The Shift Gear Podcast - podcast cover

The Shift Gear Podcast

Ciaran Farah & Aneil Sainithe-shift-gear-podcast.captivate.fm
Here you'll find two long term Pokemon TCG players who want to share our thoughts on the meta, decks, and all things Pokemon TCG with our listeners. With a specific focus on providing high level content, we also like to take the time to bring on Canadian guests who are under-represented on the global stage and give them an opportunity to share their thoughts and shine! New episodes release weekly on Wednesdays at 12:00 :)
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Episodes

Our Twilight Masquerade Tier List

There hasn't been much meta development so we decided to look ahead to Twilight Masquerade this week. Find out what we think of cards like Unfair Stamp, Greninja ex, Dragapult ex, Tatsugiri, and more! We are also giving away 18 packs! To enter follow Aneil and Ciaran on Twitter and BananaGames on IG. Then comment which bucket hat Aneil should get next!

Apr 24, 20241 hr 22 minSeason 1Ep. 30

Orlando Regional Champion Breaks Down How to Master Charizard ex, Winning Worlds, and his Tord Plus Lebron Fandom

We are joined by the winner of the largest TPCI Regional Championship of all time, Liam Haliburton. He breaks down his winning run and his Charizard list. We ask him to break down some of the matchups and how he has been able to transition successfully between the age divisions. We also put his Lebron fandom to the test and have him weigh in on the Goat debate!

Apr 17, 202459 minSeason 1Ep. 29

A Master Guide To Arceus/ARMAROUGE - An Interview With Top 32 EUIC Performer Julian Gort-Barry

In this episode, we're joined by Julian Gort-Barry fresh of his 17th place finish at the European International Championships. Julian walks us through his deck and matchups, and also provides some insight for those looking to pick up the deck for Orlando this weekend! What is the plural version of "Arceus"? Let us know below : Find Julian : https://twitter.com/julianG_835 Find Ciaran: linktr.ee/ciarantcg Find Aneil: inktr.ee/TCG_Aneil...

Apr 10, 202447 minSeason 1Ep. 28

Our Top Choices For EUIC (With Our Personal LIsts!)

In this episode, we both go over our top 3 choices (and our personal lists) for the European International Championship this coming weekend (April 5-7). What should you play for the weekend? We provide our metagame forecast as well as some "dark horses" to look out for heading into this very puzzling metagame. Link to all decklists : https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/folders/1tGDrGlXTnl_no0xyh_NhtcTk9AjWJQyK Find Ciaran: linktr.ee/ciarantcg Find Aneil: linktr.ee/TCG_Aneil...

Apr 03, 202448 minSeason 1Ep. 27

What Are The Best Decks of Temporal Forces? An Episode From the Mountains

Join us this week as we recap Vancouver regionals and give our insights on what to expect at EUIC post rotation. We also get a new intro and a "customer review"! We go through Charizard ex, Chien-Pao ex, Future Box, Ancient Box, Arceus, Great Tusk, Snorlax, and more! Find Ciaran: linktr.ee/ciarantcg Find Aneil: inktr.ee/TCG_Aneil

Mar 28, 202449 minSeason 1Ep. 26

The Top 10 Pokémon Cards of ALL TIME - A Walk Through Pokémon History

LDF joins us once again to go through the top 10 Pokémon cards of all time (excluding Trainers & Energy cards). These were selected on criteria consisting mainly of the strength of a card relative to it's own era. We struggled making this list so please roast us in the comments and let us know your top 10! This is the third video in our walk through Pokemon history mini-series, you can check out the others on our channel. Want to learn more about retro? Check out these resources: https://jkl...

Mar 20, 20241 hr 24 minSeason 1Ep. 25

The Top 10 Decks of ALL TIME - A Walk Through Pokemon History

On this week's episode, we're joined again by LDF for part 2 of our mini-series. This week we go through the top 10 decks of ALL TIME. These were selected on a criteria consisting of mainly overall dominance in their respective metas, and (admittedly) were a bit tough to contrast at times. Enjoy this walk through Pokemon tcg history!

Mar 13, 20241 hr 20 minSeason 1Ep. 24

Top 10 Pokemon TCG Players of All Time!

This week we are joined by fellow Canadian, LittleDarkFury (Matthew Wood) to break down the Top 10 Pokemon TCG Players of all time. The three of us all had very different lists, but we combined them together to give you our Top 10! We are also holding a group session ahead of Vancouver Regionals. If you want to be better prepared, or just want to have the chance to talk Pokemon with us, sign up! https://groups.metafy.gg/classes/the-ultimate-vancouver-prep-guide Find us: Aneil: linktr.ee/tcg_anei...

