Over the New Year’s weekend, I was invited to take part in Oathfest, a charity drive event set up by the great people over at Magikids. Magikids is a charity that strives to make Magic accessible for youngsters by putting Magic cards into the hands of teachers and youth clubs. It’s a great initiative — Magic is great for teaching, …
5 Things I Learned Playing Magic in 2020
The year is winding down, and the whole Magic world is waiting for Kaldheim previews to start next week. With things relatively calm before the massive storm Kaldheim is sure to bring, I thought it might be nice to take this time to reflect on the past year. While looking back, I realized that five of my favorite cards from …
Trans and Nonbinary Representation in Magic
Wizards of the Coast has announced an exciting new Planeswalker character for Kaldheim: Niko Aris, a hero from Theros who uses they/them pronouns. A recent interview with the Creative team got players hyped to have a new, sympathetic, nonbinary character in Magic whose story isn’t all about their gender. Let’s take a look at how we got here, through the …
MTG Holiday Mailbag: 2020
Hello everyone, as we get into the heart of the holiday season, I’m taking a break from my usual strategy content. Instead, I wanted to do something a little more fun. I fielded some questions from the folks that follow me on Twitter and picked some of my favorites. Let’s jump right into them! If you could make any card …
Planeswalker Gift Guide
Michelle: It’s that time of the year, when we realize that we’ve completely forgotten to obtain gifts for the people in our lives who expect them. Luckily, both Spice8Rack and I are here to help! Combining our in-depth knowledge of lore and impeccable taste, here is a go-to list for gifts based on your recipient’s favorite planeswalker! Spice8Rack: That’s right! Whether your …
Magic in 2020: 10 Cards that Exceeded Expectations
2020 has been a wild ride for everyone, and not something that anyone could have predicted. As the year draws to a close, we can look back on Magic’s landscape and survey the aftermath. The Year of Commander has left its mark on the game forever, and the major expansions of 2020 brought increasingly powerful cards into Standard and beyond. …
Blake Rasmussen Talks Secret Lair, Magic Story & Adventures in Freelancing
Kristen recently had the chance to sit down and chat with Blake Rasmussen, Senior Manager of Communications for Magic. Blake is one of the faces of Magic you might recognize but know a little less well than the likes of Gavin Verhey and Mark Rosewater, but he’s no less of an important part of the community. Join them today as …
10 Magic Cards that Defined 2020
Toward the end of 2019 (so roughly 20 years ago by common reckoning), I published an article here counting down the new cards that had defined the year in Magic. It was a somewhat rare chance to highlight not only the cards and decks that won the most, but the way the year had changed the broader Magic community. I …
Lines in the Sand: Angle-Shooting in Magic
For all that we Magic players love to think analytically and break things down, there are still some hugely impactful blind spots in community discussion of the game. This week’s Magic Online Championships thrust one into the spotlight, as a controversial finish to Oliver Tiu vs. Michael Jacob led to fiery online debate about cheating, “angle-shooting” and the moral grey …
A Voice for Casual Magic: Shivam Bhatt
The impending release of Commander Legends feels like a big moment for Magic. It’s the clearest and most significant expression of WotC’s whole-hearted conversion to the cause of casual play. Commander and other casual formats have always been the underwater bulk of the Magic iceberg, but it took the rise of social media and content algorithms to really show it. …