Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been categorized as “Strategy”
Over the years, Magic has invented a multitude of mechanics to build decks around, each with its own unique advantages, dedicated support cards, and memorable payoffs. But when all of those archetypes are thrown together into the grand melting pot of Commander, a few top-tier choices stand out. They offer versatile deck building options, consistent performance across different areas of …
I always feel an added sense of mystery and adventure when I draft a Universes Beyond set. In order to faithfully adapt the source material, these formats often make fundamental changes to how booster packs are constructed, the size of the card pool, or other factors that lead to a weird and warped Limited experience. But in The Hobbit, I …
Building a new Commander deck is always a fun time. You get to pick out something that speaks to you, pull out some cool cards you want to play alongside it, and see how to glue it all together. You might have some ideas of staples and templates that can inform the general make-up of a deck, and you might …
Who’s ready to revisit Middle-earth?! Magic has been there once before with The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth, and now we’re going back again. The Hobbit will launch in a little more than a week, bringing tons of powerful new cards that the Magic community has already been eyeing greedily during spoiler season. But why wait that long? …
Before it established its own original fantasy worlds, Magic: The Gathering was one of many fantasy games to borrow heavily from The Lord of the Rings. Tolkien-esque elves, dwarves and goblins all featured prominently in its early sets, and were among the first creature types to receive dedicated typal support. But where elves and goblins went on to become cornerstones …
Dockside Extortionist was banned in Commander in September 2024. It’s a busted little Magic card, and while many were sad to see it go, it was simply too powerful for the format as written. What would a “fixed” Dockside Extortionist look like, and does The Hobbit’s Dragon’s Desire fit the role? DOCKSIDE EXTORTIONIST Dockside is a two-mana creature that enters and …
Magic: the Gathering | The Hobbit releases on August 14th, 2026 and we are currently in the midst of preview season. The set features tons of amazing new cards and mechanics that bring Tolkien’s iconic 1937 novel to life. However, I’m most excited about a returning mechanic – Amass. This mechanic represents Middle Earth’s seemingly endless Goblin armies. In this …
In a recent article on how high-level design choices made for The Hobbit, Mark Rosewater discussed which aspects of The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth were worth carrying over to this new set. There were several mechanical wins deemed “must re-use” for how well they captured the feeling of Tolkien’s world on the tabletop. Others were put in …
When you think about it, Draft plays an important role for Universes Beyond sets. Only a handful of the cards in Marvel Super Heroes are destined to find a lasting place in the metagame of Standard, Commander, or other Constructed formats. Even then, they will typically be just one or two Marvel cards playing a role alongside cards from other …
Swan Song is currently the 5th most played counterspell in Commander – but does it deserve that spot? Is it still a premium choice, or are the downsides starting to accumulate? Today I want to look at how Swan Song is best played to answer the question: is Swan Song even good anymore? SWAN SONG For a single blue mana, …
