Explore every episode of the podcast Magic The Flavouring
| Title | Pub. Date | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ep.145 Year In Review 2024 | 19 Dec 2024 | 01:48:48 | |
Another year of Magic and what a year it was! With a tonal shift to the flavour unlike anything seen before, there is certainly a lot to go over. Andy and Nathan go set by set to relive some the highs and lows of 2024 as well as picking their favourite art and artists of the year. | |||
| Ep.144 Foundations Flavour Picks | 12 Nov 2024 | 01:17:49 | |
Magic Foundations looks to uphold the absolute distilled core of what MTG is in the game, in some ways to balance the Universes Beyond influx we are looking at in 2025. So what does WOTC consider the quintessential expressions of colour and what cards and themes do Andy and Nathan wish made the cut? | |||
| Ep.135 Outlaws Of Thunder Junction Story Review | 12 Apr 2024 | 01:24:54 | |
Its time to saddle up for a rootin' tootin' showdown on the wild west Plane everyone was asking for! Was this story the big score that was promised or just a smash and grab for some quick loot? Andy and Nathan cover both the main 6 episodes and the Epilogue and discuss the bold new direction that MTG stories could be taking... | |||
| Ep.45 Princess Mononoke Flavour Deck Tech- Marath, Will Of The Wild | 22 Oct 2020 | 00:57:57 | |
Nathan talks us through his EDH flavour deck tech based around one of the guys' favourite films, Studio Ghibli's 1997 fantasy epic Princess Mononoke! Marath takes the Commander role in this deck but all the major characters are represented, with some interesting narrative choices made to show character development and story structure. | |||
| Ep.44 Zendikar Rising Story Review | 13 Oct 2020 | 01:12:22 | |
The guys talk through their thoughts and feelings about the returning Web Fiction episodes for Zendikar Rising. With a step back from the E-Book format introduced during War of the Spark and used through to Ikoria, what advantages do the Episodes present and what limitations are there? Also have we had enough of a pallet cleanser from familiar characters and settings? | |||
| Ep.43 A Flavour Too Far? | 06 Oct 2020 | 01:17:36 | |
Secret Lair: The Walking Dead may be the most polarising Magic: The Gathering product ever. Whilst the guys do talk through their own misgivings about this drop and also ruminate over the MTG community's range of reactions to these announcements, these are also still Magic cards. That means flavour that needs to be dissected! | |||
| Ep.42 Showcases: A Year On | 29 Sep 2020 | 00:57:09 | |
2020 may be "The Year Of The Commander" but it has also been the year of alternate arts! After 5 mainline sets of showcase treatments the guys look back at the some of the successes and potential issues with how each set handled its unique styles and what they think will work heading into the future. | |||
| Ep.41 Zendikar Rising Flavour Picks | 22 Sep 2020 | 01:01:29 | |
Zendikar Rising has arrived and now with all the cards in the set released the guys can start pouring over all the new flavour on offer. Andy and Nathan offer up their top flavour picks from the set as well as exploring the broader themes and connections across this visit to the fan favourite Plane and our previous journeys there. | |||
| Ep.40 2021: What's On The Menu? | 14 Sep 2020 | 01:02:25 | |
The full line up of 2021 mainline products were spoiled by WOTC alongside Zendikar Rising, and the guys finally have time to go digging for clues, and see what flavour can be uncovered. But along with brand new Planes, there are surprise returns (in more ways than one) and also some notable absences... | |||
| Ep.39 Zendikar Rises And So Does The Hype | 07 Sep 2020 | 01:15:42 | |
Spoiler season is upon us for Zendkiar Rising and the is no doubt that this set is looking to be packed with new lore and flavour for the Plane. The guys take us through their personal top 5 things they are hyped for and also discuss the set's full length trailer, and the return of web fiction! | |||
| Ep.38 Spoilers! Spoilers! Spoilers! | 31 Aug 2020 | 01:19:21 | |
Two Secret Lair drops, Commander Collection Green, Commander Legends and Zendikar Rising. It's been a busy couple of weeks, with all the new reveals and spoilers for up coming sets, and the guys are going to talk through as much of it as they can! What new flavour is on offer? What predictions came true? And what future details can be discerned? | |||
| Ep.37 Cosmic Horror Flavour Dech Tech- Ertai The Corrupted | 24 Aug 2020 | 01:17:39 | |
