Judging from the overwhelmingly positive response I received for last week's "Cast Through Time," my guess is that the bullet-style podcast recap is really what people prefer. I can totally understand this, for several reasons: (1) it's easy to read through quickly, (2) I hit the highlights so that you guys can decide if you want to go and listen or not, and (3) I can cover way more content.

That being said, let's jump in!

Jonathan Medina was everywhere this week! You will notice his name pop up in a number of places in this week's article, hence the title.

ManaNation #119 – Interviewing Jonathan Medina

Running time 13 minutes

• Trick Jarrett of ManaNation.com interviews Jonathan Medina at Grand Prix: Atlanta.
• Jonathan (did you know that he prefers Jonathan to Jon? If you listened to tons of podcasts and read Twitter a lot, you would. This is good to know in case you ever need to get cards from him—make sure you use the right name) played in GP: Atlanta, went 1-3-drop, and traded for the remainder of the weekend.
• Jonathan discusses his approach to the trading tables now that he has made a name for himself with his "Pack to Power" series and his Star City Games premium series: "Going Infinite."
• Jonathan's attitude toward the increased awareness about "value" and trading since the Pack to Power series is really great. He realizes that spreading knowledge about trading throughout the community is more valuable in the long run than his ability to grind out value on trades.
• Regarding MTGO, Jonathan discusses his bot Legit MTG and the strategy he uses to keep it stocked and to always be moving inventory. If you are interested in running a bot on MTGO, Jonathan has written articles in the past about starting and running one. This interview is a good place to start in order to learn a few things about running one.
• Medina shows off his ability to really understand his audience/market in his discussion of MTGO. By really thinking about who you are catering to and giving them what they want (in the case of MTGO buyers, a quick, easy way to get the cards they need), he is able to make more money than he would if he didn't understand his buyers.
• In response to Trick's question (What would you tell someone who came up to you and said "I have no cards and $100, where do I start?"), Jonathan's got some pretty good advice that really may fly in the face of what you expect. His solution sounds like it might not be easy, but I'd be willing to bet that it works.
• The show wraps up with previews for upcoming episodes, including interviews with Aaron Forsythe, Mark Rosewater, Zac Hill, and Mike Turian.

The Eh Team #28 – Self-Destructive Force

Running time 1 hour 31 minutes

• Jonathan Medina joins the boys of The Eh Team once again.
• I love that KYT sounds completely bummed to have Medina on the show again! Hehe. Jonathan was voted onto the show by listeners via Twitter.
• Medina discusses his experience at the SCG Open: D.C., including his on-camera feature match misplay of killing his own Inferno Titan with a Destructive Force. Obviously this wasn't something he was trying to do, but Jonathan is really good-natured about it. I watched this game live on GGSLive, and it was really a shame because he could have won the match—but this is a good lesson in how easy it is make a mistake when you are really under pressure in a game. If you missed it, the play happens at roughly twenty minutes into the video.
• Of course, this being The Eh Team podcast, the guys show no mercy and really let Jonathan have it, asking where he got his Star City Games shirt (accusing him of buying it at the door).
• After Jonathan relates the story, KYT asks the crew what advice everyone has to avoid "Jedi-mind-tricking" yourself in a situation like this one. An interesting discussion follows about slowing down your play and really maintaining awareness of the entire board state as opposed to only focusing on your opponent's board.
• Moving on, KYT asks for everyone's opinion on the Mirrodin Besieged Event Decks. Everyone seems to have the same opinion that LSV expressed last week: The decks are pretty good out of the box, and are very playable with some slight modifications.
• The show then devolves into the required weekly Smitty-bash session for a few minutes.
• Revisiting the SCG Open in Washington, D.C., ScottyMac relates a story of another misplay in a feature match, Jonathan shares a funny GerryT story, and the group discusses the coverage by Joey Pasco and Bigheadjoe.
• Jonathan then asks everyone what decks they are playing for Mirrodin Besieged Game Day and everyone discusses their plans and decks.
• The Game Day discussion leads to an extended analysis of Smitty's latest Green/White aggro brew, which can be seen on his site, 60cards.com.
• JayBoosh and Jonathan Medina are judging a contest on QuietSpeculation.com.

