With March of the Machine and its Aftermath now both revealed, 2023 looks very much like the end of an era for Magic’s Planeswalkers. Many were casualties of the struggle against Phyrexia, including some who lost their spark and were demoted to mere legendary creatures. But even the survivors can tell their role in the multiverse has changed. In fact, ... Read More...

Pioneer is one of Magic’s most diverse formats. The threat pool is large while the answers are fewer in number, meaning many decks can execute a diverse array of game plans and succeed. And while the meta has produced a handful of “best decks,” it’s still possible to have fun with a Pioneer deck your opponent rarely runs into.  Today, ... Read More...

The Gauntlet 2023: Fables is coming to you live from Bellevue Mox Boarding House on Sunday! This year’s competition will benefit Game to Grow, a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to the use of games of all kinds for therapeutic and educational purposes, as well as community growth.  This is the ninth Gauntlet event hosted by Gamers Engaged, a national non-profit. For ... Read More...

Have you noticed popular commanders are getting more mechanically complex every year? Recent sets have set records for the amount of rules text on cards, but it’s definitely most apparent on the legendary creatures leading our Commander decks. WHY SO LOQUACIOUS? The trend is driven both by general power creep and an even more insistent push for novelty.  In 2023, ... Read More...

Embalm is a creature keyword that works from the graveyard. When a creature with it is in your graveyard, you may pay that creature’s Embalm cost. When you do, you exile the creature from your graveyard and create a token copy of that creature, except that it’s white, has no mana cost, and is a zombie in addition to its ... Read More...

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, we’re going to look at Recurring ... Read More...

Commander is a format that relies on a shared vision to succeed. Whether it’s having a narrative experience or striving for perfection with tight cEDH gameplay, Commander games rely on communicating expectations and hopefully finding people who want the same thing. Pre-game chats, or Rule 0 discussions (a misnomer, if you didn’t realize, because Rule 0 solely involves deciding whether ... Read More...