Today the guys build a Commander deck around the Cosmic Horror genre with Ertai, The Corrupted at the helm. What balance can be struck between play-ability and staying true to your flavour? What different ways can you build when focusing on flavour? And most importantly of all what basic land arts did Andy choose?!? | |||
| Ep.36 Double The Masters, Double The Art | 17 Aug 2020 | 01:09:31 | |
Every Double Masters Box Topper (except for one...) has brought with it new art that puts fresh flavour spins on some of the games most iconic cards. But which ones do the guys think are the most interesting, not only for their visual beauty but also as space to expand lore and tell stories. Also, there are some of the negatives to come out of these premium pieces, so what do Andy and Nathan think were some of the oversights and missed opportunities that they hope see rectified in the future. | |||
| Ep.134 Fallout: Taste The Wasteland | 26 Mar 2024 | 01:07:29 | |
What happens when you push The Brothers War, New Capenna and Thunder Junction through an Omen Path together? Why you get Fallout of course! (Or something like that). The latest Universes Beyond commander decks take on one of the biggest Franchises in Video Game history, and it's one with an in-depth lore and satire so heavy handed it may as well be wearing Power Armor. How well will Andy and Nathan traverse the wastelands, and can they survive on Nuka-Cola alone...? | |||
| Ep.35 Player, Artist, Customer? The Value Of Magic Art Feat. Titus Lunter | 10 Aug 2020 | 01:15:33 | |
Today the guys are joined by Magic: The Gathering Artist Titus Lunter! Titus talks about his experience with the game as both a creative and a player and explores the relationship between these two identities in both his deck building and illustration process. | |||
| Ep.34 The Rise of Zendikar: Speculations, Rumours and Nonsense | 03 Aug 2020 | 01:09:47 | |
Zendikar Rising is within sight and the guys have a lot of speculation to throw around! Based on Mark Rosewater's SDCC online panel and key art that has been released, as well as picking up on clues from around mtg, Zendikar Rising seems to have many different avenues that it can go down, and they all seem to point towards an exciting set! | |||
| Ep.33 Flavourful Alternatives: Commander Staples! | 27 Jul 2020 | 01:10:27 | |
The guys look at some of the most played spells in Commander and suggest alternatives that may better fit your EDH deck's theme or aesthetic. The Commander format has one of the largest card pools of any format to choose from, so when crafting you pile, shop around! You may be surprised by some cads that are considered "strictly worse" than other cards but are actually more suitable for your play style, both mechanically and flavour wise. | |||
| Ep.32 Featured In Flavour Text | 20 Jul 2020 | 01:05:11 | |
This week the guys deep dive into characters that have only ever appeared on flavour text and throw around wild speculations on who of those characters will be getting a Legendary Creature card in the near future. | |||
| Ep.31 Writing Flavour Text Feat. Anthony Tessitore | 13 Jul 2020 | 01:36:01 | |
This week the guys are joined by writer and game designer Anthony Tessitore! Ant worked on Magic: The Gathering from Magic Origin's to Modern Horizons and is currently running his own games company GuildHouse Games with their new game Varia! Ant was also a prolific writer for CoolStuffInc. and is co-host to the Snack Time podcast with Vorthos Mike. | |||
| Ep.30 Jumpstart: Smashing Flavour | 06 Jul 2020 | 01:04:56 | |
Jumpstart not only brings a whole new way to play and enjoy MTG, it also is packed to the brim with flavour! Andy and Nathan talk through their personal highlights from the set and dive into the art, mechanics and text of this fun new product. | |||
| Ep.29 M21 Part 2: Core Ingredients | 29 Jun 2020 | 01:21:11 | |
For a core set, M21 has a tonne of flavour. Legendary's old and new, a wide art style and varied game play makes this set a force to be reckoned with. But with the highs also come some lows and Andy and Nathan, recording in 30'c heat are here to rant all about it! | |||
| Ep.28 M21 Part 1: Core Blimey! | 22 Jun 2020 | 01:06:42 | |
Andy and Nathan talk through the more mechanical aspects of Core Set 21 as well as looking at the broader flavour style that core sets offer. With new creature types, big reprints and a deeper level of game play than we are used to seeing from a set like this, M21 is looking to be one of the most interesting non-story sets in yet! | |||
| Ep.27 A Path To Blightsteel Feat. Wayne Reynolds | 15 Jun 2020 | 00:56:00 | |
