Analyzing your sideboard choices for your Pioneer MTG deck is essential for improving your deck’s consistency across different matchups. A well-constructed sideboard helps you shore up weaknesses, improve strong matchups, and adapt to shifting Magic: the Gathering metagame. While the Pioneer decks are not that variant like that of Modern, it is still important to take note of the ratio of top-tier decks you might face.   

Here are key ways to analyze and refine your sideboard for the Pioneer format:

1. Understanding Your Meta

• Local vs. Online Meta: If you play in local tournaments, scout common decks in your area. If you play on MTGO (Magic: The Gathering Online), research the tournament results and trends.
• Popular Archetypes: Use websites like MTG Goldfish and MTG Top 8 to track the most played decks in Pioneer.
• Tech Against Key Matchups: Identify decks that consistently cause trouble for your build and add specific cards to counter them.

2. Matchup-Specific Adjustments

• For Aggro Matchups: Consider board wipes (e.g., “Brotherhood’s End,” “Supreme Verdict”) or lifegain (e.g., “The Wandering Emperor”).
• Against Control: Include un-counterable threats (“Shifting Ceratops”) or hand disruption (“Duress,” “Thoughtseize”).
• Against Combo: Prioritize graveyard hate (“Unlicensed Hearse”), countermagic (“Dovin’s Veto”), or discard.
• For Midrange Mirrors: Side in cards that generate card advantage such as planeswalkers or disrupt recursion.

3. Balancing Flexible vs. Narrow Answers

• Flexible cards answer multiple threats (e.g., “Leyline of the Void” for graveyard hate vs. Rakdos Sacrifice and Greasefang).
• Narrow, powerful cards swing specific matchups (“Rest in Peace” vs. Phoenix decks).

4. Testing & Adjusting

• Playtest with a Sideboard Plan: Instead of randomly swapping in cards, map out what comes in/out in different matchups.
• Keep Track of Effectiveness: Use a spreadsheet or notes to record how each sideboard card performs.
• Consider Sideboarding In & Out: If a card consistently stays in your sideboard, reconsider its inclusion.

5. Mana Curve & Casting Costs

• Ensure sideboard cards don’t skew your mana curve too much.
• Check if your deck can support color-intensive sideboard cards (e.g., “Mystical Dispute” vs. “Disdainful Stroke”).

6. Sideboarding for Your Strategy

• Proactive decks (aggro/combo) should be sideboarded minimally to maintain synergy.
• Reactive decks (midrange/control) can afford more changes.

7. The 15th Card Rule

• If you’re unsure about the last slot, choose a card with broad utility or that covers multiple weaker matchups.

Noting these ways will be your best approach in optimizing your card choices for your sideboard in your Pioneer deck.

In the fast-evolving landscape of the Pioneer format, finding the right sideboard options can make or break a competitive Magic: The Gathering deck. One card that has been gaining attention for its effectiveness and versatility is Unlicensed Hearse. This unassuming two-mana Vehicle offers potent graveyard hate, critical in a meta filled with decks relying on graveyard interactions for their key strategies.

Beyond just exiling cards from the graveyard, Unlicensed Hearse transforms into a formidable creature, adding both offensive and defensive capabilities to its wielder’s arsenal. Let’s explore why Unlicensed Hearse stands out as an essential sideboard card, providing consistent value and adaptability across various matchups in Pioneer.

1. Effective Graveyard Hate

Unlicensed Hearse excels at disrupting graveyard strategies, which are prevalent in Pioneer. Decks like Izzet Phoenix, Rakdos Arcanist, and other graveyard-centric strategies rely heavily on their graveyard to generate value. Unlicensed Hearse can efficiently exile cards from any graveyard, hindering these decks significantly.

2. Versatility

Unlike some graveyard hate cards that only target specific types of cards (e.g., creature cards), Unlicensed Hearse can exile any two cards from a graveyard. This versatility allows it to disrupt a wider range of strategies, including decks that use non-creature spells from the graveyard.

3. Utility as a Creature

As a Vehicle, Unlicensed Hearse can become a powerful creature. With the crew cost of 2, it can easily be turned into a substantial attacker or blocker, scaling in power and toughness as it exiles more cards. This dual functionality makes it a valuable asset in both offensive and defensive scenarios.

