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

#16 -Kamigawa Neon Dynasty from a Japanese player’s point of view

In this episode past guest and local Magic Player in the Tokyo area, Taichi Nishizawa, joins me to talk about Kamigawa Neon Dynasty from a Japanese person's point of view. I was really interested in hearing his opinion about not only the plane of Kamigawa itself, but also how it was portrayed by Wizards of the Coast in this set. 

After listening to this episode, feel free to hop into my discord to discuss the show or give me a follow on Twitter as well! 

 

Discord: https://discord.gg/JGKxHhy

Twitter: @YoJapanHobbyist

Code of the Cardboard Samurai 15: The Kaiju of Ikoria

I don't know about you, but the moment Wizards of the Coast announced that Godzilla and many other Toho studio monsters would be in the next Magic the Gathering Set, Ikoria, my heart skipped a beat. Seeing all of these monsters appear on paper in my favorite hobby brought out all sorts of memories. Many people probably haven't seen many of these original Godzilla movies, if at all. Being the Japan Hobbyist, I felt that the gospel of Godzilla must be spread so I recruited a fellow foreigner living in Japan who is also a 'Kaiju' enthusiast and we proceeded to "nerd out" about the new monster cards in the plane of Ikoria. If you're interested in learning the history of the Toho monsters, or if you are wondering how close the MTG Ikoria counterparts are to the originals, be sure to listen!

Code of the Cardboard Samurai 14: Japanese Pioneer Vocab 101

The Pioneer format has exploded in popularity in Japan recently due to the upcoming Magic Fest in Nagoya. GP Nagoya will be the first ever Pioneer GP along with GP Brussels in Belgium. As some of you might know, I started my blog around Avacyn Restored and soon afterwards I began keeping an up to date Japanese to English vocabulary page on my blog, www.thejapanhobbyist.com. If you've been listening to my past podcasts then you know that I posted another episode about basic Magic the Gathering vocabulary you need to know to play MTG in Japan. You can find that episode here. In today's episode I'm joined by a special guest and level one judge in Japan, Taichi Nishizawa. We go over all of the vocabulary from Return to Ravnica block to Theros Beyond Death, and explain how to use the vocabulary while playing a game in Japanese. If you're a Magic player living in Japan, visiting for a Grand Prix or other event, or just want to practice speaking Japanese, give it a listen! 

Code of the Cardboard Samurai #13: Magic and the Military in Japan

Having lived in Japan for more than 10 years now, I've been all around the country and have met a lot of people playing Magic the Gathering. Doing so has allowed me to get to know all sorts of people in my travels, and while the majority of them have been Japanese players, I've also met quite a few foreigners. Some of the first Americans I met were when I was playing at Grand Prix around Japan. However, not everybody was over here in Japan to work like I was.

Over the years I realized just how many of the foreigners I met and played were actually serving in the military. While many of these players are only in Japan for a few years before shipping out to other parts of the world, they have become good friends of mine. Since moving to the Yokohama area, where there are a handful of military bases, I've come to meet more and more of these service members. That's why I thought it would be a good idea to do a podcast for people serving in the military in Japan, to give them some resources and information so that if they wanted to play MTG while living here, they could do so without worrying. 

If you're currently in the Army, Navy, Air Force, or Marines, or just know some Magic players in the military that are on their way over to Japan in the near future, be sure to let them know about this episode, as well as the others! 

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)

Code of the Cardboard Samurai #11 - Magic Fest Nagoya

Planning on coming to Nagoya for a Magic Fest in the future? Or how about visiting it on the way to a Magic Fest in Shizuoka or Kyoto? If so, this episode is right up your alley. In episode 11 we continue our series on Magic Fest locations and talk about all things Nagoya. We discuss the upcoming event in November 2019, the new event hall, transportation, things you can do around the event both before and after, and all the delicious food you can eat in Nagoya! Check it out to get some ideas for your next MTG trip!

Code of the Cardboard Samurai 10: "Trader"ous

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!

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. 

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!