Dominaria's Judgment 164: How's the Beatdown?

I've been joking about scheduling a Premodern episode for a slow news week but right now there's one topic that's the talk of the town and... it's Premodern! As the format gains momentum online and offline, I wanted to give a quick runthrough of what to expect, what the format is about/for, and how it compares (for better and worse) to modern and Modern Magic. Sam Black's Premodern summarySpike Colony Podcast

Joseph Puglisi made his mark on Modern very emphatically this RC season, developing the Jeskai list that took his Scrapheap teammate Vinnie Fino to the trophy in Houston (beating his brother John in the finals) and reviving the Izzet Opal/Cutter deck for his own finals appearance in Vegas - but he may not even be the best player in his own household! Before jetting off for an extended victory lap in Japan, he drops by to glaze his brother/team and discuss how he and they manage to ambush formats (and the English language...) so often.  Jenga vs Slop

Reformed podcaster Ari Lax relapses briefly to talk through his stint suiting up for Legacy commentary with Jarvis for Nathan Steuer's clinical domination of the DMV Legacy League 5k + Invitational and what the bans mean for a newly disentombed Legacy before turning our attention to... well, everything else! 00:00 Legacy commentary + bans48:00 Other (non/)bans + the future of Standard

After another pair of barnstorming performances with a deep run at PT EOE and a Top 4 at RC Houston, reformed 'caster and relapsed grinder Collins Mullen returns to wax lyrical about Amulet Titan - the (too?) good, the malevolent, and the beautiful 

Shortly after PT EOE I had a thoughtful (+ occasionally, delightfully nonsensical) chat with rising star and Modern lover Paul Green about his rise from local + casual Magic to becoming a Pro Tour mainstay and getting ready for his first Worlds. If his thoughts on preparation + process don't help you, his infectious enthusiasm for Modern surely will!

The show is back, the Modern PT is back, Amulet is back (did it ever leave?!)... we're all so back. Here/there for the first time is Mason Buonadonna, whose PT Top 8 debut here is no surprise to grinders, Legacy players, or the great nation of Iowa. He joins Dom for a personal and primeval victory lap and a look at a thriving (?) Modern post-PT as the RCs draw near.Dom's Amulet primer/guide for RC HoustonMason's Amulet primer/guide for RC HoustonDiscord 

There are fifteen sets to cover and one intrepid host to cover them - a monologue on the hits and misses of the set, its implications for Magic, and the many weird little guys within Patreon / Discord 

With Ari attending to a baby sprite dragon and Dom left to judge on all his own, the streams crossed this week as former MTG Grindcast co-host Collins Mullen drops by to talk about requalifying for the PT at RC Minneapolis, Standard lessons for RC Hartford and beyond, and what preparing for tournaments looks/feels like as we all get older (and wiser?)Patreon / Discord 

No last hurrah would be complete without a timeless (...and somewhat overdue) theory article so here Ari shares what's on his mind as he gallops off into the sunset - the hard problems in Magic then, now, and in betweenSam Black on PlaystylesPatreon / Discord 

Bans have struck and every format is about to be caught up in a dragon storm... or are they? We go over the changes coming everywhere - including the podcast itself!00:00 Intro + Pauper05:15 Legacy27:55 Pioneer/Explorer30:50 Modern38:44 Standard + Tarkir1:15:15 Special AnnouncementPatreon / Discord