Good Luck High Five

On this episode, Maria and Meghan hand out the extremely coveted Chrimby Awards! They celebrate the best and worst of Magic the Gathering in 2022 — from Best Art to Most Drama — it’s a walk down memory lane (what does  your memory lane look like?) as the trophies are handed out. What will win Best Card Name? Best New Mechanic? Best New Deck? Grab a hot toddy or a glass of egg nog...

On this episode, Maria and Meghan look back on the year that was 2022 in Magic the Gathering. Relive the best and brightest moments as well as the game’s lowest lows. What were the best new mechanics and sets? Top decks and cards? Biggest mistakes? Find out! PLUS: Judge Rob stops by to share his Top 5 Most Confusing Cards of 2022 — with some excellent stories about each. Thanks for bei...

On this episode, Maria and Meghan take a first look at Phyrexia: All Will Be One! We know you’re all spoiler’d out by now, but there is some gorgeous new artwork coming at you for January’s release of Magic’s newest set. We’ll show off new art treatments, new cards (hello, new Elesh Norn!) and new shiny lands that have Maria drooling. PLUS: the thrilling conclusion of...

Have you ever wondered what goes on behind-the-scenes of a big Magic the Gathering tournament? Wonder no more with Desk After Dark ! Your hosts Maria Bartholdi and Mani Davoudi want to shed some light on what it’s like to actually produce a Magic tournament, from start to finish. With a combined decade+ of experience covering the best game in the world, Maria and Mani are here to answer your...

On this episode, Maria and Meghan get you ready to dominate in Arena Cube – running December 13th-January 1st. Learn what archetypes are the best to draft and what cards support each build. PLUS: Storytime with Meghan ramps up in Dominaria as the Phyrexian invasion grows ever more powerful, Maria can’t drink out of a can, and have you seen MTV’s newest hit Spider House? Become a...

On this episode, Maria and Meghan get back to paper play with a primer in Pioneer! (Is that enough P’s for ya?) After a couple of weekends of Regional Championships, your hosts recap the top decks in one of competitive tabletop’s biggest formats. PLUS: An update on the Dominaria and Brothers’ War Magic story, Flavor Text Theatre: Movie Pitches, and can playing The Randomizer real...

On this episode, Maria and Meghan attempt to evade a rogue wasp trapped inside their studio – all while trying to improve your Brothers’ War Limited game! Get the data behind big wins, as your hosts dive into 17Lands to let you know how to stop losing, already! PLUS: a crack-a-pack of the new Jumpstart set (ZOMBIES!) featuring new anime art and two brand-new-to-Magic cards. Judge Rob a...

On this episode, Maria and Meghan give you a first look at Magic’s newest set: The Brothers’ War! Find out what kind of deck Maria built at her prerelease and hear her first thoughts about the format. PLUS: A guide on how to draft this set (including what all the color pairs want to do). Meghan gives us a peek at what’s going on with the Magic story and those pesky Phyrexians and...

On this episode, Maria and Meghan welcome back Judge Rob (wasn’t he  just here?!) to go over the mechanics and tricky cards from The Brothers’ War! Get prepped for your prerelease this weekend with all the knowledge about the new set that you can stuff into your head thopter. From corner cases to common misplays, Rob walks you through everything you need to head into your LGS with conf...

On this episode, Maria and Meghan wrap up all the action that was Magic30 this past weekend! PLUS: A look inside the 2022 World Championship (the best decks, players & moments), an exclusive Brothers’ War preview card and a peek at some of the most exciting cards previewed so far! Thanks to Wizards of the Coast for the free preview content! Become a GLH5  Patron   Today! Listen to Weekly...

On this episode, Maria and Meghan get ready for the biggest Magic event in 3 years (!!): Magic30 and the World Championship! Find out who our hosts think will win, what the best strategies might be in Dominaria United Draft, and what decks they expect to see at the top tables in Standard and Explorer. If you’ve been looking for something fun to play on the ladder – they’ve got to...

On this episode, Maria and Meghan welcome back very special guest (and Head Designer of Magic the Gathering) Mark Rosewater to answer YOUR burning questions! Find out what it’s like to design a set of Magic, what’s the best part about game design and what’s the worst — what it’s really like to work in “The Pit” and more! Special shout-out to our patrons wh...

