Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been categorized as “Design”
As Zendikar rises, the land falls. That’s right, we’re back on the plane where lands matter. And I’m not just talking about how many times you can trigger landfall. The very lands we put in our decks also matter, including the basic Plains, Islands, Swamps, Mountains, and/or Forests we choose to express ourselves with. While there are many choices for …
Zendikar Rising spoiler season has just begun, bringing a bunch of evocative and interesting new cards to the game. And this time, I’m not just reporting on them or speculating on them. I’m revealing them! Now, in case you haven’t heard, these are two sides of a double-faced card. Creature on the front, land on the back. There are a …
2020 will go down in the history books for many reasons, but while I’m writing a Magic blog, I may as well add that it’s been an absolute bumper year for new card sets. From Theros Beyond Death to now, we’ve seen twelve new product releases, if you count digital-only ventures like Amonkhet Remastered. And it’s only August! Unbelievably, that pace …
When most Magic players think of cubes, they think of “powered” cubes. These are the big draftable collections of cards that show up every so often on Magic: the Gathering Online, or that your friends might build with the most powerful cards in their collections. Many cubes feature the Power 9 or the most well-known cards in formats like Modern, …
Patrick Chapin once said that every creature in your deck should either be a Mulldrifter or a Baneslayer Angel. Of course, he didn’t mean that literally. Mulldrifter is a classic example of a creature that generates a resource advantage the turn it comes into play. Baneslayer Angel, meanwhile, has high stats for its cost and a generally powerful ability. Each …
Magic has a rare distinction among games, in that for many players it has become a lifelong preoccupation. The incredible depth and variety of the card pool is what supports this long-term interest. But for newcomers, that variety can be intimidating. There’s such a range of formats and play styles to choose from, each of which appeals to different kinds …
Literally and figuratively, creatures are what give Magic life. The game was designed and balanced around the idea of playing creatures to attack and defend your life total, and that is how most people still learn to play it. As the main way for players to act on the game state other than casting spells, creatures are the natural stars …
As one of the most anticipated new mechanics in years, mutate has some high expectations to live up to. Wizards R&D has repeatedly tried to get a “combine your creatures” mechanic right, and after the success of host/augment in Unstable, it seemed they were getting close. The announcement of Ikoria as the “make your own monster” set, featuring “one of …
“Today, we face the monsters that are at our door.” — Pacific Rim Monsters. I don’t mean ones found under the bed or in Frankenstein’s laboratory. I’m talking Godzilla proportions. Massive monstrosities. Periodically, Magic debuts a creature that makes even Gigantosaurus seem small. The upcoming Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths? Probably a lot more monsters coming. Until then, let’s look back …
You’re at Gen Con at a Magic: The Gathering prerelease. The head judge of the event is dressed in a chicken suit. You might think this is some kind of joke. You’re exactly right. It’s… 1998 — Unglued For the first time, Magic cards are printed with a silver border. Each card with this silver lining tells you, “I don’t …
