Eternal Durdles

Is the Pre-Modern metagame actually the same online and in paper? Cyrus “Crucible of Words” Bales joins us to dig into the latest Pre-Modern data and, more importantly, the huge differences between Magic Online Challenges and real-world paper tournaments. Cyrus collects and analyzes tournament results across multiple sources, tracking metagame share, Top 8 conversion, event wins, and “over rep” to...

Eternal Weekend is just over a month away — so what does Legacy look like right now? Zac and Phil break down the latest Legacy threat levels , looking at which cards and decks are gaining ground, which are falling off, and what those numbers might mean for Eternal Weekend. Zac is currently deciding between Breakfast, Draco/Guildpact Beanstalk, and Infect , while Phil is planning to play Miracles....

Eternal Weekend is just over a month away — so what does Legacy look like right now? Zac and Phil break down the latest Legacy threat levels , looking at which cards and decks are gaining ground, which are falling off, and what those numbers might mean for Eternal Weekend. Zac is currently deciding between Breakfast, Draco/Guildpact Beanstalk, and Infect , while Phil is planning to play Miracles....

I have 17 Commander decks. And I'm taking them all apart. This isn't a video about hating Commander. I've had plenty of good experiences playing EDH, and if Commander is the way you enjoy Magic, you should absolutely keep playing it. But I've realized that I don't actually enjoy playing Commander very much anymore. So I'm breaking down why. I talk about how I first discover...

I have 17 Commander decks. And I'm taking them all apart. This isn't a video about hating Commander. I've had plenty of good experiences playing EDH, and if Commander is the way you enjoy Magic, you should absolutely keep playing it. But I've realized that I don't actually enjoy playing Commander very much anymore. So I'm breaking down why. I talk about how I first discover...

Reality Fracture has a surprising number of cards that are at least worth discussing for Legacy — but which ones actually have a shot at seeing play? Zac and Phil go through some of the most interesting Legacy candidates from the set, separating genuine possibilities from cards that look powerful but probably aren't worth the slot. We look at potential applications for Reanimator, Lands, Seles...

Reality Fracture has a surprising number of cards that are at least worth discussing for Legacy — but which ones actually have a shot at seeing play? Zac and Phil go through some of the most interesting Legacy candidates from the set, separating genuine possibilities from cards that look powerful but probably aren't worth the slot. We look at potential applications for Reanimator, Lands, Seles...

What would Legacy look like if you went back to the format before Innistrad Block completely changed the metagame? That's the idea behind Classic Legacy . Innistrad introduced—or coincided with—the arrival of some of the cards and archetypes that became fundamental to how modern Legacy is played: Delver of Secrets, Thalia, Guardian of Thraben, Griselbrand, and the Miracles strategy . Classic L...

What would Legacy look like if you went back to the format before Innistrad Block completely changed the metagame? That's the idea behind Classic Legacy . Innistrad introduced—or coincided with—the arrival of some of the cards and archetypes that became fundamental to how modern Legacy is played: Delver of Secrets, Thalia, Guardian of Thraben, Griselbrand, and the Miracles strategy . Classic L...

Control has been under siege in Legacy for a long time. But with the current metagame shifting, could Eternal Weekend finally be a place where control can compete again? Zac and Phil break down the current Legacy metagame and ask a simple question: what would a control deck actually need to do to survive right now? The current field is incredibly diverse, with Dimir Tempo, Tron, Death & Taxes,...

Control has been under siege in Legacy for a long time. But with the current metagame shifting, could Eternal Weekend finally be a place where control can compete again? Zac and Phil break down the current Legacy metagame and ask a simple question: what would a control deck actually need to do to survive right now? The current field is incredibly diverse, with Dimir Tempo, Tron, Death & Taxes,...

Classic Legacy might be one of the easiest community formats to get into — especially if you miss playing the old Magic cards that have been pushed out of competitive Legacy. Cards like Tarmogoyf, Dark Confidant, Jace, the Mind Sculptor, Goblin Guide, Arcbound Ravager, Vendilion Clique, and Vial have all fallen dramatically in price compared to their historical highs, while Classic Legacy gives th...

Classic Legacy might be one of the easiest community formats to get into — especially if you miss playing the old Magic cards that have been pushed out of competitive Legacy. Cards like Tarmogoyf, Dark Confidant, Jace, the Mind Sculptor, Goblin Guide, Arcbound Ravager, Vendilion Clique, and Vial have all fallen dramatically in price compared to their historical highs, while Classic Legacy gives th...