This week the guys are joined my MTG artist Wayne Reynolds! | |||
| Ep.26 Ravnica In Reflection | 08 Jun 2020 | 00:49:15 | |
As we finally close the last chapter of the Bolas story with Ravnica and War Of The Spark rotating out of standard, Andy and Nathan look back at MTG's favourite Plane. How was it left, where will it go and what story threads seem like they would offer the best returning story lines for when we inevitably go back? | |||
| Ep.133 Murders At Karlov Manor Flavour Picks | 21 Feb 2024 | 01:35:44 | |
So, the guys have interviewed the suspects, inspected the crime scene and built a case, but does the evidence stack up? Andy and Nathan pour through the case files of MKM and have found both hidden clues, and some shaky alibis... | |||
| Ep.25 Keep It Secret, Keep It Safe | 30 May 2020 | 01:04:21 | |
Five Secret Lair drops in one week! That's a lot of cardboard to talk about. The guys talk through the latest offerings from Secret Lair and look at the creative space this controversial product has opened up. | |||
| Ep.24 Alt Art Talk - Feat. Vorthos Mike | 23 May 2020 | 01:00:40 | |
The guys have a very special guest on the show, Vorthos Mike! Alternative art has been coming into its own over the past year and it looks like a trend set to continue, but Vorthos Mike is here to tell you that this trend has deep roots in Magic's history. Also Nathan and Andy get schooled on the secrets still hidden in MTG art and the importance of taking a careful look at every card in your booster. | |||
| Ep.23 Flavourful Facades That Flip | 16 May 2020 | 01:13:59 | |
The guys go through the history of flip, split and double faced cards to explore the ways in which R&D have used space not only to try new mechanics but also broaden the stories they can tell. | |||
| Ep.22 Trials and Tribal-ations | 08 May 2020 | 01:11:02 | |
Looking ahead into this 'Year of Commander' the guys break down the Tribal Commanders they want to see introduced into the EDH format, as well as breaking down what criteria they want in their tribal support and why some of the more powerful tribal decks in the format are perhaps not the most flavourful. | |||
| Ep.21 Hypothetical Content | 30 Apr 2020 | 00:56:46 | |
Today the guys take a moment to ask the important questions surrounding MTG lore. What Plane has the best pubs? Do Dragons have to deal with heart burn and much, much more (maybe too much). | |||
| Ep.20 Ikoria Lore: Humans | 24 Apr 2020 | 01:05:52 | |
The Human factions of Ikoria are perhaps not as splashy as their Monster counterparts, however as the guys find out, their design is far more nuanced and deep than appearances would lead you to believe. Andy and Nathan look at the use of the colour pie, visual aesthetics and narrative choices that make the Humans of Ikoria one of the big draws of this high concept Plane. | |||
| Ep.19 Ikoria Lore: Monsters | 18 Apr 2020 | 01:01:49 | |
The Monsters of Ikoria are plentiful and each of them unique, so naturally the guys have quite a bit to say about them. At first glance Ikoria's lore seems to just be about giant monsters smashing the heck out of each other, but a closer look at the geography of the Plane and its relationship with the creatures that live in it reveals a much deeper mythos and one of the most interesting new planes in recent magic. | |||
| Ep.18 Commander 2020 Overview | 13 Apr 2020 | 01:23:10 | |
It's Commander 2020, and foolishly the guys thought they could talk about it in the last 10mins of the previous episode. Never going to work. So enjoy this bonus episode as they talk through the new legendaries and some of the more king sized new toys for EDH. | |||
| Ep.17 Ikoria: Monstrous Mechanics | 10 Apr 2020 | 01:10:37 | |
Ikoria has just finished spoiler season and the guys talk through it's mechanics and gameplay. Do the set's new abilities deliver on its kaiju battle aesthetic and is the actual gameplay deep enough to justify it's bold design? | |||
| Ep.16 Magic Without The Gathering/Ikoria Spoilers | 03 Apr 2020 | 00:58:11 | |
The guys run through the small steps you can take to engage with the game of Magic when you can't actually sit down and play it. With almost everyone around the world unable to get a face to face game in right now, how can you keep sane and still connect with MTG? | |||
| Ep.132 Murders at Karlov Manor Story Review | 27 Jan 2024 | 01:22:49 | |
There's been a murder!!! Never mind that it happened on one of the most densely populated and crime ridden Planes of the Multiverse, because this time its the Guild Masters who are getting whacked! Andy and Nathan are on the case to find out if a high concept, light-hearted genre flip on a fan favourite Plane can land, or whether this tale of misdeeds is left in the stack of unsolved crimes... | |||
