Tactical Breach Wizards, the next game from Tom Francis (Gunpoint, Heat Signature), has everything you could want out of a game with such a name. There are 1) wizards, 2) tons of tactical breaching, 3) a huge conspiracy to unravel and 4) so many windows to throw people out of. What might not be apparent at first…
This week I received a surprise gift from a friend. It was a single card for the Final Fantasy Trading Card Game. Specifically it is for Ysayle, my favorite character from Final Fantasy XIV. Before receiving it I knew the Final Fantasy Trading Card Game existed, but never really gave it any thought, now I’ve fallen…
Wizards of the Coast has officially revealed that the second Magic: The Gathering and Hatsune Miku collaboration in the MTG Secret Lair × Hatsune Miku: Digital Sensation drop. the small set will only be available for a limited time but packs a real punch.
The MTG Secret Lair × Hatsune Miku: Digital Sensation is comprised of six new cards you can add to your decks and collections. They all feature the digital pop sensation in beautifully hand-crafted art that encapsulates her personality and music alongside mechanics on cards that you'll find useful enough to use in a range of deck types. Of course, getting these just because they're pretty is just fine and is what I'll probably be doing.
Below, I've listed every card in the MTG Secret Lair × Hatsune Miku: Digital Sensation drop. With each one, I've included the mechanics of the cards so you have an idea of what they do, even if all you're buying them for is to be sleeved and stored or just to ensure you have this gorgeous artwork in your possession.
Thespian's Stage is a colorless land card that allows you to use one colorless Mana. Tapping the card allows it to become a copy of another land card, except it will retain its ability. It's not going to be hugely powerful, but it might make an impact.
Look, we all know what Sol ring is and does. This card has the prettiest art of any variation by far, though. This artifact card will add two colorless mana, effectively boosting you to turn three. Its usefulness varies depending on who you speak to.
Song of Creation is my favorite card in this set, based purely on artwork. It lets you play an additional land on each of your turns. Whenever you cast a spell, you'll draw two cards, but you'll need to discard your hand at the beginning of your end step. You've got to play carefully with this card. Use it, then dump it as soon as you don't need it.
This card is a pretty powerful 6/6 legendary creature, but it takes a lot of mana to play. It has Trample, and when it dies, you destroy all nonland permanents. As a bonus, those nonland permanents can't be regenerated, just to add extra insult to injury.
Chord of Calling has Convoke and allows you to search your library for a creature card with mana value X or less, with X being the card's power. When you get that card, put it into the battlefield and then shuffle. A great way to quickly grab a key card for our strategy.
Finally, we have Diabolic Tutor. This card lets you search your library for a card, put that card into your hand, and then shuffle. It's potentially incredibly powerful, depending on your strategy. I can think of more than a few uses for it, and most of them blend with Sol Ring.
The post All cards in the MTG Secret Lair × Hatsune Miku: Digital Sensation drop appeared first on Destructoid.
Wizards of the Coast has revealed the next Hatsune Miku crossover with Magic: The Gathering. It's yet another Secret Lair drop comprised of six collectible cards that look stunning and will be well worth adding to your decks if you're quick enough to get a copy of the set.
This latest set is called the MTG Secret Lair × Hatsune Miku: Digital Sensation drop. It's the second collaborative drop between the incredibly popular card game and global digital superstar Hatsune Miku. It'll be available as part of the Secret Lair Summer Superdrop 2024, which you can pre-order from June 24, 2024, at 9 AM PT until July 14, 2024, at 11:59 PM PT. You'll have to be quick, though, because I suspect this particular set is going to sell out quickly.
The MTG Secret Lair × Hatsune Miku: Digital Sensation has six new cards for you to add to your collection. As you'd expect, each one is themed around the digital superstar Hatsune Miku. I've outlined every card in the set below so you know what to expect. My favorite is the one shown in the image above, Miku, Child of Song.
