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Gatekeeping gets a bad reputation in Magic: The Gathering—but not all gatekeeping is bad.

There’s a huge difference between telling another player they don't belong and deciding that a format, community, product, or style of play isn't for you. In this episode, I’m making the case for the good kind of gatekeeping: protecting the things you actually enjoy about Magic. Pasted text

Pre-Modern is a great example. The format has clearly defined boundaries, but those boundaries don't have to be hostile. The community can preserve what makes the format special while still finding ways to invite new players through the gate. Pasted text

We also get into:

• Why community formats don't need to become massive competitive ecosystems
• Why it's okay to keep a format small and local
• Battle boxes as a way to introduce people to Classic Legacy and Pre-Modern
• Why gatekeeping your time and money can be a good thing
• The problem with engaging with products you actively dislike
• Why negative engagement is still engagement
• What Magic can learn from the way communities support their own formats
• How to actually grow a community format without talking down to people
• Why teaching someone to play a format is more powerful than simply telling them it's great

The goal isn't to keep people out.

It's to protect the things that make your version of Magic worth playing—and then invite people in who genuinely want to be part of it. Pasted text

If you've ever built a Battle Box, played Pre-Modern, Classic Legacy, Peak Legacy, or another community format, this one is for you.

00:00 — The GOOD Side of Gatekeeping Magic
01:00 — Gatekeeping Formats Without Gatekeeping Players
02:18 — How Pre-Modern Uses Gatekeeping
04:39 — Building Communities Around Shared Culture
06:58 — Why Community Formats Don't Need to Go Big
09:17 — Gatekeeping Your Time & Your Magic
11:42 — Gatekeeping Your Wallet From Bad Products
14:10 — Why Negative Engagement Still Helps
21:38 — How to Actually Grow a Community Format
26:10 — What's the Goal of a Community Format?

Chapters

Gatekeeping gets a bad reputation in Magic: The Gathering—but not all gatekeeping is bad.

There’s a huge difference between telling another player they don't belong and deciding that a format, community, product, or style of play isn't for you. In this episode, I’m making the case for the good kind of gatekeeping: protecting the things you actually enjoy about Magic. Pasted text

Pre-Modern is a great example. The format has clearly defined boundaries, but those boundaries don't have to be hostile. The community can preserve what makes the format special while still finding ways to invite new players through the gate. Pasted text

We also get into:

• Why community formats don't need to become massive competitive ecosystems
• Why it's okay to keep a format small and local
• Battle boxes as a way to introduce people to Classic Legacy and Pre-Modern
• Why gatekeeping your time and money can be a good thing
• The problem with engaging with products you actively dislike
• Why negative engagement is still engagement
• What Magic can learn from the way communities support their own formats
• How to actually grow a community format without talking down to people
• Why teaching someone to play a format is more powerful than simply telling them it's great

The goal isn't to keep people out.

It's to protect the things that make your version of Magic worth playing—and then invite people in who genuinely want to be part of it. Pasted text

If you've ever built a Battle Box, played Pre-Modern, Classic Legacy, Peak Legacy, or another community format, this one is for you.

00:00 — The GOOD Side of Gatekeeping Magic
01:00 — Gatekeeping Formats Without Gatekeeping Players
02:18 — How Pre-Modern Uses Gatekeeping
04:39 — Building Communities Around Shared Culture
06:58 — Why Community Formats Don't Need to Go Big
09:17 — Gatekeeping Your Time & Your Magic
11:42 — Gatekeeping Your Wallet From Bad Products
14:10 — Why Negative Engagement Still Helps
21:38 — How to Actually Grow a Community Format
26:10 — What's the Goal of a Community Format?

Chapters

Legacy is a turn-two format now.

With Eternal Weekend North America approaching, we’re looking at the results from the 74-player DMV Legacy League Season 3 Invitational to figure out what the post-Reality Fracture Legacy metagame is actually doing—and what you need to be prepared for in Pittsburgh. Pasted text

The Top 8 is fascinating: Elves, Epic Storm, Blue-Red Prowess, Selesnya Depths, Aluren, Boros Energy, and more. And while the decks look incredibly diverse on the surface, Phil sees a much stronger through-line:

Almost everything is trying to kill you on turn two.

We break down the major decks from the event, including:

• Badger-Mole Elves and the return of Elves
• How Elves is adapting around Orcish Bowmasters
• Epic Storm cutting Brainstorm
• Why Urza's Saga is replacing traditional cantrips
• The new Blue-Red Cory Steel Cutter Prowess build
• Why this Prowess deck is cutting Daze and even Murktide Regent
• Selesnya Depths and its Reality Fracture upgrades
• Carnivorous Cultivator and why putting your deck in your hands matters
• Why Marwin the Preserver didn't make the successful Depths list
• The return of Aluren
• Why Azarakh has completely streamlined the Aluren combo
• Boros Energy as one of the most accessible top-tier Legacy decks
• The return of Canadian Threshold-style tempo
• Felia, Quantum Riddler, Tamiyo, and the modern Legacy control/tempo shell

The Selesnya Depths list is particularly interesting. Avatar of Burgeoning Echoes showed up as a one-of Green Sun's Zenith target, while four copies of Carnivorous Cultivator give the deck another way to access its lands. Pasted text

And then there's the bigger question:

Is Legacy actually healthy right now?

The diversity of the Top 8 certainly makes the format look healthy. But Phil argues that there's a deeper problem: the format is so dominated by powerful snowballing cards and fast combo strategies that the incentive is increasingly to kill your opponent before those cards take over. Pasted text

So if you're heading to Eternal Weekend, the question isn't just “What's the best deck?”

It's:

Can your deck survive the first two turns?

00:00 — The Post-Reality Fracture Legacy Meta
01:00 — What the DMV Top 8 Tells Us
02:49 — Selesnya Depths & Reality Fracture
05:07 — Is Legacy Actually Healthy?
08:12 — Why Everything Wants to Kill You on Turn 2
10:38 — Badger-Mole Elves Returns
13:19 — Epic Storm Cuts Brainstorm?!
16:18 — The New Blue-Red Prowess
20:52 — Selesnya Depths Finds Its New Build
26:43 — Aluren Is BACK
32:59 — Boros Energy & the Budget Legacy Deck
37:00 — The “Control” Deck Is Actually Canadian Threshold

Legacy is a turn-two format now.

With Eternal Weekend North America approaching, we’re looking at the results from the 74-player DMV Legacy League Season 3 Invitational to figure out what the post-Reality Fracture Legacy metagame is actually doing—and what you need to be prepared for in Pittsburgh. Pasted text

The Top 8 is fascinating: Elves, Epic Storm, Blue-Red Prowess, Selesnya Depths, Aluren, Boros Energy, and more. And while the decks look incredibly diverse on the surface, Phil sees a much stronger through-line:

Almost everything is trying to kill you on turn two.

We break down the major decks from the event, including:

• Badger-Mole Elves and the return of Elves
• How Elves is adapting around Orcish Bowmasters
• Epic Storm cutting Brainstorm
• Why Urza's Saga is replacing traditional cantrips
• The new Blue-Red Cory Steel Cutter Prowess build
• Why this Prowess deck is cutting Daze and even Murktide Regent
• Selesnya Depths and its Reality Fracture upgrades
• Carnivorous Cultivator and why putting your deck in your hands matters
• Why Marwin the Preserver didn't make the successful Depths list
• The return of Aluren
• Why Azarakh has completely streamlined the Aluren combo
• Boros Energy as one of the most accessible top-tier Legacy decks
• The return of Canadian Threshold-style tempo
• Felia, Quantum Riddler, Tamiyo, and the modern Legacy control/tempo shell

The Selesnya Depths list is particularly interesting. Avatar of Burgeoning Echoes showed up as a one-of Green Sun's Zenith target, while four copies of Carnivorous Cultivator give the deck another way to access its lands. Pasted text

And then there's the bigger question:

Is Legacy actually healthy right now?

The diversity of the Top 8 certainly makes the format look healthy. But Phil argues that there's a deeper problem: the format is so dominated by powerful snowballing cards and fast combo strategies that the incentive is increasingly to kill your opponent before those cards take over. Pasted text

So if you're heading to Eternal Weekend, the question isn't just “What's the best deck?”

It's:

Can your deck survive the first two turns?

00:00 — The Post-Reality Fracture Legacy Meta
01:00 — What the DMV Top 8 Tells Us
02:49 — Selesnya Depths & Reality Fracture
05:07 — Is Legacy Actually Healthy?
08:12 — Why Everything Wants to Kill You on Turn 2
10:38 — Badger-Mole Elves Returns
13:19 — Epic Storm Cuts Brainstorm?!
16:18 — The New Blue-Red Prowess
20:52 — Selesnya Depths Finds Its New Build
26:43 — Aluren Is BACK
32:59 — Boros Energy & the Budget Legacy Deck
37:00 — The “Control” Deck Is Actually Canadian Threshold

Chapters

Is the Pre-Modern metagame actually the same online and in paper?

Cyrus “Crucible of Words” Bales joins us to dig into the latest Pre-Modern data and, more importantly, the huge differences between Magic Online Challenges and real-world paper tournaments. Cyrus collects and analyzes tournament results across multiple sources, tracking metagame share, Top 8 conversion, event wins, and “over rep” to determine which decks are actually outperforming their representation. Pasted text

And the results are fascinating.

Online, Stiflenought and Enchantress are among the strongest performers, while decks like Landstill and H FEB can look much worse than their reputations suggest. Psychotog is also undergoing a major resurgence thanks to new technology like Sickening Dreams and evolving mana bases. Pasted text

But once we look at paper events, the picture changes dramatically.

Landstill goes from severely underperforming online to heavily overperforming in paper. Enchantress goes in the opposite direction. Replenish is another huge paper performer. And there are some fascinating explanations for why the two environments produce such different results—including the difference between the Magic Online chess clock and a paper tournament's round timer. Pasted text

We also get into:

• Stiflenought vs. Enchantress
• Why Goblins may be better than its numbers suggest
• Psychotog's resurgence
• Sickening Dreams
• The surprising performance of Black-White Control
• Landstill's massive paper/online discrepancy
• Moneyball Black's disappointing paper numbers
• Why Enchantress may be held back by Reserved List costs
• Replenish's enormous paper overperformance
• Why random rogue decks can spike a paper tournament
• Stasis, Merfolk, Blue-Green Madness and Zombie Infestation
• Blue-White Control and Tsabo's Web
• Why paper Pre-Modern players don't necessarily update their decks every week
• The incredible diversity of the format

And perhaps most importantly: Pre-Modern doesn't necessarily need you to play the statistically best deck.

The format has room for Stiflenought players, Goblins players, Psychotog pilots, Stasis freaks, rogue brewers—and people who just want to bring their favorite deck to a tournament and have a great time. Pasted text

With roughly 50+ decks appearing in the larger data set, Pre-Modern may be one of the most diverse ways to play old-school Magic. Pasted text

If you're preparing for a Pre-Modern event, this is the data you want to see before registering a deck.

00:00 — Pre-Modern Paper vs. Online
01:53 — How Cyrus Collects the Data
02:57 — Stiflenought, Enchantress & Goblins
06:23 — Psychotog's Huge Resurgence
09:50 — Why Landstill Is Struggling Online
12:34 — The Surprisingly Good Black-White Control
15:10 — What Paper Pre-Modern Actually Looks Like
23:26 — The HUGE Landstill vs. Enchantress Difference
30:06 — The Master Pre-Modern Meta
33:14 — Why Control Is So Hard to Categorize
37:35 — 50+ Decks and Why Pre-Modern Is So Diverse

Chapters

Is the Pre-Modern metagame actually the same online and in paper?

Cyrus “Crucible of Words” Bales joins us to dig into the latest Pre-Modern data and, more importantly, the huge differences between Magic Online Challenges and real-world paper tournaments. Cyrus collects and analyzes tournament results across multiple sources, tracking metagame share, Top 8 conversion, event wins, and “over rep” to determine which decks are actually outperforming their representation. Pasted text

And the results are fascinating.

Online, Stiflenought and Enchantress are among the strongest performers, while decks like Landstill and H FEB can look much worse than their reputations suggest. Psychotog is also undergoing a major resurgence thanks to new technology like Sickening Dreams and evolving mana bases. Pasted text

But once we look at paper events, the picture changes dramatically.

