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Yesterday, the Magic Arena team announced that at the end of this week, on May 10, the Arena-only Explorer format will be officially retired.

It has been decided that Explorer—which began as an alternative to the Historic format that contained only cards that were legal in Pioneer—is now close enough to competitive paper Pioneer that treating it like a different format is unnecessary.

Going forward, Magic Arena will support Pioneer as a ranked constructed format alongside Standard, Alchemy, Historic, and Timeless.

11 cards will be added to Arena on May 10, primarily sideboard cards that will fill in the few differences remaining between paper and Arena Pioneer.

As an example, one of the added cards, Rakdos Charm, sees a small amount of play in the sideboards of some Pioneer BR Midrange decks.

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Tarkir: Dragonstorm Story - Episode 4

Sarkhan has accepted Taigam’s offer. Now, the two of them stalk a young dragon, preparing to harvest its heart for some kind of ritual. At a few points, something pangs in the back of Sarkhan’s mind, telling him that this is a mistake. Taigam is a zealot, one driven slavishly by recovering something he lost, he is not to be trusted. But isn’t Sarkhan the same?

(Story summary continued under the cut.)

He thinks back to when he was a young planeswalker. The only death he could imagine was a glorious one which would send him into the arms of history. Now, it becomes more clear every day that he is simply getting older and frailer, further and further away from that warrior’s end. No, he cannot continue growing weaker, no matter the cost.

Sarkhan buries his spear into the dragon’s maw, slaying it, before slicing its chest open to harvest its still-beating heart. As Taigam chants a corrupted Jeskai ritual, Sarkhan thinks one final time, that this was a grave mistake, before he bites into the heart, consuming its flesh.

On the Abzan steppe, Ajani’s hunt is interrupted by the emergence of a colossal red dragon, letting loose a roar so ferocious that it seems the entire world screams in fear. Nearby dragons flock to its aid, and Ajani understands that Sarkhan is more dangerous now than ever.

In their search for the mysterious temple, Narset and Elspeth have crossed into the Abzan stormplains. They’re confronted by Abzan soldiers, who inform them that the head of another clan crossing into their territory unannounced violates current treaties, and they’ll need to speak with the khan.

Narset allows herself to be arrested by the soldiers to not cause a diplomatic incident. Elspeth reminds her that no amount of diplomacy will matter if dragons destroy every nation in the Multiverse. Narset understands, but comes to a compromise: one hour, if it takes longer, then they’ll leave.

In the waiting room outside the khan’s office, Narset explains to Elspeth that the Abzan and Jeskai don’t have the strongest bond, due to their respective views of death. The Abzan give incredible deference to the dead, while the Jeskai don’t treat them with any great respect, not believing there’s much purpose in continuing to linger after death.

Narset and Elspeth are welcomed into the khan’s meeting chambers, where the heads of the Abzan houses also wait. Their meeting almost immediately derails, the council of houses unable to do anything productive other than argue for their own house’s interests.

Before long, the hour is up, and Elspeth brings Narset to leave. Right as she does, Ajani bursts through the door, warning of Sarkhan’s emergence. He and Elspeth share a touching reunion, where she attempts to convince him that the dead are buried in the past, and he doesn’t need to bury himself with them. Ajani smiles, but isn’t ready to accept that yet.

The Abzan khan bring them back to the urgent matter at hand. What kind of threat is Sarkhan?

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Yesterday, Gavin Verhey—on behalf of the Commander Format Panel—made two announcements regarding the Commander banned list and the bracket system. Since both announcements cover quite a bit of material, I'll be giving each its own post.

Two months ago, the Commander Format Panel began its public beta test of a new "bracket system" for Commander matchmaking. The goal was to create a system which would make it easier to consistently find games of Commander based on the sort of game you're interested in playing.

Since this is a beta test, this system is still open to feedback, and this is the first update to the system with two months of feedback to build off of.

According to Gavin, feedback has been pretty positive. Talk on social media, youtube videos, and internet articles show that players are excited to have something new to try, and that they appreciate having the vocabulary to more clearly express their desires.

