The Art of Hesitation

Tom AndersonStrategy

Magic is a game of gradual mastery. It’s an incredibly complex game, but new players continue to pick it up because they can do so one card at a time. Most of us start with simple decks and use them to master the basic structure of the game before moving on.  That basic structure — the essential decisions and actions …

When to Attack a Planeswalker

Alex KatzStrategy

Planeswalkers have played a powerful role in the Standard metagame for years; since the release of War of the Spark, there are more Planeswalkers in Standard than ever before. Their presence forces players to make an important choice: when is it appropriate to attack the Planeswalker, and when should you attack its controller instead? Attacking a Planeswalker reduces its loyalty …

12 Magic Cards that Defined 2019

Tom AndersonDesign, Strategy

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: …

Best Lands in Magic

Alex KatzStrategy

Choosing lands is one of the hardest steps in building a multicolored deck. Each cycle of multicolored lands comes with different benefits and drawbacks, and evaluating them against each other can be a challenge. In this post, we’ll walk through the multicolored lands available in some popular formats and assess how useful they are. Our goal here is to provide …

How to Play An Aggro Deck

Tom AndersonStrategy

How many ways are there to count to twenty?  Aggressive decks in Magic and similar card games are often characterized as simpler and less skill-intensive than others. The idea is that playing a reactive midrange or control deck forces you to adapt to each opponent. But to excel with aggro is to play predictively – you need to anticipate how …

How to Mulligan

Michael RappStrategy

Deciding when to mulligan is one of the hardest skills to develop in Magic. I, like everyone else, have found myself scratching my head and wondering if I have a functional hand whenever I look at seven cards. I have found the single biggest factor in determining if a starting hand is keepable or if I should mulligan is not …

The Power of Process-Oriented Thinking

Chantelle CampbellStrategy

Magic is a game of variance. It’s probably something you’ve heard a million times before – I know I have. But in the heat of the moment, when your opponent finds the perfect one-outer on the top of their deck or you draw what must be your twelfth land in a row, it can be easy to forget, and for …

An Intro to Oathbreaker

Bradley RoseCommunity, Strategy

“My Squirrels get +10/+10, trample, and haste.” I said this to an opponent while playing one of many Oathbreaker games at MagicFest Seattle. Before that weekend, I had never played this command-zone-oriented format. But by the time the Fest was over, I had played eight Oathbreaker matches and was completely sold on it. Not sure what Oathbreaker is? Interested in …

Magic vs Hearthstone

Card KingdomStrategy

Magic: The Gathering, the tabletop game about powerful plane-hopping wizards, has seen a spike in popularity with the release of its new digital analogue, MTG Arena. For years, people have been discovering Magic at their local game stores and through their D&D groups. Now more than ever before, players are coming to Magic from other digital games, including other collectible …

The Art of Avoiding a T-Rex

Erik TiernanCommander, Strategy

Jurassic Park is one of my sister’s favorite movies. While it is an amazing film, we only had one TV, so I’ve seen this movie more than most people. However, it wasn’t until recently that I realized the film has lessons that can be applied to Magic. Building up to your game plan while avoiding being eaten is difficult. Luckily, …