The First Pioneers

Get in your car and start your engines! The First Pioneers are revved up for the newest Magic the Gathering set. Special guest and crazy deck pilot Conorman 11 joins us this weekend to talk about all the speedy new vehicles, out of control spells, and which cards will crash and burn. While some people are saying that the new set won't have much impact on Pioneer, we think that it's going to be gre...

It's been a while since The First Pioneers were able to record an episode but we finally got a chance to and it's a DOOZY. There was a lot to unpackage from the announcements Wizards of the Coast made during the event in Las Vegas, and we talk about each and every thing that relates to Pioneer and how it will impact the format. Magic Foundations was also just released but due to the heavy reprints...

It seems like all we ever have time for these days is set reviews with the amount of cards coming out and accelerated release schedule from Wizards of the Coast. We barely get a chance to play with the cards from a new set before more are on the way. It's suffocating, it's hard to breathe, it's . . . no wait, it's this house? It's having some kind of effect on me and it feels like I'm going to die...

Bloomburrow is bringing bunches of new typal cards and adding more choices to previously underwhelming categories of cards that should eventually lead to an expanding choice of decks in Pioneer. While we might not see the immediate change in the format, it doesn't hurt to explore. In this week's episode the First Pioneers talk about updates to some of their favorite decks as well as some new strat...

The First Pioneers come off their long hiatus to talk about the newest Magic the Gathering Set, Bloomburrow, and how it might fit into the Pioneer metagame. The new set brings a lot of new typal cards with it, with an interesting mix of non traditional effects that could amplify the power of current decks, revitalize dead or dying archetypes, or birth "offspring" into the format with entirely new...

They ridiculed me. They laughed at me. They told me Waste Not would never be a playable deck in Pioneer. BUT WHO'S LAUGHING NOW?!?!? This week the First Pioneers break down the latest build of the Waste Not deck and talk about how the deck is winning, why it's suddenly better than it has been in past metas, and how you can play it. If you feel like talking more about it, be sure to stop in to our...

Howdy Partners! This week the First Pioneers put on our cowboy boots, holster our six-shooters, and straighten the brim of our Stetson hats to bring you the Pioneer set review for Outlaws of Thunder Junction! We go over what cards are going to make a splash in the format, which ones will be fun to brew with, and which will ones could end up being role players. After listening be sure to stop by ou...

It's been quite a while since we talked about one drops in the Pioneer format (almost 3 years to be exact. Strixhaven had just come out!), but with the recent influx of powerful and useful one drops in Pioneer we felt it was time to revisit the topic! The First Pioneers talk about what used to be good, what new one drops have joined the previous ones, what one drops have potential, and which one d...

Vampires had been counted out of Pioneer for a while. It was a fun deck and one of people's favorite typal strategies, but it hadn't been relevant for a while. That all changed last weekend during Pro Tour Murder at Karlov Manor. Seth Manfield and a team of other players brought resurrected the archetype with Black/Red vampires, backed by the new card Vein Ripper. This new blood proved to be too s...

Welcome to a new Pioneer Metagame! Or is it? While a few new cards have snuck their way into Pioneer this season from the newest set, most of the other cards seem to be biding their time and waiting for the right moment to make their move from the shadows. This week the First Pioneers talk about some new brews and updates they have with the cards from Murders at Karlov Manor, and take a look at th...

There seems to be a lot of killing going on in Ravnica, but does the Murders at Karlov Manor set have any killer cards for Pioneer? This week the First Pioneers team once again breaks down all of the cards in the newest set and talks about their potential impact in Pioneer before making our top 5. As you listen, make your own top 5 and if you think we missed any cards in our review be sure to let...

After a slow winter vacation for The First Pioneers and the Pioneer format, both of us are ready to get back into the swing of things. Murder is afoot in Ravnica and a group of magical gumshoes are on the case. While that's about the extent of my knowledge of the story for the next set, what we DO know is that Murders at Karlov Manor is bringing back some older mechanics as well as introducing som...

