Hey there, guys. I’m going to beg your forgiveness this week, as I just did not have a chance to listen to very many podcasts. I made an “in real life” career change recently and it’s a pretty big deal in my life, so Magic took something of a back seat to everything else going on.

I did listen to a few and wrote them up below, and I did gather up all of our favorite shows along with their show notes for you guys.

Note that we got a few new shows this week, about which you’ll find information in the last section of this article titled “In Development.” Please check out the following shows, which are new this week: “The Show,” “The Great Debate,” and “MTG Brainstorm.”

Format Staples

Format staples are my favorite shows and the shows I believe are the most important for someone interested in Magic: The Gathering and podcasts to be listening to week in and week out. You want these in your 75.

CommanderCast #27 – The RePodcastening

Running time 1 hour 53 minutes

• Show notes:

• CommanderCast’s noise-pollution generating machine is back operating at full capacity for another 13 episodes of Commander’s REALEST talk. A near-two-hour extravaganza opens the season with Andy, Carlos, Byron and Donovan spitting truth into the EDH cipher. For the season premiere, we’re busting the mailbag wide open, talking early-turn plays, and of course, Secret Tech is back on deck bringing you some obscure and delicious cardboard for your decks to absorb.

CrazyTalk #13 – Frank’s Crazy Past

Running time 2 hours 3 minutes

• Show notes:

• Crazy Talk’s own Frank gets asked the Five and our listeners can expect one crazy answer this week. KYT, Alex and Frank go on to talk about their GP Providence experience.
• GP Providence Top 8

Limited Resources #84 – Community Cup Ho!

Running time 1 hour 35 minutes

• Show notes:

• Join Limited Resources for one of Ryan’s final shows! Marshall talks about his invite to the Community Cup, while Ryan talks about the lead-up to working at Wizards of the Coast and recaps the Rooster Draft format. For the main topic, the boys discuss the impact of New Phyrexia on the Scars-block Draft format now that they’ve both played it a bit, and touch on the upcoming triple-NPH queues on Magic Online as well.

Magic TV #91 – A Month of Magic

Running time 18 minutes

• Tristan and LSV talk about the upcoming Pro Tour schedule.
• LSV played in Grand Prix: Providence over Memorial Day weekend, and from there he heads to Singapore for Grand Prix: Singapore then to Pro Tour: Nagoya, wrapping up at Grand Prix: Kansas City.
• In addition to all of his Pro Tour competition, LSV will be competing in the Magic Online Community Cup at Wizards of the Coast headquarters in Seattle.
• The guys discuss the various formats LSV will be playing in these events and his feelings going into the tournaments.

Monday Night Magic #261 – Wednesday Morning Magic

Running time 1 hour 29 minutes

• Show notes:

• It’s late, but it is also just that much better with a bit of age. Tom, Tristan, Adena and Robert bring you a special Wednesday morning “coyote ugly” edition of MTGCast full of M12, DoTP 2012, Commander, and more!
• We run through the new M12 mechanics (and don’t miss a very bloodthirsty dragon), sneak previews from Tristan at the DoTP 2012 preview (official WoTC DoTP page) and more. Congrats to all of the MTGCast’ers in the 2011 Community Cup featuring Ryan on the WoTC side (congrats on the new job!) and Marshall on the community side. Adena notes the very cool observation that per the rules of the Modern format (anything with new card frame) that Commander cards (current spoiler list) are fair game!
• Listener Emails

• A slew of great emails. Link to the YouTube Epic Rap Battles of History. And the official movie page of “Hobo with a Shotgun” featuring one of my favorite actors, Rutger Hauer. Link to more info about Surge, the ultimate beverage.

The Third Power #15 – Mise en Place

Running time 1 hour 31 minutes

• Show notes:

• In this episode of The Third Power, Usman and Anthony discuss the various ways to categorize cards in cube – is Kird Ape a red card or a red-green (Gruul) card? How much of an impact does either categorization have? Tune in to find out!
• The title “Mise En Place” means “everything in its place.” It’s used in culinary circles when describing making things like chopped items, herbs, seasoning, etc ready to make the cooking process easier and less hectic. We <3 esoteric references on The Third Power!
• Blog post with the crack-a-pack for this week

Untapped #11 – Prop Bets, Squirrels and Imaginary Beards

Running time 1 hour 58 minutes

• Show notes:

• We kick it with Sam Stod and talk about a myriad of topics.
• Trick is Missing
• MIA Last Week – Sorry no cast last week guys!
• Round Table Stod – Each of us ask a question. JR makes it about him.
• M12 Spoilers – Sorin Confirmed, Hexproof, Bloodthirst, Gideon’s Avenger (WOW, says Frank!) (http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=320290)Ban Stoneforge? (Ban Jace?) – The results have been very Stoneforge heavy. NPH doesnt seem to have changed much except giving these douche bags Batterskull to batter our skulls with.
• Providence Predictions – What will win it? Who will win it? Will a Legacy specialist finally win a Legacy GP (probably not).
• Commander Promos – http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=326603
• The awesome squirrels! – http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showpost.php?p=6784400&postcount=10
• OverExtended or Modern? – OverExtended implies all cards from Invasion forward. Modern is specified as all cards with “new” card frames (Mirrodin forward). Which is better? Why, when WotC has recently premiered Modern at the Community Cup, are people still asking for OverExtended? Would they settle for Modern?
• SCG Mobile – It’s revealed!
• Shoutouts

