Fri, 3 July 2009  Brian here, yet again. This episode sees the cast of The Mana Pool, with the long-awaited return of Dirk, finally getting to a subject we’ve been approaching for weeks: multiplayer combat! Hold on to your hardhats, because here we...uh...wait. Our plans, apparently more fragile than a Faberge Egg, have been broken in half by the launch of the Magic 2010 page on the main Magic website, complete with visual spoiler. Yay for previews! The episode kicks off with a shout-out to the new members on the forums and to the Facebook group. Welcome all. Then, we go into some responses on the forums to our last few episodes. Feedback is always appreciated and actually does help us when we record the shows. Disagree with us about a point we make, think that Dirk is the funniest man alive, or catch us on a blatant error? Head to the forums! We then follow up on some reactions to the Magic 2010 rules changes, including Dirk’s first impressions, and the results of the first games Chewie and I have played under the new rules. Chewie and Dirk have also been playing Duels of the Planeswalkers recently and briefly share their experiences. After that, it’s on to Magic 2010 previews! Join us as we walk down a sort of memory lane with standbys like Serra Angel (now Uncommon!), Clone, and Birds of Paradise. We’ll also see old faces seeing new life like Black Knight (aww yeah), Ball Lightning, and Lightning Bolt (the one and only). Finally, since Magic 2010 is the first Core Set since Beta with new cards in it, we have new favorites like Child of Night, new duel lands, and Ant Queen. Do your exterminators have captains? They better. Finally, we’ve got some news. I’d tell you what it is, but you need to listen to find out. No cutting in line! All I’ll say is, oh wait, you have to listen! Ha. Finally finally, we quickly hit the recent Banned/Restricted List announcements and Magic shoes. Not magic shoes (Like Mike), Magic Shoes. They are NOT guaranteed to make you into a basketball legend. Thanks for listening to The Mana Pool as always, and get ready for some goodness in Magic 2010. LIGHTNING BOLT! Forum thread for this episode: http://cardshark.freeforums.org/episode-87-magic-2010-preview-1-t359.html Check out our archive at http://themanapool.libsyn.com Email us at themanapool@cardshark.com Follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/themanapool Send me an article at submissions@cardshark.com Cardshark located at http://www.cardshark.com Cardshark Member Promotions: http://www.cardshark.com/member_promotions.asp Subscribe to our RSS Feed: http://feeds.feedburner.com/themanapool Comments[0] |
Mon, 22 June 2009 Hello again, and welcome to episode 86 of the Mana Pool! Brian here, as your on-duty lifeguard for this episode. Please make sure that your life vests are securely fastened and your diving boards are locked in their upright positions, because today we’re going to hit the rapids. We should reiterate that The Mana Pool is not responsible for any lost or damaged items, limbs, or personality traits. We open up with the usual formalities, including being Dirkless yet again, and shouting out to new members on the forums and the Facebook page. We are also now on Twitter, so check out the new link at the bottom of these notes and follow us as we go about our (normal?) lives. We’ve got some updates on Chewie’s upcoming match against the Avant-Card Show podcast, which has changed somewhat. You can still find them at http://www.avantcardshow.com At this point we embark on a long rant regarding pro players, casual players, new players, skill levels, stereotypes, and common misconceptions. This is kind of an offshoot of last week’s thorny topic of the M10 rules changes, more regarding how others have reacted to the changes and what their discussions have said about them as players and theorists. Regardless of whether you’ve been playing for 20 minutes or 20 years (how’d you manage that, anyway?), you’ll hopefully find this rant/discussion/ramble interesting. Don’t get caught up here, though, because we’ve got a ways to go. Allied and enemy color pairings, favorite cards, crazy situations, and untold wit abound. Duels of the Planeswalkers on your right, rocky patches on your left, and an introduction to our Divine vs. Demonic series straight ahead stand between you and the shore. Should you reach the end of this expedition, make sure to tip your dorks and come back soon!