Landstill goes from severely underperforming online to heavily overperforming in paper. Enchantress goes in the opposite direction. Replenish is another huge paper performer. And there are some fascinating explanations for why the two environments produce such different results—including the difference between the Magic Online chess clock and a paper tournament's round timer. Pasted text

We also get into:

• Stiflenought vs. Enchantress
• Why Goblins may be better than its numbers suggest
• Psychotog's resurgence
• Sickening Dreams
• The surprising performance of Black-White Control
• Landstill's massive paper/online discrepancy
• Moneyball Black's disappointing paper numbers
• Why Enchantress may be held back by Reserved List costs
• Replenish's enormous paper overperformance
• Why random rogue decks can spike a paper tournament
• Stasis, Merfolk, Blue-Green Madness and Zombie Infestation
• Blue-White Control and Tsabo's Web
• Why paper Pre-Modern players don't necessarily update their decks every week
• The incredible diversity of the format

And perhaps most importantly: Pre-Modern doesn't necessarily need you to play the statistically best deck.

The format has room for Stiflenought players, Goblins players, Psychotog pilots, Stasis freaks, rogue brewers—and people who just want to bring their favorite deck to a tournament and have a great time. Pasted text

With roughly 50+ decks appearing in the larger data set, Pre-Modern may be one of the most diverse ways to play old-school Magic. Pasted text

If you're preparing for a Pre-Modern event, this is the data you want to see before registering a deck.

00:00 — Pre-Modern Paper vs. Online
01:53 — How Cyrus Collects the Data
02:57 — Stiflenought, Enchantress & Goblins
06:23 — Psychotog's Huge Resurgence
09:50 — Why Landstill Is Struggling Online
12:34 — The Surprisingly Good Black-White Control
15:10 — What Paper Pre-Modern Actually Looks Like
23:26 — The HUGE Landstill vs. Enchantress Difference
30:06 — The Master Pre-Modern Meta
33:14 — Why Control Is So Hard to Categorize
37:35 — 50+ Decks and Why Pre-Modern Is So Diverse

Chapters

Eternal Weekend is just over a month away — so what does Legacy look like right now?

Zac and Phil break down the latest Legacy threat levels, looking at which cards and decks are gaining ground, which are falling off, and what those numbers might mean for Eternal Weekend.

Zac is currently deciding between Breakfast, Draco/Guildpact Beanstalk, and Infect, while Phil is planning to play Miracles. The conversation turns into a full examination of the current metagame and the cards players need to be prepared for.

One of the biggest stories is Orcish Bowmasters. Its representation has fallen dramatically compared with previous threat-level measurements, and Phil explains how Bowmasters can act as a metagame "guardrail" that pushes certain strategies out of the format — creating opportunities for those decks to return when Bowmasters numbers fall.

We also cover:

• Tamiyo, Inquisitive Student
• Orcish Bowmasters
• Flow State
• Stock Up
• Felia, Quantum Riddler
• Barrow Goyf
• Karn
• The One Ring
• Urza's Saga
• Petrified Hamlet
• Dragon's Rage Channeler
• Eldrazi
• Doomsday
• Dark Ritual
• Murktide Regent
• Boros Energy
• Hogaak
• Sneak and Show

Phil also makes the case for Karn Tron as his pick for Eternal Weekend, while Zac sees Beanstalk as a deck that could benefit if the current Bowmasters trend continues.

And we talk about the Johnny Magic hack: instead of trying to prepare for every deck in a huge Legacy tournament, can you choose a strategy that forces everyone else to interact with your game plan?

Finally, Zac makes a commitment for Eternal Weekend: play every round. Even if you're no longer in contention for Day Two, finishing the tournament gives you a record to beat next year — and more importantly, more Legacy games against some of the best players in the world.

What are you playing at Eternal Weekend?

00:00 — Eternal Weekend Is One Month Away
01:18 — Breakfast, Beanstalk or Infect?
05:00 — The Latest Legacy Threat Levels
06:18 — Reality Fracture & Selesnya Depths
08:06 — Tamiyo & the Bowmasters Decline
12:12 — Flow State, Stock Up & Felia
16:15 — Why Barrow Goyf Is Disappearing
18:25 — Is Karn Tron Going to Three-Peat?
22:09 — Dragon's Rage Channeler & Fast Decks
26:00 — What the Numbers Mean for Eternal Weekend

⏱️ Chapters

Eternal Weekend is just over a month away — so what does Legacy look like right now?

Zac and Phil break down the latest Legacy threat levels, looking at which cards and decks are gaining ground, which are falling off, and what those numbers might mean for Eternal Weekend.

Zac is currently deciding between Breakfast, Draco/Guildpact Beanstalk, and Infect, while Phil is planning to play Miracles. The conversation turns into a full examination of the current metagame and the cards players need to be prepared for.

One of the biggest stories is Orcish Bowmasters. Its representation has fallen dramatically compared with previous threat-level measurements, and Phil explains how Bowmasters can act as a metagame "guardrail" that pushes certain strategies out of the format — creating opportunities for those decks to return when Bowmasters numbers fall.

We also cover:

• Tamiyo, Inquisitive Student
• Orcish Bowmasters
• Flow State
• Stock Up
• Felia, Quantum Riddler
• Barrow Goyf
• Karn
• The One Ring
• Urza's Saga
• Petrified Hamlet
• Dragon's Rage Channeler
• Eldrazi
• Doomsday
• Dark Ritual
• Murktide Regent
• Boros Energy
• Hogaak
• Sneak and Show

Phil also makes the case for Karn Tron as his pick for Eternal Weekend, while Zac sees Beanstalk as a deck that could benefit if the current Bowmasters trend continues.

And we talk about the Johnny Magic hack: instead of trying to prepare for every deck in a huge Legacy tournament, can you choose a strategy that forces everyone else to interact with your game plan?

Finally, Zac makes a commitment for Eternal Weekend: play every round. Even if you're no longer in contention for Day Two, finishing the tournament gives you a record to beat next year — and more importantly, more Legacy games against some of the best players in the world.

What are you playing at Eternal Weekend?

00:00 — Eternal Weekend Is One Month Away
01:18 — Breakfast, Beanstalk or Infect?
05:00 — The Latest Legacy Threat Levels
06:18 — Reality Fracture & Selesnya Depths
08:06 — Tamiyo & the Bowmasters Decline
12:12 — Flow State, Stock Up & Felia
16:15 — Why Barrow Goyf Is Disappearing
18:25 — Is Karn Tron Going to Three-Peat?
22:09 — Dragon's Rage Channeler & Fast Decks
26:00 — What the Numbers Mean for Eternal Weekend

⏱️ Chapters

I have 17 Commander decks. And I'm taking them all apart.

This isn't a video about hating Commander. I've had plenty of good experiences playing EDH, and if Commander is the way you enjoy Magic, you should absolutely keep playing it.

But I've realized that I don't actually enjoy playing Commander very much anymore.

So I'm breaking down why.

I talk about how I first discovered Highlander, how I got back into Commander after returning to Magic in 2012, building my first artifact decks, playing Commander during the pandemic, and how my relationship with the format changed over time.

The bigger issue is that I've realized what I actually enjoy about Magic: community-created formats, 60-card decks, deckbuilding, and playing with cards that I love.

That's led me toward formats like Premodern, Classic Legacy, Peak Legacy, and my own Peak Modern battle box — formats where I can build decks, lock in a card pool, and play the game without constantly worrying about the next round of updates.

I also show off the battle boxes I've been building, including:

• Classic Legacy
• Premodern
• Peak Modern
• Affinity
• Gifts
• Jund
• Lantern Control
• Birthing Pod
• Scapeshift
• Storm
• Splinter Twin
• Tron
• Blue-Eyed Red

And that's really the point of the video.

I'm not quitting Magic. I'm trying to spend my time playing the Magic I actually enjoy.

I want to play more 60-card Magic with my friends. I want to build battle boxes. I want to explore old formats. I want to make weird cards playable again. And I want to spend less time maintaining 17 Commander decks that I barely touch.

If you're playing Commander because you genuinely love it, keep playing it.

But if you're only playing it because everyone else is, maybe it's worth asking yourself what kind of Magic you actually want to play.

00:00 — Why I'm Taking Apart 17 Commander Decks
02:26 — How I Got Into Commander
04:44 — The Social Rules of EDH
07:05 — Why Commander Stopped Being Fun for Me
09:26 — The Problem With Maintaining 17 Decks
12:24 — Building My Own Peak Modern
15:38 — My Peak Modern Battle Box
21:09 — The Classic Legacy Battle Box
23:28 — Why I'm Going Back to Community Formats
25:45 — Playing Magic the Way I Actually Want

I have 17 Commander decks. And I'm taking them all apart.

This isn't a video about hating Commander. I've had plenty of good experiences playing EDH, and if Commander is the way you enjoy Magic, you should absolutely keep playing it.

But I've realized that I don't actually enjoy playing Commander very much anymore.

So I'm breaking down why.

I talk about how I first discovered Highlander, how I got back into Commander after returning to Magic in 2012, building my first artifact decks, playing Commander during the pandemic, and how my relationship with the format changed over time.

The bigger issue is that I've realized what I actually enjoy about Magic: community-created formats, 60-card decks, deckbuilding, and playing with cards that I love.

That's led me toward formats like Premodern, Classic Legacy, Peak Legacy, and my own Peak Modern battle box — formats where I can build decks, lock in a card pool, and play the game without constantly worrying about the next round of updates.

I also show off the battle boxes I've been building, including:

• Classic Legacy
• Premodern
• Peak Modern
• Affinity
• Gifts
• Jund
• Lantern Control
• Birthing Pod
• Scapeshift
• Storm
• Splinter Twin
• Tron
• Blue-Eyed Red

And that's really the point of the video.

I'm not quitting Magic. I'm trying to spend my time playing the Magic I actually enjoy.

I want to play more 60-card Magic with my friends. I want to build battle boxes. I want to explore old formats. I want to make weird cards playable again. And I want to spend less time maintaining 17 Commander decks that I barely touch.

If you're playing Commander because you genuinely love it, keep playing it.

But if you're only playing it because everyone else is, maybe it's worth asking yourself what kind of Magic you actually want to play.

00:00 — Why I'm Taking Apart 17 Commander Decks
02:26 — How I Got Into Commander
04:44 — The Social Rules of EDH
07:05 — Why Commander Stopped Being Fun for Me
09:26 — The Problem With Maintaining 17 Decks
12:24 — Building My Own Peak Modern
15:38 — My Peak Modern Battle Box
21:09 — The Classic Legacy Battle Box
23:28 — Why I'm Going Back to Community Formats
25:45 — Playing Magic the Way I Actually Want

Reality Fracture has a surprising number of cards that are at least worth discussing for Legacy — but which ones actually have a shot at seeing play?Zac and Phil go through some of the most interesting Legacy candidates from the set, separating genuine possibilities from cards that look powerful but probably aren't worth the slot.We look at potential applications for Reanimator, Lands, Selesnya Depths, Eight-Cast, Painter, Dredge/Hogaak, and more, while digging into some of Reality Fracture's new mechanics and design choices.Among the cards we discuss:Avison, Angel of HorrorAvatar of Burgeoning EchoesJace, Reality SculptorCrater Claw ColossusDarklight PhoenixDarksteel AngelEmergent Dune DoomHexhaven InvigoratorKarn, Argent DefenderMarwin the PreserverThraxos, Academy GuardianTheorist's ProxyTheorist's CharmLoyal TutorChandra, Chill of ComplianceThe new color-specific sideboard cardsLibrary of AlexandriaThe big question isn't simply whether these cards are powerful.Can they actually compete with the cards already available in Legacy?We also talk about what makes a card worth testing in the current Legacy environment, the impact of Orcish Bowmasters, and why some seemingly powerful cards simply don't have enough room to make the cut.What Reality Fracture cards are you actually testing?⏱️ Chapters00:00 — Reality Fracture Legacy Set Review00:37 — Avison, Angel of Horror03:05 — Avatar of Burgeoning Echoes & Jace11:11 — Crater Claw Colossus & Artifact Strategies15:32 — Darklight Phoenix & Hogaak19:07 — Darksteel Angel & Reanimator23:53 — Hexhaven Invigorator & Lands25:58 — Karn, Argent Defender27:47 — Marwin the Preserver & Selesnya Depths35:51 — Eight-Cast, Charms & the Rest of Reality Fracture

Reality Fracture has a surprising number of cards that are at least worth discussing for Legacy — but which ones actually have a shot at seeing play?Zac and Phil go through some of the most interesting Legacy candidates from the set, separating genuine possibilities from cards that look powerful but probably aren't worth the slot.We look at potential applications for Reanimator, Lands, Selesnya Depths, Eight-Cast, Painter, Dredge/Hogaak, and more, while digging into some of Reality Fracture's new mechanics and design choices.Among the cards we discuss:Avison, Angel of HorrorAvatar of Burgeoning EchoesJace, Reality SculptorCrater Claw ColossusDarklight PhoenixDarksteel AngelEmergent Dune DoomHexhaven InvigoratorKarn, Argent DefenderMarwin the PreserverThraxos, Academy GuardianTheorist's ProxyTheorist's CharmLoyal TutorChandra, Chill of ComplianceThe new color-specific sideboard cardsLibrary of AlexandriaThe big question isn't simply whether these cards are powerful.Can they actually compete with the cards already available in Legacy?We also talk about what makes a card worth testing in the current Legacy environment, the impact of Orcish Bowmasters, and why some seemingly powerful cards simply don't have enough room to make the cut.What Reality Fracture cards are you actually testing?⏱️ Chapters00:00 — Reality Fracture Legacy Set Review00:37 — Avison, Angel of Horror03:05 — Avatar of Burgeoning Echoes & Jace11:11 — Crater Claw Colossus & Artifact Strategies15:32 — Darklight Phoenix & Hogaak19:07 — Darksteel Angel & Reanimator23:53 — Hexhaven Invigorator & Lands25:58 — Karn, Argent Defender27:47 — Marwin the Preserver & Selesnya Depths35:51 — Eight-Cast, Charms & the Rest of Reality Fracture

What would Legacy look like if you went back to the format before Innistrad Block completely changed the metagame?