MagicCon: Chicago was the first big testing bed of the bracket system. Among those who used it, 87% reported that it improved their experience. Reports from digital platforms like MTG Online and large Commander gameplay discord servers indicate that roughly 50% of enfranchised Commander players are now using the bracket system.

Gavin takes a moment to discuss how intent in deckbuilding was sidelined in the initial reception to the bracket system. He wishes they had done a better job of emphasizing that each bracket is actually mostly defined by deckbuilding intent.

The guidelines and Game Changer list can do a good job of helping you estimate where your deck should fall, but it's ultimately up to each player to accurately describe what their deck is trying to do. As many people have pointed out, it's not too difficult to build a deck within the constraints of bracket 2 which can compete with decks in bracket 4.

He emphasizes that players should not be afraid to "bracket up," meaning that even if their deck fits the hard requirements of bracket 3 or even bracket 2, to describe it accurately if it actually plays more like a deck at a higher bracket. If your deck plays like a bracket 4, it's a bracket 4, no matter how many Game Changer cards it includes.

The Commander Format Panel has been discussing many different changes that could be made to improve the bracket system, such as changing how many tutors are allowed in specific brackets, adding or removing brackets, being less vague with the term "mass land denial."

At this point, though, they've decided to not implement any of these changes. Instead, the only change is swapping out some of the cards on the Game Changer list. Particularly, feedback from the community was that the GC list could stand to be substantially longer, so many more cards are being added than removed.

Effective April 22, 2025, the following cards are removed from the Game Changers list:

Trouble in Pairs

Trinisphere

This means that if you personally use the bracket system, you can use these two cards in any deck, including in brackets 1 and 2.

These cards have been considered as outliers among the initial forty cards presented on the list, and tend to have more in common with powerful draw engines and stax pieces which did not make the list.

The five cards which were removed from the Commander banlist yesterday were added to the Game Changers list. This includes:

Gifts Ungiven

Sway of the Stars

Braids, Cabal Minion

Coalition Victory

Panoptic Mirror

While the Commander Format Panel was able to reach a consensus opinion that these cards are fine for the format at higher-power games, they have been moved to the Game Changer list to keep them out of the most casual playgroups, where they would still likely prove to be miserable and/or punishing.

In addition to those five cards, eighteen more cards have been added to the Game Changers list, bringing the list from 40 cards to 61.

Effective April 22, 2025, the following cards are added to the Game Changers list:

Teferi's Protection

Humility

Narset, Parter of Veils

Intuition

Consecrated Sphinx

Necropotence

Orcish Bowmasters

Notion Thief

Deflecting Swat

Gamble

Worldly Tutor

Crop Rotation

Seedborn Muse

Natural Order

Food Chain

Aura Shards

Field of the Dead

Mishra's Workshop

In the article linked above, Gavin goes on to explain why each card was added to the list, as well as explaining why certain cards, like Farewell and Wheel of Fortune, weren't added. Check out the article for the full explanations.

Gavin explains that massive shifts to the Game Changer list like this one will not become a regular habit of the Commander Format Panel, and there may never be another adjustment like this again.

The Commander Format Panel will also be taking another two months to collect more feedback before announcing any more updates to the bracket system. Expect another announcement in late June or early July, after MagicCon: Las Vegas.

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Yesterday, Gavin Verhey—on behalf of the Commander Format Panel—made two announcements regarding the Commander banned list and the bracket system. Since both announcements cover quite a bit of material, I'll be giving each its own post.

In the first announcement (linked above), Gavin explains that after months of deliberation the Format Panel has decided to remove five cards from the Commander banlist.

Effective April 22, 2025, the following cards are legal in Commander:

Gifts Ungiven

Sway of the Stars

Braids, Cabal Minion

Coalition Victory

Panoptic Mirror

These cards have also been immediately added to the Game Changer list used by the Commander bracket system.

If you personally use the bracket system, then you can only include these cards in a deck that belongs to bracket 3 or above. Otherwise, feel free to use these cards at your own discretion.

