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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Syndication

Episode 73 - Shred Memory

Forum thread for this episode: http://cardshark.freeforums.org/episode-73-shred-memory-t308.html
Check out our archive at http://themanapool.libsyn.com
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Music for this episode: Back to the Future (Main Theme) by Alan Silvestri


And finally, there's really nothing much else to say about this episode other than this - what you're hearing is completely correct. Hopefully the name of the episode will make sense once you're done. You know, since we never actually mentioned the card it was named after.

Then we decided to try something a little odd. Brian picked out a few cards that have come out since we all started playing together. We then proceeded to discuss our own personal histories, experiences, and impressions for each of the cards, then went on to discuss some of the potential uses for each card. Even though we just did the Binder Pull last episode, we thought this was different enough to warrant doing. Of course, lots of fun and random tangents go hand in hand with each bit of discussion, so that makes it even more interesting.

Then, because they showed us the Banned & Restricted List update just after we recorded, we have to go over that really quick. Like really quick. And they showed us the packaging for the Alara Reborn Intro Packs, so of course we have to check that out. Nifty stuff.

First off, of course, we have the standard intro stuff. Hosts, the various contact points, new members on the Facebook group, music explanation, etc etc. You know, the usual.

Direct download: Episode_73_-_Shred_Memory.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 9:24pm EDT

Episode 72 - Binder Pull 2

There's a lot going on in this episode. First off, we have lots of Mana Pool news. New members on the forums, new people in the Facebook group, some comments on the MTGCast page, stuff like that. Also, I got a job. Yay employment! There's also that whole bit about From the Vault: Exiled, but we really don't know enough about it to do anything other than read the stuff on the announcement, found here:
http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/arcana/148

Then we have two editions of Out of the Deck Box, with two decks that were requested some time ago. First up is Dirk's infamous X Deck, with its way-too-easy-to-assemble infinite mana engine. Then we have Brian's Boros Reloaded deck, which is a highly aggressive take on the RW Ravnica guild, with some new stuff thrown in for good measure. For a complete list of each deck, please check out the forum post for this episode, which you'll find in the links below as usual.

And then there's the meat of the episode, which is our second Binder Pull. We each comb through our rare binders to find cards that are worth talking about. And we're bouncing all over the place, from The Dark all the way up to Kamigawa block. So take a listen, check out some random cards, and be entertained by the ensuing dorky discussion.


Music for this episode: Intro Theme to Mega Man III on the NES. Good stuff. And vaguely appropriate, believe it or not.


Forum thread for this episode: http://cardshark.freeforums.org/episode-72-binder-pull-2-t306.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_72_-_Binder_Pull_2.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 6:54pm EDT

Episode 71 - Animal House

Man, this whole show has gone to the dogs. Well, hounds. And it's for the birds. And cats. And even rabbits and slugs and leeches. We're taking a look at the way Magic handles real-world animals. Any creature type that is a real animal, I have taken a look at and figured out how many there are and what, if anything, ties them all together. Since I did this, I'm going to torment my fellow dorks by making them guess what animals are where on the list. It's a lot of fun. So sit tight and check out the entire menagerie. And no, goblins don't count.

And just when you thought it couldn't get any worse, along comes Banding. We recorded this a few weeks ago but haven't had a chance to use it yet, so here it is. Rules Corner with Mike presents Banding! Everything you've ever wanted to know about this horrible yet pretty freakin' useful old mechanic.


Music for this episode: Linger by Ill Mic
Check them out at www.illmic.com

Forum thread for this episode: http://cardshark.freeforums.org/episode-71-animal-house-t305.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_71_-_Animal_House.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 3:56pm EDT

Episode 70 - Triple Conflux Draft

On this extra-long and woefully non-creatively named episode, we have lots and lots of stuff to go through. First off, there's all the new member promotions on Cardshark. The featured promotion is especially interesting, be sure to check it out. We have new members on the Facebook group, new members on the forums, and a quick message to one of our forum members, involving the words “dude” and “dork”. We have a comment on the hosting site about an article by Kelley Digges, so we have to comment on that. And then there's news involving some of our fellow Magic podcasters. There's a quick apology to Mr. Suitcase for our promo ruining his show. Sorry about that. Then there's an announcement about Avant Card, a new podcast by our very own forum member and big dork spaceninja. You can find that here:
http://www.avantcardshow.com

Then there's Magic news! First off, they showed new cards from the Divine vs. Demonic set last week (they showed more after we recorded this of course). Then we had to go outside our normal area of influence and discuss Pro Tour – Kyoto. I had to highlight two key points in the Top 8. The first involves Gabriel Nassif's called shot against a hopeless board in the quarterfinals. It was awesome. Then I wanted to discuss the best game in the finals, Nassif vs. Luis Scott-Vargas. Game 4 was freakin' epic and really shows why these guys are the pros. Give it a listen, and then if you're interested you can find the Top 8 webcasts archived here:
http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/eventcoverage/ptkyo09/welcome

Which brings us finally to the meat of the episode. Brian recently did a triple Conflux draft on Magic Online, and we wanted to go step-by-step through his draft and discuss each pick. If you're into drafting at all, this is going to be fun. If you're not into drafting at all, this is going to be educational and entertaining. Hope you enjoy!

And don't forget to pick up a copy of Legacy Publishing's latest best-seller, Michael Shiver's My Life as a Wombat. Available now absolutely nowhere near you!


Forum thread for this episode: http://cardshark.freeforums.org/episode-70-triple-conflux-draft-t303.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
RSS Feed: http://feeds.feedburner.com/themanapool

Direct download: Episode_70_-_Triple_Conflux_Draft.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 6:38pm EDT