Episodes
Thursday Oct 10, 2019
Code of the Cardboard Samurai 10: "Trader"ous
Thursday Oct 10, 2019
Thursday Oct 10, 2019
If you've lived or played Magic the Gathering in Japan before, then you've probably noticed that events here have always been hit or miss when it comes to trading. The Grand Prix/Magic Fest circuit is no stranger to drama related to trading, and even trading in stores is frowned upon most of the time. So what's a person going to an event to do with their trade binders and boxes? In Episode 10, I once again have Ed Nguyen of the Cartel Aristocrats podcast on to discuss what it's like trading cards in Japan compared to other parts of the world he's traveled to, and how trading has evolved since the laws surrounding how vendors do business was changed. We hope the advice and tips we give you in this episode help you out the next time you go to a big event in Japan!
Tuesday Sep 24, 2019
Frontier Archive Project ep. 27 - Frontier Only Decks
Tuesday Sep 24, 2019
Tuesday Sep 24, 2019
One of the unique selling points of Frontier is that you get a chance to play with a lot of cards that don't see much, if any play in other formats. The lower power level than Modern, and bigger card pool than standard, put the format in an interesting place. Also in this episode, I join the podcast crew as a permanent member to talk about my experiences overseas in Japan, as well as to connect the two metagames together. Very fun topic that allows you to explore the format more in depth.
Tuesday Sep 17, 2019
Frontier Archive Project Ep. 22 - Wide World of Frontier Wrap up
Tuesday Sep 17, 2019
Tuesday Sep 17, 2019
With Dominaria just around the corner, the Rivals of Ixalan metagame wraps up with a number of events online and in paper happening. The hosts talk about the Untap Open online league top 8 results, as well as what happened at a handful of paper tournaments at Hareruya in Tokyo over the last few weeks. Mostly a 'house cleaning' episode as they would say, analyzing results and what cards did well. Good to listen to so you can see which archetypes were powerful and which cards to watch out for in future metagames.
Thursday Sep 12, 2019
Final Frontier Ep. 19 - Japan: Birthplace of Frontier
Thursday Sep 12, 2019
Thursday Sep 12, 2019
The North American and Japan Frontier worlds collide when yours truly is invited on as a guest on the Magic the Final Frontier podcast. In this podcast I talk with the hosts about the Frontier format is like in Japan and go over the differences between the two metagames. I also share some stories about what Frontier was like in those first few months starting out in Japan. If you're looking to learn more about the history of Frontier and to get a different point of view on the format, look no further!
Friday Aug 30, 2019
Frontier Archive Project: Ep. 7 - Hareruya's God of Frontier discussion
Friday Aug 30, 2019
Friday Aug 30, 2019
With over 70 people in attendance, the 10th God of Frontier tournament at Hareruya in Tokyo, Japan was a great look at what what the format had the potential to do. The podcast crew uses their deep knowledge of the Frontier format to compare competitive decklists between Japan and North America and to discuss what they liked and didn't like from the God of Frontier tournament.
Tuesday Jul 30, 2019
A Guide to Being Trendy at Magic Fest Chiba
Tuesday Jul 30, 2019
Tuesday Jul 30, 2019
Welcome to episode 7 of the Code of the Cardboard Samurai podcast! In this episode, I'm joined once again by Ed Nguyen of the Cartel Aristocrats podcast as we talk about trends in Japan Magic finance scene, Magic things you can only really find in Japan and Asia, and also everything you need to know about Magic Fest Chiba. If you're looking for things to do around the city before or after main event (or just want to know about the Chiba area for future reference) give this episode a listen!
(Special thanks again to Lain Kaplan for creating the opening and ending theme of the show.)
Thursday Jul 11, 2019
Season's Greetings: Summer MTG Review
Thursday Jul 11, 2019
Thursday Jul 11, 2019
In episode 6 of Code of the Cardboard Samurai, we welcome Ben Payne to the team and talk about everything that's going on in Japan this summer such as recent news, events, and announcements. A lot has happened on the MTG scene in Japan over the last few months so there is quite a lot to unwrap. We'll be continuing this series every season to let people know what's going on during that time. If you're going to be in Japan this summer, or are currently living here and looking for some information about summer MTG events in Japan, give it a listen!
Friday Jun 28, 2019
Once Upon a Time in Aichi: A history of Magic The Gathering in Japan
Friday Jun 28, 2019
Friday Jun 28, 2019
Magic the Gathering has a deep, well documented history in the USA, but what about Japan? It's one of the biggest places for MTG, yet it has remained relatively unknown to people outside of Japan, especially if you can't read Japanese. In today's podcast, we travel back in time with new co-host Lain Kaplan to talk about what the early days of Magic the Gathering were like in Japan. Living in Japan from 2000-2008, Lain has experienced a lot of Magic's history and has lots of stories to tell. Join us as we talk about magic shops, pro players, Grand Prix, and even Buddhist Monk Magic players!
If you've lived in Japan before, live here now, visited Japan, or have always wondered about MTG in Japan give it a listen! Hopefully Japanese MTG won't be such a mystery afterwards!
Sunday Jun 09, 2019
Dan and Ryan's 10 Must visit Magic the Gathering places in Japan
Sunday Jun 09, 2019
Sunday Jun 09, 2019
If you're planning to visit Japan for an event in the future or are just coming over for vacation and some sightseeing, Dan and I have you covered. In this episode we talk about all of the places we've visited in Japan over the years and discuss which places are the best for Magic the Gathering. From Osaka to Nagoya to Tokyo, we got you covered!
Special thanks again to Lain Kaplan for the intro and outro, and to all of those that helped put the list together! We will keep exploring and hopefully have more places for you to visit in the future.
Tuesday May 14, 2019
Talking the Talk - Playing Magic the Gathering in Japanese
Tuesday May 14, 2019
Tuesday May 14, 2019
Currently living in Japan and want to play some Magic the Gathering but don't speak Japanese? Thinking of coming to Japan for a Magic Fest in the near future but worried about the language barrier? Then look no further! In this episode, Dan and I go over all the Japanese vocabulary and grammar you need to know in order to play a game in Japan with the help of our good friend and fellow player Hiroaki Oyama!