Since as far back in Magic design as Ravnica: City of Guilds, WotC has embraced using powerful legendary creatures to anchor the identity of a set’s signature archetypes or factions. This habit has only been reinforced by the mechanical need to support these factions in the Commander format. So as soon as it became clear that Strixhaven: School of Mages ... Read More...

Back in the early days of Magic, creatures were much weaker than they used to be. Creatures had fewer abilities, and they were much smaller relative to their mana cost. Of course, creatures still had useful abilities that gave them an edge over other creatures in combat. And while some of those abilities haven’t been printed on cards in quite ... Read More...

Spellslingers rejoice: a storm is coming! Strixhaven is nearly upon us, and we’re right in the thick of the preview season. It’s sure to change the flow of Standard, and it might even rustle a few leaves in Commander. While many people are focused on Rowan and Will Kenrith, Liliana Professor Onyx, and the deans of each school, I’ve been ... Read More...

Commander Kingdom is back with a new episode, and we’re marking a few important milestones this time around. We’ll be welcoming back a previous guest for the first time, and we’ll also have our first member of Wizards of the Coast joining us! Gavin Verhey, Olivia Gobert-Hicks, and Sam of Rhystic Studies face off this month — watch a recording ... Read More...

Strixhaven previews started last week, and we’ve already seen some super exciting cards. The main takeaway for me so far is just how fresh some of these designs feel — not just for their colors, but also for multiplayer. Let’s look at what has me hyped about the new commanders from Commander 2021.  Commander 2021: Strixhaven It looks to me ... Read More...

This upcoming weekend, I’ll be competing in the Kaldheim Championship. Like previous Championships, Player’s Tours and the like, it’s a split format event, showcasing Standard and Historic. Day One consists of three rounds of Standard and four rounds of Historic, with four or more match wins necessary to advance to Day Two.  Because of the extra emphasis on Historic for ... Read More...

At this point, Magic has been around for long enough to experiment with a ton of different mechanics. In the name of keeping things fresh, WotC are always expanding the design space of the game, pushing the boundary of what we think is possible with every new set.  But sometimes, they cross over that boundary. Not just with one card ... Read More...