That's the idea behind Classic Legacy.

Innistrad introduced—or coincided with—the arrival of some of the cards and archetypes that became fundamental to how modern Legacy is played: Delver of Secrets, Thalia, Guardian of Thraben, Griselbrand, and the Miracles strategy. Classic Legacy stops before that transformation, forcing familiar archetypes to solve their problems without many of the cards we've come to treat as Legacy staples.

Zac and Phil go through a series of Classic Legacy decks and ask:

What did these archetypes actually look like before their defining cards existed?

We look at:

• CounterTop / Blue-White Control without Terminus
• Storm without Past in Flames
• Canadian Threshold without Delver of Secrets
• Stone Blade-style decks without True-Name Nemesis or Batterskull
• Lands before Dark Depths + Thespian's Stage
• Aggro Loam without Green Sun's Zenith
• Merfolk without Master of the Pearl Trident
• Dredge before some of its later tools
• Affinity before the Scars of Mirrodin artifact explosion

One of the biggest themes is just how much one card can reshape an entire archetype.

Without Terminus, control decks had to rely on cards like Wrath of God, Moat, Engineered Explosives, and Pernicious Deed rather than building around a one-mana instant-speed sweeper.

Without Past in Flames, Storm is forced to operate through older engines like Ill-Gotten Gains, creating a fundamentally different set of decisions and deckbuilding constraints.

And without Delver, Canadian Threshold still looks familiar—but the deck loses the incredibly efficient turn-one threat that eventually streamlined the entire strategy.

We also get into some of the weirdest consequences of playing in this earlier card pool: Lands without Crop Rotation, Merfolk with Coralhelm Commander, Aggro Loam with Necrogen Mists, Dredge with different Dread Return targets, and Affinity desperately waiting for Scars of Mirrodin.

The result is a Legacy format that feels familiar—but requires you to solve problems that modern Legacy decks simply get to ignore.

If you're a Legacy player, which modern staple would you miss the most?

00:00 — What Was Legacy Before Innistrad?
01:53 — CounterTop Without Terminus
06:15 — Storm Without Past in Flames
09:37 — Canadian Threshold Without Delver
12:16 — Stone Blade Without Batterskull
15:37 — Lands Before Dark Depths
17:40 — Aggro Loam & the Missing Green Sun's Zenith
20:39 — Merfolk Without Modern Lords
24:25 — Dredge Before Modern Dredge
30:10 — Affinity Before Scars of Mirrodin

⏱️ Chapters

What would Legacy look like if you went back to the format before Innistrad Block completely changed the metagame?

That's the idea behind Classic Legacy.

Innistrad introduced—or coincided with—the arrival of some of the cards and archetypes that became fundamental to how modern Legacy is played: Delver of Secrets, Thalia, Guardian of Thraben, Griselbrand, and the Miracles strategy. Classic Legacy stops before that transformation, forcing familiar archetypes to solve their problems without many of the cards we've come to treat as Legacy staples.

Zac and Phil go through a series of Classic Legacy decks and ask:

What did these archetypes actually look like before their defining cards existed?

We look at:

• CounterTop / Blue-White Control without Terminus
• Storm without Past in Flames
• Canadian Threshold without Delver of Secrets
• Stone Blade-style decks without True-Name Nemesis or Batterskull
• Lands before Dark Depths + Thespian's Stage
• Aggro Loam without Green Sun's Zenith
• Merfolk without Master of the Pearl Trident
• Dredge before some of its later tools
• Affinity before the Scars of Mirrodin artifact explosion

One of the biggest themes is just how much one card can reshape an entire archetype.

Without Terminus, control decks had to rely on cards like Wrath of God, Moat, Engineered Explosives, and Pernicious Deed rather than building around a one-mana instant-speed sweeper.

Without Past in Flames, Storm is forced to operate through older engines like Ill-Gotten Gains, creating a fundamentally different set of decisions and deckbuilding constraints.

And without Delver, Canadian Threshold still looks familiar—but the deck loses the incredibly efficient turn-one threat that eventually streamlined the entire strategy.

We also get into some of the weirdest consequences of playing in this earlier card pool: Lands without Crop Rotation, Merfolk with Coralhelm Commander, Aggro Loam with Necrogen Mists, Dredge with different Dread Return targets, and Affinity desperately waiting for Scars of Mirrodin.

The result is a Legacy format that feels familiar—but requires you to solve problems that modern Legacy decks simply get to ignore.

If you're a Legacy player, which modern staple would you miss the most?

00:00 — What Was Legacy Before Innistrad?
01:53 — CounterTop Without Terminus
06:15 — Storm Without Past in Flames
09:37 — Canadian Threshold Without Delver
12:16 — Stone Blade Without Batterskull
15:37 — Lands Before Dark Depths
17:40 — Aggro Loam & the Missing Green Sun's Zenith
20:39 — Merfolk Without Modern Lords
24:25 — Dredge Before Modern Dredge
30:10 — Affinity Before Scars of Mirrodin

⏱️ Chapters

Control has been under siege in Legacy for a long time. But with the current metagame shifting, could Eternal Weekend finally be a place where control can compete again?

Zac and Phil break down the current Legacy metagame and ask a simple question: what would a control deck actually need to do to survive right now?

The current field is incredibly diverse, with Dimir Tempo, Tron, Death & Taxes, Boros Energy, Reanimator, Doomsday, Delver, Beanstalk Control, Eldrazi, Sneak & Show and more all showing up near the top of the metagame.

We talk about how control needs to line up its answers with the questions being asked, including the changing role of Prismatic Ending, Swords to Plowshares, Wrath of the Skies and other removal. Tron adopting Giants' Boulder is one example of how seemingly small changes to an opposing deck can completely alter control's answer suite.

Then we get into one of the biggest questions facing blue control decks right now:

Is Ponder too slow?

In a format full of Orcish Bowmasters, Thalia, Tamiyo, Delver threats and other ways to punish a player for spending an entire turn cycling at sorcery speed, the opportunity cost of Ponder may finally be too high.

We also discuss Consider, Spell Snare, instant-speed interaction, card advantage, Beanstalk, Flow State, and how control decks need to think about maintaining resource parity while still having enough answers to actually survive.

So is control ready to make its comeback at Eternal Weekend?

Or are we still trying to make an archetype work that Legacy simply doesn't want anymore?

Let us know what you think.

00:00 Can Control Compete in Legacy Again?
00:49 The Current Legacy Metagame
03:01 Why Tron Is Still a Problem
04:34 Control Has to Know the Questions
06:43 Aggro, Control & Combo in Legacy
10:23 The Problem With Combo Backup Plans
14:00 Bowmasters, Tamiyo & Removal
20:05 Is Ponder Too Slow?
24:48 Is Spell Snare Actually Good?
28:10 How Control Maintains Card Advantage

⏱️ Chapters

Control has been under siege in Legacy for a long time. But with the current metagame shifting, could Eternal Weekend finally be a place where control can compete again?

Zac and Phil break down the current Legacy metagame and ask a simple question: what would a control deck actually need to do to survive right now?

The current field is incredibly diverse, with Dimir Tempo, Tron, Death & Taxes, Boros Energy, Reanimator, Doomsday, Delver, Beanstalk Control, Eldrazi, Sneak & Show and more all showing up near the top of the metagame.

We talk about how control needs to line up its answers with the questions being asked, including the changing role of Prismatic Ending, Swords to Plowshares, Wrath of the Skies and other removal. Tron adopting Giants' Boulder is one example of how seemingly small changes to an opposing deck can completely alter control's answer suite.

Then we get into one of the biggest questions facing blue control decks right now:

Is Ponder too slow?

In a format full of Orcish Bowmasters, Thalia, Tamiyo, Delver threats and other ways to punish a player for spending an entire turn cycling at sorcery speed, the opportunity cost of Ponder may finally be too high.

We also discuss Consider, Spell Snare, instant-speed interaction, card advantage, Beanstalk, Flow State, and how control decks need to think about maintaining resource parity while still having enough answers to actually survive.

So is control ready to make its comeback at Eternal Weekend?

Or are we still trying to make an archetype work that Legacy simply doesn't want anymore?

Let us know what you think.

00:00 Can Control Compete in Legacy Again?
00:49 The Current Legacy Metagame
03:01 Why Tron Is Still a Problem
04:34 Control Has to Know the Questions
06:43 Aggro, Control & Combo in Legacy
10:23 The Problem With Combo Backup Plans
14:00 Bowmasters, Tamiyo & Removal
20:05 Is Ponder Too Slow?
24:48 Is Spell Snare Actually Good?
28:10 How Control Maintains Card Advantage

⏱️ Chapters

Classic Legacy might be one of the easiest community formats to get into — especially if you miss playing the old Magic cards that have been pushed out of competitive Legacy.

Cards like Tarmogoyf, Dark Confidant, Jace, the Mind Sculptor, Goblin Guide, Arcbound Ravager, Vendilion Clique, and Vial have all fallen dramatically in price compared to their historical highs, while Classic Legacy gives them another place to shine.

In this episode, Zac and Phil look through a bunch of Classic Legacy decklists and talk about just how inexpensive it can be to build the format.

We look at:

• Classic Sly / Burn
• Mono-Blue Control
• Dredge
• Merfolk
• Affinity
• Zoo
• Old favorites like Tarmogoyf, Dark Confidant, Goblin Guide, Jace, Vendilion Clique, and Arcbound Ravager
• Which cards are still expensive — and which versions are extremely cheap
• Why the format's proxy-friendly nature makes the barrier to entry even lower
• How Classic Legacy could work as a battle box for groups of friends
• Why community formats are a great way to bring old Magic cards back to the table

The bigger point isn't just that Classic Legacy is cheap.

It's that there are so many Magic cards we loved playing that have been power-crept out of modern competitive formats — and Classic gives those cards somewhere to live again.

Zac is even putting together a Classic Legacy battle box with enough decks to invite friends over for a weekend of games.

What Classic Legacy deck would you build first?

Classic Legacy might be one of the easiest community formats to get into — especially if you miss playing the old Magic cards that have been pushed out of competitive Legacy.

Cards like Tarmogoyf, Dark Confidant, Jace, the Mind Sculptor, Goblin Guide, Arcbound Ravager, Vendilion Clique, and Vial have all fallen dramatically in price compared to their historical highs, while Classic Legacy gives them another place to shine.

In this episode, Zac and Phil look through a bunch of Classic Legacy decklists and talk about just how inexpensive it can be to build the format.

