Tag Archives: mtg

Unusual M:TG Creature Types, part 1: Sphinx

August 8, 2013 Robin 1 Comment

With all the popular decks built around ubiquitous creature types (such as Elves, Fairies, Merfolk, Elves, Angels, Goblins, Elves, Zombies, Clerics, and did I mention Elves? LOL!), many of the other, less-printed creature types can go by unnoticed. As a direct result of both number of creatures printed and “the new hot decks” being played to death in tournaments, most MTG players don’t often get to dig into these rarer creature types (which is what spurred this new series of blog posts).

Thus, I begin my “Unusual Creature Types” series with a personal favorite rare creature type: the Sphinxes!

What Do the Sphinxes Do?

Basically, the Sphinx creature type is Blue’s answer to Angels. Sphinx of the Steel Wind, at left, is as close to Akroma, Angel of Wrath as you can get (all that’s different about her abilities is what colors she’s got protection from, and the lifelink instead of haste).

Aside from flying like Angels, however, the 27 Sphinxes printed so far in M:TG operate very differently from their White counterparts. Sphinxes provide a lot of card draw, offer a fair amount of synergy with artifacts, and have neat mechanics where you can name a card and then do something cool with that information (like Isperia the Inscrutable’s ability, seen below). Otherwise, Sphinxes can manipulate cards, shuffle and search libraries, mill opponents, or glance ahead at the top card of your deck.

The cheapest Sphinx so far is Vexing Sphinx, at 3 mana; the most expensive Sphinxes are 8 mana (both Sphinx Sovereign and Sphinx of the Steel Wind cost this much)–the mana curve is very similar to Angels. Primarily, Sphinxes are Blue, but a few splash in White and Black; they feature huge power and toughness (but, unlike Angels, their toughnesses are often larger than their powers). Sphinxes can definitely handle combat, but only a few of their number actually deal with boosting P/T or are given combat-centric abilities such as vigilance.

Overall, Sphinxes are a really interesting addition to Blue; they take the Angels’ basic combat numbers and add card draw and manipulation to the mix. I like ’em–how about you?

Other Examples of the Sphinx Creature Type

(Images of cards retrieved from MagicCards.info)

Further Research: Complete List of Sphinxes in Magic: the Gathering

Gatherer Search: Sphinx

Thursday in the Zone

Mental Magic

July 18, 2013 Robin Leave a comment

If you’re familiar with Magic: the Gathering and other such games, you know that usually, you come to the gaming table with a deck you built ahead of time, and you know generally how to play the deck so that it wins.

The only problem with this setup is that boredom can set in after a while. After you’ve played the same two or three decks against another player, it almost becomes predictable–you play this card, then this one and this one, and then in a few turns, you win. There’s not a lot to shake it up.

That, my friend, is where Mental Magic comes into play (quite literally). If you want an unpredictable Magic game that makes you REALLY think about the cards you’re playing, give it a shot!

How to Play

A game of Mental Magic always begins with a big random stack of cards and at least two players (though it’s hilarious with four or more). Each player draws seven cards to fill up their hand, then they choose who goes first (first player doesn’t draw). Then the game begins!

The basic challenge of Mental Magic: to play these randomly-drawn cards not as themselves, but as another card with the exact same mana cost. For instance, if I drew a Fog (with the mana cost of 1 green), I could not play that card as Fog–I would have to think of another card which costs 1 green instead, such as Noble Hierarch, Llanowar Elves, Rancor, Oxidize, etc. Once you have played a card name, you cannot play another card by that same name until the game is over.

This requires you to have more internal card knowledge, not depending on a decklist or an established strategy, but depending on your own wits. This is a great way to test how much Magic knowledge you have, AND you can learn from your group of friends as you play.

Now, from here, Mental Magic’s rules diverge greatly depending on the group you learn it from. There are several different rules sets out there, so I’m going to briefly cover a few of them under the following headings.

