#192 - Back to Square One

It seems like all we ever have time for these days is set reviews with the amount of cards coming out and accelerated release schedule from Wizards of the Coast. We barely get a chance to play with the cards from a new set before more are on the way. It's suffocating, it's hard to breathe, it's . . . no wait, it's this house? It's having some kind of effect on me and it feels like I'm going to die! RUN! The newest set, Duskmourn: House of Horrors preys on our fears and chills us to the bone with its disturbing images and homage to some of our favorite horror movies. The set has had countless flavor wins so far and is sure to be "killer" with commander players, but how about in Pioneer? So far the overall opinion of the First Pioneers is that it is one of the stronger sets to come out for the format in a while, and we look forward to testing out some of the new cards in our favorite decks. See which new cards make the "cut" and which other ones will be left hanging in the rafters of the attic!   Be sure to contact us if you are looking forward to play with some of the new cards or want to talk with them!   Our Discord: https://discord.gg/SBRF8DH Our Twitter: https://twitter.com/MtgPioneer You can find our other episodes on the Untap Leagues website as well! https://untapleagues.com/author/the-first-pioneers/

Bloomburrow is bringing bunches of new typal cards and adding more choices to previously underwhelming categories of cards that should eventually lead to an expanding choice of decks in Pioneer. While we might not see the immediate change in the format, it doesn't hurt to explore. In this week's episode the First Pioneers talk about updates to some of their favorite decks as well as some new strategies they think might finally have what it takes to break into the metagame.   Be sure to stop by our Discord or Twitter afterwards to talk about some of your own brews you're working on with cards from the newest set, Bloomburrow!   Our Discord: https://discord.gg/SBRF8DH Our Twitter: https://twitter.com/MtgPioneer You can find our other episodes on the Untap Leagues website as well! https://untapleagues.com/author/the-first-pioneers/

The First Pioneers come off their long hiatus to talk about the newest Magic the Gathering Set, Bloomburrow, and how it might fit into the Pioneer metagame. The new set brings a lot of new typal cards with it, with an interesting mix of non traditional effects that could amplify the power of current decks, revitalize dead or dying archetypes, or birth "offspring" into the format with entirely new decks. Listen to see where we think these cards will fit into Pioneer then be sure to join us on Twitter or on our Discord afterwards to discuss the new cards!   Our Discord: https://discord.gg/SBRF8DH Our Twitter: https://twitter.com/MtgPioneer You can find our other episodes on the Untap Leagues website as well! https://untapleagues.com/author/the-first-pioneers/

They ridiculed me. They laughed at me. They told me Waste Not would never be a playable deck in Pioneer. BUT WHO'S LAUGHING NOW?!?!? This week the First Pioneers break down the latest build of the Waste Not deck and talk about how the deck is winning, why it's suddenly better than it has been in past metas, and how you can play it. If you feel like talking more about it, be sure to stop in to our Discord or follow us on Twitter/X!   Our Discord: https://discord.gg/SBRF8DH Our Twitter: https://twitter.com/MtgPioneer You can find our other episodes on the Untap Leagues website as well! https://untapleagues.com/author/the-first-pioneers/

Howdy Partners! This week the First Pioneers put on our cowboy boots, holster our six-shooters, and straighten the brim of our Stetson hats to bring you the Pioneer set review for Outlaws of Thunder Junction! We go over what cards are going to make a splash in the format, which ones will be fun to brew with, and which will ones could end up being role players. After listening be sure to stop by our Discord or Twitter to share your top 5 or to talk about what cards you're most excited to play with from the new set!   Our Discord: https://discord.gg/SBRF8DH Our Twitter: https://twitter.com/MtgPioneer You can find our other episodes on the Untap Leagues website as well! https://untapleagues.com/author/the-first-pioneers/

It's been quite a while since we talked about one drops in the Pioneer format (almost 3 years to be exact. Strixhaven had just come out!), but with the recent influx of powerful and useful one drops in Pioneer we felt it was time to revisit the topic! The First Pioneers talk about what used to be good, what new one drops have joined the previous ones, what one drops have potential, and which one drops are stuck in limbo with no decks to go into. If you're looking for some cards to brew with, or hoping to revisit some past strategies, this week's episode is a great deep dive into format's best one mana cards! If your favorite one drops didn't get mentioned in the discussion, be sure to join the discussion about it in our Discord or on Twitter!   Our Discord: https://discord.gg/SBRF8DH Our Twitter: https://twitter.com/MtgPioneer You can find our other episodes on the Untap Leagues website as well! https://untapleagues.com/author/the-first-pioneers/

Vampires had been counted out of Pioneer for a while. It was a fun deck and one of people's favorite typal strategies, but it hadn't been relevant for a while. That all changed last weekend during Pro Tour Murder at Karlov Manor. Seth Manfield and a team of other players brought resurrected the archetype with Black/Red vampires, backed by the new card Vein Ripper. This new blood proved to be too strong for his competitors and he took down the event. The following week more and more people were turned (into vampire players) and now the vampire menace is among us. This week the First Pioneers go over all results from last week and talk about what comes next. Be sure to listen then stop in to our Discord to chat about the new Pioneer metagame!   Our Discord: https://discord.gg/SBRF8DH Our Twitter: https://twitter.com/MtgPioneer You can find our other episodes on the Untap Leagues website as well! https://untapleagues.com/author/the-first-pioneers/

Welcome to a new Pioneer Metagame! Or is it? While a few new cards have snuck their way into Pioneer this season from the newest set, most of the other cards seem to be biding their time and waiting for the right moment to make their move from the shadows. This week the First Pioneers talk about some new brews and updates they have with the cards from Murders at Karlov Manor, and take a look at the early online results before the next major event in Chicago. If you have some cool brews of your own be sure to stop in to our Discord later and share them! We'd love to see how you're using the newest cards.   Our Discord: https://discord.gg/SBRF8DH Our Twitter: https://twitter.com/MtgPioneer You can find our other episodes on the Untap Leagues website as well! https://untapleagues.com/author/the-first-pioneers/

There seems to be a lot of killing going on in Ravnica, but does the Murders at Karlov Manor set have any killer cards for Pioneer? This week the First Pioneers team once again breaks down all of the cards in the newest set and talks about their potential impact in Pioneer before making our top 5. As you listen, make your own top 5 and if you think we missed any cards in our review be sure to let us know on Twitter or Discord afterwards!   Our Discord: https://discord.gg/SBRF8DH Our Twitter: https://twitter.com/MtgPioneer You can find our other episodes on the Untap Leagues website as well! https://untapleagues.com/author/the-first-pioneers/

After a slow winter vacation for The First Pioneers and the Pioneer format, both of us are ready to get back into the swing of things. Murder is afoot in Ravnica and a group of magical gumshoes are on the case. While that's about the extent of my knowledge of the story for the next set, what we DO know is that Murders at Karlov Manor is bringing back some older mechanics as well as introducing some brand new ones. Since we'll be devoting our next episode entirely to the full spoiler of cards, this week seemed like a great time to talk about the potential effect these new abilities and mechanics could have on the format. Will it enable new decks, power up old ones, or fall flat and soon be forgotten? Before the full spoiler is out, wrack your brain with ours and join in the conversation on our Discord and Twitter! Which cards and decks do YOU think will be the biggest winners once the investigation at Karlov Manor is concluded?   Our Discord: https://discord.gg/SBRF8DH Our Twitter: https://twitter.com/MtgPioneer You can find our other episodes on the Untap Leagues website as well! https://untapleagues.com/author/the-first-pioneers/