Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been categorized as “Strategy”
Mecha Magda has taken the cEDH scene by storm, and Tom thinks it has potential to show up elsewhere – so here’s how it works! No format in Magic loves a good combo quite like Commander. The Eternal card pool and a relaxed banlist allow players to pull together mind-blowing synergies from across time and space. Furthermore, the basic mechanics …
Wither, from the back half of the Lorwyn block, is a pretty scary mechanic that leaves a lasting effect. Wither is a static ability that can appear on any card type. When a card with Wither deals damage to a creature, it deals that damage in the form of -1/-1 counters. Essentially, Wither is a way for damage to stick …
Magic can be an extremely complex game. Tom takes a look at 5 of the most common rules pitfalls that players run into. Magic’s last few sets have been praised for the dynamism of their card effects. Every few months the design team at WotC are pushing back the boundaries of the existing rules. We’ve gotten new keywords, new kinds …
Persist is from Lorwyn block, and has proven to have an impact that reverberates throughout Magic to this day. Persist appears on creatures. When a creature with it dies (goes from the battlefield to the graveyard), if it had no -1/-1 counters on it, it comes back to the battlefield under its owner’s control with a -1/-1 counter on it. …
Elspeth returns in Streets of New Capenna, bringing with her a low-costed piece of equipment. Kristen explores the possibilities Luxior opens up! Streets of New Capenna brings with it the latest in a line of cheap and efficient equipment. Shadowspear made waves when it arrived with Theros: Beyond Death, and Luxior is Elspeth’s latest new weapon. Will it become a …
Conspire is a creature-based mechanic from Lorwyn block that appears exclusively on Instants and Sorceries. You read that all correctly, none of that was a typo. Conspire lets you copy a spell that has it, as long as you control two creatures that share a color with that spell. When you cast a spell with Conspire, as you pay costs, …
Reinforce is a mechanic originally from Lorywn block, and lets you use cards to buff up your creatures. Reinforce, always written as Reinforce N, is an activated ability that works when the card with Reinforce is in your hand. It essentially turns the card into a modal card. You can play the card normally and pretty much ignore Reinforce. Or, …
Out of all the classic card effects in Magic, lifegain might get the least respect. And though it pains me to say it…with good reason. The problem with expending cards and mana to gain life – especially if that’s the only thing you’re doing – is that lifegain alone will never win the game for you, so all you’re doing …
Hideaway, originally from Lorwyn, appears only on six cards so far in Magic…and here they are! It represents two abilities – the first, way more boring one, is that the permanent with Hideaway will enter the battlefield tapped. The second says that when the Hideaway permanent enters the battlefield, look at the top four cards of your library, then exile …
Champion, from Lorwyn Block, appears on creatures, and appears on those cards as “Champion a ____” where the blank is a creature type. There are two abilities that go along with Champion – the first says that when it enters the battlefield, sacrifice it unless you exile another ____ you control” (again, a creature type). The second ability says that …