If, like me, you haven't purchased a Secret Lair Superdrop for a while, you should know that Wizards of the Coast changed the system a little while ago. Superdrops and Secret Lair sets, in general, are now no longer printed to demand once a campaign finishes. Instead, there's a limited number of everything on offer, so you might miss out if you don't get your order in right away.
This MTG Secret Lair × Hatsune Miku: Digital Sensation will almost certainly be a popular one that sells out faster than most. I tend to sit on Secret Lair drops for a while before I decide what I'm getting, but you won't have that luxury with this one.
Hatsune Miku has a huge following and live shows that must be seen to be believed. As a collector and art-lover, I adore these cards, but they've also opened me up to a library of music that I didn't know I needed in my life and I love them all the more for that.
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Learning the rules of how to play Magic: The Gathering is all you need to do in order to have fun at most tables. But at some point in your journey as a Planeswalker, you may run into an opponent whose deck always has the upper hand against yours. This boils down to the balancing system within MTG, which, like many competitive games, is roughly based on a “Rock, Paper, Scissors” system. The concept is easy to follow, but it isn't as simple as it sounds.
In Magic: The Gathering, there are numerous deck archetypes that represent our rock, paper, and scissors. At the core of MTG (and other card and video games), there are three primary archetypes: Aggro, Control, and Combo. This guide will go over these three archetypes and the Keyword Abilities that contribute to their success. By the end, you’ll be able to identify the archetype of any given deck, along with its strengths and weaknesses.
Starting with one of the easiest-to-understand archetypes, Aggro decks are everything that you think of when you hear “aggressive.” The strategy is to be in your opponent’s face, hitting hard and fast. To do this, Aggro decks primarily contain cards of the Red mana color due to its cheap creatures and Burn spells (such as Lightning Bolt) which are capable of dealing raw damage to any target.
Some abilities that thrive in Aggro decks are Haste, Prowess, and Trample. These abilities allow creatures to dish out damage quickly and efficiently. Remember, the goal of an Aggro deck is to be fast and overwhelm your opponents before they have a chance to establish themselves. You’ll be looking to swing (attack) with all of your creatures in every combat phase, if possible.
Although most Aggro decks in MTG use Red cards, that isn’t to say that other colors can’t be used to build aggressive decks. One of the weaknesses of Red cards is the lack of removal and denial options. Pairing Red with colors that cover its shortcomings, such as Black or Blue, will make for a slightly less aggressive but more well-rounded deck. The popular Gruul Aggro combination uses Red cards to establish an early board advantage and then uses enchants and +1/+1 counters from Green cards to form a powerful mid-game roster.
If you can’t defeat your opponent quickly enough, your army of small creatures won’t be able to stand up against the fearsome monstrosities built by Ramp decks or the various gimmicks that Combo decks employ.
Combo decks are the paper to Aggro decks’ rock, but that metaphor doesn’t paint the whole picture. Your strategy becomes a matter of putting together the pieces of a puzzle. Reliably drawing those pieces and defending your work in progress are the keys to being a successful Combo player. This is why Combo archetypes in MTG perform so well against Aggro strategies; There isn’t a fear of a Counterspell or Exile card awaiting your grand finale.
Each Combo deck has an overall win condition, with most having a few lesser combos included. While there isn’t a particular color that is overrepresented in Combo decks, there are many boxes that need to be checked to succeed.
Helpful spells and abilities for Combo decks in MTG include:
An example of a win condition for a Combo deck would be Revel in Riches. By utilizing the Pirates tribe and their various means of Treasure generation or cards such as Brass’s Bounty, victory is easily attainable.
With an ideal starting hand, Combo decks easily spiral out of control and become a dominant force at the table– or simply win the game. But as we mentioned at the beginning of this guide, this concept is only simple on paper. While Combo strategies excel against Aggro decks, they fall victim to the disruption that Control archetypes specialize in. A simple Counterspell or various forms of removal could put a stop to a Combo deck before it has the chance to get the ball rolling.
