Top8StreetFighter?

It has been a long time but Mike and I finally sat down and caught up on some of the latest Organized Play changes with more than a smattering of Mike’s recent obsession with Street Fighter. The exact topic of the podcast is a little tough to pin down since we had not done a ‘cast in quite some time and had plenty of stuff to talk about. There should be a little something for everyone but, alas no jackhammers. We made up for it with a special underground excursion toward the end of the podcast.

We probably won’t get another chance to update before I get back from Worlds so good luck to everyone in San Diego and San Francisco and have a great Thanksgiving!

Come on Innistrad Part 5

After a long break — and an apocryphal ‘cast that never materialized — Michael J Flores and I settled in for a long podcasting session to discuss just about every card in Innistrad. And when I say “settled in” I actually mean it since we opted to podcast from the uneven floors of the Top8Magic offices rather than the windy, jackhammer laden streets of Manhattan. Everybody loves Liliana and Snapcast Mage but what are some of the hidden Constructed gems of Innistrad? The podcast is broken up into five sections going in WUBRG order — with lands, multicolors, and artifacts randomly tacked onto the red section — and we did our best to sort it all out.

Come on Innistrad Part 3

After a long break — and an apocryphal ‘cast that never materialized — Michael J Flores and I settled in for a long podcasting session to discuss just about every card in Innistrad. And when I say “settled in” I actually mean it since we opted to podcast from the uneven floors of the Top8Magic offices rather than the windy, jackhammer laden streets of Manhattan. Everybody loves Liliana and Snapcast Mage but what are some of the hidden Constructed gems of Innistrad? The podcast is broken up into five sections going in WUBRG order — with lands, multicolors, and artifacts randomly tacked onto the red section — and we did our best to sort it all out.

Come on Innistrad Part 2

After a long break — and an apocryphal ‘cast that never materialized — Michael J Flores and I settled in for a long podcasting session to discuss just about every card in Innistrad. And when I say “settled in” I actually mean it since we opted to podcast from the uneven floors of the Top8Magic offices rather than the windy, jackhammer laden streets of Manhattan. Everybody loves Liliana and Snapcast Mage but what are some of the hidden Constructed gems of Innistrad? The podcast is broken up into five sections going in WUBRG order — with lands, multicolors, and artifacts randomly tacked onto the red section — and we did our best to sort it all out.

Come on Innistrad Part 1

After a long break — and an apocryphal ‘cast that never materialized — Michael J Flores and I settled in for a long podcasting session to discuss just about every card in Innistrad. And when I say “settled in” I actually mean it since we opted to podcast from the uneven floors of the Top8Magic offices rather than the windy, jackhammer laden streets of Manhattan. Everybody loves Liliana and Snapcast Mage but what are some of the hidden Constructed gems of Innistrad? The podcast is broken up into five sections going in WUBRG order — with lands, multicolors, and artifacts randomly tacked onto the red section — and we did our best to sort it all out.

HeezyCast

While I was away MichaelJ got lonely and called up Hall of Fame hopeful Mark Herberholz. I honestly have no idea what they talked about — it could be anything. I am going to listen to it as soon as it goes live (don’t try this method at home!) and you should do the same. Before I have to take it down.

Quickcast

I have had this podcast stranded since before leaving for San Diego Comic Con. This was Michael J Flores and I grabbing a quick half and hour before my trip to discuss the Hall of Fame ballots and various eligible candidates. Sorry for the delay.

Looking Ahead to Magic 2012

If there is one thing I hate about core sets is the limited amount of fodder they provide for punny podcast titles. Feel free to make some suggestions in the comments section as there will be more M12 coverage and discussion in the coming weeks. Meanwhile, Mike Flores and I got together at our now regular podcast rendezvous to clear the air about other podcast we have been seeing on the side, a little bit of chatter about the recent bannings of Jace, the Mind Scuiptor and Stoneforge Mystic, and a wander through the Card Image Gallery for the new cards that will be released in the coming weeks.

Splinter For The Win with MichaelJ

Kudos to our own Michael J Flores for winning the TCGPlayer.com WWS Big Apple this past weekend with the long-threatened Splinter Twin/Deceiver Exarch combo deck. Mike fought his way through a 200+ person field that was split into two separate flights which merged into a single elimination Top 16. There, he squared off with Chris Leveque and Grixis Twin, GP winner Dave Shiels with Caw-Blade, MOCS competitor Reid Duke with Blue-Black Control, and finally — in a show down between the grizzled veteran Flores and the young upstart Flores — Edgar Flores with Caw-Blade.

We talked the Monday after the tournament about the big win, his individual card choices, and the operational techniques he used to get through the very long and grueling event. Here is the decklist he used and as a bonus I have included Top8Magic intern Matt Ferrando’s Bant Blade list which he played to a Top 16 finish — after winning a SCG IQ qualifier with it last week.

Splinter Twin
Michael Flores — Winner
2011 TCGplayer.com WWS Big Apple

4 Deceiver Exarch
2 Inferno Titan
2 Jace Beleren
4 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
1 Pilgrim’s Eye
4 Sea Gate Oracle
4 Into the Roil
3 Mana Leak
4 Preordain
2 Spell Pierce
4 Splinter Twin
10 Island
8 Mountain
4 Scalding Tarn
4 Tectonic Edge

Sideboard:
1 Basilisk Collar
1 Consecrated Sphinx
1 Dispel
1 Elixir of Immortality
1 Jace Beleren
1 Jace’s Ingenuity
2 Manic Vandal
2 Pyroclasm
2 Spell Pierce
2 Spellskite
1 Trinket Mage

You can find all the Top 16 decklists here but I have singled out Matt Ferrando’s Bant Blade and longtime friend of Top8Magic.com’s Luis Neiman’s Dark Blade below the fold. Read the rest of this entry »

Spoiler Alert (or Freeking with Flores)

Still reeling from the news that World Champion Guillaume Matignon and Worlds Finalist Guillaume Wafo-Tapa — along with two other players — were being suspended from the DCI for their involvement in leaking the New Phyrexia “godbooks” out to the Magic community, Mike and I sat down for a cup of coffee to discuss. We were joined mid conversation by Steve Sadin and then moved on to discuss the blue and white cards from the new set that were made public earlier that week.

Look for some permutation of me, Mike and Steve to talk about the remaining colors later in the week.