In Finland we used to call Tarmogoyf centric decks ”Tarmon valinta” (meaning Tarmo’s pick/choice) based on an old Finnish food market franchise with the same name. The idea being, like a shopkeeper retails a bunch of stuff just to grow the business, you’d slap a bunch of cards in to play just to grow the goyf.
Fuck me, I was not ready for a MtG video to make me this upset. I never cast Goyf, but played against it countless times with Twin, Scapeshift, Humans and it's truly an icon. These times were the times I was most invested in playing, watching pro tournaments etc... To think that is all gone and changed now is just so sad.
I played against a deck in commander the other day that made TOKEN versions of Tarmogoyf, and none of the other players (all newer to the game) understood why I was so shook that a deck pumping out tokens of Tarmogoyf each turn was a big deal. To me it was THE creature, so insanely good for the mana cost. Now it's not even noticed.
@@noneofyourbusiness4133 it would, but then you can get the opposite trick, where a newer playsr may try to kill a 3 toughness Goyf that *doesn't* have an instant feeding it, a more experienced player may not realise that the Goyf *does* have an instant already feeding it as they're used to the idea that a 3 toughness Goyf is safe
A few fun facts: Fun facts: - My first ever GP was Montreal TS block constructed where Tarmogoyf got its first result. - Your footage of PT Philadelphia (first Modern PT) shows me when I was 19 (grey shirt, white collar no beard). - The pro tour you reference as PT eldrazi is where I made my first PT Top 8. The plot thickens.
super cool to see you in the comments you made the right choice. Sad that the cards played with are more valuable than the prizes played for, but I think you chose right!
I love how you kinda turned it over and examined it hastily as yet saying "is this real"? 😂😂 The magic gods put that p1p1 fate in your hands and for auctioning it off and making a donation, that made it one of the coolest and sincerest moments in the history of the game we all love!
As someone that has been in Magic during this entire timeline, thank you so much for a walk down memory lane. I actually remember getting my first Tarmogoyf shortly after the set was released for giving a guy a ride home after FNM. It was even on my way.
When you first put in clips of people saying, "wait how big is the Goyf", I felt like it unlocked a core memory for me saying that exact line and carefully counting all the graveyards
It never really clicked for me to compare Tarmogoyf and Lightning Bolt. But they both fit nicely into that slot of "elegant simplicity" where they are clearly the strongest at what they do, but what they do is so baseline to the game it's hard to be mad at it for being good at it.
Tarmogoyf and Lightning Bolt also have an infamous rules interaction that is quite interesting. If a Lightning Bolt targets a 2/3 Tarmogoyf when there are no instants in any graveyard, the Tarmogoyf takes 3 damage and does not die.
I wasn't playing in that era of Magic. 40 Minutes ago i didn't even know what Tarmogoyf is or what it means. But this video made me nostalgic somehow xD
I usually learn about magic's history throughout these episodes, but Tarmagoyf's been relevant for so long that I've actually experienced about half of it. It's a strange feeling to say the least.
started playing with the release of theros, stopped playing right about the release of ixalan. crazy to see my entire timeline with the game detailed in this video in the context of one creature
Personally, these are your best videos. A single card explored through its history, mechanics, and the impact it had on the people who intersected with it.
@@leebard9335 My favourite video he has made is Black Lotus by far, but that Rancor one and its exploration of magic as short narrative is definitely a highlight.
@@furonet138 No yeah, I am sure, he gets a tons of views and likes on them as well. I just find them a bit too open a scope while these are far more focused on a subject which you could still literally write a book about. Plus, I do love a good story to go with it.
I think one of the most interesting things about tarmogoyf is that it could legitimately be printed into a standard set without worry about warping standard around it (given just how good creatures on average are nowadays). Like, sure, it would likely end up seeing play if they did that, but unless the enablers of goyf were completely free, chances are most decks would just have better things to do. Goyf largely scales with a format, almost always "one of the best 2 drop creatures" but rarely more than just an efficient beatstick.
It was put on Arena by the most recent Historic Anthology and tbh I don't really follow the new "pro scene" they try to build around Arena so I dunno if the goyf has seen any success in Historic, but if it did, it would be the closest we would get to it being put into Standard, at least for now.
True, its not like the Fetchlands, which I honestly agree are far too strong and format warping to print into standard - lets not forget that KTK standard degenerated into "4 colour goodstuff" when Failure of Zendikar launched, after already being one of the most expensive standards ever.
@@EmperorPylades ehh, that format degenerated into 4 and 5 color soup decks because there were fetchable duals to get, even ones that must enter tapped. If fetches can only grab basics, they're honestly pretty bad mana fixers. If you can't grab duals and aren't taking advantage of landfall or the shuffling with something like brainstorm or sensei's top, they're fine for standard. Not great honestly lol.
My friend raves about picking up Goyf shortly after Future Sight came out in buckets because he thought it would hit like a brick in green decks. Goyf is the line where surpassing the vanilla test hits hard enough to keep seeing play. It still has such a cool mystique for me as “the” creature.
I will never forget the time that I, a lowly EDH player, opened a goyf in one of my modern masters packs and was sad to see it because I had no idea the value it had. I held on to that card for a bit and ended up selling it for a cool hundred.