ManaNation Nameless #1 – Needs a Name

Running time 1 hour 17 minutes

• ManaNation's own Trick Jarrett is joined on a brand-new podcast by Jonathan Medina, TCGPlayer.com writer Frank Lepore, and competitive player J. R. Wade.
• In discussing what they intend the podcast to be, the guys do not have a specific direction determined at this point. The show was born out of all four hosts' desire to give something back to the Magic community. With the combined knowledge and experience of the four hosts, I really expect that this will be a good show.
• After introductions, the topic moves on to Legacy, with the guys discussing the recent Time Spiral deck and its potential to be a powerhouse of the format.
• Next up, the guys talk about their personal goals in Magic.

• Jonathan wants to continue to improve his writing in order to be a better Magic writer. He also wants to become a better player. Ultimately, he would like to establish his own website or even a store.
• J. R. hopes to give back to the Magic community more through his participation in this podcast and through writing. He also hopes to get back into the competitive scene and would really like to encourage a more tight-knit local community in Cincinnati.
• Frank wants to continue to improve his writing career, expanding on getting his name out in the community with more articles and with this podcast.
• Trick's goals are to continue to aid in improving and contributing to the community, providing innovation for new ways to improve the experience.

• Discussion of the guys' goals sparks an interesting discussion about the somewhat overwhelming number of Magic-related websites that are available and providing regular content these days. Can all of these various sites survive? Do Magic players have enough time to actually read and enjoy so much content?
• Following that, a topic that I give a lot of thought to comes up: Magic players borrowing cards versus owning the cards themselves. Frank finds it very surprising that many pro players don't own most of the cards that they need to play with, citing as an example a debate he had on Twitter with A. J. Sacher about saving $15 by borrowing four Figure of Destiny rather than buying them outright. I think the guys really hit the nail on the head in saying that the two hours it took A. J. Sacher to find the four Figure of Destiny doesn't seem worthwhile to someone who works a regular nine-to-five job. For many of us who work regular jobs that provide some level of disposable income, it's usually easier simply to buy the cards you want in order to save time in hunting for them, reserving more time for actually testing and playing. For professional players and grinders, however, every dollar saved on cards this way really counts, because while they may be able to make enough money to live by playing Magic, I doubt that they can afford to just throw it away on cards that may or may not hold their value or even remain playable.
• Eric Klug of Klug Alters gets a shout-out for his fantastic recent work on Magic card alters. If you haven't seen it yet, check out Eric's website. His alters are absolutely amazing. I want so many of the alters he has posted on eBay, but the auctions end at really crazy prices and I haven't picked any up yet.
• The guys also talk about the recent trend of tournaments and events increasing entry fees without increasing prize payouts, and what impact that may have on future attendance.
• So far, it does not appear that increased entry fees are having much impact on attendance, as the topic moves onto the Star City Games Open series and how it continues to grow at a rapid pace. At this point, the series events seem to be approaching the size of Grand Prix tournaments, which are a regular part of the official Wizards of the Coast tournaments.
• Wrapping up, the guys are having a contest to name their podcast! Visit the show's contest submission form for your chance to win:

• $50 gift certificate to CoolStuffInc.com
• 1 Gideon Jura
• 1 Stoneforge Mystic
• 1 Sword of Body and Mind
• 1 Klug card-alter

• One runner-up will also receive four Green Sun's Zeniths!

Forcespikes #18 – Greg's superhappyfuntimedenveradventure

Running time 1 hour 20 minutes

• Forcespikes co-host Greg relates his experience at Grand Prix: Denver. Despite not making the Top 8, Greg's weekend really sounds like a blast.

The Mana Pool #168 – Tribal Time with Tom!