4. Minimal Investment

Unlicensed Hearse requires a relatively low mana investment (2 mana) for its initial deployment and provides continuous value throughout the game. This low cost makes it easy to fit into various sideboard plans without significantly impacting the mana curve or overall strategy.

5. Resilience

Many graveyard hate cards are one-time use, like Tormod’s Crypt or Soul-Guide Lantern, which get sacrificed after use. In contrast, Unlicensed Hearse remains on the battlefield, providing ongoing disruption as long as it’s in play. This makes it more resilient to single-use removal and provides sustained pressure on graveyard-reliant decks.

6. Synergy with Aggressive Strategies

Unlicensed Hearse fits well into aggressive strategies that want to maintain pressure on the opponent while also having an answer to graveyard threats. It can exile problematic cards early in the game and then transition into an aggressive threat itself, complementing the game plan of aggressive decks.

7. Non-Linear Utility

While primarily graveyard hate, Unlicensed Hearse’s ability to turn into a creature means it doesn’t become a dead card in matchups where graveyard strategies aren’t as prominent. It can always be crewed and utilized as a creature, maintaining its utility across various matchups.

Conclusion

Unlicensed Hearse is an excellent sideboard card in the Pioneer format due to its effective graveyard disruption, versatility, low mana cost, resilience, and ability to fit into aggressive strategies. Its ongoing value and adaptability make it a powerful tool against a range of decks, ensuring it remains relevant and impactful throughout the game.

In the ever-evolving landscape of Magic: the Gathering Pioneer, constructing an effective sideboard for a control deck is a pivotal aspect of competitive deck-building. A well-prepared sideboard can transform a control deck from a versatile main deck configuration into a finely tuned machine capable of handling a diverse array of threats from the top-tier metagame decks.

Whether facing aggressive creature strategies, combo decks, or fellow control archetypes, the key lies in selecting the right sideboard cards to shore up weaknesses and exploit opponents’ vulnerabilities. This guide explores the top sideboard cards for a typical control deck in Pioneer, highlighting versatile options that address prevalent threats and offer strategic advantages in the intricate tapestry of the Pioneer format.

When constructing a sideboard for a typical control deck in Pioneer, it’s crucial to include cards that can address a variety of threats and strategies commonly encountered in the format.

Here are some top sideboard cards that are generally effective for control decks in Pioneer:

1. Change the Equation: A versatile counterspell that is particularly effective against blue decks and Red & Green spells with a converted mana cost of 6 or less.
2. Damping Sphere: A great option against combo decks and strategies relying heavily on non-basic lands, such as the Lotus Field combo.
3. Negate / Disdainful Stroke: Additional counterspells that help you tailor your counterspell suite based on the matchups. Negate is great for non-creature spells, while Disdainful Stroke can counter larger threats in the mid-game and late game.
4. Aether Gust: Provides temporary removal or disruption against creatures and spells, especially effective against decks with green creatures.
5. Rest in Peace: Disrupts graveyard strategies, particularly relevant against decks relying on delve creatures, recursive creatures, or graveyard-based combos.
6. Mystical Dispute: An excellent counterspell option, especially against other blue decks or decks with key blue spells.
7. Ceremonious Rejection: A counterspell specifically designed for dealing with colorless spells. Effective against Eldrazi-based strategies.
8. Dovin’s Veto: A powerful counterspell that cannot be countered itself, making it useful in control mirrors or against other decks with counterspells. This has recently been made into the maindeck of the UW Control deck builds. 
9. Declaration in Stone: Efficient removal for dealing with troublesome creatures, tokens, or threats that your main deck may struggle to handle.
10. Narset, Parter of Veils: Limits your opponent’s card draw, which is effective against decks heavily relying on drawing extra cards with cantrip spells.
11. Magma Spray / Abrade: Provides efficient removal against low-to-the-ground aggressive decks, and Abrade can also deal with artifacts, particularly Smuggler’s Copter. 

Remember that the specific cards you choose will depend on your metagame. Regularly updating your sideboard based on the evolving Pioneer metagame will help keep your control deck well-prepared for a variety of matchups.

Azorius Control deck is a popular archetype in the Pioneer format of Magic: The Gathering. As an avid player and enthusiast, I have had the opportunity to explore and analyze the key features of this deck, as well as its relevance in various matchups. In this article, I will provide an overview of the Azorius Control deck, discuss its key features, and explore the significance of sideboarding in optimizing its performance.