We look at:

• Classic Sly / Burn
• Mono-Blue Control
• Dredge
• Merfolk
• Affinity
• Zoo
• Old favorites like Tarmogoyf, Dark Confidant, Goblin Guide, Jace, Vendilion Clique, and Arcbound Ravager
• Which cards are still expensive — and which versions are extremely cheap
• Why the format's proxy-friendly nature makes the barrier to entry even lower
• How Classic Legacy could work as a battle box for groups of friends
• Why community formats are a great way to bring old Magic cards back to the table

The bigger point isn't just that Classic Legacy is cheap.

It's that there are so many Magic cards we loved playing that have been power-crept out of modern competitive formats — and Classic gives those cards somewhere to live again.

Zac is even putting together a Classic Legacy battle box with enough decks to invite friends over for a weekend of games.

What Classic Legacy deck would you build first?

There has been a wave of videos telling Magic players why they should quit Magic and move to the next big CCG — most recently, discussions around Riftbound.

But do you actually have to choose?

Zac takes a step back from the “Magic is cooked, go play X instead” conversation and looks at the history of collectible card games, the idea of a Magic Golden Age, the explosion of products, the decline of competitive infrastructure, and the cycle that repeatedly plays out when new CCGs enter the market.

The idea that everyone remembers a different “Golden Age” of Magic is more complicated than nostalgia. Zac argues that the best era of Magic is deeply personal, shaped by community, events, formats, and your own relationship with the game.

We also dig into the CCG lifecycle: a new game arrives with huge prize support and hype, competitive players migrate, the company sees diminishing returns, hardcore fans remain, value-driven players move on, and eventually another game begins the cycle again. Zac argues that this pattern has happened repeatedly across the hobby.

And then there's the idea of “sunk cost.”

If you've spent years and thousands of dollars building a Magic collection, does that mean you're trapped? Absolutely not. You can play Magic. You can play Riftbound. You can play Sorcery. You can play Legacy, Premodern, Cube, Limited, or whatever else makes you happy.

You don't have to quit one game to enjoy another.

Magic itself is already dozens of different hobbies, and Zac argues that there's no reason your next CCG needs to replace the one you already love.

So if you're thinking about trying Riftbound — go for it.

Just don't sell your Magic cards first.

00:00 — Do You Really Need to Quit Magic?
02:18 — Was There Ever a Golden Age?
10:34 — When Magic Became Too Much to Keep Up With
15:31 — The Death of the Grand Prix System
18:24 — The CCG Cycle
22:14 — Is Your Magic Collection a Sunk Cost?
24:07 — You Can Play Two Games
26:37 — The Future of Riftbound & Other CCGs
28:00 — You Don't Have to Quit Magic

⏱️ Chapters

There has been a wave of videos telling Magic players why they should quit Magic and move to the next big CCG — most recently, discussions around Riftbound.

But do you actually have to choose?

Zac takes a step back from the “Magic is cooked, go play X instead” conversation and looks at the history of collectible card games, the idea of a Magic Golden Age, the explosion of products, the decline of competitive infrastructure, and the cycle that repeatedly plays out when new CCGs enter the market.

The idea that everyone remembers a different “Golden Age” of Magic is more complicated than nostalgia. Zac argues that the best era of Magic is deeply personal, shaped by community, events, formats, and your own relationship with the game.

We also dig into the CCG lifecycle: a new game arrives with huge prize support and hype, competitive players migrate, the company sees diminishing returns, hardcore fans remain, value-driven players move on, and eventually another game begins the cycle again. Zac argues that this pattern has happened repeatedly across the hobby.

And then there's the idea of “sunk cost.”

If you've spent years and thousands of dollars building a Magic collection, does that mean you're trapped? Absolutely not. You can play Magic. You can play Riftbound. You can play Sorcery. You can play Legacy, Premodern, Cube, Limited, or whatever else makes you happy.

You don't have to quit one game to enjoy another.

Magic itself is already dozens of different hobbies, and Zac argues that there's no reason your next CCG needs to replace the one you already love.

So if you're thinking about trying Riftbound — go for it.

Just don't sell your Magic cards first.

00:00 — Do You Really Need to Quit Magic?
02:18 — Was There Ever a Golden Age?
10:34 — When Magic Became Too Much to Keep Up With
15:31 — The Death of the Grand Prix System
18:24 — The CCG Cycle
22:14 — Is Your Magic Collection a Sunk Cost?
24:07 — You Can Play Two Games
26:37 — The Future of Riftbound & Other CCGs
28:00 — You Don't Have to Quit Magic

Who is responsible for protecting the identity of a game after its original creator is gone?

In this episode of Eternal Durdles, Zac and Phil dive into the idea of creative paternalism — the responsibility, care, and judgment required to preserve what makes a creative work itself.

Using Magic: The Gathering as the primary example, we explore what happens when the people who originally created and loved a game are replaced by layers of corporate stewardship.

What exactly is the “ethos” of Magic?

Who gets to decide what belongs?

And when does expanding a game into new audiences, aesthetics, and experiences stop being evolution and start becoming something fundamentally different?

The conversation touches on Universes Beyond, Commander, Secret Lair, Premodern, Classic Legacy, Peak Legacy, and the changing relationship between Magic's original audience and the people discovering the game today.

We also explore:

• What exactly creative paternalism means
• Richard Garfield and the original vision of Magic
• Why the original creators of a game matter
• The difference between creating something new and simply repackaging an existing aesthetic
• The “geeks, mops, sociopaths and leeches” framework
• Why corporations can struggle to preserve the identity of a creative property
• The tension between growth and creative integrity
• Why “more people playing Magic” isn't necessarily a sufficient design goal
• Universes Beyond and whether different Magic experiences should coexist separately
• Whether older players and newer players actually need to be in the same “bucket”
• How this problem appears in music, using bands as an analogy
• Why Premodern and Classic Legacy can feel like preserved snapshots of the game
• And ultimately: when did Wizards jump the shark?

Phil argues that the real problem may not be the existence of different audiences — but the decision to force fundamentally different experiences to collide in the same space. Zac ultimately points toward formats like Premodern and Classic Legacy as places where players can still find glimmers of the game they originally fell in love with.

What do you think?

Has Magic lost something important, or is this simply what happens when a game grows for 30+ years?

00:00 — What Is Creative Paternalism?
02:15 — Who Is Responsible for Magic's Identity?
06:00 — Geeks, Mops, Sociopaths & Leeches
12:00 — When Corporations Sand Away the Rough Edges
18:00 — Does Magic Actually Need More Players?
21:00 — Universes Beyond & Conflicting Audiences
32:30 — The Band Analogy: When Your Favorite Thing Changes
38:15 — When Did Wizards Jump the Shark?
40:00 — Finding the Spark in Premodern

⏱️ Chapters

Who is responsible for protecting the identity of a game after its original creator is gone?

In this episode of Eternal Durdles, Zac and Phil dive into the idea of creative paternalism — the responsibility, care, and judgment required to preserve what makes a creative work itself.

Using Magic: The Gathering as the primary example, we explore what happens when the people who originally created and loved a game are replaced by layers of corporate stewardship.

What exactly is the “ethos” of Magic?

Who gets to decide what belongs?

And when does expanding a game into new audiences, aesthetics, and experiences stop being evolution and start becoming something fundamentally different?

The conversation touches on Universes Beyond, Commander, Secret Lair, Premodern, Classic Legacy, Peak Legacy, and the changing relationship between Magic's original audience and the people discovering the game today.

We also explore:

• What exactly creative paternalism means
• Richard Garfield and the original vision of Magic
• Why the original creators of a game matter
• The difference between creating something new and simply repackaging an existing aesthetic
• The “geeks, mops, sociopaths and leeches” framework
• Why corporations can struggle to preserve the identity of a creative property
• The tension between growth and creative integrity
• Why “more people playing Magic” isn't necessarily a sufficient design goal
• Universes Beyond and whether different Magic experiences should coexist separately
• Whether older players and newer players actually need to be in the same “bucket”
• How this problem appears in music, using bands as an analogy
• Why Premodern and Classic Legacy can feel like preserved snapshots of the game
• And ultimately: when did Wizards jump the shark?

Phil argues that the real problem may not be the existence of different audiences — but the decision to force fundamentally different experiences to collide in the same space. Zac ultimately points toward formats like Premodern and Classic Legacy as places where players can still find glimmers of the game they originally fell in love with.

What do you think?

Has Magic lost something important, or is this simply what happens when a game grows for 30+ years?

00:00 — What Is Creative Paternalism?
02:15 — Who Is Responsible for Magic's Identity?
06:00 — Geeks, Mops, Sociopaths & Leeches
12:00 — When Corporations Sand Away the Rough Edges
18:00 — Does Magic Actually Need More Players?
21:00 — Universes Beyond & Conflicting Audiences
32:30 — The Band Analogy: When Your Favorite Thing Changes
38:15 — When Did Wizards Jump the Shark?
40:00 — Finding the Spark in Premodern

⏱️ Chapters

What makes a Magic card actually unfun?

In this episode of Eternal Durdles, Zac and Phil dive into one of the strangest things about Premodern: some of the cards players love the most are exactly the cards that would be considered miserable in almost any other setting.

Stasis. Winter Orb. Opposition. Deranged Hermit. Survival of the Fittest. Armageddon. Sphere of Resistance. Wildfire. Web of Inertia. Mana Web.

These cards don't necessarily win because they're individually powerful. Instead, they fundamentally change the rules of engagement.

And that's the key distinction.

Phil argues that truly unfun cards are the ones that strip you of agency — situations where there's effectively nothing meaningful you can do. Zac explores the other side: cards that force you to change how you manage your resources can actually create some of the most interesting games of Magic.

That's part of what makes Premodern so compelling. The format lets you play with cards and strategies that modern Magic design would almost certainly never create today.

We talk about:

• Why Stasis requires an entire deck to support it
• Stasis vs. Winter Orb
• What actually makes a card “unfun”
• The difference between changing resource management and removing agency
• Parallax Tide and why it crossed the line
• Oath of Druids and playing around restrictive strategies
• Opposition + Deranged Hermit
• Why Survival of the Fittest still gives opponents ways to fight back
• Armageddon and how to play around it
• Sphere of Resistance and resource denial
• The bizarre potential of Web of Inertia
• Mana Web, Floodwater Dam, and other forgotten lock pieces
• Why Wildfire deserves more attention
• Tinker, Phyrexian Devourer, Draco and Phyrexian Processor
• And ultimately, why the cards that look “unfun” from the outside are often what make Premodern so much fun

Premodern doesn't need a Rule Zero conversation.

The rules of engagement are simple:

Kill your opponent before they kill you.

00:00 — Why 1v1 Magic Needs No Rule Zero
01:05 — What Makes a Card “Unfun”?
03:04 — Stasis, Winter Orb & Resource Management
08:32 — When a Card Actually Removes Your Agency
18:00 — Opposition, Deranged Hermit & Survival
25:57 — The Most Unfun Thing in Magic: Wasting Time
28:00 — Armageddon, Sphere of Resistance & Playing Around Hate
36:55 — Web of Inertia & Other Horrible Ideas
40:07 — Mana Web, Floodwater Dam & Wildfire
42:55 — Tinker, Phyrexian Processor & Premodern's Weirdest Cards

⏱️ Chapters

In this episode of Eternal Durdles, Zac and Phil dive into one of the strangest things about Premodern: some of the cards players love the most are exactly the cards that would be considered miserable in almost any other setting.

Stasis. Winter Orb. Opposition. Deranged Hermit. Survival of the Fittest. Armageddon. Sphere of Resistance. Wildfire. Web of Inertia. Mana Web.

These cards don't necessarily win because they're individually powerful. Instead, they fundamentally change the rules of engagement.

And that's the key distinction.

Phil argues that truly unfun cards are the ones that strip you of agency — situations where there's effectively nothing meaningful you can do. Zac explores the other side: cards that force you to change how you manage your resources can actually create some of the most interesting games of Magic.

That's part of what makes Premodern so compelling. The format lets you play with cards and strategies that modern Magic design would almost certainly never create today.

We talk about:

• Why Stasis requires an entire deck to support it
• Stasis vs. Winter Orb
• What actually makes a card “unfun”
• The difference between changing resource management and removing agency
• Parallax Tide and why it crossed the line
• Oath of Druids and playing around restrictive strategies
• Opposition + Deranged Hermit
• Why Survival of the Fittest still gives opponents ways to fight back
• Armageddon and how to play around it
• Sphere of Resistance and resource denial
• The bizarre potential of Web of Inertia
• Mana Web, Floodwater Dam, and other forgotten lock pieces
• Why Wildfire deserves more attention
• Tinker, Phyrexian Devourer, Draco and Phyrexian Processor
• And ultimately, why the cards that look “unfun” from the outside are often what make Premodern so much fun

Premodern doesn't need a Rule Zero conversation.