Yo! MTG Taps! #67 – Romancing the Stoneblade

Running time 1 hour

• Show notes:

• Joey and Bigheadjoe talk about the latest news on M12 and the newly unveiled “Modern” format, discuss the reactions to last week’s episode, and go over the results of Grand Prix Providence!
• The Mechanics of M12
• M12 Product images (new art Garruk sleeves)
• Modern format announced for Community Cup
• Larry Swasey’s PTQ-winning UG Aggro deck – writeup by Mike Flores
• Coverage of GP Providence

The Sideboard

The Sideboard includes shows that may or may not record every week but are quality podcasts that you may be interested in. At a minimum, I will provide the show notes, but in the case of better-than-usual episodes will provide recap or commentary. You don’t run them in every deck, but they are often a great metagame call.

The Hardcast #15

Running time 50 minutes

• Show notes:

• Another GP and another successful run by Team CFB with Paulo making the final 4 and Owen making another top 8 and now is level 6 for the season already.
• Does this lead to LSV Pseudo prediction of Owen being POY become more of a reality?
• Next is GP Singapore with the pros getting 1 day at home and then off, what are some of the challenges they will face because of this. Does this handicap some CFB Team?
• Cube quandary of the week?
• How big do you go? Who out there actually play Emrakul in their Cubes?
• With coming in focus for the Pros what deck(s) will be popular?
• Top 5 players that impress you as a player (non CFB players)
• Looks like we got a new issue – Stoneforge to Batterskull has gotten many of pros at GP Providence not thrill with the format is this forcing Wizard’s to make a banning?
• FNM Deck of the Week – Angles by Smi77y

Horde of Notions #8 – From the Lab to Your Hearts

Running time 2 hours 1 minute

• Show notes:

• Chris, Jack, and Adena discuss random combos and crazy card interactions with the master deckbuilder from the LAB (and the mothership), Noel deCordova, in his first EVER appearance on a podcast. Later, they are joined by Brian from Avant Card Show who adds his insight (and insults) as they mill through the listener email.
• Noel deCordova archive
• Avant Card show
• June 4 – Listener event
• Random Moment of Geekery: When the Sleeper Wakes
• Toonzai
• Teefury
• Build your own urinal out of old video game cartridges
• Order of the Stick
• Creepy Horsedog Robot

In Contention #47 – Missteping Legacy

Running time 1 hour 36 minutes

• Show notes:

• Sam and Kranny put their rant hats on, and talk about the proliferation of blue-control strategies in Legacy, the impact Misstep is having at GP Providence, and the exciting new format Modern.

JudgeCast # 29 – Tasty Myr Battlespheres

Running time 47 minutes

• Show notes:

• For this episode, Sean and Jose discuss the new judge classes you can find here, changes to FNM’s offerings, listener questions, characteristic-defining abilities, and fixing the last episode where Sean cut a part out that he shouldn’t have.

The Mana Pool #180 – Headline: M12 Goes Bloodthirsty, Dies

Running time 2 hours 25 minutes

• Show notes:

• Even though we ran through over 30 emails in the last episode, we still have more! So we took another chunk out of the remaining emails. I really enjoy doing lots of listener mail, because it lets us talk about all kinds of things we wouldn’t ordinarily talk about. For instance, an email gave me a perfect segue into discussing a new repacked product thing I got at Target!
• But of course, we had to talk about lots of other things this episode! Which we were able to do, because Brian couldn’t be with us. Apparently he couldn’t stop coughing for more than a few seconds at a time, so he opted out. Of all people though, Dirk really picked up the slack Brian left us. He’s on fire! (be sure to read that in the NBA Jam announcer voice)
• As far as what other stuff, it was all M12 all the time baby! Well not really, but we did talk about all the M12 stuff that has come to light since our last recording. It’s all down there in those links
• Mechanics and whatnot
• Buy-a-box Promo
• Core Set Survivor
• New Dragon
• Old Dragon

MTGCast Interviews the Men of Magic #46 – Amanda Stevens

Running time 51 minutes

• Show notes:

• In this episode of the MTGCast Interviews the Men of Magic, Presenting series, the Host(s) interviews: Amanda Stevens
• This week’s Men of Magic interview is with a person who is the lead on the site Red Cast Wins, along with host of Red Cast Wins podcast. A journalist who has interviewed Patrick Chapin and who manages at the end of the interview to make the host do more answering than giving of questions.

