Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been categorized as “Design”
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