Mental Magic the Mike Flores Way

Players can play out of a single shared library or have separate libraries.
You can play any card facedown as a land which can produce 1 mana of any color.
Make sure to have a good mix of colors and mana costs, for the most randomized and fun game.
All lands should be taken out of the stack of cards beforehand, so they don’t get confusing.
Don’t play deck-searching cards, land-return cards, or cards that get stuff back out of the graveyard–these effects are too overpowered for Mental Magic.
Follow the Type 1.5 Banned/Restricted list.

Source:
Mental Magic: The Beginning

Mental Magic the Team War Zone Way

Players have separate libraries.
Some nonbasic lands may be allowed, and played as any other land card.
Basic lands are sorted into a separate pile and divided amongst the players–these piles are called “Utopia Libraries,” and these lands can be played facedown or faceup as a land which can generate 1 mana of any color.
When you draw as a part of your turn, you can either draw a card from your regular library or from your Utopia Library.
Any spell that targets a player’s library can target either the regular one or the Utopia Library.
When a card is discarded to the graveyard, you can name it as a particular card, but you don’t have to.
Certain cards’ rules texts have to be bent a bit for Mental Magic’s unusual format, such as Gaea’s Blessing, Demonic Tutor, Timetwister, etc. See linked rules document for a complete list and appropriate rulings.

Source:
Mental Magic Rules V1.21

Mental Magic the Steven Glowacki Way

Players preferably have separate libraries.
Lands can be left in the stack or taken out at players’ discretion.
Certain card mechanics, such as Domain, spells requiring certain land type, library searching, graveyard abilities, flashback, etc., should preferably not be played, since they can be too strong for the format or may not work properly.
The cycle of Wishes (Golden Wish, Burning Wish, etc.) should preferably not be included.
Be careful with mechanics like Cycling, Madness, and Morph. (See linked rules document for more on this.)

Source:
Laying the Rules for Mental Magic

Footnote: Mental Magic Strategies, and Why They’re Kind of Unnecessary

There are several articles out there discussing ways to build up a good stack of cards for Mental Magic, and what kinds of cards and plays to set up. For instance, Mike Flores’ Mental Magic: Basic Strategy article demonstrates a few basic things, and ChannelFireball’s Travis Woo discusses more metagame tactics on Breaking Mental Magic.

Trying to strategize is great, and if that helps you enjoy the game more, then go right ahead. But I think that actively strategizing to win a game of Mental Magic kind of misses the point. After all, Mental Magic’s not really a tournament, and it’s not really a real format of Magic (at least, not yet). It’s basically a way to expand and test your knowledge of the cards that have been printed, and it’s all up to chance what kind of cards you draw.

Yes, you can come up with some cool combos, very splashy effects, and even a game-winning effect on occasion, but that’s just icing on the cake. Mental Magic offers you a rare opportunity to learn from other players about cards you may have never seen printed, or to use 2 or 3 cards together in a way you would have never tried before. It offers room to innovate, room to try dumb things that actually end up working when they hit the table. It’s great just as it is; it provides a lot of laughs and a lot of camaraderie along the way, if you don’t get too caught up in trying to “win win win.”

Flipping Cards Like Burgers: The Transform Mechanic

June 27, 2013 Robin Leave a comment

One of the more recent mechanics introduced in Magic: the Gathering is the “Transform” effect–if you’ve gotten any cards that have both front and back faces printed with a Magic card, then you’ve seen cards that behave like this. They can seem difficult to learn, but as you’ll see in the following article, there are just a few simple rules:

How Do You Play Transforming Cards?

Above, you see Village Ironsmith and Ironfang, which are two sides of the same card. When you have a Transforming card in your deck, you start out by playing the side of the card marked with the “sun” symbol face up. (Note that the “moon” symbol side doesn’t have a mana cost, so you couldn’t just cast it directly onto the battlefield anyway.)

Next, check the rules text of the card to see what conditions would trigger the card to be Transformed. In Village Ironsmith’s case, it’s when no spells were cast last turn. Then the card is flipped over to reveal the moon side of the card–and Ironfang comes into play!

