by Johnny Cycles, December 2nd, 2024
Happy holidays! It’s Christmas season for my family and that means we’ve already decorated the front yard with deer and lights and that we’ve had our Christmas tree up since the weekend before Thanksgiving… It also means that my kids will be off school for two weeks at the end of the month. For this reason, I’ll have an abbreviated schedule this month, similar to last’s.
As to what I’ll be playing, well, that’s still up in the air. I have a few decks I want to keep testing, first in Modern and then in Pioneer. And in case the pictures above don’t clue you in, those decks are as follows: Cat Tribal, Tinybones Discard, or Hydra Tribal.
Of the three, I’ve only played a couple of matches with Hydra Tribal and the deck feels super explosive, but with a pretty low floor. What I mean by this is if we draw our ramp without our payoffs, then we durdle and die. Similarly, if our opponent has a lot of interaction and some cheap threats (you know, if they’re playing Modern), then it’ll be an uphill battle. I love Hydras, though, so I’m going to keep working on it.
Ideally, I’ll manage to get some games in with each of the decks that I can post to my YouTube channel, even if I don’t get to write articles about each one.
This month, I’ll also post a special top 10(ish) video of this year’s best moments from my various janky brews in Modern!
Schedule
December 6th – Keeping Modern Janky – Cat Tribal, Tinybones Discard, or Hydra Tribal. Let me know in the comments which you want to see!
December 13th – The Podkind, Chapters 27 and 28 – Savannah struggles to gain the respect of her shipmates, while Charleston makes a special connection with someone.
December 20th – Commander – Budget Ob Nixilis, Captive Kingpin
December 27th – Top 10(ish) Moments in Modern 2024
The Usual Blurb
My goal is to publish an article between Wednesday and Friday every week. I am a stay-at-home dad of three with a part-time job, though, so there may be weeks that life gets in the way. I’ll rotate the topics each week in the following order: Modern-Commander-Pioneer-Fiction. Whenever possible, I’ll publish articles and videos when they’re ready. Now that I am making videos, I hope to upload gameplay of each of the Modern decks I’ve already written about, as well as new ones I’m testing. For these reasons, there will be weeks when more than one article and/or video gets posted. Published articles are pretty time-intensive, hence the once-a-week-schedule, but the matches I play along the way will get posted to my YouTube channel as I go. Be sure to check there if you’re looking for a match but it isn’t yet on the site.
If there is a topic you want me to write about, a deck you want me to try out, or if you want less of one thing and more of another, let me know in the comments or email me: johnnycycles16@gmail.com. If you enjoy the site, please let your friends know via word of mouth or social media or messenger pigeon, if that’s your preference. This is a new site that needs all the clicks it can get! Also, be sure to check out my Facebook page and YouTube Channel!
Thanks for reading and watching, subscribing and sharing!
About Me
I’m a former Russian literature professor who specialized in 19th-century Russian literature. I love Dostoevsky more than Tolstoy, but both will change your life. I’m currently a stay-at-home dad of three with a part-time job. I love fantasy fiction, mysteries, and horror movies. If you’re surprised at the length of my articles, hopefully my history as an academic plus my love of fantasy help explain it…
Thanks for reading! I look forward to reading your comments on my articles, Russian literature, or the best fantasy series ever written (Tolkien, Jordan, Sanderson?).