There has been a wave of videos telling Magic players why they should quit Magic and move to the next big CCG — most recently, discussions around Riftbound . But do you actually have to choose? Zac takes a step back from the “Magic is cooked, go play X instead” conversation and looks at the history of collectible card games, the idea of a Magic Golden Age , the explosion of products, the decline o...

There has been a wave of videos telling Magic players why they should quit Magic and move to the next big CCG — most recently, discussions around Riftbound . But do you actually have to choose? Zac takes a step back from the “Magic is cooked, go play X instead” conversation and looks at the history of collectible card games, the idea of a Magic Golden Age , the explosion of products, the decline o...

Who is responsible for protecting the identity of a game after its original creator is gone? In this episode of Eternal Durdles, Zac and Phil dive into the idea of creative paternalism — the responsibility, care, and judgment required to preserve what makes a creative work itself . Using Magic: The Gathering as the primary example, we explore what happens when the people who originally created and...

Who is responsible for protecting the identity of a game after its original creator is gone? In this episode of Eternal Durdles, Zac and Phil dive into the idea of creative paternalism — the responsibility, care, and judgment required to preserve what makes a creative work itself . Using Magic: The Gathering as the primary example, we explore what happens when the people who originally created and...

In this episode of Eternal Durdles, Zac and Phil dive into one of the strangest things about Premodern : some of the cards players love the most are exactly the cards that would be considered miserable in almost any other setting. Stasis. Winter Orb. Opposition. Deranged Hermit. Survival of the Fittest. Armageddon. Sphere of Resistance. Wildfire. Web of Inertia. Mana Web. These cards don't nec...

What makes a Magic card actually unfun? In this episode of Eternal Durdles, Zac and Phil dive into one of the strangest things about Premodern : some of the cards players love the most are exactly the cards that would be considered miserable in almost any other setting. Stasis. Winter Orb. Opposition. Deranged Hermit. Survival of the Fittest. Armageddon. Sphere of Resistance. Wildfire. Web of Iner...

https://tinyurl.com/BREAKFASTSept2026MASTERCLASS https://tinyurl.com/BREAKFAST-SEPT2026SBGUIDE Breakfast looks simple. It isn't. Johan Larson joins Zac for a complete Breakfast Masterclass, breaking down how the deck works, why its seemingly innocuous cards become a lethal combo, and what separates someone who can assemble the combo from someone who can actually pilot Breakfast well . At its c...

https://tinyurl.com/BREAKFASTSept2026MASTERCLASS https://tinyurl.com/BREAKFAST-SEPT2026SBGUIDE Breakfast looks simple. It isn't. Johan Larson joins Zac for a complete Breakfast Masterclass, breaking down how the deck works, why its seemingly innocuous cards become a lethal combo, and what separates someone who can assemble the combo from someone who can actually pilot Breakfast well . At its c...

Competitive Magic isn't dead. We just miss what it used to feel like. DuressFest is coming, and Zac and Phil are incredibly excited—not simply because it's another Magic tournament, but because it represents something that has been missing from competitive Magic: the experience. We used to have Grand Prix events with thousands of players. You'd travel with your friends, play the main e...

Competitive Magic isn't dead. We just miss what it used to feel like. DuressFest is coming, and Zac and Phil are incredibly excited—not simply because it's another Magic tournament, but because it represents something that has been missing from competitive Magic: the experience. We used to have Grand Prix events with thousands of players. You'd travel with your friends, play the main e...

Eternal Weekend is coming. So... what are you playing? Zac and Phil break down the latest Legacy results from Buffalo Chicken Dip , looking at the decklists and trying to figure out what the current metagame actually looks like heading into Eternal Weekend. On paper, the format looks pretty diverse. We've got: Sneak & Show Blue-Red Delver Beanstalk Black Saga Storm Dimir Doomsday But once...

Eternal Weekend is coming. So... what are you playing? Zac and Phil break down the latest Legacy results from Buffalo Chicken Dip , looking at the decklists and trying to figure out what the current metagame actually looks like heading into Eternal Weekend. On paper, the format looks pretty diverse. We've got: Sneak & Show Blue-Red Delver Beanstalk Black Saga Storm Dimir Doomsday But once...