Mar 06, 20241 hr 16 minSeason 1Ep. 23

CHIEN PAO FINALLY WON A REGIONALS! Charizard is Patrick Mahomes?

CHIEN-PAO DID IT! This week Ciaran & Aneil recap Dortmund regionals, compare QBs to meta decks, and explain why we will never be letting our girls go to an Usher concert. All that and more on this weeks 20th ever episode of The Shift Gear. Check out our sponsor here : https://bananagames.ca/ Our Links : Aneil: linktr.ee/tcg_aneil Ciaran: linktr.ee/ciarantcg

Feb 15, 202454 minSeason 1Ep. 20

Gardevoirisms. VIP or no VIP? Does This Effect Kevin Durants Legacy?

This week Ciaran and Aneil are tasked with legacy questions, lots of questions about VIP in Gardevoir, and explain why Patrick Mahomes is NOT our goat. Knoxville prep continues on and we're here to answer all your questions this week on the pod. We're proudly supported by Banana Games in Toronto, find them here : https://bananagames.ca/ Find us: Aneil: linktr.ee/tcg_aneil Ciaran: linktr.ee/ciarantcg

Jan 31, 202450 minSeason 1Ep. 18

How to Play Roaring Moon With Catchers, Making Your First Day 2, Pokestats, and Closed Decklists?

This week Ciaran and Aneil are joined by Rafal Gladysz following his top 64 at the Charlotte Regional championships with a unique build of Roaring Moon that included Pokemon Catcher. He also breaks down the journey to making his first day 2 and the rest of Charlotte. We end by discussing the drama around misreporting your deck on Pokestats and debate closed/open decklists!

Jan 24, 20241 hr 4 minSeason 1Ep. 17

Aging up to Masters, Arceus, Pokemon Boxing, Charlotte, and New Cards With Christian Labella!

Ciaran and Aneil are joined by one of Canada's brightest young stars, Christian Labella. He breaks down how he has been able to transition from seniors to masters successfully and helps us preview Charlotte Regionals and the new cards revealed from Temporal Forces! GIVEAWAY RULES: 1. Follow Aneil, Ciaran, The Shift Gear Podcast, and BananaGames 2. Comment your favourite Pokemon

Jan 17, 20241 hr 4 minSeason 1Ep. 16

Giratina's Domination, Roaring Moon Enters The Format, and Other Portland Surprises + Giveaway!

Ciaran and Aneil discuss the results from the Portland Regional Championships. They run through all the interesting decks and discuss where the format currently stands. We are graciously sponsored this week by Manta Trading, who are helping us give away 2 Giratina VSTAR. GIVEAWAY RULES: Follow @TCG_Aneil, @ciaran_tcg, and @mantatrades on Twitter/X Subscribe to The Shift Gear Podcast on Youtube Comment your favourite deck in the Youtube comments A winner will be picked next episode...

Jan 11, 202436 minSeason 1Ep. 15

Our Top 10 Cards of 2023! + Shawarmas?

In this episode, Aneil & Ciaran recap their top 10 Pokemon and Trainer cards in competitive play during the 2023 cycle. They also get a new (questionable) sponsor, and the apparent new ability to agree on everything in their lists.

Jan 03, 202449 minSeason 1Ep. 14

Is Prime Catcher Too Good?? Gholdengo ex and Zeraora Top Cut Japan?? New Cards Revealed From Japan!

This week Ciaran and Aneil take a look at the newly revealed cards from "Wild Force" and "Cyber Judge!". They spend time giving their gripes with Prime Catcher and a general commentary on game design. The Kyoto Champions League just concluded and had some interesting decks in the top 8 such as Roaring Moon, Gholdengo/Palkia, and Arceus/Zerora. The duo spends some time analyzing if these are one hit wonders or if they are here to stay!

Dec 27, 202349 minSeason 1Ep. 13

Dan Hugar Breaks Down Lost Zone Giratina, Translating Online Success to IRL, and More!

We are joined this week by San Antonio Regionals Top 8 Competitor Dan Hugar. He breaks down how he had success with his Lost Zone Giratina deck, some tips on how to play it, how he translated his Player Cup success to in person tournaments, and spends some time on the mental aspect of competing in the Pokemon TCG!