I haven't played Magic long enough to have ever held a Tarmogoyf in my hand or even faced one in a game. Yet I still legit teared up at 37:18. One of your best videos to date, I am just in awe
You're not alone, it got me tearing up too. Pretty much anytime a new vid drops I'm basically guessing and waiting the whole time to find out what random or innocuous element he's going to use to bring me to tears 😂
I love cards like Goyf and Delver of Secrets, creatures that on the surface look simple and kinda boring, but become fascinating and staples of the game when you see how decks built around them work
Delver is my boy. I played some pauper games before where turn one dover, turn to Blind flip play and attach artifact, swing unturned too with a flying 5/3 backed by a counter spell I could play by returning one of my Islands. The thing about Delver of Secrets is, when you see it played against you and it's a 1/1 for one, it's hard to gauge what's going to happen to it, what sort of threat it actually represents. It could not flip for five turns in a row and you wasted your premium removal for a one one for one Mana. Some games, it flips on turn two and someone throws a curiosity style effect on it and it hits you for at least three every turn in the air and draws your opponent a card. It's just bad enough to avoid a ban, but it's just good enough to be terrifying.
@@Spark-Gold Why? I think it’s pretty well designed. It requires building your deck a certain way, and even then it requires work/luck to flip it. And even then it’s still just a vanilla creature
That's why I love Querion Dryad or Death's Shadow. It's fun to watch an opponent bolt a Death's Shadow with a fetchland in play. Dryad just look up Alan Comers Miracle Gro. It's an outdated decklist but still mean.
16:45 I remember cracking a box of Modern Masters the night it came out and getting a Goyf and a Foil Goyf on top of a bunch of other decently priced cards. Needless to say I was quite happy I had made the choice to buy a box and open it against my better judgement.
33:56 Man, you made me cry. I mourn the loss of Pro Magic everyday. I mourn the loss of rich history in favour of quick monetary gain. I mourn the loss of live coverage in favour of subpar streams from a spectatorless game client.
remember waking up after any given fnm and being able to put some wotc or scg tournament stream on while sorting out the packs you won or bought the night before? just me? I hope not.
It's so nice getting to see my boy on the big screen. As a kid I always dreamed of owning Tarmogoyfs I just loved it so much. Now as an adult I don't know what is harder to believe, that I own 4 or that they are now somewhat mediocre cards. I'd love to see a return to Goyf, maybe in pioneer one day. That being said I always smile when I cast it.
goyf in pioneer would honestly be so sick. graveyard based decks in fetchless formats are really cool and a lot more balanced--even deathrite shaman is just decent
The idea sounds neat, but I just feel it would lead to a slippery slope of pioneer turning into old modern, which isn't exactly bad, but not really what I want to see with the format.
The downfall of Goyf is literally so sad to me. I vividly remember buying the playset back in early 2018 for like 200 pounds thinking it was a great deal and felt so good about it. And now it sits in my folder and is not even good for the format anymore.
I pulled a foil Goyf from a 2015 Modern Masters set, I had no idea how good it was, but the guy at the counter said he'd trade a box of Modern Masters for it. Opened the box with some buddies for a couple small drafts. No more Tarmogoyf, but one of the best $10 I've ever spent
It's honestly a shame how normalized it is for shop owners to offer dishonest trades to newer players who don't know how valuable their cards actually are. Glad you got good memories out of it though!
What a blast from the past. This modern format was the peak of MTG imo and the better years I had with this game. I remember watching Modern streams in my old apartment and meeting with friends at the LGS for the weekly Modern tournament. I strongly relate to what you say at 34:11 and this is what ultimately drove me away from MTG.
Sam, your videos always make me feel the game so much more emotionally, but that ending was something else. That collage of so many great Modern players isn't just a snapshot; like Tarmagoyf, it's a piece Magic's history. Thank you for illustrating that.
I remember the whole "state based action" of goyf when it was in standard. Many people at my store learned the hard way to never cast nameless inversion targeting an opponent's tarmogoyf, especially while it's attacking.
I started playing just before Modern became a format. I didn't understand why Tarmogoyf was so popular, or even what it was for a long time. The more I play Magic though, the more I feel like Tarmogoyf embodies what drew me to Magic in the first place. It's a potentially big body, sure, but it has interaction with other cards and the graveyard, and that's what makes Magic great to me. That makes it more interesting than just a 4/5 for 2. Or wait, is it a 5/6?
The best MTG video I've ever seen - and on my favourite card of all time, one that is very important to me. Thank you for making this, I enjoyed every second.
I got into Magic around the height of Tarmagoyf’s popularity when I was in high school around 2015. I never thought I would feel so emotional and touched walking through memory lane about a card I never owned. Thank you for this. Keep up the phenomenal work. ❤
“How big is that tarmogoyf?” Will always ring throughout the timeless halls of magic. A legendary phrase that gets everyone counting with their fingers like school children. Good times.
This video hit me hard. I started playing magic in 2015. I remember GP vegas, Modern Masters 1, Eldrazi winter. I feel the death of professional magic and the death of modern hard. I used to love how modern rewarded having a deck you loved and piloting it with experience, sometimes even more than what the actual deck was. Makes me weep internally now
Excellent video as always. You give me the feeling of longing and nostalgia for an era of Magic that I wasn't even a part of and was probably too young to be anyway. As sad as it is to feel like I only joined the game once it had already hit its decline, videos like yours give me hope that we can recapture the magic of Magic again...
Another incredible video by Sam. There's no magic related content online that makes me feel quite the way that your videos do. Elegance is oftentimes disguised as simplicity.
