Here's a #scryfalltip for the civic-minded among you: @scryfall.com really benefits from high-quality scans submitted by normal people, just like you! In fact, they maintain a list of cards for which such scans are still needed; just search for: is:wanted unique:prints

Let's play Spot The Difference! There is exactly one difference between these two iterations of the same card (which is the back side of Kuja, Genome Sorcerer). Can you spot it?

This -- a single creature type appearing on mono-colored cards of all five colors in one set -- has actually happened a lot! Mainly with Human, but that's boring, so here are some of the primary examples: Phyrexian in ONE Spirit in CHK, BOK, and SOK Phyrexian in NPH and MOM ...

Here is one of my favorite ways to visualize color strength in a Limited format, for TLA. You can see there is a little bit of stratification among the commons, but the lines are still reasonably tangled-up. Blue a bit deeper at the top, white a bit deeper overall...

@anthony.luckypaper.co @andy.luckypaper.co Was the intro to this episode just... intro music? No bit? Or was the music a reference that went over my head?

Shadowfax-worthy

Here's a #scryfalltip for the civic-minded among you: @scryfall.com really benefits from high-quality scans submitted by normal people, just like you! In fact, they maintain a list of cards for which such scans are still needed; just search for: is:wanted unique:prints

Let's play Spot The Difference! There is exactly one difference between these two iterations of the same card (which is the back side of Kuja, Genome Sorcerer). Can you spot it?

If folks are worried about Dredge, how about a little guy who does the "rummage to library" thing? 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐡𝐞𝐭 {R} Creature -- Imp Sorcerer When ~ enters, you may put a card from your hand on the bottom of your library. If you do, draw a card. 1/1

Someone asked @maro254.bsky.social whether there were any palindromic Magic cards. I have done some looking into this...

I find it kind of interesting that for 2mv, we have *many* versions of the 1/1 creature that cantrips, but there is no 1mv 1/1 creature that ETB loots nor one that rummages. As in literally just, "When this creature enters, draw a card, then discard a card."

What abstract concept needs to be made into an Elemental next? And what color(s) should it be? Like.... 𝐀𝐧𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐞: black 𝐒𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫: red 𝐁𝐨𝐧𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐞: white 𝐙𝐞𝐢𝐭𝐠𝐞𝐢𝐬𝐭: white/black 𝐀𝐦𝐛𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞: black/red 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐲: blue

(Warning: mostly-Pauper-Cube-related thoughts) I *love* these spellslinger → +1/+1 counter cards, but I've come to the realization that they're just not good enough. I think one of the strengths of Izzet is the cheap spells, especially ones that replace themselves, but...

#dotschart for commons in TLA, ordered by GIHWR: 🔵🔴⚪🔵🔵⚪⚪🔵🔴🔵 ⚪⚪🔴🟡⚪⚪🟤🔵🟢⚫ ⚫🟤⚪🔴🟢🟢🟢⚪🔵⚪ 🟢🔘⚫🟤🟡🟡🟤🟡🟤🟤 🟤🟢🔘⚫⚫🟡🟤🟢🔵🟢 🟤⚫🔴🟡🟤⚪🔵🔵⚫⚫ 🟡🔴🟡🔘🟤🔘⚫🔴🔵🔵 🟢⚫⚪🟡⚪🔴🔴🟢🟡⚫ 🔴⚫🔴🟢🔵⚫🔴🟢🔴🟢 🔘

So true,

This is apparently just how divided in half is shown on German cards.

Do this, and then send me your nominees for 𝐀𝐫𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐳𝐞𝐫 𝐋𝐢𝐥' 𝐆𝐮𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫.

Davchrohn, on Reddit, shares a German printing of Wan Shi Tong, Librarian with a fractional "ˣ ∕₂", which as far as I know, is totally unprecedented. But extremely charming. Zimone and I are very much in favor of adding _more_ math to Magic cards.

Which lines of Magic rules text "go hardest"?

