MtG Cabal Cast

Final Fantasy, the 105th Magic the Gathering expansion is on the horizon, which means it's time to review our "hype" assessments for Tarkir: Dragonstorm. How accurate were we? Were we off base or was it the children who were?

With several years and numerous changes to the RCQ system under our collective belts, we thought it was time to discuss what we have seen and what we are seeing. While this episode is centered solely around the LGS and only Thursty is part of day to day operations, Halt is able to weigh in having judged at least one RCQ in each season for the past several years. With our insights combined, we put...

With the first quarter of 2025 in the books and a number of Collect-A-Cons across the United States behind him, Thursty breaks down and discusses the events and a number of notables from this time as a vendor on the circuit thus far.

In January of 2025, CGC Grading announced that they had received playtest cards for the first set release in Japan (October 1996). Discussed with a person close to the creation of the Japanese game, the cards were deemed "the real thing" and the grading process begin. As linked, and discussed in the episode CGC subjected these cards to a bevy of tests to assure their authenticity but it wasn't unt...

Tarkir: Dragonstorm, the 104th Magic the Gathering expansion is on the horizon, which means it's time to reivew our "hype" assessments for Aetherdrift. How accurate were we? Were we off base or was it the children who were? https://edhrec.com/commanders/hashaton-scarabs-fist https://moxfield.com/decks/pdlVb5itR0OH1lBxug0zzA https://edhrec.com/cards/full-throttle https://edhrec.com/tags/extra-comba...

The Hunter Burton Memorial is in its 11th year and shows no signs of stopping or slowing down; nor should it. Rooted in the knowledge that tragedy touches everyone, this even filled weekend brings people together in order to raise awareness, and funds, for the 988 Lifeline and charity. This year over 1500 people competed in over 300 events and we were lucky enough to be in attendance. If you haven...

Having digested the information and ahead of the second announcement, we are taking a look at the Commander Brackets. We've had some time to discuss with our local players, from casual to cEDH stalwarts, and solicit their feedback and feelings, using them to distill down a few refined points. Join us this week as we give you our thoughts about the system, what we like about it, and what we don't l...

With the start of the new year comes new shows, and this year, Thursty is not only attending a number of shows, more than in a number of prior years, but also shows that aren't just dedicated to Magic. Some aren't even related to Magic at all but different collectibles markets entirely. Spend time with us as we discuss the shows that Thursty has been to, his upcoming February shows, the details ab...

Aetherdrift, the 103rd Magic the Gathering expansion is on the horizon, which means it's time to reivew our "hype" assessments for Duskmourn. How accurate were we? Were we off base or was it the children who were?

A few weeks ago, as proof we play Magic the Gathering, both Thursty and Halt took place in an off camera friends and family Vintage Rotisserie Draft. Split over two days, the in person draft took place the night before giving players several hours to build and test their lists before playing out the next days. Seven rounds brought us a top four that included our own Halt_I_m_Reptar, though he lost...

With the first Spotlight Series event firmly in the past and an entire year of RCs and Spotlights ahead of us, we discuss what each of us is looking forward to in the coming year. What at the LGS level is appealing with the OP roadmap laid out? As a vendor what are we excited to see with the coming sets and release schedule? https://magic.gg/news/announcing-the-magic-spotlight-series https://magic...

It's 2025 and we're back with our yearly tradition of discussing what we would do if we ran Hasbro. Secret Layers, Baulders Gate 3, and the finalization of the eOne sale. What a year it's been. Casting out lens, we look at the decisions we saw coming out of Hasbro and WotC and put together some notes and things we'd like to see them do better, things we'd change, things we'd improve. Even a few th...

It's 2025 and we're back with our yearly tradition of discussing what we would do if we ran Hasbro. Secret Layers, Baulders Gate 3, and the finalization of the eOne sale. What a year it's been. Casting out lens, we look at the decisions we saw coming out of Hasbro and WotC and put together some notes and things we'd like to see them do better, things we'd change, things we'd improve. Even a few th...

This week we look back at Magic in 2024 and discuss what we encouraging and what was discouraging. What could be improved and what worked. How did the set release cadence, Secret Lair drops, and handling of constructed impact the game. Effectively grading Magic in 2024 across several, easy to understand metrics with a side of "what happened at the LGS this year?!"

As with anything great, change is to be expected. Throughout 2024 we had discussed changes we wanted to make both in our community and with the podcast and after months of discussion we finally settled on the changes we wanted to see. In this short episode, we breakdown, point by point the updates we'll be making to the podcast in the coming year and also what to expect of us moving forward.

As our sixth year as a podcast draws to a close, we continue our process of self reflection and growth. This episode we look back at two picks each, and discuss what they represent to us: winners and losers alike, there's always a lesson to be learned.

As we begin our yearly look back and take inventory of our processes and lessons learned, we are starting out on a personal level. Have the means by which we engage with the game changed? And if so, how? How have we navigated the financial landscape this year? Casting a critical lense as our processes, lessons learned, and heuristics is an important part of holding ourselves accountable and grow....

As we head into the holiday season, we take a look at strategies employed at the LGS level to ensure a successful transition into the new year. What factors are in play in 2024 Q4 that might impact not just what we are looking to sell, but also how we market it and sell it. Are we looking to bring in more foot traffic just to increase product exposure, do we want to focus on growing our customer b...

With the 2025 release schedule announced at Worlds in Las Vegas, alongside an accompanying article and series of mothership posts, we have a good idea of what Magic is going to look like in 2025 and beyond. What sets will we see, the marketing copy, Universes Beyond, and the idea that Magic will now be 50% external IP. What a year it's going to be, and what an announcement it was. https://magic.wi...

We finally have the 2025 RCQ schedule and format information, answer a number of questions that we've had as players, LGS's, vendors, and the like. This week we break down the timing, format information, TOs, and hopeful future of the system. https://www.magic.gg/news/play-in-rcqs-earn-secret-lair-promos-and-qualify-for-pro-tour-3-in-2025

With a continuously shifting landscape, the removal of Pioneer as an RCQ format to Universes Beyond being standard legacy, LGS operations and MtG Finance on the whole have become rather difficult to manage. Anything can be reprinted at any time, so how do you handle an impending price crash on your foil Patrick Starfish while also worrying about the five Standard sets. So, this week we took at ste...

We went to Collect-A-Con so you don't have to! But you should because it's awesome. https://collectaconusa.com/ This week we discuss what is was like at Collect-A-Con Chicago 2024 as a gaming vendor. What kind of a event was it, what expectations did we set. What had we learned in the past that we put into practice, what were some of the take aways. And, most importantly, is it worth it to add Col...

We've had the pleasure of experiencing cEDH from multiple points of view over almost a decades worth of play and thought, what better way to discuss the format than to try and bring together all of that. With the experience of judging one of the largest cEDH events on the East Coast barely in the rear view, we talk about what cEDH means to players, judges, the LGS, and vendors. What is the impact...

From the Judges to the LGS, from the players to the formats we discuss what it's been like operating in the new RCQ system. What changes have felt impactful to each of the aforementioned elements? What are we seeing now that we haven't seen before? Do these changes to the system even feel good?

This week, wes set off to discuss Duskmour: House of Horror and the hype cycle surrounding it. What cards shone bright during spoiler season, what seemed to fall through the cracks? What references did we pick up and like the best? Join us on our review of the Spoop-tacular set, with your hosts with the mosts.