The decklists are not fully revealed at the time of this recording but the metagame has been made public and many players have already shared their lists on social media. Omnath is towering over Standard with 72% of the field playing either one of the two big decks that have sprung up around the elemental. Only NINE players chose to play without it in Standard. Omnath has even nabbed the top of the metagame list for Historic at 34%, pushing Jund Sacrifice, Rakdos Arcanist and Goblins, which had been such a big part of the last event down into much smaller percentages of the field. Brian David-Marshall and Magic: The Gathering Hall of Famer Zvi Mowshowitz talk their way through the metagame breakdowns, look at the various publicly known lists, and make their predictions for who they think will emerge on top of the insanely competitive field. Your Hosts: https://twitter.com/TheZvi https://twitter.com/Top8Games --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/top8magic/support

Top 8 Magic – magic.facetofacegames.com

Top 8 Magic: Grand Finals Deck Review: Omnathematics

With less than a week until the Grand Finals Brian David-Marshall and Magic: The Gathering Hall of Famer Zvi Mowshowitz discuss the state of Standard post-Uro ban and pre-grand reveal of the 32 Standard decks the players will bring to the virtual tables. Topics include: Has the over/under on the number of Omnath's changed? Why aren't people playing Arboreal Grazer in their Omnath lists? Red Bull Qualifier decklist discussion. What does the Walking Dead Secret Lair mean? Has WotC lost our trust? Has the Free to Play Arena business model hurt Magic? Why are the NY Giants and the NFC East soooooo bad right now? Your hosts: Brian David-Marshall - @Top8Games Zvi Mowshowitz - @TheZvi --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/top8magic/support

Top 8 Magic: Omnath's Bodyman

Normally Brian David-Marshall and Magic Hall of Famer Zvi Mowshowitz would be doing a preview show for the Mythic Invitational -- showcasing the Arena-only Historic format -- but with the decks being revealed so close to the starter pistol for the event that was not possible. Instead they are looking through the decks while the early rounds of the event play out in the background. Metagame Breakdown Mythic Invitational Decklists Your Hosts: https://twitter.com/Top8Games https://twitter.com/TheZvi --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/top8magic/support

Top 8 Magic: Mythic Invitational Deck Review

With Zendikar Rising previews in full swing, Brian David-Marshall and Magic Hall of Famer Zvi Mowshowitz go on a quest to find the most messed-up Magic cards in the set so far. The duo go through the 41 rares and mythics that had been previewed as of Thursday Sept 3rd looking for the cards that most like to party, which ones are going to impact your Commander games and which ones meet the highest honor Zvi can bestow upon a card -- "That's a messed up Magic card!" Your hosts: Brian David-Marshall - https://twitter.com/Top8Games Zvi Mowshowitz - https://twitter.com/thezvi --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/top8magic/support

Top 8 Magic: Quest for the Messed-up Magic Cards

With the Temur Reclamation dominated Players Tour Finals in the rearview mirror, Wizards of the Coast announced a huge swath of bans in Standard, Pioneer, Historic, and even Brawl. The announcement takes the total number of banned cards in this Standard format to ten -- a number of cards we have not seen banned at the same time since Urza's Block. Brian David-Marshall and Magic Hall of Famer Zvi Mowshowitz walk through the history of banned and restricted cards in Standard, talk about the impact of these bans in the various formats, and Zvi brews a Lukka deck for Standard that he is excited to play with in this new Reclamation-less Standard format. Meanwhile... BDM has been playing Teferi Tribal in Historic and is now in need of a new deck. Badly. Ping him on Twitter and tell him what you are liking now that the format has been shaken up a little. Your Hosts: Brian David-Marshall – @Top8Games Zvi Mowshowitz – @TheZvi --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/top8magic/support