With a Control deck, you’re disrupting the opponents’ strategy in every way that you can. This is done with Counterspells, forms of removal such as Destroy or Exile cards, or advanced strategies such as Mill or Discard. It’s because of these tools that Combo decks fear going up against Control decks.
Colors that are synonymous with Control decks are Blue, White, and Black. Each of these colors provides the means to put a stop to any deck strategy out there– so long as you have the cards in hand and mana to spare.
Helpful spells and abilities for Control decks in MTG include:
But while Control decks seem to have all of the solutions for dealing with other deck archetypes, they struggle to close out games on their own. Control decks are notorious for running very few creatures, which greatly limits their offensive capabilities and makes defending those creatures a necessary task for victory. Many Control players resort to unconventional win conditions such as Laboratory Maniac or the various Jace Planeswalkers and their card drawing and milling mechanics.
Control decks can easily dismantle the strategies of Combo decks but struggle to keep up with the output of creatures and spells cast by Aggro players. Players of Control decks will frequently lose mana advantage to Aggro players due to the cost differences between the two. Eventually, Control players will run out of answers to Aggro players’ numerous questions, and defeat becomes inevitable.
Aggro, Combo, and Control archetypes are the foundation of many decks within MTG. There are a vast number of strategies that build off of one or a combination of multiple archetypes to create a unique playstyle. Archetypes such as Tempo or Midrange fuse the strategies of Aggro and Control decks but deploy them at opposing stages of the game.
Wizards of the Coast continues to expand the number of archetypes that exist in the game by introducing new abilities with every set. But at its core, Magic: The Gathering will forever be one of the most captivating games of Rock, Paper, Scissors ever.
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While it might seem unimportant at first, the card sizes and dimensions for Magic: The Gathering cards are actually critical to competitive play and fairness within the community. They not only help to avoid cheating, but they also prevent you from getting scammed.
MTG cards are designed to be a specific size and weight to help protect fans who buy and sell them but also ensure the competitive scene stays free of any cheating. Markedly different cards can have a serious impact on a game, making it difficult to tell what the card does or if the text has even been altered to give a player an advantage through a completely fake rule. If you're buying, selling, or playing with MTG cards, it's worth checking if they're the right size and shape to avoid a humiliating loss.
According to Wizards of the Coast, the official MTG card sizes and dimensions for competitive play are 2.5 inches (6.3 cm) by 3.5 inches (8.8 cm). While foil cards are slightly thicker, most cards are 0.012 inches (0.305 mm) in thickness and weigh between 1.7 and 1.8 grams.
However, there are a few exceptions to these sizes and dimensions. For example, printing errors can create cards that are slightly larger and heavier. The 1997 MTG Vanguard set's Vanguard cards are all 3 inches (7.6 cm) by 5 inches (12.7 cm), meaning they're all larger but are technically tournament-legal. These get set aside at the start of a game, so they're more of a gimmick and don't impact the rest of the game that much.
When it comes to these exceptions, they generally need to be revealed to both the judges and the opponent before a game even starts. If both players agree that a card isn't fake and can be used for a specific purpose, then, most of the time, it can be.
Obviously, this isn't always the case, but when it comes to proxies and cards of that type, the general rule of thumb is that as long as you're upfront about them with your opponent and agree to work with them in your game, they're fine.
The reason MTG cards must conform to specific dimensions, size, and weight is because it's considered marking if they don't. Card marking is illegal in competitive play because it gives you an unfair advantage over your opponent.
You could compare this to drawing a black line on the back of a powerful card or one you know you need for your planned strategy. If you've got a hand that allows you to get your card, if you know that it's potentially only five cards deep in your deck, that's unfair on your opponent who doesn't know where their cards are in their deck.
Furthermore, a weighted card, or one that's slightly bigger than the rest, could make it easier to pick out in cases where your opponent gives you a set of face-down cards to pick from. There are several strategies where bigger cards can be of help in a game, which is why all cards must stick to the outlined sizing.
