u/Tim-Draftsim

Numbers are in, secret's out: Secrets of Strixhaven is Magic's best-selling in-universe set of all time, a title it's taking directly from Lorwyn Eclipsed just 3 months ago, which in turn stole the crown from Tarkir: Dragonstorm last year.

Universes Beyond sets still outclass these sets by quite a bit: The three best-sellers period are Lord of the Rings, Final Fantasy, and Avatar: The Last Airbender. But SOS is proof that Magic's own worldbuilding and in-house sets still hold up, and that people are showing their support of these "Multiverse" sets, as MTG now refers to them.

Of course, we only have one such set left this year, surrounded by 3 UB sets (Marvel, Hobbit, Star Trek), so fans of this year's tentpole in-universe sets don't have too much left to get hyped about. Reality Fracture has some big shoes to fill, that much is true.

What are your thoughts on this year's set line-up so far? Have you been enjoying the in-universe sets? Thoughts on the UB sets this year (TMNT is the only one released thus far)?

I got my hands on the new [[Inspiring Easel]] from Alchemy: Secrets of Strixhaven, and it's, *ahem* easel-y one of the most busted uncommons I've seen from an Alchemy release. Though to be fair, it always seems like the uncommons are the truly busted digital-only cards.

What wasn't obvious on first read is that you can stack the second ability on the same card multiple times. If the game's at anything close to a standstill, you can keep incorporating some finisher or extra turn spell, then unload a ton of extra copies all at once. The spell gets more expensive every time you do it, but seems worth it if you're copying a [[Time Warp]] or [[Jeskai Revelation]] or something.

I suppose you could also stack extra copies of a [[Lightning Bolt]] and hit the opponent for 12 at some point, too.

Anyone playing this card? Where at, and what's the go-to spell you're trying to copy multiple times?

Proud of you Pizza Rhino.

Hey folks, Tim with Draftsim~
I've recently commissioned our writers to create a deck guide for [[Witherbloom, the Balancer]], and the commander blew up so much we followed up with a look at some must-play staples for the elder dragon.

I'm looking to go a little deeper and see what kind of tech people are running with Witherbloom.

[[Sprout Swarm]] and [[Diabolic Revelations]] seem to be at the top of everyone's list, and our writers turned me on to [[Stinging Study]], too. What else are you running in this deck? Looking for options on both sides of the field: Enablers to fill up the board + finishers once you've got your creatures in play.

While we're at it, I'm curious where everyone's at one [[Quandrix, the Proof]]. It's the one elder dragon from the set that seems to be lagging behind in terms of popularity. Is it just not doing something new enough for big Simic decks? Too close to [[Imoti]]? Let me know your thoughts on the cycle!

The Las Vegas MagicCon Preview Panel has concluded, and we've got a ton of new cards to look at from Magic's next three sets. Based on a post I made earlier today, it sounds like the interest level in Marvel Super Heroes is fairly low, most people said they were indifferent on The Hobbit, and generally excited for Reality Fracture.

Here's some cliffnotes on what we saw from the sets:

The Hobbit

• Headliner Smaug
• Adventure mechanic returns
• A new version of The One Ring with an adventure
• The Arkenstone as an artifact/adventure
• Box Toppers including [[The One Ring]], [[Tom Bombadil]], and [[Sauron, the Dark Lord]]

Reality Fracture

• Exactly what expected, with alternate version of characters & planeswalkers, but they'll show up in pairs in booster packs.
• Headliner Bloodline Recollector (a black spin on [[Emeritus of Ideation]]
• Hexhaven color pairs were revealed (opposite color pairs from the Strixhaven schools)

Marvel Super Heroes

• Two versions of The Vision revealed, one from a Commander deck, one main-set
• The Mind Stone confirmed as the second Infinity Stone (white mana rock)

Surprised we saw less of the set coming up next, but they went pretty hard on The Hobbit, and that set at least looks pretty sweet. Not too much from Reality Fracture that wasn't already leaked a week ago.

Wizards of the Coast is holding a preview panel at Vegas today, giving everyone a first look at the next 3 sets, Marvel Super Heroes, The Hobbit, and Reality Fracture.

• Marvel Super Heroes is next, coming out in late June. We've already seen the four Commander decks, some of the source material bonus sheet, and we have confirmation of a second Infinity Stone in this set.
• Not much has been said about The Hobbit outside of WotC sharing some card images. There have been rumors of this being a small set (hobbit=small I guess?), but not sure how true that is. Also talk of this being a perfect opportunity for some LTR reprints like [[Orcish Bowmasters]] and [[The One Ring]], though I imagine those would be relegated to a bonus sheet of some sort.
• Reality Fracture's the only in-universe set, and the last one of the year unfortunately. We know there's going to be a lot of color-shifting going on, and people are calling it the next "Planar Chaos". They also previewed a card image in Vegas that makes it look like we'll be getting more prepared creatures like the ones in Secrets of Strixhaven.

Which sets are you excited about? Any predictions about any of them (or wishlist items)? Let's see what they show off at this preview panel!

Hey folks!

We recently had a writer explain the importance of Exhibition Tidecaller across multiple formats, and I was surprised to see Modern among the formats where the card is seeing play.

Looks like Dredge is the place where it fits right now, but is [[Exhibition Tidecaller]] an important part of the meta right now, or is it just a new piece of tech for a non-meta deck? (Or is Dredge still meta and I'm just out of the loop?).

I'd appreciate any additional context on the card; whether it feels like a real role-player in the format, and where it is/might see play. Thanks~