With the God of Pioneer 7 tournament in the books and still fresh on everybody's mind, The Japan Hobbyist and his "cohost" Taichi invite new friend and local MTG player Mickey (Swampmouse on Discord) to talk about his experience at the event. We go over what the metagame was like, the top 16 decklists, and also discuss the overall state of the Pioneer format in Japan at the moment. In the second half of the podcast we move onto a discussion about organized play in Japan to help foreign players living or visiting the country. Taichi gives us some insight on what OP was like in the past in Japan and his opinions on how this year will be different, then offers us the unique perspective of a level 1 Magic the Gathering Judge. If you're thinking about playing Magic the Gathering in Japan and want to hop into competitive play this year, you don't want to miss this episode! If you have questions about MTG in Japan don't be afraid to drop into our discord or hitting me up on Twitter! Discord: https://discord.gg/JGKxHhy Twitter: @YoJapanHobbyist
In this episode past guest and local Magic Player in the Tokyo area, Taichi Nishizawa, joins me to talk about Kamigawa Neon Dynasty from a Japanese person's point of view. I was really interested in hearing his opinion about not only the plane of Kamigawa itself, but also how it was portrayed by Wizards of the Coast in this set. After listening to this episode, feel free to hop into my discord to discuss the show or give me a follow on Twitter as well! Discord: https://discord.gg/JGKxHhy Twitter: @YoJapanHobbyist
I don't know about you, but the moment Wizards of the Coast announced that Godzilla and many other Toho studio monsters would be in the next Magic the Gathering Set, Ikoria, my heart skipped a beat. Seeing all of these monsters appear on paper in my favorite hobby brought out all sorts of memories. Many people probably haven't seen many of these original Godzilla movies, if at all. Being the Japan Hobbyist, I felt that the gospel of Godzilla must be spread so I recruited a fellow foreigner living in Japan who is also a 'Kaiju' enthusiast and we proceeded to "nerd out" about the new monster cards in the plane of Ikoria. If you're interested in learning the history of the Toho monsters, or if you are wondering how close the MTG Ikoria counterparts are to the originals, be sure to listen!
The Pioneer format has exploded in popularity in Japan recently due to the upcoming Magic Fest in Nagoya. GP Nagoya will be the first ever Pioneer GP along with GP Brussels in Belgium. As some of you might know, I started my blog around Avacyn Restored and soon afterwards I began keeping an up to date Japanese to English vocabulary page on my blog, www.thejapanhobbyist.com. If you've been listening to my past podcasts then you know that I posted another episode about basic Magic the Gathering vocabulary you need to know to play MTG in Japan. You can find that episode here. In today's episode I'm joined by a special guest and level one judge in Japan, Taichi Nishizawa. We go over all of the vocabulary from Return to Ravnica block to Theros Beyond Death, and explain how to use the vocabulary while playing a game in Japanese. If you're a Magic player living in Japan, visiting for a Grand Prix or other event, or just want to practice speaking Japanese, give it a listen!
Having lived in Japan for more than 10 years now, I've been all around the country and have met a lot of people playing Magic the Gathering. Doing so has allowed me to get to know all sorts of people in my travels, and while the majority of them have been Japanese players, I've also met quite a few foreigners. Some of the first Americans I met were when I was playing at Grand Prix around Japan. However, not everybody was over here in Japan to work like I was. Over the years I realized just how many of the foreigners I met and played were actually serving in the military. While many of these players are only in Japan for a few years before shipping out to other parts of the world, they have become good friends of mine. Since moving to the Yokohama area, where there are a handful of military bases, I've come to meet more and more of these service members. That's why I thought it would be a good idea to do a podcast for people serving in the military in Japan, to give them some resources and information so that if they wanted to play MTG while living here, they could do so without worrying. If you're currently in the Army, Navy, Air Force, or Marines, or just know some Magic players in the military that are on their way over to Japan in the near future, be sure to let them know about this episode, as well as the others!
And just like that the Final Frontier podcast ends. In episode 69 we talk about how Historic was finally announced officially by Wizards of the Coast and then talk about what excited us the most from the M20 Core set. We discussed how the cards fit into Frontier since we were hoping that the new format would go back further than Ixalan, so luckily the episode does a good job of showcasing how M20 fits into the scheme of things in Pioneer. I'd like to thank you for taking the time to listen to our old shows. If you'd like to follow us in our journey through the new Pioneer format you can pick up where we left here in our new podcast, The First Pioneers. Thanks for listening! https://thefirstpioneers.podbean.com/
Before Pioneer was announced, all we knew was that Wizards was working on a new format for the Arena platform. That format eventually morphed into what we now know as Historic, but we were hoping that the format would also translate into some kind of paper format as well. In our second to last Frontier episode we talked about everything we learned from the Frontier format after 2 years plus of playing and made suggestions for Wizards of the Coast to follow so they didn't run into the same problems that the format had from start to finish. Did they listen? Did our wishes come true with the Pioneer format? You'll have to listen to find out!
As Ryan gears up for the 13th God of Frontier tournament in Tokyo at Hareruya, He and Kevin talk about how the War of the Spark Frontier metagame has been evolving both online and in paper. They cover how each archetype has changed and what cards to look out for going into a big tournament. This is one of the last metagame episodes we did prior to Pioneer, so you can get a good look at how the decks in the format were updated with almost the same pool we currently have.