Running time 1 hour 38 minutes

• The hosts of The Mana Pool are joined this week by none other than Tom Gustafson of Monday Night Magic fame.
• Tom joins the show discussing his Quest for Ula's Temple deck, participating in this week's Story Circle, which has a tribal theme.
• The show now has its own website. Check out TheManaPool.com.
• On the new website, you may want to check out their Mana Pool contest.
• Also discussed on the show are the new Deck Builder's Toolkits and listener e-mail.

CommanderCast #17 – Make Your Own Rules

Running time 1 hour 26 minutes

• Regular co-hosts Andy, Donovan, and Byron are once again joined by everyone's favorite casual player, Adam Styborski.
• Also joining the show this week is Alex, a member of the Commander Rules Committee.
• The first section of this week's show is a special segment in which Alex answers questions that the hosts collected from listeners.
• In this week's Community segment, the guys discuss and brainstorm ideas for building Commander decks with a theme in mind, whether it be a tribal theme, a theme based around card art, or any other.
• In a great spin on the Strategy segment, Adam addresses a common deck-building habit that many Commander players have that he believes is incorrect.

Monday Night Magic #249 – Jace in Your Face

Running time 1 hour 22 minutes

• Tom, Chris, Jack, and Tristan are back with another installment of Monday Night Magic.
• The show begins with a discussion about the future of Magic where improved technology is concerned. What can Wizards of the Coast do to improve cards and keep the game modern while maintaining the classic feel of the game in the future?
• Chris discusses with the group his interview with Gary Wise on the Men of Magic show.
• Chris also brings up the topic of Patrick Sullivan's win in the Standard portion of the Star City Games Open series in Edison, New Jersey, leading to a discussion of the possibility of Koth of the Hammer making a comeback in Standard, and the top three Planeswalkers currently in the format.
• The April Friday Night Magic promotional card has been revealed to be Artisan of Kozilek, which features the new FNM logo (which is a pretty awesome logo, btw).
• News items covered:

• Hasbro posts higher-than-anticipated earnings for the first quarter of 2011.
• Union protests in Wisconsin may impact a local PTQ.
• Jace has new emo art on the new Deck Builder's Toolkit.
• A few new pieces of art have been spoiled on the MTGSalvation forums.
• Monday Night Magic will have a very special live show for its 250th episode (the live episode is actually going on as I write this).

• Monday Night Magic is hosting a contest. Listeners have to create a From the Vault set featuring "legends without legs." The set should feature "your choice of fifteen noncreature Legends with some sort of theme or playability."

• In order to join the contest, simply post your list in the comment section of the episode on either MTGCast.com or ChannelFireball.com.
• Contest ends on March 18.
• Prizes awarded to four randomly drawn submitters are:

• 1st place: 2 foil Koth of the Hammer
• 2nd place: 2 foil Blightsteel Colossus
• 3rd and 4th place: Japanese Jace vs. Chandra Duel Deck

MTGCast Interviews the Men of Magic #15: Tom Martell

Running time 53 minutes

• Chris Otwell and Rob Martin were very busy this week, releasing three new episodes of their MTGCast Interviews series.
• In Episode #15, the guys talk with Magic player and writer Tom Martell.
• Listen in to learn more about Tom or visit his website, TomMartell.com.

MTGCast Interviews the Men of Magic #16: Matthew Nass

Running time 40 minutes

• Perennial Elf player Matt Nass is interviewed in Episode #16.

MTGCast Interviews the Men of Magic #17: Frank Lepore

Running time 1 hour 3 minutes

• TCGPlayer.com writer and newly minted podcast co-host Frank Lepore join Chris and Robert for the seventeenth installment of MTGCast Interviews the Men of Magic.

