The Mana Pool

Episode 105 - Alternative Lifestyles

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 01:56:00 GMT

Because winning by knocking your opponent's life total down to zero is SO last season, we're having a fire sale on all the other nifty ways to win. Alternate win conditions for all! We've got Epic Struggles, Darksteel Reactors, Chance Encounters, and Poison. For those workaholics out there, we have a few Coalition Victories, Helix Pinnacles, and even one Barren Glory in the back corner. None of these float your boat (in your Mana Pool, of course)? Then keep browsing, we've got lots more.

And while we're at it, we're also having a fire sale on alternate ways to lose! We've got Pacts, Phage (blinking sold separately), several flavors of Lich, and three types of Final Fortune. If you're sick of Test of Endurance, we can turn your life gain into a loss with Transcendence! And if you act now, we'll even throw in two ways to force the game into a draw, just to thoroughly annoy your opponents. Operators are standing by!

Music for this episode is the Slap Chop Rap by DJ Steve Porter.

Check out the video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWRyj5cHIQA

Check out more stuff at http://www.djsteveporter.com

Forum thread for this episode: http://cardshark.freeforums.org/episode-105-alternative-lifestyles-t424.html

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Episode 104 - PTQ Results, Duel Decks, and Olive Oil

Sun, 1 Nov 2009 01:02:00 GMT

In this episode, Mike gets distracted by something early on. But that's not the actual content of the show! Brian and I kick it off by each opening a pack of Zendikar and going through the contents. Then we switch gears and talk about Brian's PTQ experience from a few weekends ago. He did really well. His deck list is in the forum thread for this episode, give it a look and let us know what you think.

And of course, we had to go over the freshly released lists for Duel Decks: Garruk vs. Liliana. Rancor! Mutilate! Beasts! Yay! We go over each list, giving a pretty detailed rundown on how we think each one will work. Then of course we have to pick a winner. Keep listening to find out who we thought might come out ahead this time.

Music for this episode is freakin' great, you should go check it out!

Carl Sagan - A Glorious Dawn ft. Stephen Hawking by John Boswell

Youtube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSgiXGELjbc

Check out more Symphony of Science: http://www.symphonyofscience.com

Forum thread for this episode: http://cardshark.freeforums.org/episode-104-ptq-results-duel-decks-and-olive-oil-t421.html

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Jungle Rat Rob - Mana Pool 2: Electric Boogaloo

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 03:22:00 GMT

Here it is, as promised. For hitting our 100^th episode, Jungle Rat Rob (Rob Anderson) has worked his audio editing magic again and come up with another great clip compilation! This time it's got so much funny that he couldn't fit it all in one song, so he used three. We have the Superman Main Theme by John Williams, Sabre Dance by Aram Khachaturian, and Simple Passing by Hammerbox. This also features cameos by Claire (the hot one from the Avant-Card Show), AJ (of "Kill AJâ fame), and our oft-mentioned fan/stalker, Ben (Panahinuva on the forums).

And again, Rob has managed to capture the essence of what makes the show fun. As before, it's light on actual Magic content, but heavy on awesomesauce. He manages to illuminate who we hosts really are and exactly what it is that makes this show worth listening to. There's lots of giggling, guffawing, picking on Chewie, and random nonsense that you've come to expect from us here on The Mana Pool. Thank you so much again for the most excellent tribute Rob, we really really appreciate it. And hopefully, all you listeners out there checking this out will agree!

Episode 103 - Standard Rotation: The Faerie Tale is Over

Sun, 25 Oct 2009 22:23:00 GMT

And in this episode, we bid a fond farewell to the Lorwyn/Shadowmoor mega block. We're gonna take a look back at the stuff that is gone from this Standard. All those cards that we loved, hated, despised, thought were nifty, and were beaten by are getting one last look before heading off to Extended Land forever and ever amen.

And then, not to get stuck looking at the past, we forge ahead into the present! We're taking a look ahead at the cards in Zendikar that tickle our various fancies. Whether we're talking about stuff that just looks cool, or potential Standard powerhouses, or stuff we think is just silly, we're gonna cover it.

Forum thread for this episode: http://cardshark.freeforums.org/episode-103-standard-rotation-the-faerie-tale-is-over-t419.html

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Episode 102 - Zendikar Limited Experiences

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 02:20:00 GMT

Hello again, and welcome to The Mana Pool! This is Mike, filling in for Chewie on the show notes while he's busy getting a previous episode uploaded. For those of you who've been anxiously awaiting our customary Prerelease story time episode, this is your lucky day! Not only do we have that, but due to scheduling conflicts and hateful technological mishaps, it took us so long to get this one recorded that we also have Launch Party stories as well. As usual, Chewie and Brian took very good notes, and they have several fine tales of epic plays, bad beats, and very interesting cards. Did I have any good stories for this episode? Yes and no.

Forum thread for this episode: http://cardshark.freeforums.org/episode-102-zendikar-limited-experiences-t413.html

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Episode 101 - Late Zendikar Preview 3

Tue, 6 Oct 2009 22:19:00 GMT

Well...better late than never. This is the fabled lost episode 102 of The Mana Pool. Okay, so it's not so much fabled, and it was never really lost. But I do apologize for this episode being so incredibly late. I suddenly found myself working 6 or 7 days' worth of work in a 5 day period, and by the time I got home, I didn't want to do anything at all. But enough of lateness excuses!

I'd also like to apologize for the content of this episode. You see, it's just me, Mike, and my roommate Scott going over some previews. I'm not...entirely sure what happened, but something about this episode just felt off. We did the rest of the previews, and Scott had a few interesting n00b questions for us, but that's about it. I do remember the music, though.

Music for this episode: Whack It by Swift

Check them out at http://www.swift-band.com

Forum thread for this episode: http://cardshark.freeforums.org/episode-101-late-zendikar-preview-3-t412.html

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Episode 100 - No Title Necessary

Sun, 27 Sep 2009 20:43:00 GMT

WE MADE IT! Thanks to everyone who has listened, commented, criticized, and offered feedback, advice, help, and ideas for these hundred episodes. We really appreciate all of you who have stuck with us all this time, all of you who have stuck with us since we joined the MTGCast, and all of you who have just discovered us.

And a special thanks goes out to Eric from St. Louis who is Mr. Suitcase who is thewachman who is one of the hosts of Monday Night Magic. Not only did he send us a congratulatory audio file to put in this episode, he also convinced others to do so too. Thanks to Trevor, Tom, and Kevin from MTGRadio for their support. Thanks to Christian, Bryan, Aaron, Jeff, and Claire over at the Avant-Card Show for being complete ripoffs of us but having a girl so it's okay...I mean for all the ribbing and poking and insulting and general fun we've had since you guys got started. Really, we love you guys. Thanks to the Road Warrior Chris Otwell, not only for the audio file, but for all the work he does behind the scenes each week to keep the MTGCast network running smoothly. And finally, thanks to Noah Whinston, formerly of the Sunday Super Show, for sticking with us since episode 10 (a Morningtide preview episode), even though we're not technically his cup of competitive-style-Magic tea.

What, you want to know what's actually in this episode too? Geez you people are picky! Due to real life getting in everyone's way, our 100th episode extravaganza sort of got scaled back a bit. Then, due to technical difficulties, our first idea kind of got shot down. Brian had the brilliant idea to run through 100 cards that mean something to us for our 100th episode. That's 25 apiece! So we made our lists and went for it. So this episode didn't end up being 100 hours long, we decided to stick with a 30 second time limit for each card, complete with a buzzer of some sort so we'd know when to stop.

Of course, the end of the show sort of disintegrates into a lot of random nonsense involving the questionable music collection of the lead dork. We would like to stress that all of this music is used without permission and is owned by the respective copyright holders or rights owners or whatever. But it's just us being silly, which apparently you listeners enjoy. So I hope you enjoy, and thanks again for everything. We couldn't do this without you guys, so hopefully you'll push us to do another hundred shows!

Find the Avant-Card Show at http://www.avantcardshow.com

Find the rest on the MTGCast, located at http://mtgcast.com

Forum thread for this episode: http://cardshark.freeforums.org/episode-100-no-title-necessary-t407.html

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Episode 99 - Zendikar Preview 2

Tue, 22 Sep 2009 02:16:00 GMT

More Zendikar previews! Join us this episode for lots more Zendikarian goodness, along with a discussion of temporal mechanics and a special guest of sorts. This episode also includes a good 11 minutes of lost footage from the previous episode, including our take on Nissa Revane, Nissa's Chosen, and a somewhat depressing Mike story. There's a brief discussion of the Banned & Restricted List updates in there too.

Forum thread for this episode: http://cardshark.freeforums.org/episode-99-zendikar-preview-2-t402.html

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Episode 98 - Zendikar Preview 1

Wed, 16 Sep 2009 02:16:00 GMT

Hey, Mike here. Well, here it is, the episode we all knew had to be coming. Thank goodness that we were all looking forward to it, too! It's the first big episode of Zendikar previews here on the Mana Pool, and we decided to go for a bit of a different structure this time. Rather than just go up the list, Brian had the foresight to group the cards into convenient broader discussion topics, based on mechanics, themes, and/or content. Give us your feedback on how you think it worked out.

But yes, listen in for an episode full of Vampires, Fire, and Arguing on the Internet. And also another Brian with Phasing. We'll try to work on that...

Forum thread for this episode: http://cardshark.freeforums.org/episode-98-zendikar-preview-1-t397.html

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Episode 97 - Land Before Time

Tue, 8 Sep 2009 23:56:00 GMT

DISCLAIMER: In an effort to keep our listeners safe while listening to our show, we have decided to forgo any and all comedy this episode. We here at The Mana Pool are committed to your well-being, and we certainly don't want anything bad to happen to any of you (with only very few exceptions). That being said, we hope you enjoy this funny-free episode of The Mana Pool. Thank you and drive around.

To begin the show, we have a small collection of Zendikar previews. We figured from these cards that land will probably be pretty big in this block, so we decided to take that idea and run with it. Actually, it was Brian's idea, but his head is big enough already. That's probably why he was in and out of the episode all night. Spoiler: He didn't make it all the way to the end.

To start off this land-tastic episode, I take my Land Deck...Out of the Deck Box! It's a deck built around Earth Surge, which is one of the crappiest cards to come out of the Ravnica Block (a tie-in to last week!). But I made it work. As always, for a full decklist, check out the forums. Then we spend a fair amount of time taking a look back at some of our favorite lands. We're talking cycles of lands, weird land, useful land, just whatever you can think of. Except Sorrow's Path. Hit the forums and tell us about some of your favorite lands!

And finally, we end the episode on a bit of a rant, as I pull out the old Chewie's Soapbox from my time doing the Cardshark Member Newsletter back in the day. This rant is about Tazeem, that promotional planar card you could ONLY get by going to the Planechase Release Event. Let us know how you feel about the exclusive promo card.

Forum thread for this episode: http://cardshark.freeforums.org/episode-97-land-before-time-t393.html

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Episode 96 - Reflection on Ravnica

Sat, 5 Sep 2009 14:02:00 GMT

Holy crap it's the Mana Pool! Wizards has revealed the last two Planechase decks, so we check out each and every plane on this fabulous tour of the multiverse. Keep an ear out for lots of informational sound-related material - like what being on fire sounds like, and discussions on spheres on the vertical surface that holds up the ceiling. Doosh!

Because we talked about bad mechanics on the last episode, we mentioned Ravnica quite a few times. So Dirk thought we should do a block review of Ravnica as a whole. So we did! We take each of the 10 guilds of Ravnica and go over what their deal is. This includes but is not limited to: their mechanic, their philosophy, their place in the Ravnican society, and a few nifty cards from each one. We really loved Ravnica block.

And a big thank you goes out to all the people who entered the Duel Decks Contest! We're going to get started on that at some point and determine winners...at some point.

Download this episode here: right here!

Forum thread for this episode: http://cardshark.freeforums.org/episode-96-reflection-on-ravnica-t391.html

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Episode 95 - Classical Mechanics

Fri, 28 Aug 2009 02:51:00 GMT

On this episode, we've got a cameo by my new roomie Scott. He's one of my best and oldest friends, and he was one of the people I played Magic with back in the days of Homelands when I played the first time. But that's just the intro, there's a lot more where that came from.

First up, there's Planechase. As of this recording, two of the decks had been shown, so of course we have to go over those. We give you an in-depth into each of the planar cards, and we mention the Magic decks as they relate to the planes. There's lots of discussion and the usual bickering.

Dirk came up with a great topic for this episode. We're going to take a look at some of the mechanics of old and tell you about the ones we think are great, and the ones we think are crap. Where do you think Cycling fits in? What about Radiance? Sweep? Ninjutsu? Let's not forget Flashback and Shadow. Hit the forums and let us know what mechanics you really liked or really hated.

And this is the LAST CHANCE to enter the Duel Decks Contest! DON'T FORGET!

Download this episode here: right here!

Forum thread for this episode: http://cardshark.freeforums.org/episode-95-classical-mechanics-t388.html!