I really want a promo card, or an un-set card, or something similar that reads: "at the beginning of your end step, If you own and control a creature named Stoneforge Mystic, Snapcaster Mage, Dark Confidant, Young Pyromancer, and Tarmogoyf, You win the game". Great video, as always
They way you tell stories is just absolutely astounding. They way you cast a spell on all of the long time players, new players, and people who don't even play this game. Whether it be nostalgia of the love, fear, or perhaps both, for this card can be felt here. I too dream of days of the king. I have 4 foil's sitting in my binder just waiting for the day. What doesn't grow, dies right? Same can be said for us as people. I hope that we all keep growing like Tarmogoyf. I hope that we all never stop playing this game, smiling as we cast our favorite spells, and laugh with friends as we steal wins out of nowhere. What is Magic if not for the gathering? Each one of your videos remind us of that. And this one is no exception. Long live the King. ♥
Great video as always! Learning that Tarmogoyf made it to big events alongside Siege Rhino is like finding out that Samurai in history were still around when guns were being used.
I don't know what it is, if it's the delivery, the editing, the clips you choose, or just the memories your videos invoke, but every single video just gives me the chills. Keep it up.
I'm glad you talked about the Pascal Maynard story. Nikachu featured once in his videos already, but it's such an iconic moment that it had to be told.
Ithink the best thing about goyf is that.... it hasnt actually been printed. Its printed in future sight as a future sight print (a preprint, if you will) and a bunch of printings in reprint sets. I mean I know technically future sight printing is a printing, but theme-vise, it hasnt been printed yet. Just reprints of a preprint
I gave up magic in 2018 when me and my play group dispersed, and coming back to see all the classic modern staples truly die takes my breath away. I never would have though I’d see the spinach monster himself truly die But seeing all my old decks in tapped out become suddenly cheap definitely made me splurge on some decks I had been meaning to make for a long time lol
Thanks Sam!! I got into Magic much more seriously with Future Sight and was one of those crazy drafters at GP Vegas 2015. I have only been speechless when opening a pack foil twice in my life and both times were Goyfs. This brought back those beautiful memories. I needed this. Thank you!!
I come back to this video now after looking through my old binders and finding my playsets of Goyf, Thoughtsieze,and other modern staples...it brings a smile to my face and a bit of sadness to my soul thinking about how magic Magic was 10 years ago
First Ravnica to Ravnica was the golden age of magic. Im happy to have experienced that age and wish it was always as good as that... The game has gone down so much since then.
I had already drifted away from mtg when future sight dropped but I still remember the mad frenzy of people try to get goyf and how dominant a card it was. It'll remain one of my iconic era defining cards.
Fantastic video as always! Just got to the ending sponser and I’m super happy they’re printing more foglio prints and accessories. The two of them are treasures :-) I hope they print more shahrazad playmats, I missed out on the last batch of them
I never once casted a Tarmogofy in my life but damn do I miss him. It’s wild what Modern/MtG have become and has led me to not play as much anymore. I find it so strange now we live in a world where Liliana of the Veil isn’t good enough for Modern anymore.
I've rarely cast the king myself also but have VERY fond memories of casting Threads of Disloyalty in 2012 Modern :D It was a simpler time and why I'm such a big proponent nowadays for Pauper and 7 point Highlander; they have that honest feel and those unique moments of interaction that I find modern Modern is missing.
I didn't with real cards, but I did plenty of times in some of the PC games. Which had much more limited deck-building but since they had online play you could at least play against real opponents. Also of course proxies down the pub.
Videos like these really capture the nostalgia I feel for the time period in which I heavily played Magic. The game just doesn't feel the same anymore. 😢
When Future Sight came out, my testing team cracked the Dredge deck right away. Keep in mind, dredge was legal in STANDARD here - this was the first time anybody was seeing Narcomoeba and Bridge from Below here. Anyway, we were trying to figure out how to beat targeted graveyard hard. And that's when someone suggested... What about Tarmogoyf? I tried 4 copies in my sideboard - "Wow, this is such a good beater!" I ended up trading various random cards for a grand total of 16 copies of Tarmogoyf - I'd get them as throw-ins. I figured my future sideboards might need them. Over the years, I've traded some away. A couple friends still have some of mine. A few were even swiped, cards I lent someone and never returned. But I still keep my playset of four Future Sight, slightly chipped at the corners from play Tarmogoyfs. It's a card synonymous with competitive Magic to me. Thank you for making a video about it. Excellent stuff.
Hey can anyone from wotc explain the justification of selling proxies for $999? Would greatly appreciate a better reason than hasbro wants more money and they told wotc to go whale hunting with middle fingers raised high
This all happened around the height of my love of MTG. I followed all these tournaments and knew all the players. You've hit me right in the nostalgia feels and I thank you whole heartedly!
Your ability to communicate the feeling of nostalgia and the sense of the past is truly amazing, I started magic in the tarkir block, and by the time I reached out from my small group of highschool friends and no format, table magic modern was already a sea of hyper tuned cheap cmc decks whose average game turn count kept going down. I never experienced the time of the goyf, but I still felt like I was watching someone talk about the first time I zerod a life total with a burn spell. The first a deck clicked.
Sam, this whole video was amazing, but what you did in the last 6 minutes is just incresible. A commentary on the state of the game how it have changed for, what we consider, the worst and the beatiful simplenest of Goyf, the king. Thank you!
It really is a damn shame what's happened to Modern as a format and competitive Magic as a whole. Between MH2, the end of general support for the competitive game, and Pioneer, WotC has really kneecapped what used to be an iconic format. Legacy's even deader in the water. I have hope that Modern can rise from the ashes, but with the general direction of the game I fear that's not possible.
