Conquest: A New Competitive Commander Format

Tom AndersonCommunity

Hello friends! I’ve got something a little different for you with this week’s article. We’re not discussing new cards, but a new format that’s gathered some momentum in the community — Conquest! Like the Gladiator format presented by impresario Benjamin Wheeler last month, Conquest has evolved from the community’s love of large-deck singleton formats. These formats capture many fun aspects …

4 Standard Brews for Core 2021

Tom AndersonStandard

Hello readers — and please give a warm welcome to our new friend, Core Set 2021! They’re gonna need that warmth, because it is hard to be a new Standard set right now. Simply put, the new core set is entering one of the most powerful Standard environments ever. It’s not just the per-card power level of a format which …

Tribal Cards to Add to Your Jumpstart Pack

Tom AndersonProducts

Getting into Magic can be a chicken-and-egg situation: you can’t play without a deck, but how do you build a deck without knowing what any cards do? The upcoming Jumpstart set solves this issue in a fun and natural way, meaning this might be the best product ever for teaching new players! Jumpstart gives curious first-timers their titular boost by …

The Best Reprints in Core Set 2021

Tom AndersonProducts

Nothing like the advent of a new spoiler season to remind us how fast 2020 is speeding by! Core Set 2021 is an important one: it’s coming at a time of significant change in competitive Magic, and it’s the last set to release before the next Standard rotation. That makes it something of a signpost for where Wizards of the …

5 Historic Brews

Tom AndersonHistoric

Ding dong, Winota is dead (well, suspended) in Historic. It’s a great time if you enjoy brewing, especially if you enjoy brewing linear, explosive decks that make silly things happen. Oh, you do? Well, let’s cut off this preamble right here so I can fit in more lists. Get ready to tick some fun stuff off your Magic bucket list… …

B&R Breakdown: June 1, 2020

Tom AndersonStandard

Last week, Wizards of the Coast released a much-anticipated Banned and Restricted announcement that has ramifications for Standard, Historic, and companion cards as we know them. As always, I recommend reading the official announcement yourself to get the long-form reasoning behind the changes. But for convenience: Agent of Treachery and Fires of Invention are banned in Standard Agent of Treachery …

The Colors of Magic

Which Color of Magic Should You Play?

Tom AndersonDesign

Magic has a rare distinction among games, in that for many players it has become a lifelong preoccupation. The incredible depth and variety of the card pool is what supports this long-term interest. But for newcomers, that variety can be intimidating. There’s such a range of formats and play styles to choose from, each of which appeals to different kinds …

How Much Are Your Magic Cards Worth?

Tom AndersonCommunity

“How much are Magic cards worth?” “Which Magic cards are worth the most money?” “What makes Magic cards so expensive?”  Believe it or not, these are the most-asked Magic: The Gathering questions on the internet. As experienced players dive deeper into Magic, we may lose sight of how unusual and unpredictable the price tags are on rare and staple cards. …

3 Rogue Decks for Ikoria Standard

Tom AndersonStandard

We’re somehow into May now, and I’ve found myself writing more and more about Ikoria Standard in recent weeks. We’re at what I’d call the “mature” end of the format, with the largest and deepest card pool possible all on the table to tinker with until the Ravnica sets and M20 rotate out in a couple months.  With so much …

Red-White Cycling Deck Guide

Tom AndersonStandard

I’ve been thinking these last few days about a popular phrase: “a good problem to have.” Some of the best players in Magic have made earnest complaints about Zenith Flare — the all-star uncommon of Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths — and the cycling-heavy deck which has arisen around it. The deck is certainly winning a lot in the last week …