| Ep.15 What's That Coming Over The Hill? | 26 Mar 2020 | 00:42:47 | |
The guys talk through their predictions for Ikoria: Lair Of Behemoths and breakdown some of the hints given out by the Mtg Creative team in regards to its mechanics and creature types. What creature types do Andy and Nathan want to see, how much power can one Aura give and what the heck is a Whale Wolf? | |||
| Ep.14 Legendary Potential | 17 Mar 2020 | 01:13:45 | |
Coming to you from what can only be assumed is some sort of cavernous Hall of Legends on account of all the echos, the guys talk through what qualities make a Legendary Creature in the game of Magic, and what Non-Legendary Creatures they would like to see ascend to glory! | |||
| Ep.13 Flavour Builds: Scarab God/Grenzo | 10 Mar 2020 | 01:24:35 | |
The guys run through some of their most flavourful commander decks and talk about the different levels of building with theme and flavour. What is the balance between form and function and what choices can you make when building a deck that still performs but also tells a story? | |||
| Ep.12 The Great Snake Debate | 06 Mar 2020 | 01:15:02 | |
It's time to settle this once and for all! Is a Naga a Naga or is it a Snake? Well before they can answer that question, the guys have to go through every other humanoid race in Magic and find out where the lines are drawn. Should Leonin stay as cats, should Viashino be Lizards, and can WOTC just make up their minds about Jackals already!?! | |||
| Ep.11 Tourist Traps Of The Blind Eternities | 28 Feb 2020 | 01:16:01 | |
What new Planes do the guys want to see as a future setting in a main MTG set and which ones are they sick to death of visiting? Do the main characters matter more than the world they inhabit or is it the Plane itself that gets the Vorthos senses tingling? Let the ranting commence! | |||
| Ep.10 Walking With Flavour | 18 Feb 2020 | 01:07:09 | |
The guys talk about Planeswalkers, both in their role as MTG story's heroes and as some of the games most powerful cards. | |||
| Ep.9 State Of The Story | 11 Feb 2020 | 01:22:24 | |
The guys dig deep into one of the most hot button issues of recent magic, the handling and delivery of Mtg Story. | |||
| Ep.8 Going Green- Green | 04 Feb 2020 | 01:22:21 | |
Rounding out their cycle of colour pie episodes, the guys talk through Green and its perceived domination of battle cruiser magic. Does a format's popularity effect how a colour is represented in the game and vice versa, and is this thematically justified in the colour's flavour? | |||
| Ep.7 Theros Beyond Death Flavour Review | 28 Jan 2020 | 01:31:40 | |
The guys breakdown Theros Beyond Death. From Titans to Demigods, this set has a dense lore and only one set to fulfill some high flavour expectations. | |||
| Ep.6 Lightning Bolt Round- Red | 18 Jan 2020 | 01:22:58 | |
The guys discuss the colour Red and quickly uncover that there is more to this section of the colour pie than destruction and chaos. From Goblins to Dragons, from fury to joy, Red is one of the most versatile colours in Magic and can be used to express the very spark of creativity in this most flavourful of games. | |||
| Ep.131 2023 A Year In Review | 31 Dec 2023 | 01:34:57 | |
2023 is almost over and Magic has once again pushed the envelope on its product design. And inevitably that has an impact on the flavour of the cardboard. Andy and Nathan look back over the year, to give their Vorthos highs and lows, as well as where they are personally with the game. | |||
| Ep.5 The Colour Of Spite- Black | 10 Jan 2020 | 01:23:14 | |
Do the ends always justify the means? If you're anything like Andy and you play mostly Black, then you may subscribe to winning at all costs! Andy and Nathan breakdown the major tenets of Magic's most amoral colour and how a love of Vampires (from two different sets) sparked their MTG obsession. Once again the guys will also dive into Alpha and discover that maybe it is a good thing that many of these cards are no longer reprinted... | |||
| Ep.4 Second The Best- Blue | 10 Jan 2020 | 01:16:22 | |
Continuing with their cycle of Colour Pie Episodes, Andy and Nathan breakdown what is often thought to be Magic's best colour, Blue. | |||
| Ep.3 The First Is The Worst- White | 09 Jan 2020 | 01:26:39 | |
In the first installment of MTF's cycle of Colour Pie episodes, the guys tackle the big question: Is White the worst colour of Magic? Music by Michael Rawcliffe Audio | |||