According to Gavin, these cards meet some or all of the following criteria which were used to determine a card's eligibility for an unbanning:

They have an element of nostalgia within the playerbase.

They encourage positive play patterns, or contribute to fun, splashy moments.

They do encourage negative play patterns, and do not lead to runaway games.

Check out the linked article for his full explanation of why each card was unbanned.

Gavin then goes on to answer a couple of questions about the future of the Commander ban list.

First, there are currently no plans to unban Dockside Extortionist, Mana Crypt, and Jeweled Lotus—the cards which caused the backlash that led to WotC taking charge of the Commander format.

Many discussions have been had among the Commander Format Panel, but there is no majority voice pushing for these cards to be unbanned. The one that has had the most backing from the panel is Jeweled Lotus, but it is still unlikely that these three cards leave the banned list in the near future.

Second, the Commander banned list is being given a moratorium for the rest of the year. No more bannings or unbannings until 2026.

This is to help the format adjust to the new bracket system, to see how they new unbannings affect things, and to see where Commander goes without having to touch the banned list.

The exception is what Gavin calls the "Nadu Contingency." An emergency ban can be given this year to a new card that earns the ire of the community at large in the way that Nadu did. Hopefully nothing will come to that.

Gavin wraps up the article by going through the Commander banlist as it exists currently and explaining why each card remained banned. Read the article above for his full explanation.

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Tarkir: Dragonstorm Story - Sultai: Betrayal

The Sultai clan revere the undead. The “sibsig” have bodies repaired with gold and get a new chance at life. Under the dragon lord, however, sibsig were the bodies of conquered enemies put to work. Nishang, one of those conquering soldiers, is in a bar, lamenting how things have changed. He is a lonely, alcoholic mess slowly dying to a wasting disease. He complains about the treatment of sibsig, until the bartender demands he leave. As Nishang argues, his wasted arm detaches.

(Story summary continued under the cut)

Outside, Nishang falls to his knees to vomit. His time is short, but Nishang is more concerned about the sibsig watching over him with pity. He yells at them, stumbling to his feet and over to his houseboat. He collapses into the vehicle, and starts its engine, sailing towards the Gurmag swamp.

Along the way, he encounters a fish, glowing purple. This is not the first time he’s seen this fish, and wonders why it keeps appearing. As he peers over the edge of the boat, his eye falls out. The fish guides him towards the center of the swamp. There, Nishang dies.

Nishang awakens in a pool of water. He is greeted by his former companion, Titsui, who he saw die. Titsui is an anthropomorphic vulture surrounded by a purple glow. He explains that they have both been granted undeath by Sidisi, who served as the dragon lord’s second-in-command.

Nishang is now a sibsig, his body repaired with gold. Nishang is surprised to see Titsui in good condition, given how he died. Titsui agrees—he did nearly lose one of his wings. Nishang reminds him that he also nearly lost his head, and Titsui chuckles. Titsui gives him a mission on behalf of Sidisi: his golden arm contains a powerful poison. Later, there will be a ceremony to anoint the newly-risen sibsig, and he will use this opportunity to kill them.

Nishang accepts, even agreeing to promise away a small portion of his soul. He returns to Kheru City, but is perplexed to receive more deference than he was ever given in life. A woman crowns Nishang with flowers and gives him a kiss. It is Nishang’s first, in either death or life, but his hand brushes against her skin and its poison burns her. She runs away.

Titsui appears to him, playfully chiding him for always being a ladies’ man. This doesn’t ring true to Nishang, who quizzes Titsui on how he actually died. Titsui is unable to remember, revealing himself as a rakshasa demon. The demon had been gathering information from Nishang’s drunken rambling, and the method of his friend’s death hadn’t come up.

With part of his soul, the impostor compels Nishang to finish the mission. Nishang’s heart fills with sorrow: the sibsig had never been unthinking corpses, but enslaved workers, like he was now. Nishang marches into the blessing pool alongside the other sibsig. As he enters, the pool fills with poison, and the sibsig dissolve into mist.

