
All Pioneer Articles

Top 10 Commons and Uncommons From WOE
Anthony has shifted through all the draft chaft to see just what commons could come to a pioneer deck near you

Azorius Lotus Field Deck Guide
Darthjacen breaks down one of the most popular upcoming Pioneer decks – Azorius Lotus Field

No Bans. Everything is Fine.
Wizards has decided to make no changes to Pioneer and Standard, and unban Preordain in Modern.

Tier List Companion – Aug 2nd, 2023
DarthJacen breaks down movements and changes in yesterday’s Pioneer tier list.

Izzet Gearhulk Guide
Darthjacen breaks down the side boarding plan for everyone’s favorite creative robot.

Boros Pia Deck Guide
Darren “ServoToken” shares the in-depth secrets of his Thopter Token siblings.

Tier List Companion – July 19th, 2023
Daren “Servotoken” breaks down movements and changes in yesterday’s Pioneer tier list.

Atraxa Transmogrify Deck Highlight
Rose-Emoji highlights one of the community’s MTGO 5-0 results

Tier List Companion – July 12th, 2023
Daren “Servotoken” breaks down movements and changes in yesterday’s Pioneer tier list.

Tier List Companion – July 7th, 2023
DarthJacen breaks down movements and changes in yesterday’s Pioneer tier list.

Tier List Companion – June 28th, 2023
DarthJacen breaks down movements and changes in yesterday’s Pioneer tier list.

Izzet Drakes Sideboard Guide
Darren breaks down the most popular matchups for one of the hottest upcoming Pioneer decks – Izzet Drakes

Mono White Humans Sideboard Guide
Ben “ILOVEAZORIUS” joins us to share their own personal sideboard guide after their recent succenss with Mono-White Humans

Tier List Companion – June 22nd, 2023
DarthJacen breaks down movements and changes in yesterday’s Pioneer tier list.

Rakdos Sacrifice Sideboard Guide
Darren (ServoToken) breaks down Pioneer’s oldest way to invalidate combat and count up to 20, one at a time.

Tier List Companion – June 14th, 2023
DarthJacen breaks down movements and changes in yesterday’s Pioneer tier list.

Bringing Niv to Light
Cris “Iglooboi” breaks down the Niv to Light deck he took to the Top 8 of a Pioneer NRG 10k, including sideboard choices and flex slots.

Omnath to Light Sideboard Guide
Darthjacen shares his personal Sideboard guide for everyone’s favorite multi-colored pile.

Tier List Companion – June 7th, 2023
DarthJacen breaks down movements and changes in yesterday’s Pioneer tier list.

Tier List Companion – June 1, 2023
DarthJacen breaks down movements and changes in yesterday’s Pioneer tier list.

Boros Convoke Deck Guide
IslandGoSAMe shares his personal sideboard guide for the newest deck on the block, Boros Convoke

The Strongest Additions to Pioneer from Aftermath
IslandGoSAMe joins us once again to share what Aftermath could bring to the Pioneer metagame. Decklists inside!

Tier List Companion – May 24, 2023
DarthJacen breaks down movements and changes in yesterday’s Pioneer tier list.

Tier List Companion – May 17, 2023
DarthJacen breaks down movements and changes in yesterday’s Pioneer tier list.

Tier List Companion – May 10, 2023
DarthJacen breaks down movements and changes in yesterday’s Pioneer tier list.

Tier List Companion – May 3, 2023
DarthJacen breaks down movements and changes in yesterday’s Pioneer tier list.

Golgari Elves Sideboard Guide
Answer the calling by checking out Xbox Greg’s Golgari Elves Guide.

Dimir Rogues Deck Guide
Karnage has proven that rogues is not just limited to standard’s past and now is sharing his secrets with us all.

Tier List Companion – April 26, 2023
DarthJacen breaks down movements and changes in yesterday’s Pioneer tier list.

Neoform Atraxa Deck Guide
Tedaboy breaks down his successful Neoform Atraxa build and shares his detailed sideboard guide.

Tier List Companion – April 19, 2023
DarthJacen breaks down movements and changes in yesterday’s Pioneer tier list.

Goldrush Goblins: The Case for Skirk Prospector
Jens Herzog breaks down a Pioneer Goblins deck built around Skirk Prospector that nabbed three MTGO League trophies recently.

Tier List Companion – April 12, 2023
DarthJacen breaks down the lack of movements and changes in yesterday’s Pioneer tier list.

Tier List Companion April 5th, 2023
DarthJacen breaks down the movements and reasoning behind yesterday’s Pioneer tier list.

The Spoilers March On
Christian “Sir EPIC” takes a look at the March of the Machines cards and mechanics that have been spoiled so far and how they might impact Pioneer.

Tier List Companion March 29th, 2023
DarthJacen breaks down the movements and reasoning behind yesterday’s Pioneer tier list.