Introduction to Azorius Control deck

The Azorius Control deck revolves around the strategy of disruption and control, aiming to deny the opponent’s resources while maintaining card advantage. The deck primarily focuses on counterspells, instant removal, and card draw. It is known for its ability to dictate the pace of the game and overpower opponents with its strategic maneuvers.

Here below is a sample decklist of the recent build of the Azorius Control deck:

Key Features of the Azorius Control deck

The Azorius Control deck boasts several key features that contribute to its strength and viability in the Pioneer format. One of its prominent features is the ability to efficiently counter spells, allowing the player to negate the opponent’s game plan and disrupt their strategy. Additionally, the deck contains a plethora of instant removal spells, enabling it to eliminate threats from the opponent’s side of the battlefield swiftly. Card draw is another essential aspect of the Azorius Control deck, ensuring that the player has a consistent flow of resources throughout the game.

Relevance of Sideboard in Azorius Control deck

The sideboard plays a crucial role in enhancing the overall performance of the Azorius Control deck. It allows the player to adapt to different matchups and address specific threats or weaknesses that the main deck may encounter. By carefully selecting the appropriate sideboard cards, the player can effectively counter opposing strategies and strengthen their own. The versatility and flexibility of the sideboard enable the Azorius Control deck to remain competitive in an ever-changing metagame.

Key Sideboard Cards for Azorius Control

The sideboard serves as a toolbox for the Azorius Control deck, offering a variety of options to deal with specific matchups and prevalent strategies. Understanding the significance of sideboarding in enhancing the deck’s performance is crucial for any Azorius Control player.

Role of the sideboard in enhancing deck performance

The sideboard allows the player to fine-tune their deck according to the specific requirements of each matchup. It provides options to address vulnerabilities, exploit weaknesses in the opponent’s strategy, and improve the overall resilience of the deck. By adding cards that are specifically tailored to counter prevalent threats or disrupt opposing strategies, the Azorius Control player gains a strategic advantage over their opponents.

Overview of important sideboard cards

Several sideboard cards prove vital in the Azorius Control deck. Counterspells such as [[Disdainful Stroke]] and [[Dovin’s Veto]] can be instrumental in preventing key spells from the opponent. Cards like [[Aether Gust]] and [[Rest in Peace]] offer efficient answers to certain strategies prevalent in the Pioneer format, such as graveyard recursion and aggressive creature-based decks. In addition, board wipes like [[Settle the Wreckage]] and [[Supreme Verdict]] provide crucial tools to clear the opponent’s board and regain control of the game.

Discussion on situational and versatile sideboard cards

The Azorius Control sideboard should include a mix of situational and versatile cards to cater to a variety of matchups. Situational cards can target specific strategies or archetypes prevalent in the metagame, such as [[Mystical Dispute]] for countering blue-based decks or [[Declaration in Stone]] for dealing with creature-heavy strategies. On the other hand, versatile cards like [[Narset, Partner of Veils]] and [[Gideon, Ally of Zendikar]] offer multiple avenues of disruption and control, making them valuable additions to the sideboard.

Sideboard Strategy for Azorius Control

Developing an efficient sideboard strategy is crucial for success with the Azorius Control deck. Understanding the metagame and common matchups is key to making informed decisions during sideboarding.

Understanding the meta for sideboard strategy

To maximize the effectiveness of the sideboard, it is essential to have a comprehensive understanding of the metagame. By analyzing the prevalent strategies, identifying the most commonly played decks, and anticipating the potential threats, an Azorius Control player can select the most appropriate sideboard cards to counter the metagame.

Sideboard options for common matchups

There are several common matchups that Azorius Control players should be prepared for. Against aggressive decks, cards like [[Blessed Alliance]] and [[Timely Reinforcements]] can provide much-needed life gain and stall tactics. Against control matchups, cards that offer additional card advantage, such as [[Mystical Dispute]] and [[Narset, Parter of Veils]], can tilt the game in favor of the Azorius Control player. Chrome Host Seedshark boarded against another control player would help in generating board advantage for each noncreature spell cast while the attrition battle is happening. Adapting the sideboard to counter specific threats and strategies encountered in these matchups is key to achieving victory.

