Tussles tend to be untidy topics, and Magic is no exception. Even if the whole game works under very precise rules, there’s so much going on during the combat phase that deciphering how attacking works can be one of the messiest matters in...
Read moreDigging into colorless mana in MTG can feel a bit like trying to understand a page written in dense legalese without being lawyers ourselves. There are subtle yet crucial differences between types and colors of mana, on top of some...
Read moreWe can all agree that creatures have summoning sickness. I mean, haste is a keyword for a reason. But what about other permanent types? What about artifacts?
Read moreThe end step is one of the most confusingly named terms in Magic. The good news is that the end step isn’t too complex an MTG concept once we clear the verbiage a bit.
Read moreShroud is one of the most straightforward keywords in MTG. Mechanics like trample or flying require that you know how blockers work and how combat damage is assigned, but shroud should be easy to grok even for new players.
Read moreThe splitting of an ancient Thran powerstone was the final straw at the beginning of the Brothers’ War in Magic lore. So, naturally, Powerstones were all over the place in The Brothers’ War, and were added to the game in the form of an artifact...
Read moreAffinity is one of those mechanics that teaches us about the game and its balancing. It totally dominated in tournaments, to the point that several cards were banned in various formats along with metalcraft.
Read moreAh, kitchen table politics. Cards that let the table vote for different effects on resolution are extremely interesting. There aren’t too many of them around, but all of them put your opponents in sticky situations that are sure to swing things...
Read moreSpell mastery isn’t its own special rule; it’s an ability word that points out a pattern. The card gets a bonus if you already have enough spells in your graveyard, so it rewards playing a deck with ample instants and sorceries.
Read moreImpending is an alternative cost that lets you cast an enchantment creature for less mana, except that you put a number of time counters on it when it enters the battlefield. As long as there are time counters on it, the permanent isn’t a...
Read moreThe combat phase is one of the most complex and interesting in all of Magic. Understanding the dance of attackers and blockers is necessary, but sometimes one wonders if it could be simplified. What if you just bypass blockers altogether with...
Read moreEquipment artifacts are pervasive in Magic. Sets like The Brothers’ War have quite a few of them, while others may have just one, like Bespoke Battlegarb in Wilds of Eldraine, but it’s really hard to find a Modern expansion or...
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