Do you like saving mana on casting your spells? How about utilizing your creatures the turn they come into play? Today, we take a look at a Magic mechanic that allows your creatures to help you pay for your spells: convoke! What is Convoke? Convoke was first introduced in Ravnica: City of Guilds in 2005. As the signature mechanic of …
Best Commander Decks for Beginners
Learning and playing Magic can be an exciting experience. There are so many cards, formats, and decks to choose from, and there’s always something new to learn. As thrilling as this is, starting out can feel daunting. Take Commander for example: there are over 1,200 commanders to choose from, and that figure is growing rapidly every year! Even for more …
Disturb – MTG Keywords Explained
It wouldn’t be an Innistrad set without fun graveyard mechanics, and Midnight Hunt has a new one called disturb. If you’ve ever wished you could give a creature spell flashback, then these are the cards for you. What is Disturb? Disturb appears on double-faced creature cards, and it works from the graveyard. If you’re casting the creature normally or otherwise …
Best Modern Decks for Beginners
Michael Rapp takes us through his top five Modern decks for beginners, taking into account budget, ease of learning, and overall strength in the Modern metagame. Before we get into my selection, I’d like to clarify one thing. I’ve seen a number of articles of this style that just default to “here are the five cheapest decks in Modern”, and …
Ninjutsu – MTG Keywords Explained
This week, we conclude our look at Kamigawa block mechanics with one of the more popular and enduring of them all. What is Ninjutsu? Ninjutsu is one of those rare mechanics that only works when the card is in your hand. When you attack with a creature and it isn’t blocked, you may pay the ninjutsu cost of a card …
Offering – MTG Keywords Explained
We continue our foray into Kamigawa block this week with a mechanic that appeared on the Patron cycle in Betrayers of Kamigawa. These five creatures were playable at instant speed, but only if you made an offering. What is Offering? Offering comes into play when you cast a card that has it, although it can also modify the timing with …
Splice – MTG Keywords Explained
Once more through the breach! We’re continuing our journey through Kamigawa block’s mechanics, this time with one of the most complex. What is Splice? Splice appears on instant and sorcery cards, and it allows you to pay a little extra to add more effects to your spells. Sounds like kicker, right? Well, this mechanic is way more complicated rules-wise, although …
Soulshift – MTG Keywords Explained
Just like last week, we’re heading back to Kamigawa to share some tips for using one of Magic‘s lesser-known mechanics. What is Soulshift? Soulshift is a mechanic exclusive to the Spirit tribe. It makes sense coming from Kamigawa block, where Spirits were a main part of the story and showed up in abundance. Soulshift is an ability on Spirit creatures …
Bushido – MTG Keywords Explained
Today, we’re taking a trip back to Kamigawa to revisit an ability that will help your creatures in combat. What is Bushido? Bushido is a combat mechanic that helps your creatures, whether they’re on offense or defense. Whenever a creature with bushido blocks or becomes blocked, it gets +N/+N, where N is the number printed next to bushido. This ability …
Sunburst – MTG Keywords Explained
Last week, we discussed modular: an ability that adds counters to artifact creatures and allows players to move those counters around. Today, we’ll be talking about another mechanic you’ll find on artifacts: sunburst! What is Sunburst? Like modular, sunburst first appeared in the artifact-heavy original Mirrodin block, and it appears solely on artifacts. Both artifact creatures and non-artifact creatures can …