Another advantage of this strict rule on card sizes is that it makes it harder for anyone to create fake cards and sell them for a profit. This could become a real problem, especially with cards like the One of One Ring from the Tales of Middle-Earth set. If cards didn't have a set weight, even for foil versions, then it would be far too easy to fake rare cards for a profit.
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Dawntrail, the next expansion for Final Fantasy XIV, is just around the corner with a July 2 release date. Ahead of its launch, Square Enix pulled the curtain back on the job changes players can expect to see during the developer’s latest live letter, which included our first in-depth look at the new Viper and…
Local Game Stores are becoming increasingly difficult to find as the world shifts to digital storefronts. Luckily for those living in remote areas or whose favorite store closed down, Magic: The Gathering has a thriving online player base across many platforms.
Many popular platforms take the (excuse the pun) magic from the tabletop to the internet. Each accommodates a variety of game modes and features which makes some more appealing than others.
Player preferences are primarily formed around three criteria:
With those in mind, here are the best ways to play Magic: The Gathering (MTG) online:
While Tabletop Simulator can be used to play virtually any tabletop game, it doesn't mean that it's easy. MTG can be played in Tabletop Simulator but requires a tremendous amount of work for every player involved.
When XMage works, it's one of the best clients for playing MTG online. Unfortunately, XMage is rife with issues both in and out of the game. Players frequently mention being unable to download the client due to website errors or experiencing other game-breaking bugs.
Cockatrice launched in 2010 and was the community’s first attempt at digitizing Magic. Wizard of the Coast’s Magic: The Gathering Online was the primary platform for players who wanted to play Magic over the internet. But for many paper players, paying for an additional digital collection of cards simply wasn’t affordable.
Cockatrice launched with the promise of a completely free-to-play Magic experience online, a promise that has held up to this day.
Pros:
Cons:
As time has passed, so too have the technology and capabilities of the internet. While Cockatrice still receives support and occasional updates, the interface is dated and the client feels like a chat room from the early 2000s. Setting up and playing on Cockatrice has gotten easier over the years, but can still be off-putting to some players.
In 2002, Wizards of the Coast launched Magic: The Gathering Online, which could be considered a pioneer of online card gaming. While heavily criticized for its in-game economy and numerous bugs, MTGO has managed to stay alive despite facing many competitors over its two-decade lifespan.
Unlike Cockatrice, MTGO provides gameplay automation, meaning instead of arguing with your opponents, you can blame the computer for everything (and you will). At any point in time, MTGO can be described as a buggy but complete experience. For those who don’t mind the costs associated with a digital collection, there isn’t a more comprehensive platform for playing Magic online.
Pros:
Cons:
Unfortunately, MTGO is only available in English and on Windows PCs. This severely harms the accessibility factor which lowers our overall rating for MTGO.
Since its launch in 2018, Magic: The Gathering Arena has been the reigning champ when it comes to the most streamlined MTG experience on the market. Arena is a vast improvement over Wizards of the Coast’s first child, MTGO. The UI has been modernized and the game rules engine was built from the ground up and is written in a way that allows for endless development.
Pros:
Cons:
Even though it has a smaller card library and only five game modes (four of which are similar to but not entirely identical to paper MTG game modes), Arena earns its place as #2. For people new to Magic, Arena is the place to be. While other options mostly cater to people already familiar with MTG, Arena provides a tutorial, helpful tooltips, and beginner decks to introduce beginners to various mechanics.
SpellTable is the new kid on the block (or at least on this list). During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the future of paper MTG was unclear. SpellTable, previously known as VirtualEDH, was quickly developed as a way to keep the Commander game mode alive (since Commander had limited online support at the time).
Within months of its inception, SpellTable joined Wizards of the Coast and was able to expand support to all formats. SpellTable maintains the authentic paper MTG experience by utilizing a mobile phone or webcam and a good ol’ tabletop surface. Over time, the developers have enhanced the app with features that create a sort of “paper Magic 2.0” feeling.
