Ben and Ethan clash over whether black-white is a viable deck or just 'Boros in a trench coat' in Tarkir.
The episode begins with a debate about black-white decks, where Ethan dismisses them as 'Boros in a trench coat' while Ben is more open. They then share positive listener feedback on their previous interview with Ben from Wizards of the Coast, hinting at future collaborations. After housekeeping on Patreon perks and a fan meetup story, the hosts introduce the main topic: navigating 'off-ramp' decks when primary draft paths are contested. They propose an 'alchemy changes' exercise, suggesting five tweaks to improve the format, such as buffing Endure to create 0/0 creatures with counters or modifying Gurmag Rakshasa. A draft log analysis follows, where they debate picks like Salt Road Pack Beast versus Descendant of Storms. The hosts then break down each color's primary, secondary, and tertiary draft plans, with white leaning into Boros or 'Boros in a trench coat' decks, blue focusing on Temur or Jeskai, black supporting mid-range strategies, red prioritizing Boros or Mardu, and green excelling in soup or beatdown. They conclude with advice for the Arena Open, encouraging flexibility in tough pods.
