Arena Craft Podcast

Later, Crafties

Tue, 17 May 2022 16:52:46 +0000

Later, Crafties ❤️

What's Cracking in New Capenna Standard And An Important Update!

Wed, 11 May 2022 20:22:58 +0000

We're in week 2 of Streets of New Capenna Standard and some archetypes and ideas are solidifying! CGB and Arjuna read down some decklists and tournament results and find some pretty surprising stuff!

If you love the show and want to support us, head over to our Patreon and check out our tiers: https://patreon.com/arenacraftpodcast . Your support means a lot to us and helps keep pushing the show forward.

We are partners of untapped.gg , a great deck tracker and collection manager for Arena. They've recently revamped their Draftsmith feature to make it easier to get into limited - go check it out!

Find Arena Craft on:

This show features the track 'Cascade' by Kubbi which is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Find Kubbi's amazing music at kubbimusic.com

Streets of New Capenna Standard Week 1 Metagame Review

Tue, 03 May 2022 19:32:59 +0000

Streets of New Capenna is released! Arjuna & Covertgoblue have been wading into Early Access and the ranked ladder to see what's performing and what's not. Is Ob Nixilis the next Oko, Thief of Crowns? Is it oppressive in the meta? What is there to be done about it? Is ANYTHING else viable? Listen, and all will be revealed.

We are partners of untapped.gg , a great deck tracker and collection manager for Arena. They've recently revamped their Draftsmith feature to make it easier to get into limited - go check it out!

Find Arena Craft on:

This show features the track 'Cascade' by Kubbi which is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Find Kubbi's amazing music at kubbimusic.com

Magic Events with Dreamhack's Aaron Torbin

Wed, 27 Apr 2022 16:43:10 +0000

This week we're excited to welcome Dreamhack's Aaron Torbin to discuss magic events and organized play moving forward! We discuss competitive avenues for players, all of the extra fun stuff they're bringing to events, and generally try to get an outlook for what The Gathering is going to look like the rest of this year and beyond.

We are partners of untapped.gg , a great deck tracker and collection manager for Arena. They've recently revamped their Draftsmith feature to make it easier to get into limited - go check it out!

Find Arena Craft on:

This show features the track 'Cascade' by Kubbi which is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Find Kubbi's amazing music at kubbimusic.com

Streets of New Capenna Constructed Set Review

Tue, 19 Apr 2022 19:06:03 +0000

This is it - the complete* constructed set review for Streets of New Capenna! In this show we discuss every card we think will see play in Standard and Historic, minus the ones we've already previewed on the show. Is this set a hit? Will we be connived into running 3+ colors?

We are partners of untapped.gg , a great deck tracker and collection manager for Arena. They've recently revamped their Draftsmith feature to make it easier to get into limited - go check it out!

Find Arena Craft on:

This show features the track 'Cascade' by Kubbi which is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Find Kubbi's amazing music at kubbimusic.com

New Capenna - Moar Spoilers

Tue, 12 Apr 2022 18:54:38 +0000

We've got previews, and you want answers! Today, we go deep on the cards spoiled up until Friday April 8th. This set looks... weird, so we'll see how it turns out. Some strong Planeswalkers though, and multifarious multicolored nonsense. Enjoy!

We are partners of untapped.gg , a great deck tracker and collection manager for Arena. They've recently revamped their Draftsmith feature to make it easier to get into limited - go check it out!

Find Arena Craft on:

This show features the track 'Cascade' by Kubbi which is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Find Kubbi's amazing music at kubbimusic.com

Organized Play is OP

Tue, 05 Apr 2022 21:03:17 +0000

Wizards is bringing back the Pro Tour! Boomers rejoice, zoomers learn. We also have some more New Capenna cards to ogle. Don't call them Triomes!

We are partners of untapped.gg , a great deck tracker and collection manager for Arena. They've recently revamped their Draftsmith feature to make it easier to get into limited - go check it out!

Find Arena Craft on:

This show features the track 'Cascade' by Kubbi which is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Find Kubbi's amazing music at kubbimusic.com

Arena Economy, Baldur's Gate, Alchemy Oh My!

Tue, 29 Mar 2022 12:00:00 +0000

If there's one thing there's a lot of this week, it's news! The Arena Economy stream hit to the satisfaction of nobody. The Baldur's Gate Commander set was announced to be releasing in some form on Arena as well... straight into the Alchemy format! Also, talk of Pioneer and a non-digital-only eternal format on Arena. And that's not even all the stuff we talked about today. Strap yourselves in!

We are partners of untapped.gg , a great deck tracker and collection manager for Arena. They've recently revamped their Draftsmith feature to make it easier to get into limited - go check it out!

Find Arena Craft on:

This show features the track 'Cascade' by Kubbi which is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Find Kubbi's amazing music at kubbimusic.com

Neon Dynasty Set Championship Discussion

Tue, 15 Mar 2022 21:21:18 +0000

The Neon Dynasty set championship happened, and CGB and Arjuna had thoughts. Hear our bad takes before the results came around!

We are partners of untapped.gg , a great deck tracker and collection manager for Arena. They've recently revamped their Draftsmith feature to make it easier to get into limited - go check it out!

Find Arena Craft on:

This show features the track 'Cascade' by Kubbi which is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Find Kubbi's amazing music at kubbimusic.com

Don't Call Them Triomes - A Peek at Streets of New Capenna

Tue, 08 Mar 2022 16:11:59 +0000

Wizards in their usual wisdom has released a teaser for their next set, Streets of New Capenna, mere weeks into the release of NEO. Whatever, we roll with it. Previewed are a new Ascendancy enchantment and a new set of tricolor cycling taplands that'll get you shot in a back alley if you try to call Triomes. We also discuss the Standard meta and the 3 decks that we currently believe are at the top.

We are partners of untapped.gg , a great deck tracker and collection manager for Arena. They've recently revamped their Draftsmith feature to make it easier to get into limited - go check it out!

Find Arena Craft on:

This show features the track 'Cascade' by Kubbi which is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Find Kubbi's amazing music at kubbimusic.com

Rivals Member Chris Botelho

Tue, 01 Mar 2022 21:24:04 +0000

This week, Arjuna is honored to welcome to the show Rivals member and Grand Prix Top-8-er Chris Botelho! We discuss a mental methodology for improving at the game, starting with which land drop to play on turn 1. Chris' improvement strategy is one of the best in the game. We also discuss metagames, including the dozens of potentially viable decks in Historic!

Find Chris Botelho on Twitter, Twitch and Youtube.

We are partners of untapped.gg , a great deck tracker and collection manager for Arena. They've recently revamped their Draftsmith feature to make it easier to get into limited - go check it out!

Find Arena Craft on:

This show features the track 'Cascade' by Kubbi which is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Find Kubbi's amazing music at kubbimusic.com

Kamigawa Standard Week 1 Meta Review

Tue, 22 Feb 2022 22:23:53 +0000

It's that glorious time again - the time when Arjuna and CGB wax lyrical about what's working - and what's flaming in the dumpster fire - in Standard. Is GW Enchantments a deck? How about Naya Runes? Is the Kami War a meme? How do they stack up against Standard staples like Izzet, Orhov Tokens, Monowhite or Monogreen? All this and considerably more memes are included in this episode.

We are partners of untapped.gg , a great deck tracker and collection manager for Arena. They've recently revamped their Draftsmith feature to make it easier to get into limited - go check it out!

Find Arena Craft on:

This show features the track 'Cascade' by Kubbi which is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Find Kubbi's amazing music at kubbimusic.com

Kamigawa Neon Dynasty Set Review

Tue, 15 Feb 2022 22:20:15 +0000

Late but worth the wait: the crew discusses the cards in Kamigawa Neon Dynasty that we think will make an impact in constructed. This set is sweet - find out how!

We are partners of untapped.gg , a great deck tracker and collection manager for Arena. They've recently revamped their Draftsmith feature to make it easier to get into limited - go check it out!

Find Arena Craft on:

This show features the track 'Cascade' by Kubbi which is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Find Kubbi's amazing music at kubbimusic.com

Mythic Invitational 1 Champion Andrea Mengucci

Tue, 08 Feb 2022 18:48:42 +0000

This week we are thrilled and honored to have Magic legend Andrea Mengucci on the show. He is the Mythic Invitational 1 Champion, World Magic Cup Champion, Pro Tour finalist, MPL member and one of the game's deepest afficionados. We go deep with Mengu, discussing his history with the game, some highlights from his pro career, his transition to playing Arena and his thoughts on digital-only formats, and much more.

Find Andrea on Twitter, Twitch and Youtube.

We are partners of untapped.gg , a great deck tracker and collection manager for Arena. They've recently revamped their Draftsmith feature to make it easier to get into limited - go check it out!

Find Arena Craft on:

This show features the track 'Cascade' by Kubbi which is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Find Kubbi's amazing music at kubbimusic.com

Kamigawa Neon Dynasty Spoilers

Tue, 01 Feb 2022 22:54:40 +0000

Kamigawa spoilers are here! We have compleated planeswalkers, Legendary Dragons, flip sagas and more! This set is looking sweet, so join Arjuna and CGB on a scenic tour through the new cards.

We are partners of untapped.gg , a great deck tracker and collection manager for Arena. They've recently revamped their Draftsmith feature to make it easier to get into limited - go check it out!

Find Arena Craft on:

This show features the track 'Cascade' by Kubbi which is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Find Kubbi's amazing music at kubbimusic.com

BONUS EP: Bans, and CGB's Baaaaaack!

Wed, 26 Jan 2022 19:16:23 +0000

CGB returns from vacation EARLY to discuss the banned announcement for Standard and Historic, as well as the Alchemy rebalance. There are a LOT of changes to cover here, so we get together to discuss the gas or ass of it all, and add our additional thoughts for what we think would make those formats balanced and fun.

We are partners of untapped.gg , a great deck tracker and collection manager for Arena. They've recently revamped their Draftsmith feature to make it easier to get into limited - go check it out!

Find Arena Craft on:

This show features the track 'Cascade' by Kubbi which is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Find Kubbi's amazing music at kubbimusic.com

Monogreen Deep Dive with Rumti, the Sultan of Smash

Tue, 25 Jan 2022 22:01:04 +0000

This week we're honored to have returning guest Rumti on the show! This guy was born to pwn, and beefy green creatures are his Magic weapon of choice. Get some insights into how Rumti has managed to hold #1 on the Mythic ladder for longer than anyone else in the game.

Find Rumti at Rumti - Twitch and @rumti

We are partners of untapped.gg , a great deck tracker and collection manager for Arena. They've recently revamped their Draftsmith feature to make it easier to get into limited - go check it out!

Find Arena Craft on:

This show features the track 'Cascade' by Kubbi which is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Find Kubbi's amazing music at kubbimusic.com

Roundtable with Rumti, TheOneJame & Chris Botelho

Wed, 19 Jan 2022 19:10:12 +0000

We're stoked to bring you this special episode of ACP, featuring notable Arena streamers Rumti, TheOneJame and Chris Botelho! Arjuna takes them through a conversation exploring Alchemy and how it shapes up against the Standard format, plus some broader thoughts about the future of the Arena platform. Then we get some quick tips from each about how to increase your winrate playing aggro, midrange and control!

Find Rumti at Rumti - Twitch and @rumti

Find TheOneJame at TheOneJame - Twitch and TheOneJame - YouTube

Find Chris Botelho at ChrisBotelho - Twitch and Chris Botelho - YouTube

We are partners of untapped.gg , a great deck tracker and collection manager for Arena. They've recently revamped their Draftsmith feature to make it easier to get into limited - go check it out!

Find Arena Craft on:

This show features the track 'Cascade' by Kubbi which is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Find Kubbi's amazing music at kubbimusic.com

Robert Taylor AKA Fireshoes, the King of Magic Twitter

Tue, 11 Jan 2022 22:18:41 +0000

Robert Taylor has been one of Arjuna's most anticipated guests for the show, so it is with great joy that we get to present a conversation with him today. Widely known as @fireshoes on twitter, Robert is probably the most consistent and prolific sharer of decklists in the MTG world. Today we talk about his history with the game, his thoughts on Alchemy and format churn, and some of his tips for building or selecting the best decks.

Find Robert Taylor on twitter and follow stat: https://twitter.com/fireshoes

We are happy to announce our new partnership with untapped.gg! This deck / stats tracker is what CBG and Arjuna use daily to track our progress and evaluate metagame positioning. If you want to support both our podcast and untapped.gg, get your free download of the software here: untapped.gg

Find Arena Craft on:

This show features the track 'Cascade' by Kubbi which is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Find Kubbi's amazing music at kubbimusic.com

Michael Flores on Alchemy, Arena Economy, and the Grind

Tue, 04 Jan 2022 19:24:43 +0000

Esteemed guest and legend Michael J. Flores returns to Arena Craft! The discussion goes many places - Alchemy, the Arena economy, pro play, and lots of reflections from the last 25 years. It's always a treat to have Michael on and hear the places his mind goes. Enjoy!

Find Arena Craft on:

This show features the track 'Cascade' by Kubbi which is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Find Kubbi's amazing music at kubbimusic.com

Meet RichG, the Unluckiest MTG Player in the Universe

Tue, 28 Dec 2021 19:41:50 +0000

Do you flood often? Do you always get your worst matchup? Do your Collected Companies always feel lackluster? Welcome to the life of RichG, the self-proclaimed "Unluckiest MTG Player in the Universe". He's here today to discuss with Arjuna the many myriad ways Arena feels like it's intentionally designed to ruin your sanity.

Find Arena Craft on:

This show features the track 'Cascade' by Kubbi which is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Find Kubbi's amazing music at kubbimusic.com

The 2021 Arjuna Awards

Tue, 21 Dec 2021 18:16:16 +0000

The end of 2021 is upon us. What a year. Arjuna and CGB cover the good, the bad and the Arena of it all. We've had new formats, old problems, and more cards than anyone cares to count. See who wins in our highly-anticipated year-end recap!

