Jon | @arcatron

today I played Magic and it was fun

starting with cards that say “instants and sorceries cost less…”

FOR THE RECORD: There have been rumors. Now I will clear it up and be as unambiguous as possible. The Magic: The Gathering release The Dark was 100% a commentary on the evils and hypocrisy of bigoted right wing Christians. Having gone through the idiotic satanic panic of the 80s and then listening to their moronic and unfounded pearl clutching arguments that MTG promoted "devil worship", I had had enough and decided to hold a mirror up to them. That is why White is represented as dangerous, dogmatic and unempathetic in the set. White in The Dark glorifies ignorance, mob mentality and violence against those who are different. The truth is that people who view themselves as virtuous and righteous can be as deadly and dangerous as any blood sacrificing devil cult when they forget the message of love that is supposed to be the foundation of their belief system. We can see that replaying today with MAGA. I also wanted to paint spooky stuff. Two birds, one stone. Now you know. If you go back and look at the white cards in The Dark it will become crystal clear what the meaning of the set is. The Dark was a reference to the dark ages, when the church had full control of the population, when wise women and folk healers were burned as witches, education was only for the very elite and anyone who spoke up or strayed from the herd was killed in horrific ways. Even today people are trying to bring those dark days back. I was shining a light on them with this set. That is one of the important roles art plays in society and I view games as an artform. Happy Halloween!

The Magic the gathering card preacher

The magic the gathering card, angry mob

The magic the gathering card inquisition

From @jespermyrfors.bsky.social, The Dark set art director over on Facebook:

“The Magic: The Gathering release The Dark was 100% a commentary on the evils and hypocrisy of bigoted right wing Christians…”

Some cards for context and the set list:
scryfall.com/sets/drk

I have prevailed and gave up on buying the playstation Secret Lair, even though I had already put a fun partners deck together 👀 I’ll use the £100 elsewhere (probs more Magic)

bought this game yesterday, planning for a nice Halloween with her ⚔️

Make Secret Lair print on demand again;

Stop making so many UB sets;

Do something about scalpers;

Deodorant is obligatory, brush your teeth.

#opinions

Yes, I want another bracket added between 3 and 4;

I don’t care about hybrid mana, it’s not really a big deal in other format and allows for more deckbuilding options;

Kepp Rhystic Study and Thoracle (I dislike both);

MORE:

Every planeswalker should be a commander.

But 200 bucks for this? 😳

hey @moxfield.com, with the #Imgur ban in the UK, which other websites can I use to share images in primers? Thanks

PART 3

Imp's mischief is MonoB or Golgari's Deflecting Swat
Sudden Spoiling is a one-sided boardwipe and player removal card
Thieving Skydiver is actually Sol Ring's thief
Fear of Impostors is the best of its cycle. Awesome in enchantress, but also disgusting in blink / displacing kitten

🧵

focusing on specific strategies makes them "unique" and they wouldn't overlap with other decks. Meaning I wouldn't have to keep sharing too many (if any) cards and they're also easier to update if I feel the need.

My number one motivation to build a new commander deck without necessarily getting rid of others is if I want to focus/try a new strategy. for example, I do have an enchantress deck, but not one focused on auras, so this would be enough for me to start a new build.

PART 2

modal spells are always a good rate of 2-3:1 - like all charms are. UM is a budget deflecting swat / YLUTT is a one sided boardwipe (if the creature you choose has deathtouch 😈)

Scapegoat is great for blink/ETB strategies and Reap is a niche awesome recursion tool 🧵

I’m a bit excited, but already exhausted about Magic in 2026.

Is this an eldrazi or reanimator deck?

Underrated cards for commander that are actually great part 1

Just one follower left to reach 100 on Moxfield!!

Help me get there? 🥹

moxfield.com/users/arcatron

Casual commander players: creativity trumps efficiency for more enjoyable games. Thank you

I'm really really keen to see another bracket introduced. B3/Upgrade - feel like an actual precon upgrade w/ 1-2 GCs.
B4/Optimized - a bit more edgy, for more powerful lines of play 3-4 GCs, fetchlands etc
B5/Fringe cEDH - what current B4 is - and define it for what it is: fringe cEDH.

saying "my deck is a 3" lost the meaning a while ago. B4 decks are horrible to play against. I think well defined "rules" are actually better tools for pre-game chats, and easier to call out bad actors.

also - voicing what others are saying: discuss the precon powercreep and accessibility.

I'm really really keen to see another bracket introduced. B3/Upgrade - feel like an actual precon upgrade w/ 1-2 GCs.
B4/Optimized - a bit more edgy, for more powerful lines of play 3-4 GCs, fetchlands etc
B5/Fringe cEDH - what current B4 is - and define it for what it is: fringe cEDH.

right! me too!!

Jedit - Commander (Jedit Ojanen, Mercenary) gameplan: create cat tokens with forestwalk and win by combat damage triggers whenever legendary creature ETBs, only after commander is on the field. bring him asap, then cast a legendary creature fo...

I put a deck together and I'm excited to playtest it in person in the coming weeks. Think this is a good one!

3 years ago we were getting some really interesting commanders with the release of Dominaria United - the "Legends Retold" cycle.

Some were/still are quite popular, and in a world of UB [insert your emotion here], I think these are cards are cool and inspiring.

tell me about it!

maybe in a Marvel-only EDH deck? maybe 😊

I like Marvel, and I love Spiderman in particular, but man, I don't think I'll put any of those cards in my decks (and that feels great 😃)

I wish I could look like this whenever I hadn't had enough sleep haha

I'm watching Princess Mononoke in 4K tonight and that makes me happy 🙂

thank you so much for noticing! I do reference your work a lot!