Pauper to the People #10 – Eldrazi Spawn Camper

Running time 56 minutes

• Show notes:

• In which Tuna discusses his R/G Eldrazi Spawn/Token deck. Also, stunning announcements that rip the very fabric of time asunder. Stay tuned to the very end for a sneak peek at next week’s episode. This is Pauper to the People.
• Be sure to check out our new sponsor, ABUGames! Go to abugames.com for your Magic: the Gathering needs, and let them know Chris and Matt sent you!

Scrubland #42 – Life, The Universe, and Everything

Running time 1 hour 12 minutes

• Show notes:

• That’s right folks, we’ve got the answer. Scrubland is shaking up the format by putting the ball in YOUR court this week! Check us out on Facebook for the first part of our community driven deck building project. It’s a guided experience that has us all on edge as we search for the elusive answer to Caw-Blade.
• After the break, DSale gets himself all worked up about the next great format: Modern! For more information about Modern and Overextended, check out these very informative links:
• Modern
• Overextended website & article.

Top 8 Magic – Talking Duels 2012 with Paul Levy

Running time 17 minutes

• Show notes:

• I was lucky enough yesterday to get a sneak peak at Duels of the Planeswalkers 2012 courtesy of Magic Brand Manager Paul Levy. Paul sat down for a podcast to discuss the online release on June 15th and I was excited to hear about how closely integrated Duels 2012 is with the upcoming base set release. I was even more excited when I got to see some actual M12 booster packs (sadly I could not convince anyone to draft with them — or even open them) AND some actual M12 cards that are featured in some of the decks in the game. I also walked away with the promo Grave Titan, Frost Titan (and Top8Magic listeners know I am excited about that one), and Inferno Titan. Depending on what platform you purchase Duels 2012 on you will get a code redeemable for one of these alternate art beauties.
• Duels of the Planeswalkers goes on sale for Xbox Live Arcade, PC via Steam, and PlayStation Network on June 15th. Magic 2012 Core Set will be available on July 15th at game stores the worldwide. Players from both the digital and analog sides of the game will come together for a Magic Celebration on September 10th all around the world.

• In the meanwhile enjoy these preview of a handful of the cards that appear in the Magic 2012 Core Set. You can find the rest of those images below the fold — or not if you don’t like spoilers.

In Development

Shows in development are newer podcasts. I will keep you guys up to date on new shows as they arrive on the scene, at a minimum providing show notes and possibly providing recap and analysis (I'm more likely to start writing about new shows once they've made it through five episodes and have begun to hit their stride). Consider these shows the cards you play with for the first time at the prerelease: You are excited to try them out but no one is sure how much play they will see.

Channel Fireball The Show #1 – Mulligans

Running time 19 minutes

• Not much info was given with the posting of this video, but I’m kind of hoping this is a new video series by ChannelFireball.com in which pros on the CF team sit down to take a look at “Pro Tips,” discussing these ideas and really fleshing them out.
• In the inaugural episode, Mashi Scanlan, Paul Rietzl, and Matt Sperling discuss the concept of mulligans.
• I have to admit, this was a pretty good video. I would really like to see this turn into a series. For a simple look into a discussion between pros about concepts we all think about anyway, tune in and watch this video. With enough views, I hope the guys will continue to produce more of these.

The Great Debate #1 – Modern vs. Overextended

Running time 23 minutes

• Show notes:

• In this edition of The Great Debate the topic is Modern, Overextended and the Death of Extended. Gavin Verhey, Sam Stoddard and Chris Lansdell discuss the potential replacements for a dying Extended format, debate the relative merits of the proposed starting points for the proposed Modern and Overextended formats and look at some metagame choices and suggested banned lists.
• Overextended homepage
• Modern format details

The Great Debate #2 – Ratings

Running time 26 minutes

• Show notes:

• In this edition of The Great Debate the topic is Ratings. Sam, Gavin and Chris talk about the shortcomings of the current ratings system, some possible alternatives and some of the anomalies caused by the chess-style system. They also discuss the recent change to the ratings qualification deadline for Nationals.

MTG Brainstorm #1 – Brainstorm News, Strategies and Reviews

Running time 32 minutes

• Show notes:

• Our first podcast letting the people know about us and getting Phil down with new Phyrexia card and the other cards he missed. We are also going to be talking about some of or favorite cards and decks. So hoping for next week we get some feedback from other people out there so please send it in mtgbrainstorm@gmail.com

Red Cast Wins #3 – Craw Wurm Beats Necropotence

Running time 55 minutes

• Show notes:

• We are down a Sean, but more than fill the gap with a special guest. @Jayboosh from the Eh Team joins us for a few laughs and gives us a nice clip for our intro. We talk with JayBoosh about trading, Canadian , and our project to get Luis to GP Montreal. Link in the show notes.

The Scoop Phase #2 – I’m Not Eating Pie from Waffle House!

Running time 1 hour

• Show notes:

• In this episode, Zac and Daedae go over GP Providence and make predictions of PT Nagoya. We also go into a tangent about the power of Stoneforge Mystic and somehow end up in an arguement although we’re on the same side of the fence. Don’t forget to comment and tune in next week when we will have a budget deck ready for any of you itching to get into the format! Enter the Scoop Phase as though it were an instant.