Duel Decks Contest!: http://cardshark.freeforums.org/duel-decks-contest-t363.html

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Episode 94 - The Hotness

Thu, 20 Aug 2009 22:50:00 GMT

We are joined this episode by none other than the architect of the Cutie-Pie Deck Challenge herself, Claire! Most excellent! Tasteless innuendo and bad jokes abound. Of course, we have to go over what happened during the Challenge. Spoiler: I WON! We discuss the spoils of victory, the lady's prerogative, and creepy people on the internet.

Then we get underway with the news. First off, there's the new full-art Zendikar lands. Then we have the list of cards in From the Vault: Exiled. And we FINALLY know how Planechase works. Next episode we'll have a few more planar cards and decklists for you, this one was recorded before they showed any of that stuff.

Then, since we took so incredibly long on all the news and whatnot, we decided to skip our previously agreed-upon topic for this episode. We just don't have the time to properly devote to it. Check it out next episode. Instead, we take a request from a listener and take Brian's Jund Wickedness Out of the Deck Box. As always, see this episode's forum post for the full decklist. This one is definitely one to check out, as it has a whole lot going on.

For the record, Claire doesn't just sound hot. She totally is. Like damn.

Music for this episode: Beautiful by Ill Mic. Check them out at http://www.illmic.com

Download this episode here: right here!

Forum thread for this episode: http://cardshark.freeforums.org/episode-94-the-hotness-t384.html

Duel Decks Contest!: http://cardshark.freeforums.org/duel-decks-contest-t363.html

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Episode 93 - It Came...Out of the Deck Box!

Fri, 14 Aug 2009 03:15:00 GMT

Hey, Mike here. Welcome back to another hot summer episode of The Mana Pool! You don't even have to worry about getting burned if you stay in too long anymore.

Anyway, we were getting a pretty impressive amount of listener input that essentially boiled down to one core issue: People want more "Out of the Deck Box"! Lucky for all of you, we came prepared. Not only is this episode exclusively devoted to the feature, but they're all comparative, as well. With Chewie, Dirk, and myself in this episode (no Brian, due to various lawyering examinations) we have 3 pairs of decks to compare among the hosts, giving you 6 unique decks to tweak and critique if the Muse so strikes you. Each deck list, of course, will be available in the forum thread for the episode.

Forum thread for this episode: http://cardshark.freeforums.org/episode-93-it-came-out-of-the-deck-box-t383.html
Duel Decks Contest!: http://cardshark.freeforums.org/duel-decks-contest-t363.html
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Episode 92 - Use Silver for Werewolf Infestation

Thu, 6 Aug 2009 21:37:00 GMT

Let's talk about some stuff, shall we? We FINALLY got to play the first round of post-edit Divine vs. Demonic! Yay! We made a few changes to the decks, trying to bump the Demonic deck into the same league as the Divine one. Listen in to find out if we succeeded or just made it worse.

Wizards announced the Premium Deck Series: Slivers. So we talk about it. At great length. Opinions abound. There's even a little bit of prestidigitation, as we try to figure out what the lone mythic rare might (or even should) be. Wow, I spelled that right on the first try, but screwed up when I wrote âmyhticâ.

Then, in an effort to get away from M10 for a little while, we take a step back and look at Alara Reborn. Favorite cards, underrated cards, underused cards, and just cards we think are nifty - we all weigh in on the set as a whole. And you know what? Turns out we liked it.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot. Time is running out! Enter the contest! The link is right down there!

Forum thread for this episode: http://cardshark.freeforums.org/episode-92-use-silver-for-werewolf-infestation-t378.html
Duel Decks Contest: http://cardshark.freeforums.org/duel-decks-contest-t363.html
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Episode 91 - M10 Launched

Fri, 31 Jul 2009 03:06:00 GMT

On this episode, we have even more Magic 2010! Don't worry, next week we're gonna ease up off the M10 for a while. But we had to stay with it this time, because there's a Launch discussion to be had! Brian and I attended, along with Jonathan and Logan. It was Logan's first tournament, so we asked him to join us on this episode, not only to tell us how he did, but to give us his perspective on the whole tournament thing.

And then, just to finish up with M10 for a little while, we decided to take a look at the set as a whole. Not just the rares or the previews, not just the mechanics involved, but the whole shebang. We're talking flavor, art, mechanics, love, hate, balls of wax, and whatever else comes to mind.

Then, just to spite our friends over at the Avant-Card Show, we're bringing back Out of the Deck Box. I've picked out a deck that go hurt a little bit by the rules change â the Chuck Deck! Of course, in the time since we recorded this, I've already made several changes, so no promises about the decklist in the forums and the one discussed on this episode actually being the same.

Forum thread for this episode: http://cardshark.freeforums.org/episode-91-m10-launched-t373.html
Duel Decks Contest!: http://cardshark.freeforums.org/duel-decks-contest-t363.html
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Episode 90 - Instructions on Not Attacking Dirk (Multiplayer Combat)

Tue, 21 Jul 2009 02:31:00 GMT

Wow, we've made it up to 90. You believe that? To celebrate this auspicious occasion (not really) we have a whole mess of episode for you. After a somber intro, where we dedicate this episode to a friend who is no longer with us, we go into further detail about the new Duel Decks Contest here on The Mana Pool. You can find the official forum announcement for the contest here:
http://cardshark.freeforums.org/duel-decks-contest-t363.html

There's been a lot of super-neato stuff on the Magic site in the last week, so we go over all of it. The RYZ shoe design contest winners (Wrath and Damn is sweet!), some Magically delicious soda, and a teeny little hint of Planechase. Check out the links to all of those down below.

Then we finally come to the long-awaited topic at hand. We've been meaning to do an episode on multiplayer combat for at least a month or so, but lots of things kept getting in the way. But we've managed to get past all the events and updates and whatnot, and boy was Brian ready for this one. His lawyer side took over, and he categorized all the various important attacks that occur in multiplayer Magic. And I mean all of them. And then we discussed them all, offering anecdotes and examples where applicable. And don't ever attack Dirk. No really. Don't do it. You'll be sorry.

Then I finish us up with a quick recounting of my M10 Prerelease experience. I was with AJ (Kill AJ!), just outside of Washington DC, and the tournament was...let's say interesting. You can hear the full story right here. A teaser: I played black/red (big surprise).

The Planechase product images can be seen here:
http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/arcana/234

The Magic-flavored Jones Soda can be seen here:
http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/arcana/232

The announcement of the winners for the RYZ shoe design contest can be found here:
http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/arcana/233

Forum thread for this episode: http://cardshark.freeforums.org/episode-90-instructions-on-not-attacking-dirk-mp-combat-t367.html
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Episode 89 - Magic 2010 Preview 3

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 04:06:00 GMT

This is truly a momentous occasion! Not only do we have all four of the hosts of The Mana Pool present for this recording, but we also have everyone's favorite guy with a bullseye painted on him, AJ! We also have Mrs. Kill AJ and The Hot One helping out for a moment in the intro. You heard it, girls on The Mana Pool! Even if it was just for a second.

Right then. Previews! We've got another full load of M10 previews for you on this episode. We have everything from spiders whose art actually wasn't changed to legless angels to angels wearing pasties to the white Shock. You'll hear us rant and drone on and on about the minutiae of each card, as well as the usual nonsensical conversating that you know and love.

Forum thread for this episode: http://cardshark.freeforums.org/episode-89-magic-2010-preview-3-t361.html
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Episode 88 - Magic 2010 Preview 2

Wed, 8 Jul 2009 11:18:00 GMT

Chewie here. On this episode you've got me, Brian, and Mike going over a whole crapload of Magic 2010 previews. There's really not much else to say about this particular episode, you know? It's a preview episode, after all. Although we do go over quite a few of the old Lords, so it's like a bit of a history lesson too.

There are, however, a few interesting questions to be answered in here. Like will the Ant Queen get to finish her smoothie? And what's up with that guy with the antlers, the cape, and the ZZ Top beard? What's more terrifying that Jet Li coming at you with a boot to the skull? And what's up with the lion turning into a soldier, and the insect into a vampire? Listen in to find out...

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Episode 87 - Magic 2010 Preview 1

Fri, 3 Jul 2009 04:27:00 GMT

Brian here, yet again. This episode sees the cast of The Mana Pool, with the long-awaited return of Dirk, finally getting to a subject weâve been approaching for weeks: multiplayer combat! Hold on to your hardhats, because here we...uh...wait. Our plans, apparently more fragile than a Faberge Egg, have been broken in half by the launch of the Magic 2010 page on the main Magic website, complete with visual spoiler. Yay for previews!

The episode kicks off with a shout-out to the new members on the forums and to the Facebook group. Welcome all. Then, we go into some responses on the forums to our last few episodes. Feedback is always appreciated and actually does help us when we record the shows. Disagree with us about a point we make, think that Dirk is the funniest man alive, or catch us on a blatant error? Head to the forums! We then follow up on some reactions to the Magic 2010 rules changes, including Dirkâs first impressions, and the results of the first games Chewie and I have played under the new rules. Chewie and Dirk have also been playing Duels of the Planeswalkers recently and briefly share their experiences.

After that, itâs on to Magic 2010 previews! Join us as we walk down a sort of memory lane with standbys like Serra Angel (now Uncommon!), Clone, and Birds of Paradise. Weâll also see old faces seeing new life like Black Knight (aww yeah), Ball Lightning, and Lightning Bolt (the one and only). Finally, since Magic 2010 is the first Core Set since Beta with new cards in it, we have new favorites like Child of Night, new duel lands, and Ant Queen. Do your exterminators have captains? They better.

Finally, weâve got some news. Iâd tell you what it is, but you need to listen to find out. No cutting in line! All Iâll say is, oh wait, you have to listen! Ha. Finally finally, we quickly hit the recent Banned/Restricted List announcements and Magic shoes. Not magic shoes (Like Mike), Magic Shoes. They are NOT guaranteed to make you into a basketball legend.

Thanks for listening to The Mana Pool as always, and get ready for some goodness in Magic 2010.

LIGHTNING BOLT!

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Episode 86 - A Truly Astonishing Amount of Random Magic Musings

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 02:57:00 GMT

Hello again, and welcome to episode 86 of the Mana Pool! Brian here, as your on-duty lifeguard for this episode. Please make sure that your life vests are securely fastened and your diving boards are locked in their upright positions, because today weâre going to hit the rapids. We should reiterate that The Mana Pool is not responsible for any lost or damaged items, limbs, or personality traits.

We open up with the usual formalities, including being Dirkless yet again, and shouting out to new members on the forums and the Facebook page. We are also now on Twitter, so check out the new link at the bottom of these notes and follow us as we go about our (normal?) lives. Weâve got some updates on Chewieâs upcoming match against the Avant-Card Show podcast, which has changed somewhat. You can still find them at http://www.avantcardshow.com

At this point we embark on a long rant regarding pro players, casual players, new players, skill levels, stereotypes, and common misconceptions. This is kind of an offshoot of last weekâs thorny topic of the M10 rules changes, more regarding how others have reacted to the changes and what their discussions have said about them as players and theorists. Regardless of whether youâve been playing for 20 minutes or 20 years (howâd you manage that, anyway?), youâll hopefully find this rant/discussion/ramble interesting.

Donât get caught up here, though, because weâve got a ways to go. Allied and enemy color pairings, favorite cards, crazy situations, and untold wit abound. Duels of the Planeswalkers on your right, rocky patches on your left, and an introduction to our Divine vs. Demonic series straight ahead stand between you and the shore. Should you reach the end of this expedition, make sure to tip your dorks and come back soon!

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Episode 85 - M10 Rules Update Discussion

Sun, 14 Jun 2009 19:59:00 GMT

Hey there, all you Mana Pool listeners! Brian here, subbing in for Chewie. He worked 12 hours on the day that we recorded this episode, only to come home and run the recording less than 2 hours later, and he needed a bit of a break. Youâd never guess it from the episode, though, âcause weâre all firing on all cylinders for this one. When I say "we", I donât mean Dirk, because heâs not going to be with us for this episode and another or so due to computer death problems. Never fear, as weâve got a mystery guest host, whose identity is unknown for at least a minute or so into the episode. [Chewie note: It's Bill, who is kurai_seraphim on the forums].

We cover quite a bit of ground here before we even get into the meaty, juicy topic that the episode covers. We go over Cardshark member promotions for June, new members on the forums and Facebook [Chewie note: International, baby!], and the usual routine. Then, Chewie answers a challenge from the Avant-Card Show Podcast of the utmost importance - nudity is at stake! No, Chewie will not be naked, we promise. Maybe. After that, Duels of the Planeswalkers release information is discussed. Anybody got a spare $10 (and an Xbox 360)?

Then, we get into the main topic. This was going to be the next installment in our ongoing multiplayer series, but Wizards forced us to change course with the publication of rules changes accompanying Magic 2010. These changes are huge and will impact the way you play the game from now on, so love them or hate them, youâd best listen up. Mulligans are like going to bed? Creatures getting tired? The end of Magic? Tune in to find out what Iâm talking about!

Find the Avant-Card Show here: http://www.avantcardshow.com
M10 Rules Update here: http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/feature/42a

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Episode 84 - Can We Say That? (Multiplayer Deckbuilding)

Mon, 8 Jun 2009 10:08:00 GMT

Can we say that?

