Set News — spoilers, previews, announcements, bans, upcoming releases

• Modern Bans and Unbans Shake Up the Format: In a shocking turn of events, Phlage and Lotus Field have been banned in Modern, while Umezawa's Jitte and Violent Outburst are unbanned. This major shift is sure to redefine the meta as we head into the summer tournament season.
• Marvel Super Heroes Spoiler Season Begins: The first previews for Marvel Super Heroes are here, and Mark Rosewater confirmed that every uncommon, rare, and mythic rare creature in the set is legendary. The set also features the highly anticipated Mood Swings Secret Lair, which is currently available for purchase.
• The Hobbit Set Teaser: Magic is returning to Middle-earth with The Hobbit set, and we already have a deck tech for Thorin, Mountain-king. Mono-red Dwarf enthusiasts should start preparing their pickaxes.
• Secret Lair Drop: The Mood Swings Secret Lair is officially on sale, bringing some quirky and long-requested designs to life. MaRo expressed his excitement that these good ideas are finally becoming official cards.

Commander Corner — EDH highlights, new commanders, precon reviews, cEDH updates

• Black Panther Leads the Charge: T'Challa is leading the first-ever Selesnya Artifact preconstructed deck from the Marvel crossover. This looks like a windmill slam for artifact enthusiasts looking for a new go-wide strategy.
• Squirrel Girl Design: MaRo highlighted the design of The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, praising the team's restraint in keeping her a monocolor signpost commander to avoid hybrid mana complications.
• Colorless Brewing: Commanders like The Dawning Archaic are pushing players to build colorless spellslinger decks. If you're feeling extra spicy, there's also a new guide on building a colorless blink deck.
• Community & Lists: The June Archidekt Deckbuilding Contest is live, and EDHREC has published deep dives into the worst precon commanders of all time and the best end step triggers. There's also a fresh look at converting Standard Four-Color Control into the command zone.
• Rules Refreshers: Draftsim has released comprehensive guides on how Commander damage works and the history of loyalty counters. These are great resources for teaching new players or settling complex board state disputes.
• Scummy Infect?: EDHREC explores whether playing Infect makes you "the Bolas" of your playgroup. Spoiler alert: it probably does, but at least you're winning.

Competitive Scene — tournament results, meta shifts, tier list changes, deck techs

• Standard Cascade Spirits: A wild new deck tech brings the spirit of Modern Cascade Rhinos into Standard using Spirits. It might be a meme, but it looks incredibly fun to pilot.
• Pioneer Jank: The Dawning Archaic is at the center of what might be the cheesiest deck in Pioneer right now. Sometimes you just need to embrace the combo and ride the variance to victory.

Limited & Draft — draft guides, set reviews, pick tips, cube updates

• Marvel Archetypes Explained: Draftsim has broken down all ten draft archetypes for Marvel Super Heroes. Knowing these signpost uncommons will be essential for navigating the legendary-heavy format and finding your bomb rare.
• The Legend Rule Debate: MaRo expressed his personal desire to remove the Legend rule entirely, even in Limited formats. However, he noted that such decisions require a group consensus within R&D.

Finance & Market — price spikes, reprint news, buy/sell targets, Reserved List updates

• Market Comparisons: Draftsim investigated whether the MTG Arena Pass Bundle is worth your gems and compared MTG to the upcoming competitor Riftbound.
• Reprint Speculation: MaRo hinted that a future reprint of Nearby Planet could see the addition of the "Planet" type line, potentially making it more relevant for typal decks.
• Rankings & Valuation: New rankings of the best mana filters, lands commanders, and the seven Bobbleheads are available to help you optimize your mana bases and value engines.
• Acorn & Silver Borders: MaRo clarified the rules regarding silver border and playtest cards, noting that Acorn and Silver border cards are interchangeable, while playtest cards are a different beast entirely.

Design & Lore — Rosewater insights, story beats, worldbuilding, flavor deep dives

• R&D Authority: MaRo clarified that while he is the Head Designer, decisions like the Legend rule and the Dog creature type update are group ventures requiring broad consensus across R&D.
• Design Space for Ability Words: There is still plenty of design space left for ability words like Heroic, Valiant, and Repartee. We might see these return in future sets with new mechanical twists.
• Community Corner: EDHREC interviewed DianaOfTheRose, a well-known D&D content creator, bridging the gap between tabletop RPGs and cardboard crack.