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
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
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 …
Phyrexia: All Will Be One Standard Highlights
While the full extent of Elesh Norn’s plans have yet to be previewed, Phyrexia: All Will Be One looks primed to give Standard a huge shot in the arm (don’t ask what kind). As always when Phyrexia is involved, most of the new cards are pushing the absolute limits of game balance while also breaking new mechanical ground in various …
How to Keep Commander Less Explosive
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?
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
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 …
Dominaria Remastered: Draft Guide
Surprised to see another Draft Guide already? Sure, not all of us have quite had our fill of The Brothers’ War just a month after I previewed it here on Card Kingdom. But trust me — this is a special occasion. Dominaria Remastered is only the second remaster set to receive a full paper release, and it’s very different compared …
The Hits and Misses of Draft in 2022
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 …
The Best Magic Products of 2022
December is generally a time for us to take a step back and reflect upon another year of Magic, and we certainly had a packed 2022 to look back on. Despite entering its 30th anniversary celebrations, the game continued to grow faster than it ever has before. This year saw tons of new cards and new products, which led to …