PODCAST · leisure
The First Pioneers
by The First Pioneers
Keeping you up to date with what is new, interesting and powerful in the Magic the Gathering Pioneer format
Episodes
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The Pioneer Aetherdrift set review
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...
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#198 - F'in around and 'Founding' Out
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…
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#197 - The Duskmourn Set Review for Pioneer
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 .…
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#196 - Bloomburrow Brews for Pioneer
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...
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#195 - The Bloomburrow Set Review for Pioneer
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...
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#194 - Pioneer 101: Waste Not
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...
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#193 - Outlaws of Thunder Junction Pioneer Set Review
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…
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#192 - Back to Square One
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...
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#191 - New Blood in Pioneer at Pro Tour Murder at Karlov Manor
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...
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#190- Murders at Karlov Manor Pioneer brews and early results
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...
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#189 - The Murders at Karlov Manor Pioneer Set Review
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…
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#188 - Murder Afoot: A first look at Murders at Karlov Manor in Pioneer
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…
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Pioneer Year in Review: 2023
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...
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#186 - Welcome Back Co(p)ter
"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…
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#185 - Lost Caverns of Ixalan Brews and News!
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…
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#184 - Lost Caverns of Ixalan Pioneer Set Review
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,...
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#183 - First Look at Lost Caverns of Ixalan and a Goodbye to WOE Pioneer
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...
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#182 - Pioneer 101: Boros Heroic
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...
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#181 - The First First Pioneers Fantasy Fantasy Draft
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...
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#180 - First Look at the Wilds of Eldraine Pioneer Meta
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...
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#179 - Wilds of Eldraine Pioneer Brews!
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...
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#178 - The Wilds of Eldraine Pioneer Set Review
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…
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#177 - The Future of Pioneer
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…
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#176 - The Less Things Change, The More They are the Same
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...
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#175 - Exploring the Unexplored Reaches of Pioneer
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,...
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#174 - Dear Wizards of the Coast . . .
As the end of the Pioneer regional qualifier season draws to a close, The First Pioneers go over the most recent results from the last 2 weeks of events and talk about the future of the Pioneer format. While the majority of Pioneer players probably think that the format is fine, many people would...
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#173 - Can You Dig It?
The First Pioneers aren't some group of jive turkeys. We're cooler than cool, hipper than hip, and if you want to play a card nobody else plays in Pioneer, we can dig it. In fact, we love to dig up new things to do in the format. After our last show's topic on Boros Convoke, we wanted to expand…
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#172 - Pioneer 101: Boros Convoke
The Boros Convoke deck has made big waves in Pioneer over the last few weeks but not everybody has been able to wrap their heads around it. As with every other new deck that breaks onto the scene, at first it seems broken and unstoppable. But is it? Does it have any bad match ups? And what about...
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#171 - Pioneer’s Days of Future Past
This week The First Pioneers hop into the way back machine to revisit some of the best decks the Pioneer format has ever seen to talk about what made them tick, what the format lost when the decks disappeared, and what happened to the deck's cards when the deck was forgotten. We believe it's time...
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#170 - March of the Machines Spring Metagame Recap
This Mother's Day, skip out on the flowers and candies and get her something special, like a break down of the Pioneer metagame leading up to March of the Machines Aftermath. She'll be grateful for your thoughtfulness and happy that you care (about Magic the Gathering). While short, the MOM...
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#169 - March of the Machines: Aftermath Pioneer Set Review
The paint on the cards in March of the Machines had barely dried when Wizards of the Coast decided to release Aftermath, a supplemental, undraftable mini set (but Standard/Pioneer legal). How will competitive players react to this set? Will they embrace the cards or will they dismiss them as an...
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#168 - Pioneer 101: Neoform Atraxa
One of the biggest decks to come out of the Phyrexia: All Will Be One metagame was Neoform Atraxa. The deck joins a long list of powerful midrange strategies that can effectively combo out early into an Atraxa, Grand Unifier and take over the game with either a huge creature or incredible card...
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#167- Pioneer’s Aggro Problem
Does Pioneer have an aggro problem? Absolutely, but it's less the cause of the problem and more the result of everything else. Recently The First Pioneers discussed how Combo decks in the format had taken advantage of Pioneer, and while midrange and control decks have been able to keep combo in...
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#166- March of Machines Pioneer Brews
Midrange and Combo players rejoice! Mother of Machines brings tons of new cards that can slip right into your existing decks in Pioneer, and some that are great for building around. Whether they'll end up being strong enough for competitive play is yet to be seen, but if you're itching to try out...
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#165 - March of Machines Pioneer Set Review
Wizards of the Coast has been giving us less of what we want and more of what we need in Pioneer, at least from my point of view. Gone are the days when one card would go into every deck. Nowadays where a card fits into the metagame has become more blurred. Cards that seemed unplayable in the...
