[Free Podcast] SMIP #8 Innistrad Reviewed & Fact or Fiction Unrestricted

[Smmenen]

http://www.mtgcast.com/?p=20592

Kevin Cron and Steve Menendian discuss Innistrad’s Vintage playables and the unrestriction of Fact or Fiction.

Segments:
00:01:05: Banned and Restricted Updates: Mental Misstep in Legacy, Fact or Fiction in Vintage
00:28:07: Innistrad Contact us at @ManyInsanePlays on Twitter…

Enjoy!

[MaximumCDawg]

I woke up at five a.m. to do my morning jog, and I had no motivation.  Then I remembered that SOIP #8 might be up.  Lo and behold, it was already on MTGCast.  Thank you, Steve, for giving me the motivation to go run so I could listen to the program.

This episode was great.  You went back to your strengths; insight into new rules and new cards supported by your own knowledge of the history of Vintage.  Great stuff.

[Troy_Costisick]

Heya,

I got to listen to this last night.  I really enjoyed the Fact or Fiction section.  I'm excited about having it in the format too.  I imagine the people who miss playing the big blue control decks are going to love having 4x FoF and 4x Snapcaster Mage to build with.  I think your insight into how the card digs so deep and is awesome when you flip another FoF was really important.  Like you mentioned, most players playing today never played with FoF unrestricted.

Steve, you seemed a little quiet during the podcast, especially during the Innistrad portion.  Were you eating at the time?  Also, I think you guys missed some of the potential power of Past in Flames- especially in Legacy.  Red has enough rituals to make a go at it, along with awesome graveyard filling cards like Burning Inquiry, Desperate Ravings, and Goblin Lore to create a huge Past in Flames turn.  Just think how fast this turns on Visions from Beyond too.  Also, Red has the absolute perfect tutor to go with Past in Flames: Gamble.  There's a deck in there somewhere.  I'm not talented enough to see it, but Past in Flames is legit.

Peace,

-Troy

[Smmenen]

Steve, you seemed a little quiet during the podcast, especially during the Innistrad portion.  Were you eating at the time?  

Yes, actually.  My schedule is so freaking busy that I had to eat dinner while doing this podcast.  My GF made me some dinner, and when she came down with the salad, I was scarfing it down while Kevin talked.   

[Troy_Costisick]

Steve, you seemed a little quiet during the podcast, especially during the Innistrad portion.  Were you eating at the time?  

Yes, actually.  My schedule is so freaking busy that I had to eat dinner while doing this podcast.  My GF made me some dinner, and when she came down with the salad, I was scarfing it down while Kevin talked.   

LOL, well let me just say thank you for taking the time to do these podcasts.  I have no doubt you are very busy, and I truly do appreciate the time and effort you and Kevin put into this.  I look forward to each and every one you come out with and feel that my understanding of the format improves the more I listen.  So thanks once again.  I really enjoyed this week's episode.

Peace,

-Troy

PS: Looking forward to your set review as well.

[honestabe]

One of your reasonings for the banning of Brainstorm is that a lot of pros said it is the best card in legacy.  What does that have to do with something being banned?  Something has to be the best, and you can't just run around banning the best card every 3 months or else the banned list will be long and nonsensicle.  coughmoderncough.

If you think Brainstorm should be banned because it is oppressing or otherwise warping the format, that's fine (though I don't agree), but saying something should be banned just because "it's the best" is a terrible way to go about bannings

[Smmenen]

That's not our position.

In one of our earlier podcasts, we made the observation that ran something like this:

1) In legacy, you generally chose 3 colors to play in any given deck.   Four color decks have weak mana bases, and two color decks don't give you sufficiently greater mana base stability over 3 color decks to justify not choosing a 3rd color.  In other words, you are almost selecting two colors NOT to play.

2) Because you are playing 3 of 5 colors of Magic in any given Legacy deck, how often will blue not be one of those colors?  The best blue spell is probably Brainstorm and Force of Will.  You can justify not playing Force if you can run other disruptive colors, like black, with Duress effects, but can't justify not running Brainstorm.

3) Brainstorm is the one card that connects every blue deck except Merfolk: it's in NO Rug, Hive Mind, High Tide, Ad Nauseam, etc. etc.  

4) As between banning MM or Brainstorm, I would have banned Brainstorm bc it would have accomplished the goal of getting people to play non blue decks.  

Hope that's clearer. 

[honestabe]

Definitely clearer.

On another note, do you think the banning of Brainstorm would do more harm than good?  Part of a successful format is balance and having each archtype fully represented, but another large aspect is that the format be fun and that people want to play it.  Many, many people have stated that they would quit Legacy if they weren't allowed access for 4 Brainstorms (I know it's literally the only reason I play the format).

[Smmenen]

That's a question for another forum

[DubDub]

Another stellar entry.  It's cool to hear the excitement you two have for the 4xFOF format.

[Smmenen]

Steve, you seemed a little quiet during the podcast, especially during the Innistrad portion.  Were you eating at the time?  

Yes, actually.  My schedule is so freaking busy that I had to eat dinner while doing this podcast.  My GF made me some dinner, and when she came down with the salad, I was scarfing it down while Kevin talked.  

LOL, well let me just say thank you for taking the time to do these podcasts.  I have no doubt you are very busy, and I truly do appreciate the time and effort you and Kevin put into this.  I look forward to each and every one you come out with and feel that my understanding of the format improves the more I listen.  So thanks once again.  I really enjoyed this week's episode.

Peace,

-Troy

PS: Looking forward to your set review as well.

Thanks Troy.

I just finished my set review yesterday, and it's 46 pages!!! (Including the Ultimate Vintage Checklist).   I identify 8 cards are playable (and, no, the new Coffin Purge is not one of them ), and another 5 as very remotely playable, but, most importantly, I've written really killer sections on cards like Laboratory Maniac, which is hinted at in this podcast , and a really fun, entertaining opening essay -- which will be free.