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Magic the Gathering: War of the Spark
Magic the Gathering (MtG) is a long running, collectable card game for two or more players. Each game represents a battle between powerful wizards, known as Planeswalkers, who have the ability to travel a multiverse. Within this multiverse lies countless worlds inhabited by species as varied as the fantastic lands they live in.
Players will cast spells, summon creatures, and deploy artifacts to overcome their opponents. Typically, a player will win by reducing their opponent’s starting life points to zero, but there are other paths to victory.
War of the Spark is the 81st expansion for Magic the Gathering (MtG), released on 3 May 2019. It is the fourth expansion to be based in Ravnica and is the final instalment in the 'Guild of Ravnica block'. This is the collective name given to War of the Spark, Ravnica Allegiance, and Guilds of Ravnica sets. These sets share common themes and form part of a larger story, the Bolas arc.
Unlike the preceding sets, War of the Spark was marketed as a special event. The event being the culmination of the Bolas story arc.
Planeswalker Decks
A Planeswalker deck is a pre-constructed, ready to play, 60 card deck, which also comes with two booster packs. This product is aimed primarily at new players, as it enables a player to jump right into the action. It will also help players begin to learn the strategies and mechanics of gameplay and deck construction. As part of the War of the Spark product range, two Planeswalker decks have been released. Both contain cards showcasing the new themes and mechanics introduced in the War of the Spark expansion.
Gideon's Deck
Decklist
| Planeswalker (2)
Gideon, the Oathsworn x1* |
Enchantment (1)
Oath of Kaya |
| Creature (22)
Ajani's Pridemate x3 Charmed Stray x4 Cruel Celebrant x3 Enforcer Griffin x2 Gideon's Company x3* Makeshift Battalion x3 Trusted Pegasus x2 War Screecher x1 Vampire Opportunist x1 |
Instant (7)
Ob Nixilis's Cruelty x3 Desperate Lunge x4* |
| Sorcery (4)
Bond of Discipline x1 Command the Dreadhorde x1 Gideon's Battle Cry x1* |
|
| Land (24)
Orzhov Guildgate x4* Plains x12 Swamp x8 |
*Denotes exclusive cards, only available in this product.
Deck Strategy
Gideon's deck is built around mechanics that indirectly manipulate life totals. Ajani's Pridemate and Cruel Celebrant are the creatures of note here. Ajani's Pridemate gains a +1/+1 (Power/Toughness) counter each time you gain life. Cruel Celebrant will trigger each time one of your creatures, or Planeswalkers, dies. This results in your opponent losing one life, whilst you gain one life.
Charmed Stray provides an early game trigger for both of those creatures. When it attacks, its Lifelink ability will buff Pridemate, by you gaining life;if it dies, Celebrant will trigger, which will trigger Pridemate. Pair Pridemate up with Trusted Pegasus in attack, granting creatures Flying, and making it harder for your opponent to block. Keep up the offensive, using Ob Nixilis's Cruelty and Desperate Lunge to overcome your opponent’s bigger creatures.
Chip away at your opponent until you can make a break through. When the time is right, play Command the Dreadhorde to target any number of creatures and/or planeswalkers in all graveyards. All targets return to the battlefield under your control, dealing you damage equal to their combined converted mana cost. You will take a hit, but will have command of the battlefield.
Jace's Deck
Decklist
| Planeswalker (2)
Jace, Arcane Strategist x1* Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner x1 |
Enchantment (2)
New Horizons x2 |
| Creature (22)
Bioessence Hydra x1 Bloom Hulk x3 Guildpact Informant x4* Jace's Projection x3* Kiora's Dambreaker x2 Merfolk Skydiver x2 Pollenbright Druid x3 Primordial Wurm x1 Spark Double x1 Wardscale Crocodile x2 |
Instant (2)
Band Together x2 |
| Sorcery (7)
Courage in Crisis x2 Jace's Ruse x2* Jace's Triumph x1 Stealth Mission x2 |
|
| Land (25)
Simic Guildgate x4* Island x10 Forest x11 |
*Denotes exclusive cards, only available in this product.
Deck Strategy
This deck is built around the keyword ability Proliferate. Proliferate allows you to select any number of Players and/or Permanents and give them another counter, of each type already there. In this case, your creatures will be gaining +1/+1 (Power/Toughness) counters, and your Planeswalkers will be gaining Loyalty counters.
Pollenbright Druid and Merfolk Skydiver can be played early, to get initial counters in play. Both also provide you with the opportunity to Proliferate. Bloom Hulk and Kiora's Dambreaker will provide you with further opportunities to Proliferate, when they enter the battlefield. Bioessence Hydra will benefit from your Planeswalkers gaining loyalty counters. It will quickly become a threat if your opponent doesn't deal with it.
Use your buffed creatures to smash through the defences of your opponent. Utilise Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner to rally a defence, if needed. Or, go for the knock out. Proliferate to trigger Jace, Arcane Strategist's -7 ability to make all your buffed creatures unblockable until the end of turn. Then send over the pain.
Thoughts
I write my MtG reviews with new players in mind. As I have stated earlier, Planeswalker Decks are a great product for new players. They provide a way to start playing immediately, but they are not designed to be competitive. Both of these decks have some good cards, but also some bad ones. If you're new to magic, these might be a good place to start. As you learn more of the game, you can upgrade and customise the decks to suit your style of play.