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Yesterday, Wizards of the Coast announced that Universes Beyond sets which, for legal reasons, cannot be on digital services (MTG Arena and MTG Online) will instead receive full Universes Within equivalent sets (referred to as a "Through the Omenpaths" set) exclusively on those digital platforms.

For the 2024-25 year, the only set this applies to is the upcoming Spider-Man set, as the Final Fantasy and Avatar: The Last Airbender sets will both be on digital platforms in their original form. Future Marvel sets will receive the same treatment.

(This isn't mentioned in the article, just my speculation, but this is likely happening to maintain a stronger distinction between Magic's digital clients and Marvel's own digital card game, Marvel Snap.)

The digital equivalent of the Spider-Man set will release on digital platforms on September 23, three days before the set releases in paper.

The primary purpose of this is to keep all versions of a format the same: if a card exists in paper Standard, an equivalent needs to be on Magic Arena as well.

Not mentioned in the article, just my speculation: this will make it hypothetically easier to receive reprints of these cards, as the work of creating in-universe art and flavor for each has already been done.

And as a tertiary benefit, we get to see how they go about making an in-Magic equivalent of a set themed around Human Spider Heroes, which I, personally, am excited to see how they pull off.

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Tarkir: Dragonstorm Story - Episode 3

Our main story cuts away from Narset and Elspeth for a brief aside with Ajani. As implied by the conversation between our primary heroes in the last chapter, Ajani is deep into a depressive spiral. While his mission upon recovering from compleation had been to help repair the damage he had caused, he’s feeling pretty overwhelmed by the enormity of that task. He hunts and butchers a gazelle in the Abzan-controlled deserts of Tarkir.

(Story summary continued under the cut)

The Abzan have been caring for him for a while, not that he feels he deserves such attention. Many “ambassadors,” as Ajani calls them, have been sent by the Abzan khan to get him to come out of his shell, the latest and most successful being a djinni named Nur. She is sweet, yet snarky enough for her to be effective at pointing out how much of a useless sadsack Ajani is being.

Nur says that spending all his time just keeping himself alive while he buries himself in guilt and fear isn’t helping anyone, least of all himself. Ajani says that it is a fitting punishment, but Nur argues that no one but him would be able to say when that punishment has fit its crime.

Meanwhile, Narset and Elspeth take off in the early morning from the Jeskai monastery, with Narset on dragon-back. They fly towards the Crucible of the Spirit Dragon, a chasm which houses many hedrons—large floating rock sculptures. Supposedly, Narset says, each one contains a bit of life force from the elder dragon Ugin.

It was here where the clan leaders had their battle against the dragon lords. Narset ponders on what happened to them after they were driven into the storm. Maybe they became part of the storm, corrupting the soul of Tarkir in some way, or maybe they simply went into hiding.

As Narset and Elspeth approach the Crucible, they hear a voice in their heads, telling them that they will find the answers they seek in the temple. Neither of them know what temple it’s talking about, and the introduction of a mystery to this little adventure excites Narset. She has a vast array of knowledge on the history of Tarkir and its major landmarks, maybe she could figure out where it’s hidden.

As they consider that riddle, they’re interrupted by Sarkhan, a former planeswalker who has an obsession with dragons, including having had the ability to transform himself into one. That ability is now gone, however, leaving him as just another human mage, albeit a pretty powerful one, likely on the level of Narset. He voices his hope that the dragonstorm will lead to the entire Multiverse becoming the domain of dragons.

Elspeth informs him that will not happen while she’s alive, and Sarkhan attempts to rectify that issue. He’s stopped near-immediately though, as she and Narset kick his shit in and send him packing. As he limps away, he’s greeted by Taigam, the Jeskai monk who had spoken to Narset about Elspeth the night before.

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Tarkir: Dragonstorm Story - Jeskai: The Unknown Way

Asham, a Jeskai monk, is currently in a slump. He’s an embarrassment, all because of that arrogant Temur warrior. She challenged the monastery’s most promising disciple and had flattened him in a single strike. Now, he has to regain his honor.