Direct download: Episode_86_-_A_Truly_Astonishing_Amount_of_Random_Magic_Musings.mp3 Category: podcasts -- posted at: 10:57 PM Comments[0] |
Sun, 14 June 2009  Hey there, all you Mana Pool listeners! Brian here, subbing in for Chewie. He worked 12 hours on the day that we recorded this episode, only to come home and run the recording less than 2 hours later, and he needed a bit of a break. You’d never guess it from the episode, though, ‘cause we’re all firing on all cylinders for this one. When I say "we", I don’t mean Dirk, because he’s not going to be with us for this episode and another or so due to computer death problems. Never fear, as we’ve got a mystery guest host, whose identity is unknown for at least a minute or so into the episode. [Chewie note: It's Bill, who is kurai_seraphim on the forums].We cover quite a bit of ground here before we even get into the meaty, juicy topic that the episode covers. We go over Cardshark member promotions for June, new members on the forums and Facebook [Chewie note: International, baby!], and the usual routine. Then, Chewie answers a challenge from the Avant-Card Show Podcast of the utmost importance - nudity is at stake! No, Chewie will not be naked, we promise. Maybe. After that, Duels of the Planeswalkers release information is discussed. Anybody got a spare $10 (and an Xbox 360)? Then, we get into the main topic. This was going to be the next installment in our ongoing multiplayer series, but Wizards forced us to change course with the publication of rules changes accompanying Magic 2010. These changes are huge and will impact the way you play the game from now on, so love them or hate them, you’d best listen up. Mulligans are like going to bed? Creatures getting tired? The end of Magic? Tune in to find out what I’m talking about! Find the Avant-Card Show here: http://www.avantcardshow.com M10 Rules Update here: http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/feature/42a Forum thread for this episode: http://cardshark.freeforums.org/episode-85-m10-rules-update-discussion-t349.html Check out our archive at http://themanapool.libsyn.com Email us at themanapool@cardshark.com Send me an article at submissions@cardshark.com Cardshark located at http://www.cardshark.com Cardshark Member Promotions: http://www.cardshark.com/member_promotions.asp Subscribe to our RSS Feed: http://feeds.feedburner.com/themanapool Direct download: Episode_85_-_M10_Rules_Update_Discussion.mp3 Category: podcasts -- posted at: 3:59 PM Comments[0] |
Mon, 8 June 2009  Can we say that?This time we've got a lot to go over. We're Dirkless again due to his recent computer problems, but we're joined by my old roommate Corey again, so that evens out. We've got a mess of feedback to go over first. Then Brian and I have to tell you about the recent PTQ we attended. We ran the decks that were being tested in the last episode, just so you know. No last minute deck swaps for us. Then we get to the true purpose of this episode. We're discussing multiplayer deckbuilding. More specifically, we're going to focus on the differences between building a deck to take on one person and building a deck to handle multiple opponents. Of course, we sprinkle liberally with our own personal experiences and knowledge. And there's plenty of giggling, joking, tangential nonsense, and picking on each other, as per usual. What sort of episode would it be without all that? Forum thread for this episode: http://cardshark.freeforums.org/episode-84-can-we-say-that-multiplayer-deckbuilding-t344.html Check out our archive at http://themanapool.libsyn.com Email us at themanapool@cardshark.com Send me an article at submissions@cardshark.com Cardshark located at http://www.cardshark.com Cardshark Member Promotions: http://www.cardshark.com/member_promotions.asp Subscribe to our RSS Feed: http://feeds.feedburner.com/themanapool Direct download: Episode_84_-_Can_We_Say_That_Multiplayer_Deckbuilding.mp3 Category: podcasts -- posted at: 6:08 AM Comments[0] |
Mon, 1 June 2009  This is probably not what you were expecting, is it? Due to recording time problems, it was either this or no show at all. And since I know what happens to you rabid Mana Pool fans out there when you don't get your weekly fix, Brian and I came up with a solution. Let us know if you thought this was good, bad, terrible, stupid, didn't care, greatest thing ever, or whatever you think. Please give us some feedback here, we're curious. What you're hearing here is us testing for the PTQ that happened this past weekend. Some people requested that we try playing a game or more on the air, so we decided to give it a shot, killing two birds with one stone. Brian's playing a Bant Aggro - Finest Hour deck, and I'm playing a Jund Aggro - Cascade deck. We'll hit you with how the decks performed at the PTQ next episode, as well as get back to our multiplayer shows.