A noble lineage

A noble lineage

Challenge: find a creature that's less blockable (without "can't be blocked")

Here is a list of keyword abilities that have never appeared* on the same creature: reach, flying🤷‍♂️ trample, deathtouch😕 horsemanship, flying🙄 lifelink, defender😯 defender, deathtouch💣 vigilance, hexproof👀 ward, defender✋ double strike, defender👊👊 prowess, first strike 💪

How.much of the strength of these two blue removal spells (#1 and #10 commons through two days, by GIHWR) is due to their getting around the "dies or is exiled" clause on Earthbent lands? In this set, these are blue land destruction spells a non-trivial portion of the time...

What are the other 6 cards in this unofficial cycle* that I'm asserting exists? You can also feel free to quibble with the four I've chosen here.

After one day, the top 5 commons (4 shown here, of course) are all removal. 3 of them are Lessons, which is cool. I have heard people claim that removal is overrated, but I've never understood where they're getting that idea.

Do we think, in the upcoming The Hobbit set, that we will see reprints of these 1-mana landcyclers in the conventional (non-UB) frame? (I'm really hoping so; but not particularly optimistic...)

Thanks to #P0P1 participants, I can share with you a little wisdom-of-the-crowds preview for TLA. These cards were the ones most picked for the contest, and that's usually a decent predictor of GIHWR. So, until we begin getting @17lands.bsky.social data, here's a start.

I'm sure I'm the last person to notice this, but if you cast Cycle of Renewal, but sac an Earthbent land... you actually get to bring it back, tapped. So you're just netting two lands!

Wow; I didn't really appreciate how often I type [CTRL]-n scr [Tab] until this outage happened. www.patreon.com/scryfall

Why do we think Dragonfly Swam specifies "nonland" in addition to "noncreature"? Even though lands are more likely to die in this set than in other sets, they're not likely to linger in the graveyard...

Why are Sporecrown Thallid and Immerwolf templated one way ("each other creature you control that's a X or Y gets...") while Kirri and Nightpack Ambusher are templated another way ("other X and Y you control get...")?

Excellent #P0P1 prep, as we approach tomorrow's tip-off!

Is there any card in TLA that competes with Sokka's Haiku for the 𝑺𝒉𝒂𝒅𝒐𝒘𝒇𝒂𝒙 𝐀𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝? If so, make your case here...

One thing Online Magic Discourse has been sorely lacking: Argument from Authority.

It’s the last day you can test your skills before #mtgxatla comes out! This is hands down the BEST game to play before a set comes out. It’s so much fun and sooooo difficult. I love it!

Great prep for #P0P1 👇

Testing out some new card evaluation ideas. Putting a lot of stock on red and blue, let's see if it pans out.

I love this!

📯I am pleased to announce the winner of the first-ever Arena Powered Cube #P0P1 Challenge: 🎇dipples! 🎆 Going deep on RW (Gut, Bolt, Helix, Oust) and leaning on Black Lotus were keys to a sizeable victory!

I'm sensing a lot of enthusiasm for this set... Throw your hat into the ring!

Think you know Limited? It's time for the Avatar: The Last Airbender #𝐏𝟎𝐏𝟏 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞! Pick 8 cards (1 common of each color, 2 of any other common, and 1 #2CUDS), with the goal of maximizing their collective GIH Win Rate on @17lands.bsky.social. details👇, and again...

Listening to @maro254.bsky.social's latest DtW got me thinking about my 𝐓𝐨𝐩 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐃𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐃𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬 between Commander and "normal" 60-card constructed: 1. Guaranteed access in your "opening hand" to one specific card, which you...

Phyrexian! 🤬

Have you ever noticed that this illustration for Unearth depicts a Physician Negator (which just happens to cost 3)?

Classic problem dealing with multiverses: with a sufficiently large number of parallel universes, hash collisions will occur even for IDs based on random 6-digit numbers.

Cards I'm testing in the Pauper portion of my "Parliamentary Cube", from TLA/TLE, in approximate order of my guess at the likelihood of their sticking around: 1. Wolf Cove Villager -- should have been printed years ago 2. Warship Scout -- clean card; does what Red wants to do...

Y'all, these two cards desperately need to be reprinted. $3+? In this economy? Kitchen tables everywhere demand relief.