Tips for effective Sideboarding and Decision-making

Effective sideboarding requires careful consideration and decision-making. It is crucial to evaluate the importance of each sideboard card in the context of the matchup at hand. Prioritizing the removal of specific threats or addressing prevalent strategies can significantly impact the outcome of the game. Constant evaluation and adaptation of the sideboard based on the evolving metagame are also important factors to consider.

Constructing the Optimal Sideboard for Azorius Control

Constructing the optimal sideboard for the Azorius Control deck involves analyzing the weaknesses of the main deck and identifying areas that require reinforcement. Balancing the sideboard to address meta threats while maintaining versatility is a key aspect of optimizing performance.

Analyzing the main deck weaknesses

Identifying the main deck’s weaknesses is crucial in constructing an effective sideboard. It allows the player to focus on improving areas that the main deck may struggle with. For example, if the main deck lacks answers to graveyard recursion or consistent life gain against aggressive decks, the sideboard can be tailored to address these vulnerabilities.

Identifying main deck strengths requiring reinforcement

While addressing weaknesses is essential, it is equally important to reinforce the main deck’s strengths. If the main deck excels at countering spells or controlling the board, the sideboard can include additional cards that strengthen these aspects. By reinforcing the main deck’s strengths, the Azorius Control player can maintain consistency and capitalize on the deck’s inherent advantages.

Strategies for balancing the sideboard to address meta threats

Balancing the sideboard to address the prevailing meta threats is crucial. Keeping track of the metagame and understanding the prevalence of certain decks and strategies enables the player to allocate slots in the sideboard accordingly. By utilizing a mix of versatile and situational cards, the sideboard can effectively counter prevalent threats while remaining adaptable to different matchups.

Last week, I decided to complete our card pool’s Mono Black deck to be compatible to that of the list in the Magic: the Gathering Pioneer format. The remaining components of the Rakdos Midrange decks such as the Black manlands, and Thoughtseizes were then resleeved to the new deck and I also did some referencing from the deck builds from the recent Pioneer tourney results.

The Mono Black Midrange deck is an archetype in Magic: The Gathering that combines elements of control and aggression. The goal of the deck is to play a mix of efficient creatures and powerful removal spells to control the board and dominate the mid-game. This principle is applied not only in the Pioneer format but also for Standard which is also my deck choice.

Some key cards in a Mono-Black Midrange deck may include:

Fatal Push: An efficient one-mana removal spell that destroys creatures with converted mana cost 2 or less.

Thoughtseize: The most-efficient one-mana hand disruption spell that allows you to choose a card from an opponent’s hand and make them discard it. You would also get info on their next succedding plays and adjust your strategy accordingly.

Graveyard Tresspasser: The three-drop creature that deals with graveyard shenanigans while also be able to protect itself with Ward.

Sheoldred, the Apocalypse: Probably the best 4-drop of Black at the moment because of its static ability of punishing opponents whenever they draw a card, and gaining you life when you draw your cards.

Mono Black Midrange decks can be a strong choice in the current metagame, as they have access to powerful creatures and spells that can effectively deal with a wide range of threats. However, the specific cards and strategies used may vary based on the current metagame and personal preferences of the player.

Here below is my video discussion of the deck build and on how it went with the Friday Night Magic tournament last March 17th. 2023.

Scouring some Magic: the Gathering tournament results are one of my daily tasks as there is almost an update every day on the new events being uploaded at the MTG Top 8 website. That is one good thing about this community-initiative kind of setup everyone can provide their results from their local events, and not only do we see them from official websites.

Of course, if we try to be more focused then on the official sites like MTG Melee is our first choice but then in my personal take, I like it to be a more casual and relaxed setup. There is just opening the website and seeing the decks and their list right then and there.

One deck that I will feature for today for the Pioneer format is the Azorius or Blue-White Artifacts Aggro deck I saw that even though it is less popular than some of the current decks, it still has good potential to win games as easily and fast as possible with its variance of setup in the build.

The deck tech video can be watched below. Also, do not forget to click like and subscribe for more updates on the next Pioneer deck I will be discussing in the coming videos.

Magic: the Gathering Pioneer Deck Feature – U/W Artifacts Aggro

The Magic: the Gathering Pioneer format has become a weekly Friday Night Magic event for the Iloilo City community and the regulars were around 8 to 10 players in attendance already. It is a good thing, as this format is now recognized in some of the upcoming major Magic: the Gathering events scheduled in the country and worldwide.