The rules of engagement are simple:

Kill your opponent before they kill you.

00:00 — Why 1v1 Magic Needs No Rule Zero
01:05 — What Makes a Card “Unfun”?
03:04 — Stasis, Winter Orb & Resource Management
08:32 — When a Card Actually Removes Your Agency
18:00 — Opposition, Deranged Hermit & Survival
25:57 — The Most Unfun Thing in Magic: Wasting Time
28:00 — Armageddon, Sphere of Resistance & Playing Around Hate
36:55 — Web of Inertia & Other Horrible Ideas
40:07 — Mana Web, Floodwater Dam & Wildfire
42:55 — Tinker, Phyrexian Processor & Premodern's Weirdest Cards

⏱️ Chapters

https://tinyurl.com/BREAKFASTSept2026MASTERCLASS

https://tinyurl.com/BREAKFAST-SEPT2026SBGUIDE

Breakfast looks simple. It isn't.

Johan Larson joins Zac for a complete Breakfast Masterclass, breaking down how the deck works, why its seemingly innocuous cards become a lethal combo, and what separates someone who can assemble the combo from someone who can actually pilot Breakfast well.

At its core, Breakfast is an A+B combo deck: Shuko or Nomads en-Kor provides the targeting engine, while Cephalid Illusionist mills the library when targeted. From there, Narcomoebas, Dread Return, and Thassa's Oracle finish the game.

But knowing the combo is only the beginning.

Johan walks through:

• How the Breakfast combo actually works
• Shuko + Cephalid Illusionist
• Nomads en-Kor + Cephalid Illusionist
• Loki, God of Mischief
• Why three Narcomoebas are necessary
• Cabal Therapy and protecting the combo
• The importance of fetchland sequencing
• Urza's Saga as an alternate win condition
• Relic of Progenitus + Loki
• Karakas and the current metagame
• Force of Will, Swords to Plowshares and Orim's Chant
• When Prismatic Ending belongs in the deck
• Pithing Needle as a flexible Saga target
• Lavinia against combo
• And how to approach the major Legacy matchups

Then the Masterclass goes even deeper with 12 matchup-specific sideboarding discussions, including Lands, Beanstalk, Energy, the Breakfast mirror, Death & Taxes, Dimir Tempo, Doomsday, Reanimator, Sneak & Show, Tron, UR Delver and UW Tempo.

The central lesson throughout the episode is that the cards you play matter, but knowing what your opponent is playing—and sequencing your resources correctly—matters just as much.

Johan specifically emphasizes that even something as basic as the order in which you fetch your lands can determine whether you are able to execute your plan later in the game.

00:00 — Introducing Johan Larson & Breakfast
03:00 — Why Play Breakfast?
04:45 — What's Changed Since Last Year?
06:30 — Mana & Fetchland Sequencing
07:30 — Loki, God of Mischief
09:20 — Why Three Narcomoebas?
11:35 — How Breakfast Actually Works
13:00 — Urza's Saga as the Fair Plan
15:00 — Relic of Progenitus + Loki
19:30 — Karakas & the Mana Base
21:00 — The Interaction Suite
24:00 — Orim's Chant
25:30 — Brainstorm & Ponder
26:30 — The Sideboard
29:50 — Pithing Needle
30:50 — Lavinia

https://tinyurl.com/BREAKFASTSept2026MASTERCLASS

https://tinyurl.com/BREAKFAST-SEPT2026SBGUIDE

Breakfast looks simple. It isn't.

Johan Larson joins Zac for a complete Breakfast Masterclass, breaking down how the deck works, why its seemingly innocuous cards become a lethal combo, and what separates someone who can assemble the combo from someone who can actually pilot Breakfast well.

At its core, Breakfast is an A+B combo deck: Shuko or Nomads en-Kor provides the targeting engine, while Cephalid Illusionist mills the library when targeted. From there, Narcomoebas, Dread Return, and Thassa's Oracle finish the game.

But knowing the combo is only the beginning.

Johan walks through:

• How the Breakfast combo actually works
• Shuko + Cephalid Illusionist
• Nomads en-Kor + Cephalid Illusionist
• Loki, God of Mischief
• Why three Narcomoebas are necessary
• Cabal Therapy and protecting the combo
• The importance of fetchland sequencing
• Urza's Saga as an alternate win condition
• Relic of Progenitus + Loki
• Karakas and the current metagame
• Force of Will, Swords to Plowshares and Orim's Chant
• When Prismatic Ending belongs in the deck
• Pithing Needle as a flexible Saga target
• Lavinia against combo
• And how to approach the major Legacy matchups

Then the Masterclass goes even deeper with 12 matchup-specific sideboarding discussions, including Lands, Beanstalk, Energy, the Breakfast mirror, Death & Taxes, Dimir Tempo, Doomsday, Reanimator, Sneak & Show, Tron, UR Delver and UW Tempo.

The central lesson throughout the episode is that the cards you play matter, but knowing what your opponent is playing—and sequencing your resources correctly—matters just as much.

Johan specifically emphasizes that even something as basic as the order in which you fetch your lands can determine whether you are able to execute your plan later in the game.

00:00 — Introducing Johan Larson & Breakfast
03:00 — Why Play Breakfast?
04:45 — What's Changed Since Last Year?
06:30 — Mana & Fetchland Sequencing
07:30 — Loki, God of Mischief
09:20 — Why Three Narcomoebas?
11:35 — How Breakfast Actually Works
13:00 — Urza's Saga as the Fair Plan
15:00 — Relic of Progenitus + Loki
19:30 — Karakas & the Mana Base
21:00 — The Interaction Suite
24:00 — Orim's Chant
25:30 — Brainstorm & Ponder
26:30 — The Sideboard
29:50 — Pithing Needle
30:50 — Lavinia

Competitive Magic isn't dead. We just miss what it used to feel like.

DuressFest is coming, and Zac and Phil are incredibly excited—not simply because it's another Magic tournament, but because it represents something that has been missing from competitive Magic:

the experience.

We used to have Grand Prix events with thousands of players. You'd travel with your friends, play the main event, fire off side events, buy and sell cards, meet other players, grab dinner afterward, and spend an entire weekend immersed in Magic.

DuressFest feels like a return to that experience.

The conversation starts with the size of modern competitive events versus the old Grand Prix era, but quickly becomes a much bigger discussion about why competitive play matters to Magic's ecosystem.

We talk about:

• Why competitive Magic isn't necessarily dead
• Why Wizards hasn't cultivated the competitive-player experience
• What the old Grand Prix ecosystem provided
• Why vendors need major events
• Why competitive play creates demand for real cards
• Why Legacy, Premodern, Classic and Peak have their own ecosystems
• Why Magic's original premise was that you were the wizard
• How Universes Beyond changes that relationship
• Why named characters can make the player feel like a spectator
• The difference between Magic and games like D&D or Zelda
• Why self-expression is so important to competitive play
• Why 60-card 1v1 Magic feels like the purest version of the game
• What DuressFest needs to become
• Why a Friday/Saturday/Sunday Grand Prix-style event would be incredible
• And why DuressFest could be a proof of concept for more community-run events

The bigger idea is simple:

People don't just want to play Magic. They want somewhere to go play Magic.

And DuressFest may prove that there is still a huge audience for that experience.

Keeping this to 10 chapters:

00:00 — DuressFest Is Bringing Back Grand Prix Magic
01:24 — Competitive Magic Isn't Dead
03:04 — Why Competitive Events Matter
05:19 — The Magic Card Ecosystem
09:03 — Why Magic Has Lasted 30+ Years
12:09 — Universes Beyond & Losing Immersion
14:19 — Are We Still the Wizard?
19:15 — What Does DuressFest Need to Be?
24:04 — Why We Miss the Grand Prix Experience
26:27 — Why 60-Card Magic Is the Purest Magic

Timestamps

Competitive Magic isn't dead. We just miss what it used to feel like.

DuressFest is coming, and Zac and Phil are incredibly excited—not simply because it's another Magic tournament, but because it represents something that has been missing from competitive Magic:

the experience.

We used to have Grand Prix events with thousands of players. You'd travel with your friends, play the main event, fire off side events, buy and sell cards, meet other players, grab dinner afterward, and spend an entire weekend immersed in Magic.

DuressFest feels like a return to that experience.

The conversation starts with the size of modern competitive events versus the old Grand Prix era, but quickly becomes a much bigger discussion about why competitive play matters to Magic's ecosystem.

We talk about:

• Why competitive Magic isn't necessarily dead
• Why Wizards hasn't cultivated the competitive-player experience
• What the old Grand Prix ecosystem provided
• Why vendors need major events
• Why competitive play creates demand for real cards
• Why Legacy, Premodern, Classic and Peak have their own ecosystems
• Why Magic's original premise was that you were the wizard
• How Universes Beyond changes that relationship
• Why named characters can make the player feel like a spectator
• The difference between Magic and games like D&D or Zelda
• Why self-expression is so important to competitive play
• Why 60-card 1v1 Magic feels like the purest version of the game
• What DuressFest needs to become
• Why a Friday/Saturday/Sunday Grand Prix-style event would be incredible
• And why DuressFest could be a proof of concept for more community-run events

The bigger idea is simple:

People don't just want to play Magic. They want somewhere to go play Magic.

And DuressFest may prove that there is still a huge audience for that experience.

Keeping this to 10 chapters:

00:00 — DuressFest Is Bringing Back Grand Prix Magic
01:24 — Competitive Magic Isn't Dead
03:04 — Why Competitive Events Matter
05:19 — The Magic Card Ecosystem
09:03 — Why Magic Has Lasted 30+ Years
12:09 — Universes Beyond & Losing Immersion
14:19 — Are We Still the Wizard?
19:15 — What Does DuressFest Need to Be?
24:04 — Why We Miss the Grand Prix Experience
26:27 — Why 60-Card Magic Is the Purest Magic

Timestamps

Eternal Weekend is coming. So... what are you playing?

Zac and Phil break down the latest Legacy results from Buffalo Chicken Dip, looking at the decklists and trying to figure out what the current metagame actually looks like heading into Eternal Weekend.

On paper, the format looks pretty diverse.

We've got:

• Sneak & Show
• Blue-Red Delver
• Beanstalk
• Black Saga Storm
• Dimir
• Doomsday

But once you start looking at the actual cards being played, things get a lot more interesting.

Tamiyo, Inquisitive Student is everywhere. Daze continues to show up across multiple shells. Flow State has become a major engine for tempo decks, while Stock Up fills a similar role in bigger-mana strategies. And Orcish Bowmasters continues to dictate the terms of interaction.

Phil's argument is that the Legacy metagame may look like a collection of different archetypes while actually functioning around a surprisingly small collection of cards.

We also talk about:

• Sneak & Show's new Flashback technology
• Whether Flashback belongs in Legacy
• The eternal debate over Daze
• The strange rise and fall of Bilbo
• Blue-Red Delver
• Prismari Command vs. Brazen Borrower
• Beanstalk's incredibly low-risk engine
• Black Saga Storm
• Dimir
• Doomsday
• Why Orcish Bowmasters is still the best thing to be doing
• The disappearance of Planar Nexus decks
• Whether the previous ban actually solved the right problem
• Why self-perpetuating engines are dangerous for format health
• What your opponent's first land + Tamiyo tells you about their deck
• How all of this should influence your Eternal Weekend sideboard
• And Zac's upcoming Breakfast Masterclass with Larson

The big question:

What are YOU playing at Eternal Weekend?

Eternal Weekend is coming. So... what are you playing?

Zac and Phil break down the latest Legacy results from Buffalo Chicken Dip, looking at the decklists and trying to figure out what the current metagame actually looks like heading into Eternal Weekend.

On paper, the format looks pretty diverse.

We've got:

• Sneak & Show
• Blue-Red Delver
• Beanstalk
• Black Saga Storm
• Dimir
• Doomsday

But once you start looking at the actual cards being played, things get a lot more interesting.