Episodes about capital C Cards, are the best ones. I built a Jund deck recently with the goyf for the first time and it’s exactly the feelings that this video describes. It IS fair magic. It IS a fun card period. Playing tarmogoyf on turn two is that same indescribable feeling as assembling urzatron for the first time, or casting jace the mindsculptor. It’s special :)
This was quite a ride to watch. I am feeling a lot of emotions, and also wondering if my days of Magic are fading into obscurity as well. I still have my OG 4 goyfs I acquired to play TarmoRack in Standard back in 2007. Those 4 pieces of cardstock have played so many games. Thank you for your deft touch. I am almost tearing up.
a short while back i became jaded again, convinced TH-cam must be the sole factor ruining my life. per usual, i panicked, pruning subscriptions until arriving at 30. you were one of the channels i kept, exactly for a point you made clear at the end of this video: you are the Tarmogoyf, the Lightning Bolt, the two-blue Counterspell of capturing the essence that makes Magic Magic with elegance and alacrity and tact. it's video like yours that make me grateful the platform exists. the diligent mastery with which you act as a historian for this community, documenting our stories and kings, is witnessed, definite, and prized.
Your essays are my favorite to listen to. Your word work is consistently elegant and evocative. Congratulations, I hope I can write with clarity like this one day.
Here again with modern horizons 3 looming. The king is a token, and for the first time in my life, I actually don't want a new magic set to exist at all. To me, Goyf is gone, and that's a tragedy.
It was so silly that people turned the draft pick into a matter of “ethics.” He paid his entry fee. As long as he’s not cheating he can do whatever he wants in that seat. For whatever reason he wants.
watching these videos always give me a rush of nostalgia and happiness and then by the end a growing feeling of sadness and remorse because i know the game i fell in love with is not the same and will never be the same again. Long live the King, Tarmogoyf. 👑
In Finland we used to call Tarmogoyf centric decks ”Tarmon valinta” (meaning Tarmo’s pick/choice) based on an old Finnish food market franchise with the same name. The idea being, like a shopkeeper retails a bunch of stuff just to grow the business, you’d slap a bunch of cards in to play just to grow the goyf.
Ahh I remember this, man that brings back memories!
That's some pretty cool trivia. I bet some of my friends would love to hear that story.
I'm so happy you made this comment. love the enormous amount of cultures on this planet. There's just new information literally everywhere.
I love this
I love this concept
Fuck me, I was not ready for a MtG video to make me this upset. I never cast Goyf, but played against it countless times with Twin, Scapeshift, Humans and it's truly an icon.
These times were the times I was most invested in playing, watching pro tournaments etc... To think that is all gone and changed now is just so sad.
I played against a deck in commander the other day that made TOKEN versions of Tarmogoyf, and none of the other players (all newer to the game) understood why I was so shook that a deck pumping out tokens of Tarmogoyf each turn was a big deal. To me it was THE creature, so insanely good for the mana cost. Now it's not even noticed.
I will always adore the whole "3 Toughness Goyf dosen't die to Bolt" thing
Wouldn’t it die if it already has an instant in the graveyard?
Yeah, but you may not realize when you cast it.
@@noneofyourbusiness4133 it would, but then you can get the opposite trick, where a newer playsr may try to kill a 3 toughness Goyf that *doesn't* have an instant feeding it, a more experienced player may not realise that the Goyf *does* have an instant already feeding it as they're used to the idea that a 3 toughness Goyf is safe
@@Tryex818 I
T3 Goyf not dying to Bolt is, imo, one of the best teaching tools that MtG's ever had when it comes to how the stack actually works.
A few fun facts:
Fun facts:
- My first ever GP was Montreal TS block constructed where Tarmogoyf got its first result.
- Your footage of PT Philadelphia (first Modern PT) shows me when I was 19 (grey shirt, white collar no beard).
- The pro tour you reference as PT eldrazi is where I made my first PT Top 8.
The plot thickens.
Thickens it did, but you're always gonna be an icon, Pascal.
super cool to see you in the comments
you made the right choice. Sad that the cards played with are more valuable than the prizes played for, but I think you chose right!
id have kept the goyf too my man
I love how you kinda turned it over and examined it hastily as yet saying "is this real"? 😂😂 The magic gods put that p1p1 fate in your hands and for auctioning it off and making a donation, that made it one of the coolest and sincerest moments in the history of the game we all love!
I would have taken the Goyf. Everyone, even your holier-than-thou detractors, would've done the same.
As someone that has been in Magic during this entire timeline, thank you so much for a walk down memory lane. I actually remember getting my first Tarmogoyf shortly after the set was released for giving a guy a ride home after FNM. It was even on my way.
When you first put in clips of people saying, "wait how big is the Goyf", I felt like it unlocked a core memory for me saying that exact line and carefully counting all the graveyards
It never really clicked for me to compare Tarmogoyf and Lightning Bolt. But they both fit nicely into that slot of "elegant simplicity" where they are clearly the strongest at what they do, but what they do is so baseline to the game it's hard to be mad at it for being good at it.
It reminds me of the phrase “it just works”
Tarmogoyf and Lightning Bolt also have an infamous rules interaction that is quite interesting.
If a Lightning Bolt targets a 2/3 Tarmogoyf when there are no instants in any graveyard, the Tarmogoyf takes 3 damage and does not die.
This made me nostalgic for an era I hadn’t yet accepted was over. Long live tarmogoyf.
