Code of the Cardboard Samurai

#17 -God of Pioneer 7 and the State of Organized Play in Japan

With the God of Pioneer 7 tournament in the books and still fresh on everybody's mind, The Japan Hobbyist and his "cohost" Taichi invite new friend and local MTG player Mickey (Swampmouse on Discord) to talk about his experience at the event. We go over what the metagame was like, the top 16 decklists, and also discuss the overall state of the Pioneer format in Japan at the moment.

In the second half of the podcast we move onto a discussion about organized play in Japan to help foreign players living or visiting the country. Taichi gives us some insight on what OP was like in the past in Japan and his opinions on how this year will be different, then offers us the unique perspective of a level 1 Magic the Gathering Judge. If you're thinking about playing Magic the Gathering in Japan and want to hop into competitive play this year, you don't want to miss this episode!

If you have questions about MTG in Japan don't be afraid to drop into our discord or hitting me up on Twitter!

 

Discord: https://discord.gg/JGKxHhy

Twitter: @YoJapanHobbyist

Frontier Archive Project Ep. 67 - Mind over Meta

As Ryan gears up for the 13th God of Frontier tournament in Tokyo at Hareruya, He and Kevin talk about how the War of the Spark Frontier metagame has been evolving both online and in paper. They cover how each archetype has changed and what cards to look out for going into a big tournament. This is one of the last metagame episodes we did prior to Pioneer, so you can get a good look at how the decks in the format were updated with almost the same pool we currently have. 

Code of the Cardboard Samurai 12: Pioneer Delight

Pioneer started off with a bang here in Japan and it's been the talk of the entire Magic the Gathering Community for the past few weeks. It was only natural that we'd do a podcast about it. In this episode Ben and I talk with our good friend Bobby Birmingham about what it's been like to play the new format in Japan since the initial announcement. We talk about the initial reception of Pioneer from players, how the stores in the Tokyo/Yokohama area are changing their tournament schedules, as well as how the new format has affected the prices of cards. We also get a little personal and discuss what we are most excited to play in this new format and what we are brewing. To those of you that stick around until the 30 minute mark, we have a special treat for you. 

We hope you enjoy today's show and if you have any suggestions or comments feel free to leave them down below! 

(special thanks to Lain Kaplan for use of the beginning and end themes)

Frontier Archive Project Ep. 34 - Emerging M19 Metagame and Decks

The hosts talk about how the M19 Frontier metagame is shaping up and which cards seem to be showing up most often in decks both online and in paper. As Ryan gears up for a weekend God of Frontier trial in Tokyo, he and Kevin discuss how best to attack the metagame and what deck Ryan should play. 

Frontier Archive Project ep. 27 - Frontier Only Decks

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. 

Frontier Archive Project 25.2 - Dominaria Frontier Brews and God of Frontier 11

With the new season just around the corner, the hosts talk about which cards they are most excited about and talk about their testing process for the next online Frontier tournament season. Having a week to sit on the spoiler and think of Dominaria, the hosts come up with some rather interesting combinations! They also talk about the 11th God of Frontier event in Tokyo at Hareruya that happened the week prior to the podcast and go over the results. Another good resource for Historic players to see what to play from Dominaria! 

Frontier Archive Project Ep. 22 - Wide World of Frontier Wrap up

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. 

Final Frontier Ep. 19 - Japan: Birthplace of Frontier

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! 

Frontier Archive Project: Ep. 7 - Hareruya's God of Frontier discussion

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. 

A Guide to Being Trendy at Magic Fest Chiba

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.)