It was my first time joining last Friday’s Pioneer FNM and I piloted my housemate Gedi’s Mono Red Aggro deck. I had to make some slight changes though as I have checked the local metagame and noted some possible archetype matchups. I referenced some builds with Chandra, Dressed to Kill in the main deck but upon checking Gedi’s current build, I realized that a lot of cards needed to be changed. The list still goes with Bomat Couriers and Ash Zealots which I think is not efficient anymore. Unfortunately, my teammate Ace is also playing Mono Red, and the supposed card pieces I will borrow will be used in his deck. It is then that I stick with the same creatures and cut a few slots for Chandra DTK.

I arrived at Pro Reis place past 6pm and just minutes before the start of the first round. There were about ten players in total and the prize lineup was Crimson Vow draft booster packs. We will try our luck again in pulling Sorin or Chandra from this set.

Below are my rounds matchup results:
Round 1 vs Mono Blue Spirits (Won 2-1)
Round 2 vs Mono Black Aggro (Lost 0-2)
Round 3 vs Mono-Red Aggro (Lost 1-2)
Round 4 vs UW Control (Won with concession)

I think the deck build is still decent, it is just that drawing eight lands in a row will get you nowhere. Overall, still hoping to play this archetype again next week with the preferred decklist. Congrats to the top players and the community for making Pioneer alive again.

Until the next blog post.

The Magic: the Gathering Iloilo has been in the talks as to what will be the next schedule of weekly tournaments aside from the usual Saturday Standard which has been the regular event in the past weeks. Though there are a few players already in the format, the group is still looking to check on some previous players that have cards that rotated out and the major solution here is to go to an older format such as Pioneer and Modern.

As for the info, Pioneer format covers from the Return to Ravnica set up to the current one. It also caters to a set of Banned and Restricted cards and is constantly updated to the need for a stable metagame. It is a wide range if you would consider it and a lot of archetypes exist and I think there isn’t really a dominating deck so far.

By today’s posting, a few of the previous MTG Iloilo are already agreeing to play the format and are currently completing their decks. They are also opting to buy the Pioneer Challenger decks to get more card components. Our card pool is also deciding when we will be convening to build also our Pioneer decks.

The first tournament schedule for the format will likely be held on the last Friday of the current month, and we will try to achieve at least eight players for it to push through. Stay tuned for the update

We were finally able to push it through. It happened. The first Magic: the Gathering Iloilo community Pioneer tournament was held yesterday at Pro Reis Place, Iloilo City. We scheduled it at 1:30 pm and about fourteen players arrived in battle with top tier deck archetypes in the format. It was more than the number that we tallied in our group chat were we listed around 10 ten players only that are sure to join this tournament. We only announced on the prizes to be regular Theros Beyond Death boosters and one foil promo pack.

In our card pool, we already had four ready-to-play decks thanks to my teammate Ace for taking the time to build them. He opted to play Sultai Control while Oliver piloted Dimir Inverter Combo. I wanted to take it easy since I did not playtest so I went with Mono-Red Aggro.

After four rounds of gameplay, we have the following players in the top rankings.

First, Christian – Bant Spirits
Second, Mark T – Lotus Breach
Third, Rico – Mono-Green Stompy
Fourth, Oliver – Dimir Inverter
Fifth, Ace – Sultai Control
Sixth, Mark Ian – Mono-Red Aggro

My record: 2-2. I lost the last round to the Green stompy deck with a critical misplay on Game 3. What happened is I allowed his two 4/4 creatures as I was confident of my first striker Goblin Chainwhirler combined with a burn spell. He then top-decked Ghalta and the total of power of his creatures plus his lands was exactly enough to cast it. Anyhow, I needed to take note of those soon as we already identified the current local metagame.

Overall, the event was a success and we are hoping to hold another tournament again this March just before the big event in Bacolod. Just to prepare the players going there and increase their game knowledge of the decks and metagame.

Here are some pics during the course of their games.

That is a wrap for now. Until the next blog post.

I was watching the coverage of the two Players Tour events last weekend in particular the decks being played as I try to be more familiar with the metagame. The PT Events were in Brussels and Nagoya. In the latter, there was one deck that caught my attention was the one played by Japanese Pro Ken Yukihiro. He is well known to play an unpopular deck and also do his own brews. On that tournament, he played a deck that I was also longing to try in the Standard format.

