Episode 325 - Commander Brackets

With the start of the new year comes new shows, and this year, Thursty is not only attending a number of shows, more than in a number of prior years, but also shows that aren't just dedicated to Magic. Some aren't even related to Magic at all but different collectibles markets entirely. Spend time with us as we discuss the shows that Thursty has been to, his upcoming February shows, the details about why they chose to vend them. and their expectations.

Aetherdrift, the 103rd Magic the Gathering expansion is on the horizon, which means it's time to reivew our "hype" assessments for Duskmourn. How accurate were we? Were we off base or was it the children who were?

A few weeks ago, as proof we play Magic the Gathering, both Thursty and Halt took place in an off camera friends and family Vintage Rotisserie Draft. Split over two days, the in person draft took place the night before giving players several hours to build and test their lists before playing out the next days. Seven rounds brought us a top four that included our own Halt_I_m_Reptar, though he lost his first match to Thursty. Recorded and commentated on for your enjoyment! The draft document can be found below long with the moxfield link to Halt's list, the St Lotus YouTube and Twitch channels and as always, if you want to try your hand at rotisserie drafting, the Discord link can be found below as well. Halt's Decklist: https://moxfield.com/decks/0Z7qGEuDeUKP9J4kZYN7ZQ Full VRD Draft list: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/13k_ngNdcZ3ZO3Up29-ZAtXhs9ss2t55E_whbZitmPtE/edit?usp=sharing Come Draft with us on Discord: https://discord.com/invite/nxBPYXn St Lotus YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpwS9X2A-5pmo1txhyD7eoA Follow St Lotus on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/stlotusmtg

With the first Spotlight Series event firmly in the past and an entire year of RCs and Spotlights ahead of us, we discuss what each of us is looking forward to in the coming year. What at the LGS level is appealing with the OP roadmap laid out? As a vendor what are we excited to see with the coming sets and release schedule? https://magic.gg/news/announcing-the-magic-spotlight-series https://magic.gg/news/play-in-rcqs-earn-secret-lair-promos-and-qualify-for-pro-tour-3-in-2025

It's 2025 and we're back with our yearly tradition of discussing what we would do if we ran Hasbro. Secret Layers, Baulders Gate 3, and the finalization of the eOne sale. What a year it's been. Casting out lens, we look at the decisions we saw coming out of Hasbro and WotC and put together some notes and things we'd like to see them do better, things we'd change, things we'd improve. Even a few things we'd like to do away with. Join us on this rocky ride as we discuss what we would do in 2025 if we ran Hasbro.

It's 2025 and we're back with our yearly tradition of discussing what we would do if we ran Hasbro. Secret Layers, Baulders Gate 3, and the finalization of the eOne sale. What a year it's been. Casting out lens, we look at the decisions we saw coming out of Hasbro and WotC and put together some notes and things we'd like to see them do better, things we'd change, things we'd improve. Even a few things we'd like to do away with. Join us on this rocky ride as we discuss what we would do in 2025 if we ran Hasbro.

This week we look back at Magic in 2024 and discuss what we encouraging and what was discouraging. What could be improved and what worked. How did the set release cadence, Secret Lair drops, and handling of constructed impact the game. Effectively grading Magic in 2024 across several, easy to understand metrics with a side of "what happened at the LGS this year?!"

As with anything great, change is to be expected. Throughout 2024 we had discussed changes we wanted to make both in our community and with the podcast and after months of discussion we finally settled on the changes we wanted to see. In this short episode, we breakdown, point by point the updates we'll be making to the podcast in the coming year and also what to expect of us moving forward.

As our sixth year as a podcast draws to a close, we continue our process of self reflection and growth. This episode we look back at two picks each, and discuss what they represent to us: winners and losers alike, there's always a lesson to be learned.

As we begin our yearly look back and take inventory of our processes and lessons learned, we are starting out on a personal level. Have the means by which we engage with the game changed? And if so, how? How have we navigated the financial landscape this year? Casting a critical lense as our processes, lessons learned, and heuristics is an important part of holding ourselves accountable and grow. So join us as we take a look back at a wild year of Magic.