Andy and Nathan discuss the flavour highs and lows of the world's greatest card game, Magic: The Gathering. Join them as they talk through world building, lore, mechanics and art, on a meandering quest to explore the relationship between storytelling and gameplay.
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The Plane of Bloomburrow presents us with a simpler way of life, full of carrot cake and common good for all, and the set likewise has gone someway to bringing the game itself back down to earth. So, in this slower paced set, which cards make Andy and Nathan leap for joy and clap their tiny paws together in glee? Music by Michael Rawcliffe Audio. T…
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As we get used to our brand new Animalfolk bodies on the Plane of Bloomburrow, a story of heroism and the power of kinship is waiting! Valerie Valdes presents us with a new tale and whilst the stakes may not be as high as we have been used to recently, the heros are no less mighty! Andy and Nathan pour over the latest Magic story and this adorable …
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How likely is it that certain Planes are returned to and why? That is what the Rabiah Scale seeks to answer and give context for. So which Planes do Andy and Nathan wish to see again, and do they fully agree with the established ratings? Mark Rosewaters 3rd Rabiah Scale Article: https://magic.wizards.com/en/news/making-magic/the-rabiah-scale-part-3…
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Ep.137 Modern Horizons 3 Flavour Picks
1:15:19
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Third times a charm for Modern Horizons, and this may be the most flavourful yet! Which utterly busted nonsense catches Andy and Nathans attention, and have the ancillary sets become just as packed with Lore as the main ones? Music by Michael Rawcliffe Audio. Twitter: MTF- @MTFlavouring, Andy- @AndyMannface, Nathan- @TheFoxintheMoon, Youtube: https…
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Ep.136 Outlaws Of Thunder Junction Flavour Picks
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Its finally time to reap the rewards of Omen Paths and their full implications on the structure of the multiverse, and what better setting to do it than a Cowboy/Heist/Family drama/Team up/Anti-Hero story...But in among the big plays and high concepts, are there any cards or themes that stand out, and can Andy and Nathan tame this bucking bronco of…
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Ep.135 Outlaws Of Thunder Junction Story Review
1:24:54
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Its time to saddle up for a rootin' tootin' showdown on the wild west Plane everyone was asking for! Was this story the big score that was promised or just a smash and grab for some quick loot? Andy and Nathan cover both the main 6 episodes and the Epilogue and discuss the bold new direction that MTG stories could be taking... Music by Michael Rawc…
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Ep.134 Fallout: Taste The Wasteland
1:07:29
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What happens when you push The Brothers War, New Capenna and Thunder Junction through an Omen Path together? Why you get Fallout of course! (Or something like that). The latest Universes Beyond commander decks take on one of the biggest Franchises in Video Game history, and it's one with an in-depth lore and satire so heavy handed it may as well be…
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Ep.133 Murders At Karlov Manor Flavour Picks
1:35:44
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So, the guys have interviewed the suspects, inspected the crime scene and built a case, but does the evidence stack up? Andy and Nathan pour through the case files of MKM and have found both hidden clues, and some shaky alibis... Music by Michael Rawcliffe Audio. Twitter: MTF- @MTFlavouring, Andy- @AndyMannface, Nathan- @TheFoxintheMoon, Youtube: h…
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Ep.132 Murders at Karlov Manor Story Review
1:22:49
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There's been a murder!!! Never mind that it happened on one of the most densely populated and crime ridden Planes of the Multiverse, because this time its the Guild Masters who are getting whacked! Andy and Nathan are on the case to find out if a high concept, light-hearted genre flip on a fan favourite Plane can land, or whether this tale of misde…
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2023 is almost over and Magic has once again pushed the envelope on its product design. And inevitably that has an impact on the flavour of the cardboard. Andy and Nathan look back over the year, to give their Vorthos highs and lows, as well as where they are personally with the game. Music by Michael Rawcliffe Audio. Twitter: MTF- @MTFlavouring, A…
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Ep.130 Lost Caverns Of Ixalan Flavour (Pack) Picks
1:15:40
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Lost Caverns Of Ixalan introduces new possibilities and expands on old themes for this fan favourite Plane. But now that the set is out, which cards compel Andy and Nathan to dig deeper and deeper into this complex set...ALSO THEY CRACK A BUNDLE! Music by Michael Rawcliffe Audio. Twitter: MTF- @MTFlavouring, Andy- @AndyMannface, Nathan- @TheFoxinth…