Find Arena Craft on:

This show features the track 'Cascade' by Kubbi which is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Find Kubbi's amazing music at kubbimusic.com

Alchemy Craft Podcast Presents: Week 1 Reflections

Tue, 14 Dec 2021 19:41:17 +0000

Alchemy is here, and it is SPICY. Cards be draftin, seekin and spellbookin. Covergoblue and Arjuna are here to give you the scoop on what's gas and what's... well, listen for yourself.

Find Arena Craft on:

This show features the track 'Cascade' by Kubbi which is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Find Kubbi's amazing music at kubbimusic.com

Alchemy - Lead or Gold?

Tue, 07 Dec 2021 17:16:02 +0000

Wizards dropped the hottest of announcements last week - a new digital-only format, mirroring Standard, called Alchemy. How will Magic transition into a digital-only space? How will the changes affect player engagement? And as a lot of people have brought up, how will the economy accommodate the changes? We discuss this and more - it's a full topic!

Find Arena Craft on:

This show features the track 'Cascade' by Kubbi which is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Find Kubbi's amazing music at kubbimusic.com

What Happens In Vegas Gets Shared With The Crafties

Fri, 26 Nov 2021 20:45:07 +0000

CGB and Arjuna are back from Vegas! Find out what we spent our time up to, including wild commander games and karaoke!

Find Arena Craft on:

This show features the track 'Cascade' by Kubbi which is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Find Kubbi's amazing music at kubbimusic.com

Crimson Vow Standard Week 1 Reflections

Wed, 17 Nov 2021 01:06:02 +0000

It's another week 1 metagame reflection from CGB and Arjuna! To nobody's surprise, the format is dominated by monowhite, Izzet, and monogreen (especially the first 2). We discuss some alternate approaches for a look at how to possibly beat the big 3!

Arjuna's Dimir Zombie Control list

Find Arena Craft on:

This show features the track 'Cascade' by Kubbi which is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Find Kubbi's amazing music at kubbimusic.com

Crimson Vow Constructed Set Review

Tue, 09 Nov 2021 22:28:01 +0000

The full spoiler is here! The set drops in a couple days. Get the hot knowledge before the ladder is overrun with... more monogreen, monowhite and Izzet. Whoops, did I say that?

Find Arena Craft on:

This show features the track 'Cascade' by Kubbi which is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Find Kubbi's amazing music at kubbimusic.com

Crimson Vow First Spoilers

Tue, 02 Nov 2021 18:41:17 +0000

Innistrad: Crimson Vow spoilers are here! Get the hot takes from Arjuna and Covertgoblue about what looks gas, what looks ass, and why you should care about this set.

Find Arena Craft on:

This show features the track 'Cascade' by Kubbi which is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Find Kubbi's amazing music at kubbimusic.com

MTGNerdgirl on MID Standard and Limited

Tue, 26 Oct 2021 22:35:21 +0000

Friend of the podcast and Degen Gaming founder MTGNerdgirl joins us this week! We discuss what makes a good format, both in limited and Standard, and then speculate about what could make it better.

Find MTGNerdgirl at https://www.twitch.tv/mtgnerdgirl and at https://www.youtube.com/c/MTGNerdGirl .

Find Arena Craft on:

This show features the track 'Cascade' by Kubbi which is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Find Kubbi's amazing music at kubbimusic.com

The Post-Worlds Meta

Wed, 20 Oct 2021 00:20:29 +0000

Worlds came and went, so where do we go from here? Covertgoblue and Arjuna discuss the world's decks and the current options. We also cover the B&R announcement for Historic - will the Memory Lapse ban change everything for control? And what precedent is being set with the rebalancing of digital-only cards?

Find Arena Craft on:

This show features the track 'Cascade' by Kubbi which is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Find Kubbi's amazing music at kubbimusic.com

World Championship Decklists & Meta

Tue, 12 Oct 2021 16:48:27 +0000

The world championship... is already over! But before it was, Covertgoblue and Arjuna got together to discuss the decklists and the metagame for the tournament. A lot of these decklists will be templates for the meta moving forward, so even though it went a certain way, we expect to keep seeing these lists show up on the ladder and getting refined. Exciting times for Standard!

Michael J Flores Weighs In On Standard SCG Results

Tue, 05 Oct 2021 18:46:33 +0000

This week, we have an absolute legend of a content creator on the show – Michael J Flores! He is known for his prolific articles, including perhaps the most famous MTG article of all time, "Who's The Beatdown?" Michael J still writes, currently for Coolstuffinc, and also hosts several podcasts, of which Top Level Podcast is a Crafty Host fave.

This week, we're discussing the SCG Satellite Standard tournaments from the past week, and there is a clear 3-deck format trend emerging: Izzet Turns, Monogreen Aggro, and Monowhite Aggro. We discuss how these decks are positioned, whether black-based control decks have any place in the meta, and a whole lot else about card choices and implications for these decks!

Find Arena Craft on:

This show features the track 'Cascade' by Kubbi which is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Find Kubbi's amazing music at kubbimusic.com

MID Standard Metagame Week 2

Tue, 28 Sep 2021 16:21:13 +0000

We have more games under our belts! Join Arjuna and Covertgoblue as we explore week 2 of Midnight Hunt Standard. Is Storm the Festival good after all? Will Izzet Turns be the next Dimir Rogues? Do Gruul and Selesnya decks have a chance? Lots to discuss and find out in Standard this week.

Find Arena Craft on:

This show features the track 'Cascade' by Kubbi which is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Find Kubbi's amazing music at kubbimusic.com

Midnight Hunt Standard Week 1 Metagame Review

Tue, 21 Sep 2021 17:03:40 +0000

Midnight Hunt is here! It's time to talk new Standard. We've had a few days to get into this format, and it is sweet! Did werewolves get there? Are we Storming the Festival? Let's get into it and find out!

Find Arena Craft on:

This show features the track 'Cascade' by Kubbi which is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Find Kubbi's amazing music at kubbimusic.com

Innistrad: Midnight Hunt Complete Set Review

Wed, 15 Sep 2021 00:52:26 +0000

It's here - Arjuna and Covertgoblue's complete set review for Innistrad: Midnight Hunt! This set looks powerful and tribal. Find out which tribes, cards, and decks we think are most likely to be immediate players in Standard.

Find Arena Craft on:

This show features the track 'Cascade' by Kubbi which is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Find Kubbi's amazing music at kubbimusic.com

Innistrad: Midnight Hunt Spoilers Return

Tue, 07 Sep 2021 15:29:37 +0000

Midnight Hunt spoilers return, and this set is looking powerful! Werewolves, vampires, zombies... and a new implementation of the day / night cycle. And now, introducing the Leisure Lands! Arjuna and Covertgoblue discuss a cross section of the cards and look forward to reviewing the whole set.

Find Arena Craft on:

This show features the track 'Cascade' by Kubbi which is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Find Kubbi's amazing music at kubbimusic.com

The MTG Showcase, and CGB Gets Roasted

Tue, 31 Aug 2021 16:23:56 +0000

This week CGB takes us through the MTG Showcase for next year! Upcoming sets include Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty, Streets of New Capenna, Dominaria United, and The Brothers' War. We're also looking at thematic crossovers with LOTR, Fortnite, Street Fighter and Warhammer 40K. Magic has decided to jump the next shark over the previous shark, and Arjuna and CGB are here to give our hot takes.

Also, we take a moment to right a grave, grave error made by Covertgoblue.

If you'd like to head over to our Patreon and check out our tiers: https://patreon.com/arenacraftpodcast . Your support means a lot to us and helps keep pushing the show forward.

Find Arena Craft on:

This show features the track 'Cascade' by Kubbi which is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Find Kubbi's amazing music at kubbimusic.com

Rotation - The Eldraine Sunset Show

Tue, 24 Aug 2021 17:45:09 +0000

The set that terrorized Standard... and basically every format, at some point... will be rotating in September! Covertgoblue and Arjuna wind up storytime and review all the disgusting stuff we had to deal with through the Many Eras of Eldraine Standard. We also revisit some Standard 2022 decks that we missed in our tierlist last time.

Find Arena Craft on:

This show features the track 'Cascade' by Kubbi which is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Find Kubbi's amazing music at kubbimusic.com

Standard 2022 Metagame Deep Dive

Tue, 17 Aug 2021 17:15:27 +0000

This week Crafties, we're doing deep on Standard 2022. We come up with a tier list for the format, and go into detail about builds and matchups you need to be thinking about. Arjuna goes into detail about his Simic Summoner list that he is convinced is tier 1. Covertgoblue discusses the best build of his Blood Money deck. This episode is a must-listen for anyone wanting to have a competitive grasp of the format.

Arjuna's updated Simic Summoner list

Covertgoblue's original Blood Money

Does our show bring value to you? Would you like to support Magic's fastest-growing podcast, and the only podcast dedicated exclusively to MTG Arena? If so, head over to our Patreon and check out our tiers: https://patreon.com/arenacraftpodcast . Your support means a lot to us and helps keep pushing the show forward.

Find Arena Craft on:

This show features the track 'Cascade' by Kubbi which is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Find Kubbi's amazing music at kubbimusic.com

Historic Horizons Set Review (Plus!)

Wed, 11 Aug 2021 16:59:14 +0000

This week we do a (somewhat comprehensive) review of Jumpstart: Historic Horizons. These are the cards that we think are going to matter in new or existing archetypes. Unfortunately, the release has been DELAYED UNTIL AUGUST 24. So even more time to do your homework. We also may or may not discuss some other spoiled cards, to Arjuna's deep chagrin.

Find Arena Craft on:

This show features the track 'Cascade' by Kubbi which is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Find Kubbi's amazing music at kubbimusic.com

Historic Horizons AND 100 Card Brawl Queue!

Tue, 03 Aug 2021 22:24:40 +0000

Huge news this past week – Historic Horizons is on the, er, horizon, and we'll, be reviewing the best of what we've seen so far. Also, 100 Card Historic Brawl is coming to the Arena! Fun times to be playing things other than Standard (but we're still playing that format, too!).

Find Arena Craft on:

This show features the track 'Cascade' by Kubbi which is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Find Kubbi's amazing music at kubbimusic.com

S2022 Week 2, Historic Masters

Mon, 26 Jul 2021 17:36:39 +0000

There's some exciting news announced this week – there will be a Historic Masters Jumpstart set coming to Arena August 12! That means a massive injection of powerful cards into the format, including (from WOTC themselves) cards from MH and MH2! We'll be looking out to see what busted stuff is coming down the pipe next for the Historic format.

We also revisit the Standard 2022 queue to see what strategies are emerging and dominating. There have definitely been some metagame shifts, as midrange is starting to find its footing in the arena. This week we focus on two decklists, one brew by each of us, that have both beeing seeing meta play on the list: Arjuna with Simic Ramp, and CGB with Orzhov Kaya. This is an evolving metagame, so keep up on with with our review.

Find Arena Craft on:

This show features the track 'Cascade' by Kubbi which is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Find Kubbi's amazing music at kubbimusic.com

Standard 2022 Week 1 Metagame Review

Mon, 19 Jul 2021 18:12:32 +0000

It's here – the much anticipated update from Arjuna and Covertgoblue on the Standard 2022 Week 1 Metagame and how the new AFR cards are holding up! This week we discuss the pillars of this new format so far in the form of Mono Green, Izzet Dragons, the various builds of Mono White, Dimir Control, Rakdos Tresure lists, and some spicy other includes. This queue is AWESOME and very fresh at the moment, so be sure to get in on it before it becomes boring and stale.

Arjuna's decklists:

Simic Ramp

Mono Green

Mono White

Covertgoblue's decklists:

Mono White

Mono Green

Dimir Control

Find Arena Craft on:

This show features the track 'Cascade' by Kubbi which is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Find Kubbi's amazing music at kubbimusic.com

The AFR Complete Set Review!

Tue, 13 Jul 2021 14:51:05 +0000

It's finally here – Covertgoblue and Arjuna's complete set review for DND: Adventures in the Forgotten Realms! This time we're trying something different, going into archetypes and splitting the cards into categories we think will be most relevant. We also wanted to shorten our typical 10-12 hour sprawling set review to just the cards we think are relevant or likely to show up. Let us know what you think!

We now have a Patreon! Head right over to patreon.com/arenacraftpodcast to view the tiers and register your support. You get discord roles, goodies and more!

Find Arena Craft on:

This show features the track 'Cascade' by Kubbi which is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Find Kubbi's amazing music at kubbimusic.com

Adventures in the Forgotten Realms - Set Review Pt. 1

Mon, 05 Jul 2021 16:00:00 +0000

Alright, Crafties – the Adventures in the Forgotten Realms set is half previewed so far, and today Arjuna and Covertgoblue dive in to see what's standing out so far. We cover the new Class enchantment type, then go over a select handful of cards to see what we think might emerge as forefront archetypes for the new format.

We now have a Patreon! Head right over to patreon.com/arenacraftpodcast to view the tiers and register your support. You get discord roles, goodies and more!

Find Arena Craft on:

This show features the track 'Cascade' by Kubbi which is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Find Kubbi's amazing music at kubbimusic.com

100 Card Historic Brawl Recap

Mon, 28 Jun 2021 16:00:00 +0000

This past week, Arjuna and Covertgoblue set out to determine the parameters of – and the best decks in – 100 Card Historic Brawl. This took us on a journey down rabbit holes with some of Arena's wiliest legends. This show outlines our findings and some of what we believe to be the core axioms of the format.

We also go into a new card type being introduced in the next set, D&D: Adventures in the Forgotten Realms – Dungeons. We explain what this new card type is and how it works in-game.

We now have a Patreon! Head right over to patreon.com/arenacraftpodcast to view the tiers and register your support. You get discord roles, goodies and more!

Arjuna's lists:

Codie, Vociferous Codex

Golos, Tireless Pilgrim

Teferi, Hero of Dominaria

Covertgoblue's lists:

Galazeth Prismari

Baral, Chief of Compliance

Golos, Tireless Pilgrim

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This show features the track 'Cascade' by Kubbi which is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

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Jeskai Mutate Standard Deep Dive

Mon, 21 Jun 2021 21:16:03 +0000

This week, we look at one of the hardest-to-play decks to hit Standard in a long time: Jeskai Mutate. This deck has so many combo pieces and requires so many game actions to get anywhere that it will test your time management and game action bandwidth. As such, we though it would be a good deck to encourage playing to hone your combo deck chops.

