When I came back to playing Magic around the Innistrad and Return to Ravnica era, I met populate for the first time. I’m very fond of Selesnya decks and mechanics and, despite loving convoke more, there’s a lot to like about populate.
Read moreLife is an important resource in Magic. We’ve seen how using your life total as a resource can break the game countless times over the years, from Necropotence to Gitaxian Probe. Lifegain is an underappreciated stratagem, and the history of...
Read moreDevotion is a fun, flavorful mechanic that rewards your, well, devotion to a color. It’s been in MTG for a little while, but it’s a popular and successful mechanic at the kitchen and tournament tables alike. What’s notable about this success is...
Read moreMagic’s history is full of experiments and mechanics that haven’t returned much since they were introduced. Cipher is a pet favorite of mine, and the arcane spell type associated with spirits is another weird relic from the past. Magic players...
Read moreMagic: The Gathering is an ever-changing thing. Each edition sees the terminology and the rules of the cards evolve as the game designers see fit. MTG boomers out there remember terms like “bury” and “remove from play,” or what we now call...
Read moreOnce Upon a Time, there was this game called Magic: The Gathering. The creators of this game decided to take fairytale-type stories and mend them with this game. The result was Throne of Eldraine. And with the fairytale-MTG mashup came an awesome...
Read moreSome cards have restrictions placed on them in their text that prevent them from attacking, but still allow them to defend you or use their abilities. That’s what we call the defender mechanic, and that’s what today is all about.
Read moreWard became evergreen from the moment it hit Magic, and while it’s used maybe a bit too often these days, it’s a great alternative to the obnoxious protection abilities of the past.
Read moreCommander Legends: Baldur’s Gate brought plenty of awesome cards, flavor, and characters to the Magic table in a draftable EDH experience. But it also brought something new with it: backgrounds
Read moreWelcome to the world of Commander! Whether you’ve been playing Magic for years or you’re completely new here, you’ve probably heard of Commander. But what even is Commander, and how do you play it? Let’s get into the rules and details of Magic’s...
Read moreDeathtouch is bound to appear in your games as one of MTG’s evergreen mechanic. It shows the flavor of venom or poison or just a deathly gaze.
Read moreMonarch is a mechanic that shines the brightest in multiplayer games, particularly for Commander. It’s a great way to give your game a more “political” dynamic. It creates incentives to build alliances and causes everyone to take action as soon...
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