Darksteel: Master Blaster Review (Part 2 of 2)
It’s our last visit to the world of Mirrodin for awhile, as we’re concluding with Darksteel and likely won’t be back until Fifth Dawn. It’s been a fun return, and we’re ending on a high with a look at Master Blaster. To try and thwart me, Jimi’s grabbed the modular-filled Transference. Which deck will come out on top?
Darksteel: Master Blaster Review (Part 1 of 2)
Gen-X quiz time! Imagine for a moment that you’re a young musician in a rock band. You get up on a Saturday morning, head with your friends to your rehearsal space, and begin jamming out to your signature tune. Suddenly, a nearby mirror clouds over, and a sinister figure declares that he’s kidnapping you to a fantasy realm, where you’ll be transformed into cartoon characters and forced to play as his ‘musical slaves… forever!’ It might sound preposterous, but hey, this was the stuff of pop culture television in the early 80’s. The show was Kidd Video, and the villain? Well…
Darksteel: Swarm & Slam Review (Part 2 of 2)
It’s go time for the tokens deck as Swarm & Slam takes the field. Joining me at the table is Jimi, who is piloting Mind Swarm. Which deck will come out on top? We find out as we put Swarm & Slam to the test!
Darksteel: Swarm & Slam Review (Part 1 of 2)
Ten mana will get you quite a lot these days. Regardless of colour, cobble together that much at the very least and you’ve got yourself an Eldrazi, either Kozilek, Butcher of Truth or the Spawnsire of Ulamog. Magic 2013’s Omniscience costs ten- albeit three of it Blue- and lets you play your spells and creatures from your hand for free. It could also get you a Broodstar, crush your opponent’s board with a Curse of the Cabal, blast the board itself with a Soulscour or Decree of Annihilation, or even summon Progenitus itself to your aid. You know what else ten mana can get you?
A single 1/1 flying creature token.
Darksteel: Transference Review (Part 2 of 2)
Modular is the name of the game as I prepare to take on Sam and playtest Transference. Certainly the ability to shift +1/+1 counters about is exactly the kind of “waste not, want not” strategy that can lead to victory, but how does the deck stack up? To find out, she shuffled up the White/Green Swarm & Slam.
Darksteel: Transference Review (Part 1 of 2)
In August of 2009, the second From the Vaults product was released to considerable fanfare. Unlike the previous From the Vaults: Dragons, this was a rogues’ gallery of sorts, a wretched hive of scum and villainy selected from throughout Magic’s long history. Some, like the Kird Ape or Serendib Efreet, seemed innocuous once removed from historical context. Others had a much more malignant pedigree.
Darksteel: Mind Swarm Review (Part 2 of 2)
We’re back to the world of Mirrodin as we kick off our Darksteel reviews! We begin with the playtest of Mind Swarm, a Black weenie and discard construction. Joining me at the table is Jimi, who’s happy to pilot the mono-Red Master Blaster. Both colours play aggressively, but today only one will play for keeps!
Darksteel: Mind Swarm Review (Part 1 of 2)
In October of 2000, Wizards of the Coast released a new compilation set called Beatdown. Designed to highlight some of the biggest, fattest creatures in the history of the game, the two decks of this Duel Decks antecedent featured cards like the Ernham Djinn and Sengir Vampire, and encouraged play in the red zone with reckless abandon. Nestled amongst the other Red cards in the set was the game’s first-ever “Y-spell,” not counting anything with a silver border. Except it wasn’t a new spell- just an old one, re-costed.
Mercadian Masques: Deepwood Menace Review (Part 2 of 2)
As we prepare to take our leave of the world of Mercadia, we’ve one last battle to be fought. Joining me is Samantha, who will be piloting with Tidal Mastery. Can I end on a high note?
Mercadian Masques: Deepwood Menace Review (Part 1 of 2)
Probably moreso than any other single person, lead designer Mark Rosewater is the public face of Magic. Through his Twitter and Tumblr accounts as well as his “Drive to Work” weekly solo podcast, he stays connected on a near-daily basis to the fans and players of the game. That isn’t to say, though, that he has that market wrapped up, and it is just as interesting to see some of the ways other members of Wizards connect with the community.
Ertai's Lament 