Magic 2012 prerelease events were held last weekend, and the set is now officially released and legal in Standard. Everyone in the podcast community is talking about the set. Which cards are good? What are the best Limited strategies? Which cards are Commander staples? All of this andmore . . . thisweek in Magic podcasts. Let’s tune in.

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 seventy-five.

CommanderCast #33 – Like a Hurricane

Running time 1 hour 44 minutes

• Andy, Byron, and Justin are joined this week by Cassidy Silver of TCGPlayer.com and You Can’t Handle the Truth.
• Community: Free-For-All Roundtable – Color Identity Rules

• The guys discuss Mark Rosewater’s recent article about hybrid mana cards and their color identity in Commander.
• Rosewater feels that cards with hybrid mana costs like Debtors’ Knell should be treated as either black or white cards rather than both black and white cards.
• This is a relevant topic of discussion for Commander because as the color identity rules currently stand, these cards may only be played in a deck led by a Commander with both colors in its casting cost. Rosewater feels that these cards were designed with the intent that they be treated as one color or the other as opposed to multicolored. This means that a card like Debtors’ Knell should be allowed in a mono-White deck, for instance.
• The guys mostly seem to agree that it would be cool to make these changes to the format, but overwhelmingly feel that the rules are fine as they are today.

• Community: Scalable Strategies

• Cassidy brings an interesting discussion to the table: building Commander decks that scale to the power and skill level of the other decks and players at any given table.
• This was an interesting deck-building theory discussion that I recommend tuning into. Give some thought to what you can do to build this way.

• Strategy: Mono-Green

• In their quest to discuss building monocolored Commander decks in each of the five colors, the group covers Green this week. What strategies and unique ideas are available in Green? Who are the most powerful and most effective commanders to lead your Green army to victory?

• Technology: Mono-Green

• Andy, Byron, Justin, and Cassidy provide their favorite mono-Green deck technology.

• Technology: Hands-On Set Review – New Phyrexia

• As a group, the guys discuss the new Commander staples that New Phyrexia provided, before moving on to cards they each were disappointed with from the set.

The Eh Team #43 – How Is This a Card?

Running time 1 hour 44 minutes

• KYT, Jesse, Jay, and Scott are joined this week by Tom Martell to discuss everything from slaying Internet trolls to M12 Limited (is it the worst set ever?).

Horde of Notions #12a – Funky Cold Medina & #12b – More Medina

Running time 1 hour 38 minutes

• Show notes:

• Chris, Adena and Jack are joined by the one and only Jonathan Medina for a show so epic, it couldn’t be contained in one part. In 12a we talk about some decks we’re playing and have an in-depth discussion about whether Teen Jace or Chandra 3.0 will see more play and settle at a higher price. There’s More Medina as 12b sees more general M12 discussion, a Barrel Roll, reader emails, the moment of geekery and all the usual nonsense.

Inside the Deck – A New Standard

Running time 9 minutes

• Inside the Deck takes a trip down to Friday Night Magic to talk with the crowd about Standard in the brave new world without Jace, the Mind Sculptor and Stoneforge Mystic.
• I know a lot of people are upset about the banning, but overall it seems that the attitude of the player base is very positive. I get the feeling that FNM attendance and tournament attendance in general will increase as a result of WotC’s actions.

Limited Resources #89 – M12 Limited Set Review

Running time 3 hours 15 minutes

• Marshall is back with Sam Stoddard this week to do the famous Limited Resources Limited set review.
• Tune in to hear two very skilled Limited players evaluate each and every common and uncommon in Magic 2012.
• I listened to the show before the M12 prerelease and felt very well-prepared heading into the tournament.

The Magic Show #236 – M12 is Here!

Running time 8 minutes

• Evan Erwin talks this week about some of his favorite cards from M12.

ManaNation #122 – Mark & Zac Part 3

Running time 8 minutes

• Back in March, Trick posted two parts of a very good interview with Zac Hill and Mark Rosewater. This week, he gives us the final installment of that series.

Monday Night Magic #266 – Space Beef

Running time 1 hour 21 minutes

• I was actually able to listen to Monday Night Magic this week, but because it was largely a news item–driven episode, rather than typing up everything they discussed, I’m simply going to give you guys their show notes.
• However, I will pipe up to say that I think Conley was wrong when he commented that Cube is now a supported format on MTGO. I hope and pray that Wizards is working on making it an officially supported format, but for the time being, I don’t believe it is.
• Show notes:

• Tom, Conley, Tristan, Marcel and Adena are here for a fast food and M12 themed podcast.
• We talk about the potential bill that would make streaming MTGO matches a felony offense and how you can blame Minnesota for this one. Make sure to read about Adam Styborski’s MTGO Community Cube and that yes, you can play cube on MTGO! Conley runs us through the updates on the TCGPlayer World Championship tournament and also the cool new beta cart optimizer that potentially help save some money. Check out the packaging for the upcoming Ajani vs. Nicol Bolas Duel Decks. Then, we break full steam into M12 talk (full unofficial spoiler) with limited, constructed, legacy formats, casual, EDH, Tribal discussion and more! Fun to hear how cards like Last Chance and Warrior’s Oath have shot up in value.