Tamiyo, Inquisitive Student is everywhere. Daze continues to show up across multiple shells. Flow State has become a major engine for tempo decks, while Stock Up fills a similar role in bigger-mana strategies. And Orcish Bowmasters continues to dictate the terms of interaction.

Phil's argument is that the Legacy metagame may look like a collection of different archetypes while actually functioning around a surprisingly small collection of cards.

We also talk about:

• Sneak & Show's new Flashback technology
• Whether Flashback belongs in Legacy
• The eternal debate over Daze
• The strange rise and fall of Bilbo
• Blue-Red Delver
• Prismari Command vs. Brazen Borrower
• Beanstalk's incredibly low-risk engine
• Black Saga Storm
• Dimir
• Doomsday
• Why Orcish Bowmasters is still the best thing to be doing
• The disappearance of Planar Nexus decks
• Whether the previous ban actually solved the right problem
• Why self-perpetuating engines are dangerous for format health
• What your opponent's first land + Tamiyo tells you about their deck
• How all of this should influence your Eternal Weekend sideboard
• And Zac's upcoming Breakfast Masterclass with Larson

The big question:

What are YOU playing at Eternal Weekend?

What cards do you actually need to know if you're getting into Classic?

We're starting a new series looking at the cards that define Eternal Durdles' various Legacy-era formats, beginning with Classic.

Zac and Phil go through a compiled list of commonly played and powerful cards in the format, looking at everything from planeswalkers and creatures to spells, artifacts, enchantments, and lands. The goal is simple: give you a radar for the cards you're going to see—and the cards you should keep an eye out for when you're buying collections or digging through bulk.

Along the way, we talk about:

• Jace, the Mind Sculptor, Elspeth and Gideon
• Dark Confidant, Emrakul and Eternal Witness
• Tarmogoyf and Knight of the Reliquary
• Stoneforge Mystic and Sword of Fire and Ice
• Vendilion Clique
• Cabal Therapy, Duress and Hymn to Tourach
• Brainstorm, Force of Will, Daze and Lightning Bolt
• Wrath of God and Damnation
• Aether Vial, Chalice of the Void and Grindstone
• Counterbalance and Sylvan Library
• Academy Ruins, Ancient Tomb and Dark Depths
• Dual lands, fetches, Wasteland and Tabernacle
• And the absolutely gorgeous Bands-with-Other-Legends lands

We also get into one of our favorite parts of playing older formats: finding playable cards for pennies in bulk bins.

Because sometimes the best part of building a new deck isn't buying the cards.

It's finding them.

00:00 — The Classic Staples List
01:03 — Planeswalkers & Classic Creatures
05:53 — Stoneforge Mystic, Vendilion Clique & Equipment
07:27 — Sorceries: Therapy, Duress & Hymn
09:45 — Instants: Brainstorm, Force & the Countermagic Suite
12:17 — Artifacts & the Classic Tribal Decks
15:38 — Enchantments: Blood Moon, Counterbalance & Sylvan Library
17:30 — The Most Beautiful Bad Lands in Magic
23:01 — Academy Ruins, Dark Depths & Turbo Depths
28:40 — The Classic Treasure Hunt

The 28:40 chapter is a particularly good ending because the conversation comes back around to the actual purpose of the list: using it as a shopping/collection-building guide and finding these cards in bulk.

Timestamps

What cards do you actually need to know if you're getting into Classic?

We're starting a new series looking at the cards that define Eternal Durdles' various Legacy-era formats, beginning with Classic.

Zac and Phil go through a compiled list of commonly played and powerful cards in the format, looking at everything from planeswalkers and creatures to spells, artifacts, enchantments, and lands. The goal is simple: give you a radar for the cards you're going to see—and the cards you should keep an eye out for when you're buying collections or digging through bulk.

Along the way, we talk about:

• Jace, the Mind Sculptor, Elspeth and Gideon
• Dark Confidant, Emrakul and Eternal Witness
• Tarmogoyf and Knight of the Reliquary
• Stoneforge Mystic and Sword of Fire and Ice
• Vendilion Clique
• Cabal Therapy, Duress and Hymn to Tourach
• Brainstorm, Force of Will, Daze and Lightning Bolt
• Wrath of God and Damnation
• Aether Vial, Chalice of the Void and Grindstone
• Counterbalance and Sylvan Library
• Academy Ruins, Ancient Tomb and Dark Depths
• Dual lands, fetches, Wasteland and Tabernacle
• And the absolutely gorgeous Bands-with-Other-Legends lands

We also get into one of our favorite parts of playing older formats: finding playable cards for pennies in bulk bins.

Because sometimes the best part of building a new deck isn't buying the cards.

It's finding them.

00:00 — The Classic Staples List
01:03 — Planeswalkers & Classic Creatures
05:53 — Stoneforge Mystic, Vendilion Clique & Equipment
07:27 — Sorceries: Therapy, Duress & Hymn
09:45 — Instants: Brainstorm, Force & the Countermagic Suite
12:17 — Artifacts & the Classic Tribal Decks
15:38 — Enchantments: Blood Moon, Counterbalance & Sylvan Library
17:30 — The Most Beautiful Bad Lands in Magic
23:01 — Academy Ruins, Dark Depths & Turbo Depths
28:40 — The Classic Treasure Hunt

The 28:40 chapter is a particularly good ending because the conversation comes back around to the actual purpose of the list: using it as a shopping/collection-building guide and finding these cards in bulk.

Timestamps

Are you prepared to die on Turn Two?

With Eternal Weekend approaching, Zac and Phil take a look at the Legacy metagame and ask a very important question: what decks are actually going to define the tournament?

While everyone is talking about Bilbo, Karn, and the other obvious threats, Phil thinks there's a deck that isn't getting nearly enough attention:

Surveillance Cam Combo.

The deck combines Goblin Welder + Surveillance Cam with a huge number of compact artifact interactions to create potentially infinite loops—and it can kill incredibly quickly while still having access to powerful cards like Urza's Saga, Emery, Loki, Force of Will, and Agatha's Soul Cauldron.

We also discuss:

• The upcoming B&R window before Eternal Weekend
• Whether anything is likely to get banned
• Why Breakfast may be seriously underplayed
• The latest Breakfast lists and innovations
• Why Urza's Saga is so important to Breakfast
• The Surveillance Cam + Goblin Welder combo
• Infinite mana and damage loops
• Hawkeye's Bow
• Painter's Servant / Grindstone variants
• Why the deck has so few "bad" cards
• Why Surveillance Cam may be one of Legacy's best-kept secrets
• What you need to be prepared to beat at Eternal Weekend

And the big takeaway:

If Legacy is becoming a Turn-Two format, your deck needs to be able to interact on Turn Two.

Start getting your reps in now.

00:00 — What Will Legacy Look Like at Eternal Weekend?
01:55 — Could the B&R Window Actually Change Anything?
06:42 — Breakfast Is WAY Too Underplayed
08:02 — The Two Best Decks for Eternal Weekend
12:37 — The Latest Breakfast List
19:01 — Is Surveillance Cam the Best Deck Nobody Talks About?
21:27 — How Surveillance Cam Combo Actually Works
24:18 — Why This Deck Has Almost No Bad Cards
27:23 — The Turn-Two Legacy Problem
28:21 — Start Your 100 Games NOW

Timestamps

Are you prepared to die on Turn Two?

With Eternal Weekend approaching, Zac and Phil take a look at the Legacy metagame and ask a very important question: what decks are actually going to define the tournament?

While everyone is talking about Bilbo, Karn, and the other obvious threats, Phil thinks there's a deck that isn't getting nearly enough attention:

Surveillance Cam Combo.

The deck combines Goblin Welder + Surveillance Cam with a huge number of compact artifact interactions to create potentially infinite loops—and it can kill incredibly quickly while still having access to powerful cards like Urza's Saga, Emery, Loki, Force of Will, and Agatha's Soul Cauldron.

We also discuss:

• The upcoming B&R window before Eternal Weekend
• Whether anything is likely to get banned
• Why Breakfast may be seriously underplayed
• The latest Breakfast lists and innovations
• Why Urza's Saga is so important to Breakfast
• The Surveillance Cam + Goblin Welder combo
• Infinite mana and damage loops
• Hawkeye's Bow
• Painter's Servant / Grindstone variants
• Why the deck has so few "bad" cards
• Why Surveillance Cam may be one of Legacy's best-kept secrets
• What you need to be prepared to beat at Eternal Weekend

And the big takeaway:

If Legacy is becoming a Turn-Two format, your deck needs to be able to interact on Turn Two.

Start getting your reps in now.

00:00 — What Will Legacy Look Like at Eternal Weekend?
01:55 — Could the B&R Window Actually Change Anything?
06:42 — Breakfast Is WAY Too Underplayed
08:02 — The Two Best Decks for Eternal Weekend
12:37 — The Latest Breakfast List
19:01 — Is Surveillance Cam the Best Deck Nobody Talks About?
21:27 — How Surveillance Cam Combo Actually Works
24:18 — Why This Deck Has Almost No Bad Cards
27:23 — The Turn-Two Legacy Problem
28:21 — Start Your 100 Games NOW

Timestamps

Peak Legacy is officially a paper format.

On August 16th, we held the first-ever paper Peak Legacy event, bringing together 10 players and 8 different archetypes for a tournament that was as much about exploring an old format as it was about competing.

The event was won by Grixis Control, featuring Baleful Strix, Gurmag Angler, Snapcaster Mage, Kolaghan's Command, and a pile of spicy one-ofs and unusual numbers.

We break down the decks that showed up, including Grixis Delver, Infect, Dark Maverick, Goblin Stompy, Lands, Death & Taxes, and Phil's Blue-White Miracles list.

But the most exciting part wasn't necessarily the winner. It was seeing what happens when you take a historical Legacy format and give players the time and incentive to explore it without another set immediately changing everything.

We talk about:

• The first Peak Legacy paper event
• The winning Grixis Control deck
• Goblin Stompy and Goblin Caves
• Mulch Lands and modern deckbuilding ideas
• Two very different Death & Taxes builds
• Phil's Blue-White Miracles experiment
• Unexpectedly Absent
• Why Peak games feel so strategically deep
• Proxy-friendly Peak Legacy
• Building decks from bulk-bin discoveries
• The future of Peak Legacy paper events

We're planning to keep the momentum going with more Peak Legacy events in NYC, with the goal of eventually getting close to a monthly event.

If you're interested in Peak, Classic, Premodern, Pre-War, or other locked Legacy formats, subscribe to Returnal Durdles. This is where we're building that community.

Peak Legacy is officially a paper format.

On August 16th, we held the first-ever paper Peak Legacy event, bringing together 10 players and 8 different archetypes for a tournament that was as much about exploring an old format as it was about competing.

The event was won by Grixis Control, featuring Baleful Strix, Gurmag Angler, Snapcaster Mage, Kolaghan's Command, and a pile of spicy one-ofs and unusual numbers.

We break down the decks that showed up, including Grixis Delver, Infect, Dark Maverick, Goblin Stompy, Lands, Death & Taxes, and Phil's Blue-White Miracles list.

But the most exciting part wasn't necessarily the winner. It was seeing what happens when you take a historical Legacy format and give players the time and incentive to explore it without another set immediately changing everything.

We talk about:

• The first Peak Legacy paper event
• The winning Grixis Control deck
• Goblin Stompy and Goblin Caves
• Mulch Lands and modern deckbuilding ideas
• Two very different Death & Taxes builds
• Phil's Blue-White Miracles experiment
• Unexpectedly Absent
• Why Peak games feel so strategically deep
• Proxy-friendly Peak Legacy
• Building decks from bulk-bin discoveries
• The future of Peak Legacy paper events

We're planning to keep the momentum going with more Peak Legacy events in NYC, with the goal of eventually getting close to a monthly event.

If you're interested in Peak, Classic, Premodern, Pre-War, or other locked Legacy formats, subscribe to Returnal Durdles. This is where we're building that community.

Bilbo has been showing up everywhere—but I think we may have found one of the most interesting homes for him yet.

Zac and Phil take a first look at Eight Emery, a new take on the classic Artifacts Blue / Affinity Stompy shell that uses Bilbo, Emery, and Loki, God of Mischief as a redundant set of powerful artifact engines.

The idea is simple: instead of relying on Thoughtcast and Thought Monitor to generate card advantage, the deck uses Bilbo and Loki alongside Emery to repeatedly recur artifacts, generate value, and grind through removal.