Note that when two or more spells are played while Ironfang is face-up, the card flips back over to be Village Ironsmith again. There are some cards which can transform back and forth during the game, and there are some, like the pair of cards below, which cannot transform back and forth:

Cloistered Youth, seen above at left, can be transformed into Unholy Fiend, but Unholy Fiend cannot transform back into Cloistered Youth. Just watch the rules text when you’re playing a Transforming card, to make sure you’re playing it right!

Other Important Rulings to Know

Transforming cards are officially called “double-faced cards” in M:TG lingo. This just refers to the actual card itself, not any game effects.
When a double-faced card is in your hand, just pretend the moon side of the card doesn’t exist if someone has to look at your hand, or you have to reveal cards from your hand, etc.
When one side of the card is face-up on the battlefield, the other side’s information doesn’t count.
If you Enchant or Equip a Transforming card with an item, or if you put any counters on it, those effects stay with the card even when it transforms. (YAY, no wasted spells!)

More Examples of Transforming Cards

The Transform mechanic is not limited to creatures or to certain colors–there are many types and colors of cards that reference Transformation or take part in it! Green gets quite a few Transformers, for instance (no Optimus Prime, unfortunately :P). Plus, artifacts, planeswalkers, and even an instant or two get in on the action, as seen below:

For Further Information

Transform Mechanic Article @ Wizards.com
Transform Official Rulings and Knowledge Base @ MTGSalvation Wiki
MagicCards.info (where I retrieved the card images for this post)

Thursday in the Zone

Graceful Shades and Lines: The Art of Rebecca Guay

June 13, 2013 Robin Leave a comment

Of all the art in Magic: the Gathering, many of my favorite card arts come from one artist: Rebecca Guay.

She’s well known throughout many fantasy gaming franchises, such as Magic: the Gathering, the World of Warcraft TCG, and Dungeons and Dragons, but I first became acquainted with her art through M:TG. I was immediately drawn to her use of subtle shading, thin lines, and overall soft coloring, plus the general subject matter of beautiful natural landscapes and graceful yet powerful ladies dressed in flowing, soft fabrics. All the pictures seemed like the kind of illustrations I remembered from fairy tale books, just right for some of the fantasy flavor that M:TG included in its worlds.

So, with this appreciation for her artwork, it seemed only right that I should honor some of my favorite Magic: the Gathering card arts by her in a blog post. Scroll through and see what I mean about “graceful shades and lines!”

For More Information

MagicCards.info (where I retrieved all the card images)
RebeccaGuay.com
Wikipedia article about Rebecca Guay
Gatherer Card Search: Cards illustrated by Rebecca Guay

Thursday in the Zone

Favorite Magic Cards, part 3: Permanents

May 30, 2013 Robin Leave a comment

I enjoy playing permanents in my M:TG decks, certainly much more than playing one-turn-only spells–I like game effects that continue on past one turn, that help me build up strength, life points, etc. The following twelve cards help me toward that long-term-survival goal:

Angelic Chorus: Finally, a reward for playing the creatures with huge toughnesses! Indomitable Ancients, anyone?	Boon Reflection: Because gaining single-digit totals of life is paltry. 😀
Pristine Talisman: Hmm, tap it to not only get a mana, but gain a life. Fun with Well of Lost Dreams. xD	Quiet Disrepair: This is one of those cards you can use to destroy your opponent’s enchantment or artifact, or use on your own stuff to gain a free 2 life every turn. It’s a win-win!
Scourge of the Nobilis: Firebreathing and lifelink, together in one creature enchantment!	Shield of the Oversoul: I admit it: I play this because of the indestructible ability. Makes Green stompy creatures that much funnier.
Steel of the Godhead: The combo of lifelink and unblockability is AWESOME.	Story Circle: Because the Circles of Protection, as cool as they are, are only situational. THIS one covers the board.
Sun Droplet: Because it’s hilarious to watch your opponents grimace as you get back all the life points they knocked from you, one turn at a time.	Test of Endurance: I love this win condition so much I have a deck built around it.
Wheel of Sun and Moon: The #1 way to survive a mill deck’s onslaught. Also funny in a deck that draws a lot of cards–this way, you don’t accidentally deck yourself!	Worship: Just never block with your last creature, and make sure you have a way to quickly put out another creature on the fly, and you won’t have to worry about dying from combat damage!

