New MTG Mechanic Spotlight: Mutate

Tom AndersonDesign

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 …

Top 10 Biggest Monsters in Magic

Bradley RoseDesign

“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 …

A History of Un-Cards

Bradley RoseDesign, Products

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 …

Designing Theros with Ethan Fleischer

Bradley RoseDesign

Returning to a world Magic has visited before always brings back fond memories and creates new ones. We see our hero rise and face new monsters, including ones disguised as gods. But what about the aspects of Theros’s return we don’t see? Beyond the Underworld and the cards themselves? To answer this question, I reached out to Theros expert Ethan …

Theros Beyond Death Cards: Green

Tom AndersonDesign

Welcome back, fellow Theros petitioners. By now, we’ve all had the chance to get a little more familiar with Theros Beyond Death thanks to streamer previews, Prereleases, and MTGA Sealed. I hope you’ve all enjoyed your early experiences with this sweet set! But evaluations of the set still haven’t settled, and there are still more Theros Beyond Death cards to …

Theros Beyond Death: Black Cards

Tom AndersonDesign

Hark, and hear the hounds of Hades howl! The arrival of Theros Beyond Death draws near, and it is time for us to review the most exciting cards spoiled in black for this new set. Fans of red, white and blue can catch up on the previous articles in the series — but for those who appreciate greatness at any …

Theros Beyond Death: Blue Cards

Tom AndersonDesign

Aaah, can you smell the salt in the air today? No, it’s not just the aftermath of the latest B&R announcement — it’s time to look at blue spoilers for Theros Beyond Death! We’re continuing our countdown to the set’s release by covering each color in turn; check out the white and red spoiler discussions if you need to get …

Theros Beyond Death: White Cards

Tom AndersonDesign

Welcome back, Theros fans! In the days since I wrote my spoiler analysis article for red, we’ve already seen exciting new gods, titans, heroes and Planeswalkers. Today, I’ll push on and talk through the most exciting Theros Beyond Death spoilers for white: a color which is attracting more than its usual share of attention after falling off the radar with …

Theros Beyond Death: Red Cards

Tom AndersonDesign

Welcome to 2020, Magicians and Planeswalkers! Wizards kicked off a new decade of Magic with a bang, flooding the internet with spoilers for the next Standard set over the past few days. Spoiler season is always an exciting time for the community, offering players the thrill of “discovering” the game again and promising those tired of current metagames some relief. …