Yo! MTG Taps! #71 – Top 12 of M12

Running time 1 hour 11 minutes

• Show notes:

• This week, Joey and Bigheadjoe go over their favorite cards from M12, just in time for the prerelease!

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.

East West Draft Cast #20 – Undealwithables

Running time 52 minutes

• Show notes:

• This week on EWDC Jeff and Greg discuss their recent drafts and compare the fringe archetypes and general fun-level of Scars-block draft to those of other recent draft formats.

Freed From the Reel #125 – More Spoilers than River Song

Running time 29 minutes

• Show notes:

• Commander Decks available now on MTGO! As well as the release, the rules have been synced up (sunk?) with paper rules of color identity.

JudgeCast #30 – Another Rikicast!

Running time 1 hour 43 minutes

• Show notes:

• Riki’s back for this extended-double-huge episode, and he brings the banter. In this mountain of content, we discuss the new changes to the Magic Infraction Procedure Guidelines, tons of great listener questions, Pro Tour Philly anticipation, and all manner of other things Judge. Riki tells us about a couple classic moments in SCG Open history, one of which is documented here and we also reference the Commander decks FAQ (yes, it exists!) here.

The Mana Pool #187 – Guest, Interrupted (and M12)

Running time 2 hours 5 minutes

• Show notes:

• We are joined this episode by one Robert Martin, also known as The Beme. You might know him as the interviewer from The Men of Magic, or maybe from the Hardcast, or maybe even the suddenly-defunct Mana Screwed podcast (go listen to their episodes, dash it all!). He also pops up on Monday Night Magic sometimes! But today, he’s here with us!
• At least, he starts out here with us. Due to circumstances beyond his control, he had to leave us before we actually got to the meat of the episode. He did stick around long enough to give us his take on the new Chandra and Garruk though, and those are the important ones. Before he left, we were reading listener mail and determining the best way to tell our listeners to RTFC. Ah, like that.
• But after that, we took a nice long look at the full set of Magic 2012, and I’m pretty sure we like it. I mean, it sure sounds like we do. Also, Dirk is calling it! Amphin Cutthroat is heralding the introduction of Salamanders in Innistrad! HA!
• I’d like to apologize to everyone expecting something removal-related for this appropriately-numbered episode. In all honesty, we had forgotten that this one was going to be 187. We prostrate ourselves before you and humbly beg forgiveness.

Mana Sculpting #11 – M2012 Limited Strategy

Running time 1 hour 9 minutes

• Show notes:

• In this episode Wally and Trevor cover everything you need to know to succeed at your M2012 pre-release and release events. We cover the top commons and uncommons in every color along with cards that you want to stay clear of. After listening to our cast you will be fully prepared to take on any sealed pool you open and do battle. Remember M2012 is a great opportunity to get new people into the game of Magic and with the deal going down at Lake Geneva Games it is also the cheapest way too. At the end of the cast we offer up a very unique contest.

MTGCast Interviews the Men of Magic #51 – Thea Steele

Running time 50 minutes

• In his first of three interviews out this week, Robert Martin sits down to talk Magic and Cubing with Thea Steele.

MTGCast Interviews the Men of Magic #52 – Luis Scott-Vargas

Running time 44 minutes

• Robert also talks this week with Luis Scott-Vargas about running ChannelFireball.com, balancing married life with playing Magic professionally, and more!

Pauper to the People #15 – M12 Set Review

Running time 1 hour 30 minutes

• Show notes:

• Chris and Matt discuss the commons of the M12 Core Set. It’s all killer, and absolutely no filler. Not even the creamy kind you find in a snack cake. This is Pauper to the People.

The Proffessors #156 – The Standard Environments

Running time 20 minutes

• Show notes:

• Hello everybody and welcome to yet another episode of The Proffessors. This week we’ll take a look at the newest M12 spoilers as they come our way including two new planeswalkers, as well as our discovery of a new standard deck in this new format that we’re finding….well that we’ve found to be absolutely INSANE. (Now remember the last two times we found insane decks they ended up being the over domination of Caw Blade and one of the only decks that had remote potential to beat it, Blue-Red Exarch Twin). We’ve also got a special announcement at the end of the show, so keep watching. Let’s draw.

Scrubland #46 – M12’s Secrets Exposed!

Running time 1 hour 4 minutes

• Show notes:

• Jump on the train to the land of Make-Believe kids! We’re exploring the world of M12 and playing the guessing game for what’s good and what’s not. Stick around until the end, we’re having tea!