Thursday in the Zone

Favorite Magic Cards, part 2: Spells

May 23, 2013 Robin Leave a comment

Building off of last week’s post about favorite creatures, this week I’m focusing on favorite spells in Magic: the Gathering. This list is much, much shorter, because I don’t play a whole lot of spells–I usually play permanents more than anything. But these eight cards have made the list:

Dawnglow Infusion: Epic life-gain for Green/White.	Dwell on the Past: Not only do I love the art for this card, but the ability to bring back 4 cards from the graveyard for 1 mana is very attractive.
Holy Day: Also known as “how to completely frustrate your combat-heavy opponent for one turn.” 😀 (I also like Fog and Darkness for the same reason.)	Kindle: This card’s strength ramps up over time–eventually you’ll be able to do 5 damage for 2 mana. And if your opponent is using Kindle also…well, the damage can get pretty silly. 😀
Lightning Bolt: Simple. Effective. Classic.	Lightning Helix: Being able to do direct damage to a creature or player, PLUS life-gain? YES PLEASE!
Rootgrapple: See how this says “destroy target noncreature permanent?” That means this card can destroy LANDS. Treefolk have Land Destruction. Awwwwwww YEAH.	Safewright Quest: Being able to search for a Plains on first turn is POWERFUL. This one card helps the mana flow in about 90% of my decks.

Thursday in the Zone

Favorite Magic Cards, part 1: Creatures

May 16, 2013 Robin 1 Comment

Ever since I started playing Magic back in 2005, I’ve had a growing list of creatures that are just plain favorites to use in decks. Maybe it’s because I like using the creature type, or maybe it’s because they’re just plain GOOD for how much mana you invest in them. Whatever the reason, the following creatures are and probably always will be standouts for me:

Akroma, Angel of Wrath: An old favorite for her slew of abilities.	Avatar of Hope: I love the big toughness and “able to block any number of creatures” ability.
Beacon of Destiny: Redirect all damage to this creature, no matter its source? Why not?	Beloved Chaplain: Protection from creatures for two mana. Not bad!
Courier Hawk: The 2 toughness and vigilance is more help than it seems!	Dawn Elemental: Flying 3/3 that can’t be killed by damage…WIN.
Dawnstrider: A creature which can Fog when you Spellshape. What an unexpected bonus!	Empyrial Archangel: A defensive instead of aggressive Angel. Me likey.
Elvish Piper: Makes playing the huge-mana-cost creatures actually worthwhile!	Essence Warden: Because Green needed quick, creature-based life-gain, too. LOL
Exalted Angel: One of the first Angels with lifelink, and even more fun with the Morph ability.	Grizzled Leotau: A Green/White creature with a huge toughness…which costs only two mana!
Indomitable Ancients: Because a 10 toughness for 4 mana is just hilarious.	Jenara, Asura of War: A multi-colored Angel for only 3 mana (gasp!), with the ability to get more P/T over time.
Jhessian Infiltrator: I love the low-mana-cost Unblockable damage, especially in Green.	Krosan Cloudscraper: Admit it, swinging for 13 with one creature is pretty hilarious.
Pride of the Clouds: Love the artwork; plus, this is one cat that likes fighting alongside the birds!	Skyhunter Skirmisher: White so rarely gets double strike, and this is flying double strike at that!
Timber Protector: I’ve built a Treefolk deck. ‘Nuff said. 🙂	Wall of Hope: This is hilarious to play on your first turn, because of the defense/life-gain combo.
Yavimaya Dryad: Absolutely need a Forest? She’s got you covered. Need to give the other player a Forest so that your creatures can Forestwalk? She’s got that, too.	Yavimaya Enchantress: Funny with Blanchwood Armor, Gaea’s Anthem, and the like. 😀

Image Credits

All card images came from Gatherer.