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Ep.129 The Lost Caverns Of Ixalan Story Review
1:35:42
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Ixalan gets deep with some fresh lore that has implications not just for the Plane but the entire Multiverse both past and present. And with such expansive flavour there is understandably a whole new ensemble of characters and story to deliver it. Andy and Nathan pour over the story articles and also talk about the future of magics next big narrati…
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Ep.128 Doctor Who: Timey Wimey Flavour
1:26:27
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Doctor Who is the latest IP to get the Universes Beyond treatment, with Booster Pack products and 4 Commander decks. And with more varied deliveries of UB in the pipeline, Andy and Nathan hit pause on the hype to have a debate about where the concept is now, and how to engage with IP's you may or may not love suddenly being a part of the game... Mu…
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Ep.127 Wilds Of Eldraine Flavour Picks
1:21:06
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When talking about a Plane entirely made up of manifested fairy tales, there is no doubt going to be a kingdoms worth of flavour. The guys pour over this second visit to Eldraine and the stories the cards tell. Music by Michael Rawcliffe Audio. Twitter: MTF- @MTFlavouring, Andy- @AndyMannface, Nathan- @TheFoxintheMoon, Youtube: https://www.youtube.…
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Ep.126 Wilds Of Eldraine Story Review
1:13:09
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Eldraine is once again the palette cleanser set to help us transition away from a larger story arch. But with the Multiverse in ruins after the Phyrexian invasion, what has changed in this Fairy Tale land and can the Narrative enchant us enough to invest this new phase of Magic Story? MTG Story articles: https://magic.wizards.com/en/story Music by …
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Ep.125 Commander Masters Flavour Picks
1:35:59
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The latest Masters set focuses on the most Vorthos friendly format of them all, COMMANDER! With tons of variant arts and decent selection of new cards in the accompanying Commander decks, Andy and Nathan have a lot of new flavour to sample. Music by Michael Rawcliffe Audio. Twitter: MTF- @MTFlavouring, Andy- @AndyMannface, Nathan- @TheFoxintheMoon,…
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Ep.124 Talking Guff feat. Tim Willoughby
1:17:03
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Commodore Guff is one of the most polarising characters in Magic's history and will soon have a Planeswalker-as-Commander card in the upcoming set Commander Masters. Andy and Nathan chat to one of Guff's biggest fans, Tim Willoughby! CAG member, WOTC Coverage Team Contributor and the owner of the UK's best Gamer bar, Rule Zero. Tim shares his thoug…
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Planechase is back! The March Of The Machine Commander precons introduced 25 new Planechase cards to explore and as Andy and Nathan's favourite format variant they are sure to have some flavourful opinions... Music by Michael Rawcliffe Audio. Twitter: MTF- @MTFlavouring, Andy- @AndyMannface, Nathan- @TheFoxintheMoon, Youtube: https://www.youtube.co…
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Ep.122 March Of The Machine Flavour Picks
1:08:16
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March Of The Machine may be Magic's most eclectic set in terms of its theming and flavour, even when compared to most core sets. Spanning multiple Planes, factions and playstyles as well as a brand new card type, this set is a veritable smorgasbord for Andy and Nathan. Music by Michael Rawcliffe Audio. Twitter: MTF- @MTFlavouring, Andy- @AndyMannfa…
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Ep.121 March Of The Machine Story Review
1:16:39
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As the latest Phryrexian Arch reaches its climax, the very nature of the Multiverse is threatened and with 10 whole episodes of main story articles to cover the action this is certainly shaping up to be one of the most ambitious narratives the Magic has ever told. Story Articles: https://magic.wizards.com/en/story Music by Michael Rawcliffe Audio. …
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Ep.120 All Will Be One Flavour Picks
1:08:49
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All Will Be One has been both a return to and an expansion on some of MTG's most iconic settings, themes and aesthetics, and there are enough flavour beats for a dozen episodes. So through all the Oli and Phyresis, what stood out to Andy and Nathan? Music by Michael Rawcliffe Audio. Twitter: MTF- @MTFlavouring, Andy- @AndyMannface, Nathan- @TheFoxi…
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Ep.119 All Will Be One: (All of the) Story Review
1:50:45
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MTG story is charging full steam ahead through the Phyrexian invasion of the Multiverse. With a diverse spread of stories and perspectives to face, Andy and Nathan are going to tackle them head on in their own Vorthos Strike Force! Music by Michael Rawcliffe Audio. Twitter: MTF- @MTFlavouring, Andy- @AndyMannface, Nathan- @TheFoxintheMoon, Youtube:…