Pioneer has had some good and bad things happen in 2023, so in this final episode of the year we go over what we think had positive impacts on the format, as well as what things hurt it. We also go over our hopes for Pioneer in 2024, our favorite cards of 2023, and our favorite decks of 2023! See if your favorite things made the list and if they didn't, stop in to your Discord or Twitter and let u...

"Welcome back Your ban was your ticket out Welcome back to that same old place That you hovered about Well, the card names have all changed Since you flew around But those decks have remained And they've turned around Who'd have thought they'd need you (Who'd have thought they'd need you) Back here where we loot with you (Back here where we loot with you) Yeah, we squeeze him in a lot Cause we got...

It's been an exciting time in Pioneer since Lost Caverns of Ixalan was released. The format has seen new decks, new cards, and new strategies pop up all over the place. Aside from doing our usual brew episode, we added in a deep discussion on two of the best new decks this season: Explore Combo and Discover Combo. The decks seem like they are here to stay and we wanted to talk about the current it...

There was quite a bit of apprehension about the newest Magic the Gathering set after recent misfires, but to say that people aren't excited about the Lost Caverns of Ixalan set would be an understatement. While people expected a number of typal strategies to get better (such as Merfolk, Vampires, etc), I think people didn't expect the sheer number of cards that would compliment existing strategies...

This week's special bonus episode wraps up the Wilds of Eldraine Pioneer metagame and goes over the mechanics of the Lost Caverns of Ixalan. A lot has changed in Pioneer since the start of October and in this episode we take a macro look at the format to see how it's changed, why it changed, and also discuss the difference between the paper and digital metagames. We dive deep into the combo and mi...

With the Boros Pia, Boros Convoke, and even Boros Burn (way back in the day), the only Boros (red/white) deck we hadn't covered yet on The First Pioneer's podcast was Boros Heroic. It was never really a player in the Pioneer format, just showing up from time to time when the metagame conditions were right. But with the printing of Monstrous Rage in Wilds of Eldraine, the deck seems to have reached...

No, you didn't read that episode title wrong. This week we did our first ever "draft" of the best cards, our favorite cards, or cards we just straight up "vibe" with in the Pioneer format. But it's not a draft in the essence of how people in Magic the Gathering usually draft. This episode is probably more closely related to a sports draft where we can pick any card we want from a card type as long...

After all the talk players made about which Wilds of Eldraine cards would break out in the new season of Pioneer, we finally have some initial results and they are quite promising! Join the First Pioneers as we take a look at some recent events and talk about how the newest cards to the Pioneer format are making some waves in the metagame! If you're gearing up for a big tournament and want a snaps...

Updates, upgrades, and new decks galore in this episode of The First Pioneers! We go over no less than 10 Pioneer decks total this week and showcase a variety of archetypes such as combo, aggro, and midrange that have added in new Wilds of Eldraine cards (Sorry, no control brews this time). In no particular order, we go over: GR Bard Class RW Shrapnel Blast RW Convoke Jund Adventures GB Knights UG...

The next set has finally dropped and The First Pioneers are ready to head deep into the woods with the Wilds of Eldraine! As always we focus on the cards we think will have the biggest impact on the Pioneer format, talk about which archetypes will get a boost, and give our Top 5 picks we think will make a splash. After listening, if you want to drop your own Top 5 picks from Wilds of Eldraine, be...

Gen Con in Indianapolis dropped A LOT of information about the future of Magic the Gathering, or at least one heck of a timeline of new sets that will be affecting the Pioneer format when they release. Before we jump into the Wilds of Eldraine next show, we want to invite you to go over all the new sets that were announced and talk about their potential impact on our favorite eternal format. In th...

Pioneer players were met with the news that there would be NO cards banned or restricted in Wizards of the Coast's annual ban announcement this week, deflating a lot of people's hope that the format would have some new life breathed into it after a draining season of qualifiers against Mono Green devotion, Rakdos, and various combo and control decks. We at The First Pioneers had been taking it eas...

One of the great things about Pioneer is that new decks are still being discovered every season. While it might now be at the same frequency as the format's early years, you can still count on things to be shaken up from time to time. Color combinations of all types have found strategies to play, and since we finished most of the land cycles, mana bases have never been better. But not all color co...