Last updated on May 3, 2024 Isshin, Two Heavens as One | Illustration by Ryan Pancoast Mardu () players everywhere (including myself) practically ascend to heaven over Neon Dynasty’s Isshin, Two Heavens as One. Isshin perfectly embodies what white-black-red decks do best in what may be my favorite Mardu design yet. Mardu decks love to use combat to generate value. Both Alesha, Who Smiles at Death and Kaalia of the Vast cheat creatures into play via combat. They want to deal combat damage with Oros, the Avenger or Zurgo Helmsmasher and can make their own armies of creatures with Queen Marchesa ..read more

Network Disruptor | Illustration by Viko Menezes For all the valid criticisms of Magic Arena’s economy, there are a generous amount of free items you can receive, whether you’re just starting out or you’ve been jamming on Arena since its Beta release. There are plenty of Arena codes given out to players, sometimes digitally, sometimes physically in the form of pre-release kit codes. Either way, let’s make sure you’re up to speed on how to actually redeem those codes once you’ve got them. Let’s crack this code, shall we? How to Redeem MTG Arena Codes on Desktop Codespell Cleric | Illustration ..read more

Last updated on May 2, 2024 Tablet of the Guilds | Illustration by Nic Klein When I started playing Magic, I had no idea that playmats even existed. I was blissfully ignorant just bridge-shuffling my unsleeved Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger, and slapping my cards down straight onto the kitchen table. As I started to understand just how valuable my cards were, and when I realized I probably wasn’t going to stop playing Magic anytime soon, I decided to invest in some ways to help protect my cards, which included playmats. For the uninitiated, in its most standard form, a TCG playmat is essentiall ..read more

Last updated on May 2, 2024 [REPLACE CARD]Bloodcrazed Socialite[/REPLACE] | Illustration by Marta Nael Reddit is useful for discussing all manner of topics on the internet, and it’s what countless forums from 10-20 years ago have evolved into. It goes without saying that there’s a lot of discourse about MTG happening on reddit, too, but there’s not just one subreddit for Magic on there! There are many subreddits out there focusing on Magic and MTG Arena, some that are fairly generic, and others that are more specific. Today we’re taking a look at some of them, and what you can expect when you ..read more

The Rani (Doctor Who) | Illustration by Borja Pindado As someone who enjoys fast-paced and combat-heavy Commander games, goad is one of my favorite mechanics. Since it forces players to attack, it ensures the game won’t turn into a long drawn-out war of attrition. Then there’s the bonus that goaded creatures can’t attack you, so you get to sit back and watch your opponents duke it out, opening up the board for you to attack with fewer blockers. While you can slip a few goad mechanics into other decks, if you want to fully dedicate your deck to the mechanic you’ll want to have the right comman ..read more

Revel in Riches | Illustration by Eric Deschamps While Magic has many benefits as a hobby, like growing a community and encouraging critical thinking, nobody could call it cheap. Magic cards can be incredibly expensive. Players jokingly refer to the game as “cardboard crack” and investments in “cardboard stocks” for a reason. I’ve certainly had periods where my waning interest in Magic correlates with lacking the funds to play. But it’s not all doom and gloom. You can play Magic for little to no money if you make a couple of sacrifices and have a bit of information. I’m going over that inform ..read more

Last updated on April 27, 2024 Single Combat | Illustration by Livia Prima The stack. You’ve probably had your fair share of interesting interactions with other players using the stack. You might even be the counterspell master who knows your way around it the most in your playgroup. Or, hey, you might be newer to the game and still figuring things out. Regardless of your current standing with the stack, chances are we can agree that abilities and spells go there and that’s how players interact with each other. That said, you may have heard older players talk or joke about when damage went on ..read more

[REPLACE CARD]Reckoner Bankbuster[/REPLACE] | Illustration by Steve Prescott The introduction of vehicles to Magic brought a science-fantasy vibe to the game just as it had in the olden days when Urza used power armor to fight the mechanical threat of Phyrexia. It created a powerful image of what the artificers of Kaladesh could do with aether. Vehicles also introduced the crew mechanic, which enables the card type. But how exactly does it work? And what happens when you have a card that flips between being an artifact creature and a regular artifact? I’m here to settle all those questions to ..read more

Last updated on April 26, 2024 Dig Through Time | Illustration by Ryan Yee MTG Arena is a huge part of the Magic ecosystem. It’s nearly impossible to avoid it since the premier format (Standard) has all but completely shifted to the digital sphere. Pioneer is in a unique spot as a non-rotating format, with a relatively equal card pool to Explorer and a lower cost than Magic’s sweetheart, Modern. But the question remains: how does Wizards implement cards from the Pioneer card pool into Arena to make a draftable set? To answer that, we need to travel back to the start of Magic Online (the now-a ..read more

[REPLACE CARD]Sisay, Weatherlight Captain[/REPLACE] | Illustration by Anna Steinbauer 5-color commanders offer players a unique opportunity. Removing color restrictions lets brewers choose whatever cards they think are the best for their strategy or power level. You don’t have to play Dimir () and wish you could remove an artifact, or stare at that indestructible threat your Gruul () deck can’t smash. The trade-off typically comes at the expense of, well, interesting strategies. Many 5-color commanders lack mechanically interesting abilities, falling into general good-stuff strategies themed ..read more