(Story summary continued under the cut)

Asham is sitting atop a pillar over a lake. If he can master this technique, he can prove himself worthy of representing his monastery. His body unfurls in a striking motion to create a blast of fire. Nothing comes out, and he sits back down, dejected. He loses balance, tumbling into the water.

Upon emerging, he notices his friend Ru near the shore. Asham tackles Ru in an embrace. The two talk about their childhoods (the two grew up in a farming village, Asham left to become a monk, Ru stayed and helps their families) and about this Temur warrior.

Ru suggests that Asham is the only one who thinks of him as a failure. The warrior was likely there for an exchange of styles, not to prove superiority. Ru asks if any of the teachers have told him that they’re embarrassed of him.

Asham says that no, nobody has actually called him a failure. But he can feel it, and it was clear from the warrior’s voice that she thought she was the better fighter. Ru counters: Asham must have thought that he was also the stronger fighter before the match.

Asham agrees, but is unmoved. He has to teach that warrior that the Jeskai aren’t to be toyed with. Ru reluctantly agrees to help. As the two stance up, Ru points out that one of the steps to the fire technique is to “release the self.” Asham has to stop focusing on what he has to do.

Asham later confronts the warrior Ai Wen. She tells him that she can’t give him a rematch: the bout they had shouldn’t be called a “match.” She attempts to move along, but Asham refuses, so she trips him into some bushes. As Ai Wen leaves, she has to dodge a blast of fire. Asham rockets forward, having mastered his new technique. As he rushes her, Ai Wen grabs him and slams him into the rocky path, cracking his ribs.

As Asham lays there, Ai Wen explains that they never had a match because he’s a disciple and she’s the eldest warrior of her lineage. To his credit, he did perform admirably in both fights. She was expecting that slam to break more bones and his quick mastery over that new technique is impressive.

Asham wakes up in his home village a few days later. Ru is by his side, having been taking care of him. Asham admits that leaving to become a monk was running away from what he couldn’t face in the village. But now, he does feel the drive to be a great martial artist. Ru smiles, and the two kiss. They plan for Asham to learn from the other monasteries, but Ru makes him promise to return soon.

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Tarkir: Dragonstorm Story - Episode 2

Elspeth, a planeswalker who became an angel during the invasion of Phyrexia, has arrived on Tarkir looking for aid in the battle against the dragons and advice on preventing them from destroying other worlds. She has arrived at this Jeskai monastery, one which floats through the sky upon a flying ship, to find Narset. The two know each other by reputation as generous and intelligent people through their mutual friends, the planeswalkers Ajani and Tamiyo.

(Story summary continued under the cut)

Upon arrival, it is clear that Elspeth is upsetting the Jeskai residents, though they are being polite about it. While she is stronger than ever before, and still has the same moral core that drives her always to do good, Elspeth now finds herself lacking the warmth she had as a mortal.

Fortunately for Elspeth, Narset is equally awkward, especially since they both know that their mutual friends are not doing well. Both Tamiyo and Ajani were corrupted by Phyrexia, and while Ajani was able to be cleansed of compleation, Tamiyo was killed during the invasion of Kamigawa. Ajani now lives with guilt for what he did, and the impossibility of repairing the damage done by Phyrexia.

Narset regrets not being able to offer much help. The dragonstorms on Tarkir have become stronger, to the point of reshaping the landscape around them. Magic this powerful must be the responsibility of an elder dragon, although the two that Narset and Elspeth are familiar with, Ugin and Bolas, are either dead or gone. So far, they’ve found very little that can be done to mitigate the dragonstorms.

Suddenly, the skyship rocks, and Narset and Elspeth rush to defend from a dragon. They find it outside of the Jeskai school, having burrowed in through the bottom of the ship. Narset, Elspeth, and Jeskai monks and warriors are able to send the dragon running with minimal casualties. However, there are many injured, the damage to the ship is great, and the nearby monasteries need to be warned. As waymaster, it takes Narset all night to make the arrangements necessary.

