First Strike

Christophe Vaugeois and Michael Van Vaals join the show after their top 8 performances at the Vancouver Regional Championship. We cover: Derek's 1st year as a full-time MTG content creator Christophe's run with his Grixis Midrange list Did the field feel stronger at the Pioneer RC in Toronto vs. the Standard RC in Vancouver What gave Michael in advantage playing 4C Legends Advice Michael would give to to up-and-coming players Many Derek rants about why players should just play Grixis --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/firststrike/support

We got Keith Capstick to come on for his 4th appearance on the pod after winning a huge tournament in Toronto last weekend. We go over: - Hammer in Modern - State of competitive Magic - Two 4-slot RCs vs. one 8-slot RC - What to play in Standard - Self-help advice from Keith that will nurture your soul --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/firststrike/support

Ash Loraas (@DreamsOfAshiok) joins the show after top-8ing F2F Saskatoon with some new ONE cards. Topics discussed: - The misplacedginger scale - Ash Loraas's Tyvar Devoted Druid deck, what tier is it in? - Impact of ONE on Pioneer - Derek & Andy's prep and expectation for Pro Tour Philadelphia - Best player of all-time, who is the GOAT? - Controller vs. keyboard and mouse --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/firststrike/support

Pure Canadian Magic goodness in this one as this episode features 4 players going to the first Pro Tour of the new system! Topics include: Turn 1 Thoughtseize in Pioneer Dan Snider's 8-0 Day 1 run with Mono-Green Devotion Dan's prep for the Pro Tour Joseph Karani's win and the friends that helped him get there Who are some of the top players in Winnipeg? Why did Joseph end up playing Rakdos Midrange? How does Joseph plan to navigate the PT? --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/firststrike/support

Playing in the F2F Tour Championship this weekend? This one is going to be a banger for you! The guys got Dan Snider and GP Calgary Champion Attila Fur to join the show. Topics include: The expected meta in Calgary Best version of Mono-Green Devotion The Rakdos vs. Mono-Green matchup Best Rakdos mirror option? Hazoret? More Bankbusters? Gruul Vehicles & HappySandwich's innovation How many Albertans will be in top 8? --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/firststrike/support

KYT brings the band back together and what a comeback it is with both Derek Pite and Andrew Peters top 8-ing the F2F Tour Championship in Toronto this past week. Topics include: A quick summary of both top 8 runs How good is the Pioneer format? Is Mono-Green Devotion as overpowered as Trudel thinks it is? Is Rakdos Sacrifice an actual thing? What they expect at the Tour Championship in Calgary Comments on the event as a whole --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/firststrike/support

KYT, Elliot, Derek, and Andy look back at the weekend in Cleveland, including Standard and Limited conclusions, as well as the best path to the pro tour, and a lengthy heated debate on who is the greatest of all time and why!  --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/firststrike/support

 KYT, Elliot, Derek, Andy, and Jonathan talk about their expectations for the first Mythic Championship in Cleveland, the Standard metagame, and MSRP.  --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/firststrike/support

KYT, Elliot, Derek, Andy, and Jonathan talk about their experiences at Magic Fest Toronto, the Modern metagame, and a Prerelease as a Grand Prix??? (00:01:20) Andy played Izzet Phoenix to great results on both Friday and Saturday of MF Toronto, and Elliot rode the Phoenix to top 8 of the Sunday MFQ. Is it the best deck in Modern? But can the Whir Prison deck lose to anything? What cards in Modern can beat it?  (00:15:16) Why did Derek wear chainmail all weekend at MF Toronto? Is Burn well- or poorly-positioned in Modern right now? Why Burn will never be broken. (00:21:08) Are pros less likely to attend Magic Fests? Are the Pro Tour Qualifiers a better event to play? Are the events softer as a result?  (00:25:48) How is the Standard Mythic grid going for Derek on MTGArena? Why is Sultai not good on MTGArena, even though it's great in paper? Why Jonathan thinks White-Blue Aggro is well-placed going into his RPTQ this weekend. What would Derek play in the RPTQ this weekend, if he weren't already qualified? How do you predict the metagame? (00:39:04) Prerelease Grand Prix at Magic Fest London! Reactions? Is this an amazing opportunity for the players or just a grab by CFB for money from local stores?  (00:48:54) KYT was providing independent coverage of the Magic Fest for Face to Face Games this weekend. Is the trade off of less official coverage for more Magic Fest events worth it? Is third-party coverage the right move in an MTGArena future?  --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/firststrike/support