Azorius Control (60 cards) Guide
Darren Magnotti shares his personally sideboard guide for the serpent-less Azorius Control

Tier List Companion March 22th, 2023
DarthJacen breaks down the movements and reasoning behind yesterday’s Pioneer tier list.

Tier List Companion March 15th, 2023
DarthJacen breaks down the movements and reasoning behind yesterday’s Pioneer tier list.

Charting a Course – Early impact of ONE
Arinceo breaks down the week of Pioneer data to provide a glimpse into the future of the format.

Pioneer Tier List Companion – March 8, 2023
DarthJacen breaks down the movements and reasoning behind yesterday’s Pioneer tier list.

Yes, Benton Madsen Was Having As Much Fun As It Looked Like He Was
Benton Madsen, who piloted Selesnya Auras to the finals of the Pioneer Pro Tour, talks with PlayingPioneer about the deck, the prep work, and the Pro Tour.

The Enigma of a Pile: A Dive Into Derrick Davis’ Pro Tour Deck
PlayingPioneer’s leading Enigmatic Incarnation expert Sir EPIC breaks down the deck that took Derrick Davis to the Pro Tour semifinals.

Reid Duke Wins the Pioneer Pro Tour
Darren highlight’s Reid Duke’s path to winning the Pioneer Pro Tour – the first Pro Tour since 2018 – on Izzet Creativity.

Reid Duke v Derrick Davis – Pro Tour Semi-Finals
Coverage of the Semi-Finals match with Reid Duke and Derrick Davis

Meet the Pro Tour Top Eight
A brief profile of each player in the 2023 Philidelphia Pro Tour Top 8. Decklists inside!

Analyzing the Pro Tour Top 8 Matchups
Ben “ILOVEAZORIUS” uses his data from the tournament to predict a potential bracket and winners from the Top 8 matchups.

Izzet Creativity: Where Did It Come From? How Does It Work?
Darren explains how Izzet Creativity went from bouncing around in the lowest tiers of the Pioneer metagame to putting two results in the Top 8 at the Pro Tour

The Impact of All Will Be One on the Pro Tour Meta
rose-emoji breaks down the (somewhat scarce) impact of All Will Be One on the Pioneer Pro Tour meta.

Pioneer Pro Tour: Day One Recap
The PlayingPioneer Team breaks down the meta data and standings from Day One of the Pioneer Pro Tour. Decklists included!

Pioneer Spice From The Pro Tour
rose-emoji shares every deck registered at the Pioneer Pro Tour that is at least spicier than black pepper.

Pro Tour Philadelphia: Pioneer Metagame
Ruckman breaks down the Pioneer metagame at the first Pro Tour since 2018.

Open Decklist Events
PVDDR joins us again for another strategy guide with this week providing insight on what changes when playing in open decklist events.

Brews from the Crew: Winning ONE Brews from our Community
The first edition of Brews from the Crew, where we share demonstrably successful brews from the PlayingMTG team and Patreon community!

Charting a Course: Bro Season Wrap up
Arinceo breaks down the week of Pioneer data to provide a glimpse into the future of the format.

Mindsplice Apparatus: Meet the New Wilderness Reclamation
Tandy is back again, with some devout appreciation to what could be the next big mana cheater: Mindsplice Apparatus!

Golgari Elves Deck Guide: Tyvar’s First Home
Xbox Greg, winner of this weekend’s Pioneer Challenge, breaks down Golgari Elves and shares his sideboard guide and three lists including Tyvar, Jubilent Brawler.

Sultai Toxic ONE Preview Deck
DarthJacen breaks down his favorite cards from the new set in a new brew!

Pioneer Deck Difficulty Ratings
PVDDR covers some things that he and the team have learned in testing for the Pro Tour in terms of deck difficulty.

Jeskai Ascending: The Best Combo Deck that You aren’t Playing
Darren is back with what he feels is the best deck that people aren’t playing right now, a new Jeskai Ascendancy Combo with a turn 2 kill.

The Mother of All Bugs: Skrelv, Defector Mite is Pioneer’s New Mom
SCG Champion Vinny Vitanza covers what he thinks is one of the best new cards for Pioneer from ONE, Skrelv, Defector Mite.

Charting a Course – January 26th
Arinceo breaks down the week of Pioneer data to provide a glimpse into the future of the format.

The Best Phyrexia: All Will Be One Planeswalkers
DarthJacen ranks the plethora of new planeswalkers in All Will Be One, with a focus on Pioneer and Explorer.

Bant Humans Deck Guide
Darthjacen covers one of his favorite decks and all of its many tools. Company bolsters Thalia and Reflector Mage in Bant Humans!

Why your Brew Sucks
In this new series, DarthJacen goes over some tips and tricks on things that your brew may be missing to take it to the next level.

Situational Awareness: How to Play Around Things
PVDDR takes us through some next-level mindset needed to succeed at the top levels, in how and when to play around the cards you’re afraid of.