This time we've got a lot to go over. We're Dirkless again due to his recent computer problems, but we're joined by my old roommate Corey again, so that evens out. We've got a mess of feedback to go over first. Then Brian and I have to tell you about the recent PTQ we attended. We ran the decks that were being tested in the last episode, just so you know. No last minute deck swaps for us.

Then we get to the true purpose of this episode. We're discussing multiplayer deckbuilding. More specifically, we're going to focus on the differences between building a deck to take on one person and building a deck to handle multiple opponents. Of course, we sprinkle liberally with our own personal experiences and knowledge. And there's plenty of giggling, joking, tangential nonsense, and picking on each other, as per usual. What sort of episode would it be without all that?

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Episode 83 - Testing: An Experiment

Tue, 2 Jun 2009 02:40:00 GMT

This is probably not what you were expecting, is it? Due to recording time problems, it was either this or no show at all. And since I know what happens to you rabid Mana Pool fans out there when you don't get your weekly fix, Brian and I came up with a solution. Let us know if you thought this was good, bad, terrible, stupid, didn't care, greatest thing ever, or whatever you think. Please give us some feedback here, we're curious.

What you're hearing here is us testing for the PTQ that happened this past weekend. Some people requested that we try playing a game or more on the air, so we decided to give it a shot, killing two birds with one stone. Brian's playing a Bant Aggro - Finest Hour deck, and I'm playing a Jund Aggro - Cascade deck. We'll hit you with how the decks performed at the PTQ next episode, as well as get back to our multiplayer shows.

Music for this episode: Respect the Blade by Swift
Check out Swift at http://www.swift-band.com

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Episode 82 - Back in the Day (Multiplayer Cards)

Wed, 27 May 2009 21:48:00 GMT

Prepare yourselves for a wild ride. That's all the warning you get.

This episode, we're taking it back. All the way back to our college days when we would spend many hours of the night, many times a week, playing big round table multiplayer Magic. To help us take it all the way back that far, we have my old roommate Corey joining us for the first time. You may remember hearing about him on previous shows, and now you get to experience him firsthand and find out why he sticks out in our minds.

What we're discussing here today are specific cards in multiplayer. More to the point, we're discussing those cards that we just love to play in multiplayer. Everything from the staples like Syphon Soul and Forgotten Ancient to the finishers like Insurrection and Verdant Force â why we like them and what makes them great for multiplayer. And that's just the tip of the iceberg.

We're also going to talk about some of those cards that we just absolutely hate to see on the table across from us. Of course this covers the obvious things like Stasis and Portcullis, but also the more subtly miserable cards like Fatespinner and Telepathy. We'll go over what exactly it is about all these cards that we despise so much.

Of course, along the way we get sidetracked, erupt into fits of laughter, go off on tangents, and pick on each other mercilessly. Like more than usual, I mean. Apparently good old Chuck (one of my nicknames for Corey, Chuck Steak) is a bad influence on us. Or maybe a good influence. Whichever it is, I hope you guys get as big a kick out of listening as we did recording it.

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Episode 81 - Would You Like Some Content with Your Technical Difficulties?

Tue, 19 May 2009 19:49:00 GMT

This episode was a complete mess, but not for you to listen to. Allow me to explain. First, we are joined by our old friend AJ of "Kill AJ" fame. This leads to our pre-recording conversation becoming a completely random mess that I really wish we could have recorded. Then we have a bit of listener feedback, which we always appreciate. Hint hint!

Then there's some news. The Xbox 360 Live Arcade game, Magic: The Gathering - Duels of the Planeswalkers, is coming out soon, and the list of Achievements has been released, so I spend a couple minutes going over that. Then Mike gets all giddy about the latest Rules Update that happened a couple weeks ago, and he goes over the various functional changes from this update. Believe it or not, this is actually interesting enough to pay attention to. To follow along yourself, go here:

http://www.wizards.com/magic/magazine/article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/feature/35b&page=2

Then there's this bit of news about Planechase, which sounds like a new Vanguard-ish type of thing. Whatever it may be, we're going over the press release with a fine-tooth comb. Actually it's a shoeshine brush, but whatever. To follow along yourself again, go here:

http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/arcana/187

Then I have a bit of Magic-playing news about my trip to Newport News, VA for Mother's Day. My cousin took me to a cyber cafe/card-playing location called Cyberwocky where I did lots of trading and was involved in a pickup Emperor game, something that is completely unheard of around here. It was great, so I talk about it.

Then we wanted to hit some of the high points of Alara Reborn, and this is where things started to fall apart. Brian suddenly realized that he had to go. Then Mike suddenly and involuntarily left us. While he was trying to get back, the rest of us soldiered on. He finally returned to us, sans some of his enthusiasm (not a word you'd usually associate with Mike, but he had a big Rules Update to go over this episode), and the episode ended shortly thereafter.

The real problems came when I tried to put this show together. Four and a half minutes of footage were covered in the horrible clicks that I only sort of managed to remove. I love you guys so much that I recorded a quick apology right before that part. Then the freaking edited-completely-except-for-music file decided it didn't want to save properly and I had to do it all over again. And then I had serious troubles getting the music for this episode to include both left and right stereo channels when I copied it over. But I eventually figured it out. As I write this, I should have been in the bed 45 minutes ago, but I wanted it all ready to upload tomorrow before we record the next show. That's how much I love you guys. Sleep is not as important as getting the episode out sometime before we record the next one, you know?

Music for this episode: Slave by Social Outcast u.b.

Check them out at http://www.myspace.com/socialoutcastub

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Episode 80 - Ready for Launch (ARB)

Tue, 12 May 2009 23:11:00 GMT

Hey there, all you Mike fans! This is me, filling in on the notes for Chewie this week as a special treat for everyone who missed me (hi, Mom!). Unfortunately, we're less one Dirk this time, as he had some stuff to take care of and didn't feel like he had anything in particular to contribute to the subject matter of the episode.

Anyway, we kick things off with a special little featurette that might come back if people like it enough. As we get settled, it's Nature versus Technology as storms begin to rage in the background and threaten our precious electricity. From there, we get to the Cardshark Member Promotions (featuring everyone's favorite free uncommons), the final chapter of the Jace vs. Chandra evolution, and then we all get to hear about how Brian and Chewie did at the Alara Reborn Launch Party. Very informative, very entertaining. Welcome back to The Mana Pool!

Music for this episode: Your Heroes are Dead by Social Outcast u.b.
Check them out at http://www.myspace.com/socialoutcastub

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Episode 79 - Alara Reborn Prerelease Spectacular

Sun, 3 May 2009 22:13:00 GMT

First off, I just wanted to say sorry for the lateness of this episode. I'm sure you'll hear about why in the next one.

In this Mike-free show, we're here to talk the Alara Reborn Prerelease. We decided that it made more sense to record on a night that Brian could join us, since he was at the Prerelease, so we had to do it on a night Mike was unavailable. Sorry to all the Mike fans out there, he should be back next episode.

So join us for a complete look at how we did. All three of us competed in the Sealed portion. Guess what colors Dirk played! For that matter, guess what all of us played. It actually matches what you would think. Then Dirk and Brian did a draft. Guess what colors Dirk played! I bet you guess wrong! Hit the forums if you haven't already and let us know how you did. And if you want to cheat, you can check out the forum thread for this episode to see all 5 decklists. The link is right down there if you're not already on the forums.

Music for this episode: I Don't Vote Republican by Social Outcast u.b.

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Episode 78 - Alara Reborn Preview 3

Fri, 24 Apr 2009 10:18:00 GMT

And the final Alara Reborn Preview is upon us! We are Mikeless in this episode, but that's okay because we have joining us the amazing Jason, also known as garthok84 on the forums, who was the third place winner of our big contest at the beginning of the year. He takes up the slack from Mike's absence and is generally a horrible human being throughout the entire episode. Which is what we look for in a guest host named Jason.

But of course, we have a whole thoctar-load of previews to get through. Which is really hard considering all the random tangents, animal interruptions, challengers appearing, and poisoning of the forum members that are going on. But we eventually get through them all. You know, eventually. It's a seriously funny ride this time around though, so if you can make it through the whole thing, we hope you enjoyed it. Contrary to what you hear me say in this episode, we did not go past two hours. I just thought we did because I can't tell time.

Alara Reborn Visual Spoiler:

http://www.wizards.com/magic/tcg/article.aspx?x=mtg/tcg/alarareborn/spoiler

Forum thread for this episode: http://cardshark.freeforums.org/episode-78-alara-reborn-preview-3-t321.html

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Episode 77 - Alara Reborn Preview 2

Thu, 23 Apr 2009 02:27:00 GMT

Hello to all you folks out there in Internet Land! This is Mike, filling in on the notes for Chewie because... uh... because he told me to, really. Welcome to another Alara Reborn preview episode! As usual, Wizards dumped a whole truckload of stuff on us through the main site and other venues since we last sat down to record, so we're just doing a partial update of the official spoiler list as it stands (stay tuned later in the week for the rest).

We are Brian-less this time, as Chewie does not have veto power over Tom, but we were able to get Bill (of kuraiseraphim fame) to join in, with a special silent mystery guest (Warning: episode contains spoilers regarding the identity of the mystery guest). Fire up your audio player of choice and look forward to good burn, awesome names, Chewie only getting B/R cards, solid commons, and the Yeti hitchhiker.

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Episode 76 - Alara Reborn Preview 1

Thu, 16 Apr 2009 02:58:00 GMT

We are again Dirkless this episode, as he is off with his bride gallivanting around our nation's capital. So instead we have Ben, known on the forums as Panahinuva, who was one of our contest winners from a few months ago. Most excellent. Well you know what the deal is. First we have some stuff to go over as usual, shout-outs and whatnot. Be sure to check out the Avant Card podcast, brought to you by Christian, who is SpaceNinja on the forums. Episode 3 is out now, which is very funny. You can find it at www.avantcardshow.com.

And then we jump into the Alara Reborn previews. For those of you following along at home, we start at Unscythe, Killer of Kings and go all the way up the visual spoiler to Jenara, Asura of War. We skip over the couple we've mentioned before of course. If you want to follow along or just check out all the previewed cards, go here:
http://www.wizards.com/magic/tcg/article.aspx?x=mtg/tcg/alarareborn/spoiler

Wake up Mike. Mike? Helloooo?

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Episode 75 - Halos, Horns, and Straw

Mon, 13 Apr 2009 22:26:00 GMT

On this episode, we begin Mikeless, because something stupid happened at work. Then we dive into Brian's Scarecrow Deck, which was requested as an Out of the Deck Box. Here's the list for that.

We Wish We Had A Brain
14: Swamp
4: Cloudpost
2: Temple of the False God
2: Rupture Spire
1: Shimmering Grotto
1: Vesuva
2: Chainbreaker
1: Wingrattle Scarecrow
1: Rattleblaze Scarecrow
3: Watchwing Scarecrow
2: Thornwatch Scarecrow
3: Scuttlemutt
3: Scrapbasket
2: Transguild Courier
2: Bringer of the Black Dawn
1: Scarecrone
1: Painter's Servant
1: Grim Poppet
3: Reaper King
2: Mana Cylix
2: Scarscale Ritual
2: Fate Transfer
1: Dregs of Sorrow
2: Patriarch's Bidding
2: Plunge into Darkness

Then we have to talk about the latest news, which is the release of the Divine vs. Demonic decklists. Just as we get started, we suddenly find ourselves no longer Mikeless! So whole once again, we dive into the two decks and give you our full opinions. Not to spoil too much, but half the hosts have already purchased this product. Just so you know. If you wanna check it out, go here:
http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/feature/33

And then we have some special preview cards. In the latest Player Rewards mailing there was an oversized card from Alara Reborn. On the back of this oversized card are pictures of the the Prerelease card and the Launch card. So we go over all three of them for the benefit of our listeners. Of course, just about 3 hours after we wrapped up recording, the Alara Reborn minisite went live, complete with a massive visual spoiler. I guess that means you know what's going on next week here on the show. If you want to check that out too, it's right here. I have it bookmarked.
http://www.wizards.com/magic/tcg/article.aspx?x=mtg/tcg/alarareborn/spoiler

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Episode 74 - Gifts, Quitting, and Dragons

Mon, 6 Apr 2009 23:45:00 GMT

First off, Brian got sick and died, so we are without his services for this episode. Then there's a bit of Magic news, including Alara Reborn Intro Pack decklists and the announcement of Zendikar. Then there's the feedback we've gotten from people in various places, new members on the Facebook group, and all that good stuff. And Cardshark Member Promotions, because it's a new month.
Zendikar:
http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/arcana/153

Alara Reborn Intro Packs:
http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/arcana/159

And be sure you check out the April Fool's Draft Viewer. Click around and check out the packs. No really. It's well worth it.
http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/activity/158

Then we have a very special thank you to send out to Elton Sean, who did something supremely thoughtful for us. We really appreciated it, and so we spend a fair chunk of time talking about it. And that leads us to the next bit of the show. Lots of people playing Magic right now have either quit playing at some point in the past or at least thought really hard about quitting. We discuss those times for each of us: what caused us to think about quitting, and why we ultimately decided against it.