Crazy Talk #2 – Playing with Candlesticks

Running time 1 hour 42 minutes

• Regular hosts KYT, Alexander, and Frank are joined this week by competitive Canadian Legacy player David Schnayer.
• The show begins with a discussion about the new MTGO preconstructed Legacy deck Bolt Slinger and Exiler. The guys talk about which deck is better, if either of them is actually competitive, and what changes should be made to each once purchased. (I went ahead and bought the Exiler deck while listening to the show.)
• In talking about resources for more and better Legacy information, Frankie recommends MTGTheSource.com as a great place for anyone interested in getting into Legacy.
• The group discusses with David the disparity in skill level between competitive Legacy players and competitive Standard players. Apparently, it is commonly noticed that Legacy players on average don't have quite the same skill level as your average Standard player. The guys offer their theories on why this may be.
• The guys then go over a number of combo decks that are popular or growing in popularity—Counter-Top, Cephalid Breakfast, High Tide, ANT, and others.
• Once again, none other than Jonathan Medina joins the show at around the forty-two-minute mark.
• Medina jumps in with the guys to talk about the High Tide deck and the price spike of Candelabra of Tawnos in response to the deck doing well at a recent Star City Games Open.
• To wrap up the show after talking about Legacy for a while, the guys talk about the most recent version of Caw-Blade, cleverly dubbed "Darkwing Duck."

ChannelFireball Presents: The Hardcast #6

Running time 56 minutes

• Tristan-Shaun Gregson and Robert Martin review the week in ChannelFireball.com articles.
• Now that the new Deck Builder's Toolkits are available, the guys discuss the contents. These really sound like great products for new players.
• Tristan provides his Top Five Buys and Top Five Sells of the week.
• To wrap up, the duo recommend a deck to play at Friday Night Magic, and Tristan offers his Coupon of the Week!

Limited Resources #73 – Taking Control

Running time 1 hour 2 minutes

• In this week's Limited Resources, Marshall and Ryan talk about the impact that Mirrodin Besieged has had on the Scars of Mirrodin draft format.
• Specifically, the guys focus on some of the cards that Mirrodin Besieged provided for the control archetype in the format.
• The show kicks off with responses to a few listener e-mails about Limited Resources #72 – Head Games.
• This week's Crack-a-Pack:

• Razorfield Rhino
• Turn the Tide
• Loxodon Partisan
• Bladed Sentinel
• Rally the Forces
• Flensermite
• Morbid Plunder
• Unnatural Predation
• Rusted Slasher
• Phyrexian Digester
• Viridian Claw
• Go for the Throat
• Septic Rats
• Slagstorm

• Go for the Throat was a strong contender for Pack 1, Pick 1 until Marshall got to Slagstorm. Board-sweepers in limited are very strong, and as a first pick, you can really build around a card like Slagstorm. Listen in to hear how Slagstorm leads to a great discussion about board-sweepers, which segues right into the main topic of control decks in the new Scars of Mirrodin limited format.
• The show wraps up with the guys responding to Travis Woo's recent article on ChannelFireball.com, A Mixed Bag (of Elves, Extended, and More). Marshall and Ryan particularly take issue with Woo's point in the article about looking at the top card of your deck after making a decision to mulligan. This was a really interesting discussion point, especially because I am 100 percent completely terrible at correct mulligans.

Magic TV #80 – New MTGO Standard Series on ChannelFireball

Running time 15 minutes

• Tristan-Shaun Gregson, Humphrey, and Luis Scott-Vargas return this week to announce LSV's new video series to be hosted on ChannelFireball.
• The Standard Series will feature different Standard decks being run through the gauntlet on MTGO in order to test their matchups and possibly recommend any tips or changes that may be useful to make them better.
• I personally am very excited about this series. I really do enjoy all of the draft videos that flood the Internet every week, but constructed matchups are almost always more fun to watch. This may not be everyone's opinion, but as a player who prefers constructed, I really like this style.

The Magic Show #224 – Open Series Review

Running time 10 minutes

• This week on The Magic Show, Evan Erwin sits down with Star City Games Coverage Manager Glenn Jones and Acquisitions Manager Matt Gargiulo to talk about their Open series.
• The Open series continues to grow in popularity each week, with the Washington, D.C., event breaking all previous attendance records at 693 players.
• Star City Games has announced the formats for their two Open series Invitational events. Each Invitational will be a split between Legacy and Standard formats, forcing players to be adept at both formats in order to succeed.