Of all the new Magic cards spoiled from The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth, the most eye-catching is The One Ring itself. Potent, mechanically unique and with a mind-bogglingly valuable serialized Elvish printing to be found… who wouldn’t be tempted by such a treasure?! All I’m saying is if my cousin was as annoying as Deagol, I’d probably …
Quick question for the Commander players in the audience: without checking, what percentage of cards in your deck non-permanents? Does 50% sound right? 75%? Even higher? I know there’s some blue/red spellslinger players or cEDH decks with tons of instant interaction helping keep the averages down, but I’d guess most other decks the number is closer to 80% than 50%. …
Planeswalkers may have lost some potency in the multiverse of Magic, but they did receive one exciting new tool: Deification. Tom explores how this enchantment opens up lots of opportunities across formats to build novel decks. For the most powerful mages in Magic’s Multiverse, planeswalkers sure are taking some L’s lately. First March of the Machine thinned their ranks, and …
With March of the Machine and its Aftermath now both revealed, 2023 looks very much like the end of an era for Magic’s Planeswalkers. Many were casualties of the struggle against Phyrexia, including some who lost their spark and were demoted to mere legendary creatures. But even the survivors can tell their role in the multiverse has changed. In fact, …
Have you noticed popular commanders are getting more mechanically complex every year? Recent sets have set records for the amount of rules text on cards, but it’s definitely most apparent on the legendary creatures leading our Commander decks. WHY SO LOQUACIOUS? The trend is driven both by general power creep and an even more insistent push for novelty. In 2023, …
Mana rituals! These distinctive, potent and strategically narrow cards are most often used to accelerate the endgame of combo decks. Perhaps due to that dangerous power, new rituals have become something of a rare sight in recent sets, no longer something Wizards of the Coast’s design team feels needs to feature prominently in Magic. However, they are an elemental building …
The final war against Phyrexia is here, and we’re all getting Drafted to help defend the Magic multiverse! The frontline of this fight can be confusing at first, with new mechanics and even a new card type to contend with. Never fear though — the Card Kingdom draft guide is here to help you prepare for the battles (and Battle …
Growing Threat is an Orzhov, Phyrexian-focused Commander precon that players can upgrade to be even more fearsome than it already is. In the process of guiding those budget friendly tweaks, Tom takes a look at the new cards and deck overall. Have I ever mentioned how I love white-black decks? I got into Magic through Ravnica’s Orzhov guild, and ever …
This set is the culmination of at least four years of storytelling, design, marketing and innovation. And like the multiverse itself, it’s clear Standard will not escape unscathed. There are tons of high-powered cards to highlight in March of the Machine that could supercharge archetypes both current and dormant, leading this Standard season to a suitably epic finale. Everything since …
Arguably the best thing about Magic is the sheer variety of ways to play it. Even ignoring the growing range of officially-supported formats, Magic’s “rules engine” and massive card pool make perfect building blocks for inventing all sorts of wacky new scenarios! That’s just what a player named “Perodequeso” was up to back in 2016 when he invented Wacky Races. …