ALSO, look out for our 100-card Historic Brawl Showdown this Thursday, June 24th at around 2pm Pacific Time / 5pm Eastern! Covertgoblue and Arjuna will both be streaming the showdown as we find out who will take the crown next in the ongoing battle of the co-hosts!

Watch Covertgoblue's Stream

Watch Arjuna's Stream

We now have a Patreon! Head right over to patreon.com/arenacraftpodcast to view the tiers and register your support. You get discord roles, goodies and more!

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This show features the track 'Cascade' by Kubbi which is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Find Kubbi's amazing music at kubbimusic.com

BANNED: Time Warp's Time Has Come

Mon, 14 Jun 2021 20:19:07 +0000

We all suspected it might happen, so many of us aren't that surprised to see Time Warp banned in Historic. Is it really the fall guy for Mizzix's Mastery though, or perhaps Brainstorm? Looks like the format still has a way to go before reaching stasis. This week we also discuss the Jeskai Mutate deck that has been taking Standard by storm, and then celebrate another Gas or Ass segment focused on some of the temporary formats coming to Arena!

We now have a Patreon! Head right over to patreon.com/arenacraftpodcast to view the tiers and register your support. You get discord roles, goodies and more!

Find Arena Craft on:

This show features the track 'Cascade' by Kubbi which is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Find Kubbi's amazing music at kubbimusic.com

Strixhaven Graduation Ceremony

Mon, 07 Jun 2021 20:57:28 +0000

This week we host a Strixhaven Graduation Ceremony, where we review the set and see which cards got there, which cards didn't, and how it has impacted formats. We also dive into the results of our podcast listener survey (not too late to take it here!) and see what your feedback has to contribute to the future of the show. We also cover some of the most popular deck trackers / softwares people use with Arena to share what you should be using and why.

We now have a Patreon! Head right over to patreon.com/arenacraftpodcast to view the tiers and register your support. You get discord roles, goodies and more!

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This show features the track 'Cascade' by Kubbi which is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Find Kubbi's amazing music at kubbimusic.com

SCAMS aka Plays That Aren't As Good As They Seem

Mon, 31 May 2021 16:00:00 +0000

Today, we talk about a number of common pitfalls that players make when evaluating cards and plays. These are all things that gain you an advantage, but not as much of an advantage as you might think. Learning when to value these things and when to disregard them is yet another part of your arsenal for playing Magic.

>>> TAKE OUR PODCAST SURVEY! <<<

This will shape the future of the podcast, so weigh in, let your opinion be known, and get this podcast even closer to the product you want to listen to every week!

We now have a Patreon! Head right over to patreon.com/arenacraftpodcast to view the tiers and register your support. You get discord roles, goodies and more!

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This show features the track 'Cascade' by Kubbi which is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Find Kubbi's amazing music at kubbimusic.com

Historic BAN & MOAR New Crads

Mon, 24 May 2021 16:00:00 +0000

As if there weren't enough cards being spoiled already... HERE'S MOAR! Today we finish out Historic Anthology 5 (yes, Elesh Norn made it in), and talk about 3 new cards spoiled for Adventures in the Forgotten Realms. ALSO, hot off the presses in Historic, Thassa's Oracle has been banned for its meddlesome combo in the Tainted Pact deck. RIP to those who, like Covertgoblue, crafted 4 Pacts in the hopes they'd get their wild cards back.

We now have a Patreon! Head right over to patreon.com/arenacraftpodcast to view the tiers and register your support. You get discord roles, goodies and more!

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This show features the track 'Cascade' by Kubbi which is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Find Kubbi's amazing music at kubbimusic.com

Our Patreon, Organized Play, Historic Anthology 5

Mon, 17 May 2021 19:31:13 +0000

Crafties - it's here!!! We finally have a Patreon!

Head right over to patreon.com/arenacraftpodcast to view the tiers and register your support. You get discord roles, goodies and more!

We are deeply grateful to all of our Crafties and community members who have helped us to get as far as we have. Just your listening helps. And now, if you choose, you can support us monetarily as well. Onwards and upwards!

Next, Wizards made an announcement on the future of organized play. The TLDR is that the MPL is going away after next year, and paper tournaments will return. We go into what that means for the average Arena player.

Finally, we cover 22 Historic Anthology cards spoiled so far (it's now at 25). We talk about the Phyrexian Praetor cycle, as well as the Command cycle from Dragons of Tarkir. You can see the full spoiler here: https://scryfall.com/sets/ha5 . They did include Elesh Norn, so basically, LETS GOOO!

Watch the video version of this podcast on Covertgoblue's YouTube channel.

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This show features the track 'Cascade' by Kubbi which is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Find Kubbi's amazing music at kubbimusic.com

First D&D Spoilers and many more announcements

Mon, 10 May 2021 21:15:51 +0000

Covertgoblue returns to discuss the latest product announcement from Wizards, including our first previews for the next Standard-playable set, Dungeons & Dragons: Adventures in the Forgotten Realms. New cards! It's all a bit much, but CGB and Arjuna go through D&D, the previews for the next Historic Anthology 5, take a peek at Modern Horizons 2, and even discuss how to "fix" some of Standard's most broken cards from the last year!

Watch the video version of this podcast on Covertgoblue's YouTube channel.

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This show features the track 'Cascade' by Kubbi which is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Find Kubbi's amazing music at kubbimusic.com

Strixhaven Meta Update with DanyTLaw

Mon, 03 May 2021 16:00:00 +0000

CGB takes a vacation this week as Arjuna welcomes DanyTLaw back to the show! We talk both Standard and Historic metagames and how the new cards have been impacting the formats. Titan's Nest in Standard, Tainted Pact in Historic, and lots of other decks take the focus this week. Magic is fun right now!

Find DanyTLaw on twitch.tv and on youtube.

Watch the video version of this podcast on Covertgoblue's YouTube channel.

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Find Arena Craft on:

This show features the track 'Cascade' by Kubbi which is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Find Kubbi's amazing music at kubbimusic.com

Grow Your Collection Playing Limited With MTG Nerdgirl

Mon, 26 Apr 2021 16:00:00 +0000

This week, we are fortunate to have special guest MTG Nerdgirl on the show! She helps us dive into why limited is the best format to play if you want to build your collection, and the best ways to go about it. We cover basic draft tips, and then go into some detail about Strixhaven and what to look out for in this format. If you've been wanting to get into draft or sealed on Arena but hesitant to do so, let this be your invitation!

Watch the video version of this podcast on Covertgoblue's YouTube channel.

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This show features the track 'Cascade' by Kubbi which is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Find Kubbi's amazing music at kubbimusic.com

Strixhaven Week 1 - Standard & Historic

Mon, 19 Apr 2021 16:00:00 +0000

It's here – after all those spoilers, we (and probably you) have had a chance to get our hands on the new cards! Covertgoblue has been going hard in Standard BO1 to see what's happening there. Arjuna has been exclusively playing Historic BO3, so between the two of us, we can give an overview of Arena's two main formats and how the new set has impacted them. Spoiler alert: new cards are having more impact on Standard than we thought. Not spoiling anything alert: the Mystical Archive is just as busted as advertised and his instantly changed the face of Historic. We're excited to get to play new formats and we'll keep giving you the hot updates as they come.

ALSO, you can now WATCH US TALKING in our new video incarnation of the podcast! This is an exciting new step forward for the podcast, and yet another way you can engage with the content on a platform you love. We're trying it out by hosting it on Covertgoblue's channel, so go there to check it out.

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Find Covertgoblue on his YouTube channel and at his personal site.

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This show features the track 'Cascade' by Kubbi which is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Find Kubbi's amazing music at kubbimusic.com

Strixhaven Spoilers 9 – Standard – We got there!

Sat, 17 Apr 2021 20:40:21 +0000

We made it... all the cards are read, and and all the bile expended. We're not optimistic about the set's impact on Standard, but Historic is forever shaken by the introduction of this set. Thanks for sticking with us while we worked through all that reading. Now go return to your studies!

ALSO, you can now WATCH US TALKING and see the card images in our new video incarnation of the podcast! This is an exciting new step forward for the podcast, and yet another way you can engage with the content on a platform you love. We're trying it out by hosting it on Covertgoblue's channel, so go there to check it out. Apologies if it's not up there at the time of release -- we're working out a system, so if it's not there now, check back soon.

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Find Covertgoblue on his YouTube channel and at his personal site.

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This show features the track 'Cascade' by Kubbi which is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Find Kubbi's amazing music at kubbimusic.com

Strixhaven Spoilers 8 – Standard – Vanishing Verse is a Top 5 Card

Thu, 15 Apr 2021 16:00:00 +0000

Home stretch for Strixhaven spoilers – this podcast and one more to go! This episode's banger is another instant-speed, 2-mana interaction spell: Vanishing Verse. This card makes a strong argument for Silverquill and will definitely show up somewhere, and will probably become a staple in multiple formats. Thank god for cards like these being included in this set.

We'll be releasing the final episode over the weekend, and then it's Arjuna and CGB discussing the new format once more!

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Find Covertgoblue on his YouTube channel and at his personal site.

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This show features the track 'Cascade' by Kubbi which is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Find Kubbi's amazing music at kubbimusic.com

Strixhaven Spoilers 7 – Standard – Decisive Denial Is Sweet

Mon, 12 Apr 2021 16:00:00 +0000

Strixhaven returns for more spoilers, and lo and behold, we have some playable-ish Simic cards! (Who's surprised?) Decisive Denial is one of the better cards we've seen so far, and a very versatile answer / counterspell. Could it be that 2-mana instants with options are good cards? It's a ray of hope in the otherwise rather dense Memehaven.

We'll have another 2 podcasts releasing this week with the remainder of the cards. Also, check us out on Wednesday as we'll both be streaming in the STX Early Access event!

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Find Covertgoblue on his YouTube channel and at his personal site.

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This show features the track 'Cascade' by Kubbi which is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Find Kubbi's amazing music at kubbimusic.com

Strixhaven Spoilers 6 – We're Struggling to Like This Set

Fri, 09 Apr 2021 20:35:17 +0000

Covertgoblue is struggling to stay awake during class as he and Arjuna continue to read through the cards. Does this set just... suck? Let's see if anything catches our interest this go round.

Stay tuned, as we'll be releasing the remainder of the set review over the next week.

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This show features the track 'Cascade' by Kubbi which is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Find Kubbi's amazing music at kubbimusic.com

Strixhaven Spoilers 5 – Standard – Elite Spellbinder is GAS

Wed, 07 Apr 2021 16:00:00 +0000

We return to Standard for the remainder of our Strixhaven constructed set review. Today we review Paulo Vitor Damo Da Rosa's World Championship card, Elite Spellbinder, as one of the clear frontrunners in the set for power level and playability. In a set with a lot of 2nd rate commander cards, it's nice to see a few bangers to keep the faith alive.

Stay tuned, as we'll be releasing the remainder of the set review over the next few weeks.

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Find Covertgoblue on his YouTube channel and at his personal site.

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This show features the track 'Cascade' by Kubbi which is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Find Kubbi's amazing music at kubbimusic.com

Strixhaven Spoilers 4 – Completing the Mystical Archive

Mon, 05 Apr 2021 16:00:00 +0000

More STX spoilers! This time we finish off the Mystical Archive spoilers. Keep an eye out for later this week, when we'll be continuing the Standard-playable cards from the set. We'll release regular shows for the next two weeks as we runway into the STX set release!

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This show features the track 'Cascade' by Kubbi which is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Find Kubbi's amazing music at kubbimusic.com

Strixhaven Spoilers 3 – (Most Of) The Mystical Archive!

Sun, 04 Apr 2021 16:00:00 +0000

Wizards is easing the blow on Memehaven by including a Mystical Archive of cards (mostly) legal in Historic. One of these is included in each pack of STX. A lot of them are bangers and cards that will be format-defining in Historic... which means we need to talk about them!

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This show features the track 'Cascade' by Kubbi which is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

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Strixhaven Spoilers 2 – Standard Legal Cards Cont'd

Wed, 31 Mar 2021 23:08:10 +0000

Strixhaven spoilers continued! This concludes the 'Standard' portion for this week. Next episode will be Mystical Archive cards.

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This show features the track 'Cascade' by Kubbi which is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Find Kubbi's amazing music at kubbimusic.com

Strixhaven Spoilers 1 – Is Learn Busted?

Mon, 29 Mar 2021 16:00:00 +0000

It's that time of year again somehow – Strixhaven spoilers are upon us! Today Covertgoblue and Arjuna discuss the first big batch of cards, including the new Kasmina and Liliana planeswalkers. We also discuss the Learn mechanic and its implications for constructed, especially in BO1. We have a new (old) rare dual land cycle to the complete the set from Innistrad, and did we mention cards with lots of words on them?

Stay tuned, as we'll be releasing the next parts of this episode later in the week.

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This show features the track 'Cascade' by Kubbi which is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Find Kubbi's amazing music at kubbimusic.com

The Kaldheim Championship & The Year Ahead

Mon, 22 Mar 2021 20:10:31 +0000

We take a small departure from the show's usual format this week with a surprise person in the main host's seat! We also cover a grab bag of topics, starting with The Kaldheim Championship starting March 26! It's a split-format tournament featuring both Standard and Historic, so we give an overview of both metas and discuss the decks we're likely to see on both sides. Then we go into what is to come in the year ahead, including the coming sets: D&D The Forgotten Realms, Modern Horizons 2, Innistrad Midnight Hunt and Innistrad Crimson Vow! Which are you – a werewolf or a vampire??!

Get a taste of the releases yourself here.

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This show features the track 'Cascade' by Kubbi which is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Find Kubbi's amazing music at kubbimusic.com

How To Attack A Metagame

Mon, 15 Mar 2021 16:00:00 +0000

This week we do a deep dive on attacking metagames – how to approach a meta, find what's lining up well and what's not. How to assess the speed of a format. How to identify the topend, and what lines up well against it. This is a deep question and so this week we focus it through the lens of the current meta and how we make decisions accordingly.

