Magic Podcast: Gatecrash Preview

January 23, 2013

Magic: The Gathering and I have an odd relationship. I only began playing it a year and a half ago, when Lucas started setting up weekly draft tournaments in PC Gamer’s offices. When I moved to SOE, I met a friend, Adam Clegg, who has a much longer history with the game—dating back to the days of yore, when cards were crazy overpowered and you were lucky if anyone in the group could even count to 20.

We play Magic weekly in the office with other SOE devs, and we’re all heading to a pre-release tournament for the new set, Gatecrash, this Saturday. Adam and I talk about Magic all the time, so we decided we might as well record the conversation and share it with anyone that cares about Magic too.

Our first episode is all about the Gatecrash spoilers that came out on Monday. Every card has been revealed and we give our opinions on what’s best in the set, what’s the worst, and what absolutely terrifies us. Adam also gives a stirring recount of his intimate relationship with the game that borders on creepy. Enjoy!

Let us know what you think of the show, and what you’d like to see us cover in future episodes in the comments below.

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Intro

• Greeting
• What we’re doing with the show
• Who we are

Magic experience

• When we started playing
• What formats we like playing most
• Best achievement

Gatecrash Overview

• Overview of the set + Guilds
• Breakdown of each guild mechanic
• Which one we picked for prerelease and why

Our favorite Gatecrash cards

Our favorites, not necessarily the best by arbitrary standards

Josh:

• Assemble the Legion – Boros Synergy
• Bane Alley Broker – Second hand to work with
• Fortress Cyclops – Exactly what you need at the time
• Obzedat, Ghost Council – So strong
• Keymaster Rogue – Unblockable for Dimir, with trick potential
• Illness in the Ranks – Boros scares me

Adam:

• Black Lotus – (oh we’re not doing of all time?)
• Gridlock
• Crypt Ghast
• Mugging
• Burst of Strength
• Alms Beast

The best card in the entire set

Gideon, Champion of Justice trumps everything, but outside of planeswalkers…

Josh:

Gridlock

Adam:

Alms Beast

Gatecrash cards we hate

Can be the objectively worst cards, or cards we personally hate

Josh:

• Aurelia, the Warleader – Can’t see it coming. Counter or lose
• Call of the Nightwing – epitomizes overpricing of Cipher
• Soul Ransom – It’s always opposite what you want
• Unexpected Results – can be bad
• Felkite Tyrant – barely decent. Perk will never pay off

Adam:

• Ember Beast - seen it fail so many times
• Mortus Strider
• Glaring Spotlight

The worst card in the entire set

Josh:

Mental Vapors / Last Thoughts – which does Adam think is worse?
Millenial Gargoyle is worse than either

Plans for Saturday Pre-Release event

• Any plans for how to play your guild on saturday?
• What color are you hoping to splash in, if any?

Feedback

Leave feedback below, our contact us on Twitter.
Josh is @jaugustine
Adam is @arclegger

Tags: Magic: The Gathering