We break down:

• Why Affinity has fallen off the Legacy radar
• The evolution from Thoughtcast/Thought Monitor to Bilbo + Loki
• Pinnacle Emissary and the current artifact shell
• Urza's Saga and Kappa Cannoneer
• How Loki actually works
• Why Bilbo needs help getting into combat
• Aether Spellbomb loops
• Pithing Needle's role in the deck
• Brazen Borrower + Bilbo
• Sink into Stupor as a land
• Odawara and legendary permanents
• How the deck handles Null Rod
• Whether Eight Emery could be an Eternal Weekend contender

And most importantly:

Is Eight Emery actually better than traditional Eight-Cast?

Bilbo has been showing up everywhere—but I think we may have found one of the most interesting homes for him yet.

Zac and Phil take a first look at Eight Emery, a new take on the classic Artifacts Blue / Affinity Stompy shell that uses Bilbo, Emery, and Loki, God of Mischief as a redundant set of powerful artifact engines.

The idea is simple: instead of relying on Thoughtcast and Thought Monitor to generate card advantage, the deck uses Bilbo and Loki alongside Emery to repeatedly recur artifacts, generate value, and grind through removal.

We break down:

• Why Affinity has fallen off the Legacy radar
• The evolution from Thoughtcast/Thought Monitor to Bilbo + Loki
• Pinnacle Emissary and the current artifact shell
• Urza's Saga and Kappa Cannoneer
• How Loki actually works
• Why Bilbo needs help getting into combat
• Aether Spellbomb loops
• Pithing Needle's role in the deck
• Brazen Borrower + Bilbo
• Sink into Stupor as a land
• Odawara and legendary permanents
• How the deck handles Null Rod
• Whether Eight Emery could be an Eternal Weekend contender

And most importantly:

Is Eight Emery actually better than traditional Eight-Cast?

The Premodern Threat Levels are back, and this time we have three months of new data to dig through.

Zac and Phil revisit the cards they've been tracking across the format, using the Blackman threat metric to measure both how widely cards are played and how many copies appear in those decks. The new browser extension makes it easier than ever to snapshot the format and compare how these numbers change over time.

We look at Swords to Plowshares, Counterspell, Wasteland, Mishra's Factory, Mogg Fanatic, Phyrexian Dreadnought, Parallax Wave, Survival of the Fittest, Grim Lavamancer, Jackal Pup, Terravore, Exalted Angel, Wall of Roots, Wall of Blossoms, Squee, Masticore, Chain of Vapor and more.

Then Phil discovers something potentially much more important:

ZOMBIE TRAILBLAZER.

Is this the next great Premodern brew? Probably not.

But we're absolutely going to find out.

00:00 — Welcome to Returnal Durdles
01:36 — Premodern Threat Levels Are Back
02:01 — The Cards We're Tracking
03:27 — Swords to Plowshares
04:27 — The Threat Level Extension
05:01 — What Is a Blechman?
05:36 — What Does a Threat Level Actually Mean?
06:50 — Premodern Is a Healthy Format
08:28 — Gush Is Everywhere
09:19 — What Is Premodern's Next Most-Played Land?
10:27 — Counterspell Breaks the Data
11:08 — City of Brass?!
11:32 — Mogg Fanatic Is Everywhere
12:16 — The Goblins Math
14:34 — Goblin Sharpshooter Needs More Respect
16:03 — The Phyrexian Dreadnought Package
17:28 — Dreadnought vs. Parallax Wave
19:19 — Survival of the Fittest & Squee
20:40 — Jackal Pup & Burn
22:00 — Portent Is Apparently a 4-of
22:21 — Terravore & Wall of Roots
23:20 — Exalted Angel Falls Off
24:17 — Where Is Meddling Mage?
25:30 — Wall of Blossoms Is Disappearing
25:54 — The Zombie Trailblazer Discovery
27:06 — THIS CARD IS BUSTED
28:36 — "It Dies to Swords"
29:28 — How Many Blackmans Is Zombie Trailblazer?
30:13 — The Deepest Part of the Data
31:24 — Orcish Lumberjack Is MOVING
33:09 — More Zombies?!
33:55 — Zombie Trailblazer Deck Incoming
34:54 — Masticore & Chain of Vapor
35:52 — Dark Ritual Is a 36-Blackman Card
36:03 — Stifle & Portent
37:09 — Subscribe to Returnal Durdles
38:46 — Why Your Subscription Matters Right Now
39:14 — The Zombie Trailblazer Challenge
40:11 — Final Thoughts

The Premodern Threat Levels are back, and this time we have three months of new data to dig through.

Zac and Phil revisit the cards they've been tracking across the format, using the Blackman threat metric to measure both how widely cards are played and how many copies appear in those decks. The new browser extension makes it easier than ever to snapshot the format and compare how these numbers change over time.

We look at Swords to Plowshares, Counterspell, Wasteland, Mishra's Factory, Mogg Fanatic, Phyrexian Dreadnought, Parallax Wave, Survival of the Fittest, Grim Lavamancer, Jackal Pup, Terravore, Exalted Angel, Wall of Roots, Wall of Blossoms, Squee, Masticore, Chain of Vapor and more.

Then Phil discovers something potentially much more important:

ZOMBIE TRAILBLAZER.

Is this the next great Premodern brew? Probably not.

But we're absolutely going to find out.

00:00 — Welcome to Returnal Durdles
01:36 — Premodern Threat Levels Are Back
02:01 — The Cards We're Tracking
03:27 — Swords to Plowshares
04:27 — The Threat Level Extension
05:01 — What Is a Blechman?
05:36 — What Does a Threat Level Actually Mean?
06:50 — Premodern Is a Healthy Format
08:28 — Gush Is Everywhere
09:19 — What Is Premodern's Next Most-Played Land?
10:27 — Counterspell Breaks the Data
11:08 — City of Brass?!
11:32 — Mogg Fanatic Is Everywhere
12:16 — The Goblins Math
14:34 — Goblin Sharpshooter Needs More Respect
16:03 — The Phyrexian Dreadnought Package
17:28 — Dreadnought vs. Parallax Wave
19:19 — Survival of the Fittest & Squee
20:40 — Jackal Pup & Burn
22:00 — Portent Is Apparently a 4-of
22:21 — Terravore & Wall of Roots
23:20 — Exalted Angel Falls Off
24:17 — Where Is Meddling Mage?
25:30 — Wall of Blossoms Is Disappearing
25:54 — The Zombie Trailblazer Discovery
27:06 — THIS CARD IS BUSTED
28:36 — "It Dies to Swords"
29:28 — How Many Blackmans Is Zombie Trailblazer?
30:13 — The Deepest Part of the Data
31:24 — Orcish Lumberjack Is MOVING
33:09 — More Zombies?!
33:55 — Zombie Trailblazer Deck Incoming
34:54 — Masticore & Chain of Vapor
35:52 — Dark Ritual Is a 36-Blackman Card
36:03 — Stifle & Portent
37:09 — Subscribe to Returnal Durdles
38:46 — Why Your Subscription Matters Right Now
39:14 — The Zombie Trailblazer Challenge
40:11 — Final Thoughts

The Hobbits are coming to Magic, but how much are they actually going to change Legacy?

Zac and Phil go through the new Hobbits from Vetter Breath cards and find something surprisingly refreshing: there aren't that many cards worth talking about for Legacy.

We break down the eight cards that caught our attention, including Bilbo, Thief in the Night, The Great Goblin, Giant's Boulder, Thirandil, the Elven King, Inside Information, Bilbo's Gambit, Plunder the Trollshaws, and Riddles in the Dark.

Bilbo is the clear standout, looking like a powered-up version of a card that's already on Legacy's banned list. But does that actually make him a problem?

We also discuss:

• Why Universes Beyond sets keep feeling like Commander products
• The new Storied mechanic
• Bilbo vs. Dreadhorde Arcanist
• Whether The Great Goblin can enable a combo
• Why Giant's Boulder isn't the next Astrolabe
• Can Thirandil actually save Elves from Orcish Bowmasters?
• Why Inside Information probably isn't a Storm payoff
• Bilbo's Gambit and the Legacy "Silence" problem
• Why Riddles in the Dark isn't Fact or Fiction
• And why we're actually happy that the set has a lower Legacy power level

If we missed a card, let us know in the comments.

And if you're done with Universes Beyond and want to play Classic, Peak, Pre-War, or Premodern, check out Returnal Durdles.

00:00 — The Hobbit Set Isn't Breaking Legacy
00:57 — Flavor vs. Power Level
02:37 — The Storied Mechanic Is Metalcraft+
04:40 — Urza's Saga Is Already Storied?!
05:56 — Why We're Building Locked Formats Instead
06:48 — Peak Legacy Event Announcement
07:17 — Bilbo, Thief in the Night
10:02 — The Great Goblin
12:55 — Giant's Boulder vs. Astrolabe
16:27 — Does Giant's Boulder Work With Scry Payoffs?
17:40 — Thirandil, the Elven King
19:40 — Inside Information
21:36 — Bilbo's Gambit
24:30 — Bilbo Is an EDH All-Star
26:29 — Plunder the Trollshaws
27:39 — Riddles in the Dark
28:48 — Riddles vs. Fact or Fiction
30:14 — Just Play Three Wishes
31:27 — The Eight Cards That Matter
32:00 — Why We're Happy the Power Level Is Lower
32:40 — Returnal Durdles & Locked Formats
33:00 — Submit Your Own Legacy Takes

Timestamps

The Hobbits are coming to Magic, but how much are they actually going to change Legacy?

Zac and Phil go through the new Hobbits from Vetter Breath cards and find something surprisingly refreshing: there aren't that many cards worth talking about for Legacy.

We break down the eight cards that caught our attention, including Bilbo, Thief in the Night, The Great Goblin, Giant's Boulder, Thirandil, the Elven King, Inside Information, Bilbo's Gambit, Plunder the Trollshaws, and Riddles in the Dark.

Bilbo is the clear standout, looking like a powered-up version of a card that's already on Legacy's banned list. But does that actually make him a problem?

We also discuss:

• Why Universes Beyond sets keep feeling like Commander products
• The new Storied mechanic
• Bilbo vs. Dreadhorde Arcanist
• Whether The Great Goblin can enable a combo
• Why Giant's Boulder isn't the next Astrolabe
• Can Thirandil actually save Elves from Orcish Bowmasters?
• Why Inside Information probably isn't a Storm payoff
• Bilbo's Gambit and the Legacy "Silence" problem
• Why Riddles in the Dark isn't Fact or Fiction
• And why we're actually happy that the set has a lower Legacy power level

If we missed a card, let us know in the comments.

And if you're done with Universes Beyond and want to play Classic, Peak, Pre-War, or Premodern, check out Returnal Durdles.

00:00 — The Hobbit Set Isn't Breaking Legacy
00:57 — Flavor vs. Power Level
02:37 — The Storied Mechanic Is Metalcraft+
04:40 — Urza's Saga Is Already Storied?!
05:56 — Why We're Building Locked Formats Instead
06:48 — Peak Legacy Event Announcement
07:17 — Bilbo, Thief in the Night
10:02 — The Great Goblin
12:55 — Giant's Boulder vs. Astrolabe
16:27 — Does Giant's Boulder Work With Scry Payoffs?
17:40 — Thirandil, the Elven King
19:40 — Inside Information
21:36 — Bilbo's Gambit
24:30 — Bilbo Is an EDH All-Star
26:29 — Plunder the Trollshaws
27:39 — Riddles in the Dark
28:48 — Riddles vs. Fact or Fiction
30:14 — Just Play Three Wishes
31:27 — The Eight Cards That Matter
32:00 — Why We're Happy the Power Level Is Lower
32:40 — Returnal Durdles & Locked Formats
33:00 — Submit Your Own Legacy Takes

Timestamps

What happens when you take a Magic format from 10 years ago and attack it with everything we've learned since?

That's the experiment behind Peak, Classic, and the other locked formats we're exploring on Eternal Durdles.

Instead of simply copying old tournament lists, Zac and Phil discuss how modern deckbuilding theory can reveal cards, strategies, and entire archetypes that may have been overlooked when these formats were originally played.

Phil has been digging through old Miracles lists and finding cards like Unexpectedly Absent and Sylvan Library that seem dramatically underexplored. Zac is doing the same thing with Classic and Peak decks, looking for forgotten strategies that might be ready for a second life.

