The Lost Caverns of Ixalan is almost here, and today we are going to dive into how some of the more interesting cards to come out of preview season so far will play in the Pioneer format. Cavern of Souls One of the earliest previewed cards from The Lost Caverns of Ixalan, this reprint made players of blue/white control around …
What Makes a God in Magic
Even in an epic fantasy card game like Magic: the Gathering, populated by giants, dragons, angels, titans, krakens and demons, labeling something a “god” creates an extra layer of expectation. A god card has to feel powerful, and in a unique way that sets them apart from other high-impact creatures. Some games might elevate them above the mere mortals by …
The Lost Caverns of Ixalan: Exploring Flip Lands
Other than mighty dinosaurs and mythical treasures, the big theme in The Lost Caverns of Ixalan is exploration and discovery — the different factions of pirates, vampires, merfolk and native Oltcec all racing to reach the mysterious Core. This journey to the center of the Earth is represented in-game not just by the explore keyword action, but the signature, transforming …
Convert – MTG Mechanics Explained
All right, this is tricky. Ready? Convert is exactly the same as Transform. Exactly, in every way. This is purely a cosmetic change for trademark reasons. On all packaging and written material, Hasbro (who owns both Transformers and Magic) calls the act of a Transformer changing its form “converting” so as not to confuse the act with the brand name. …
Why is Rofellos Banned in Commander?
While Commander’s grassroots origins make it different from many other Magic formats, it still has a ban list like the rest of them. However, since Commander is not a format with tons of tournament data to back up banning certain cards, some players are unsure why certain offenders end up on the list. Today, I’m going to take a look …
The Best Ability Keywords in Commander in 2023
Commander is an ever evolving metagame, with new cards being added all the time. What’s changed in the past year or two? Which keywords are doing the heavy lifting? Commander Advisory Group member Kristen shares her thoughts on how things are shaping up. It’s been nearly three years since I last wrote about Casual Commander’s Most Underrated Abilities. The format …
How to Beat Up the Beanstalk in Modern
A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about how to beat Scam, which was the beat deck in Modern at the time. However, a new challenger has appeared to try and claim that title: Four Color Beans. If you aren’t playing Beans yourself you’re going to make sure you have a plan for it. And since it’s a new and …
River Song Commander Deck Tech
River Song is one of the most exciting Commander cards from the Doctor Who set due to the unique way she changes your play-experience — but maximizing her capabilities can be tough. So, today we’re going to do a deck tech and make the building process much easier. That said, Commander, as a format, is a lot of things to …
Why is Gifts Ungiven Banned in Commander?
While Commander’s grassroots origins make it different from many other Magic formats, it still has a ban list like the rest of them. However, since Commander is not a format with tons of tournament data to back up banning certain cards, some players are unsure why certain offenders end up on the list. Today, I’m going to take a look …
More Than Meets the Eye – MTG Mechanics Explained
Outside of the aptly named Modal Double-Faced Cards, when you cast a double faced card you have to cast the “face-up” side of the card, and then the card will have some kind of mechanic involved that will later let you use the other side of the card in one way or another. The Transformers Universes Beyond cards have a …