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This show features the track 'Cascade' by Kubbi which is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Find Kubbi's amazing music at kubbimusic.com

BONUS: Jank to Mythic with The Goat, John Darnielle

Sun, 14 Mar 2021 16:00:00 +0000

Today we're privileged for the opportunity to interview John Darnielle, founder of the Mountain Goats, acclaimed author and avid geek. We discuss his penchant for hitting Mythic on Arena playing absolute jank. It's no easy task, which makes his 5-season streak that much more impressive. We talk about his entry to geek culture, his pathway to Magic, and how he became one of the most notable jank slingers on MTG Arena to date.

Find John Darnielle at the Mountain Goats' homepage, and we highly recommend following him on Twitter for his fascinating tweets, Magic-related and otherwise.

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This show features the track 'Cascade' by Kubbi which is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Find Kubbi's amazing music at kubbimusic.com

Covertgoblue Hits Mythic #1 & Historic Anthology 4

Mon, 08 Mar 2021 17:00:00 +0000

Two exciting things happened this week!

Firstly, resident BO1 expert Covertgoblue finally reached his dream of hitting #1 Mythic on the ladder. No small feat, no matter what part of the season and which deck you play. He sensed he had an opportunity, he ground for it, and sure enough, it was his for the taking. Hear him discuss the meta, his decision making, and how he managed to finally get there.

Then, of course, came the announcement of Historic Anthology 4, the next injection of new cards into Historic. Although some interesting cards are included (Death's Shadow, Blinkmoth Nexus, Thraben Inspector, Inspiring Statuary, to name some), the majority of it reads like leftovers from recent Remastered sets, as well as some flagrantly unplayable cards from Magic's past. Overall, we have NO IDEA why this particular subset of cards was chosen, but here we are, and it's set to release March 11th. Take it or leave it.

CGB's #1 Mythic Decklist - Mono White Lifegain

Wizards' Historic Anthology 4 Announcement

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This show features the track 'Cascade' by Kubbi which is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

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Temur Turns & More New Standard Decks with DanyTLaw

Mon, 01 Mar 2021 17:00:00 +0000

Arena Craft continues another proud tradition by welcoming DanyTLaw back to the show! Dany's always plugged in to the Standard meta, especially at the beginning of a format, so we thought it was high time to get him back on the show. We discuss recent developments in the format such as Temur Taking Turns, Naya and Selesnya Toski builds, Naya and Showdown decks in general, and a lot of other meta stuff. It's a juicy episode, and you even get to learn Dany's middle name!

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Some decklists from the show:

Chris Botelho's Temur Turns List

New Naya Adventures by Eli Kassis

DanyTLaw's Simic Mutate, Kaldheim Edition

Wet Gruul by DanyTLaw

Naya Squirrel by Crokeyz

Bant Aggro Toski by DanyTLaw

Arjuna's Selesnya Squirrel

Find DanyTLaw on his Twitch stream and YouTube channel.

Find Covertgoblue on his YouTube channel and at his personal site.

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This show features the track 'Cascade' by Kubbi which is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Find Kubbi's amazing music at kubbimusic.com

STRIXHAVEN Spoilers (Somehow) and Standard Gas or Ass

Mon, 22 Feb 2021 17:00:00 +0000

Strixhaven swooped in and surprised us this past week – literally nobody was expecting to see material for the next set yet. Oh well, go where the content takes you! We discuss the five Colleges of Strixhaven: Quandrix, Witherbloom, Silverquill, Prismari and Lorehold. They each have a rare command card that gives us clues as to the play patterns and themes of the color combo. They will also be releasing a Mystical Archive with the set, which will contain 63 cards from across the history of magic, all of which will be playable in limited, and some of which will be playable in Historic. We'll look forward to seeing more of those as well.

Also, we do a quick Gas or Ass segment on 20 cards from Kaldheim and how they are performing in Standard. Some are doing better than expected, some much, much worse. We'll give you a finger on the pulse of how things are shaping up and what you should be playing (and avoiding).

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This show features the track 'Cascade' by Kubbi which is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

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BREAKING: Uro Banned In Historic (and everywhere else)

Tue, 16 Feb 2021 00:08:12 +0000

The Everlasting Titan has finally gotten the axe in Historic (and many other places as well). Arjuna and Covertgoblue go into the details, and discuss more broadly how bans should be applied.

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This show features the track 'Cascade' by Kubbi which is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

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Sultai Ultimatum aka The Arjuna Special Dominates Standard

Mon, 15 Feb 2021 19:48:43 +0000

Sometimes the Arjunaman is pretty damn deece at MTG, and this week is such a week! His pet deck of the new format, Sultai Ultimatum, is currently the deck to beat in Standard. We go deeper on the archetype and explore both how to win with it and how to beat it. We also go over the winrate matrix for Standard in week 2 to discover what's winning and which matchups stand out.

Sultai Ramp by Kensuke Kato

Sultai Control by Lukas Twist

$5K Kaldheim Championship Qualifier Standard Decklists and Metagame

MTG Data Standard Kaldheim - Week 2 Winrate Matrix

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This show features the track 'Cascade' by Kubbi which is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

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Kaldheiiim Week Oooone Metagame!

Mon, 08 Feb 2021 17:00:00 +0000

We're baaaaack, and this time to discussed the Kaldheim Week One Standard Metagame! Goldspan Dragons and Showdown of the Skalds are flying around everywhere. Rakdos is back on the menu. Tibalt is Trickery-ing his way through the BO1 metagame, and it's a bit much for CGB. We discuss what we're seeing on the ladder, as well as looking at two SCG Top 8's to see what's having success in the field. Exciting times for Standard!

>>> FOLLOW @TheSaltFlatsMTG on Twitter and tweet at us your bullsh*t rage! <<<

SCG Tour Online - Satellite #1 decklists

SCG Tour Online Satellite #2 decklists

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This show features the track 'Cascade' by Kubbi which is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

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Kaldheim 8 - DOOMSKAR is a bomb

Wed, 03 Feb 2021 17:00:00 +0000

Sorry for the late final episode y'all -- release week is always busy and these shows take time and effort! CovertGoBlue and Arjuna wrap up our epic constructed set review for Kaldheim. All the cards worth talking about, and a few that aren't ;) And BTW, Doomskar will END YOU!

THANKS AGAIN to Bottlebrush Games (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxA6...) for editing this video. These pictures have really transformed set release season for the podcast, so thank you thank thank you 🙏

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This show features the track 'Cascade' by Kubbi which is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

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Kaldheim Standard Initial Impressions

Mon, 01 Feb 2021 18:48:02 +0000

It heeeere! Kaldheim is upon us in Standard, and Covertgoblue and Arjuna sit down to discuss all the new cards and how they're feeling in the format. Early Access stories, fresh brews, and some haymakers about. We. Are. Stoked.

LSV's Izzet Goldspan List

Arjuna's Sultimatum List

Crokeyz Naya Showdown List

Rumti's Mono Green Search List

Covertgoblue's Lists

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This show features the track 'Cascade' by Kubbi which is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

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Kaldheim 7 - Cosima Makes YOU Her Vehicle

Fri, 29 Jan 2021 17:00:00 +0000

Part 7 of the Arena Craft Kaldheim Constructed Set Review with Arjuna and @CovertGoBlue ! This week we go deep on Cosima, God of the Voyage among other cards. We both have a huge boner for this card in Standard, so let's see how far we get.

Also, a HUGE Arena Craft shoutout to Bottlebrush Games for editing the video version of this show. WE FINALLY HAVE PICTURES!!! This is the most requested feature for our Youtube channel, so we're stoked to finally have this. Massive thanks to them, please share the love for them in the comments and let them know you appreciate it!

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This show features the track 'Cascade' by Kubbi which is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

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Kaldheim 6 - Reidane WINS!

Sun, 24 Jan 2021 19:47:04 +0000

Part 6 of the ACP Kaldheim Constructed Set Review! This time around Arjuna and CovertGoBlue discuss such gems as Firja's Retribution; Cyclone Summoner; and Reidane, God of the Worthy.

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This show features the track 'Cascade' by Kubbi which is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

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Kaldheim 5 - BAN HARALD'S ABS

Fri, 22 Jan 2021 17:05:32 +0000

Part 5 of Kaldheim Constructed Set Review with Arjuna and CovertGoBlue. This time around we're discussing such broken cards as Jorn, God of Winter; Egon, God of Death; and the overpowered nonsense that is Harald's Abs. More on the way as well!

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This show features the track 'Cascade' by Kubbi which is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

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Kaldheim 4 - Esika's Chariot Looks Strong

Wed, 20 Jan 2021 21:21:27 +0000

Our Kaldheim Constructed Set Review Part 4 is here! Some of the cards we discuss this episode are Waking the Trolls, Esika's Chariot, Rally the Ranks, and Maskwood Nexus. More to come as well!

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This show features the track 'Cascade' by Kubbi which is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

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Kaldheim pt 3 - Is That World Tree Busted?!

Mon, 18 Jan 2021 17:00:00 +0000

Kaldheim spoilers return with such doozies as That World Tree, Tyvar Kell, and Saw it Coming. Enjoy the discussions!

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This show features the track 'Cascade' by Kubbi which is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

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Kaldheim Constructed Set Review pt 2

Thu, 14 Jan 2021 17:00:00 +0000

Arjuna and Covertgoblue return to continue the exhaustive set review for Kaldheim in constructed! This week we're looking at such powerful options as Alrund's Epiphany; Vorinclex, Monstrous Raider; and Goldspan Dragon. This set continues to give us an epic amount of stuff to talk about.

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Find Covertgoblue on his YouTube channel and at his personal site.

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This show features the track 'Cascade' by Kubbi which is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Find Kubbi's amazing music at kubbimusic.com

Kaldheim Constructed Set Review pt 1

Mon, 11 Jan 2021 17:00:00 +0000

It's about that time, then – the time where Arjuna and Covertgoblue come together to give an exhaustive set review for Kaldheim in constructed. This week we're looking at doozies such as Niko Aris; Valki, God of Lies // Tibalt, Cosmic Imposter; Vorinclex, Monstrous Raider; and also examining foundational set mechanics such as snow and foretell. Keep an eye out for our next videos in the series, which will be releasing this week!

>>> JOIN OUR DISCORD SERVER HERE! <<<

Find Covertgoblue on his YouTube channel and at his personal site.

Find Arena Craft on:

This show features the track 'Cascade' by Kubbi which is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Find Kubbi's amazing music at kubbimusic.com

The Arjuna Awards for 2020

Mon, 04 Jan 2021 17:00:00 +0000

We are officially out of 2020... which means it's time for a retrospective on the year! What was the most degenerate deck of 2020? What was the best banning of the year? Find out these and more as we go down the list of most notable decks, events, and calls of the year, and dispense awards to commemorate them.

>>> JOIN OUR DISCORD SERVER HERE! <<<

Find Covertgoblue on his YouTube channel and at his personal site.

Find Arena Craft on:

This show features the track 'Cascade' by Kubbi which is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Find Kubbi's amazing music at kubbimusic.com

What MTG Arena Needs In 2021

Mon, 28 Dec 2020 17:00:00 +0000

Happy (almost) New Year! This episode is focused on the changes we would like to see in the Arena client this year. After an initial launch, development on the game has apparently stalled, outside of new sets being released. This week, CGB and Arjuna talk about the many long overdue additions this game is begging for.

Have a safe and happy New Year's celebration, and we'll look forward to bringing you more content in 2021.

Find Covertgoblue on his YouTube channel and at his personal site.

Find Arena Craft on:

This show features the track 'Cascade' by Kubbi which is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Find Kubbi's amazing music at kubbimusic.com

First Kaldheim Previews Are Here

Mon, 21 Dec 2020 19:32:30 +0000

We didn't expect it, we weren't ready, some question whether we were worthy – but regardless, it happened: we got some Kaldheim previews to look at! While most of them look like theme deck cards that likely won't show up in either Standard or Limited, we did get some constructed players. And examining the dump gives us clues as to the themes we can look forward to in this set. Giant, Angel, Dwarf and Elf tribal seem to be approaching, along with equipment-and-vehicle-tribal. Double-faced cards ("DFCs") are returning as well, with the welcome addition of the last four pathways we were missing from ZNR. We also debut a new segment to our show, Lightning Round, where we answer a listener question each week, hopefully in an expedient manner.

Find Kaldheim Previews here

It is a holiday week, so Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and / or enjoy the week of December 21st! We appreciate each and every one of our listeners and community participants.

Find Covertgoblue on his YouTube channel and at his personal site.

Find Arena Craft on:

This show features the track 'Cascade' by Kubbi which is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Find Kubbi's amazing music at kubbimusic.com

Arena Craft Celebrates Our 1 Year Anniversary

Mon, 14 Dec 2020 17:00:00 +0000

It's been a year!!! Thanks to our devoted following for listening to every last episode of the show. We wouldn't be where we are today without you. Thanks to each and every one of our special guests, who have made this podcast relevant, entertaining and informative on what's happening in MTG Arena. On this episode, we answer a mailbag of listener questions so you can get to know the hosts more, and take a peek behind the curtain at some of the inner machinations of the show and its hosts.

A BIG shoutout and thanks to our many listeners who wrote in with questions to our discord server. Many expressed surprise at knowing we even had a discord server.

>>> JOIN OUR DISCORD SERVER HERE! <<<

Find Covertgoblue on his YouTube channel and at his personal site.

Find Arena Craft on:

This show features the track 'Cascade' by Kubbi which is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Find Kubbi's amazing music at kubbimusic.com

LEVEL UP: Answering Plans, Not Cards

Mon, 07 Dec 2020 17:00:00 +0000

*** A LINK DIRECTLY TO OUR ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION AMA THREAD ***

This week, we bring a first to the Arena Craft Podcast: we do a level up episode on the topic of answering what an opponent is trying to DO, not trying to answer the CARDS they are playing in their deck. We are so used to thinking of level 1 sideboarding plans like bringing in Wilt against Henge, negate against Nissa, gust against Cleave, etc. This episode dives deeper into thinking in terms of how does my plan match up against my opponent's plan? Does my deck play more powerful cards than my opponent's? What are the key turns / mana amounts I need to be interacting with my opponent? Is my best plan to answer a card, or just to go over the top of it? Asking these questions, and then trying to answer them in your games on the ladder, will level up your game tremendously.

