by Johnny Cycles, February 1st, 2025
After a busy January with snow days and 5 Fridays, I’ll be taking a week off from content creation for this site in order to catch up with some other work that needs doing. I’ll still try to post something that week and be sure to check out my YouTube channel for the latest videos if you can’t find something here!
I’ve enjoyed getting back into Pioneer, particularly as the unbannings in Modern have made for a less fun and competitive environment, in my opinion. Why, why, why does Wizards unban Mox Opal, but leave other free mana banned (looking at you Simian Spirit Guide). I think it’s only a matter of time before the artifact gets the ban again…there’s just so much more support for Affinity now, that the addition of Mox Opal has supercharged an already powerful strategy. Not to mention the deck plays a lot like Solitaire. It does a lot of things on turns 1 and 2 and wins by turns 3 or 4, largely ignoring what opponents are doing.
Is that the kind of format we want, Wizards?
And while I’m still curious to see how my old Lightning Skelemental deck runs in Modern, I’m more inclined to play Pioneer this month.
Schedule
February 7th – Off – My goal is to put out another Old Cards, Still Good video, though.
February 14th – Pioneer Curious – Lukka Surprise with Progenitus!
February 21st – The Podkind, Chapters 31 and 32 – Charleston and the others celebrate their 18th birthdays with an Old World tradition – Prom. Unfortunately, New Washington’s enemies have plans of their own to disrupt the festivities.
February 28th – Commander – TBD. I’ve got a few decks to choose from, but I want to see what all I have the chance to playtest between now and then.
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. Whenever possible, I’ll publish articles and videos when they’re ready. Published articles with edited game play are pretty time-intensive, hence the once-a-week-schedule. However, I’ll publish videos of unedited practice matches to my YouTube channel when I can and when it makes sense. 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 relatively new site that needs all the clicks it can get!
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?).