Pros:
Cons:
Despite being created as a temporary solution for paper MTG due to social distancing, SpellTable has continued to be a popular choice for playing MTG online by players around the world. No other app captures the “dining room table with your buddies” aspect of Magic: The Gathering quite like SpellTable does.
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As of 2024, there are over 27,000 unique cards in Magic: The Gathering. But despite the high number of cards, most formats such as Standard and Pauper include restrictions for the types of cards allowed. If you’ve found your parent’s old MTG cards or came across some at a garage sale, chances are the cards can’t be used in a majority of the game modes that local game stores (LGS) hold events for.
One type of game mode that is an exception to this is considered the most popular game mode of Magic: The Gathering: Commander. It's a little different from your normal Magic duel.
Commander, also known as Elder Dragon Highlander (EDH), is considered the most popular (and most fun) format in Magic: The Gathering. Walk into any LGS and if there are MTG players, they most likely have a Commander deck. So what separates this format from the rest?
An additional rule in Commander that helps players get home at a decent hour is the Commander Damage rule. If a Commander deals at least 21 combat damage to an opponent over the course of the game, that opponent loses the game. So don’t worry, if your former friend has a field of Lifelink Angels and their health is well over 300, you don’t have to swing on them until midnight.
Other than these rules, everything plays exactly how typical Magic: The Gathering modes do. So with these rules in mind, it’s time to move on to what my personal favorite part of Commander is: deckbuilding.
Commander decks have 40 more cards than their Standard counterparts. While that seems like it’d make for a more expensive game mode, the opposite is true. Since Commander has far fewer restrictions and banned cards, it means that the demand for the majority of cards is much lower than that of the Standard format.
Local game stores often have boxes with unsorted cards that are perfect for filling out a Commander deck, often priced under a dollar. Online, many of these cards go for as little as a penny each. With that in mind, here are the rules for building a Commander deck in Magic: The Gathering:
Having access to nearly the entire library of MTG cards makes putting together a cheap, well-built deck much more accessible for players. It’s worth noting that your Commander or any other card in your deck doesn’t have to be in English. You can find great deals on MTG cards in various languages by using sites such as EDHREC or Scryfall which have many filter options that streamline your card search.
Wizards of the Coast makes it even easier to jump into Commander by selling preconstructed (pre-con) Commander decks. Wizards has begun to increase the number of Commander precon sets every year, with 2023 having 25 Commander precons, up from past years that saw only 4-5 decks being released. These preconstructed decks provide access to Commanders that are crafted specifically for the game mode and are a solid foundation for new players.
Many guides can be found in the MTG community that give ideas on how to take pre-con decks to a higher level with various budget options. However, it’s recommended that you learn how the Commander plays first so that you understand what synergies or directions that the deck can take before you begin spending money.
Unlike Standard, Commander decks truly feel like your own. Instead of chasing a meta where everybody plays Azorius Control and players know the exact decklist that their opponents have, Commander allows for endless possibilities. You can build around your favorite Legendary creature, your favorite tribe, or construct a deck entirely around a single win condition (such as this example from Commander Mechanic with the Luck Bobblehead from the Fallout Universes Beyond set).
With your first Commander deck in hand, you’re ready to join players of the most popular format in Magic: The Gathering. If you don’t have an LGS near you or you’re hesitant to put your friendships on the line with an absurd deck strategy, you’re in luck. Nowadays, MTG is easier than ever to play online, with options for every type of player. From official platforms such as Magic: The Gathering Online or SpellTable, to community-managed apps like Cockatrice and XMage, your cards won't ever have a chance to collect dust.
The post How to play Commander in Magic: The Gathering (MTG) appeared first on Destructoid.
You don’t have to have ever played Magic: The Gathering to be familiar with its mythical Black Lotus: a powerful card from the game’s first set that now routinely fetches eye-popping amounts in the collectible market. But no Black Lotus, no matter how pristine or rare, has ever sold for $3 million. It’s such a…
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