Same as me :*)
Hahaha well put
I wasn't playing in that era of Magic.
40 Minutes ago i didn't even know what Tarmogoyf is or what it means.
But this video made me nostalgic somehow xD
@@dsargus3 tarmygofy is a trash eating Enthusiast it eats the garbage and Gets More Biggar (lol)
I usually learn about magic's history throughout these episodes, but Tarmagoyf's been relevant for so long that I've actually experienced about half of it. It's a strange feeling to say the least.
The weirdest part for me was realizing that Modern's debut was only 4 years after Tarmogoyf was made. It feels like twice that to me.
Checkout Nizzahon Magic for histories of decks and ban list.
Yeah, there's some I've learned but it didn't take long for me to start being like "oh yeah I remember that". Maybe we're just old 🙃
lol me too, its fun being able to look back on my own history with the game now
started playing with the release of theros, stopped playing right about the release of ixalan. crazy to see my entire timeline with the game detailed in this video in the context of one creature
Personally, these are your best videos. A single card explored through its history, mechanics, and the impact it had on the people who intersected with it.
Yeah, I adore the One with Nothing and Rancor videos.
I personally prefer his videos analyzing planes and lore, but these are compelling too
@@leebard9335
My favourite video he has made is Black Lotus by far, but that Rancor one and its exploration of magic as short narrative is definitely a highlight.
@@furonet138
No yeah, I am sure, he gets a tons of views and likes on them as well. I just find them a bit too open a scope while these are far more focused on a subject which you could still literally write a book about.
Plus, I do love a good story to go with it.
@@Netro1992 my fav are Red deck wins, 1995 and Gonti. Gonti video about our personal stories made with beloved cards is inspiring
LONG LIVE THE KING 👑
Fun to see you here! Still loving Starship Velociraptor!
The king is dead
THIS… IS… SPARTA.
You play magic?
@@alejandrorivas4585 check out his new capenna songs!
I think one of the most interesting things about tarmogoyf is that it could legitimately be printed into a standard set without worry about warping standard around it (given just how good creatures on average are nowadays). Like, sure, it would likely end up seeing play if they did that, but unless the enablers of goyf were completely free, chances are most decks would just have better things to do. Goyf largely scales with a format, almost always "one of the best 2 drop creatures" but rarely more than just an efficient beatstick.
It was put on Arena by the most recent Historic Anthology and tbh I don't really follow the new "pro scene" they try to build around Arena so I dunno if the goyf has seen any success in Historic, but if it did, it would be the closest we would get to it being put into Standard, at least for now.
@@sallomon2357 It's had success, but it's not an all star. Just good.
@@tonysmith9905 yup, exactly this
True, its not like the Fetchlands, which I honestly agree are far too strong and format warping to print into standard - lets not forget that KTK standard degenerated into "4 colour goodstuff" when Failure of Zendikar launched, after already being one of the most expensive standards ever.
@@EmperorPylades ehh, that format degenerated into 4 and 5 color soup decks because there were fetchable duals to get, even ones that must enter tapped. If fetches can only grab basics, they're honestly pretty bad mana fixers. If you can't grab duals and aren't taking advantage of landfall or the shuffling with something like brainstorm or sensei's top, they're fine for standard. Not great honestly lol.
You really captured the feel of what it was like to be playing magic in the shadow of Tarmogoyf
"It's Goyfin' Time."
Then it proceeded to Goyf all over the metagame.
I Goyf my family
ONE GOYFBILLION BOX OFFICE
I always loved Tarmogoyf’s classic catch phrase “It’s Goyfin’ Time.”
😓 this meme needs to die
Certainly one of the creatures of all time. 🙏🏼
My friend raves about picking up Goyf shortly after Future Sight came out in buckets because he thought it would hit like a brick in green decks. Goyf is the line where surpassing the vanilla test hits hard enough to keep seeing play. It still has such a cool mystique for me as “the” creature.
With a deck built around self mill and multitype cards I have seen 8/9 goyfs on turn 3 regularly.
The fact it's an original-to-magic creature concept just seals it as iconic for me
I will never forget the time that I, a lowly EDH player, opened a goyf in one of my modern masters packs and was sad to see it because I had no idea the value it had. I held on to that card for a bit and ended up selling it for a cool hundred.
I haven't played Magic long enough to have ever held a Tarmogoyf in my hand or even faced one in a game. Yet I still legit teared up at 37:18. One of your best videos to date, I am just in awe
Its not good anymore
You're not alone, it got me tearing up too.
Pretty much anytime a new vid drops I'm basically guessing and waiting the whole time to find out what random or innocuous element he's going to use to bring me to tears 😂
I love cards like Goyf and Delver of Secrets, creatures that on the surface look simple and kinda boring, but become fascinating and staples of the game when you see how decks built around them work
Delver is my boy. I played some pauper games before where turn one dover, turn to Blind flip play and attach artifact, swing unturned too with a flying 5/3 backed by a counter spell I could play by returning one of my Islands.
The thing about Delver of Secrets is, when you see it played against you and it's a 1/1 for one, it's hard to gauge what's going to happen to it, what sort of threat it actually represents. It could not flip for five turns in a row and you wasted your premium removal for a one one for one Mana. Some games, it flips on turn two and someone throws a curiosity style effect on it and it hits you for at least three every turn in the air and draws your opponent a card. It's just bad enough to avoid a ban, but it's just good enough to be terrifying.