Then it's time for some dragons. There was a request at least a hundred years ago for an Out of the Deck Box featuring Dirk's Dragon Deck. So of course we had to honor that request. Mind you it hasn't been updated in a while, and we even discussed ways to make it better. Here's the entire list.

Dirk's Dragon Deck
1 Vampiric Dragon
3 Ryusei, the Falling Star
4 Kilnmouth Dragon
3 Two-Headed Dragon
3 Dragon Tyrant
2 Bladewing the Risen
3 Bladewingâs Thrall
3 Furnace Whelp
2 Furnace Dragon
1 Rorix Bladewing
1 Homura, Human Ascendant

1 Oversold Cemetery
4 Zombify

1 Tatsumasa, the Dragonâs Fang
3 Eon Hub
2 Cryptic Gateway
3 Quicksilver Amulet

2 Urborg Volcano
9 Mountain
9 Swamp x 9

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Episode 73 - Shred Memory

Tue, 31 Mar 2009 01:24:00 GMT

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Music for this episode: Back to the Future (Main Theme) by Alan Silvestri

And finally, there's really nothing much else to say about this episode other than this - what you're hearing is completely correct. Hopefully the name of the episode will make sense once you're done. You know, since we never actually mentioned the card it was named after.

Then we decided to try something a little odd. Brian picked out a few cards that have come out since we all started playing together. We then proceeded to discuss our own personal histories, experiences, and impressions for each of the cards, then went on to discuss some of the potential uses for each card. Even though we just did the Binder Pull last episode, we thought this was different enough to warrant doing. Of course, lots of fun and random tangents go hand in hand with each bit of discussion, so that makes it even more interesting.

Then, because they showed us the Banned & Restricted List update just after we recorded, we have to go over that really quick. Like really quick. And they showed us the packaging for the Alara Reborn Intro Packs, so of course we have to check that out. Nifty stuff.

First off, of course, we have the standard intro stuff. Hosts, the various contact points, new members on the Facebook group, music explanation, etc etc. You know, the usual.

Episode 72 - Binder Pull 2

Sun, 22 Mar 2009 22:54:00 GMT

There's a lot going on in this episode. First off, we have lots of Mana Pool news. New members on the forums, new people in the Facebook group, some comments on the MTGCast page, stuff like that. Also, I got a job. Yay employment! There's also that whole bit about From the Vault: Exiled, but we really don't know enough about it to do anything other than read the stuff on the announcement, found here:
http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/arcana/148

Then we have two editions of Out of the Deck Box, with two decks that were requested some time ago. First up is Dirk's infamous X Deck, with its way-too-easy-to-assemble infinite mana engine. Then we have Brian's Boros Reloaded deck, which is a highly aggressive take on the RW Ravnica guild, with some new stuff thrown in for good measure. For a complete list of each deck, please check out the forum post for this episode, which you'll find in the links below as usual.

And then there's the meat of the episode, which is our second Binder Pull. We each comb through our rare binders to find cards that are worth talking about. And we're bouncing all over the place, from The Dark all the way up to Kamigawa block. So take a listen, check out some random cards, and be entertained by the ensuing dorky discussion.

Music for this episode: Intro Theme to Mega Man III on the NES. Good stuff. And vaguely appropriate, believe it or not.

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Episode 71 - Animal House

Fri, 13 Mar 2009 19:56:00 GMT

Man, this whole show has gone to the dogs. Well, hounds. And it's for the birds. And cats. And even rabbits and slugs and leeches. We're taking a look at the way Magic handles real-world animals. Any creature type that is a real animal, I have taken a look at and figured out how many there are and what, if anything, ties them all together. Since I did this, I'm going to torment my fellow dorks by making them guess what animals are where on the list. It's a lot of fun. So sit tight and check out the entire menagerie. And no, goblins don't count.

And just when you thought it couldn't get any worse, along comes Banding. We recorded this a few weeks ago but haven't had a chance to use it yet, so here it is. Rules Corner with Mike presents Banding! Everything you've ever wanted to know about this horrible yet pretty freakin' useful old mechanic.

Music for this episode: Linger by Ill Mic
Check them out at www.illmic.com

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Episode 70 - Triple Conflux Draft

Sun, 8 Mar 2009 22:38:00 GMT

On this extra-long and woefully non-creatively named episode, we have lots and lots of stuff to go through. First off, there's all the new member promotions on Cardshark. The featured promotion is especially interesting, be sure to check it out. We have new members on the Facebook group, new members on the forums, and a quick message to one of our forum members, involving the words âdudeâ and âdorkâ. We have a comment on the hosting site about an article by Kelley Digges, so we have to comment on that. And then there's news involving some of our fellow Magic podcasters. There's a quick apology to Mr. Suitcase for our promo ruining his show. Sorry about that. Then there's an announcement about Avant Card, a new podcast by our very own forum member and big dork spaceninja. You can find that here:
http://www.avantcardshow.com

Then there's Magic news! First off, they showed new cards from the Divine vs. Demonic set last week (they showed more after we recorded this of course). Then we had to go outside our normal area of influence and discuss Pro Tour â Kyoto. I had to highlight two key points in the Top 8. The first involves Gabriel Nassif's called shot against a hopeless board in the quarterfinals. It was awesome. Then I wanted to discuss the best game in the finals, Nassif vs. Luis Scott-Vargas. Game 4 was freakin' epic and really shows why these guys are the pros. Give it a listen, and then if you're interested you can find the Top 8 webcasts archived here:
http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/eventcoverage/ptkyo09/welcome

Which brings us finally to the meat of the episode. Brian recently did a triple Conflux draft on Magic Online, and we wanted to go step-by-step through his draft and discuss each pick. If you're into drafting at all, this is going to be fun. If you're not into drafting at all, this is going to be educational and entertaining. Hope you enjoy!

And don't forget to pick up a copy of Legacy Publishing's latest best-seller, Michael Shiver's My Life as a Wombat. Available now absolutely nowhere near you!

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Episode 69 - Get a Life!

Thu, 26 Feb 2009 23:28:00 GMT

In this episode, your four hosts definitely do NOT get lives. Trust me on this.

First up, there's the big news regarding 11th Edition. There isn't going to be one! The next core set will be Magic 2010. It will contain roughly half new cards. Yeah that's right, new cards in a core set. Weird. We'll go over all this and the other assorted bits of news that aren't worth putting in the show notes, as well as give you our opinions on the matter.

Then there's the title of the episode. In this new segment that we've decided to call âAn Excellent Bit of Deckbuilding Nonsenseâ. It'll be another of those segments that shows up for a while, then disappears, then shows up again when someone asks where it went. Sound good? The point of this exercise is to give each of the hosts a deckbuilding idea and turn them loose. This time we decided to go with âLife Gainâ. Use life gain for something other than âI just happen to gain some life when I do Xâ. Dirk's idea was a great basic use for gaining life. Mike made life gain a major focus of the deck's theme. Brian took the concept and turned it completely on its head. And I decided to make life gain the win conditions in the deck. And yes that's supposed to be plural.

If you'd like to take a look at the decks we built, just click on the forum link down below. They'll be there.

Music for this episode: the Metal Mario theme from Super Mario 64 on the Nintendo 64

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Episode 68 - The Reviews are In!

Sat, 21 Feb 2009 15:45:00 GMT

For anyone joining us from the MTGCast, welcome to The Mana Pool! Come on in, the water's fine. For everyone else, welcome back. Please use your assigned locker space for changing into your trunks. Also, please wait until us hosts get out of the locker room, because we definitely don't need to be here to see that.

It's a product review and a set review! But first, we have to read the contest winning story, the one submitted by kurai_seraphim (that's Bill). Featuring Mike as the Lord of Atlantis!

Then we jump back in time for Brian and I to take a comparative look at the new 6 card Conflux boosters that are available at the large retail stores. I bought five of the 6 card boosters and two of the standard 15 card boosters, giving me 30 cards from each type of pack. We'll take a look at the contents of each, then draw some conclusions about which type of booster pack is the better deal.

Fast forward back to the present, and Mike, Dirk, and I take a look at the original five-color gold set, Invasion. We'll take a quick look at the story and the mechanics of the set, but primarily we're just going to be going over some of the more memorable and awesome cards in the set. Hope you enjoy!

Music for this episode: No One Expects the Mana Pool by JungleRatRob
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Episode 67 - Potent Potables

Thu, 12 Feb 2009 23:08:00 GMT

Welcome to our random nonsense episode. I'm dying slowly and pitifully, Mike's sleep schedule is being treated like a pinball, Brian's classes are eating into his social activities, and Dirk plays WoW. Not only that, but we're going to attempt to humanize ourselves just a little bit. We're gonna give you a look at your dorky hosts from a different perspective â what we're doing when we're not playing Magic or podcasting about Magic. Are we really big dorks, or are we actually cool people who play Magic? Find out here!

Next up is the contest story that won second place, from Ben Ahrendt. That's Panahinuva on the forums, and the guest host on episode 63. It's a great story, as narrated by our own Brian Baker. We tried to get Ken Follett, but he didn't return our calls. And Don LaFontaine died last year, so he was out. So we went with our third choice, the guy that does the game footage recap commentary on Inside the NFL, but we have no idea who he is. So it was up to Brian, and he performed admirably.

There were some recent changes to the Comprehensive Rules that were posted on the Magic website. Mike wanted to go over a few of the more interesting ones (in theory). He covered Eye for an Eye, Gilded Drake, Guardian Beast, and Sorrow's Path. Turns out they finally made it not completely useless, but still absolutely terrible. You can find the full list here:

http://www.wizards.com/magic/magazine/article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/feature/23c&page=1

And then we move into the second round of Jace vs. Chandra games. We made a few changes to each deck and pitted them against each other yet again. After listening to the results, hit the forums and let us know if you have any recommendations for the next round of changes.

Music for this episode is the Main Theme from Super Smash Bros. Brawl on the Wii. Holy crap it's great.

Forum thread for this episode: http://cardshark.freeforums.org/episode-67-potent-potables-t294.html

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Episode 66 - Conflux Prerelease

Sat, 7 Feb 2009 03:26:00 GMT

It's the Conflux Prerelease Bonanza! Okay, I'm totally not gonna call it that. But in this episode, we all get together and tell you about the Prerelease. Spoiler alert: Mike the did the worst of us all. We also get Bill, winner of the Mana Pool Contest and Kurai_Seraphim on the forums, to join us to tell us how he fared. There's also a brief sidebar on cheating, a bit of discussion about some of the cards in the new set, and even a quick look ahead at Alara Reborn. I mean quick, too. Like just a few seconds. But it's in there! And there are new member promotions on Cardshark (since it's a new month) and new members on the forums to welcome. Yay new people!

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Episode 65 - Conflux Previews 4

Fri, 30 Jan 2009 01:55:00 GMT

Alas, we are Dirkless yet again! Luckily (for him), he has a good excuse this time. We are also Mikeless. Is that even a word? Also luckily, he has a good excuse too. I'd hate to have to kill a dork in anger, you know?

Before we got to the show though, Brian and I had to finish a game. Luckily, I was able to summon up a garthok84 from the forums to fight for me. Then he decided to stick around and guest host this episode for us. It's Jason McFarland, guest host extraordinare and third place winner of The Mana Pool Contest!

So yeah, it's more Conflux previews. Nine cards' worth of goodness, in fact. Never mind the random tangent about whether or not narrow cards that work well in block are are good or not. Or the fifteen minute discussion about the last card (arguably the most important, from a tournament perspective). Or the assorted other random nonsense that comes up all the time. Yeah. Thanks for putting up with all our crap. Enjoy the Prerelease!

Conflux Visual Spoiler:
http://www.wizards.com/magic/tcg/article.aspx?x=mtg/tcg/conflux/spoiler

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Episode 64 - Conflux Previews 3

Wed, 28 Jan 2009 02:40:00 GMT

Brains! No, wait, that's not right.

Previews! After you pay for this episode, you'll get to hear our takes on 13 more Conflux preview cards. Now all you have to do is figure out where to insert the money...

Conflux Visual Spoiler:
http://www.wizards.com/magic/tcg/article.aspx?x=mtg/tcg/conflux/spoiler

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Episode 63 - Conflux Previews 2

Fri, 23 Jan 2009 03:40:00 GMT

In this originally-named episode, we're gonna hit more Conflux previews! But first, we're gonna give you the story that won third place in the contest, submitted by Jason McFarland, who is garthok84 on the forums. It involves my favorite format ever and a terrible, horrible, soul-crushing way to lose. But before that, we've got a promo to play for Mr. Suitcase, a podcast over on the MTGCast. Preceding that, there's a bit of a rules issue that recently came to my attention that we wanted to clear up involving Unearth, in case some of you don't know it. I didn't know it.

Before we get to all that though, we introduce you to Ben Ahrendt who is Panahinuva on the forums and the second place story in the contest, who joins us for this stupidly overpowered preview episode. I mean really, Nicol Bolas and Progenitus in the same episode? You're lucky your iPod can hold this entire episode at all. Holy crap.

