At Pro Tour Dominaria, Gerry blew a 3-0 start with a mediocre Standard record with R/B Midrange. Get his thoughts on the PT, the prevalence of red in general, and what to do going forward. Bryan spent the weekend glued to coverage, so he’s got his own thoughts on the matter as well. What’s more important is the RPTQs coming up and how to configure your team’s lineup. If you’re not sure what decks to play, The GAM Podcast has you covered! Music - Wave Race 64 Time Stamps PT Dominaria - 2:53 RPTQ ...
Jun 07, 2018•1 hr 10 min
There will be a Pro Tour Dominaria recap next week (and some recommendations for Team Unified Standard), but for now, it's time to talk Modern! Is Jeskai Control the best deck in the entire format? Despite what Bryan says, it sure as hell isn't Tron. What about Humans? Mardu Pyromancer? Where do all these decks stand at the moment and what's the deck to play for SCG Regionals? Gerry and Bryan share their picks for the weekend! There will be a Pro Tour Dominaria recap next week (and some recommen...
Jun 01, 2018•1 hr 17 min
Gerry and Bryan (along with Todd Anderson) teamed together for Grand Prix Toronto and learned plenty of valuable lessons along the way. Hear about what The GAM Toddcast chose to play in each format, why, and what they would change. After last weekend, Gerry is confident he may have broken the team constructed format and can’t wait to put it into practice. There’s also a nice rant about Finding The Truth, what that means, why matchup percentages are irrelevant, and how to utilize it in your prepa...
May 25, 2018•1 hr 16 min
W/B Aggro may have won the Magic Online PTQ, but R/B Aggro was the dominant force at Grand Prix Birmingham. Six copies made the Top 8 and eventually took it down, and that sort of success came seemingly out of nowhere. Gerry was on the ground floor at GP Birmingham, so he knows how it all went down. Goblin Chainwhirler is having a massive effect on Standard, to the point where Llanowar Elves may not be playable. Is Goblin Chainwhirler a more egregious Rampaging Ferocidon? How did this happen? Ho...
May 18, 2018•1 hr 19 min
Dominaria has caused some massive shifts on the Standard landscape. White has completely supplanted black as the midrange and control color of choice, but why? And why should it have happened sooner? What should you be doing to combat this new format? Gerry and Bryan have the answer!
May 11, 2018•1 hr 12 min
Dominaria has caused some massive shifts on the Standard landscape. White has completely supplanted black as the midrange and control color of choice, but why? And why should it have happened sooner? What should you be doing to combat this new format? Gerry and Bryan have the answer!
May 03, 2018•1 hr 11 min
The first Magic Online results are in for Dominaria! Gerry and Bryan go through the first wave of decklists one-by-one, talking about what they like, what they dislike, and where you want to be heading into Week 1 of Dominaria Standard. Initial thoughts on Standard - 2:19 Mono-Blue - 9:36 R/B Aggro - 11:44 New Perspective - 12:57 Mono-white tokens - 13:49 U/W Eternalize -15:29 Esper Control - 16:32 G/R Dinos - 23:21 Sultai Constrictor - 24:16 G/B Saprolings - 25:19 Mono-red GPG - 27:01 Mardu Veh...
Apr 27, 2018•1 hr 10 min
The full Dominaria set has been previewed and Gerry and Bryan are both excited! They each break down their top 10 picks from the set, but it easily could have been a top 30. As always, they both have some picks that will surprise you and each other. GP Hartford experience - 1:05 Gerry's #10 - 6:56 Bryan's #10 - 9:48 Gerry's #9 - 18:18 Bryan's #9 - 21:14 Gerry's #8 - 26:53 Bryan's #8 - 30:52 Gerry's #6 - 34:43 Bryan's #6 - 35:18 Gerry's #5 - 36:51 Bryan's #5 - 39:22 Gerry's #4 - 41:26 Bryan's #4 ...
Apr 20, 2018•1 hr 15 min
Gerry and Bryan quickly discuss Grand Prix Seattle, Gerry's Top 4 finish with R/B Aggro, and whether this Standard format was a success or not. The real meat of the episode is about Modern, Grand Prix Hartford, and how Bryan doesn't know what to play. Should he default to playing Karn again? GP Seattle - 2:15 Was this a successful Standard format? - 19:25 DOM spoilers - 22:31 GP Hartford deck choice - 27:12 Question of the week - 57:26 patreon.com/thegampodcast twitter.com/thegampodcast
Apr 13, 2018•1 hr 8 min
There are format truths in Standard, Modern, and Legacy, but people don't always come to the same conclusions. In this episode, Gerry and Bryan agree on the truths of the formats, but take wildly different approaches to adapting to those truths. How do aggro decks hold their ground against Walking Ballista and a bevy of removal? How do you get an edge in the Hymn to Tourach / Kolaghan's Command grindfest in Legacy? Humans and Hollow One are the best decks in Modern, but how do you beat them? How...