Dec 20, 202352 minSeason 1Ep. 12

The Ask Us Anything Episode (& San Antonio Prep, I guess)

With San Antonio on the horizon and some interesting results from last week, Aneil & Ciaran dive into some San Antonio top picks as well as discuss implications from the successes last week. Additionally, in response to an "ask me anything" tweet put out earlier this week, they answer several listener questions in what ended up being the longest but most fun episode to date!

Dec 13, 20231 hr 22 minSeason 1Ep. 11

Who's the GOAT of Pokemon? A Discussion on GOATS & The Evolution of the Paradox Rift Metagame

In this episode, Aneil and Ciaran have the GOAT debate. With Jason Klaczynski and Tord Reklev both having such dominant careers, who is the true GOAT? They also dive into some interesting decks that have emerged with the last week of results to try and figure out how they may shake up the meta along with how having the same format for multiple months on end may effect the game.

Dec 06, 202343 minSeason 1Ep. 10

Mindsets, weekly updates, and PALKIA

In this episode, Aneil and Ciaran dive into what happened last weekend at the regionals around the globe. Amongst these results were some really cool decks that are certainly worth taking a look at. In a time where big tourneys are at a bit of a pause, we can all take this time to have a breather and take a look at how this 5 month long metagame might evolve further.

Nov 29, 202340 minSeason 1Ep. 9

We Cleaned Up an Internats With Spicy Lists! Our Top 4 & Top 16 LAIC Reports

In this episode, Aneil & Ciaran recap their deep runs at the Latin American International Championships featuring some spicy lists. They go over their preparation for big events, how to set a mindset positive to enduring a whole season of worlds chasing as well as how to navigate the rest of the year now that we're officially a third of the way through.

Nov 27, 202354 minSeason 1Ep. 8

Rift is Here! Our Early Contenders & Analyzing Early Results

In this episode Aneil & Ciaran recap their testing experience so far with the new Paradox Rift set. Aneil cheats on all of his morals by playing Miraidon, Ciaran remains a Pao-boy. In analyzing limitless data what decks feel like they can make a big splash at LAIC?

Nov 08, 202335 minSeason 1Ep. 6

We're Free From 151! A Recap of Toronto & A Look Ahead - Our Paradox Rift Top Picks

In this episode Aneil & Ciaran recap what was a rather unsuccessful homecoming for a lot of our Canadian players, despite a pretty interesting Toronto regionals experience. Additionally, they look ahead to the Paradox Rift meta and what may be in store for us in the future, including top picks, decks to watch out for, and why playing the same deck you're playing now may not be a terrible idea.

Nov 01, 202349 minSeason 1Ep. 5

Last Tourney Before Paradox Rift!!! Our Top Picks for Toronto & A Special Guest

In this more laid back discussion episode, Aneil & Ciaran bring on the local legend Simon Luong to help them forecast Toronto regionals and share some ideas going into the weekend. Additionally, pre-releases get free advertisement (you're welcome TPCI) and Iron Hands is brought back down to earth. Enjoy this free flowing episode!

Oct 25, 202349 minSeason 1Ep. 4

Gyarados Vmax, Lugia's Domination, a Lost Mine of Lost Box! What Went Down in Sacramento & a Look Ahead to Toronto

In this episode we are joined by our first guest, Lucas Xing! He helps us break down what went down at the Sacramento Regional Championships that took place between Oct 13-15. We talk about the surprise Arceus Gyarados deck, why Lugia performed so well, and break down the rest of the metagame. The second half of the episode focuses on our preparation for Toronto and what we think everyone should be ready for!

Oct 18, 202343 minSeason 1Ep. 3

What Exactly Happened in Peoria? A Story of Metagaming, and Overmetagaming - Our Thoughts Going into Sacramento

In this episode we go over the unexpected results of the regional in Peoria, IL that took place between Oct 6-8. Specifically, we look into how Japanese results sometimes skew our expectations of the meta - as Aneil shares his story of overmetagaming in Peoria and how it cost him. Additionally, we look forward to Sacramento and what everyone should expect moving forward.

Oct 11, 202349 minSeason 1Ep. 2

What Deck Should you be Playing for Peoria? | Our 151 Meta Discussion, is Mew ex THAT Good?

What should we expect going into Peoria? For our first episode, we dive into the metagame currently along with the impact of the new cards coming out in 151. How is mew ex going to fare? Lots of things are up in the air heading into this weekend, we break it down for you in this episode - hosted by Ciaran Farah & Aneil Saini

Oct 03, 202347 minSeason 1Ep. 1
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