Super Friends #5 – Ted Knutson

Running time 55 minutes

• Justin Treadway interviews Ted Knutson of MixedKnuts.com.

Top 8 Magic #309 – Predisposal

Running time 1 hour 37 minutes

• Show notes:

• Michael Flores and I got together last night to drink some cold brewed coffee from Joe’s, talk about the ramifications of the changes to Organized Play for last weekend’s Magic 2012 Prerelease events, make some suggestions on how to handle Prereleases in the future, and do some brainstorming about potential Standard decks for the upcoming $75K tournament in Chicago.
• We also spoke about Pascal Maynard’s winning decklist from the Canadian Magic Tour.

Voice of Seraphim #29 – Channeling Pasta

Running time 1 hour 6 minutes

• Show notes:

• Welcome to Episode 29 of the Voice of Seraphim your source for all the news and information related to Magic Online and the Seraphim Clan! Join hosts Dicax and Eldritch_Song along with Osric to discuss recent clan events, Warmark Events, possible bans and a New Phrexia crack-a-pack.

Yawgmoth’s Soap Opera #23 – Jace Who?

Running time 56 minutes

• Show notes:

• Welcome to another edition of Yawgmoth’s Soap Opera the classic related podcast for the community. M12 Spoiler Time, News of a Player Run Classic League, and the arrival of the Commander decks.

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.

Conquering Commander #1 – Untap all Artifacts

Running time 52 minutes

• Show notes:

• In our first official episode we begin by introducing ourselves, and giving our thoughts on what it means to be a Spike in Commander, which is commonly treated as a more casual format. We then kick off a new series we’ll be doing on the cast: evaluating the cards that either see ubiquitous play in Commander or are seen as auto-includes. This week we share our thoughts on artifacts. In future casts we’ll do lands and each of the colors.

Draftcore #3 – Sayonara M11

Running time 37 minutes

• Show notes:

• Our draft this week is triple M11…for the last time on the night before the M12 prerelease.

Lowered Standards #2 – Psych Out

Running time 36 minutes

• Show notes:

• Our mission is to bring you a condensed 30-40 minute podcast filled with the latest Magic news, a featured LOWERED STANDARDS approved Standard deck, and a Commander Card and challenge of the week! Today we will be discussing some new M12 spoilers including Jace 3.0 and our LOWERED STANDARDS deck of the week is the only deck in town where you can legally play Stoneforge Mystic in Standard after July 1st: the War of Attrition New Phyrexia Event Deck (MSRP $25). We’ll also be discussing the classic and refined Magic Psychographs and where we fit in the spectrum.

Public Enemies #4 – Going Bonkers

Running time 1 hour 30 minutes

• Show notes:

• The quesions for Public Enemies were asked by you the listners. If you are unhappy with the questions and therefore the answers then please come up with better questions!
• M12 Spoilers (Highlight specific cards? – Skinshifter, Visions from Beyond, Jace, Memory Adept, Angelic Destiny, Aegis Angel, Illusion Clone, Warstorm Surge
• Overrun/Mind Control at Uncommon in M12 ?
• Free “magic online” programs?
• MODO versus Real Life?
• What makes a card bannable, broken, or just strong?
• Helping people out who have had there cards lost or stolen by donating cards.

The Scoop Phase #6 – Enjoy the Tan

Running time 1 hour 3 minutes

• Show notes:

• This week we catch up on the last week, because of International Azure Drake Day aka July 4th. We discuss SCG Baltimore’s top 8, as well as dissect the 4-color Loam deck that won it all. Magic 2012 will be releasing soon, and we make predictions of the playability of some of the cards for Legacy. Overextended – should I be playing this awesome format? All signs point to yes, and we tell you what we’re playing in it. The Budget Deck of the Week this week is….BURN! Red Deck Wins.

Serra’s Angels #1 – Hey Baby, Wanna Walk My Plane?

Running time 2 hours 6 minutes

• Show notes:

• The long(?)-awaited first episode of Serra’s Angels is finally here!
• The first ever all-female hosted Magic podcast kicks off with host introductions, discussions of how they all got into the game, as well as lots of meandering silliness and much discussion of Magic-based angel costumes for Halloween… It’s better than it sounds, really!

So Many Insane Plays #3 – M12 Vintage Review

Running time 2 hours 5 minutes

• Show notes:

• Kevin Cron and Steve Menendian review M12 for Vintage and discuss listener feedback on what makes Magic fun.

Tapping it Taber Style #3 – The Commander Fiasco

Running time 1 hour 20 minutes

• Show notes:

• Welcome Back To TABER!!! After a week of being off, Steve’s got alot to talk about. We go into wednesday night Magic, Spoilers, Pre release madness that is about to start. Also about some things that make us mad about local players. Also Cam is gone this week. So Strap in, Hold on, and indulge into the small town Magic seen that is Taber.