Happy New Year everyone! We’ve officially made it through the cleanup phase of 2023, and it’s time to start stacking upkeep triggers for 2024. There’s always that wave of annual diligence and new-year rituals to observe in these first few weeks of January, not least of which is casting our minds forward to try and predict what the next 12 …
Sometimes it’s hard to understand why specific Magic cards come to be especially disliked by the player base – but with Opposition Agent, it seems pretty obvious. Few other cards boast the potential to generate such crushing blowouts at instant speed, while also sticking around long-term as a disruptive hatebear. It attacks decks on an angle too broad to solve …
Even by modern standards, 2023 has been an absolute boom year for new commanders. Thanks to Commander precons releasing with every expansion, Dr. Who and other Universes Beyond tie-ins focused on the format, and new legends appearing at uncommon in almost every set, there’s a constant stream of potential commanders entering the game. It used to be that there were …
During previews and release windows of new Magic expansions, we tend to focus on the impact of their strongest individual cards. But over time, as those cards become familiar parts of the broader metagame, it’s the unique mechanics which come to define that set in the collective memory. Taking the Limited perspective, these mechanics essentially ARE the set – you …
Every Magic set goes through an excitable honeymoon phase, and it’s only after the first few weeks of events that you can really measure their impact on the metagame. The top minds in Constructed Magic have had some time to thoroughly explore Lost Caverns of Ixalan, so which shiny new decks have emerged to flash their tournament potential? More importantly, …
Alright drafters, get ready to explore a new format, descend through an extensive analysis of available archetypes and then craft together bits of ancient wisdom to form your own full-fledged understanding of the set. It’s time for the Card Kingdom Draft Guide to Lost Caverns of Ixalan! THE SHAPE OF THE FORMAT After jamming Lost Caverns draft a lot since …
The Lost Caverns of Ixalan has four new Commander precons with classic Ixalan archetypes, and this one features merfolk — one of the oldest and proudest archetypes in all of Magic. Given their venerated status, in the game and on Ixalan in general, we’re going to help upgrade these Explorers of the Deep. Led by Hakbal of the Surging Soul, …
The new cards from The Lost Caverns of Ixalan hit Standard this week! Fittingly, they’re about to enter a strange and deadly environment unlike anything ever seen before. Changes to Standard legality have led to a larger card pool and higher standard of card quality than in many other years, which makes it hard for new mechanics and archetypes to …
Even in an epic fantasy card game like Magic: the Gathering, populated by giants, dragons, angels, titans, krakens and demons, labeling something a “god” creates an extra layer of expectation. A god card has to feel powerful, and in a unique way that sets them apart from other high-impact creatures. Some games might elevate them above the mere mortals by …
Other than mighty dinosaurs and mythical treasures, the big theme in The Lost Caverns of Ixalan is exploration and discovery — the different factions of pirates, vampires, merfolk and native Oltcec all racing to reach the mysterious Core. This journey to the center of the Earth is represented in-game not just by the explore keyword action, but the signature, transforming …