Comments[1] |
Wed, 27 May 2009  Prepare yourselves for a wild ride. That's all the warning you get.
We're also going to talk about some of those cards that we just absolutely hate to see on the table across from us. Of course this covers the obvious things like Stasis and Portcullis, but also the more subtly miserable cards like Fatespinner and Telepathy. We'll go over what exactly it is about all these cards that we despise so much.
Forum thread for this episode:
http://cardshark.freeforums.org/episode-82-back-in-the-day-multiplayer-cards-t339.html Direct download: Episode_82_-_Back_in_the_Day_Multiplayer_Cards.mp3 Category: podcasts -- posted at: 5:48 PM Comments[1] |
Tue, 19 May 2009  This episode was a complete mess, but not for you to listen to. Allow me to explain. First, we are joined by our old friend AJ of "Kill AJ" fame. This leads to our pre-recording conversation becoming a completely random mess that I really wish we could have recorded. Then we have a bit of listener feedback, which we always appreciate. Hint hint!
Then there's some news. The Xbox 360 Live Arcade game, Magic: The Gathering - Duels of the Planeswalkers, is coming out soon, and the list of Achievements has been released, so I spend a couple minutes going over that. Then Mike gets all giddy about the latest Rules Update that happened a couple weeks ago, and he goes over the various functional changes from this update. Believe it or not, this is actually interesting enough to pay attention to. To follow along yourself, go here: http://www.wizards.com/magic/magazine/article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/feature/35b&page=2
Then there's this bit of news about Planechase, which sounds like a new Vanguard-ish type of thing. Whatever it may be, we're going over the press release with a fine-tooth comb. Actually it's a shoeshine brush, but whatever. To follow along yourself again, go here: http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/arcana/187
Then I have a bit of Magic-playing news about my trip to Newport News, VA for Mother's Day. My cousin took me to a cyber cafe/card-playing location called Cyberwocky where I did lots of trading and was involved in a pickup Emperor game, something that is completely unheard of around here. It was great, so I talk about it.
Then we wanted to hit some of the high points of Alara Reborn, and this is where things started to fall apart. Brian suddenly realized that he had to go. Then Mike suddenly and involuntarily left us. While he was trying to get back, the rest of us soldiered on. He finally returned to us, sans some of his enthusiasm (not a word you'd usually associate with Mike, but he had a big Rules Update to go over this episode), and the episode ended shortly thereafter.
The real problems came when I tried to put this show together. Four and a half minutes of footage were covered in the horrible clicks that I only sort of managed to remove. I love you guys so much that I recorded a quick apology right before that part. Then the freaking edited-completely-except-for-music file decided it didn't want to save properly and I had to do it all over again. And then I had serious troubles getting the music for this episode to include both left and right stereo channels when I copied it over. But I eventually figured it out. As I write this, I should have been in the bed 45 minutes ago, but I wanted it all ready to upload tomorrow before we record the next show. That's how much I love you guys. Sleep is not as important as getting the episode out sometime before we record the next one, you know?