Every format has their own plays that make players feel good when they play them. Emptying your hand turn one with a Modern Affinity deck, flashing back a Lightning Bolt with Snapcaster Mage for the kill, or even winning a counterspell battle in Legacy with Force of Will. Frontier is no different, and with the added pool of cards for Pioneer, some 'god' hands are just going to get crazier. In episode 66 we talk about what some of the best plays you can pull of in Frontier are. If you're looking to break the format in Pioneer, this is a great starting point. Whether you're a Timmy, Spike, or Johnny player you're bound to find something in this episode that will put a smile on your face.
We're down to our last 5 Frontier podcasts! Today's topic was more of a fun one based around Brawl. The format never really took off in standard due to poor promotion of the game and a limited pool, but some Frontier players had been having fun building Frontier Brawl decks so we thought we'd cover what a Frontier Brawl format would look like. What were the best legendary creatures and planeswalkers to use as Generals? What were the best spells? We explored what this possible format would look like and came up with some good results. If you're still not sure about jumping into competitive Pioneer, maybe you'll enjoy building Pioneer Brawl decks instead. Use this episode as a primer to get started!
Before the most recent rotation last summer, people were actually enjoying standard. Nowadays, not so much. No matter the season, standard usually has the most active players of any format. The power level of standard has been creeping up lately, and we thought that many of the decks might just have what it takes to be playable in Frontier. This can also be true of Pioneer. In all likeliness, you can take a standard deck and make a few changes and have a deck that is ready to go in Pioneer. One of the great things about having a format between standard and modern is that it's much easier to adapt standard to it. If you've played standard over the last few seasons and are thinking of making a Pioneer deck, listen to our suggestions on how to update it so you can play the new format right away!
The multicolor cards of War of the Spark and our top 5 most impactful cards from the set in Frontier wraps up our 3 part series on one of the most powerful sets to ever enter the format. Did your top 5 WAR cards for Pioneer match ours? Listen to what we thought were the Frontier playables and possibles from War of the Spark.
In our 2nd to last set review for Frontier, we talked about the main colors of War of the Spark and also discussed how the new and returning mechanics in the set would affect the format. It's a given that many of the planeswalkers will find their way into Pioneer, but where do the rest fit in? We explore the possibilities for the set and give you suggestions on what kind of deck to use the cards in. If you've already heard it the first time, it's worth a revisit to see how the playables would match up with the Theros and Return to Ravnica blocks that were added in the Pioneer format.
Pioneer started off with a bang here in Japan and it's been the talk of the entire Magic the Gathering Community for the past few weeks. It was only natural that we'd do a podcast about it. In this episode Ben and I talk with our good friend Bobby Birmingham about what it's been like to play the new format in Japan since the initial announcement. We talk about the initial reception of Pioneer from players, how the stores in the Tokyo/Yokohama area are changing their tournament schedules, as well as how the new format has affected the prices of cards. We also get a little personal and discuss what we are most excited to play in this new format and what we are brewing. To those of you that stick around until the 30 minute mark, we have a special treat for you. We hope you enjoy today's show and if you have any suggestions or comments feel free to leave them down below! (special thanks to Lain Kaplan for use of the beginning and end themes)
War of the Spark made a huge impact on standard, and some of the cards even made their way into modern, legacy, and vintage. But did any make it into Frontier? In this episode we cover each of the planeswalkers spoiled in the set and talk about where it might fit into the format. While cards like Teferi, Time Reveler and Ashiok, Dream Render have found there way into control decks and sideboards in Pioneer already, where would the other cards fit in? If you're looking for some ideas on where to play the WAR walkers, give this episode a listen.
Wizards of the Coast had played around with the idea of a new format between Modern and Standard for a very long time before finally pulling the trigger on Pioneer. As long time Frontier players we always knew that there would be a new format, but we never knew exactly what it would be. With the conversation shifting to the Arena Historic format a few months back, we realized that we might have to deal with a post modern format possibly starting from Ixalan. If that WERE to happen, we talked about what cards from the Frontier format would have to be reprinted in either core sets or some kind of Historic "Horizons" set in order to make the format worth playing. Since we ended up getting Pioneer, this episode isn't as relevant, however it does look at which cards should be looked at for reprints in Pioneer in the future.
Are you one of those players who enjoys a challenge? Do you like solving tricky situations on the battlefield? Or would you consider yourself a straightforward, linear player that doesn't like to have to make a lot of decisions? In episode 60 we talked about the difficult decks of the Frontier format. We covered the decks where decisions are key at all points of the game, and also talked about which decks you can pick up and play without having to learn it first. A good listen for the different levels of Pioneer players, whether you're trying to be a competitive "Spike" or just a casual "Timmy".
When War of the Spark was announced, all we had to go on was a picture showing all of the planeswalkers on a stained glass window in Ravnica. The Magic world was full of speculation and we were not immune. Before knowing anything about the new planeswalkers, we made a wish list as to what we'd like to see each of the planeswalkers do and how they might fit into the Frontier format. Did we get any of them right? Did we come close? Listen and find out.
Sideboarding is incredibly important in Magic the Gathering. If you're not prepared, a deck can catch you totally off guard and win the game without you being able to do anything about it. In episode 58 we go over all of the best sideboard cards in Frontier and talk about which type of decks you should play them in and against. While there are some better options now in the Pioneer format, there are some very good suggestions in this episode. Learn what you can use as alternatives in case you don't have the cards from Return to Ravnica or Theros block at the moment, as well as what decks you should be looking out for in Pioneer.
We made a lot of claims over the months about how good card X and card Y were when we did our set reviews. But were we right? Did we sometimes get it wrong? In this episode we go over all of the picks from our past set reviews and talked about why some of our choices didn't pan out, while others were underrated. A good discussion on how the Frontier metagame evolved and grew in directions we couldn't predict, and what eventually became staples in the format. A good in depth episode for all of you Pioneer players out there.