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More magic was released in 2022 than ever before and along side it was potentially more story and lore too! So how have Andy and Nathan found the past year, and how does it set up the future of the game? Music by Michael Rawcliffe Audio. Twitter: MTF- @MTFlavouring, Andy- @AndyMannface, Nathan- @TheFoxintheMoon, Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/cha…
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Ep.117 The Legends Of Jumpstart 2022
1:06:51
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Taking a mini-beak from the horrifying war against Phyrexia, the guys dive into the whimsy filled card pool of Jumpstart 2022 and pour over the flavour offered by the new Legendary Creatures. Is Andy an MTG hypocrite and will someone please get Nathen some gosh-dang flavour text! Music by Michael Rawcliffe Audio. Twitter: MTF- @MTFlavouring, Andy- …
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Magic's first throw back set has a tricky job of balancing flavour that feels old school, whilst still exciting new players and serving the game 30 years after these themes were last explored. Andy and Nathan take a look at what flavour jumps out to them and also examine what different experiences this set provides each of them. Content Warning: Al…
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Ep.115 Brothers War Story Review: The Present
1:06:02
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The Side Stories for The Brothers War web fiction are anything but, and are in fact an integral part of MTG's current narrative. The guys comb through these tales of Planeswalkers planning a Multiversal defence against the Phyrexians in a set of stories that feature both some of the best, and an example of maybe the worst, that magic fiction has to…
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Ep.114 Brothers War Story Review: The Past
1:04:31
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It's time to revisit one of the most pivotal moments in Magic lore history, and to witness how MTG handles web fiction for its first "Throwback Set". Andy and Nathan review Miguel Lopez's run of five Episodes charting the Past events of The Brothers War and the aftermath of the Multiverse's most bloody conflict. Story Articles: https://magic.wizard…
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Taking a break from the endless spoiler season, the guys kick back, crack a cold one and watch the footy. But even in this most traditional of pass times, Andy and Nathan can't help but bring it back to magic... Content Warning: Alcohol Music by Michael Rawcliffe Audio. Twitter: MTF- @MTFlavouring, Andy- @AndyMannface, Nathan- @TheFoxintheMoon, You…
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Ep.112 Dominaria United Flavour Picks
1:12:57
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Dominaria United takes us back to Magic's original Plane and so we have another chance to revel in some high fantasy. What cards have captured the guy's imaginations and are Vorthos' ever happy with the balance of flavour? (Apparently not...) Music by Michael Rawcliffe Audio. Twitter: MTF- @MTFlavouring, Andy- @AndyMannface, Nathan- @TheFoxintheMoo…
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Ep.111 Dominaria United Story Review
1:29:47
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We are now well into the depths of the current Phyrexian narrative arch, with a return to Dominaria to ease us into a year of all the body horror/sci-fantasy/Time Warping nonsense that often accompanies the Phyrexians. The guys cast their new mechanical eyes over the Story for Dominaria United and the events that will forever change some of the cha…
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With the exciting continuation of the current Phyrexian story Arch on the horizon in the form of Dominaria United, and also the boundary pushing silliness of Unfinity also soon to be released, there is still a lot of hype to be had in this relatively long break from the perpetual spoiler season. So what is getting Andy and Nathan most excited and (…
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Double Masters 2022 is here and whilst it may be shaping up to be one of MTG's most expensive sets ever, much like it's predecessor it is packed with flavour! Andy looks at the new flavour in this reprint set and also talks about the balance between in-world and meta references. Music by Michael Rawcliffe Audio. Twitter: MTF- @MTFlavouring, Andy- @…
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Ep.108 Old Commanders, Lingering Mysteries
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With Double Masters 2022 around the corner, there are seemingly some exciting reprints from past Commander products being given another chance to capture players imaginations. But with an ever changing attitude from WOTC as to how to use ancillary sets in terms of exploring new lore, what Commander exclusive characters deserve new cards and stories…
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Ep.107 What Can MTG Steal From DnD?