Also, ACP turns 1 year old next week! We are doing an AMA featuring questions from our lovely community to celebrate! Go to the #1yr-anniversary-questions thread in our Discord server and post your galaxy-brain questions there to have them read, and answered, on air. Help us to make our birthday as EPIC and MEMORABLE as it can possibly be! We love you all. Thanks so much for being dedicated listeners this past year.

Find Covertgoblue on his YouTube channel and at his personal site.

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This show features the track 'Real Virtuality' from Eero Johannes released on the Sound Pellegrino label and is used with permission.

Zendikar Rising Championship Metagame Predictions

Mon, 30 Nov 2020 22:30:12 +0000

This is it - on Friday, December 4, we will begin watching the last big tournament of the year, the Zendikar Rising Championship. A mix of Historic and Standard, this tournament will be the culmination of a lot of metagame shifts in both formats. This week we meet to analyze tournament results, comment on the meta, and make our predictions for what will show up at the tournament.

SCG Kaldheim Championship Qualifier - Historic

Find Covertgoblue on his YouTube channel and at his personal site.

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This show features the track 'Real Virtuality' from Eero Johannes released on the Sound Pellegrino label and is used with permission.

Updates on Standard and Historic

Mon, 23 Nov 2020 19:46:21 +0000

Covertgoblue is back, and this week we go over the updated metas for both Standard and Historic. Historic is settling in to a new meta as Kaladesh cards take root. New archetypes such as Energy, Vehicles and Gearhulk Control are emerging, as well as strong updates to existing decks such as Monored and Sultai. On the Standard end, we check in on The Big Three (Gruul, Rogues and Yorion Doom), and then look at some of the less-played strategies threatening to upset the vegetable cart.

Find Covertgoblue on his YouTube channel and at his personal site.

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This show features the track 'Real Virtuality' from Eero Johannes released on the Sound Pellegrino label and is used with permission.

Kaladesh Remastered Draft Overview with Cory

Mon, 16 Nov 2020 23:04:46 +0000

CGB takes a vacation this week as Arjuna welcomes Draft and Draft's Cory to the show! This week we're talking Kaladesh Remastered draft, and there's a lot to talk about. In this show we cover some of the most relevant archetypes you'll encounter in the draft: Temur Energy, GB Counters, UW Fliers / Tempo, Boros Aggro / Vehicles, BW Artifacts, and more. This set is incredibly deep, so listen to discover what is possible in the format and how to go about it.

See here for the complete Kaladesh Remastered spoiler

Find Cory's Draft and Draft podcast here. You can listen to Arjuna's guest episode on the show here.

Find Covertgoblue on his YouTube channel and at his personal site.

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This show features the track 'Real Virtuality' from Eero Johannes released on the Sound Pellegrino label and is used with permission.

Kaladesh Remastered Constructed Set Review

Mon, 09 Nov 2020 22:03:38 +0000

Kaladesh Remastered hits Historic this week, and it brings some serious jank and a few haymakers to the format. Going down the card list, there are actually a lot of cards that are set to become format staples, most notably the cycle of 'fast lands' that ETB untapped if you control 2 or fewer lands. However, we also get constructed staple Fatal Push, powerful counterspells like Disallow, fun haymakers like Aetherworks Marvel, and some solid players from Standard's past to try in the form of Energy and Vehicles decks. Historic is definitely set to get more interesting...

See here for the complete Kaladesh Remastered spoiler

Find Covertgoblue on his YouTube channel and at his personal site.

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This show features the track 'Real Virtuality' from Eero Johannes released on the Sound Pellegrino label and is used with permission.

CGB (Almost) Wins a Tournament, and MPL Meta Recap

Mon, 02 Nov 2020 17:00:00 +0000

Covertgoblue stood up for the podcast's honor this last week by winning his pod in the LFM Streamer Showdown, getting knocked out only by Standard master Brad Nelson who won the other pod. We share his reflections on the meta and his games, including some stonkers against some of the best Magic players of all time! Then we discuss the results of the MPL weekend and our thoughts as to the best decks currently in the format. Exciting times for Standard!

CGB's LFM Azorius Yorion Decklist

Find Covertgoblue on his YouTube channel and at his personal site.

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This show features the track 'Real Virtuality' from Eero Johannes released on the Sound Pellegrino label and is used with permission.

Standard Metagame Update and MPL Decklists

Mon, 26 Oct 2020 18:01:03 +0000

Standard is wide open, and with the MPL firing up over the past weekend, we have data to start to work with. Yorion looks to be a strong option, as does Rogues, although nobody can seem to agree on the best build of either. There are also plenty of other things to try – Gruul Aggro is continuing to put up good results, and decks like Rakdos Midrange and Temur Ramp still have some fight left in them. Enjoy this metagame before it gets solved...

MPL Decklists

Rivals Decklists

Find Covertgoblue on his YouTube channel and at his personal site.

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This show features the track 'Real Virtuality' from Eero Johannes released on the Sound Pellegrino label and is used with permission.

ZNR Draft Masterclass with Deathsie

Mon, 19 Oct 2020 16:00:00 +0000

Today, Arjuna is thrilled to welcome draft master Deathsie to the podcast... and Covertgoblue finds ways to stay awake while we discuss something other than his beloved Standard format. We go into how being on the play vs. the draw affects key Zendikar Rising mechanics like landfall, and how you need to be building your decks to be resilient on the draw. Deathsie also goes into his theory of removal (spoiler: a lot of it is overcosted and underperforming) and how to properly rate it. Hear more about what Deathsie prioritizes when firing up a ZNR draft...

Find Deathsie at his twitch stream and at deathsie.com.

Find Covertgoblue on his YouTube channel and at his personal site.

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This show features the track 'Real Virtuality' from Eero Johannes released on the Sound Pellegrino label and is used with permission.

MOAR BANS - Omnath, Clover, Escape get the boot

Mon, 12 Oct 2020 22:51:24 +0000

We thought it'd never happen... ok, that's not true. We thought it'd take a while... ok, actually, a lot of us were expecting Omnath to get banned today... AND IT DID! Cheetofingers has been unceremoniously ejected from Standard, Historic and Brawl. Also leaving Standard are Lucky Clover, as well as another card that both Covertgoblue and Arjuna are a little surprised to see leaving Standard – Escape To The Wilds. Lots to discuss and unpack here about what this means for Standard, and which decks are going to be top of the meta moving forward.

Also, we had Omnath banned in Historic, and an unforseen unsuspending of Burning Tree Emissary. Gruul's back on the menu! We both like all of these announcements very much, and are predicting the Arena metagames to be approaching a period of relative balance and, dare we say it... fun.

Find Covertgoblue on his YouTube channel and at his personal site.

Find Arena Craft on:

This show features the track 'Real Virtuality' from Eero Johannes released on the Sound Pellegrino label and is used with permission.

ZNR Standard Week 2 – Guess Who?

Mon, 05 Oct 2020 16:00:00 +0000

And then they banned Uro. And then everybody kept playing Omnath. The end. Also, the beginning. Of more discussion about Omnath. So if you were looking for a port in the storm of Omnath, we offer no safe harbor here. Today, we go over tournament results from Red Bull France and midway through the CFB Clash Showdown. Rogues, 4C Omnath Adventures, Mono Green, and some interesting Rakdos and Grixis lists help to flesh out the format somewhat. We're not clear where this is all going to end up, but one thing that is clear: Omnath, Omnath, Omnath...

CFB Clash tournament results and decklists

Red Bull France Qualifier results and decklists

Arjuna's Boros Party Time BO1 list

Find Covertgoblue on his YouTube channel and at his personal site.

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This show features the track 'Real Virtuality' from Eero Johannes released on the Sound Pellegrino label and is used with permission.

BREAKING: Uro Banned In Standard

Mon, 28 Sep 2020 22:06:50 +0000

To the surprise of absolutely nobody, Uro, Titan of Nature's Wrath, and NO OTHER CARDS, banned in Standard. Covertgoblue and Arjuna dive into what this means, and why Standard will continue to be broken until Omnath is banned.

Read the announcement directly from Wizards.

Find Covertgoblue on his YouTube channel and at his personal site.

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This show features the track 'Real Virtuality' from Eero Johannes released on the Sound Pellegrino label and is used with permission.

DanyTLaw Weighs In On The Elemental In the Room

Mon, 28 Sep 2020 17:35:03 +0000

So. Much. To. Talk. About. This. Week! We have a week of Zendikar Rising Standard under our belts, and it has been very revealing... of how busted these Omnath decks are. Neither aggro nor control has been definitely able to keep them down, and midrange is a laughable joke by comparison. We discuss the different angles we and others have been taking to attack this deck: Monogreen Aggro by Rumti. Gruul Adventure by Jason Fleurant. Azorius and Dimir Control by Covertgoblue and DanyTLaw. The announcement of an announcement didn't help any, leading us to speculate which cards will get banned on Monday. We were all pretty sure an Uro ban was incoming, but we didn't think that alone would be enough to correct the format... we shall see, we shall see.

Find DanyTLaw on his Twitch stream and YouTube channel. Listen to his podcast with Jason Fleurant and Seth Manfield, Planeswalker Diaries.

Rumti's Monogreen Aggro List

Jason Fleurant's Gruul Adventure List

Covertgoblue's Dimir Control List

Covertgoblue's Azorius Control List

Find Covertgoblue on his YouTube channel and at his personal site.

Find Arena Craft on:

This show features the track 'Real Virtuality' from Eero Johannes released on the Sound Pellegrino label and is used with permission.

Omnath Rules ZNR Standard Week 1

Mon, 21 Sep 2020 19:07:19 +0000

Zendikar Rising Standard week 1 is here, and SURPRISE surprise... the Uro ramp deck is insane. Specifically the Omnath one. Covertgoblue predicted accurately that this card would be at the top of the format, and oh baby was he ever on the money! These Omnath decks are pretty consistently going off turn 4 or 5, playing their whole deck and killing with alarming speed. This is not Gyruda all over again. This is a bold new villain in the Standard metagame, so we're going to have to return to the drawing board, bring in our interaction, and sketch up a plan for how we're going to combat it.

Covertgoblue's Rogues decklist. Watch his video here.

Arjuna's RG landfall decklist.

Find Covertgoblue on his YouTube channel and at his personal site.

Find Arena Craft on:

This show features the track 'Real Virtuality' from Eero Johannes released on the Sound Pellegrino label and is used with permission.

Zendikar Rising Spoilers 7 - Soaring Thought-Thief Enables Rogues

Sun, 20 Sep 2020 16:00:00 +0000

This episode, Rogues get their lord in Soaring Thought-Thief, the card that gels the archetype. We anticipate this to be a real deck in Standard, and may be the central flash archetype moving forward. Expect this to be a counterpoint to the over-the-top Omnath strategies. Exciting!

Find Covertgoblue on his YouTube channel and at his personal site.

Find Arena Craft on:

This show features the track 'Real Virtuality' from Eero Johannes released on the Sound Pellegrino label and is used with permission.

Zendikar Rising Spoilers 6 - Shadow's Verdict Is A Trap

Fri, 18 Sep 2020 22:23:16 +0000

Yet another preview episode, and this time we're tackling such spicy meatballs as Forsaken Monument and the next sweeper Covertgoblue thinks is a trap, Shadow's Verdict. Stick with us as this is NOT actually the conclusion of this series -- there will be a stunning conclusion in PART 7 that we will release over the weekend! Stay tuned.

Find Covertgoblue on his YouTube channel and at his personal site.

Find Arena Craft on:

This show features the track 'Real Virtuality' from Eero Johannes released on the Sound Pellegrino label and is used with permission.

Zendikar Rising Spoilers 5 - Luminarch Aspirant Enables White Aggro

Thu, 17 Sep 2020 00:18:12 +0000

This is part #5 of our Zendikar Rising epicsode! More funtimes from ZNR for your listening enjoyment. This week we talk about how Luminarch Aspirant is a key card in White Aggro decks, and other spicy meatballs.

Find Covertgoblue on his YouTube channel and at his personal site.

Find Arena Craft on:

This show features the track 'Real Virtuality' from Eero Johannes released on the Sound Pellegrino label and is used with permission.

Zendikar Rising Spoilers 4 - Roiling Regrowth May Get Banned

Tue, 15 Sep 2020 16:00:00 +0000

Zendikar Rising spoilers continue! We have the whole set now, and Covertgoblue and Arjuna continue their trek into the set and the possibilities it provides for us. Some fun notables in this episode – we go through many of the cards you may want to cast in Standard with Seagate Stormcaller, another controversial card in the set. Feed the Swarm is a card that has been creating a lot of controversy with its potentially color-pie-breaking design. And Arjuna gives a hot take that Roiling Regrowth has the potential to be the next Growth Spiral in Standard... will it be banned someday?!

Catch both of us streaming the ZNR Early Access event Wednesday, 9/16/20. We'll be using stocked accounts courtesy of Wizards of the Coast and are very grateful for their sponsorship. Watch Covertgoblue's stream here, and Arjuna's stream here!

Find Covertgoblue on his YouTube channel and at his personal site.

Find Arena Craft on:

This show features the track 'Real Virtuality' from Eero Johannes released on the Sound Pellegrino label and is used with permission.

Zendikar Rising Spoilers 3 - Nighthawk Scavenger Rules / Sucks

Sun, 13 Sep 2020 16:00:00 +0000

This is part #3 of our Zendikar Rising epicsode! More spoiler discussion, more land flip cards. Bala Ged Recovery looks like it's going to be looping midrange and control decks into oblivion. Nighthawk Scavenger is a card that Arjuna is unimpressed with that Covertgoblue thinks is playable. We also travel to the Skymall to window shop with Maul of the Skyclaves, another rare equipment in the set.

Find Covertgoblue on his YouTube channel and at his personal site.