The deck was the Black White Auras deck with Sram, Senior Edificer as the star creature. Almost half of the deck consists of cards from the recent two sets of Magic: the Gathering and it was interesting to see the other card components that had worked and synergized well in the deck.

Check out his decklist below.

20 LANDS
4 Caves of Koilos
4 Concealed Courtyard
4 Godless Shrine
1 Mana Confluence
6 Plains
1 Swamp

17 CREATURES
4 Alseid of Life’s Bounty
3 Aphemia, the Cacophony
2 Favored Hoplite
4 Hateful Eidolon
4 Sram, Senior Edificer

4 INSTANTS and SORC.
4 Karametra’s Blessing

19 OTHER SPELLS
4 All That Glitters
4 Cartouche of Solidarity
4 Ethereal Armor
3 Gryff’s Boon
4 Sentinel’s Eyes

Sideboard
3 Apostle of Purifying Light
2 Baffling End
3 Brain Maggot
2 Dead Weight
2 Gideon of the Trials
1 Grafdigger’s Cage
2 Thoughtseize

Later on, I found out that he finished 2nd in the tournament. That is one great achievement on an unpopular and brew deck in Pioneer. That gave me more motivation to build the deck and try it in our own local Pioneer tournaments. Hopefully soon.

The Pioneer format has caught my attention for a while now though our local MTG Iloilo community still has to hold its first tournament of the said format. For now, I am checking on the streams and live coverage of the major tournament and one of which is the current Players Tour in Brussels. They have already wrapped up the Swiss rounds on Day 2 and published the Top 8 players along with their decklists. One Top 8 deck that I will feature today is Sultai Delirium and this is piloted by Joel Larsson.

I was able to pilot a Golgari deck based on that strategy before in its Standard days and it was sort of a midrange deck with the top curve of casting Emrakul, the Promised End.

Here below is the PT Brussels Top 8 decklist:

Planeswalker (3)
1 Liliana, the Last Hope
2 Nissa, Who Shakes the World

Creature (19)
2 Courser of Kruphix
1 Emrakul, the Promised End
1 Ishkanah, Grafwidow
3 Jace, Vryn’s Prodigy
1 Murderous Rider
4 Satyr Wayfinder
1 Scavenging Ooze
1 Tireless Tracker
4 Uro, Titan of Nature’s Wrath
1 Walking Ballista

Sorcery (7)
4 Thoughtseize
3 Traverse the Ulvenwald

Instant (8)
2 Abrupt Decay
4 Fatal Push
2 Grisly Salvage

Land (23)
4 Blooming Marsh
1 Botanical Sanctum
4 Breeding Pool
1 Castle Garenbrig
3 Fabled Passage
1 Forest
2 Island
1 Opulent Palace
4 Overgrown Tomb
1 Swamp
1 Watery Grave

Sideboard (15)
1 Tireless Tracker
1 Vivien Reid
1 Sultai Charm
1 Reclamation Sage
1 Noxious Grasp
2 Mystical Dispute
3 Leyline of the Void
1 Hostage Taker
1 Duress
2 Disdainful Stroke
1 Cast Down

Wizards have recently announced a new format named Pioneer and the hype from the players’ response is somewhat very positive. Most are happy that they will be playing their Standard-rotated cards that are not popular in the Modern format. I included, as I am happy to unbox our old cards in my Magic: the Gathering card pool again and it was a good thing that we kept most of our cards. I have also recently joined the Pioneer PH Facebook group to discuss ideas, mostly decklists and other brews of the new format.

As for the deck brews, a lot are being published online in sites like Facebook groups and Reddit threads for the people to experiment on or playtest in their respective playgroups. MTG Archive PH FB group is my recent source locally as they provide efficient and reliable sources of decklists.

My card pool decided to start building the Pioneer decks today at our HQ and I might drop by later to check on what decks they have come up with. I’d guess Mono-Red is auto included in the builds as we have like a lot of the components in the storage boxes there. It might be a one-color Prowess build or a splash of Green for Atarka’s Command, we shall see.

I will post a second part once we have completed building the decks and maybe discuss the expected metagame and categorize them by aggro, combo, and control.

That is a wrap for now. Until the next blog post.