Given the absurd number of formats and cards that exist for Magic: The Gathering, achieving perfect game balance between every color and deck archetype is impossible.
Wizards of the Coast is well aware of that fact, of course, and while it certainly isn’t content to throw caution to the wind and let power discrepancies get way out of control (Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths came dangerously close, mind you), the developer isn’t afraid to try new and often experimental ideas. As any longtime player will know, each of the five colors (red, black, green, white and blue) in MTG have their own baked-in strengths and weaknesses that counter each other.
White decks traditionally excel at removing their opponent’s threats with efficient spells and typically outlast aggro via easy access to self-healing creatures and Sorceries. To counteract these strong control tools, Wizards has traditionally refrained from making card draw or mana ramp readily available to white, two of the most powerful and important abilities to have in Commander.
For this reason, the color has often struggled to maintain a competitive niche in the format, which requires that a player’s deck consist of 100 cards, none of which can be duplicates. With the first ever set, Commander Legends, dedicated to the singleton rule set due out later this year, however, Wizards has finally seen fit to remedy those drawbacks somewhat with a number of upcoming cards included not just in Legends boosters, but other expansions, too, including Zendikar Rising.
In a recent interview with Bleeding Cool, designer Gavin Verhey describes how three particular cards, Keeper of the Accord, Trove Warden and Farsight Adept, were partially created with the intention of boosting white’s power in Commander. The latter of these, says Vehey, features an ability – mutual card draw – that Wizards may revisit in the future if it proves to be popular among players.
Magic: The Gathering – Zendikar Rising is out September 17th for Arena and one week later for tabletop, though judging by an announcement earlier today, you might have trouble finding the latter in stores for the foreseeable future. See here for the full story.
