Episode 96: The Unifying Theory of Good Magic Formats

This week Stan and Shane pair up to explore what can make Magic great, and why Modern has been a fan favorite in 2020. Before that, we look at a quartet of Modern and Pioneer challenges to see where the meta is headed.

The Break Down: Breaking it Down
The Dive Down: Building it Up
The Wind Down: Moving it Around

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Timestamps:
4:43 - Housekeeping
8:44 - The Break Down begins
9:28 - Modern Challenges
22:37 - The Modern Challenge Meta
24:40 - Pioneer Challenges
28:02 - The Pioneer Challenge Meta
33:06 - The Dive Down begins - The Unifying Theory of Good Magic Formats
37:55 - Laying out the signs of a healthy format
44:38 - Evaluating diversity in Modern
53:46 - What is good gameplay?
1:03:47 - What are the different incentives to play Modern?
1:12:22 - What are the untapped possibilities in Modern?
1:21:48 - How can a good format go bad?
1:31:12 - The Wind Down - Moving it Around
1:40:56 - Closing Out

Links from this week's episode:
Modern challenge #1: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/tournament/modern-challenge-12218052#paper
Modern challenge #2: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/tournament/modern-challenge-12218058#paper
Pioneer challenge #1: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/tournament/pioneer-challenge-12218055#paper
Pioneer challenge #2: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/tournament/pioneer-challenge-12218059#paper

Our opening music is Nowhere - You Never Knew, and our closing music is Space Blood - Goro? Is That Your Christian Name?

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