Top 8 Magic: Next Ban Up

BDM and Magic Hall of Famer Zvi Mowshowitz climb back on the virtual bicycle to resume creating new episodes of the game's longest running (okay, okay, walking) podcast about all things MTG. In this episode the duo talk about: Zvi's wolf ratio -- how often has he cried wolf accurately and how many times has it just been a stray dog? SPOILERS Wilderness Reclamation was a MF'n wolf. This weekend's upcoming Player's Tour Finals Top 8 and the various weapons the 8 players will be bringing to the table. Their picks for the winner of the event. SPOILERS: Zvi does some math. Brian plays a hunch.. SPOILERS Zvi does some math. Brian plays a hunch. Gab Nassif's Historic control deck and what Zvi has done to tinker with it for the upcoming Historic Open. The Hat Squad 2 Oath of Teferi (DAR) 200 5 Island (SLD) 64 4 Teferi, Time Raveler (WAR) 221 3 Plains (SLD) 63 3 Teferi, Hero of Dominaria (DAR) 207 1 Teferi, Hero of Dominaria (DAR) GR6 4 Shatter the Sky (THB) 37 4 Shark Typhoon (IKO) 67 2 Elspeth Conquers Death (THB) 13 3 Mystical Dispute (ELD) 58 4 Mind Stone (WTH) 153 1 Dovin's Veto (WAR) 193 2 Omen of the Sea (THB) 58 1 Essence Scatter (IKO) 49 3 Narset, Parter of Veils (WAR) 61 4 Hallowed Fountain (RNA) 251 4 Glacial Fortress (XLN) 255 4 Raugrin Triome (IKO) 251 4 Field of Ruin (THB) 242 1 Fabled Passage (ELD) 244 1 Castle Ardenvale (ELD) 238 Sideboard 2 Aether Gust (M20) 42 3 Dovin's Veto (WAR) 193 2 Essence Scatter (IKO) 49 1 Search for Azcanta (XLN) 74 3 Grafdigger's Cage (M20) 227 2 Tale's End (M20) 77 2 Cleansing Nova (M19) 9 Your hosts: Brian David-Marshall - @Top8Games Zvi Mowshowitz - @TheZvi --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/top8magic/support

Top 8 Magic: Standard Wolf Ratios

The longest running Magic podcast is back with a new (and long-running) episode. Brian David-Marshall is once more joined by Magic Hall of Famer Zvi Mowshowitz as the pair discuss the upcoming Players Tour, recent bannings, the changes to companions, and how Zvi's Stompy deck has found a lane in the Standard metagame. With Magic 2021 spoilers coming fast and furiously they spend the rest of the episode going through the cards and trying to determine if the reprinting of Baneslayer Angel means that we are going to see R&D start to shift further away from Mulldrifters over the coming year in an effort to pump the brakes on the crazy Standard rollercoaster we have been on for the last year and a half. Your hosts: Brian David-Marshall - @Top8Games Zvi Mowshowitz - @TheZvi --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/top8magic/support

Top 8 Magic: You Still Had All These

The much heralded Banned and Restricted announcement has come and gone. While there is some immediate relief for Vintage and Legacy players from Lurrus, if you are a Standard player looking to avoid getting paired against a Companion deck anytime soon you are not going to be happy. There was an interesting nugget buried in the last paragraph of the "Other Formats" section of the announcement in which Ian Duke said, "If we see signs of long-term health issues resulting from high metagame share of companion decks, we're willing to take steps up to or including changing how the companion mechanic works." So what does that mean exactly? Brian "BDM" Marshall had one easy suggestion on Twitter while Hall of Famer Zvi Mowshowitz prefers the nuclear option. https://twitter.com/Top8Games/status/1262400478731796483?s=20 The two of them put on their snazziest R&D/Organized Play hats and triaged the different options which ranged from forced mulligans to killing access to sideboard during games to some kind of Bark in the Park alternative Standard format. Zvi also talked about his Mono Green Stompy deck -- Senior Stompy as BDM call it -- and whether or not it could be a real deck in the metagame moving forward. Here are links to his deck and to a similar but more mid-range build that did well in the past weekend's Redbull Untapped event. https://www.coolstuffinc.com/a/zvimowshowitz-05182020-the-return-of-senor-stompy https://mtgazone.com/deck/mono-green-stompy-by-rint-red-bull-untapped-international-qualifier-1/ If you have any questions, feedback, or even an idea for a show topic you can find the hosts on Twitter at BDM: @top8games Zvi: @thezvi The now elusive MichaelJ: @fivewithflores --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/top8magic/support

Top 8 Magic: Bob Barker Says, Spay and Neuter Your Pets

BDM and Zvi catch up early in the week as Zvi mulls his options for the upcoming Mythic Qualifier on MTG Arena, which he qualified for largely by playing Limited and rarely sporting more than 13 lands in his decks. Fortunately that same deck -- with not that many more lands -- is reasonably playable in Standard. The duo talk through some of the recent metagame shifts from the Weekend Championship which former Rookie of the Year Oliver Tiu won with Jeskai Yorion Fires. Standard is not only pet-friendly right now it is downright mandatory. As Zvi settles firmly into the Top 8 Magic family the scope of the conversation broadened to include baller groceries and favorite TV shows. Your hosts: Brian David-Marshall - @Top8Games Zvi Mowshowitz - @TheZvi --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/top8magic/support