If you want to see the answer to the Unearth-Blink issue written out, go here and scroll down awhile. You'll find it eventually.

http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/askwizards/1008

Conflux Visual Spoiler:

http://www.wizards.com/magic/tcg/article.aspx?x=mtg/tcg/conflux/spoiler

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Episode 62 - Conflux Previews 1

Mon, 19 Jan 2009 05:38:00 GMT

In this episode of The Mana Pool, our heroes bravely withstand a goblin attack to bring you the first round of Conflux previews. There are 17 cards to go over, and they manage to hit every one of them without any major casualties, although Dirk may never walk again. Tune in next week to see which of your hosts learns a valuable lesson. The Mana Pool â Mondays on the WB! No wait, they're not that anymore. Never mind then, their TV show got canceled. You'll just have to get your episodes off the internet like everyone else.

And congratulations to the winners of the First Official Mana Pool Contest (Not an Official Name)! What, you don't know who won? Then you haven't listened to this episode yet!

Music for this episode is Dinner Music for a Pack of Hungry Cannibals by Raymond Scott. Again with the music you might recognize from a misspent youth watching Looney Tunes. Next episode will be something different, I assure you. Probably no music at all actually, so you better enjoy this one.

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Episode 61 - Checked on (New Year's) Resolution

Tue, 13 Jan 2009 00:43:00 GMT

Welcome to the first Mana Pool episode of 2009! We of course have to start off predictably with some Magic-related New Year's resolutions. We all resolve to play more Magic than we have in recent times, so that must be the dork equivalent of âlose weightâ. I actually resolve not to lose weight, even though Wii Fit says I'm morbidly obese, but that's neither here nor there.

Then we get into the meat of the episode. We're going to start a deck evolution sort of thing, much like we did with the Clash Deck, except that we're actually going to do this one more than once. But instead of just building a deck and going from there, we're going to change it up a bit. We're going to take two decks and evolve them parallel to each other. And not just any two decks, no no no. We're starting off with the Duel Decks: Jace vs. Chandra. And boy are these decks a blast to play against each other. We've played some games with them straight out of the box, and we're going to make some changes and get back to you with the results, along with more changes. It'll be a running feature here on the show, at least until Brian gets bored with it.

Music for this episode is Powerhouse by Raymond Scott. It's classic music that was used a lot by Warner Bros for the Looney Tunes. You'll definitely recognize it.

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Episode 60 - News and a Binder Pull (Two Bits)

Fri, 19 Dec 2008 02:02:00 GMT

Greetings one and greetings all. This is Brian, taking a break from rambling on the air (internet?) waves to do some typing for you. Here you'll find Episode 60 of the Mana Pool, now with 75% less Dirk (don't worry, he'll be back, he's just experiencing recent matrimony, that's all).

In this episode, there's some news that we need to go over. And when I say some news, I mean so much news that you might think that this was a news show or something. Seriously. We go over Cardshark member promotions for December, talk about Wizards' prerelease survey and related changes, the banned and restricted list, changes coming to a Magic Online near you, a brand new Duel Deck set coming out next year, and throw in a quick plug for the ongoing contest being run right here at the Mana Pool. See the links below for all that stuff. Oh yeah, and Worlds 2008 happened too. We'll tell you who won all the good stuff.

After three hours of news, we do have some content for you- binder pulls! What's that mean? Listen in and find out, and you'll soon find yourself flipping/digging/pawing/scratching/eating your way through your collection for hidden gems (Volrath's Dungeon) and lackluster duds (Molten Sentry). This was a fun one to put together, and we hope that you enjoy.

Cardshark Member Promotions

http://www.cardshark.com/member_promotions.asp

Prerelease News

http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/feature/13c

Banned & Restricted List Announcement

http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/feature/15a

MTGO Changes

http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/feature/17a

Duel Decks: Divine vs. Demonic Announcement

http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/arcana/1737

Music for this episode: Devour by Shinedown. Totally awesome. Check them out at http://www.shinedown.com

And don't forget to send your contest entries to us at themanapool@cardshark.com. For full contest rules and whatnot, see the link below.

Forum thread for this episode: http://cardshark.freeforums.org/episode-60-news-and-a-binder-pull-two-bits-t274.html

Contest information: the-mana-pool-contest-announcement-t261.html
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Episode 59 - Out of the Deck Box Combo: Auras

Tue, 9 Dec 2008 01:22:00 GMT

Chewie here. Mike was good enough to write the show notes for this episode, but there are a couple things that bear mentioning first. Sorry about the horrible clicking sounds that show up for the first 9 minutes or so. We still have no idea what causes them, and we just happened to not check the file after we recorded it. So of course, we have clicking sounds, because we didn't check for them first. Murphy and his stupid laws. The other thing is that I have a brand new headset that my beautiful and thoughtful girlfriend Alexis got me for my birthday. Let me know if it sounds better or worse than the desktop mic. Now, having said that, here are the show notes originally intended for this episode.

Hello again, and welcome to The Mana Pool! This is Mike, filling in for Chewie on the show notes this week. Speaking of this week, every Magic player knows the appeal of a quality "Enchant Creature" card. Why settle for simply playing creatures as-written when you can make them better? Yeah, that knight is pretty decent with his first strike and 2/2 body, but how about making him bigger, giving him flying and trample, and hey, let's throw some shroud on there for good measure. The only problem is that you have to dump a big pile of cards into your graveyard if something happens to the creature. Because of that built in risk of giving your opponent card advantage, most "serious" players avoid them. But "serious" is nothing we've ever taken seriously.

This week we have another comparative Out of the Deck Box feature, looking at what happens when 3 different dorks embrace the allure of the aura and make it the focus of their decks. From Dirk, we have a Green build geared towards making a creature so big, it would send Galactus running for cover. Mike submits a huge pile of White and Blue cards dedicated to exploiting the interactions between great auras and creatures that love to have them around. Finally, Chewie shows us what happens when some Red, White, and Blue auras with CIP triggers are put into a deck made to flip them in and out of play.

Whether it's magical rope ladders, terrible land bases, or way too many ideas in a deck at once, this is another episode with something for everyone.

And don't forget to send your contest entries to us at themanapool@cardshark.com. For full contest rules and whatnot, see the link below.

We're now being broadcast on Radio Free Subspace! We're on Thursday nights at 8pm, but check it out anytime. It's an eclectic mix of all kinds of music and whatnot, and it's pretty cool. Give it a listen here:

http://loudcity.com/stations/radio-free-subspace

Forum thread for this episode: http://cardshark.freeforums.org/episode-59-out-of-the-deck-box-combo-auras-t268.html

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Episode 58 - Multiplayer Mayhem for Mike

Wed, 3 Dec 2008 00:50:00 GMT

It's official: Mike is leaving us. Not the show, he'll still be here as the rules guy and the old-school knowledge. But he's physically leaving us to take a job that is about 8 hours away. And he's doing so relatively soon. So he decided that we should all get together and play Magic one more time before he wandered off to the far reaches of what-have-you.

So we did. The four Mana Pool hosts gathered at my beautiful girlfriend's house, had a practice Thanksgiving (Dorksgiving) and played a mess of Magic. We then retired to my fabulous crappy apartment to record an episode live instead of over Skype. We were joined by Kat, Mike's girlfriend, who was sitting on my bed making a cute little robot doll while we recorded. She played the part of the peanut gallery during the show.

And here it is. We had just finished playing seven games of multiplayer free-for-all Magic, and then we came here to bring you all the big moments in every game. We also went over the slow moments. And the one game that we all thought would never actually end. And those couple games that just ended suddenly and with great style. So yeah, you'll get the full story of our (possibly) last gathering of the Mana Pool hosts for the purposes of playing Magic for hours on end. At least the last one that won't be a super-special occasion. We hope you enjoy!

And don't forget to send your contest entries to us at themanapool@cardshark.com. For full contest rules and whatnot, see the link below.

Music for this episode: B.Y.O.N.E.S. (NES Of A Down Extended Mix) by detalub0

http://loudcity.com/stations/radio-free-subspace

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Episode 57 - Ancestral Memories

Wed, 26 Nov 2008 03:46:00 GMT

For this episode, we are Brian-less. Of all the terrible things that could have happened to cause his absence for this first episode of the new year of casting, this is perhaps the worst. He's lost his voice. Let's hope he survives.

Everyone that plays Magic started playing at some point. Which means that after everyone started playing, there was a new set that came out. This episode is all about our first new set. For Mike, that was Fallen Empires. For me, it was Homelands. Please don't hold that against us, at least we got over it and are still playing. For Dirk, it was Onslaught. We're going to take a look at each new set and explore the world they've created for it, which covers the story and the flavorful aspects. We'll then discuss the mechanical leitmotif for each set, meaning the keywords included and any strong themes running throughout the cards. And of course, the meat of each set review will be a look at the notable cards that originated there. We'll be hitting cards we just really like, cards that are excessively powerful, cards that are historically important, and cards that were just a lot of fun.

So sit back, relax, and take trip down our memory lane as we take a look at our first new sets. For those of you that weren't playing back in these times, especially the dark ages of Fallen Empires and Homelands, you'll get a look at where things were back then, and perhaps an idea of where they're going now.

And don't forget to send us your contest entries! For the full scoop, check out the link below.

http://loudcity.com/stations/radio-free-subspace

Forum thread for this episode: http://cardshark.freeforums.org/episode-57-ancestral-memories-t263.html
Contest information: http://cardshark.freeforums.org/the-mana-pool-contest-announcement-t261.html

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Episode 56 - The One Year Episode

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 00:39:00 GMT

Welcome to our one year anniversary episode! To be perfectly honest, there's not terribly much that is completely new and awesome in this show. We really wanted to stick with one of our core concepts, something that the fans really appreciate. So we went over the Cardshark Member Promotions for the month of November and called it a day. You can find them here:

http://www.cardshark.com/member_promotions.asp

Okay, not really. First there's a big announcement about the first Mana Pool Contest. We want everyone to send in their best Magic story. Cardshark.com, our fabulous sponsors, are donating a box of Shards of Alara to the cause, and each host picked out some of their foil rares to add to each winner. For the full list of prizes and the full contest rules and regulations rundown, see the forums. Or click right here:

http://cardshark.freeforums.org/the-mana-pool-contest-announcement-t261.html

As I said, we really wanted to do something that the listeners would really enjoy, a fan-favorite type of thing. So we decided to do an entire episode of Out of the Deck Box! We each picked out one of our decks that we really enjoy and went to town. I told everyone about my Pestilence deck. Brian expounded on his Shared Fate deck. Dirk discussed his Saviors deck. And Mike finished us up with his Big Black Stupid deck. We went through each deck and hit the important cards, the important concepts, the ideal plays, and the reason we love it so much.

Thanks again to everyone who has listened, posted on the forums, emailed us, and generally did anything whatsoever to keep the show going. We appreciate all of you, and we hope to keep entertaining you for the next year to come.

Forum thread for this episode: http://cardshark.freeforums.org/episode-56-the-one-year-episode-t262.html

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Bonus Episode 1 - The Outtakes

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 01:57:00 GMT

In honor of our one year anniversary of podcasting, I wanted to give everyone a look behind the scenes. Here are some of the bits that didn't quite make it onto the feed for your listening pleasure. The rest is explained in the clip. Thanks a lot for listening throughout the year everyone, and enjoy the completely non-Magic goodness in this Bonus Episode!

Jungle Rat Rob - No One Expects the Mana Pool

Mon, 10 Nov 2008 23:57:00 GMT

To honor our one-year anniversary, we offer you this song for direct download. By taking sound clips from around 10 episodes and splicing them together with Weapon of Choice by Fatboy Slim and a few of the DELETED buzzer sounds from Strong Bad Emails, Rob Anderson created something we dorks will treasure always.

First featured in episode 52, this piece of audio goodness really captures the personalities of hosts of The Mana Pool. He cuts down through all the Magic and the content of the show to show you a glimpse of who we really are and why we love doing the show. So here it is for all to enjoy at your convenience. I give you No One Expects the Mana Pool by JungleRatRob.

Episode 55 - Take Your Pick

Fri, 7 Nov 2008 04:09:00 GMT

As the race for the Mana Pool Presidency heads to the finish line, the political ad campaigns are starting to get dirty. The last round of ads will be sprinkled throughout this episode so you can have all the information you need when you get to the polls.

In this episode, we're taking a look at the Booster Draft format. Brian did a Shards of Alara draft on Magic Online and saved the results, so we're going to take a look, pick by pick, at the entire thing. We'll check out the cards in each pack and try to figure out just exactly what Brian took, or should have taken, and after we're all done we'll check out the deck he built and he'll tell us how he did with it.

In other news, here's the link to the article unveiling the full decklists for Duel Decks: Jace vs. Chandra.

http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/feature/11

Forum thread for this episode: http://cardshark.freeforums.org/episode-55-take-your-pick-t258.html
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Episode 54 - Out of Someone Else's Deck Box

Wed, 29 Oct 2008 23:49:00 GMT

Everyone loves Out of the Deck Box, right? So why don't we do a whole episode where we each pick one of our many (many) decks and tell you folks all about it? Sound like a plan?