On this episode, Maria and Meghan welcome two very special guests to the show: Ben Wheeler and Ben Ulmer of LoadingReadyRun! Whether or not you believe this quartet could be a great experimental jazz band or perhaps a gang of mystery-solving magicians, this episode is here to surprise and delight you. From a game of Stump the Expert, MadLibs that almost kill Meghan, to a few new additions to &#822...

On this episode, Maria and Meghan welcome extra, super, mega special guest: Head Designer for Magic the Gathering: Mark Rosewater! Mark joins our two hosts to chat about the brand new and extremely fun un-set Unfinity . Learn about the format’s draft archetypes before you throw down with your friends, hear stories from behind-the-scenes of the set’s development, and laugh along with th...

On this episode, Maria and Meghan welcome TWO very special guests to the show to learn all about the wide (wonderful?) world of Warhammer 40K! Minneapolis Warhammer expert and Demon Price Will Roberts joins the crew to teach everyone about Warhammer lore and the unique stories behind each of the four new Commander decks and their factions. Then, Judge Rob stops by to show you how to easily transfo...

On this episode, Maria and Meghan celebrate rotation with a look at the new & shiny decks hitting Standard after Magic’s yearly Fall cleanup! No matter what kind of deck you like to play, there’s an option for you on this list! PLUS: a first-look at an EXCLUSIVE Unfinity preview card, the first chapter of Dominaria United Storytime with Meghan, and Maria makes an unwise decision ab...

On this episode, Maria and Meghan make like Scrooge McDuck and dive deep into a giant pile of Dominaria United draft data! Find out what cards you should be picking, what colors you should be playing, and what 2-color pair you should avoid like the plague! PLUS: an appropriately spooky game of The Randomizer (Halloween is now officially 2.5 months long, ok?!) and Maria has a new…strange&#823...

On this episode, Maria and Meghan share their first impressions of Magic’s newest format: Dominaria United! Following a big prerelease weekend, find out what your hosts thought of this brand new Limited format — including what cards overperformed! PLUS: a look at the draft archetypes (including a few SECRET archetypes that are mega-powerful) and a very important question about what ani...

Get ready for your Dominaria United prerelease this weekend with the help of Judge Rob! Rob covers all of the new and returning mechanics as well as the tricky individual cards that might trip you up as you’re throwing down. Even if you think you know everything about how these new cards work, we promise you’ll learn something! PLUS: Cutest and Grossest Card of Dominaria United are cro...

On this episode, Maria and Meghan celebrate the astonishing milestone of 500 episodes of this podcast! It is truly incredible – and everyone who’s listened (or watched!) over the years is to thank. Come hang out as they celebrate with a musical episode that touches on Magic turning 30, “bad guys” in the game, endless preview seasons and more! Oh…and did we mention the...

On this episode, Maria and Meghan ask the important question: Why do you play Magic the Gathering? Is it because of the challenge? The community? The look of pain in your opponents’ eyes as you kill them from 20? Whatever it is, it gets mentioned on this episode! PLUS: what will Maria say that will get her cancelled? Find out! Become a GLH5 Patron   Today! Listen to Weekly Magic News with  T...

On this episode, Maria and Meghan look back over the Magic the Gathering sets released in 2022 and find out how Wizards of the Coast thinks they performed. What was awesome about Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty (hint: everything), what could be fixed in Streets of New Capenna? And who remembers that Innistrad: Midnight Hunt was released THIS YEAR?! Time isn’t real. PLUS: a physics question for the ag...

On this episode, Maria and Meghan take a first look at the fall’s big upcoming release: Dominaria United! They’ll share TONS of new details about the return to Magic’s first-ever plane, including how cards from 1994 have found their way into Collector Boosters. PLUS: Meghan assaults Maria with basketball news, a discussion of the worst deaths in Willy Wonka and Very Fancy Words f...

On this episode, Maria and Meghan showcase the best ways to play Magic the Gathering! Whether you’re new to the game and wondering how to connect with it (and the community), if you’re trying to introduce some friends to the joy that is Magic Brain Rot or you’re looking to get your groove back with different approaches to the game – you’re in luck! PLUS: some cards th...

On this episode, Maria regales you with the history of Magic the Gathering! Find out how exactly the game got its start, what was so cool about early playtesting, and what key element came to Richard Garfield in a “Eureka!” moment on an Oregon mountainside. PLUS: Meghan finds some of the…stranger…music hits of 1991. It’s a super interesting history lesson with details...