I don’t know if anyone has noticed this, but there are a lot of Spider-Man cards in Marvel’s Spider-Man! I don’t just mean cards that relate to Spidey or depict him in the art, that was to be expected. I mean there’s a shocking number of actual creature cards which represent various versions of Spider-Man. We’ve got Peter Parker and …
The Best Counterspells in MTG (Since the Last List)
Counterspells are a core building block of Magic: one of the fundamental effects that make up its periodic table. By this point in history we’ve seen literally hundreds of variations on the original Counterspell, and you can still rely on at least one or two new ones appearing in every set. Of course, not all counter-magic is created equal. In …
Edge of Eternities Draft Guide
It might be weird to say I feel sympathy for a Magic set. But Edge of Eternities really got a raw deal: not only was its debut slotted between huge Universes Beyond sets like Final Fantasy and Marvel’s Spider-Man, but it also had the challenge of launching the game’s first “space fantasy” setting. Could this one release manage to make …
4 Ways to Play Magic the Gathering for (Almost) Free
Magic: The Gathering is the kind of game you can play forever, which is one of the most special things about it. Having players all over the globe – and nowadays on digital platforms – mean you can always find a time and place to play. If the games start to feel stale, don’t worry: there’s a huge variety of …
Untapped Synergies For Tapping Creatures
Do you ever see a new mechanic get spoiled and start rubbing your hands gleefully, or even remark aloud something like “they made this just for me!” I’ve been thrilled by almost everything Wizards have revealed from Edge of Eternities so far, as it all seems to lean into my pre-existing playstyle preferences. But the station mechanic I find particularly …
Edge of Eternities Prerelease Guide
I’m not sure whether this counts as a hot take, but I think prereleases are by far the best event on the Magic calendar. They’re not just hype incubators for new sets like Edge of Eternities: I could go on and on with this kind of praise. But I assume that most of you like prereleases – or at least …
Mechanics of the Eternities
Magic is diverting power to its main thrusters, and preparing to boldly go into a new frontier of genre fiction… space opera! While we’ve had glimpses of advanced tech like robots and rocket launchers since 1994’s Antiquities, and Unfinity added some explicitly interstellar aesthetics to the game, Edge of Eternities is the first time we’ll be exploring the design space …
Magic: The Gathering Definitions: Community Jargon! Part 2
The level of rules jargon and community slang which permeates Magic discourse is a serious hurdle for new players to surmount. Nobody using these terms is deliberately trying to gate-keep the hobby, of course. But it’s tricky to know which terms a casual listener might need explained in the middle of such a discussion. So I’m writing out the explanations …
Magic: The Gathering Definitions: Community Jargon!
The way Magic unites a huge global community of like-minded gamers is one of its strongest selling points – it’s so important they put The Gathering right there in the name! But like any focused and literate community that has discussed the same niche topic for 30 years, Magic players have generated a huge lexicon of slang, technical jargon, in-jokes …
Final Fantasy Draft Guide
Final Fantasy has finally debuted in Magic, undoubtedly the event of the year for this game and one of the biggest products ever in terms of hype! While draft may not be the first thing most people are looking forward to with this release, I’ve come to expect the Limited design team at WotC will deliver every set. Fortunately, I …