I love Goyf but not Delver of Secrets
@@Spark-Gold Why? I think it’s pretty well designed. It requires building your deck a certain way, and even then it requires work/luck to flip it. And even then it’s still just a vanilla creature
That's why I love Querion Dryad or Death's Shadow. It's fun to watch an opponent bolt a Death's Shadow with a fetchland in play. Dryad just look up Alan Comers Miracle Gro. It's an outdated decklist but still mean.
These are always top tier videos; thanks for the work you put in.
ayee didnt expect to see you here!
16:45 I remember cracking a box of Modern Masters the night it came out and getting a Goyf and a Foil Goyf on top of a bunch of other decently priced cards. Needless to say I was quite happy I had made the choice to buy a box and open it against my better judgement.
33:56 Man, you made me cry. I mourn the loss of Pro Magic everyday. I mourn the loss of rich history in favour of quick monetary gain. I mourn the loss of live coverage in favour of subpar streams from a spectatorless game client.
I haven't been following the tournament world for a while. What happened to pro magic? And what's the state of things now?
remember waking up after any given fnm and being able to put some wotc or scg tournament stream on while sorting out the packs you won or bought the night before? just me? I hope not.
@@spinakker14 There is no tournament world anymore, that's the state of things now
@@LN_997 what? Then where could I compete then? Are there still fnm-s? Online tournaments?
@@spinakker14 Of course there's still organised play. My mistake I thought you were solely talking about pro magic
It's so nice getting to see my boy on the big screen. As a kid I always dreamed of owning Tarmogoyfs I just loved it so much. Now as an adult I don't know what is harder to believe, that I own 4 or that they are now somewhat mediocre cards. I'd love to see a return to Goyf, maybe in pioneer one day. That being said I always smile when I cast it.
goyf in pioneer would honestly be so sick. graveyard based decks in fetchless formats are really cool and a lot more balanced--even deathrite shaman is just decent
The idea sounds neat, but I just feel it would lead to a slippery slope of pioneer turning into old modern, which isn't exactly bad, but not really what I want to see with the format.
no fetches makes goyf worse in pioneer too
The consensus in my LGS is that as soon as there is a "Pioneer Horizons" set Tarmogoyf is gonna be the first card included in the set
The downfall of Goyf is literally so sad to me. I vividly remember buying the playset back in early 2018 for like 200 pounds thinking it was a great deal and felt so good about it. And now it sits in my folder and is not even good for the format anymore.
I pulled a foil Goyf from a 2015 Modern Masters set, I had no idea how good it was, but the guy at the counter said he'd trade a box of Modern Masters for it.
Opened the box with some buddies for a couple small drafts.
No more Tarmogoyf, but one of the best $10 I've ever spent
It's honestly a shame how normalized it is for shop owners to offer dishonest trades to newer players who don't know how valuable their cards actually are. Glad you got good memories out of it though!
What a blast from the past. This modern format was the peak of MTG imo and the better years I had with this game. I remember watching Modern streams in my old apartment and meeting with friends at the LGS for the weekly Modern tournament. I strongly relate to what you say at 34:11 and this is what ultimately drove me away from MTG.
Sam, your videos always make me feel the game so much more emotionally, but that ending was something else. That collage of so many great Modern players isn't just a snapshot; like Tarmagoyf, it's a piece Magic's history. Thank you for illustrating that.
I remember the whole "state based action" of goyf when it was in standard. Many people at my store learned the hard way to never cast nameless inversion targeting an opponent's tarmogoyf, especially while it's attacking.
Love this video! Seeing the old Pro Tour coverage makes me miss how professional Magic used to feel.
I started playing just before Modern became a format. I didn't understand why Tarmogoyf was so popular, or even what it was for a long time. The more I play Magic though, the more I feel like Tarmogoyf embodies what drew me to Magic in the first place. It's a potentially big body, sure, but it has interaction with other cards and the graveyard, and that's what makes Magic great to me. That makes it more interesting than just a 4/5 for 2. Or wait, is it a 5/6?
Love your videos! Between Siege Rhino and Tarmogoyf now, you've covered 2/3 of my favorite creatures, all that's left is Kitchen FInks.
Abzan, Selesnya and Mono green? I sense a pattern here.
Pod my finks in to avalanche riders
@@Arbitation Pod my Finks into Siege Rhino was the play pattern at the time Pod ate a ban in Modern. That was _also_ a Tarmogoyf deck.
The best MTG video I've ever seen - and on my favourite card of all time, one that is very important to me. Thank you for making this, I enjoyed every second.
thank you so much. i'm glad you enjoyed the video.
I got into Magic around the height of Tarmagoyf’s popularity when I was in high school around 2015. I never thought I would feel so emotional and touched walking through memory lane about a card I never owned. Thank you for this. Keep up the phenomenal work. ❤
“How big is that tarmogoyf?” Will always ring throughout the timeless halls of magic. A legendary phrase that gets everyone counting with their fingers like school children.
Good times.
I’ve never felt emotional over someone reading card types, how do you do it Sam, great work
This video hit me hard. I started playing magic in 2015. I remember GP vegas, Modern Masters 1, Eldrazi winter. I feel the death of professional magic and the death of modern hard. I used to love how modern rewarded having a deck you loved and piloting it with experience, sometimes even more than what the actual deck was. Makes me weep internally now
Excellent video as always. You give me the feeling of longing and nostalgia for an era of Magic that I wasn't even a part of and was probably too young to be anyway. As sad as it is to feel like I only joined the game once it had already hit its decline, videos like yours give me hope that we can recapture the magic of Magic again...
On top of everything his smile is precious.
