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The five Nauctis factions are racing to the Sunken Realms
The five Nauctis factions showed up on the MagicCon Detroit 2027 schedule before Wizards previewed a single card: Humans, Merfolk, Sharks, Decalids, and Desolators, each racing to find the Sunken Realms. Here's who each faction is, what their Oceanic League blurbs give away, why the humans have no green mana, and why Nauctis: The Sunken Realm starts Magic's first story arc after Jace Beleren's death.

Greg Montique
21 hours ago7 min read


MagicCon Atlanta 2026 preview: what to expect when Nauctis surfaces
MagicCon Atlanta 2026 runs November 13th to 15th, and the Nauctis: The Sunken Realm first look panel hits the Mana Stage Friday at 1 p.m. ET. Last year, Atlanta revealed all of Magic's 2026 sets at once. This year, most of 2027 is already public, so here's what's left to reveal, my predictions for the panel, and everything else happening that weekend, from World Championship 32 to Mystery Booster Commander Edition.

Greg Montique
3 days ago6 min read


MTG Star Trek rules changes: Kira breaks combat & a werewolf errata
The MTG Star Trek rules changes are live for prerelease weekend. Eric Levine's update bulletin adds rule 508.4e for Kira Nerys, Firebrand, the first card that makes your creatures enter tapped and attacking. It also gives Werewolf Pack Leader new Oracle text, writes assimilate, beam me up, and face a dilemma into the Comprehensive Rules, and adds 43 creature types. Here's what each change does at the table and which one I'd build around in Commander.

Greg Montique
4 days ago7 min read


Maya Hawke is the Magic: The Gathering movie's first pick, I'm calling Chandra
The Magic: The Gathering movie from Legendary and Hasbro has its first star: Maya Hawke, cast to anchor an ensemble for director Matt Johnson. Her role is still secret, so here's the case that she's playing Chandra Nalaar, the pyromancer Hasbro keeps putting front and center. Plus the story I actually want on screen, Urza and Mishra's Brothers' War, and the casting news that will tell us which way this goes.

Greg Montique
Nov 67 min read


The 2026 TCG holiday gift guide: Magic, Pokemon, D&D, and the gear they'll actually use
Our TCG holiday gift guide for 2026 covers what to buy the Magic, Pokémon, and Dungeons & Dragons players in your life, with MSRPs, current market prices, and release dates. Star Trek Commander decks are preordering under sticker price, Pokémon Delta Reign is trading at nearly triple MSRP, and Secret Lair orders won't make it under the tree. Here's what to buy and where to find it at a fair price.

Greg Montique
Nov 57 min read


Rise of the Polygons Secret Lair: Extra Life's N64-era set is worth the $39.99
The Rise of the Polygons Secret Lair is Magic's Extra Life 2026 charity drop: Balefire Dragon, Big Score, Young Pyromancer, Sword of Truth and Justice, and an Elemental token in late-90s low-poly art by Brendan Sullivan. It sells November 16th through 30th for $39.99 non-foil or $49.99 foil, with half of the price going to Extra Life and Seattle Children's Hospital. We price the cards, explain the charity, and tell you where your money does the most good.

Greg Montique
Nov 47 min read


Star Trek Commander precon guide: Which deck earns the captain's chair?
Every Star Trek Commander precon ranked: Landing Party, We Are the Borg, Klingon Fury and Federation Fleet. Greg Montique checks each commander's card text, flags the rules gotchas (including the Borg Queen blurb Wizards got wrong), lists every deck by card type, and names the cards to keep and the first upgrades to make before the November 13th release.

Greg Montique
Nov 27 min read


Mr. Roboto | Building your One, Borg Evolved Commander Deck
One, Borg Evolved gives every artifact creature you control flying, double strike, vigilance, menace, lifelink, and ward 2. This One, Borg Evolved commander deck guide covers how the Esper Borg Artificer works, why double strike fires your damage triggers twice, the early, mid, and late game plan, four ways the deck wins, and the five cards it needs, including the Thopter Foundry package and Võx. Magic: The Gathering | Star Trek releases November 13th, 2026.

Greg Montique
Oct 297 min read


MTG Star Trek mechanics: Strange New Worlds and Beam Me Up explained
Strange New Worlds and Beam Me Up are two separate MTG Star Trek mechanics, and each has rules that catch players off guard. Strange New Worlds counts the differently named lands you control. Beam Me Up lets you recast certain instants and sorceries from your graveyard by returning a creature to its owner's hand. We cover how each one works, the gotchas around Blood Moon, snow basics, tokens, and your commander, and how to build a Commander deck around each.

Greg Montique
Oct 288 min read


Elestrals Snowshade puts Divine Champions on ice and Hades in charge
Elestrals Snowshade is the eighth Elestrals TCG expansion and the final set in the Divine Champions block. Hades brings the new Sever mechanic, Athena brings a Lunar Nexus control deck, and the September banlist removed Earthquake before launch. Here's how Sever works, what changed in the banlist and Snowshade season organized play, and why this set shows Elestrals growing into a game with a long-term plan.