Find Arena Craft on:

This show features the track 'Real Virtuality' from Eero Johannes released on the Sound Pellegrino label and is used with permission.

Zendikar Rising Spoilers 2 - Watch out for Zareth San

Fri, 11 Sep 2020 16:00:00 +0000

This is part #2 of our Zendikar Rising epicsode! We continue discussing spoilers to date. In this episode we talk about some juicy rogues and rogue payoffs, and some other very weird cards... Zareth San, the Trickster looks like it could do more than just being an EDH commander. Nissa of Shadowed Boughs looks poised to enable some nonsense alongside Omnath and other heavy-hitting creatures. And Skyclave Apparition looks to be a very versatile answer that could pose a problem for aggro, control and midrange decks.

Find Covertgoblue on his YouTube channel and at his personal site.

Find Arena Craft on:

This show features the track 'Real Virtuality' from Eero Johannes released on the Sound Pellegrino label and is used with permission.

Zendikar Rising Spoilers 1 - Omnath Rules the Format

Mon, 07 Sep 2020 21:34:37 +0000

It's that time of year, the time that brings us cheer, the time we welcome our dear, dear rotation of old cards out, and new cards in! This week Covertgoblue and Arjuna go through the list of spoiled cards and deep dive on the ones we think could have an impact on constructed. There's landfall, there's kicker, there's fliplands, and a raging party to boot! Spoiler alert: Lotus Cobra into Omnath, Locus of Creation will be STRONG.

Join Arjuna on the Arena Craft Podcast twitch stream this Wednesday, September 9 at 6pm Pacific Time for community game night! We'll be playing Teeworlds, free on Steam and at their website. More details in the discord #teeworlds channel. See you there!

Find Covertgoblue on his YouTube channel and at his personal site.

Find Arena Craft on:

This show features the track 'Real Virtuality' from Eero Johannes released on the Sound Pellegrino label and is used with permission.

All About Rotation!!!

Mon, 31 Aug 2020 18:57:21 +0000

Standard rotation is almost upon us, and holy heck are there a lot of cards being sent to the blind eternities! Today we go through the major cards, archetypes and mechanics affected by the change. We revisit some golden oldies that got there but faded, some that never did, and of course we reserve some time to castigate the true gangsters of the format.

Oh, and Zendikar previews started. And Field was banned in Historic.

Find Covertgoblue on his YouTube channel and at his personal site.

Find Arena Craft on:

This show features the track 'Real Virtuality' from Eero Johannes released on the Sound Pellegrino label and is used with permission.

How we broke the Standard 2021 Format - The Showdown

Mon, 24 Aug 2020 16:00:00 +0000

Covertgoblue and Arjuna spent the week working on the Standard 2021 format, a BO1 sneak peek around the corner to post-rotation Standard. It all culminated in a 4 deck showdown from which only one victor could emerge...

This episode we go over the testing process, our thoughts on what was playable and what wasn't, the pillars of this unique format, and what ultimately prevailed (and what you should be playing if you want to be competitive until rotation).

While this format is not an accurate sampling of what post-rotation Standard will be, it IS a jumpstart on playing in a format without all the busted old cards rotation soon, so it's a great way to get a sense of what might be competitive come late September. We had a blast playing this format, and we think you could, as well.

Arjuna's Simic Adventure List

Covertgoblue's Simic Adventure List

Find Covertgoblue on his YouTube channel and at his personal site.

Find Arena Craft on:

This show features the track 'Real Virtuality' from Eero Johannes released on the Sound Pellegrino label and is used with permission.

What to play with Amonkhet Remastered in Historic #sponsored by WOTC

Tue, 18 Aug 2020 07:07:00 +0000

Amonkhet Remastered is upon us, and it's a doozy. It brings 339 cards into Arena, including the durdliest buildarounds and the leanest format staples not originally printed in the set. We go through most of the hard-hitters and ask if they're good enough to see any sustained play.

This week we are fortunate enough to be #sponsored by Wizards of the Coast as a featured content creator! Arjuna got a hooked up account and will be streaming this week to celebrate. Be sure to tune in to the featured streaming day Thursday, August 20 at noon Pacific Time. Arjuna and Covertgoblue will be facing off to see who is the master of Standard 2021!

Find Covertgoblue on his YouTube channel and at his personal site.

Find Arena Craft on:

This show features the track 'Real Virtuality' from Eero Johannes released on the Sound Pellegrino label and is used with permission.

Pillars of New Standard, Amonkhet Remastered in Historic

Tue, 11 Aug 2020 16:00:00 +0000

The Standard format is fresh, and this week we're fresher with our takes on what decks are at the top of the metagame moving forward. Sultai vs. Temur Adventure vs. Rakdos Sac, and a bunch of mono-colored control decks to boot. We cover all the major archetypes we're seeing and check in on the power level of outliers like Winota and Yorion. Then, we switch over to Historic to cover the imminent release of Amonkhet Remastered. Spoiler alert: they've added some non-Amonkhet cards to this release, and they are BANGERS. We go into how these off-set cards are going to redefine the format... basically, there's a lot to like here.

Also, we're excited to welcome Covertgoblue's video content to the YouTube Arena Craft Podcast account. He kicks things off with Jeskai Feather on the top 50 Mythic ladder in Historic. Watch that video here.

Find Covertgoblue on his YouTube channel and at his personal site.

Find Arena Craft on:

This show features the track 'Real Virtuality' from Eero Johannes released on the Sound Pellegrino label and is used with permission.

BONUS - PT Top 8, Crokeyz Showcase, Historic Rant!

Mon, 10 Aug 2020 07:32:55 +0000

This is the show we had lined up before the surprise ban announcement. We covered last week's news, basically, including the PT top 8 and Crokeyz' Paper Boomer showdown. It's a bit outdated now, but we thought we'd include it for anyone who wants to hear what we recorded. Enjoy!

Find Covertgoblue on his YouTube channel and at his personal site.

Find Arena Craft on:

This show features the track 'Real Virtuality' from Eero Johannes released on the Sound Pellegrino label and is used with permission.

Early Christmas AKA The Best Bans Ever!

Mon, 03 Aug 2020 22:40:17 +0000

We're speechless! They did it! They actually banned (most of) the cards everyone's been complaining about in newer-than-Modern formats, and this is 100% going to shake up every Arena format. Arjuna and Covertgoblue convene to give our take on the bans, what they mean for the format, the cards that got a boost or a nerf as a result, and the decks you should be thinking about playing moving forward (hint: Expansion / Explosion shouldn't be in them). Enjoy the analysis, the soapboxing and the bile, but most of the all the pure, unmitigated joy, as we unpack these bans.

Read the full banned and restricted announcement here.

Find Covertgoblue on his YouTube channel and at his personal site.

Find Arena Craft on:

This show features the track 'Real Virtuality' from Eero Johannes released on the Sound Pellegrino label and is used with permission.

Mono White Ascends, PT Decklists, Reclamation Ban

Mon, 27 Jul 2020 20:05:15 +0000

To the surprise of many, Standard finally has a new deck to speak of! Several, by the looks of it. We look at decklists and meta breakdown from the Players Tour finals, and go over Mono White's place in the metagame, alongside some other spicy brews like Esper Midrange and Mardu Winota. We round it out with a discussion on whether Wilderness Reclamation needs to be banned, and other thoughts for keeping Standard interesting over the next two months.

Here are all 145 decklists registered for the PT finals.

Find Covertgoblue on his YouTube channel and at his personal site.

Find Arena Craft on:

This show features the track 'Real Virtuality' from Eero Johannes released on the Sound Pellegrino label and is used with permission.

DanyTLaw On Streaming and Historic Jumpstart

Mon, 20 Jul 2020 18:26:36 +0000

This week, CGB and Arjuna are joined by niceguy and streamer extraordinaire, DanyTLaw! We discuss his fast track to streaming success and catch up on his history with MTG, then go into some of the new cards and archetypes in Historic bolstered by Jumpstart. Expect to see Goblins, Elves, Spirits and more on the Historic ladder moving forward.

Find DanyTLaw on his Twitch stream and YouTube channel.

Find Covertgoblue on his YouTube channel and at his personal site.

Find Arena Craft on:

This show features the track 'Real Virtuality' from Eero Johannes released on the Sound Pellegrino label and is used with permission.

BONUS - Monogreen's Many Builds with Rint - Part 2

Fri, 17 Jul 2020 17:31:50 +0000

This is Part 2 of the Monogreen deep dive!

Arena's most prominent Monogreen mage Maxim 'Rint' Salmin returns to the show! With the recent rise of the archetype into the metagame, and top 8 performances at various tournaments, it's time to take a deeper dive into the many ways you can build the deck. No two lists look exactly alike, and we have a wealth of options to choose from. Arjuna and Rint go through (almost) every card you could ever want to put in this deck, and give their thoughts on the ones you can't leave home without.

Find Rint on Twitter, Twitch and YouTube. Following Rint on Twitter is the best way to catch his updated list, since he changes it almost every session.

Find Arena Craft on:

This show features the track 'Real Virtuality' from Eero Johannes released on the Sound Pellegrino label and is used with permission.

BONUS - Monogreen's Many Builds with Rint - Part 1

Fri, 17 Jul 2020 17:18:02 +0000

Find Rint on Twitter, Twitch and YouTube. Following Rint on Twitter is the best way to catch his updated list, since he changes it almost every session.

Find Arena Craft on:

This show features the track 'Real Virtuality' from Eero Johannes released on the Sound Pellegrino label and is used with permission.

Growth Spiral Beats Krasis and Other Standard Updates

Mon, 13 Jul 2020 20:12:54 +0000

This week, we have a grab bag of topics to discuss related to Standard. Not many new developments in the format, except that Mono Green's rise to Tier 1 has been confirmed (with much gloating from Arjuna). We take a deep dive into what comparing Growth Spiral with Hydroid Krasis teaches us about Magic and what's good in Standard right now. Also up for discussion is the weakness of Red's offerings in M21, adding basically no relevant cards to the Standard format whatsoever. Finally, we wrap it up with another Gas or Ass segment checking in on various M21 cards and how they've held up so far.

To see Arjuna's latest video uploads, go to the Arena Craft YouTube channel.

Find Covertgoblue on his YouTube channel and at his personal site.

Find Arena Craft on:

This show features the track 'Real Virtuality' from Eero Johannes released on the Sound Pellegrino label and is used with permission.

M21 Standard: First Week Results From SCG & Ladder

Mon, 06 Jul 2020 19:29:15 +0000

We're back with another week 1 roundup of a new Standard format, this time with M21! We've had an SCG event, a CFB Pro tournament, and various other smaller tourneys to help us start to get the shape of the metagame. That Bant Ramp and Temur Reclamation are still at the top of the metagame should surprise nobody. However, the builds and the cards being used should raise some eyebrows, and give us some information about what cards from the new set are revealing their relevance in the format. M21 is definitely making its mark on Standard with reprints like Ugin, The Spirit Dragon and Scavenging Ooze, and new prints like Jolrael, Mwonvuli Recluse and Sublime Epiphany. Lots of exciting stuff to be building around!

Decklists for the SCG Top 8 that we reference on the cast.

Witch's build of Mono Black, #1 Mythic on the ladder

Arjuna's latest build of Selesnya Counters, currently 67% WR in Diamond BO1

Find Covertgoblue on his YouTube channel and at his personal site.

Find Arena Craft on:

This show features the track 'Real Virtuality' from Eero Johannes released on the Sound Pellegrino label and is used with permission.

M21 Standard: Initial Impressions (Ugin Bosses the Format)

Mon, 29 Jun 2020 21:25:00 +0000

It's finally here: M21 is out of Early Access and onto the Arena ladder! Arjuna and Covertgoblue reflect on the decks we played at the #sponsored Early Access event (including the epic grudge match the two of us ended up in by chance - see link to that video below). Then we talk about what's making waves in the current Standard right out the gate. We've got (unsurprising) news for you: it's Ugin, the Spirit Dragon. We talk about Bant Ramp and other decks running this powerful planeswalker. We also discuss some new archetypes seeing some play on the ladder and in tournaments: Paw Blade (Boros Aggro), Selesnya Counters, Shrines and more.

CGB and Arjuna's epic grudge match video is here. That video contains CGB's Annoying Azorius Bounce decklist. Arjuna's Shrines decklist is here.

Arjuna's initial Selesnya Counters list, and CGB's take on the deck.

Find Covertgoblue on his YouTube channel and at his personal site.

Find Arena Craft on:

This show features the track 'Real Virtuality' from Eero Johannes released on the Sound Pellegrino label and is used with permission.

M21 Final Spoiler: Watch Out For Demonic Embrace

Mon, 22 Jun 2020 18:05:24 +0000

We finally have the entire M21 spoiler available to us! This set looks sweet. This week we go over the final list and pull out the remaining cards that might be Standard viable. Notables this week are Demonic Embrace, Kitesail Freebooter and Barrin, Tolarian Archmage. Looks like Black Aggro might be a thing, and if you thought T3 tempo plays were phasing out of Standard along with Teferi, Time Raveler, you have another thought coming, friends!

Be sure to join Covertgoblue and Arjuna for streaming the #sponsored Early Access event featuring fully stocked accounts with all the new cards from M21. We'll both be live for most of the day on Wednesday, June 24.

You can catch us at:

Covertgoblue's twitch

Arjuna's twitch

Find Covertgoblue on his YouTube channel and at his personal site.

Find Arena Craft on:

This show features the track 'Real Virtuality' from Eero Johannes released on the Sound Pellegrino label and is used with permission.

M21 Spoilers: Is Discontinuity the next banned card??

Fri, 19 Jun 2020 22:25:14 +0000

It's part 3 of our big M21 spoiler review! This week we're focusing on such heavy hitters as Scavenging Ooze, Liliana's Standard Bearer and a new card with troubling implications – Discontinuity! Is this another instance of game-breaking cost reduction? Time will tell...

Big congrats to Covertgoblue for hitting 69k followers on YouTube! Find him on his YouTube channel and at his personal site.

Find Arena Craft on:

This show features the track 'Real Virtuality' from Eero Johannes released on the Sound Pellegrino label and is used with permission.

