The Real Impact of Multiplayer Mechanics in Magic

The Real Impact of Multiplayer Mechanics in Magic

Tom AndersonCommander

Magic is designed today with Commander right at the forefront, alongside Limited and other constructed formats, which means the game is partially balanced around free-for-all multiplayer. That’s quite a recent change relative to the game’s history, and Wizards of the Coast is still in somewhat early days when it comes to creating new multiplayer-focused mechanics. The Initiative, Goad, Myriad and …

Phyrexia: All Will Be One Draft Guide

Tom AndersonLimited

Welcome to Card Kingdom’s 1-oh-ONE Draft guide for the newly-released Phyrexia: All Will Be One set! If you skipped out on the spoiler season or you just want a one-stop cheat sheet to help you through your early Limited runs, read on: I’ll explain all the most important picks and tricks you need to look for. Shape of the Format …

The Danger of Phyrexian Mana

The Danger of Phyrexian Mana

Tom AndersonModern, Standard

Phyrexia: All Will Be One has shown us that New Phyrexia’s armies are filled with endless ranks of destructive, living weapons — but its most dangerous power remains its most simple: Phyrexian mana costs. Introduced in 2011’s New Phyrexia, at the culmination of the Phyrexian invasion of Mirrodin, Phyrexian mana allowed players to pay for spells with chunks of life …

How to Keep Commander Less Explosive

How to Keep Commander Less Explosive

Tom AndersonCommander, Strategy

The Commander format has one really fundamental problem: it’s explosive. And it’s only getting worse as time ticks on. I don’t just mean that the community discourse is liable to blow up at the slightest provocation (although, true). I mean that multiplayer Magic, especially with the card pool and ruleset present in this format, naturally trends toward explosive play patterns …

How Will Magic Change in 2023?

Tom AndersonDesign, Magic Story, Products, Standard

There’s a lot on the horizon for Magic in 2023, and Tom is here to take a look at what all the different moving parts may mean! It’s a new year for Magic just as it is for you and me – and 2023 in particular stands as a tense cliffhanger moment in the game’s proud history. The narrative stands …

Giving Gifts in Magic

Giving Gifts in Magic

Tom AndersonCommander

As a kid, waking up on Christmas and unwrapping a bunch of cool new toys was the literal highlight of my year, as it probably was for many of us. But as an adult, I find more and more that giving out gifts is what I really look forward to — even in Magic.  So in honor of the 12 …

The Hits and Misses of Draft in 2022

The Hits and Misses of Draft in 2022

Tom AndersonLimited

Magic has been enjoying something of a golden age for Limited set design: a near-unbroken string of good-to-great formats, arguably stretching back to 2018’s Dominaria. And while players could still feel this run of form through most of 2022, they also saw evidence that an inevitable regression is coming. To sort out which sets belong in each category, I’ve created …