Izzet Drakes Deck Guide
DarthJacen covers the best Phoenix-Alternative, the graveyard resilient Izzet Drakes!

Keep or Mull: January 2023
Brush up on your Pioneer mulligan game with IslandGoSAMe!

Play Dumb Decks, Win Dumb Prizes: Gruul Grinning Ignus
Ricky takes us through one of the wilder decks in the format, with Grinning Ignus, a combo aggro deck that is sure to turn heads.

Azorius Control Deck Guide
DarthJacen breaks down the more recent 80-card version of Azorius Control, which is better tuned to counter the current meta than its 60-card counterpart.

The Allied Fastlands and Their Impact on Pioneer (and Explorer)
PVDDR breaks down Pioneer and Explorer decks that would be significantly improved by the printing of the Allied Fast Lands in the new set.

Magic: but Cheaper – Dalakolossus
Darren covers a hot new community brew featuring some of the least appreciated standard allstars of all time.

Charting a Course – A Year with No Data
Arinceo breaks down the week of Pioneer data to provide a glimpse into the future of the format.

Mono-White Humans: Pioneer’s Premier Aggro Deck
PVDDR breaks down Mono-White Humans – Pioneer’s premier aggro deck – and shares his sideboard guide.

Rakdos Midrange: Piloting The Best Deck In Pioneer
Todd Anderson takes us through the ins and outs of Pioneer’s current reigning champ, Rakdos Midrange.

Selesnya Auras Deck Guide
DarthJacen covers Pioneer’s best way to build your own threat.

So… You Wanna Beat Rakdos?
SCG Champ Vinny V takes us through some of the best ways to tackle our Rakdos problem in Pioneer right now!

Pioneer Drip From Dominaria Remastered
rose-emoji ranks the Pioneer-playable alternate art cards set to release with Dominaria Remastered on January 13.

Charting a Course: 6 ways to start playing Pioneer in 2023
Arinceo goes into all the ways we can play our favorite card game

Magic, but Cheaper: Angels
ServoToken breaks down Pioneer’s premier life gain deck that raises your life total without raising the price.

Sideboarding in Pioneer
PVDDR joins us again, but this time to go over the ins and outs of Sideboarding in Pioneer

Returning to Paper Play
PVDDR comes to us to share the tricks and tips to returning to paper magic

Brewing 101: Building Around a Specific Card
Alex Covers the basics of brewing with today’s focus on brewing for a single card

Metagame Breakdown December 21st, 2022
Join Darthjacen for a breakdown of this week’s top Pioneer decks and the meta shifts that were seen in recent events

Charting a Course – December 15th, 2022
Arinceo breaks down the week of Pioneer data to provide a glimpse into the future of the format.

PVDDR On Pioneer
In PVDDR’s debut article for PlayingPioneer, he goes over some competitive tips, Pioneer’s top decks and shares his pick for the best deck in the format right now.

Keep or Mull? December 2022
Brush up on your Pioneer mulligan game with IslandGoSAMe!

Metagame Breakdown December 14th, 2022
Join Darthjacen for a breakdown of this week’s top Pioneer decks and the meta shifts that were seen in recent events

Lotus Field Deck Guide
DarthJacen breaks down Pioneer’s longest-standing combo menace in Lotus Field/Hidden Strings Combo.

Old Decks, New Tech: Rally the Ancestors
Iglooboi explores some decks from standards’ past to see how they might stack up in todays Pioneer Meta game.

Metagame Breakdown December 7th, 2022
Join Darthjacen for a breakdown of this week’s top Pioneer decks and the meta shifts that were seen in recent events

Magic but Cheaper: BW Reanimate
ServoToken breaks down a new graveyard brew in this month’s Budget article!

Rakdos Midrange Deck Guide
DarthJacen breaks down Pioneer’s premier midrange deck, which has answers for every permanent and threats to boot. Sideboard guide inside!

LATP! An exploration of: Hardened Scales
Bradcifer explorers what could be possible with Hardened Scales – a seemingly forgotten Pioneer archetype.

Selesnya Angels Deck Guide
Darthjacen takes a look at Pioneer’s premier life-gain deck and learns just how easy it is to get to 27 life

Explosive Impacts: The Best Cards From M14 And Theros Block
Briger joins us this week for his series, Explosive Impacts ,and shares the top cards from each set in M14 and Theros Block

Deck Tech: Selesnya Auras
Michael Letsch shares his Dreamhack Atlanta Regional Championship Top 8 deck and goes over his playtesting and decision-making.

Charting a Course – DMU Season Wrap and First Regional Championships
Arinceo breaks down this weekend’s first regional championships to provide a glimpse into the future of the format

Metagame Breakdown November 23rd, 2022
Join Darthjacen for a breakdown of this week’s top Pioneer decks and the meta shifts that were seen in recent huge paper events

Atlanta in Review: an On-Site Weekend Recap
Darren covers the weekend’s festivities at RC Atlanta!