Podcasts 2015

It's pretty early in the year and not long since I last did this but there have been some changes so I wanted to update the list.
Last time I wrote that a lot of the podcasts I listened to felt like they were at the crossroads, and looking back some fared better than others.

The Deck Tease is on hiatus and scratched from my playlist. The members of the EH team are playing more Magic and KYT is now on the pro tour (awesome) but it feels like the cast is an obligation rather than something they look forward too. Some of the hosts go missing for long periods of time and the cast runs for too long given so little content.

There was controversy around Heavy Meta as Channel Fireball leant heavily on Face to Face Games (the main sponsor) to have TSG removed from the cast. This was really petty from Channel Fireball and the cast just feels morbid as a result. TSG brought a lot of organisation to that cast and in his absence the cast feels much worse.
I stopped listening half way through the last one and it seems to all be about upcoming GP Vegas and merchandise from here on in.

I am probably down to only listening to 15% of Drive to Work episodes. Mark Rosewater's game designer series has gone from one of my favourites to an auto delete. I do really enjoy the 15% that are a format I like though such as the "during this year of magic" ones.

Limited Resources came out of it's co host search with LSV in the second seat. He is a fantastic addition and my only quibble is that he is too similar to Marshall's drafting style. Brian Wong seemed to draft different decks which led to more interesting discussions a lot of the times. There is actually a limit on how many times I need to hear the word "value" in a single podcast and it would be nice if they could spare a second for decks that attack the opponent before turn 15..

My Top 7 for last year were:

1 – The Spike Feed

2 – Brainstorm Brewery

3 – Ced Talks

4 – Heavy meta

5 – Limited Resources

6 – The Deck Tease

7 – Drive to Work

Ced talks has fallen a little on my rankings but only because Limited Resources have added LSV and I get plenty of Patrick and Cedric while watching Star City Games Open coverage via Twitch replays.

I like Wizards of the Cast because the hosts are nice guys and mostly talk about limited and cube. You don't get the level of expertise as you do from Limited Resources but the format is much easier to listen to. A Spike feed style 30 minute well produced podcast that focussed on limited would be ideal. The problem with limited resources is that it often goes too long with a lot of stuff that is irrelevant to me.

At Your End Step is a good review of recent SCG events and is very Standard orientated, with good chemistry between the hosts who all seem pretty decent at Magic.

MTG Goldfish is another financial podcast that features some really sharp people with interesting things to say.

My Top 7 for this year are:

1 – The Spike Feed

2 – Wizards of the Cast 

3 – Brainstorm Brewery

4 – Limited Resources 

5 – Ced Talks

6 – At Your End Step

7 – MTG Goldfish

Podcasts 2014

Last year I made a list of my favourite podcasts and since then my listening list has changed a little bit. So I thought it was worth revisiting for 2014.

Magic the Amateuring was a podcast recommended by Dan and at the time it was certainly a good listen. I think it probably still holds some value for newer players but since one of the main hosts Ben left, the show just is not working for me.
Limited Resources is currently going through a transition period as the excellent Brian Wong has departed from the cohost chair.
My enjoyment of The Deck Tease fluctuates with my interest in that particular guest. I don’t really care about what the childhood of someone I don’t know was like. When it is someone I am already familiar with, then bring it on.

I can’t think of a single podcast that I could recommend for new players, which kind of annoys me. Most Magic podcasts go for too long and need tighter editing. For new players I think telling them to listen to a 1,2,3 or even 5 hour long podcast is just too daunting.

If anyone knows of a 1/2 hour podcast that touches briefly on news and then talks a bit about draft and standard I would love to hear about it. I think podcasts are an unobtrusive way for people to think about Magic while traveling or at work.

There is a dearth of Limited podcasts in general, with Limited Resources being the only one that comes to mind. I listen each week and think it is a good resource for improving at Magic. It is long, dry and goes very deep on some topics which make it a big commitment for someone who may only draft once a month.

Magic the Amateuring do talk a decent amount of limited but it’s hard to gauge if someone will enjoy the sense of humour that show has.

I feel a nice and tight 30 minute podcast that features a decent amount of limited would fill a void in the community.

If you are looking for a podcast with a local slant then the Travelling Mages are hosted by Jose Lily who currently resides in Seoul. They have had a couple of Seoul regulars on as guests and dedicated one show to Magic in Seoul in particular.

Last years top 7 were:

Limited resources

The Spike Feed

Brainstorm Brewery

The Eh Team

Drive to work

The Deck Tease

Heavy Meta

I still listen to all 7 of those but certainly not every episode. The Spike Feed, Brainstorm Brewery and Heavy Meta seem as good as ever but the other 4 have all fallen a little in my eyes.

The Eh Team podcast and members seem at a crossroad with their involvement in Magic. The chemistry is just not right with only one joker and three straight men.

