Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been tagged as “New Player Resources”
In recent years, Magic has seen a marked increase in “modal” cards: cards that give players a choice of two or more effects. These types of spells have been around for a long time, but they’ve become more prominent with the introduction of “Best of One” gameplay on MTG Arena, as well as the exponential growth of the Commander format. …
Affinity is one of the most powerful mechanics ever printed in Magic, and it’s the namesake of one of the Modern format’s longest-standing decks. But how exactly does it work? Read on to learn more! What is Affinity? Affinity first appeared in the artifact-focused Mirrodin block, and its goal was to make your artifacts easier to cast. A card with …
This week, we’re unearthing another relic from Legions that will serve you well in combat! What is Provoke? Whenever you attack with a creature with provoke, you may choose a target creature the defending player controls. That creature untaps, and it must block the creature with provoke, if able. There are few caveats with this: You can target a creature …
This week, we’re digging up a mechanic from Magic‘s past that will help you power up your creature-based decks. What is Amplify? Amplify is a mechanic from Legions, a set that only contained creature cards. The set demanded mechanics that rewarded players for filling their decks with creatures of a single type, and amplify certainly fit the bill. Amplify is …
Do you ever wish you could cast your favorite cards over and over again? Then buyback may be right for you! What is Buyback? Buyback is an optional, additional cost that appears on some instant and sorcery cards. It’s pretty self-explanatory: If you pay the buyback cost, the spell goes back to your hand after it resolves instead of going …
We’ve covered all sorts of Magic mechanics here — from the most common and straightforward to the most obscure and complex. Today, we’ll be covering a mechanic that’s incredibly rare, but that’s been responsible for a surprising number of wins in Commander. Saddle up — it’s time to talk about horsemanship. What is Horsemanship? Horsemanship isn’t that complex a mechanic; …
Modern Horizons sets breathe new life into the characters and mechanical themes of Magic‘s past. It’s only fitting, then, that Modern Horizons 2 includes a mechanic that gives creatures in the graveyard a new lease on life. Today, we’re explaining the nuances of Hour of Devastation‘s graveyard mechanic eternalize! What is Eternalize? Eternalize is an activated ability that appears on …
Creatures with “enter the battlefield” abilities are great, but what if you don’t have enough mana to pay for them? Thankfully, there’s a mechanic that lets you take advantage of the creature’s ability at a fraction of the mana cost. What is Evoke? Evoke is an alternative cost that appears on creatures which is typically lower than that creature’s mana …
Modal double-faced cards have become incredibly popular in Magic due to their flexibility. But did you know that MDFC’s aren’t the first cards of this kind? Before MDFC’s — and even before the “transform” cards from Innistrad — there was a mechanic that allowed you to play creature cards face-down and pay a cost to turn them face up. Meet …
Discarding cards can be a pain, but it doesn’t have to be. Today, we cover an alternate-cost mechanic that makes your cards cheaper to cast if you discard them. If that sounds like madness, that’s because it is! What is Madness? Here’s how madness works: If you would discard a card with madness from your hand, you may choose to …