Thursday in the Zone

How to Tell How Old Your M:TG Cards Are

May 2, 2013 Robin 3 Comments

Most of us Magic: the Gathering players began our collections with a fairly random assortment of cards, a mix of the most current booster packs plus some donated cards from other players’ collections. Because of this, sometimes it can be hard to know exactly what value your cards have, or even what set the cards are from in some cases.

So I compiled this handy little guide, with the help of my awesome boyfriend (who’s been playing Magic since Revised came out), to help all of us know what sets some of those unidentifiable “old cards” come from. Who knows, you might be sitting on a small fortune and not know it!

For these illustrations, I used the card “Healing Salve,” which was printed from Alpha all the way through 8th edition–it shows how the early sets changed and varied.

	Alpha Heavily-rounded corners (compare to modern card and see the difference) Black borders Big rules text No copyright date No set symbol
	Beta Normal rounded corners (same as modern-day cards) Black borders Big rules text No copyright date No set symbol
	Unlimited White borders Normal corners Big rules text No copyright date No set symbol
	Revised Card colors look lighter overall–light print run Smaller rules text White borders No copyright date No set symbol
	4th Edition Copyright 1995 on the bottom of the card White borders No set symbol
	5th Edition Copyright 1997 on the bottom of the card White borders No set symbol (except for the Chinese release which had a Roman numeral V)
	6th Edition (aka “Classic 6th Edition) Set symbol: VI (but see note about early set symbols and card rarity, below) White borders

Chronicles Reprints

The set called Chronicles, which was released in July of 1995, was a set made up entirely of reprints from older sets–a mega Core Set, if you will. However, for each reprinted card, Chronicles used the card’s original set symbol instead of the Chronicles official set symbol.

The only difference between an original printing and a Chronicles reprint? The border color. The original sets all used black borders; Chronicles used white. See the example below:

Original Legends printing

Chronicles reprint

The Chronicles reprints are worth less, usually, than their original-print counterparts. Be wary if someone claims to be selling original prints of these cards–check the border color before you buy it at top price!

Set Symbols and Rarity

Unlike modern sets, many older sets either did not have set symbols at all, or only had a black set symbol for all cards, no matter what their rarity. In June 1998, Wizards of the Coast released the set called Exodus, which introduced the color-coded rarity system: black for common, silver for uncommon, and gold for rare, as seen below:

Be sure to look up the real value of older cards with no color-coded set symbols–what everyone else thinks is a “common” card (because of its black symbol) may in fact be a rare!

Useful Resources/Credits for Card Information

Gatherer (card images)
EssentialMagic.com’s Card Sets List (some set information)
CrystalKeep.com’s Symbols List (Exodus symbols)

Thursday in the Zone

Never Ask “What’s That M:TG Set Symbol?” Again!

April 18, 2013 Robin Leave a comment

Over the last few years, Magic: the Gathering has released many official sets–but those are not their only products. In fact, there have also been quite a few special collections, such as the Duel Decks, the From The Vault collections, and the Premium Deck series. Plus, there have been new formats introduced, such as Commander and Archenemy.

All of these mentioned products have their own set symbols, and that leads to quite a bit of confusion for both M:TG newbies and veterans. I’ve heard quite a few M:TG players trying to figure out these rarer symbols, and I’ve been a little bewildered by it all as well. Finally I decided to compile a reference article about it, to help us all learn these special symbols. (I’ve covered only the last three years in Magic, to cover as many “new cards” and “new sets” as possible in a short article.)

Special Collections for New Formats

Set Symbol	Set Name	Release Date
	Archenemy	June 2010
	Commander	June 2011
	Commander’s Arsenal	November 2012

Duel Decks

Set Symbol	Set Name	Release Date
	Phyrexia vs. The Coalition	March 2010
	Elspeth vs. Tezzeret	September 2010
	Knights vs. Dragons	April 2011
	Ajani vs. Nicol Bolas	September 2011
	Venser vs. Koth	March 2012
	Izzet vs. Golgari	September 2012
	Sorin vs. Tibalt	March 2013
	Heroes vs. Monsters	September 2013

Premium Deck Series

Set Symbol	Set Name	Release Date
	Fire & Lightning	November 2010
	Graveborn	November 2011