Once it is sorted, Narset shows Elspeth to her cabin, a luxurious suite which Elspeth feels guilty about taking from someone more needy. Narset assures her that it’s fine as the two exchange awkward good-nights. It’s only after the door closes that Narset realizes she isn’t sure if angels are able to sleep.

In the middle of the night, Narset is woken by Taigam, another high-ranking Jeskai monk who had been loyal to Dragonlord Ojutai. He tells her that many are suspecting that the attack was connected to Elspeth’s arrival: not necessarily that she caused it, but that it may have been some form of retribution against her. Either way, he suggests that Elspeth be removed from the ship.

That morning, Narset speaks with Elspeth. The Jeskai will not be able to help her, either with manpower or information. However, Narset herself will help Elspeth get to the bottom of things and prevent other worlds from suffering from these dragonstorms.

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Tarkir Dragonstorm Story - Abzan: Siege Blossoms

Members of the Abzan clan hold their ancestors in high regard, speaking to them through kin-trees to seek their guidance. Despite this, many families among the Abzan are happy to open their doors to those who do not share the same ancestry by blood, adopting “krumar” as their own kin. One such krumar is Mehtma, who has been adopted into House Fenzala and now serves as a lieutenant of the city guard.

(Story summary continued under the cut)

When the story begins, Mehtma is taking a group of children to see the kin-tree of House Fenzala. Their family is still young, and their kin-tree has not yet blossomed, but it remains an object of deep reverence. After a brief ritual, the children are accepted and ready to become full adults within the Abzan.

While Mehtma loves the children, she does wish that she was working in a more militaristic position. Her city is currently under siege by Sultai necromancers, and their current incompetent head of logistics, Captain Jurjis, isn’t making managing resources any easier. Tension between Mehtma and Jurjis comes to a head when he uses his authority to requisition Mehtma’s cows. While Mehtma knows that she has every legal right to keep her cattle, she also knows that there’s no use arguing with the man who has control over the documents that would demonstrate that right.

Later, after helping some folks avoid danger as a result of the siege, Mehtma notices a man walking away with her cattle. She recognizes him as Cemil, another member of House Fenzala who had been guarding the kin-tree earlier.

Mehtma rushes after him, and Cemil dashes off. She eventually encounters him on top of the city’s walls. Cemil explains that krumar like him and her will never be accepted as true Abzan; Jurjis’s promotion to captain is proof of this, as Mehtma would have been much more deserving. The two battle, and Cemil reveals that this plan with him and the cows was a distraction arranged by Jurjis, right before tumbling over the wall.

Mehtma runs home and finds Jurjis there, ready to take a trimming from the House Fenzala kin-tree. While this would allow Jurjis to grow a kin-tree for his own family, it would result in the destruction of House Fenzala’s tree, as it’s simply too young. Jurjis obtains the upper-hand in their battle. He taunts Mehtma, explaining that she will always be inferior, and that her claim to an Abzan lineage is an insult to the clan.

Mehtma struggles to her feet as the kin-tree behind her begins to blossom, the ancestors of House Fenzala welcoming Mehtma as a true member of their family. Empowered by their blessing, she rushes forward, pinning Jurjis to the wall with a blade in his stomach, killing him.

In the aftermath, Mehtma is taken to a hospital as the extent of Jurjis’s corruption is revealed. He had been artificially extending the siege in order to take more power for himself. Mehtma is awarded the title of new Captain of Logistics.

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Tarkir: Dragonstorm Story - Episode 1

A duo of performers in a tavern begin to tell the story of Tarkir.

In the long-ago age of 2015, five Dragonlords ruled over the plane. They and their broods took pleasure in hunting the humanoid inhabitants, forcing them to submit to domination, or to become their next meals. The Dragonlords intentionally kept the humans weak, not just in body through famine and overwork, but in mind and spirit, destroying their cultures and their people.

It was only through cooperation and a bit of sorcery that the five clans—the studious Jeskai, the undying Sultai, the ruthless Mardu, the fearsome Temur, and the reverential Abzan—were able to obtain their freedom.

