Soldiers are a big part of the fabric of creature Magic. Just as Wizards are the avatar of spellcasters, Soldiers are the representation of the pawns and armies we send into battle against one another. Whether you’re jamming out skirmishes in 1v1 Magic or playing multiplayer Commander with all-out-brawls, these soldiers have been a part of the legacy of the …
Aetherdrift Draft Guide
Get your wheels on the starting line and your foot on the accelerator, because it’s time for Card Kingdom’s Aetherdrift Draft Guide! The expectation for this vehicle-heavy set was that it would be a lightning-fast race to finish off your opponent… but in reality that’s only half true. It’s certainly an unforgiving competition though, so make sure you read on …
Is Afterburner Expert Too Good?
Creatures that can return to the battlefield from the graveyard have a very good track record in competitive Magic: the Gathering and we got a new one in Aetherdrift – Afterburner Expert. This Goblin can return to the graveyard any time you activate an Exhaust ability. Tacking on a 4/2 to any one of those abilities is quite powerful. It …
Sneaky Standard Synergies to Accelerate Aetherdrift’s Vehicles
There are very few people in the world more revved up than I am at the thought of vehicle-themed Aetherdrift decks. I just love how vehicles create natural counterplay to sweepers and other sorcery-speed interaction, or give decks on the defensive insurance against their blockers being removed before combat. So I’m not looking to just play an odd vehicle or …
Why is Blue-White Surging in Standard?
If now seems like an odd time to be talking about new breakout Standard decks, don’t worry – I’m just as surprised to be here writing about them! It’s been two full months since new cards were last added to the format, and thanks to Innistrad Remastered taking first spot on the 2025 release schedule it’s going to be another …
The Most Important Standard Cards for 2025
It’s the season when we as writers often take a step back and review the most exciting beats of the year just gone. But from a Standard perspective, it feels like most of the year was just a buildup to the excitement of the last few months. The first rotation in years has been exactly the kind of watershed players …
Foundations “Forever Decks” Will Make Standard Better
Foundations is bringing Core Sets back to Magic (again), and so far it seems to have been a really good idea. I’ve seen many players celebrate that there’s some hard-to-define “classic” feeling to how the set plays, even extending to the parts of the set that aren’t reprints. Part of that might be the power of branding, but Core Sets …
Cards I’m Glad to See in Foundations Standard
If we’re only to judge by the historical facts, Magic isn’t really sure if it likes having core sets. Nevertheless, it’s about to try and have one again for the first time in several years. Foundations is different in some ways from the classic core sets. It’s got more new cards than reprints, and looks to be a lot more …
Are Planeswalkers Doomed?
For almost 20 years now, Planeswalkers have been central to Magic’s identity as a game. The Gatewatch (along with other notables like Sarkhan, Ral, Vraska and Sorin) established a recurring central cast for the game’s storyline. They created marketable, consistent mascots for their respective color combinations and home planes. By these business-centric measures, Planeswalker cards have been an unmitigated success. …
Is Universes Beyond in Standard Actually a Good Move?
The announcement that Universes Beyond sets will be legal in all formats – including Standard – beginning with new sets in 2025 came as something of a shock to the Magic community. Is it actually a good move? You might have been lucky enough to attend MagicCon Vegas this weekend. You might also, like me, have been at home, refreshing …