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#164 - Wrapping up the Phyrexia All Will Be One Pioneer Metagame
It's been a while since the Pro Tour flipped the Pioneer metagame on its head. We had a few new decks join the metagame, and a few others make a glorious comeback. But when the dust settled, where did that leave Pioneer? In our final episode before the Mother of Machine spoilers explode all over...
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#163 - A Pioneer Home for Modern Refugees
The Modern format has always been known for the strong power level of its cards. At the inception of the format there were a number of bannings and as more and more cards were added into the pool, those once powerful cards were now deemed disposable. Players who had shelled out top dollar for…
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#162 - Pioneer on a Budget
This week we're shifting gears to focus more on the financial side of Pioneer as we discuss how people can play the format competitively while not spending an arm and a leg. The recent Pro Tour catapulted the Pioneer format to new heights but with that popularity some cards reached new heights in...
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#161 - March of the Manabases
With the fastlands in Phyrexia: All Will Be One, the Pioneer format finally finished all of it's enemy and friendly manabases (well all the relevant ones at least). We had complained on more than one occasion that the format wouldn't really be fair and fully functional until they all were…
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#160 - Combo Breaker
A combo deck won the last Pioneer Pro Tour. A few other combo decks have been showing up regularly in the format lately. Is Pioneer currently in a combo metagame? If so, do we need to be worried about it? This week The First Pioneers (+ Dreams of Ashiok) take a deeper look at the combo decks...
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#159 - Pioneer 101: Enigmatic Fires
Due to the popularity of our last Pioneer 101 episode on Angels and Vehicles, as well as the renewed interest in the Enigmatic Fires deck after the Pro Tour, we thought we'd do another breakdown this week to get people up to speed on all the new tech that people are using. And who better to talk...
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#158 - Pro Tour Phyrexia: All Will Be Meta
Pioneer was front and center on the biggest stage of Magic the Gathering last weekend: The Pro Tour. The excitement that had been building through the previous qualifier seasons finally boiled over into the mainstream. Tens of thousands of players watched the top Pioneer players in the world…
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#154 - Pioneer 101: Angels and Engines
While we wait for the upcoming Pioneer Pro tour to shake things up, The First Pioneers decided it would be a good idea to showcase two of the biggest decks to rise to popularity in the last season: Angel Company and Gruul Vehicles. One deck seeks to gain a bunch of life and sends legions of…
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#157 - Phyrexian Pioneers: All Will Be Brews
At first glance Phyrexia: All Will Be One might not have any obvious homeruns for the Pioneer format, but maybe that's a good thing? If we don't know where the cards go at first we'll just have to brew with them until we see where they fit! MTGO grinder and fellow lover of brews Conorman11 joins…
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#156 - Phyrexia, All Will Be One Pioneer Set Review
Will Phyrexia, All Will be One be another Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty set for the Pioneer format with a huge impact, or be more subdued like Innistrad: Crimson Vow with only a handful of cards seeing any play? Returning guest Dreams of Ashiok joins us again this week to finish up what we started with...
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#155 - Phirst Pioneer Impressions from Phyrexia: All will be One
With our Pioneer set review due out next week for Phyrexia: All Will be One, we thought we'd save ourselves some time by talking about what cards we think will have a big impact on the format like the reprint of the allied Fastlands, and also cover all the other things that MTG ONE is bringing to...
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#153 - For Better or Worse: Historic Cards in Pioneer
While everybody is currently focused on the future and what the next set will bring for Pioneer this February, we thought it would be a good idea to look back. We did a few episodes on Explorer last year and how it inches ever so closer to a normal Pioneer format, but before Explorer was a thing...
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#152 - The 2022 Pioneer Wrap Up
The year 2022 started very unassuming for Pioneer but it ended up being one of the most eventful years since the format's inception. We had tons of break out cards, new decks appeared, some old ones returned to the metagame, there were bannings, and through it all The First Pioneers were there...
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#151 -The First Pioneer’s 2022 Holiday Wishlist
She's making a list, and checking it twice, going to find out who's naughty or nice, She-oldred is coming to town. She knows when you are drawing, She gains life while she's awake, She know if your removal is goodorbad so be good for goodness sake. - Phyrexian Holiday Song It's that time of year...
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#150 - Is Pioneer Playable on Arena with Explorer Anthology 2?
While our 150th episode probably deserves more pomp and celebration, there is simply too much going on in the world of Pioneer to take a week off! With the Explorer Anthology 2 dropping on MTG Arena this week, we're guessing there are more than a few of you wondering if you can finally play your...
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does The First Pioneers have?
The First Pioneers currently has 100 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is The First Pioneers about?
Keeping you up to date with what is new, interesting and powerful in the Magic the Gathering Pioneer format
How often does The First Pioneers release new episodes?
The First Pioneers has 100 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to The First Pioneers?
You can listen to The First Pioneers on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts The First Pioneers?
The First Pioneers is created and hosted by The First Pioneers.
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