1:01:30
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With Commander Legends: Battle For Baldur's Gate, we now have a 2nd whole set in Magic dedicated to the world of DnD. And with Baldur's Gate having a slightly different tone to AFR, Andy looks at what themes, mechanical choices, and broader narrative approaches he would like to see carried on into Magic's mainline sets and story. Music by Michael R…
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Andy is flying solo this week and will give his fate up to the whims of the Scryfall Random Card button to once again test the theory that every card in magic has significant flavour to offer! https://scryfall.com/ Music by Michael Rawcliffe Audio. Twitter: MTF- @MTFlavouring, Andy- @AndyMannface, Nathan- @TheFoxintheMoon, Youtube: https://www.yout…
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Ep.105 New Capenna Flavour Picks feat. Sheldon Menery
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New Capenna has finally been fully spoiled which means it's time for Andy to go through the most flavourful cards in the set, and this time he is joined by the Godfather of EDH, Sheldon Menery! Which cards have proven themselves worthy to join The family, and which are going to sleep with the fishes...? Sheldon's Links: https://linktr.ee/SheldonMen…
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Ep.104 New Capenna Story Review feat. Michelle Rapp
1:14:41
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The Streets Of New Capenna web fiction is fully out and as well as exploring a brand new Plane with a deep history, we are given some narratively impactful developments for the current Phyrexian story arc. Joining Andy once again is Michelle Rapp to talk families, Planeswalkers and the future of the story... Michelle's socials: @kilnfiendpotter htt…
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Ep.103 MTG Book Club: The Flood feat. Michelle Rapp
1:00:27
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Michelle Rapp joins the show to talk about their favourite MTG web fiction story The Flood by Alison Luhrs. Ixalan is one of the most tightly realised story arcs in Magic story and this article delves deep into the History of the games most prominent character Jace Beleren. The Flood by Alison Luhrs: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/ma…
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Ep. 102 Totally Blue feat. TOTALmtg
1:12:11
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Matt from TOTALmtg joins the show to talk about his favourite colour Blue, and how the colours philosophies influences his approach to the game, even when playing other colours. Also Andy and Matt chat about WOTC's various approaches to basing sets on existing IP's and genre tropes. TOTALmtg's links: https://linktr.ee/TOTALmtg Music by Michael Rawc…
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Ep.101 A Knights Tale feat. Adam The Gathering
1:04:45
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Adam The Gathering joins the show to talk about his favourite Tribe in magic and also the role Arena can play in delivering magic flavour to the online community. Andy also looks at what surnames have tribal applications and what the rest of the year has in store for players who don't consider themselves Vorthos'. Adam's Links: https://linktr.ee/Ad…
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So much has changed in Magic: The Gathering since January 9th 2020, as has this podcast and Andy and Nathan's relationship to the game. So, with the show reaching 100 episodes and Nathan about to take a break from the game, where do the guys stand with the game now? Music by Michael Rawcliffe Audio. Twitter: MTF- @MTFlavouring, Andy- @AndyMannface,…
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Sagas once more prove themselves to be an incredibly versatile game piece for storytelling and game play and in a set so boldly challenging every aspect of Magic's design they stand out yet again. So which sagas are Andy and Nathan diving into and where can they go from here? Music by Michael Rawcliffe Audio. Twitter: MTF- @MTFlavouring, Andy- @And…
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Ep.98 Kamigawa Neon Dynasty Flavour Picks
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Magic: The Gathering's latest set, Kamigawa Neon Dynasty has a lot of flavour to pack in to one outing. From giving lip service to 1200 years of the Planes history, to exploring new concepts and even doing the heavy lifting for the games overarching narrative, there is a hell of a lot of flavour to pull from, and the guys are going to do their best…
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Ep.97 Kamigawa Neon Dynasty Story Review
1:29:15
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Akemi Dawn Bowman steps up to tackle Magic's latest narrative and delivers us some of the most refreshing and exciting episodes yet. With a genre switch coupled with a sort-of return plane, is there too much to pack in to these stories, or has mtg narrative finally hit the balance between progressing the endless card push, and telling compelling ta…
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Ep.96 1200yr Old Flavour Picks: Kamigawa
1:13:18
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Before they dive into the cyberpunk world of Kamigawa Neon Dynasty, Andy and Nathan take a look back at one of Magic's most divisive blocks and explore the flavour highs and lows of original Kamigawa. What flavour beats have aged well since 2004 and what aspects have dropped out of favour when designing sets? Music by Michael Rawcliffe Audio. Twitt…
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Ep.95 Designs We'd Like To See: Legendary Creatures
1:13:38
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Every Vorthos has a favourite character from the MTG Story that they feel has gotten a raw deal on their physical creature card. Whether the design feels underpowered or outdated, or maybe the character as you see them is given stats that make no sense, there is always hope for a second or third printing. The guys talk about some of their flavour w…
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The guys continue their look at Magic: The Gathering in 2021, moving on to more specific comparisons and thematic trends. What visual and narrative beats carried across the sets and which ones fell flat? Also they look to 2022 and the Neon lit future of the game... Music by Michael Rawcliffe Audio. Twitter: MTF- @MTFlavouring, Andy- @AndyMannface, …
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Ep.93 2021 A Year In Review: Part 1
1:13:27
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Has it only been 12 months!? With some of the highest turn around of product, some of the most ambitious main line sets ever printed, and new spins on the game from flavour to function coming with every new preview, 2021 has been a lot! The guys go step by step and break down every release this year (mostly) and look at the the past 52 weeks of the…
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K. Arsenault Rivera completes the second half of their ten episode run for Innistrad's web fiction, this time inviting us to the Vampire Wedding of the Century. How does this extra breathing room given to one author, something not afforded to writers since before the return to web fiction, affect the narrative and what new insights can we gain to s…
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Ep.91 Innistrad Crimson Vow Flavour Picks
1:38:54
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The guests are arriving and the wine (it is wine right?) is flowing and the Wedding Day is finally here. But does the set do the happy couple justice? The guys run through their flavour picks and highlights from the set. But any wedding wouldn't be complete without a couple of hiccups on the road to happiness... Music by Michael Rawcliffe Audio. Tw…
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