Tag Archive

With Double Masters coming this week, we wanted to give you a double-dose of Magic: The Gathering knowledge. Today, we’re covering two related keywords in Magic: first strike and double strike. What is First Strike? In order to understand how double strike damage works, you’ll have to understand how first strike damage works… first (heh). When you learned to play …

In our last article on hexproof, we talked about the importance of using board wipes to clear away troublesome creatures. But what if you’re the one playing creatures and you want to ensure they stick around? Your creatures just might need a new keyword: indestructible. What is Indestructible? Creatures with indestructible are impervious to any effects that normally destroy creatures, …

Of all the evergreen mechanics in Magic: The Gathering, hexproof is perhaps the most polarizing. The keyword has only been around since 2011, but it’s spawned some incredibly powerful cards and archetypes. If you’d like to learn more about hexproof, we’re here to break it all down. What is Hexproof? A creature with hexproof can’t be the target of spells …

Games of Limited Magic are all about creature combat. The player with the biggest creature on the board – or the player who can beef up their creatures with combat tricks – will often gain advantages as their creatures survive combat with much smaller ones. But what if there were a way for small creatures to overpower even the biggest …

Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths introduced three new mechanics – companion, mutate, and ability counters – that have fundamentally changed Magic: The Gathering gameplay. But it also included a returning mechanic that is making waves in Standard and beyond. Today, we’re going to learn how to cycle. What is Cycling? Do you ever draw a card that just isn’t right for …

The companion mechanic has been the talk of the Magic: The Gathering community for the last several months. It’s a mechanic that stretches the rules of Magic, and it’s so powerful that it resulted in a major ban decision a mere hour after it was announced. But if you’re brand-new to Magic, like many readers of this column, your main …

Jace, the Mind Sculptor. Liliana of the Veil. Oko, Thief of Crowns. Planeswalkers are some of the most powerful and recognizable cards in Magic: The Gathering history. They function differently than other types of Magic cards and essentially serve as additional players in the game. But the same qualities that make Planeswalkers so successful in the hands of experienced players …