Apr 06, 2018•1 hr 23 min
In what could be the greatest episode yet, Gerry and Bryan tackle the subject of greatness. What does it mean to be "great" at something? What does it take to get there? What are some traits shared by people with the capability for greatness? Inspired by the movie "Whiplash," this is a can't miss "level up" episode, no matter your skill level. Whiplash the Movie - 3:15 Main topic - 5:49 How to measure greatness - 11:58 Finding the truth - 24:54 Being honest with yourself - 32:33 Time management ...
Mar 30, 2018•1 hr 26 min
After dipping his toes back into the waters of Modern, Gerry recounts his experience playing the innovative Human Company deck. What was good about the deck, and what fell short? There's still more Dominaria previews to go over and one hour wasn't nearly enough last time. As it turns out, this podcast wasn't enough either!
Mar 23, 2018•1 hr 20 min
Gerry and Bryan waste some precious minutes bragging and talking about recent Standard and Modern trends, but then it's time for Dominaria! Classic characters as planeswalkers, new card types, beloved reprints, and homages position Dominaria to be the greatest Magic set of all time, and it's not enough to cover in just one episode.
Mar 16, 2018•1 hr 11 min
Between SCG Worcester, the Magic Online Championship Series, and Gerry finally streaming Standard, there's a lot to talk about! Hear about Bryan's Legacy experience, what Gerry and Bryan thought about the MOCS results and their impact for Modern, and what Gerry likes in Standard. Grixis Delver - 1:34 MOCS - 10:51 Guillaume Bant - 13:06 Bogles & Tron - 15:42 Standard - 22:54 Grixis Energy - 28:01 Mono Red - 30:36 U/B Midrange - 32:12 Decks we might play - 57:42 Question of the week - 1:04:28...
Mar 09, 2018•1 hr 10 min
Bryan's Standard predictions are all coming to fruition! Is it time for Gerry to concede that he's been right all along? What happened at Grand Prix Memphis and where does Standard go from here? Also, what's going on in Legacy? Profane procession - 1:00 Hunter Burton Memorial Open - 6:42 GP Memphis - 10:50 Tyler's winning list - 18:51 Climb/Hydra list - 21:52 Mardu Vehicles - 26:44 B/R Aggro - 31:59 Brad's U/B Midrange - 34:00 U/B Control 37:57 Legacy 45:54 Legacy as Pro Tour format - 55:35 Ques...
Mar 02, 2018•1 hr 6 min
Neither Standard nor Modern are in a solved state, so Gerry and Bryan share their thoughts on both formats thus far. Bryan convinces Gerry on a great choice for Standard and both discuss what the best Jace deck is. Standard level 0 decks 4:56 U/B Control - 8:42 Grixis - 13:56 G/W Aggro - 18:49 W/U Sram - 29:50 Modern 43:52 Zoo - 45:05 Modern Challenge decklists - 49:07 Jace decks - 53:04 What decks would we play? - 1:02:20 Question of the week - 1:06:15`
Feb 23, 2018•1 hr 9 min
There's so much to cover in this episode! From Gerry's Pro Tour Rivals of Ixalan experience to Bryan's near miss at Grand Prix Toronto and the unbannings, get ready for the craziest Modern episode yet. With Jace, the Mind Sculptor and Bloodbraid Elf unleashed on Modern, where does the format go? Are Gerry and Bryan's decks of choice still viable? Gerry's Pro Tour recap - 2:17 Staticaster play & Top 8 - 19:04 HOF possibilities - 32:46 Unbans - 47:40 MTGO decklist change - 1:01:13 Patreon ques...
Feb 16, 2018•1 hr 7 min
The first results of RIX Standard are in. What's killing it, what's underperforming, and what looks well-positioned in the coming weeks? Pro Tour Rivals of Ixalan is coming up, and it's Modern! Find out how Gerry and Bryan would approach selecting a deck for that tournament and what they have their eyes on. Standard week 1 price is right - 3:20 Mardu Vehicles - 8:05 Merfolk - 15:40 Modern Pro Tour - 26:07 Midrange decks - 33:19 Humans - 36:35 Will there be bans post pro tour? - 40:33 Amulet - 49...