We also talk about:

• Why you shouldn't blindly copy old decklists
• How locked formats create new brewing opportunities
• The danger of "getting lost in the sauce" of metagame tuning
• Unexpectedly Absent in Peak
• Four-of Sylvan Library
• Rebuilding forgotten Classic decks
• Nahiri + Emrakul Miracles
• What modern Magic players know that players didn't know then
• The upcoming Peak event in New York

And yes, Zac has acquired Un-Glued Islands.

00:00 — Why Locked Formats Are So Exciting
01:25 — The First Big Peak Event
02:45 — Don't Just Copy Old Decklists
03:45 — We Know More About Magic Now
04:15 — Phil's Miracles Rabbit Hole
07:50 — The Unexpectedly Absent Breakthrough
10:40 — Why Nobody Played Sylvan Library
13:30 — The Untapped Territory of Locked Formats
15:20 — Optimizing Forgotten Classic Decks
17:45 — Getting Lost in the Sauce
19:45 — Zac's TradeMagic Pickup
22:00 — Esperzoa: The Forgotten Brew
24:45 — What If We Rebuilt These Decks Today?
27:00 — The Nahiri Miracles Experiment
30:20 — Why Old Decks Were Never Fully Explored
31:55 — Come Play Peak!
33:20 — Locked Formats Beyond Nostalgia
34:00 — Welcome to a New Magic

What happens when you take a Magic format from 10 years ago and attack it with everything we've learned since?

That's the experiment behind Peak, Classic, and the other locked formats we're exploring on Eternal Durdles.

Instead of simply copying old tournament lists, Zac and Phil discuss how modern deckbuilding theory can reveal cards, strategies, and entire archetypes that may have been overlooked when these formats were originally played.

Phil has been digging through old Miracles lists and finding cards like Unexpectedly Absent and Sylvan Library that seem dramatically underexplored. Zac is doing the same thing with Classic and Peak decks, looking for forgotten strategies that might be ready for a second life.

We also talk about:

• Why you shouldn't blindly copy old decklists
• How locked formats create new brewing opportunities
• The danger of "getting lost in the sauce" of metagame tuning
• Unexpectedly Absent in Peak
• Four-of Sylvan Library
• Rebuilding forgotten Classic decks
• Nahiri + Emrakul Miracles
• What modern Magic players know that players didn't know then
• The upcoming Peak event in New York

And yes, Zac has acquired Un-Glued Islands.

00:00 — Why Locked Formats Are So Exciting
01:25 — The First Big Peak Event
02:45 — Don't Just Copy Old Decklists
03:45 — We Know More About Magic Now
04:15 — Phil's Miracles Rabbit Hole
07:50 — The Unexpectedly Absent Breakthrough
10:40 — Why Nobody Played Sylvan Library
13:30 — The Untapped Territory of Locked Formats
15:20 — Optimizing Forgotten Classic Decks
17:45 — Getting Lost in the Sauce
19:45 — Zac's TradeMagic Pickup
22:00 — Esperzoa: The Forgotten Brew
24:45 — What If We Rebuilt These Decks Today?
27:00 — The Nahiri Miracles Experiment
30:20 — Why Old Decks Were Never Fully Explored
31:55 — Come Play Peak!
33:20 — Locked Formats Beyond Nostalgia
34:00 — Welcome to a New Magic

With the next Legacy Banned & Restricted announcement just days away, Zac and Phil dive into the latest Threat Level Report to see which cards are dominating the format—and which ones deserve a closer look.

Using Blackmans, our custom metric that combines play rate and copies per deck, we analyze the current Legacy metagame and discuss how cards like Tamiyo, Force of Will, Orcish Bowmasters, Urza's Saga, Flow State, Doomsday, Kozilek's Command, and Fantasticar have shifted over the past month.

Topics include:

• The rise and fall of Legacy's biggest threats
• Why combo continues to dominate the format
• Fantasticar's impact on gameplay
• What the data says Wizards should ban
• Our predictions for the August B&R announcement

Will Wizards act decisively—or will Legacy stay the same?

Let us know your predictions in the comments!

00:00 Legacy Ban Announcement Preview
02:00 What Is Threat Level?
04:10 Wasteland & Force of Will Trends
05:45 Tamiyo, Murktide & Bowmasters
10:00 New Cards to Watch (Felia, Fleshraker, Kaaito)
13:30 Urza's Saga & Combo Trends
20:40 Flow State, Thoughtseize & Doomsday
25:00 Kozilek's Command & Eldrazi
26:00 Fantasticar's Threat Level
28:40 The Candelabra Debate
33:30 Ban Predictions & Final Thoughts

Timestamps

With the next Legacy Banned & Restricted announcement just days away, Zac and Phil dive into the latest Threat Level Report to see which cards are dominating the format—and which ones deserve a closer look.

Using Blackmans, our custom metric that combines play rate and copies per deck, we analyze the current Legacy metagame and discuss how cards like Tamiyo, Force of Will, Orcish Bowmasters, Urza's Saga, Flow State, Doomsday, Kozilek's Command, and Fantasticar have shifted over the past month.

Topics include:

• The rise and fall of Legacy's biggest threats
• Why combo continues to dominate the format
• Fantasticar's impact on gameplay
• What the data says Wizards should ban
• Our predictions for the August B&R announcement

Will Wizards act decisively—or will Legacy stay the same?

Let us know your predictions in the comments!

00:00 Legacy Ban Announcement Preview
02:00 What Is Threat Level?
04:10 Wasteland & Force of Will Trends
05:45 Tamiyo, Murktide & Bowmasters
10:00 New Cards to Watch (Felia, Fleshraker, Kaaito)
13:30 Urza's Saga & Combo Trends
20:40 Flow State, Thoughtseize & Doomsday
25:00 Kozilek's Command & Eldrazi
26:00 Fantasticar's Threat Level
28:40 The Candelabra Debate
33:30 Ban Predictions & Final Thoughts

Timestamps

Could today's Legacy players build better decks than the pros of 2010?This week Drake returns to Eternal Durdles to explore one of the most fascinating Magic experiments we've ever discussed: Classic Legacy.We revisit the Legacy format as it existed before Delver of Secrets, before Modern Horizons, and before years of deck optimization changed how players approached Brainstorm, Counterbalance, Tarmogoyf, and Jace, the Mind Sculptor.Along the way we discuss:• How modern heuristics reshape old decklists• The forgotten rules that changed Legacy forever• CounterTop brewing• Death's Shadow in Classic Legacy• Why Tarmogoyf still dominates• Landstill vs Counterbalance• Dutch Stax• Reanimator packages• The future of Classic LegacyIf you've ever wondered what Legacy looked like before the power creep—or what would happen if today's players went back in time with sixteen years of experience—this episode is for you.Chapters00:00 Intro & Why Classic Legacy Is Exploding01:30 Drake's Latest Brews05:45 Why Old Decklists Look So Strange11:20 The Rules That Changed Legacy Forever15:30 Modern Players Build Better Decks20:10 Brewing with Today's Knowledge24:30 Is Blue Actually the Best Color?30:20 Death's Shadow Comes to Classic Legacy35:00 Building CounterTop Today41:00 Trinket Mage Technology45:30 Land Tax, AK & Hidden Gems50:00 Counterbalance vs Landstill55:00 Where Classic Legacy Goes Next

Could today's Legacy players build better decks than the pros of 2010?This week Drake returns to Eternal Durdles to explore one of the most fascinating Magic experiments we've ever discussed: Classic Legacy.We revisit the Legacy format as it existed before Delver of Secrets, before Modern Horizons, and before years of deck optimization changed how players approached Brainstorm, Counterbalance, Tarmogoyf, and Jace, the Mind Sculptor.Along the way we discuss:• How modern heuristics reshape old decklists• The forgotten rules that changed Legacy forever• CounterTop brewing• Death's Shadow in Classic Legacy• Why Tarmogoyf still dominates• Landstill vs Counterbalance• Dutch Stax• Reanimator packages• The future of Classic LegacyIf you've ever wondered what Legacy looked like before the power creep—or what would happen if today's players went back in time with sixteen years of experience—this episode is for you.Chapters00:00 Intro & Why Classic Legacy Is Exploding01:30 Drake's Latest Brews05:45 Why Old Decklists Look So Strange11:20 The Rules That Changed Legacy Forever15:30 Modern Players Build Better Decks20:10 Brewing with Today's Knowledge24:30 Is Blue Actually the Best Color?30:20 Death's Shadow Comes to Classic Legacy35:00 Building CounterTop Today41:00 Trinket Mage Technology45:30 Land Tax, AK & Hidden Gems50:00 Counterbalance vs Landstill55:00 Where Classic Legacy Goes Next

CLASSIC LEGACY DISCORDhttps://discord.gg/Yg7UMC86m Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Et ernalDurdlesUse our link for a free Month of Elite on TradeMagic.gghttps://trademagic.gg/eternaldurdlesBuilding decks for a new format doesn't have to mean spending hundreds of dollars.In this episode, Zac and Phil walk through how they're using TradeMagic.gg to turn unused cards into staples for Classic Legacy, Peak Legacy, and Premodern. From organizing collections and managing wants lists to trading for original printings and supporting emerging formats, this is a behind-the-scenes look at how they're building new decks without constantly buying singles.We also discuss:Why Classic Legacy is growingSupporting Moxfield and Scryfall integrationHow the TradeMagic credit system worksTrading into expensive staplesOriginal printings vs. reprintsBuilding collections for new Eternal formatsWhether you're a long-time collector or just getting into Classic Legacy, this episode will help you get more value out of the cards you already own.#MagicTheGathering #ClassicLegacy #TradeMagic #Premodern #MTGTimestamps00:00 Why New Formats Are Fun to Collect02:30 Supporting Classic Legacy05:55 TradeMagic Overview07:20 Building a Want List11:55 How the Trading System Works16:00 Trading With New Members18:20 Why TradeMagic Builds Community20:50 Why Eternal Staples Are Affordable Again23:20 Get Started With TradeMagicTCGPLAYER AFFILIATE LINK:https://partner.tcgplayer.com/OexAAnJOIN US ON DISCORD: https://discord.gg/hrC7PxQZTEProudly supported by Three For One Trading: shop.threeforonetrading.comRiverside Partner Link: https://riverside.sjv.io/KB0E07MOXFIELDEternal Durdles Moxfield: https://www.moxfield.com/users/EternalDurdleshttps://www.moxfield.com/users/Durdlemagushttps://www.moxfield.com/users/ForceofPhilChannel Art Assets by: https://www.instagram.com/jonthetallone/

CLASSIC LEGACY DISCORDhttps://discord.gg/Yg7UMC86mSupport us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Et ernalDurdlesUse our link for a free Month of Elite on TradeMagic.gghttps://trademagic.gg/eternaldurdlesBuilding decks for a new format doesn't have to mean spending hundreds of dollars.In this episode, Zac and Phil walk through how they're using TradeMagic.gg to turn unused cards into staples for Classic Legacy, Peak Legacy, and Premodern. From organizing collections and managing wants lists to trading for original printings and supporting emerging formats, this is a behind-the-scenes look at how they're building new decks without constantly buying singles.We also discuss:Why Classic Legacy is growingSupporting Moxfield and Scryfall integrationHow the TradeMagic credit system worksTrading into expensive staplesOriginal printings vs. reprintsBuilding collections for new Eternal formatsWhether you're a long-time collector or just getting into Classic Legacy, this episode will help you get more value out of the cards you already own.#MagicTheGathering #ClassicLegacy #TradeMagic #Premodern #MTGTimestamps00:00 Why New Formats Are Fun to Collect02:30 Supporting Classic Legacy05:55 TradeMagic Overview07:20 Building a Want List11:55 How the Trading System Works16:00 Trading With New Members18:20 Why TradeMagic Builds Community20:50 Why Eternal Staples Are Affordable Again23:20 Get Started With TradeMagicTCGPLAYER AFFILIATE LINK:https://partner.tcgplayer.com/OexAAnJOIN US ON DISCORD: https://discord.gg/hrC7PxQZTEProudly supported by Three For One Trading: shop.threeforonetrading.comRiverside Partner Link: https://riverside.sjv.io/KB0E07MOXFIELDEternal Durdles Moxfield: https://www.moxfield.com/users/EternalDurdleshttps://www.moxfield.com/users/Durdlemagushttps://www.moxfield.com/users/ForceofPhilChannel Art Assets by: https://www.instagram.com/jonthetallone/