Flavor Check, Phyrexia All Will Be One

Flavor Check: Phyrexia: All Will Be One

Jason KrellCommander, Design, Standard

As Magic players, most of us primarily care about how the game actually plays. However, so much more goes into a set than the cards themselves — from worldbuilding, to characters and the places they intersect. Often, these qualities outside of gameplay are called flavor, and they help sets taste different even if they are similar in some ways to …

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 …

Universes Beyond brings Transformers to The Brothers’ War

Tom AndersonCommander, Design, Products

Wizards made an announcement on Friday which will completely transform how their Universes Beyond designs fit into the wider hobby. They announced that Set and Collectors Boosters for The Brothers’ War will be… more than meets the eye with the addition of Transformers. Yes, after dancing around the idea for years, tournament legal Transformers cards are finally going to be …

Fringe Format – Dandân

Chris CornejoCommunity, Design

Some fringe formats thrive off individual expression, or playing the most powerful cards in Magic, or both. Anyway, here’s Chris with Dandân. Many fringe formats of Magic center around either a creature with evocative abilities and lore (Momir Vig) or a group of linked creatures so emblematic of an aspect of the game that they can’t be ignored (The Elder …

This day in MTG history Planechase

This Day In Magic History: Planechase (Sept. 4-6, 2009)

Jacob LacknerDesign, Products

Welcome back to another edition of “This Day in Magic History.” Today, we’re going to look at the release of Planechase, which had its release events from Sept. 4-6, 2009. Planechase isn’t especially well-known these days, but it marked a number of important Magic firsts: it was the first supplemental set, the first set focused on multiplayer, the first set …

Dominaria United Predictions

Tom AndersonCommunity, Design

We have a bit of a breather in the Magic release schedule…so time to look ahead! Tom gives us his best guesses for Dominaria United! I almost hesitated to pitch this article to my editors. For many months now, it’s felt like the community is nearly drowning in new cards. There’s regular mixups over whether spoiled cards are Standard or …

Fringe Format: Battle Box

Chris CornejoCommunity, Design

It’s time for another Fringe Format! This time Chris takes a look at a format that could be called two-player Cube: Battle Box! Battle Box is probably not a format that a ton of folks out there know about. But if you like playing Limited Magic, and specifically Cube, it’s one you should get to know. Mostly because Battle Box …

The Best Doubling Cards in MTG

Tom AndersonCommander, Design

Double Masters 2022 is almost here, which has doubling on our brain! Tom takes a look at the 20 Best Doubling cards in MTG! Double Masters 2022 looks like an excellent opportunity for collectors and Commander players especially. With such a loosely-defined theme for this product, WotC have seized the chance to jam in all sorts of cards which have …

Fable of the Mirror-Breaker: The Saga of Kikki-Jikki

Chris CornejoDesign, Legacy, Magic Story, Modern, Pioneer, Standard

Sagas, in Magic and in life, are meant to tell a story. While sagas are among the oldest forms of formalized storytelling that exist in human history, in Magic, they’re pretty new. First appearing in Dominaria in 2018, they’ve appeared every year since. They almost missed 2019, but Urza’s Saga in Modern Horizons kept the streak going. They have now …