Retrace appears on Instants and Sorceries, and is a mechanic that lets you get a lot of use out of those spells. If a card with Retrace is in your graveyard, you may pay its mana cost and discard a land from your hand to cast it from there, still obeying all normal timing restrictions. However, unlike a lot of …
CLB: Story and Predictions
CLB Previews start tomorrow! Chris is here with a quick recap of the Baldur’s Gate story, and some predictions for the new set! Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur’s Gate previews start tomorrow, but I’m writing this a few days in the past, so I’m going to do something maybe a little foolish: I’m going to make some predictions that might …
MTG Keywords Explained: Casualty
Casualty will usually appear on instants and sorceries, although as Ob Nixilis, the Adversary shows, it can appear on any card type. It will always be written with a number next to it, and functions as an optional additional cost. Whenever you cast a spell with casualty, you may sacrifice a creature that has power equal to or greater than …
Early Look – Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur’s Gate
Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur’s Gate is right around the corner! Ahead of previews next week, Chris looks at what we already know. Streets of New Capenna is fully out in the wild, and while we’re having a blast with all the new goodies it brings, we also try to keep an eye on what’s coming up. Commander Legends: Battle …
MTG Keywords Explained: Connive
Connive appears on creature cards and is a triggered ability. Whenever a creature connives, you draw a card and discard a card – and if the card you discarded was a nonland card, that creature gets a +1/+1 counter. Sometimes, connive will be written as connive X, where X will be some variable or number, like on Raffine. In that …
Fringe Format: Judge’s Tower
In Fringe Format, Chris looks at a lesser-known way to play Magic! This time, we climb the heights of the most rules-heavy format possible: it’s Judge’s Tower! Blueprints Judge’s Tower was created, handily enough, by Magic judges. Of all the formats that were invented by judges, Judge’s Tower is certainly one of them. Commander will always be the most successful …
MTG Keywords Explained: Blitz
Blitz appears on creature cards, and acts as an alternative cost. When you cast a creature for its blitz cost, three things happen: The first is that it gains Haste, which is simple enough. Second, it gains “When this creature dies, draw a card.” And the third is that the creature gains a trigger that makes you sacrifice it at …
Cabaretti Cacophony Precon Upgrade Guide
Chris takes a look at the Cabaretti Cacophony Commander Precon deck, and has some suggestions for how to give it a bit of an upgrade! Streets of New Capenna is here, and with it comes the Cabaretti Cacophony Commander Precon! Let’s look at the deck as it comes out of the box and see where maybe we can give it a …
MTG Keywords Explained: Wither
Wither, from the back half of the Lorwyn block, is a pretty scary mechanic that leaves a lasting effect. Wither is a static ability that can appear on any card type. When a card with Wither deals damage to a creature, it deals that damage in the form of -1/-1 counters. Essentially, Wither is a way for damage to stick …
The Story of Elspeth Tirel
Elspeth Tirel returns in Streets of New Capenna, and Chris runs down the story she has carved through the overarching plot of MTG. Elspeth Tirel has been in the game since Shards of Alara, and not even death has been able to keep her off the page for too long. Let’s look at how her story has gone in the …