Top 8 Magic: Mythic Choices with Zvi

At this point it is widely accepted that Ikoria Limited's shining star is the cycling deck that features uncommon build-arounds like Flourishing Fox and Valiant Rescuer; super-efficient red removal like Flame Spill and Fire Prophecy; and other key cards like Drannith Stingers and Healers, Ominous Seas, and Zenith Flare. There is a plethora of cheap options all at common or uncommon. As Brian and Zvi get to the rare and mythic cards in their set review they do so with an eye to how many of the pricey rares rise above the high standards of the pauperific staples of the cycling deck. How many cards in the rare slot would YOU take over a Flourishing Fox? Over a Fire Prophecy or Pacifism? Play along as Magic the Gathering Hall of Famer Zvi Mowshowitz digs into which ones rise above the bar for him. Your hosts: Brian David-Marshall - @Top8Games Zvi Mowshowitz - @TheZvi --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/top8magic/support

Top 8 Magic: Cycling Through Ikoria Limited with Zvi: Part 3 - Rares and Mythics

Part 2 of BDM and Zvi's journey through Ikoria limited. This episode covers Red, Green, Multicolored, Artifacts, and Lands. Your hosts: Brian David-Marshall - @Top8Games Zvi Mowshowitz - @TheZvi --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/top8magic/support

Top 8 Magic: Cycling Through Ikoria Limited with Zvi: Part 2

Magic Hall of Famer Zvi Mowshowitz has gotten as low as 13 lands in the Ikoria Limited decks thanks to the power of "Cycling 1." He sits down with co-host Brian David-Marshall to look at the commons and uncommons in White, Blue, and Black as they try to figure out which cards make this draft format tick. They have already discussed the Companions and each other them have had success with them in Draft but is this a Prince or Pauper format? Do the commons and uncommons dominate the strategies or dies it all come down to the rare inhabitants of Monster Island? Your hosts: Brian David-Marshall - @Top8Games Zvi Mowshowitz - @TheZvi --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/top8magic/support

Cycling Through Ikoria Limited with Zvi: Part 1

BDM and Zvi braved the scary new world of Skype-casting so the Hall of Fame Magic player and game designer could vent about free cards. Free cards are fun but not when everybody has them on exactly the turn they need them. Join Brian and Zvi for a brief discussion about the 10 cards with Companion and why Zvi is very wary about them. Your hosts: Brian David-Marshall - @Top8Games Zvi Mowshowitz - @TheZvi --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/top8magic/support

Top 8 Magic: The Ikoria Companion Piece

Brian "BDM" David-Marshall is joined by Magic Hall of Famer Zvi Mowshowitz as they discuss the similarities and differences between the 16 Standard decks being played this weekend at the 26th World Championship. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/top8magic/support

Top 8 Magic: Worlds 2020 Vision

Just another day at the office for BDM and Zvi as the Hall of Famer returns from his weekend in Phoenix to play in his first regional Players Tour event. Topics covered in this episode include: - The Mono Blue Devotion deck designed by Sam Black and played by Zvi - Zvi gets Fblthp'd - How Mike Flores "saved some money" on a hotel room - OH. MY. GOD! Was that an Elspeth, Sun's Nemesis in the Top 8?? - Are bans called for? (spoilers: they are not) - Does a regional Players Tour "feel" like a Pro Tour? Mono Blue Devotion Zvi Mowshowitz -- Pioneer 4 Brazen Borrower 2 Fblthp, the Lost 4 Gadwick, the Wizened 2 Spectral Sailor 4 Thassa's Oracle 1 Thassa, Deep-Dwelling 2 Thassa, God of the Sea 2 Mass Manipulation 4 Witching Well 4 Ashiok's Erasure 4 Leyline of Anticipation 4 Omen of the Sea 17 Island 2 Mystic Sanctuary 4 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx Your hosts: Brian David-Marshall - @Top8Games Zvi Mowshowitz - @TheZvi --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/top8magic/support

Top 8 Magic: Totally Lost in Phoenix

Home of Canadian Magic from the streets of NYC Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/top8magic/support

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Top 8 Magic – magic.facetofacegames.com

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