M21 Spoilers: Is Garruk, Unleashed The Truth?

Wed, 17 Jun 2020 23:41:12 +0000

We're back with part 2 of our in-depth set spoiler review for this week! M21 is kicking out the bangers. This time around, CGB is the one advocating, and Arjuna is the skeptic on whether Garruk, Unleashed is the aggressive Green Planeswalker we want. We also discuss Chandra, Heart of Fire, and some of her flunkies such as Chandra's Incinerator, to see whether they deserve a home in Standard. Be sure to stay tuned for part 3, releasing later this week, as well!

Big congrats to Covertgoblue for hitting 69k followers on YouTube! Find him on his YouTube channel and at his personal site.

Find Arena Craft on:

This show features the track 'Real Virtuality' from Eero Johannes released on the Sound Pellegrino label and is used with permission.

M21 Spoilers: Is Basri Ket The Aggro Enabler We Need?

Mon, 15 Jun 2020 21:28:46 +0000

Covertgoblue and Arjuna are feeling ambitious this week – we're going into detail on every card that might make an impact on Standard from M21. This is 1 out of 3 episodes we'll be releasing this week, so stay tuned for the next two!

One of the highlights this week is Basri Ket, our new 3 mana aggressively-slanted Planeswalker. This might be enough to get a low-curve aggro archetype back to the top of the format. We discuss the ins and outs, and touch on some other spoiled cards that synergize well with it.

Big congrats to Covertgoblue for hitting 69k followers on YouTube! Find him on his YouTube channel and at his personal site.

Find Arena Craft on:

This show features the track 'Real Virtuality' from Eero Johannes released on the Sound Pellegrino label and is used with permission.

M21 Spoilers + Standard Metagame Post-bans

Mon, 08 Jun 2020 20:57:04 +0000

It's the goodest time of the year again – spoilers for the next Standard-legal set! Today we go over most of the existing spoilers (leaving out a few draft cards and the Planeswalker deck inclusions) and discuss our thoughts. Ugin, The Spirit Dragon is our favorite reprint so far. Teferi, Master of Time is the most intriguing new card spoiled yet. Are they really bringing back Phasing? Plus 'mill' is finally an evergreen keyword mechanic! And the villagers rejoice.

We also discuss Arjuna's fun on the ladder playing Sultai Mutate, as well as Covertgoblue's success with Agentless, Fires-less Yorion Lukka. Strong decks gonna be strong.

Find CGB's new Yorion Lukka list here

Find Arjuna's Sultai Mutate list here

Find Covertgoblue on his YouTube channel and at his personal site.

Find Arena Craft on:

This show features the track 'Real Virtuality' from Eero Johannes released on the Sound Pellegrino label and is used with permission.

RIP Agent, Companions – Our Hot Takes on the Ban Announcement!

Mon, 01 Jun 2020 22:45:08 +0000

They done did it. They banned Agent. They banned Fires. They banned Winota in Histor... oh wait. And ya boi T3feri lives to slow down Standard another day. We talk about what this means for the Standard and Historic metagames, and what we expect to see being playable and unplayable moving forward.

Find the complete B&R announcement here.

Covertgoblue's Jeskai Mutate list

Find Covertgoblue on his YouTube channel and at his personal site.

Find Arena Craft on:

This show features the track 'Real Virtuality' from Eero Johannes released on the Sound Pellegrino label and is used with permission.

Our Ban Predictions for Monday

Sun, 31 May 2020 21:05:05 +0000

The time has come for us to speculate on what will be banned in Monday's upcoming announcement! Will Agent of Treachery's double dealings finally be dispatched? Will T3feri get the justice he deserves? Is Winota TOO busted in Historic (or Standard, for that matter)? Covertgoblue and Arjuna will discuss this and many more possibilities.

We also take some time to speculate on potential changes to the Companion mechanic. Many have pointed out that the lack of card parity with non-companion decks makes not running one a fool's errand in many cases. What is Wizards planning to do to address the current perceived imbalances that Companions have brought to the game?

Covertgoblue's BO1 Yorion / Lukka deck that brought so many to Mythic this month.

Covertgoblue's budget Mono White Lurrus list

Find Covertgoblue on his YouTube channel and at his personal site.

Find Arena Craft on:

This show features the track 'Real Virtuality' from Eero Johannes released on the Sound Pellegrino label and is used with permission.

Ep. 24 - Top 64'ing Red Bull with Monogreen – Maxim 'Rint' Salmin

Mon, 25 May 2020 19:45:52 +0000

This week we're joined by Arena's most prominent Monogreen mage, Maxim 'Rint' Salmin! We go into the current build he used to top 64 Redbull Untapped. We discuss (almost) every card in the deck in-depth, go over some of the deprecated choices from previous versions, and examine other possible builds of the deck and why he believes this current version is the one to beat in the meta. He's running some sick tech to get under Yorion Lukka, and in general the deck has surprising resiliency against most of the major archetypes in Standard.

Find Rint on Twitter, Twitch and YouTube.

Here's Rint's latest list from Red Bull.

Find Covertgoblue on his YouTube channel and at his personal site.

Find Arena Craft on:

This show features the track 'Real Virtuality' from Eero Johannes released on the Sound Pellegrino label and is used with permission.

Ep. 23 - Testing What's Good In Historic

Mon, 18 May 2020 20:09:21 +0000

Covertgoblue and Arjuna went head to head this past week to discover what's working in Historic and what's not. We discuss our thoughts from those matches. Then we go over the major cards and archetypes currently present in the format. Then we speculate on what Ikoria and Historic Anthology 3 will bring to the table.

Covertgoblue's Lurrus Grixis Graveyard deck we were impressed with in testing.

Also, thanks for everyone who helped the Arena Craft twitch stream reach affiliate! You all are amazing for your support.

Find Covertgoblue on his YouTube channel and at his personal site. Help him reach double jank week status by becoming a patron and / or subscribing on youtube!

Find Arena Craft on:

This show features the track 'Real Virtuality' from Eero Johannes released on the Sound Pellegrino label and is used with permission.

Ep. 22 - The Lukka Menace + Brewing Mono Green

Mon, 11 May 2020 21:11:17 +0000

This week is a juicy one! We discuss:

The upcoming Historic reveal, including CGB's preview cards
Arjuna's forays into brewing Mono Green Mutate
Yorion Lukka, the current scourge of Standard, and what to do about it

Link to Arjuna's Mono Green Mutate decklist.

Find Covertgoblue on his YouTube channel and at his personal site.

Find Arena Craft on:

This show features the track 'Real Virtuality' from Eero Johannes released on the Sound Pellegrino label and is used with permission.

Ep. 21 - More Standard + Arena Craft welcomes a cohost!

Tue, 05 May 2020 19:22:27 +0000

Big news this week... I'm excited to announce that Covertgoblue has come on as the official cohost of the Arena Craft Podcast! I'm stoked to be working with him, and we have a lot planned content-wise. This marks a shift away from the interview-focused format (though we will still have interviews) towards a more episodic-driven format. Tell us what you think!

This week, we discuss some MTG news including the announcement of Historic Anthology 3. Big nasties Phyrexian Obliterator and Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger return to plague the battlefields of Arena. DCI numbers are being phased out. Then, we pivot to talking about the Standard metagame. Aaron Barich's monoblack Obosh list took her all the way to #1 on the ranked ladder. Covertgoblue reached #120 playing Keruga Fires. We discuss an update to the Yorion decks, and cover one of the new kids on the block, Jeskai Cycling. Finally, we introduce a new segment to the show – Gas, or Ass?! Let us know what you think ;)

Find Covertgoblue on his YouTube channel and at his personal site.

Find Arena Craft on:

This show features the track 'Real Virtuality' from Eero Johannes released on the Sound Pellegrino label and is used with permission.

Ep. 20 - Ikoria Standard Week 1 with Covertgoblue

Tue, 28 Apr 2020 15:45:38 +0000

Everyone's favorite wisecrackin' YouTuber returns this week to discuss the week 1 Standard metagame. There's a lot to dig into here: Companions at 60-70% of the meta. Many different builds of Yorion and Lurrus. People going bigger with Obosh. Fires continues to dominate, picking up some truly gas cards from the new set. We discuss Jeskai control and Temur Reclamation as non-Companion options to consider. And CGB gets perhaps the most epic introduction of his entire career...

Find Covertgoblue on his YouTube channel and at his personal site.

Find Arena Craft on:

This show features the track 'Real Virtuality' from Eero Johannes released on the Sound Pellegrino label and is used with permission.

Ep. 19 - Ikoria Standard Archetypes with Danny West

Thu, 23 Apr 2020 05:40:06 +0000

Returning guest Danny West helps us to work through the monstrosity that is Ikoria! We kick off with a broad discussion of Ikoria and its implications for magic as a whole (are companions the new Oko?), as well as our thoughts on the incorporation of Kaiju into the MTG universe. Next, we go over some of the important interaction and answers in the meta, and finally, we discuss some of the most prominent new archetypes in Standard and our assessment of their viability moving forward. New sets are the best time in Magic!

Danny West stays away from social media for the most part, but you can find him and his unique articles at coolstuffinc.com and also sometimes on Twitch.

Link to Covertgoblue's article about Standard archetypes on Coolstuffinc.

Find Arena Craft on:

This show features the track 'Real Virtuality' from Eero Johannes released on the Sound Pellegrino label and is used with permission.

Ep. 18 - Ikoria Complete Spoiler with Skybilz

Tue, 14 Apr 2020 23:23:47 +0000

This week, we're joined by streamer, speedrunner extraordinaire and Genji teammate Skybilz! We're taking a look at the Ikoria complete spoiler and diving into our thoughts on how the set will impact Standard. We go through our power rankings of the Legendary Elemental mutating creature cycle, discuss all the Ultimatums, consider the impact of the Companions on the format, and cover various other cards and their implications. This set will be wild, y'all -- it's just up to us to bust it wide open before anyone else!

Find Skybilz on Twitch and Twitter.

Watch her compete against Shahar Shenhar at the Mythic Invitational.

Find Arena Craft on:

This show features the track 'Real Virtuality' from Eero Johannes released on the Sound Pellegrino label and is used with permission.

BONUS EPISODE: THB Limited retrospective with Rich G

Sun, 12 Apr 2020 15:46:23 +0000

I loved the Theros Beyond Death draft format so much that I wanted to do a little retrospective on it. So I invited my friend Rich G, co-host of the Mythic Legendaries podcast, to come on and chat THB limited with me. This is a super informal, unstructured and mostly unedited conversation, so take that into consideration and enjoy! Regular episode will be released on the usual schedule.

You can find Rich G at Mythic Legendaries on Twitter and listen to their show here.

Find Arena Craft on:

This show features the track 'Real Virtuality' from Eero Johannes released on the Sound Pellegrino label and is used with permission.

Ep. 17 - Why Standard sucks and what to do about it with Danny West

Mon, 06 Apr 2020 04:50:14 +0000

If you're like many lately, you're pretty tired of Standard. The ladder has been a brutal grind, with the challenge of finding a deck that consistently goes above 50% feeling nigh impossible outside of the most streamlined meta decks. Most of us are probably ready to see Ikoria shake up Standard... but before we get there, we have to play for another few weeks at least. Here's where Danny West comes in to help us make sense of the meta and what to do about it. We go into what we're seeing in the meta, reflect on the design trends in Magic of late, discuss specific archetypes we're seeing in the format, and give our takes on what we think is competitive right now.

As a jumping-off point for this episode, we refer to the Top 8 Decklists from the MagicFest Online weekly championship. Click here to check out those lists.

Danny West stays away from social media for the most part, but you can find him and his unique articles at coolstuffinc.com and also sometimes on Twitch.

Find Arena Craft on:

This show features the track 'Real Virtuality' from Eero Johannes released on the Sound Pellegrino label and is used with permission.

Ep. 16 - From FNM to Tournament Results with Bryan Gottlieb

Mon, 30 Mar 2020 05:51:40 +0000

This week, we are joined by Arena Decklists co-host and SCG writer / commentator Bryan Gottlieb to discuss broad strategies for leveling up in MTG. If you've ever wondered how to get from being a "good at FNM" player to a "doing well at tournaments" player, that is precisely what we get into on this episode. Bryan takes us through his approach to metagaming and card evaluation, highlighting the importance of having a deck with a plan tailored to what you expect to see in a format.

Find Bryan on Twitter, tweet decklists @ArenaDecklists, and listen to the Arena Decklists Podcast.

Find Absurd Heroine's video of our Deathmatch games on her channel. Should be releasing this week!

Find Arena Craft on:

This show features the track 'Real Virtuality' from Eero Johannes released on the Sound Pellegrino label and is used with permission.

Ep. 15 - Brawl Primer and Staying Sane with John Peterson

Mon, 23 Mar 2020 06:42:00 +0000

This week we're joined by personal friend John Peterson to help us get into the Brawl format. Brawl is free for the next month, so let's dive in and see what we can learn. John takes us through the basics of the format, tells us which interaction and removal you should be running, the threats to watch out for, and the commanders you can expect to run into on the ladder. In addition, we talk about manabases and the speed of the format. Try it out – I've been playing it a lot recently, and the format is GAS.

ALSO, please tune in this week on Thursday, March 26 at 5pm Pacific / 8pm Eastern for my livestream on Twitch. I'll be facing off against friend of the show Absurd Heroine in the new Deathmatch format, where it's a race to be the first person to die! Come check it out – it should be a good time. Tune in here.

Find Arena Craft on:

This show features the track 'Real Virtuality' from Eero Johannes released on the Sound Pellegrino label and is used with permission.

Ep. 14 - The Top 10 Underrated Rares in THB Draft

Mon, 16 Mar 2020 05:07:06 +0000

This week, we join with Jeff and Sean of the Magic Arena Drafting Club to discuss our picks for the the top 10 underrated rares in THB draft. Too many powerful rares are getting passed in this format, and we hone in on the ones you need to be considering to up the power of your decks. Sleeping on these cards can leave a lot of equity on the table and have you ending up with decks that never really push it over the top. Find out which rares are worth picking over Pharika's Spawn...