Elliot, Derek, and Andy look at Ravnica Allegiance sealed in the wake of Grand Prix New Jersey, Modern decks, and find lots to get excited about in the MTG Arena Mythic Invitational Announcement. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/firststrike/support

KYT, Derek, and Andy are joined by Shaheen Soorani, who first predicted on First Strike last year that KCI would be the piece to be banned from that deck. How will Modern look without KCI, how will Standard look after this weekend, and is playing on MtG Arena better than MTGO? --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/firststrike/support

KYT, Derek, Andy, and Elliot are joined by SCG Leaderboard warrior and Toronto ex-pat, Tariq Patel, to discuss the fate of KCI in Modern, the strategic importance of taking the draw, and Top 5 Picks for Ravnica Allegiance. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/firststrike/support

KYT, Andy, Derek, Elliot, and Jon are joined by Markus Thibeau so we have not one but TWO people qualified for the first Mythic Championship! Also, stay tuned right to the last for the exclusive free official Ravnica Allegiance preview card, Cult Guildmage! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/firststrike/support

In a new podcast series from the First Strike team, Andy Peters is searching for the next wave of great Canadian players and content creators. On this episode, Andy welcomes Felix Sloo (xfile on MODO/MTG Arena) to the cast! 🍎 iTunes: bit.ly/MTGFirstStrike 🎧 Anchor: anchor.fm/firststrike Andy Peters – https://twitter.com/AndyAWKWARD Guest: Felix Sloo  - https://twitter.com/FelixSloo --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/firststrike/support

In a new podcast series from the First Strike team, Andy Peters is searching for the next wave of great Canadian players and content creators. On this episode, Andy welcomes Spencer Mazur to the cast! He has the most Modern Challenge Top 8s this season and if you are playing Hammer Time, you don't want to miss this episode! 🍎 iTunes: bit.ly/MTGFirstStrike 🎧 Anchor: anchor.fm/firststrike Find us on Twitter: Kar Yung Tom – https://twitter.com/kytmagic Andy Peters – https://twitter.com/AndyAWKWARD Guest: Spencer Mazur - https://twitter.com/_HappySandwich --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/firststrike/support

In a new podcast series from the First Strike team, Andy Peters is searching for the next wave of great Canadian players and content creators. On this episode, Andy invites Andrew Traynor who has made 3 F2F Modern Open top 8s in a row! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/firststrike/support

In a new podcast series from the First Strike team, Andy Peters is searching for the next wave of great Canadian players and content creators.   On this episode, Andy invites Haiyue Yu and Carolyn Kavanagh to talk about the VML. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/firststrike/support

In a new podcast series from the First Strike team, Andy Peters is searching for the next wave of great Canadian players. Who is the next Alexander Hayne?   On this episode, Andy invites Dalia Morin who has been putting up stellar performances on the Face to Face Games tournament circuit. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/firststrike/support

In a new podcast series from the First Strike team, Andy Peters is searching for the next wave of great Canadian players. Who is the next Alexander Hayne?  On this episode, Andy invites Jonny Guttman @ginky_mtg who most recently finished 4th at the Neon Dynasty Championship. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/firststrike/support

In a new podcast series from the First Strike team, Andy Peters is searching for the next wave of great Canadian players. Who is the next Alexander Hayne? Andy starts his search with Ontario's Jack Potter who happened to finish 2nd in the F2F Toronto Open this past Saturday. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/firststrike/support