From the Vault Collections

Set Symbol	Set Name	Release Date
	From the Vault: Relics	August 2010
	From the Vault: Legends	August 2011
	From the Vault: Realms	August 2012
	From the Vault: Twenty	August 2013

Expansion Sets

Set Symbol	Set Name	Release Date
	Scars of Mirrodin	October 2010
	Mirrodin Besieged	February 2011
	New Phyrexia	May 2011
	Innistrad	September 2011
	Dark Ascension	February 2012
	Avacyn Restored	May 2012
	Return to Ravnica	October 2012
	Gatecrash	February 2013
	Dragon’s Maze	May 2013

(All the preceding symbols were retrieved from the MTG Salvation Wiki, an excellent resource for set symbols and tons more M:TG information.)

Thursday in the Zone

New M:TG Abilities, part 2: Gatecrash

March 21, 2013 Robin Leave a comment

The very latest Magic set (as of February 1st), Gatecrash features five more new keyword abilities, one for each of its featured dual-color guilds. As we examine these, you might just find another one you want to fit into your deck–there are some REALLY interesting ones here!

Ability Keyword	Associated Guild	Rules Text	More Info
Battalion	Boros Legion	This mechanic means slightly different things on every card, but it always activates when the battalion-bearing creature and at least two others are attacking at the same time.	Battalion @ MTGSalvation Wiki
Cipher	House Dimir	702.97a Cipher appears on some instants and sorceries. It represents two static abilities, one that functions while the spell is on the stack and one that functions while the card with cipher is in the exile zone. “Cipher” means “If this spell is represented by a card, you may exile this card encoded on a creature you control” and “As long as this card is encoded on that creature, that creature has ‘Whenever this creature deals combat damage to a player, you may copy this card and you may cast the copy without paying its mana cost.'” 702.97b The term “encoded” describes the relationship between the card with cipher while in the exile zone and the creature chosen when the spell represented by that card resolves. 702.97c The card with cipher remains encoded on the chosen creature as long as the card with cipher remains exiled and the creature remains on the battlefield. The card remains encoded on that object even if it changes controller or stops being a creature, as long as it remains on the battlefield.	Cipher @ MTGSalvation Wiki
Bloodrush	Gruul Clans	Allows players to discard creature cards in order to give an attacking creature a temporary power/toughness boost equal to the power and toughness of the discarded creature card.	Bloodrush @ MTGSalvation Wiki
Extort	Orzhov Syndicate	702.99a Extort is a triggered ability. “Extort” means “Whenever you cast a spell, you may pay 1 black or white mana. If you do, each opponent loses 1 life and you gain life equal to the total life lost this way.” 702.99b If a permanent has multiple instances of extort, each triggers separately.	Extort @ MTGSalvation Wiki
Evolve	Simic Combine	702.98a Evolve is a triggered ability. “Evolve” means “Whenever a creature enters the battlefield under your control, if that creature’s power is greater than this creature’s power and/or that creature’s toughness is greater than this creature’s toughness, put a +1/+1 counter on this creature.” 702.99b If a creature has multiple instances of evolve, each triggers separately.	Evolve @ MTGSalvation Wiki

Which Ability is Right for You?

If you love playing creature-heavy decks (especially with lots of weenie creatures) and attacking all out every turn, Battalion is your new favorite ability.
If you like to put extra abilities on creatures, but hate how easily Enchant Creature cards are destroyed in-game, you will DEFINITELY want to try Cipher.
If you always end up with one creature out on the field and three or four in your hand unable to be played (due to mana problems, etc.), Bloodrush will work wonders for you.
If you already have a Black/White deck, or if you’ve always been intrigued by the color combo, you’ll want to start gathering Extort cards–it’s pretty much exactly how Black/White has always worked, with a little more punch. (And it’s HILARIOUS in group games!)
If you don’t like ending up late-game with a bunch of 1/1s sitting helplessly alongside your beefy attacker, having a few creatures with the Evolve ability will help your deck ramp up in strength as turns go by.