Well tough. We're not doing that. Instead, Brian thought we should each pick a deck that wasn't our own and talk about it. After lots of âhuh?â we decided that it was, in fact, a good idea. Brian kicked us off by talking about my old roommate Corey's Sneak Attack deck. Dirk wanted to tell everyone how my Poison Ping deck works. Mike wanted to discuss Dirk's Bird tribal deck. Since I have a Bird deck too, Brian went over it and we spent a while discussing the similarities and differences. We'll have to do this again with some other decks, it's a lot of fun. And I finished things off by expounding on a deck with a very touching origin, Mike's Killer Instinct deck. It's a nice and simple episode, but it was a lot of fun. We hope you guys enjoy it as much as we did.

Oh yeah, if you'd like a look at the decklists in their entireties (is that even a word?), then check out the forum link at the bottom of these show notes. It'll be on the Facebook group too in case you guys wanna check it out there.

Forum thread for this episode: http://cardshark.freeforums.org/episode-54-out-of-someone-else-s-deck-box-t256.html
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Episode 53 - Savoring Shards: Exploring the Flavor of Alara

Tue, 28 Oct 2008 01:49:00 GMT

Chewie here. First off, I'd like to apologize for the lateness of this episode. We recorded it almost a week ago, but I've been bouncing back and forth between really busy and seriously exhausted, so it's all my fault. You can spread around the blame with the other dorks if you want though, I'm not going to stop you.

In this episode, Mike thought we should take a closer look at the Shards. Of Alara. Since this is a block just oozing with flavor, everyone seems to be talking more about the flavor and philosophy and whatnot of this one than they have in previous sets. Not ones to stand idly by while the bandwagon trundles along without us, we hopped on. And what a buffet it is! We looked at the flavor of the shards in various ways, including but not limited to:

- The colors that comprise each shard

- The colors that are missing from each shard

- The mechanical identity of each shard

- Citing examples from flavor text

- General setting and feel of each shard

In other news, there's also news in this episode. Wizards recently revealed the name and whatnot for the final set in the Alara block. You can find it, if you are so inclined, here:

http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/arcana/1702

Wizards also FINALLY gave us some information about the next iteration of Duel Decks. Jace vs. Chandra is coming Nov. 7, and it looks to be seriously awesome. Two 60-card decks, each with 4 rares, which includes the foil alternate art versions of Jace Beleren and Chandra Nalaar. Six cards get new artwork featuring the planeswalkers in action. Control vs. Burn, baby! I can't wait. Check out the announcement showing some of the art the product information pages in the links below.

http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/arcana/1700

http://www.wizards.com/magic/tcg/productarticle.aspx?x=mtg/tcg/jacevschandra/productinfo

Forum thread for this episode: http://cardshark.freeforums.org/episode-53-savoring-shards-exploring-the-flavor-of-alara-t253.html
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Episode 52 - Standard Rotation: Time Flies (in a Snap)

Fri, 17 Oct 2008 04:27:00 GMT

It must have been a full moon or something. Perhaps Karma reached out to slap us. Whatever the deal was, we had serious problems actually getting this episode recorded. The recording program didn't seem to want to record. Part of the way through, Brian decided to turn into Optimus Prime transforming into a truck. He didn't actually make it all the way through to the end of the episode. After he transformed, he rolled out. Dirk absolutely forgot how to read set labels. And we realized again that we were all incredibly stupid about Tarmogoyf when Future Sight broke.

This episode, we decided to talk about the recent Standard rotation. A truly ridiculous number of cards left Standard when Shards of Alara came out, putting an end to the largest Type II environment...ever. We lost Coldsnap, Time Spiral, Planar Chaos, Future Sight, and the Timeshifted sheet. Well, we didn't lose them, they just rotated out of most popular Constructed format. Extended and whatnot still have them, don't panic.

To commemorate this, we decided to take a look back at these sets from a different point of view. We wanted to check out some of the cards that came out of nowhere to define the format (Tarmogoyf, of course). We also wanted to take a look at some cards that just didn't live up to the hype. Not just the hype that Wizards built up, but the expectations we had about how much some of the cards would do. I think you'll find that our discussion leads us to believe that there's a lot more to be discovered and explored in the cards that just rotated out of Standard.

Not only do we have serious technical issues on this episode, but we also have what could be the single most awesome thing ever. Perhaps we had such problems because Karma wanted to balance out this particular show. One of our longtime listeners, JungleRatRob, decided to do a remix. He took a truly staggering number of audio clips from the show and mixed them with Weapon of Choice by Fatboy Slim. He sprinkled in a few of Strong Bad's "DELETED" buzzers for humorous impact.

What he got out of it was a piece of pure, unadulterated AWESOME. I'll be honest with you, I was in tears the first time I heard it because I was laughing so hard. Even my Mom liked it, and she doesn't listen to the show at all. As Mike put it: "Our musical entertainment is a survey of the true heart of the show. The rambling of lunatics, that is." Amen to that. He really managed to avoid any of the actual content of the show and deliver a piece of music that really cuts down to who we are and why we love to do the show. And for that we are forever indebted to you, JungleRatRob, for the effort you put into this, becaues you did for us. We appreciate it more than you can possibly imagine.

Music for this episode:

No One Expects the Mana Pool by JungleRatRob

Look for it for individual download soon, right here on our feed. Hit the forums and tell us what you think.

Forum thread for this episode: http://cardshark.freeforums.org/episode-52-standard-rotation-time-flies-in-a-snap-t248.html

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Episode 51 - Ransacking the Library: Fifty-Three to Go

Fri, 10 Oct 2008 00:52:00 GMT

Whether it's caused by eroding your memory, freezing your brain, dampening your thoughts, having your secrets drowned or your grimoire stolen, glimpsing the unthinkable, looting, brokering, or just being driven insane by the sound of the millstone relentlessly grinding away, Milling is never a fun way to lose a game of Magic. But it sure is a great way to win a game of Magic! If you can get it to work, that is.

In this episode, which is brought to you with one more Polar Kraken than usual, we're going to take a long, hard look at being run out of cards. We have three decks that each win by depleting your opponents' libraries, albeit each one does so in its own particular fashion, which you can see further down in the show notes. Different colors go about milling in different ways, and we'll cover all the ones that come to us. Keep an ear out for a lively biological discussion about the classification similarities and disparities between crustaceans and cephalopods. And no, I'm not making that up.

Dirkâs Milling Deck

Creatures:

Drift of Phantasms x3

Soratami Mindsweeper x2

Lore Broker x4

Belltower Sphinx x4

Blizzard Specter x2

Vedalken Entrancer x4

Thought Courier x1

Lurking Informant x4

Artifact:

Millstone x2

Enchantment:

Seal of Doom x4

Instant/Sorcery:

Last Gasp x3

Psychic Drain x4

Glimpse the Unthinkable x3

Lands:

Swamps x8

Islands x8

Dimir Aqueduct x4

Brian's Milling Deck

10:Plains

11:Island

2:Azorius Chancery

1:Boreal Shelf

4:Ink Dissolver

3:Drowner of Secrets

3:Fallowsage

3:Information Dealer

3:Silvergill Adept

2:Wandering Graybeard

1:Surgespanner

1:Stonybrook Schoolmaster

1:Grimoire Thief

1:Riptide Chronologist

4:Merrow Commerce

3:Memory Sluice

2:Forced Fruition

2:Pemmin's Aura

2:Summon the School

1:Hoofprints of the Stag

Mike's Squid (Mollusc?) Alarm

Land (22)

15: Island

2: Cephalid Coliseum

2: Saprazzan Skerry

2: Sveylunite Temple

1: Shelldock Isle

Creature (14)

2: Cephalid Broker

2: Cephalid Looter

2: Chronozoa

2: Riptide Shapeshifter

1: Arcanis the Omnipotent

1: Isleback Spawn

1: Magus of the Future

1: Murkfiend Liege

1: Polar Kraken

1: Tidespout Tyrant

Non-Creature (24)

4: Accumulated Knowledge

4: Rune Snag

4: Serum Visions

4: Wistful Thinking

2: Capsize

2: Feldon's Cane

2: Homarid Spawning Bed

2: Intruder Alarm

Forum thread for this episode: http://cardshark.freeforums.org/episode-51-ransacking-the-library-fifty-three-to-go-t240.html
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Episode 50 - Super Special Shards Prerelease Dorkstravaganza

Fri, 3 Oct 2008 01:40:00 GMT

Hey all! This is Brian, taking the reins of the showâs writing department for a week, and what a week it is to be here. The Mana Pool is proud to present its 50th Episode spectacular. Lions! Squires! Mana-producing, vigilancing, multi-color bears! Weâve got it all, so come on in!

In this episode, weâve got 50% more hosts than usual. Dirk, sadly, could not be there for reasons that Chewie will kill him for later. In the meantime, weâre joined by guest hosts in the form of Thomas (Mikeâs brother), AJ (dorking group member from days past), and Jason (garthok84 of the forums, and an increasingly present guest host). The six of us crowd around the proverbial campfire that is the internet recording program and regale you and each other with our stories from the Shards of Alara prereleases. With 4 locations, somewhere over 7 decks, and more Masters of Etherium and Broodmate Dragons than you can shake a very large stick at, this is the episode you donât want to miss!

After you listen to the show, log on to the forum thread for this episode. Tell us what you thought about it, and while youâre at it, share your own stories from the prerelease if you made it out. [Chewie note: All the decklists that were given to me by the various hosts and guest hosts and no-shows will also be posted in the forums, so go check them out there.]

Forum thread for this episode: http://cardshark.freeforums.org/episode-50-super-special-shards-prerelease-dorkstravaganza-t239.html
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Episode 49 - Shards of Alara Preview 5

Fri, 26 Sep 2008 01:47:00 GMT

Hello again, and welcome to The Mana Pool! Mike here one last time with one last rundown of one last Shards of Alara Preview episode before the Prerelease. We're finishing up from where we left off last time, and covering the additional cards that were shown Wednesday and Thursday. Unfortunately, Brian could not be with us, but we have our wonderful guest host Jason filling in for him again.

We have a couple of cards that are not in the same cycle, one that isn't Skyshroud Elf, even more awesome names, and a really gross guy (but that's a plus).

As always, send us your emails, and feel ever so welcome to visit us on the forums and the Facebook group. If you're going to the prerelease, have fun! By the way, Chewie's Prerelease Survival Guide for Shards of Alara can be found at:
http://cardshark.com/resources/pdfs/PrereleaseSurvivalGuideshardsB.pdf

Shards of Alara Visual Spoiler:
http://www.wizards.com/magic/TCG/Article.aspx?x=mtg/tcg/shardsofalara/spoiler

Forum thread for this episode: http://cardshark.freeforums.org/episode-49-shards-of-alara-preview-5-t236.html
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Episode 48 - Shards of Alara Preview 4

Wed, 24 Sep 2008 02:35:00 GMT

Hello again, and welcome to The Mana Pool! Mike here again with yet another rundown of yet another Shards of Alara Preview episode. All the customary hosts are present and accounted for (no special guests, unfortunately), and we start to tackle the first part of a massive info dump that showed up in the Visual Spoiler over the past weekend. Tune in later in the week to get completely up to date.

Today, we have a very encouraging member of a new cycle, a vampire that likes to brawl, a card with an even better name ever, and just a bunch of other neat, neat cards. We close with a couple of interesting (at least to me) rules notes from the Masters Edition 2 FAQ.

Keep sending us your questions and comments (the email address given below broadcasts to all the hosts), and keep telling your friends. Maybe someday the name of our podcast can be in blue letters below a card from a massive weekend info dump. And you'll have heard about it first!

Shards of Alara Visual Spoiler:

http://www.wizards.com/magic/TCG/Article.aspx?x=mtg/tcg/shardsofalara/spoiler

Forum thread for this episode: http://cardshark.freeforums.org/episode-48-shards-of-alara-preview-4-t235.html

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Episode 47 - Shards of Alara Preview 3

Fri, 19 Sep 2008 20:06:00 GMT

In a world where Shards of Alara preview cards are shown at a rate much less frequent than in previous sets, there is no need for two episodes of The Mana Pool in a week. In this world, episode 47 of The Mana Pool is just being released, instead of coming out late last week. It covers the preview cards shown from September 10 to September 17 on the Magic website's Shards of Alara Visual Spoiler, found here:

http://www.wizards.com/magic/tcg/article.aspx?x=mtg/tcg/shardsofalara/spoiler

Also in this world, there is no Dirk on episode 47. Instead, he has been replaced by AJ, one of the other dorks that played Magic with the host dorks in college. He may or may not be using a Rock Band microphone to record. Please feel free to make fun of him either way, because it's funny. However, using a Logitech USB Desktop Microphone to do vocals in Rock Band would be funnier.

And finally, in this world gone mad, the new Magic Player Rewards textless cards have been shown, and we totally tell you all about them. If you'd like to see them as well as listen to us rant and rave about them, all you have to do is click the following link:

http://www.wizards.com/magic/TCG/Resources.aspx?x=magic/rewards/welcome

Forum thread for this episode: http://cardshark.freeforums.org/episode-47-shards-of-alara-preview-3-t233.html
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Episode 46 - Shards of Alara Preview 2

Wed, 10 Sep 2008 02:03:00 GMT

Hello again, and welcome to The Mana Pool! Mike here again with a rundown of our second Shards of Alara Preview episode. Unfortunately, Brian could not join us because of other schedule obligations. Fortunately, we have a special guest. It's Jason (garthok84 of the forums), who had previously appeared to help us out in the Eventide prerelease aftermath, and he does not disappoint.