It was a pleasure collaborating with Magic Arena Drafting Club this week. They run an awesome show that you should check out at https://www.magicarenadraftingclub.com/ .

Find Arena Craft on:

This show features the track 'Real Virtuality' from Eero Johannes released on the Sound Pellegrino label and is used with permission.

Ep. 13 - Absurd Brews with Absurd Heroine!

Mon, 09 Mar 2020 03:54:16 +0000

This week, we have an interview with one of my favorite recent content creator discoveries – Absurd Heroine. She's been making fantastic Arena content on YouTube for the last year, and she's blowing up right now, so we get to join her community right at the beginning of a meteoric rise! She's known for her entertaining videos and her absurd brews, so we dive into the life of a regular brewer and discuss what her process is for coming up with original decks. We also revisit deckbuilding basics such as making sure your curve matches the plan of your deck, and filling out the extra slots in your deck with the cards that will be support your core strategy.

Find Absurd Heroine on her YouTube channel and on Twitter.

Watch her Enigmatic Etrata brew and her Atemsis, All-Seeing brew referenced on the show.

Go show her some love!

Find Arena Craft on:

This show features the track 'Real Virtuality' from Eero Johannes released on the Sound Pellegrino label and is used with permission.

Ep. 12 - Interview with Aaron Gertler, Dreamhack Champion!

Mon, 02 Mar 2020 19:04:59 +0000

This week we bring you another interview with friend of the podcast and returning guest, Aaron Gertler. Unless you've been living under a rock for the past few weeks, you'll probably recognize him and Temur Clover deck from taking down Dreamhack Anaheim. He's been consistently #1 Mythic with this deck, and now he's proven it can go all the way in a high-stakes tournament.

More and more pro players, as well as the larger Magic community, are starting to take notice of Temur Clover as a serious contender for best deck in Standard right now. On this episode, we discuss the deck, the most common matchups, reflect on Aaron's performance at Dreamhack, and get into some of the subtler interactions in the deck. We also cover sideboarding and get some thoughts from Aaron on the shape of the meta at the moment.

Find Aaron Gertler on YouTube, Twitter and Twitch.

See the latest decklist for Temur Clover on Scryfall.

Read Aaron's Dreamhack tournament report on reddit.

Find Arena Craft on:

This show features the track 'Real Virtuality' from Eero Johannes released on the Sound Pellegrino label and is used with permission.

Ep. 11 - THB Standard Metagame Update with Covertgoblue

Mon, 24 Feb 2020 17:00:00 +0000

Returning guest Covertgoblue joins us to discuss THB Standard in its post-Worlds, mid-Dreamhack glory. We go over some of the 3-color adjustments people have been making to improve their matchups, discuss how to attack the Mono-Red scourge on the ladder, and evaluate some of the fringe decks we've been seeing. CGB's enjoying Boros Control, Arjuna's loving Temur Breach, Temur Adventures is making a deep run at Dreamhack... This format is by no means solved!

Find Covertgoblue on Youtube, Twitter and Twitch.tv.

CGB's Boros Control article on Coolstuffinc.

CGB's Kiora Breach video on Youtube

Find Arena Craft on:

This show features the track 'Real Virtuality' from Eero Johannes released on the Sound Pellegrino label and is used with permission.

Ep. 10 - Worlds Metagame Analysis

Tue, 18 Feb 2020 06:30:45 +0000

The largest Magic tournament of all time has just concluded, and so it's time to commence the analysis! In this episode I go over all the archetypes we saw in the tournament, discuss what worked and what didn't, compare some different builds of the same decks, and in general dive deep into the guts of what is likely to be the shape of the Standard meta moving forward. I go into some of the breakout cards this weekend, some of the dissapointments, and the cards and decks that were conspicuously absent. It's a great time to be playing magic!

Decklists and pre-tournament analysis:

https://magic.gg/news/magic-world-championship-xxvi-metagame-breakdown

Find Arena Craft on:

This show features the track 'Real Virtuality' from Eero Johannes released on the Sound Pellegrino label and is used with permission.

Ep. 9 - Winning THB Draft with Card Clusters

Tue, 11 Feb 2020 07:18:28 +0000

This week, we'll be exploring how to navigate Theros Beyond Death draft by looking out for "card clusters," key sets of cards that synergize well and which can be dropped into many different successful decks in the format. Recognizing and memorizing card clusters can help take some of the work out of building optimal limited decks, letting you put more of your focus into the key picks that really matter. This episode shows you some of the key heuristics for recognizing card clusters, and then outlines some of the most prominent examples I've identified in the format. We'll also go over how to build around some of the most powerful rares in the format, as well as identifying a card draw combo only limited by the size of your graveyard!

Find Arena Craft on:

This show features the track 'Real Virtuality' from Eero Johannes released on the Sound Pellegrino label and is used with permission.

Ep. 8 - Theros Draft: Hidden Gems and Lipsticked Pigs

Tue, 04 Feb 2020 05:50:05 +0000

I've been fixated on one thing this past week, and that's Theros Beyond Death draft! This format is fantastic, an instant favorite of mine, and in this episode I bring you my thoughts on what's working and what's not. Instead of discussing each individual card or touching upon cards that have already been well-covered, I focus on the cards that I think people are sleeping on, or which I've found to be overrated. I'm looking for cards where I think my evaluation might be different from the average, and using that as a basis for discussion. You'll get to hear about the card I think is the most underrated card selection engine in Theros draft, my power ranking of the 5 Omens, my color preferences (hint: I like red a lot!) and lots more...

Find Arena Craft on:

This show features the track 'Real Virtuality' from Eero Johannes released on the Sound Pellegrino label and is used with permission.

Ep. 7 - Theros Beyond Death (THB) Standard Week 1 with Covertgoblue

Mon, 27 Jan 2020 01:04:15 +0000

We've had Theros Beyond Death in Standard now for just over a week, and the format has been cooking! Today, I'm joined by special guest YouTuber and streamer Covertgoblue as we examine what's been good so far, and what looks like it still needs more work. Some of the deck archetypes we touch on are Mono Black, Blue White Control, Esper Hero, Blue Green Ramp, Temur Elementals, and then we do a deep dive on my personal favorite, Mono Blue Devotion. We share thoughts on the new planeswalkers and a handful of other impactful cards, and then dip into where we think the meta is headed.

Find Covertgoblue on YouTube, Twitter, Twitch, and probably anywhere else you search for his name.

Covertgoblue's Blue Devo video

Arjuna's current Blue Devo list (B03)

Find Arena Craft on:

This show features the track 'Real Virtuality' from Eero Johannes released on the Sound Pellegrino label and is used with permission.

Ep. 6 - Safe buys in Pioneer with Jonathan Medina

Tue, 14 Jan 2020 06:20:40 +0000

This week, we dive deep into the new world of Pioneer to discuss which cards are safe to buy into, and which cards are still on code yellow for possible future bannings. Coolstuffinc writer and eternal format veteran Jonathan Medina joins us to shed a reassuring light on a format that has been, up until recently, tempestuous and ban-prone. Jonathan makes a case for why you should be buying into Pioneer NOW, and why it's likely to be a safe investment in the longterm scope of the format.

Jonathan's Article on Coolstuffinc
Jonathan's Twitter - @medina_mtg
Jonathan's Discord

Find Arena Craft on:

This show features the track 'Real Virtuality' from Eero Johannes released on the Sound Pellegrino label and is used with permission.

Ep. 5 - The Quickest Set Completion F2P Method with Marcus Tomaino

Mon, 30 Dec 2019 07:35:08 +0000

This week we cover a topic near and dear to many players' hearts – what is the quickest and most efficient way to grow your collection and maximize the use of your wildcards? My guest, economics Ph.D student Marcus Tomaino, takes us through a systematic approach, centered around BO3 drafting, that provides a solid foundation for getting rare-complete, or even mythic-complete if you so desire! This is likely the quickest route to accumulating a complete collection of any set on Magic Arena. We'll also go into other tips to help you get maximum gold on Arena and increase your win percentage in draft. This interview opened my eyes and taught me several tricks (such as waiting to open your packs until after you've done your drafts...) that I have since implemented in my own approach. If you're wanting more wildcards, or if you want your wildcards to go further, this is for you.

Find Marcus at u/20mb_romano and at twitch.tv/20mb_romano/

Find his article on reddit here.

Timestamps:
0:00 - Intro
1:16 - Intro to Marcus
5:19 - Set completion via B03 draft
11:11 - Quick overview of earning Gold on Arena
14:57 - Accumulating Gems on Arena
19:46 - Cracking packs vs. drafting
29:24 - Maximizing your vault on Arena
40:00 - Rare drafting is ok
47:06 - When to open my packs?

Find Arena Craft on:

This show features the track 'Real Virtuality' from Eero Johannes released on the Sound Pellegrino label and is used with permission.

Ep. 4 - Live from the floor at Magicfest Portland

Tue, 24 Dec 2019 04:30:43 +0000

This week's episode was so much fun to bring to you — I spent the weekend at Magicfest Portland! The show is my reflections on the experience of attending (it was my first), followed by a series of interviews I did on the floor with attendees, competitors, artists and cosplayers from the event! If you've never been to one of these events before, I would A. recommend you go, and B. encourage you to get a taste of it via this episode! Enjoy.

Timestamps:

0:00 - Intro, my experience at the Magicfest
16:19 - Interviews waiting in line for Mystery Draft
21:40 - Interview with PTW competitor Kory
29:39 - Interview with Mark Poole
34:47 - Interview with Chuck Lukacs
42:13 - Interview with Ken Meyer Jr.
52:33 - Interview with Zenaide Beckham
58:53 - Interview with Arielle

This episode features the words and experiences of a lot of wonderful people from the world of Magic. In order of appearance, here's how to contact and experience the work of:

Mark Poole – http://markpoole.net/

Chuck Lukacs – http://chucklukacs.com/ @LightPusher

Ken Meyer Jr. – http://www.kenmeyerjr.com/ @kenmeyerjr

Zenaide Beckham – @ZBexx EVERYWHERE

Arielle – @air_bubbles @air_bubbles_cosplay

Find Arena Craft on:

This show features the track 'Real Virtuality' from Eero Johannes released on the Sound Pellegrino label and is used with permission.

Ep. 3 - Jund Fires with ChannelFireball's Josh Silvestri

Tue, 17 Dec 2019 06:31:39 +0000

Another fantastic interview with another fantastic guest this week— this time it's ChannelFireball writer and r/spikes mod Josh Silvestri / jsilv! Josh is a veteran of the game and a fantastic conversationalist who can talk at length on any Magic topic you care to throw at him. We discuss a little Magic history (including the founding of the original ChannelFireball LGS in the California Bay Area, and his experience hacking it up with LSV, Paul Cheon and friends). Then we shift into talking about the results of Mythic Championship VII and the post-Oko Standard meta. Next we cover a topic near to jsilv's heart, namely the different iterations of Fires of Invention you can play in Standard (the Jund Food version is his current fav). Finally, we chat about Pioneer and what we've been both playing and thinking about.

Timestamps:

0:00 - Intro
3:44 - Jsilv welcome / Jsilv's history with Magic
18:40 - Mythic Championship VII takeaways
30:58 - Standard / Jund Fires
45:36 - Pioneer thoughts
1:05:57 - Iteration, Magic Arena vs. MTGO

Find Josh on:

Josh's Jund Fires post on r/spikes

Josh's articles on 3 Fires variants on ChannelFireball

Find Arena Craft on:

This show features the track 'Real Virtuality' from Eero Johannes released on the Sound Pellegrino label and is used with permission.

Ep. 2 – #1 Mythic Playing Temur Clover Adventures with Aaron Gertler

Thu, 05 Dec 2019 00:34:20 +0000

This week, we bring you an interview with a guy who's no stranger to Mythic #1 – Aaron Gertler. He jumped into the spotlight earlier this year by spending 4 days at #1 on the Arena ranked ladder playing an innovative brew, Simic Mass Manipulation. This deck used ramp to get mid-to-late-game value out of casting big X spells like Entrancing Melody and Mass Manipulation. It was perhaps the first major archetype to feature Mass Manipulation in the maindeck, and turned askew the concept of what a successful deck on the ladder could be.

Now Aaron is back at #1, but this time he's been playing Temur Clover (Adventures), a deck featuring Lucky Clover, Escape To The Wilds, and a full compliment of Adventure creatures. We discuss how Aaron discovered the deck, the process he went through to tweak it to his own ends, and some of the strategies for playing this powerful deck against various metagame staples. Tune in to hear thoughts on current Standard, a rumination on what's good in the metagame right now, and to hear how to attack from a different angle with Temur Clover!

Click here for a current Temur Clover decklist

Click here to read Aaron's article on the deck on Reddit

Click here for one of Aaron's Simic Manipulation posts on Reddit

Find Aaron on Twitter, Reddit, and YouTube.

Find Arena Craft on:

This show features the track 'Real Virtuality' from Eero Johannes released on the Sound Pellegrino label and is used with permission.

Hot Take - Should Smuggler's Copter be banned in Pioneer?

Mon, 02 Dec 2019 07:05:20 +0000

Title says it all – today, I'm exploring assertions people have made around banning Smuggler's Copter in the Pioneer format. Join me as I examine how the card is currently seeing play, explore some of the most common answers, and dig into some numbers gathered from the community.

Reddit thread / Strawpoll

u/lvlIOcpu's Reddit post re: common Pioneer removal

Find Arena Craft on:

This show features the track 'Real Virtuality' from Eero Johannes released on the Sound Pellegrino label and is used with permission.

Ep. 1 - Introduction

Fri, 22 Nov 2019 04:00:17 +0000

Welcome to Arena Craft, a podcast devoted to Magic: The Gathering on Arena and in paper. We'll be covering Magic Arena and all formats legal on the platform. In addition, we'll be covering Pioneer, and Historic when it becomes more of a presence. Thanks so much for listening to this first episode, and I look forward to sharing more content with you!

Find Arena Craft on:

This show features the track 'Real Virtuality' from Eero Johannes released on the Sound Pellegrino label and is used with permission.