(Story summary continued under the cut)

It is at about this point that the crowd in the tavern begin to loudly bicker among each other over exactly what happened, and which clans contributed the most to the effort. Among the crowd, in semi-anonymity (if anyone recognizes her, they aren’t saying anything) is Narset, a former planeswalker and the leader of the Jeskai Way, their waymaster. She calms herself as the noise of the crowd overstimulates her. The story continues.

In this time of rebellion, Narset worked with Alnuil, one of the wisest sages of the Temur Frontier, to uncover the Stormnexus Ritual. They could discover little about it, only that it promised to bring forth the very essence of Tarkir. The uncertainty worried Narset, and, as she admits to herself, for some years she did enjoy her time living under her Dragonlord as his student. But, at Alnuil’s insistence, and the reminder of the desperation faced by Tarkir’s people, she and Narset retrieved the scroll and the five clan leaders called forth the largest Dragonstorm that the plane had ever seen.

At this point of the story, the crowd in the tavern break out into full-on arguing about what happened next, which isn’t settled down until Narset asserts her presence in the room, and begins to conclude the story as its primary source.

Narset explains that five shapeless forms of powerful magic emerged from the storm, silhouettes of dragons with no features. She leapt up onto the back of one of them, and the spirit dragon began to shape itself to fit her desires and beliefs. Narset bonded herself to the dragon Shiko, and soon, the other four leaders followed with their own dragons.

The clan leaders and their dragons battled the Dragonlords, and drove them into the storm. However, Narset continues, the people of Tarkir are still in danger. The Dragonstorm which they had summoned still remains, and continues to birth forth wild dragons at an increasing rate.

Before she can begin to worry the patrons of the tavern too much with the things she’s had to deal with as Jeskai waymaster, she is interrupted by the arrival of the angelic planeswalker Elspeth. Elspeth has been battling the wild dragons which escaped Tarkir through omenpaths, and has come now to ask for Narset’s assistance in cutting them off at the source.

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Aetherdrift Retrospective - Top 20 Competitive Cards

Number 1 - 226 points

Spell Pierce

Standard [61], Pioneer [35], Modern [57], Legacy [9], Vintage [44], Pauper [20]

Spell Pierce, last reprinted in Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty, rotated out of Standard last year with the release of Bloomburrow. Similar to Lightning Strike, this reprint mostly serves to keep this staple utility card legal in Standard for another three years. As the power level of Magic has gotten higher, the ubiquity of powerful noncreature spells on early turns has increased, and thus the utility of having an easy way to stop them has also gone up. Spell Pierce tops out this list as a result of seeing play across all six of Magic's main competitive formats, in such a wide variety of deck archetypes that I can't really name them all here.

(I score competitive cards by assigning them points for appearing in the main deck or sideboard of Top 8 decks at larger tournaments such as MTGO Challenges or Magic: Spotlight events, and cards earn 2 points for appearing in the Top 8 at the biggest tournaments such as the Pro Tour and Regional Championships)

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Aetherdrift Retrospective - Top 20 Competitive Cards

Number 2 - 184 points

Stock Up

Standard [63], Pioneer [6], Modern [47], Legacy [27], Vintage [41]

Three mana to draw two cards has been the standard rate in Magic for a long time now, but Stock Up packs big power into that unassuming package. The ability to not just get card advantage for just three mana, but to get to pick which two cards you draw out of the top five is very solid. Not even Memory Deluge lets you dig that deep, and that spell costs an extra mana. Stock Up is an excellent utility piece for many different blue decks, from Control, Self-Bounce, and Omniscience in Standard, to Grinding Breach combo in Modern, to a variety of blue decks in Vintage. Even in a format with the best draw spells ever printed, Stock Up sees consistent play.

