anyone else in his area has experienced.

Shuuhei Nakamura 1- 0 Aaron Ansell

Special Report: Interview with Greg Squire

As promised, here is the interview I did with Greg Squire after he played in the top eight of Nationals.

Stay tuned for coverage of Grand Prix Brighton.

The Gamer's Podcast

Special Report: British Nationals 2009

Hi everyone!

The Gamer's Podcast is reporting to you live from Great British Nationals 2009. We have the top 8 and the semi finals are currently being played. The top 8 breakdown looks like this:

3 Elves!
1 Doran
1 Kithkin
1 RW Control
1 Jund Aggro
1 UW Reveillark

There are 3 Elves decks in the semi finals and there is guaranteed to be an Elf combo mirror in the final. Daniel Gardner awaits the winner of Peter Mottram and Chris Rossiter (an elves mirror that is taking a loooong time).

The Gamer's Podcast had the pleasure to talk to Berkshire local player, and reigning Cube Champion Greg Squire, after he finished his quarter final match against Mick Edwards. The interview will be uploaded in the next few hours. We'd like to congratulate Greg for doing so well at the tournament and representing us.

The event has been going on for three days already and for the next two days, The Gamer's Podcast members will be spending the next day (or hopefully two) playing and reporting from GP Brighton. Check back for updates tomorrow.

Look forward to the interview with Greg, and we hope to have more from you soon.

The Gamer's Podcast Team