We start things off by taking care of a few things we missed the first time around. A new Cardshark Member Promotion for September appeared, hosted by one of our premium sellers, and it's quite spiffy. We have a few comments regarding the updates to the DCI Banned and Restricted List that were announced a week or so ago, as well as the announcement that States will start again in the U.S. in November, as well as Champs in Canada.

Then it's preview cards! Among them are revelations of three new keyword abilities, a Jedi, Doran 2.0, and a pants-wettingly powerful Planeswalker. The cards are great, conversation is good, and the episode isn't an hour and a half long. What is there not to love?

Thanks again for listening, and keep sending in your comments and questions. Who knows, maybe someday we can have a âmailbagâ segment, like all the grownup radio shows. Have fun, and go play some Magic! Or listen to the episode. You know, whatever.

Cardshark Member Promotions:
http://www.cardshark.com/member_promotions.asp

Shards of Alara Visual Spoiler:
http://www.wizards.com/magic/tcg/article.aspx?x=mtg/tcg/shardsofalara/spoiler

Forum thread for this episode: http://cardshark.freeforums.org/episode-64-shards-of-alara-preview-2-t232.html
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Episode 45 - Shards of Alara Preview 1

Tue, 9 Sep 2008 02:35:00 GMT

Hello, all, and welcome to the month of September. This is Mike, coming back from a weekend full of forgetting I agreed to write the show notes for this episode. Because this was our first episode of the month, we get things started with a rundown of the new Cardshark Member Promotions for September. Raffles! Free cards! Great deals! That guy who keeps trying to give away his excess Dissension uncommons (in addition to the other free cards he sends, of course)!

A semi-stealthy update to the Shards of Alara minisite means we're also officially starting Shards of Alara previews. There's a new Planeswalker, some funky artifact shenanigans, the best name ever, and NOT Bitterblossom. I wish I could remember more, but yeah... I forgot to write the show notes until just a little while ago. Have fun with the episode, and enjoy the links to the Cardshark Member Promotions and the Visual Spoiler for Shards of Alara.

Cardshark Member Promotions:

http://www.cardshark.com/member_promotions.asp

Shards of Alara Visual Spoiler:

http://www.wizards.com/magic/tcg/article.aspx?x=mtg/tcg/shardsofalara/spoiler

Forum thread for this episode: http://cardshark.freeforums.org/episode-45-shards-of-alara-preview-1-t228.html
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Episode 44 - More Multiplayer Mirth and Merriment

Sat, 30 Aug 2008 16:54:00 GMT

In this episode, we cover a fair bit of news. There's a new look on our forums page. There's a new look for the Magic website. There are lots more pictures of your host dorks on our Facebook group, in case you want to know what we have looked like over the years. Here's a hint: We looked like dorks.

There's also the matter of Shards of Alara previews. No, don't worry, the official previews haven't started yet. But they have shown a couple of interesting things. One is the Hellkite Overlord, which we mentioned on the last show. This time, we give you the full rundown of what the card does. If you'd like to follow along, go to Gatherer and look it up. The other interesting bit of info is the unveiling of the Shards of Alara Prerelease and Launch Party card. Just one for both this time, but boy is it amazing. It's a planeswalker. If you'd like to follow along, check it out here:

http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtgcom/arcana/1660

Then we get into the meat of the episode. Since these episodes seem to be very popular, we like to do them whenever we get a chance. Last weekend, your four host dorks managed to get together to play some Magic. We got in four good games and one horrible waste of time. Don't play Assassin with just four people, okay? Trust us. Each game came complete with ridiculous card interactions that you just won't see anywhere but a multiplayer casual game, and we kept note of all the hilarity so we could bring it to you, our faithful listeners. We hope you enjoy listening as much as we enjoyed playing.

Quick aside: For anyone interested in how my fantasy draft went, I got Adrian Peterson, Clinton Portis, Carson Palmer, TJ Houshmandzadeh, and Braylon Edwards for my core starters. Aw yeah.

Music for this episode: Swift - To Phoenix by Foot, off their third album A Communication Manual

Forum thread for this episode: http://cardshark.freeforums.org/episode-44-more-multiplayer-mirth-and-merriment-t222.html
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Episode 43 - Back to Basics: Combat Strategies & Tricks

Fri, 22 Aug 2008 03:37:00 GMT

This time, we actually stay on task most of the time! We start off by discussing some basic combat strategy. Attacking, blocking, looking ahead in the game, etc etc. Then we move into tricks. We cover some of the different types of tricks, what they do, and how to use them. It's a much more enjoyable episode than last time, I assure you. That's all you get for now because I seem to have hurt my back and can't really sit here long enough to give you more in-depth show notes. Thanks for listening!

Forum thread for this episode: http://cardshark.freeforums.org/episode-43-back-to-basics-combat-strategies-tricks-t217.html
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Episode 42 - Back to Basics: The Combat Phase

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 03:02:00 GMT

In this episode, we go over that most entertaining of phases, the combat phase. We cover all the steps of combat, what each step entails, and what sort of things you can and can't do in each step. In fact, I'm going to let Mike handle this via IM:

âThe way I remember it, it started with a general overview of the structure of the turn, then we looked closer at the general structure of combat, then we went through combat very carefully, step-by-step, and spoke in some detail about special abilities that affect certain steps. With the usual amount of anecdoting and pointless rambling sprinkled in there. And Brian giving explanations that take twice as long and make half as much sense =Pâ

So there you have it, straight from the Rules Guy's mouth. Or fingers, since he typed that. We don't call Brian the Lead Rambler for nothing, and we do love him for it. Of course, if we're going to call out Brian for his rambling, then we should also call out Mike for randomly waxing about pre-Sixth Edition rules and how they didn't make any sense. He does that at least twice in this episode, perhaps more. And while we're at it, we pick on Dirk for not knowing something obvious close to the beginning of this episode. It turns out he's not dumb, he was actually not paying attention because he was trying to find something related to the Shards of Alara discussion we had just prior to recording. And of course, let's not leave me out of the merrymaking. I cannot for the life of me figure out how to make a Facebook page for the show. Not at all. Behind the scenes here at The Mana Pool!

Right then, hope everyone enjoys the episode and learns something useful. Or at least remembers something useful. Or at least gets a kick out of a bunch of dorks discussing combat until we're ready to actually fight. Thanks for listening, and if you know how to start a Facebook page for the show, please let me know.

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Episode 41 - Back to Basics: The Sealed Deck Process in Action

Fri, 8 Aug 2008 03:04:00 GMT

On this episode of The Mana Pool, we decided to practice what we preach. Last time, we gave you the basics on Sealed. For this episode, we wanted to show you those basics in action. To do this, we've done two things. First, I opened a Sealed pool of cards (a Shadowmoor Tournament Pack and two Eventide Booster Packs) and copied down the contents. I then sent the list to Dirk, Mike, Brian, and myself. Each of us had the following assignment: Build a Sealed Deck out of this pool, write it down, and be prepared to discuss. Amazingly, all four of us did this assignment, and we discussed our four very different decks. Just as a quick preview, there was a black/green deck, a green/white deck, a green/red deck, and a black/white deck. So not only have we talked about building a Sealed deck, but we have shown that there is no absolutely ârightâ way to build one out of a given pool. You can find the entire Sealed pool and our decklists here:

http://themanapool.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=366568

And you'd think that would have been a good episode, right? Wrong! That wasn't enough for you, our dear listeners. We had to take it a step further. Not only did we build 4 different decks before we recorded, but we also decided to build another one from an entirely different Sealed pool live on the air! I opened up the cards at the beginning of the episode, and during the discussions of the individual decks, I was sorting and typing up this new list. It went out to the dorks, and we went through the entire process of building a deck out of it. There's much discussion, disagreement, explanation, reasoning, despair, and ultimately, harmony. You can find the entire pool and the final decklist in the same post as before, but here's the link again:

http://themanapool.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=366568

Hopefully you found this educational, or enlightening, or at least entertaining. Let us know what you thought, whether you do it on the forums, in the Facebook group, or just in an email, so we'll know if we should do something like this in the future.

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Sealed Pools and Decks

Fri, 8 Aug 2008 02:54:00 GMT

Note: If you'd rather read this in a more familiar fashion, you can find it in a *.doc file located here:
http://media.libsyn.com/media/themanapool/Sealed_Pools_and_Decks.doc

For Episode 41, I opened a Sealed pool of cards, a Shadowmoor Tournament Pack and two Eventide Booster Packs. Each host dork took this Sealed pool and made a Sealed deck. Here is the original card pool.

Land:

Madblind Mountain (U)

Sunken Ruins (R)

White:

Kithkin Shielddare

Kithkin Zealot

Last Breath

Recumbent Bliss

Suture Spirit (U)

Windbrisk Raptor (R)

Blue:

Banishing Knack

Briarberry Cohort

Dream Thief

Ghastly Discovery

Oona's Grace

Prismwake Merrow

Put Away

Black:

Ashling, the Extinguisher (R)

Crowd of Cinders (U)

Disturbing Plot

Gloomlance

Merrow Bonegnawer

Rite of Consumption

Smoldering Butcher

Splitting Headache

Red:

Blookmark Mentor (U)

Bloodshed Fever

Hotheaded Giant

Inescapable Brute

Puncture Bolt

Smash to Smithereens

Green:

Bloom Tender (R)

Devoted Druid

Gleeful Sabotage

Nurturer Initiate

Phosphorescent Feast (U)

Tower Above (U)

Wickerbough Elder

Wildslayer Elves

Artifact:

Antler Skulkin

Chainbreaker

Hoof Skulkin

Lurebound Scarecrow (U)

Shell Skulkin

Black/White Hybrid:

Beckon Apparition

Bloodied Ghost (U)

Edge of the Divinity

Nightsky Mimic

Unmake

Red/White Hybrid:

Duergar Assailant

Duergar Hedge-Mage (U)

Fire at Will

Blue/White Hybrid:

Aethertow

Enchanted Evening (R)

Thoughtweft Gambit (U)

Turn to Mist

Green/White Hybrid:

Barkshell Blessing

Elvish Hexhunter

Safehold Elite

Safewright Quest

Black/Green Hybrid:

Quillspike (U)

Stalker Hag (U)

Blue/Black Hybrid:

Merrow Grimeblotter (U)

Blue/Green Hybrid:

Favor of the Overbeing

Grazing Kelpie

Shorecrasher Mimic

Slippery Bogle

Red/Green Hybrid:

Boggart Ram-Gang (U)

Loamdragger Giant

Morselhoarder

Mudbrawler Raiders

Tattermunge Duo

Tattermunge Witch (U)

Red/Black Hybrid:

Emberstrike Duo

Sootwalkers

Torrent of Souls (U)

Tyrannize (R)

And here are the four decks that came from this endeavor. Note the differences and, even though they're different colors, note the similarities.

Brian's Sealed Deck, by converted mana cost

1 â Merrow Bonegnawer, Nurturer Initiate, Elvish Hexhunter

2 â Bloom Tender, Devoted Druid, Safehold Elite, Disturbing Plot, Gleeful Sabotage, Rite of Consumption

3 â Quillspike, Stalker Hag, Hoof Skulkin, Tower Above, Unmake

4 â Ashling the Extinguisher, Crowd of Cinders, Soldering Butcher, Wickerbough Elder, Wildslayer Elves

5 â Gloomlance, Torrent of Souls

6 â Morselhoarder

7 â Loamdragger Giant

Land:

10x Forest

7x Swamp

Dirkâs Sealed Deck, by color

Lands

9 Plains

7 Forests

Green

Bloom Tender

Tower Above

Wickerbough Elder

Wildslayer Elves

White

Kithkin Shielddare

Last Breath

Recumbent Bliss

Suture Spirit

Windbrisk Raptor

White/Black

Bloodied Ghost

Edge of the Divinity

Unmake

White/Red

Duergar Hedge-Mage

Fire at Will

White/Blue

Ãthertow

Turn to Mist

White/Green

Safehold Elite

Safewright Quest

Green/Black

Stalker Hag

Green/Red

Boggart Ram-Gang

Loamdragger Giant

Morselhoarder

Green/Blue

Favor of the Overbeing

Slippery Bogle

Mike's Sealed Deck, by color

Red:

Bloodmark Mentor

Puncture Bolt

Green:

Bloom Tender

Devoted Druid

Gleeful Sabotage

Nurturer Initiate

Tower Above

Wickerbough Elder

Wildslayer Elves

Artifact:

Chainbreaker

Hoof Skulkin

Lurebound Scarecrow

Red/White Hybrid:

Duergar Assailant

Green/White Hybrid:

Barkshell Blessing

Elvish Hexhunter

Safehold Elite

Black/Green Hybrid:

Quillspike

Blue/Green Hybrid:

Grazing Kelpie

Red/Green Hybrid:

Boggart Ram-Gang

Loamdragger Giant

Morselhoarder

Mudbrawler Raiders

Tattermunge Duo

Tattermunge Witch

Red/Black Hybrid:

Sootwalkers

Land:

11 Forest

6 Mountain

Chewie's Sealed Deck, by card type

Creatures

Elvish Hexhunter

Kithkin Zealot

Suture Spirit

Safehold Elite

Nightsky Mimic

Devoted Druid

Quillspike

Bloodied Ghost

Duergar Hedge-Mage

Stalker Hag

Crowd of Cinders

Sootwalkers

Ashling, the Extinguisher

Smoldering Butcher

Windbrisk Raptor

Spells

Safewright Quest

Barkshell Blessing

Beckon Apparition

Last Breath

Fire at Will

Unmake

Recumbent Bliss

Aethertow

Gloomlance

Thoughtweft Gambit

Land

8 Plains

6 Swamp

3 Forest

As a second exercise for this episode, I opened another Sealed pool, again a Shadowmoor Tournament Pack and two Eventide Booster Packs, and we constructed a deck live on the air. Here is that pool.