Jan 26, 2018•1 hr 5 min
Gerry and Bryan go deep on a number of topics, including why everyone is in an uproar about the proposed economy for MTG Arena, why the Standard bannings are great (and why they're not), and what looks good going forward. Are Temur and Hazored dead? What have the two of them been playing in the "new" Standard format? Arena - 2:55 Standard bans - 8:28 The new metagame - 14:22 Profane Procession - 19:06 Mono-Red - 21:50 Temur - 25:31 Manabases - 32:46 Green's color identity in Standard - 35:54 Mac...
Jan 19, 2018•1 hr 4 min
Gerry and Bryan reveal their Top 10 lists for Rivals of Ixalan and their lists aren't even close! Gerry #10 - 5:47 Bryan #10 - 9:48 Gerry #9 - 15:27 Bryan #9 - 20:27 Preorders - 24:12 Gerry #8 - 25:25 Bryan #8 - 25:27 Gerry #7 - 30:25 Bryan #7 - 36:23 Gerry #6 - 43:08 Bryan #5 - 47:49 Bryan #6 - 49:04 Gerry #5 - 52:55 Gerry #4 - 53:45 Bryan #4 - 55:25 Gerry #3 - 57:44 Bryan #3 - 58:55 Gerry #2 - 1:00:53 Gerry #1 - 1:01:55 patreon.com/thegampodcast twitter.com/thegampodcast
Jan 12, 2018•1 hr 15 min
With Magic in a lull for a couple weeks, The GAM Podcast brings you a little bit of everything, including time stamps for your convenience! Favorite holiday movie - 2:03 Modern metagame - 4:19 Modern Pro Tour - 11:06 Printing only Modern legal cards - 14:39 Lantern (and polarizing decks) - 17:32 B/G Midrange - 30:55 Standard - 34:19 Yuuya Temur - 34:33 Big Sultai - 41:00 Bans in Standard? - 44:09 What to play in Hearthstone - 47:07 Christmas gifts - 49:09 GAM merchandise - 51:48 Patreon question...
Dec 22, 2017•1 hr 4 min
This episode is all things Modern! We talk about the rise of big mana, how to approach building a sideboard in Modern, and why Gerry had to go back on his word regarding U/W Control.
Dec 15, 2017•1 hr 13 min
Gerry breaks down his World Magic Cup experience, how he went 8-1 with Sultai, plus the hows and whys of his success. Sultai is much better than people think it is! There have been some whispers of a potential Attune with Aether ban in Standard, but what do Bryan and Gerry think about that? With Grand Prix Oklahoma City coming up, there's also some Modern talk at the end.
Dec 08, 2017•1 hr 6 min
In this timeless episode, Gerry and Bryan volunteer up some of their many weaknesses and discuss how they apply to Magic and life. Playing games competitively isn't as simple as playing the games. Sometimes it takes some real self-awareness to fix your weaknesses.
Nov 24, 2017•1 hr 5 min
Despite spending a lengthy amount of time talking about Temur Energy and Ramunap Red, the real story of Standard is the new decks that are popping up. How do Temur and Red deal with these new threats and where does the metagame go next? Spoiler: Cut your Disenchants this weekend!
Nov 17, 2017•1 hr 6 min
In this episode, Gerry breaks down his Pro Tour Ixalan experience, including the changes he made to his Temur Energy list to combat the field. Past that, there were six decks that did well at Pro Tour Ixalan that might still be under the radar.
Nov 10, 2017•1 hr 7 min
What if Pro Tour Albuquerque was Modern? How would Gerry and Bryan go about deciding what deck to play? Where would it lead them? One of Bryan's greatest skills is deck selection and Gerry has been working on honing his. This is probably our best episode yet!
Oct 27, 2017•1 hr 13 min
Whether you're playing with it or playing against it, you're going to need to be familiar with Temur Energy. Gerry and Bryan both worked on the deck for US Nationals, so they have a lot to say about Temur and its place in the metagame. Why is the deck built how it is, what are the flex slots, and what should the sideboard look like?
Oct 20, 2017•1 hr 9 min
Gerry passes the hosting reigns over to Bryan for this episode since he's got a ton of questions for Gerry's World Championship experience! Find out how he ended up playing U/B Control, what the tournament was like, and how U/B looks going forward.
Oct 12, 2017•55 min
Everyone loves a Top 10 list, and Gerry and Bryan give each of theirs for Ixalan. As always, their lists differ by more than a couple cards, and each of them have their own spicy picks! Their Top 10 lists frame the discussion of what's going to be good Week 1, what the standouts from Ixalan are, and what sorts of brews are out there. This episode has it all!
Sep 22, 2017•1 hr 8 min