Music for this episode: Slave by Social Outcast u.b. Check them out at http://www.myspace.com/socialoutcastub
Forum thread for this episode: http://cardshark.freeforums.org/episode-81-would-you-like-some-content-with-your-tech-t334.html Check out our archive at http://themanapool.libsyn.com Email us at themanapool@cardshark.com Send me an article at submissions@cardshark.com Cardshark located at http://www.cardshark.com Cardshark Member Promotions: http://www.cardshark.com/member_promotions.asp Subscribe to our RSS Feed: http://feeds.feedburner.com/themanapool Direct download: Episode_81_-_Would_You_Like_Some_Content_with_Your_Technical_Difficulties.mp3 Category: podcasts -- posted at: 3:49 PM Comments[4] |
Tue, 12 May 2009  Hey there, all you Mike fans! This is me, filling in on the notes for Chewie this week as a special treat for everyone who missed me (hi, Mom!). Unfortunately, we're less one Dirk this time, as he had some stuff to take care of and didn't feel like he had anything in particular to contribute to the subject matter of the episode.Anyway, we kick things off with a special little featurette that might come back if people like it enough. As we get settled, it's Nature versus Technology as storms begin to rage in the background and threaten our precious electricity. From there, we get to the Cardshark Member Promotions (featuring everyone's favorite free uncommons), the final chapter of the Jace vs. Chandra evolution, and then we all get to hear about how Brian and Chewie did at the Alara Reborn Launch Party. Very informative, very entertaining. Welcome back to The Mana Pool! Music for this episode: Your Heroes are Dead by Social Outcast u.b. Check them out at http://www.myspace.com/socialoutcastub Forum thread for this episode: http://cardshark.freeforums.org/episode-80-ready-for-launch-arb-t330.html Check out our archive at http://themanapool.libsyn.com Email us at themanapool@cardshark.com Send me an article at submissions@cardshark.com Cardshark located at http://www.cardshark.com Cardshark Member Promotions: http://www.cardshark.com/member_promotions.asp Subscribe to our RSS Feed: http://feeds.feedburner.com/themanapool Comments[1] |
Sun, 3 May 2009 First off, I just wanted to say sorry for the lateness of this episode. I'm sure you'll hear about why in the next one.
In this Mike-free show, we're here to talk the Alara Reborn Prerelease. We decided that it made more sense to record on a night that Brian could join us, since he was at the Prerelease, so we had to do it on a night Mike was unavailable. Sorry to all the Mike fans out there, he should be back next episode.
So join us for a complete look at how we did. All three of us competed in the Sealed portion. Guess what colors Dirk played! For that matter, guess what all of us played. It actually matches what you would think. Then Dirk and Brian did a draft. Guess what colors Dirk played! I bet you guess wrong! Hit the forums if you haven't already and let us know how you did. And if you want to cheat, you can check out the forum thread for this episode to see all 5 decklists. The link is right down there if you're not already on the forums.
Music for this episode: I Don't Vote Republican by Social Outcast u.b. Check them out at http://www.myspace.com/socialoutcastub
Forum thread for this episode:
http://cardshark.freeforums.org/episode-79-alara-reborn-prerelease-spectacular-t324.html Direct download: Episode_79_-_Alara_Reborn_Prerelease_Spectacular.mp3 Category: podcasts -- posted at: 6:13 PM Comments[2] |
Fri, 24 April 2009 And the final Alara Reborn Preview is upon us! We are Mikeless in this episode, but that's okay because we have joining us the amazing Jason, also known as garthok84 on the forums, who was the third place winner of our big contest at the beginning of the year. He takes up the slack from Mike's absence and is generally a horrible human being throughout the entire episode. Which is what we look for in a guest host named Jason. But of course, we have a whole thoctar-load of previews to get through. Which is really hard considering all the random tangents, animal interruptions, challengers appearing, and poisoning of the forum members that are going on. But we eventually get through them all. You know, eventually. It's a seriously funny ride this time around though, so if you can make it through the whole thing, we hope you enjoyed it. Contrary to what you hear me say in this episode, we did not go past two hours. I just thought we did because I can't tell time. Alara Reborn Visual Spoiler: http://www.wizards.com/magic/tcg/article.aspx?x=mtg/tcg/alarareborn/spoiler
Check out our archive at http://themanapool.libsyn.com Email us at themanapool@cardshark.com Send me an article at submissions@cardshark.com Cardshark located at http://www.cardshark.com Cardshark Member Promotions: http://www.cardshark.com/member_promotions.asp Subscribe to our RSS Feed: http://feeds.feedburner.com/themanapool Comments[0] |
The Mana Pool
Join Brian, Mike, Dirk and Chewie as they discuss all things Magic: The Gathering. Since there are plenty of tournament and strategy podcasts out there, we've decided to focus on the fun of the game in all its many forms, from Prereleases to multiplayer free-for-alls to whatever else we can come up with. Give us a listen!
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