White

Recumbent Bliss

Cenn's Enlistment

Light from Within

Flickerwisp

Woeleecher

Safehold Sentry

Blue

Consign to Dream

Banishing Knack

Wilderness Hypnotist

Deepchannel Mentor

Faerie Swarm

Put Away

Parapet Watchers

Briarberry Cohort

Black

Corrupt

Blowfly Infestation

Polluted Bonds

Soul Reap

Merrow Bonegnawer

Creakwood Ghoul

Raven's Crime

Smolder Initiate

Aphotic Wisps

Sickle Ripper

Disturbing Plot

Red

Flame Jab

Duergar Cave-Guard

Hotheaded Giant

Smash to Smithereens

Rustrazor Butcher

Blistering Dieflyn

Boggart Arsonists

Green

Savage Conception

Wickerbough Elder

Witherscale Wurm

Drove of Elves

Gloomwidow

Nurturer Initiate

Presence of Gond

White/Blue

Godhead of Awe

Aethertow

Turn to Mist

Blue/Black

River's Grasp

Memory Sluice

Black/Red

Spiteflame Witch

Cultbrand Cinder

Red/Green

Firespout

Loamdragger Giant

Giantbaiting

Mudbrawler Raiders

Morselhoarder

Green/White

Wilt-Leaf Cavaliers

Elvish Hexhunter

Safewright Quest

Safehold Elite

Barkshell Blessing

White/Black

Nip Gwyllion

Unmake

Edge of Divinity

Blue/Red

Noggle Bridgebreaker

Noggle Bandit

Stream Hopper

Mindwrack Liege

Noggle Hedge-Mage

Black/Green

Rendclaw Trow

Green/Blue

Slippery Bogle

Grazing Kelpie

Shorecrasher Mimic

Selkie Hedge-Mage

Artifact

Hook Skulkin

Fang Skulkin

Scrapbasket

Pili-Pala

Wingrattle Scarecrow

Land

Moonring Island

And finally, here is the complete decklist, after much discussion, discord, and decision. Sorted by card type then mana cost.

Land

9 Island

6 Forest

3 Mountain

Creatures

Stream Hopper

Elvish Hexhunter

Pili-Pala

Briarberry Cohort

Safehold Elite

Selkie Hedge-Mage

Noggle Hedge-Mage

Rendclaw Trow

Noggle Bandit

Faerie Swarm

Wickerbough Elder

Noggle Bridgebreaker

Godhead of Awe

Deepchannel Mentor

Mindwrack Liege

Noncreatures

Banishing Knack

Barkshell Blessing

Flame Jab

Consign to Dream

Giantbaiting

Presence of Gond

Firespout

Aethertow

Savage Conception

Episode 40 - Back to Basics: Sealed Deck

Sat, 2 Aug 2008 01:00:00 GMT

In this episode, in keeping with the recent Prerelease and Launch Parties for Eventide, your host dorks bring you the basics of Sealed Deck play. We cover color selection, creatures, the curve, removal, land counts, and whatever else comes to mind, sprinkled with our own experiences and anecdotes as per usual. Please excuse the horrendous pops that show up for the first 15 seconds or so, but we didn't catch it in time to re-record that part. Stay tuned for the next episode for a follow-up to our Sealed Deck tips.

In other news, there is now a Facebook group for The Mana Pool. We're under Common Interest â Hobbies & Crafts, since I couldn't think of anything else that fit better. Just do a search for The Mana Pool and join up! I'm going to try to make it not just another forums page by doing something different with it, I just don't know what yet.

Music for this episode: The Picard Song by Dark Materia. Engage!

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Episode 39 - Back to Basics: The Basics

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 05:45:00 GMT

This episode kicks off a series we've decided to call Back to Basics. Since Wizards of the Coast is focusing on acquisition this year, we thought it would be nice to spend a few episodes focusing on some of things that would be relevant to newer players, affectionately referred to as ânoobsâ. For this episode, we've started with the basics. Each of us (except Dirk, who chose his girlfriend and Dark Knight over us for some reason) go over how we started playing Magic back in the day, and all the anecdotal fun that goes along with that.

After covering the beginning, we decided to go over some of the misconceptions we had when we were noobs. That leads to more interesting anecdotes, of course. From there we move into some of the mistakes that we see new players making all the time. And we mean things all new players do, like over-protecting your life total and using combat tricks at inopportune moments. More anecdotes, of course. We have lots of stories to tell. Some of them are interesting, others not so much. Hopefully we'll avoid these later ones.

If you are in fact a newer player, then we would like to offer you a wondrous resource for helping you learn all there is to know about the game. That resource is the Magic Academy, a column on the Magic website written specifically for you. The column assumes you know the basics of how stuff works, and goes from there. It's really good stuff. Even if you're not a noob, you should still check this out. I read every column when they were writing this thing, and I've been playing for years. Here's the link to the entire run on the Magic site:

http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=mtgcom/academy/home

And of course, we end the episode with a call for topics. If anyone has any ideas or suggestions or requests for a topic for the Back to Basics series, then please please please let us know. Our email address is directly below, as is the link to the forum thread for this episode. If you'd like to go straight to Show Ideas on the forums, here's the link to the last page of the thread:

http://cardshark.freeforums.org/show-ideas-t90-105.html

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Episode 38 - The Eventide Prerelease Ordeal

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 02:15:00 GMT

On this special Prerelease episode of The Mana Pool, we are joined by a special guest. You know him as garthok84 from the forums, and as a matter of fact so do we, but his name is Jason. He was good enough to join us on the show with virtually no warning and no prep time whatsoever, so we appreciate that quite a bit. Everyone give a big thanks to him on the forums for making the episode much more interesting, because without him we'd have been the usual amount of dorky.

We kick the episode off with a bad beats story. No, not a game of Magic. This bad beats story is the series of unfortunate events that happened on the morning of the Prerelease. I told this story to Jason, and a couple judges, and a handful of listeners, at the Prerelease, and they agreed that it is a story that must be shared with the world, so here you go. Hopefully it's so bad that it will make you feel better about yourself. Let's just say old Murphy and his laws were running rampant across my life that morning.

Then of course we have to go into everyone's Eventide Prerelease experience. We nitpick Jason's deck, make fun of Mike's inability to build a 40 card deck on the first try (or even the last try), praise Dirk for his awesomeness, make fun of Brian for using Worm Harvest even though last week he claimed it was one of those cards you probably shouldn't run, and wonder at the sheer number of bombs in my deck (keep listening to see whether or not they actually did me any good). If you want to see the decks we used, they'll be listed in the Eventide Prerelease Deck Lists thread on the forum, found here:

http://cardshark.freeforums.org/eventide-prerelease-deck-lists-t199.html

We finish the episode up with an actual Magic bad beats story from Jason, who recounts the experience of his friend at the Prerelease. It's really short, pretty simple, and so incredibly painful that it warrants its own paragraph in the show notes. I can't even put it here, you just have to listen. Yeah, it's that bad.

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Episode 37 - Eventide Previews and the Last Tribal War

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 01:45:00 GMT

Ah, summer. The sun shines brightly, the birds sing sweetly in the trees, and a young dorkâs fancy turns to thoughts of the last few Eventide preview cards weâll be talking about before the big event this weekend. Mike here again, as Chewie insists that the posting of the show goes much faster whenever he doesnât have to write the show notes himself (it does).

First, we finally conclude tribal âmonthâ with the results from the last of the Onslaught vs. Lorwyn tribal wars matches: Elves. Itâs the battle that seemed to interest everyone the most, and the narrative does not disappoint. From there, itâs on to the small handful of intriguing preview cards, as well as a short feature on the recently revealed new creature tokens for Eventide that will be showing up here and there in your booster packs (some creatures have hair!).

We close with an open discussion of special tips and other things to keep in mind when building your sealed deck at the Eventide prerelease event. The fact that Shadowmoor will still be in the mix means that everyone will have an immense number of viable color combinations to choose from, and weâll all need to have some method of keeping everything sane and orderly.

Now that previews have come to an end, feel even freer to send in your praises, criticisms, questions, and suggestions for the show and its various segments. As a podcast for the more casual side of Magic, we want to know what the people have their minds on and are most interested in talking about. Thanks for helping us make it all the way to Episode 37! Just try not to listen to any more episodes on your way to the parking lot (you need to watch for cars).

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Episode 36 - A Staggering Amount of Eventide Previews

Wed, 9 Jul 2008 01:56:00 GMT

Hey, this is Mike here, filling in for fearless leader Chewie, who is currently busy eating ice cream and playing Rock Band (or watching The Muppet Show; he wasn't very clear on that point). In this episode, Brian is back above the weather, giving us our customary cadre of dorks.

It turned out that the massive weekend info dump to the visual spoiler that we totally didn't expect to happen actually happened, with a total of 18 new Eventide cards having been put up on the site between the evenings of the 3rd and the 8th, including another one of the new cycle of Spirit Avatars (I've taken to calling them "Spaghetti Monsters") and 4(!) of the new cycle of Lieges.

So yeah, we have tree-insect-dragon-lich things (sort of), puppy dogs full of bees (not really), Chewie's face (almost), and Will (poor Will). Follow along at http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=magic/eventide/spoiler to see for yourself what all those idiot words mean.

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Episode 35 - Eventide Previews 3 and Then Some

Mon, 7 Jul 2008 02:13:00 GMT

In this episode, we are without Brian, who is feeling under the weather. With the lead rambler missing, you'd think this episode would be shorter, wouldn't you? Shows you what you know, we can all ramble just fine whether we have Brian or not. Sorry for yet another long episode.

But what an episode it is! First off we go over the results of the Onslaught vs. Lorwyn Tribal Wars for Wizards! Mike and I played these games in the morning before we did the Rock Band and Magic featured in the last episode. Wizards! They're slow, they're boring, and they're a bit silly when taken all together. Who won? I'm not going tell you! Give us a listen and find out. It actually wasn't boring to discuss, so hopefully you'll enjoy it.

Then, of course, we had to hit the preview cards. I must say, I'm getting more and more excited about Eventide as they show more and more cards. Every card that had been shown as of Thursday July 3 is discussed here. Technically, that should have been all the cards that have been shown thus far because July 4 is an American holiday, but lo and behold on Friday they revealed another seven cards! On a national holiday! Oh well, we'll grab those next time. For now, we touch on the twelve cards that popped up since the last episode. Thanks for listening and enjoy!

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Episode 34 - Eventide Previews and Multiplayer Free-For-All Extravaganza 2

Wed, 2 Jul 2008 03:34:00 GMT

In this episode, we take on the nine new Eventide cards that have been previewed on the Magic site since the last episode. Not only the cards in the visual spoiler and the day's articles, but also a few cards that showed up in the Eventide primer video in Monday's Arcana. Tuesday's video had no new cards, but it's a good way to familiarize yourself with Chroma, the new ability word in Eventide. Here are the relevant links.

Eventide Visual Spoiler:

http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=magic/eventide/spoiler

Eventide Video #1: Hybrid:

http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=mtgcom/arcana/1622

Eventide Video #2: Chroma:

http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=mtgcom/arcana/1623

But now for the meat of the episode. The last two game sets of Tribal Month have been pushed back yet again by a momentous gathering of the dorks. This past weekend, your host dorks (that's Mike, Brian, Dirk, and me, Chewie) gathered at my lovely girlfriend's house (she has the most room) to play Magic. We were joined in this gathering by one of our college dorks who is now in grad school way out of town, the oft-mentioned AJ. It was a lot of fun to have AJ playing around the table with us again, even when he won with a Mana Echoes-fueled Fireball out of nowhere in the first game. We were finally able to put our mantra of âKill AJâ to good use again, since he was actually sitting there with us. Seven games were played, and we took notes to pass the games along with you listeners, since everyone seemed to enjoy the last time we did it.

That was Episode 15 just in case you missed it and enjoy that sort of thing. Thanks everyone for listening, and if you've stumbled upon this episode because of the Eventide previews, feel free to give some of the rest of the episodes a chance. Just excuse the first episode, we didn't quite know what we were doing yet.

Music for this episode: Together Again by The Muppets

You might recognize this, it's the opening song from The Muppets Take Manhattan, played here in honor of having AJ back with us.

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