Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been categorized as “Design”
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 …
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. …
There are many reasons why Magic, more than any of its competitors and imitators, has stood the test of time for more than a quarter-century. But the fundamental balance and choice provided through the five-color system stands out as by far the most important. The color pie allows players self-expression, a sense of identity. It creates variation between top decks …
As the decade comes to a close, I’ve been reflecting on the last ten years of Magic history. Specifically, I’ve been thinking about all the new game mechanics that have been introduced. Did you know that Wizards has produced over a hundred new mechanics since 2010? (I counted!) But what mechanics stand above the rest? The ones that created the …
The clock will soon strike 2020! As we approach the new year, let’s take a moment to reflect on the Magic cards released in 2019. Plenty of these cards are excellently designed, but I wonder — which are the best of the best? Whether common or mythic rare, the following ten cards are groundbreaking in at least one of these …
In today’s column, I’m speaking from my soul. Enchantments are my favorite card type in Magic, and I want to be able to play more of them! While creatures are the fundamental drivers of interaction and decision-making in most formats, enchantments add layers to those decisions, making them more complex. That also applies to card evaluations – I love how …
Welcome to another edition of the CK-Files! Today we’re going to go behind the scenes of Lumeria: The Great Divide! As part of our daily duties as designers, we keep a detailed log of our design work. At the end of each day, before we hang up our hard hats and punch out, we all take some time to write …
2019 has been a massive year, in Magic and in general. So much happens with such intensity that it can be tough to put ourselves in the mindset of even a few months ago! So as we turn the final page on our calendars, let’s reflect on 2019 and count down the cards that defined the year in Magic. JANUARY: …
The story of Lumeria begins in 2017. In a brainstorming session, I suggested we make our own masters set, but with inexpensive cards that we could sell at a reasonable price. A few months later, Chris VanMeter approached me about getting a list together. The first Lumeria set was focused on two-color pairs and finding archetypes within those pairs. With …
Drafting a new Magic set is an opportunity to explore the unknown. Chaos Draft offers an even more refreshing mish-mash of cards and mechanics between packs. Mystery Booster takes it to an even more exciting level by offering a mix of themes within the same pack! While Mystery Booster was fully unveiled at MagicFest Richmond, there’s still a deeper mystery …
