Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been categorized as “Design”
Since as far back in Magic design as Ravnica: City of Guilds, WotC has embraced using powerful legendary creatures to anchor the identity of a set’s signature archetypes or factions. This habit has only been reinforced by the mechanical need to support these factions in the Commander format. So as soon as it became clear that Strixhaven: School of Mages …
Do you think games of Magic might be getting too fast these days? It’s an odd thing to worry about in regard to a turn-based strategy game, even if chess clocks and Arena ropes force us into hasty decisions from time to time. But in its own best measure of speed — how many turns it takes to crush opponents …
The long voyage to Kaldheim, having taken most of December and January, is nearly over. Today, myself and many other streamers will be trying out the set for the first time on Magic Arena. Shortly thereafter, the whole Magic Arena population will be logging in to test the cards and combinations they’ve been hyping themselves up for. And boy, has …
If WotC set up Kaldheim spoiler season like a metal concert, then this week feels like the showstopping guitar solo. We’re seeing more and more powerful cards drop, many of which feature the set’s new cost-reduction mechanic: foretell. Appearing across all five colors and a wide variety of different cards, foretell has the potential to challenge players with sequencing choices …
From Elder Giants to Giant Pirates, 2020 saw plenty of exciting, new Magic cards. We escaped from the underworld and battled it out in the Underdome. Our creatures mutated, formed parties, and partnered with other commanders. With 2020 coming to a close, let’s review the new cards released this year. Each of these cards are exemplary in their own ways. …
I’ve found myself being critical of Wizards and Magic more often than not this year. Obviously, that all comes from a positive, hopeful place; I love Magic. I believe it can be a great experience for millions worldwide, and I want to see it reaching that potential well into the future. But it’s important not to get sucked into a negative mindset and …
The Magic of 2020 has been full of new mechanics that push the boundaries of the game’s design space. Over the last twelve months, we’ve seen a wealth of exciting and flavorful mechanics introduced that have made gameplay more exciting and changed the way we build decks. Here are our top 5 new mechanics from this year. Escape Theros Beyond …
As 2020 draws to a close, white’s relevancy continues to be a sticking point for Magic players in most formats. Last year, I put together an evaluation of the year’s cards over at Hipsters of the Coast. The conclusion last year? Well, though white did get some better cards, the rising tide was still threatening to sink white’s ship; for …
As 2020 draws to a close, white’s relevancy continues to be a sticking point for Magic players in most formats. Last year, I put together an evaluation of the year’s cards over at Hipsters of the Coast. The conclusion last year? Though white did get some better cards, the rising tide was still threatening to sink white’s ship; for every …
Nine years ago, Commander (2011) broke new ground by introducing new cards in a Magic deck product. With the release of Commander Legends, we’re seeing a similarly large milestone. Designing Commander Legends is a unique puzzle to solve. It inherits Commander’s problem of naturally-slow games, and the drafting portion of Limited is tough to combine with Commander’s color identity restrictions. …