Mark Rosewaters Drive to Work is divided into different series and I have little interest in most of them. They are kind of repetitive and predictable. I am enjoying the meta series based on individual years of Magic though.

I have tried a lot of new Magic podcasts this year but most of them I have discarded or are in the “not sure” category. I have enjoyed some episodes of The Travelling Mages, Potpourri, Constructed Resources, Monday Night Magic, The Modern Enthusiast, Tap N Sac, Insider Stories, So Many Insane Plays and Money Draught. They have all had episodes or segments which weren’t so enjoyable though and I am not comfortable recommending any of them yet.

Two podcasts which I have locked into my regular rotation this year are Ced Talks and At Your End Step.

Ced Talks is hosted by SCG commentator Cedric Phillips. I don’t listen to the non Magic shows (which are clearly labeled) but it’s a great podcast and certainly in my top 7 now. I’m really enjoying At Your End Step but it hasn’t quite got the runs on the board for me to comfortably put it in the top 7.

My Top 7 for this year are:

1 – The Spike Feed

2 – Brainstorm Brewery

3 – Ced Talks

4 – Heavy meta

5 – Limited Resources

6 – The Deck Tease

7 – Drive to Work

The Spike Feed is very well edited and does not waste any of the listener’s time. The producer is a full time producer and has won an Emmy doing his day job. Features a lot of standard, legacy, finance, news and modern discussion.

Brainstorm Brewery is a finance based podcast with great chemistry between the hosts. Not as tightly edited as the Spike Feed but they usually cap the episode at an hour long.

I have already talked about Ced Talks but it does amaze me that Cedric and Patrick Sullivan can still be interesting even after I have seen them put in long hours on event coverage each week.   

Heavy Meta is a long, rambling, drunken mess. There have been some genuine my gut is hurting from laughing too much moments. Usually midget related.

Limited Resources is in a little bit of a lull for me but Marshall is the consummate professional. Once the new set is released or the 2^nd host spot is sorted I expect this show to regain the fire.

The Deck Tease, still the best interview podcast that is Magic related. Insider Stories might threaten for this spot later on but is in its early days so far.

Drive to Work is the only podcast n the list that comes out of Wizards of the Cost. I have it seventh this year but that is still pretty amazing when you consider this is a one man podcast.

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Podcasts - 2013

I don’t know how sustainable this is but I’m currently listening to a lot of magic podcasts, usually on my way to and from work.

I have downloaded a lot only to delete them 10 minutes in either due to poor production, bad sound quality or just random rambling and lots of dead air and ummmms. Top 8 magic was the one I was most disappointed in because the sound quality is just a huge turn off so I never get far into it.

Amongst all that chaff there is some really good stuff most of which is pretty well known.

The king of Magic podcasts is Limited Resources hosted by Marshall Sutcliffe. Magic coverage is his full time job and it shows. The production quality is fantastic and both main hosts (Marshall and Brian Wong) are entertaining. For Theros limited they did a 5 hour show which I have to admit it took me multiple settings to finish but it was worth it.

The Eh team and Heavy meta are pretty similar in that they are very long podcasts with decent production values but they go off topic a lot. That is part of the charm for me as I enjoy listening to the hosts. So there is more general entertainment than strict magic talk so they are not something I can recommend to everyone even though I love them.

Drive to work is a roughly half hour podcast by Mark Rosewater which he makes while driving to work (hence the name). It’s very similar to his Making Magic column which is one of the things that got me back into Magic back in the day as I found it really interesting and read pretty much his entire archive. He has some interesting stories and the length of his drive to work seems to match pretty well with mine. Sometimes a little dry (I am not interested in certain topics) but sometimes really interesting especially when talking about how gamers and designers think and game design.

It sounds really clear for something recorded in his car.

The deck tease was a really pleasant surprise. The way other people talk about it and the impression you get from the picture on Itunes, the name and the intro music is completely different than what I found to be the podcast to be.

In my opinion it’s easily the best interview style podcast and most interesting one. The only interview podcast that I have subscribed to.

Brainstorm Brewery is the magic podcast I get most excited about to see a new episode. It’s a magic finance podcast and at times really interesting with some great hosts. The episodes or even sections inside the podcast really vary in quality though. Sometimes there is too much rambling and lingering on boring topics.

If you have the slightest interest in Magic finance this is the go to podcast.

Spike Feed is the most recent podcast I have added to my subscription list and I am fast becoming a big fan. It’s fairly new and I have now listened to every episode. Very good chemistry between the hosts, good variety of topics (limited, constructed and finance) and excellent production values thanks to one of the hosts being a professional producer.

My Top 7

Limited resources

The Spike Feed

Brainstorm Brewery

The Eh Team

Drive to work

The Deck Tease

Heavy Meta