Awesome video man, you killed it. A honorary video well fitting of The King's legacy.
Another incredible video by Sam. There's no magic related content online that makes me feel quite the way that your videos do. Elegance is oftentimes disguised as simplicity.
I really want a promo card, or an un-set card, or something similar that reads: "at the beginning of your end step, If you own and control a creature named Stoneforge Mystic, Snapcaster Mage, Dark Confidant, Young Pyromancer, and Tarmogoyf, You win the game". Great video, as always
WUBRG enchantment called "Modernism."
@@drpibisback7680 you *get it*
They way you tell stories is just absolutely astounding. They way you cast a spell on all of the long time players, new players, and people who don't even play this game. Whether it be nostalgia of the love, fear, or perhaps both, for this card can be felt here. I too dream of days of the king. I have 4 foil's sitting in my binder just waiting for the day.
What doesn't grow, dies right? Same can be said for us as people. I hope that we all keep growing like Tarmogoyf. I hope that we all never stop playing this game, smiling as we cast our favorite spells, and laugh with friends as we steal wins out of nowhere. What is Magic if not for the gathering? Each one of your videos remind us of that. And this one is no exception.
Long live the King. ♥
Dude I love your "deep dives on one card" videos, the story you tell is always so fantastic. S+ sir.
Great video as always!
Learning that Tarmogoyf made it to big events alongside Siege Rhino is like finding out that Samurai in history were still around when guns were being used.
I feel like I'm full of something good every time I watch one of your videos
I don't know what it is, if it's the delivery, the editing, the clips you choose, or just the memories your videos invoke, but every single video just gives me the chills. Keep it up.
I'm glad you talked about the Pascal Maynard story. Nikachu featured once in his videos already, but it's such an iconic moment that it had to be told.
Great storytelling. Relaxing voice. Rewatch value is high as well. I can’t complain.
Ithink the best thing about goyf is that.... it hasnt actually been printed. Its printed in future sight as a future sight print (a preprint, if you will) and a bunch of printings in reprint sets. I mean I know technically future sight printing is a printing, but theme-vise, it hasnt been printed yet. Just reprints of a preprint
Eventually R&D has to print Tarmogoyf in a standard set or they'll have created a paradox.
I gave up magic in 2018 when me and my play group dispersed, and coming back to see all the classic modern staples truly die takes my breath away.
I never would have though I’d see the spinach monster himself truly die
But seeing all my old decks in tapped out become suddenly cheap definitely made me splurge on some decks I had been meaning to make for a long time lol
Please keep doing video like these, they are my favorite videos on youtube!
Thanks Sam!! I got into Magic much more seriously with Future Sight and was one of those crazy drafters at GP Vegas 2015. I have only been speechless when opening a pack foil twice in my life and both times were Goyfs. This brought back those beautiful memories. I needed this. Thank you!!
I love this video, even though it makes me feel completely ancient. I remember all of this and I remember how exciting time spiral was.
I come back to this video now after looking through my old binders and finding my playsets of Goyf, Thoughtsieze,and other modern staples...it brings a smile to my face and a bit of sadness to my soul thinking about how magic Magic was 10 years ago
Yeah, this is definitely the best video you’ve made so far. Props for hard work and great presentation. Solid documentary vibes.
I LOVE your editing and use of the music when introducing state-based actions.
First Ravnica to Ravnica was the golden age of magic. Im happy to have experienced that age and wish it was always as good as that...
The game has gone down so much since then.
I really love these deep dives, and deeply appreciate how it feels like a serial history of the game itself - from all angles.
I had already drifted away from mtg when future sight dropped but I still remember the mad frenzy of people try to get goyf and how dominant a card it was. It'll remain one of my iconic era defining cards.
Thank you for documenting these historical moments in magic. These videos always makes my day.
Fantastic video as always! Just got to the ending sponser and I’m super happy they’re printing more foglio prints and accessories. The two of them are treasures :-)
I hope they print more shahrazad playmats, I missed out on the last batch of them
Nice Kamille avi
Even compared to past videos, the ending of this one was a masterstroke. Beautiful. Made me feel things.
I never once casted a Tarmogofy in my life but damn do I miss him. It’s wild what Modern/MtG have become and has led me to not play as much anymore. I find it so strange now we live in a world where Liliana of the Veil isn’t good enough for Modern anymore.
I miss old modern. Twin v Jund/Abzan with affinity and burn around was such a fun time. New power crept modern sucks.
I've rarely cast the king myself also but have VERY fond memories of casting Threads of Disloyalty in 2012 Modern :D It was a simpler time and why I'm such a big proponent nowadays for Pauper and 7 point Highlander; they have that honest feel and those unique moments of interaction that I find modern Modern is missing.
I didn't with real cards, but I did plenty of times in some of the PC games. Which had much more limited deck-building but since they had online play you could at least play against real opponents. Also of course proxies down the pub.
Videos like these really capture the nostalgia I feel for the time period in which I heavily played Magic. The game just doesn't feel the same anymore. 😢
When Future Sight came out, my testing team cracked the Dredge deck right away. Keep in mind, dredge was legal in STANDARD here - this was the first time anybody was seeing Narcomoeba and Bridge from Below here. Anyway, we were trying to figure out how to beat targeted graveyard hard. And that's when someone suggested... What about Tarmogoyf?
I tried 4 copies in my sideboard - "Wow, this is such a good beater!" I ended up trading various random cards for a grand total of 16 copies of Tarmogoyf - I'd get them as throw-ins. I figured my future sideboards might need them.