(I score competitive cards by assigning them points for appearing in the main deck or sideboard of Top 8 decks at larger tournaments such as MTGO Challenges or Magic: Spotlight events, and cards earn 2 points for appearing in the Top 8 at the biggest tournaments such as the Pro Tour and Regional Championships)

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Aetherdrift Retrospective - Top 20 Competitive Cards

Number 3 - 100 points

Momentum Breaker

Standard [52], Pioneer [33], Modern [1], Vintage [14]

"Edict" effects like Momentum Breaker, ones which force your opponent to sacrifice a creature, have been around for nearly all of Magic's history. However, having the backup of forcing a discard on top of being attached to a permanent that makes it a perfect fit for the same Blue/Black self-bounce decks that Grim Bauble is being played in the sideboards of. It's also been seeing play in both Paradoxical Outcome decks and Midrange decks in Vintage, a format where decks tend to be lighter on creatures. In those decks, it can be used to easily remove a key threat or to make an opponent without creatures discard a card.

(I score competitive cards by assigning them points for appearing in the main deck or sideboard of Top 8 decks at larger tournaments such as MTGO Challenges or Magic: Spotlight events, and cards earn 2 points for appearing in the Top 8 at the biggest tournaments such as the Pro Tour and Regional Championships)

[a-magical-recap]

Aetherdrift Retrospective - Top 20 Competitive Cards

Number 4 - 87 points

Ketramose, the New Dawn

Standard [1], Pioneer [1], Modern [81], Legacy [4]

Ketramose, the New Dawn slots in incredibly well to the already successful Modern Blink Midrange deck. Drawing a card every time something is exiled from the graveyard or battlefield is very powerful: with Ketramose in play, evoking Solitude will exile an opponent's creature—draw—then with its sacrifice trigger on the stack, you can use Ephemerate to flicker Solitude—draw—which will then re-enter and exile another of your opponent's creatures—draw. Then the turn after Ephemerate will resolve again and draw two more cards on top of exiling a third creature. These decks have also begun playing Relic of Progenitus to synergize with Ketramose.

(I score competitive cards by assigning them points for appearing in the main deck or sideboard of Top 8 decks at larger tournaments such as MTGO Challenges or Magic: Spotlight events, and cards earn 2 points for appearing in the Top 8 at the biggest tournaments such as the Pro Tour and Regional Championships)

[a-magical-recap]

Aetherdrift Retrospective - Top 20 Competitive Cards

Number 5 - 75 points

Grim Bauble

Standard [47], Pioneer [27], Vintage [1]

Grim Bauble, a 1-mana artifact that can remove a creature upon entering, joins Nowhere to Run as a solid removal spell in Standard Self-Bounce decks. These decks combine cards like these two and Hopeless Nightmare with effects that can return permanents to the hand, like Nurturing Pixie and This Town Ain't Big Enough. These decks tend to stick to just enchantments, to get extra payoff from enchantment-synergy cards from Duskmourn, so Grim Bauble mostly stays in the sideboard. In Pioneer, Grim Bauble is being played in a similar deck: Blue/Black Yorion. In addition to the bouncing effects, Grim Bauble can also be blinked by the titular Yorion.

(I score competitive cards by assigning them points for appearing in the main deck or sideboard of Top 8 decks at larger tournaments such as MTGO Challenges or Magic: Spotlight events, and cards earn 2 points for appearing in the Top 8 at the biggest tournaments such as the Pro Tour and Regional Championships)

[a-magical-recap]

Aetherdrift Retrospective - Top 20 Competitive Cards

Number 6 - 60 points

Ride's End

Standard [58], Pioneer [2]

Ride's End is a very powerful removal spell for white control decks, able to exile any tapped creature for only 2 mana, with no additional downside. While unable to hit as wide a variety of permanents, it's comparable to Get Lost, which continues to see heavy play in the same kinds of decks, and it doesn't hand out free tokens. Ride's End is seeing consistent play in Standard White/Blue Control decks and in Zur Control decks, where it gets extra credit for synergizing with Up the Beanstalk.

(I score competitive cards by assigning them points for appearing in the main deck or sideboard of Top 8 decks at larger tournaments such as MTGO Challenges or Magic: Spotlight events, and cards earn 2 points for appearing in the Top 8 at the biggest tournaments such as the Pro Tour and Regional Championships)