Greg Montique
Oct 278 min read


MTG Star Trek prerelease guide: What to know going in & Sealed tips
Everything you need for the MTG Star Trek prerelease, running November 6th through 12th at local game stores. We cover what comes in the Prerelease Pack, what your six Play Boosters will realistically give you, how to build a 40-card Sealed deck, and how beam me up, station, face a dilemma, federation, strange new worlds, and assimilate actually play in Limited. Plus what to bring and what you won't find at the event.

Greg Montique
Oct 269 min read


MTG Star Trek | Assimilate and Federation mechanics explained
A full breakdown of assimilate and federation, the two MTG Star Trek mechanics built to fight each other. We cover how assimilate turns creatures into Borg artifact creatures, how federation counts creature types, why every assimilated creature drops out of the federation count, and rules questions on changelings, blink, commanders, and players leaving the game. Then we get into how to build a Borg deck and a federation deck that actually work.

Greg Montique
Oct 217 min read


MTG Star Trek preview: mechanics, products, and release date
Our MTG Star Trek preview covers the full mechanic lineup, including beam me up, face a dilemma, federation, assimilate, and the Commander-only battlefront and seek out. We break down the four Commander decks, the LCARS shock lands and other Booster Fun treatments, how rare the signed headliner cards are, and which product gives you the most for your money before the set releases November 13th, 2026.

Greg Montique
Oct 2010 min read


Star Trek MTG delays: what's late in your region
Wizards of the Coast confirmed Star Trek MTG delays on October 16th, citing production and shipping problems. Play Boosters and Prerelease Packs are on schedule for the November 6th Prerelease and November 13th release. In North America, the Commander decks may arrive late. Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia-Pacific face longer lists, including Collector Boosters, Bundles, Scene Boxes, and Draft Night. Here's the full breakdown by region and what to ask your local game

Greg Montique
Oct 195 min read


Duality Distorted Secret Lair brings back vintage Magic: The Gathering Artists
The Duality Distorted Secret Lair brings back four classic Magic artists, Mark Poole, Phil Foglio, DiTerlizzi, and Sandra Everingham, to paint retro frame versions of Thoughtseize, Desperate Ritual, Pyroblast, and Tribute to the World Tree, each inspired by one of their own famous cards. Includes the original card behind every pairing, plus the price and value math.

Greg Montique
Oct 155 min read


That's not X-Men: MTG Marvel Darkhold Destiny Launches April 9th, 2027
Our MTG Marvel Darkhold Destiny first look covers what Wizards revealed at New York Comic Con: the April 9th, 2027 release date, a Commander player's take on Lords of Hel, Midnight Sons, Gods of Asgard, and Strange Academy, plus how The Darkhold's sin counters and life-equalizing ability work, the new Vengeance, Arcane, and Dimension mechanics, and every product you can preorder now.

Greg Montique
Oct 137 min read


MTG ban updates coming Monday: Who could come back, and who is in danger?
MTG Commander ban predictions ahead of the October 12th, 2026 Banned and Restricted announcement. Greg Montique breaks down the two cards the Commander Format Panel has on watch, Rhystic Study and Thassa's Oracle, and the two banned cards with a real shot at coming back, Jeweled Lotus and Griselbrand. Includes what the panel has said about each card, ban and unban odds, and why Commander might sit out Monday entirely.

Greg Montique
Oct 97 min read


MTG God Packs and other booster pack changes coming in 2027
MTG God Packs start with Nauctis: The Sunken Realm on February 5th, 2027. One in every 1,000 Booster Packs will hold 14 rares and mythics, and one in every 300 Collector Boosters gets a foil-heavy version. Greg Montique breaks down what's inside, the box math on your odds, why a player's market like Magic won't react the way Pokémon does, and whether God Packs push booster prices up.

Greg Montique
Oct 67 min read


Planeswalker price spike: what Tam, the Possibility did to the Commander market
The planeswalker price spike after Reality Fracture sent Oath of Teferi, The Chain Veil, Azor, Onakke Oathkeeper and Nicol Bolas, Dragon-God sharply higher. This breakdown gives each card's starting value and October 5th price, shows which supply and buylist signals back each move, and says which spikes look durable.

Greg Montique
Oct 57 min read


The MTG Secret Lair Zeta Set Debacle has a fix coming on December 9th
Wizards published a Zeta Set apology after the September Secret Lair sale paused mid-queue and sold out in minutes. This breakdown covers what actually caused the failure, why Secret Lair's Matthew Hodgins took personal responsibility for the queue pause, what happens to orders that already went through, and why the December 9th relaunch is a real structural fix rather than just an apology.

Greg Montique
Oct 25 min read
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