Over the years, I've traded some away. A couple friends still have some of mine. A few were even swiped, cards I lent someone and never returned. But I still keep my playset of four Future Sight, slightly chipped at the corners from play Tarmogoyfs. It's a card synonymous with competitive Magic to me.
Thank you for making a video about it. Excellent stuff.
Hey can anyone from wotc explain the justification of selling proxies for $999? Would greatly appreciate a better reason than hasbro wants more money and they told wotc to go whale hunting with middle fingers raised high
Thanks for dropping some lore Gavin. Appreciate you
I met you in Vegas 2019 an you were by far the coolest most down to earth creator I met! Please keep these videos coming asap!
The ending is a mix of nostalgia and sadness. No king rules forever
This all happened around the height of my love of MTG. I followed all these tournaments and knew all the players. You've hit me right in the nostalgia feels and I thank you whole heartedly!
What a lovely homage to goyf
Beautiful work. Cedric Phillips is one of the most wholesome people in magic hope he's succeeding.
I'm glad Scavenging Ooze made an appearance; It's a cool card imo.
The end of this video game me chills. Thank you for that, Sam.
Sam, not going to lie, when you started talking about the Goyf Maynard card auction, I got really emotional. What a game and what a video
Your ability to communicate the feeling of nostalgia and the sense of the past is truly amazing, I started magic in the tarkir block, and by the time I reached out from my small group of highschool friends and no format, table magic modern was already a sea of hyper tuned cheap cmc decks whose average game turn count kept going down. I never experienced the time of the goyf, but I still felt like I was watching someone talk about the first time I zerod a life total with a burn spell. The first a deck clicked.
15:07 This guy: 🥸
Sam, this whole video was amazing, but what you did in the last 6 minutes is just incresible. A commentary on the state of the game how it have changed for, what we consider, the worst and the beatiful simplenest of Goyf, the king. Thank you!
It really is a damn shame what's happened to Modern as a format and competitive Magic as a whole. Between MH2, the end of general support for the competitive game, and Pioneer, WotC has really kneecapped what used to be an iconic format. Legacy's even deader in the water. I have hope that Modern can rise from the ashes, but with the general direction of the game I fear that's not possible.
Episodes about capital C Cards, are the best ones. I built a Jund deck recently with the goyf for the first time and it’s exactly the feelings that this video describes. It IS fair magic. It IS a fun card period. Playing tarmogoyf on turn two is that same indescribable feeling as assembling urzatron for the first time, or casting jace the mindsculptor. It’s special :)
I came into the game way... after his debut. But he is king! They should have made him into a godzilla secret lair.
Sam, you really outdone yourself in this script. Great video as always!
The best thing about Tarmogoyf is Remy's song
You are one of these very few creators, who, after I watched a new video by them, I always have the urge to re-watch an 'old' one. Cheers.
Does anybody else think it’s a crime that we can’t fight a Lhurgoyf in 5e?
12:08 love the way the losing dude reacts! such sportmanship!!
…so how big is the goyf?
This was quite a ride to watch. I am feeling a lot of emotions, and also wondering if my days of Magic are fading into obscurity as well. I still have my OG 4 goyfs I acquired to play TarmoRack in Standard back in 2007. Those 4 pieces of cardstock have played so many games. Thank you for your deft touch. I am almost tearing up.
I remember playing modern at this time, pushing my burn deck through every format shift. I know how terrifying a simple goyf on turn 2 can really be.
a short while back i became jaded again, convinced TH-cam must be the sole factor ruining my life. per usual, i panicked, pruning subscriptions until arriving at 30.
you were one of the channels i kept, exactly for a point you made clear at the end of this video: you are the Tarmogoyf, the Lightning Bolt, the two-blue Counterspell of capturing the essence that makes Magic Magic with elegance and alacrity and tact.
it's video like yours that make me grateful the platform exists. the diligent mastery with which you act as a historian for this community, documenting our stories and kings, is witnessed, definite, and prized.
I remember that first reprint of goyf, I was so damn mad it was a mythic
Your essays are my favorite to listen to. Your word work is consistently elegant and evocative. Congratulations, I hope I can write with clarity like this one day.
Here again with modern horizons 3 looming. The king is a token, and for the first time in my life, I actually don't want a new magic set to exist at all. To me, Goyf is gone, and that's a tragedy.
I watch this video at least once a week at this point. It’s incredible and one of your best videos.
It was so silly that people turned the draft pick into a matter of “ethics.” He paid his entry fee. As long as he’s not cheating he can do whatever he wants in that seat. For whatever reason he wants.
Exactly.
This has given me so much nostalgia for the glory days if Modern. Incredible video, Mr. Studies!
It’s cool to come back to this video after Modern Horizons 3 where they just printed Tarmogoyf tokens and more goyf creatures.
watching these videos always give me a rush of nostalgia and happiness and then by the end a growing feeling of sadness and remorse because i know the game i fell in love with is not the same and will never be the same again.
Long live the King, Tarmogoyf. 👑
It's wild how modern horizons has basically made tarmogoyf, one of the biggest tournament all stars of all time, bad
This video hits different with the new prices RIP to the KING
Personally I still await, with bated breath, a Goyf Lord-a Lhordgoyf, if you will
Well written as always, thanks for taking the time to polish
Love the idea of footnotes but am not a Tiktoker. Are there any plans to release it elsewhere?
as a jund/rock player pre horizons this one really hit home. Thank you man, brought back so many great memories!