The Magic of Mechanics - Foundations

<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Overlord of the Hauntwoods" href="#" target="_blank">Overlord of the Hauntwoods</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://tiffanyturrill.com/">Tiffany Turrill</a>)</h6>
<p>We've left the cute and cuddly plane of <em>Bloomburrow</em> and have headed to the truly ghoulish and terrifying plane of <em>Duskmourn</em> and I've got to say, I'm hooked! Out of the Valley and into the House as they probably always say. While it might seem like we should be seeing much less interesting mechanics than before, <em>Duskmourn</em> is full of great options. We're actually in for quite a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Rollercrusher Ride" href="#" target="_blank">Rollercrusher</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> of a ride!</p>
<p>First and foremost, we need to look into the most important card type in the set; enchantments. Enchantments are present all through the set. Creatures, a land, even the enchantment creatures become enchantments when they die! If you thought that we would could only do enchantments on <em>Theros</em> you'd be wrong, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Grievous Wound" href="#" target="_blank">Dead Wrong</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>! So lets look at the Impending, Rooms, and Eerie mechanics that make <em>Duskmourn</em> such a unique set!</p>
<h2 style="text-align: left;">Impending</h2>
<p style="text-align: center;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Overlord of the Mistmoors"></div></div></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><em>Counting down to your doom!</em></p>
<p>The Impending mechanic is the reverse-curse technique of Suspend and Devotion, where the enchantment creature card, say <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Overlord of the Hauntwoods" href="#" target="_blank">Overlord of the Hauntwoods</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> goes between being a full on creature or only an enchantment. Similar to the <em>Theros</em> gods, these <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Overlord of the Floodpits" href="#" target="_blank">Overlords</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are creatures everywhere until they hit the field with something determining what they are; meaning in the deck, on the stack, the graveyard, etc they are interacted with as creatures. However, if we cast these cards for their impending costs (which are always less) than the regular cost, they will enter the battlefield with four time counters on them, and will NOT be a creature until the last one is removed.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Overlord of the Floodpits"></div></div>
<p>This is why these all have both an enter-the-battlefield ability as well as an on attack ability, so you can spend less mana up front and get something, but have to wait until 4 turns later in order to get it again. This is very similar to the <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sun Titan" href="#" target="_blank">titans</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Frost Titan" href="#" target="_blank">of</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Grave Titan" href="#" target="_blank">old</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, with the added spice of paying less to get half of the creature's value earlier. These honestly go pretty well in control decks as you can cast these early, then spend the next 4 turns wiping the board before these avatars start chunking your opponents for entire quarters of your life. Be sure to keep an eye out for what these cards will do for both standard and commander, as some of these abilities can be horrifically strong in the right decks.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Overlord of the Balemurk"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Overlord of the Boilerbilges"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Overlord of the Hauntwoods"></div></div>
<h2 style="text-align: left;">Rooms</h2>
<p style="text-align: center;"><div class="edhrecp__cards rotate"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Smoky Lounge // Misty Salon"></div></div></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><em>The last room on the left</em></p>
<p>The Room mechanic is easily the most impressive and iconic of the bunch, which makes sense because it's an exploration of the very plane itself! It makes sense right? Since the whole plane itself is a giant house, the Rooms themselves are important enough to get their own iconic names and come with some incredibly powerful abilities.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards rotate"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Walk-In Closet // Forgotten Cellar"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ticket Booth // Tunnel of Hate"></div></div>
<p>Rooms are split permanents that are all enchantments that follow many of the same rules as their instant and sorcery counterparts. In the deck, the graveyard, exile, and hand, these cards are <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dollmaker&#039;s Shop // Porcelain Gallery" href="#" target="_blank">one long name</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> with one <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bottomless Pool // Locker Room" href="#" target="_blank">giant mana value</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Similarly, when we get to the stack, we are choosing to cast either side (never both) and entirely ignoring the opposite half of the card.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards rotate"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Unholy Annex // Ritual Chamber"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Underwater Tunnel // Slimy Aquarium"></div></div>
<p>Now we get to the very special part, where once it's on the field, we quite literally have to do something very unique, where we have this pseudo other permanent that is "locked" away from every consideration until unlocked. This means that even though <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Roaring Furnace // Steaming Sauna" href="#" target="_blank">Roaring Furnace // Steaming Sauna</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is on the field, with the Steaming Sauna half being locked, there is only a two mana value permanent on the field that is giving only <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-r" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> in devotion. which means the "whole" card would get eaten up by a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Temporary Lockdown" href="#" target="_blank">Temporary Lockdown</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> while dodging a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Despark" href="#" target="_blank">Despark</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. The opposite would be true, however, if the Roaring Furnace half was Locked and the Steaming Sauna half was Unlocked.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards rotate"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Defiled Crypt // Cadaver Lab"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Experimental Lab // Staff Room"></div></div>
<p>Now exactly how DO we unlock a room? Do we need some sort of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Galvanic Key" href="#" target="_blank">key</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>? Not quite, in fact all you need is enough mana to basically cast the other half of the card and an empty stack. So, at sorcery speed, meaning only on one of your main phases, you can activate this special action and unlock a room by paying the mana value of the locked half. This being a special action means that it does not use the stack and it cannot be responded to, just like the multiple turn-face-up mechanics from <em>Khans of Tarkir</em> or <em>Murders at Karlov Manor.</em> If you want to give your permanents hexproof and it’s your main phase with nothing else on the stack, you can spend <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-5" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span><span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-u" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span><span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-u" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> to unlock the Lecture Hall half of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Restricted Office // Lecture Hall" href="#" target="_blank">Restricted Office // Lecture Hall</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and bam, you're all proofed up on a Sunday and your opponent is too late to do anything about it.</p>
<p>Rooms are super cool and we even have a awesome new<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Marina Vendrell" href="#" target="_blank">Commander</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> that allows you to use every single one of them in the same incredibly spice-tastic deck. But now lets go on to the next mechanic that encapsulates the focus on enchantments as well as unlocking rooms!</p>
<h2 style="text-align: left;">Eerie</h2>
<p style="text-align: center;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Gremlin Tamer"></div></div></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><em> Soo mysterious, soo strange</em></p>
<p>Now abilities triggering from enchantments entering is nothing new, because back in <em>Theros</em> (callback) we had the <em>Constellation</em> mechanic that, well, triggered when enchantments entered the battlefield. Fans loved that mechanic and it made perfect sense for the setting, much as it does here, as enchantments on <em>Theros</em> are embodiments of belief and faith, and on <em>Duskmourn</em> they are manifestations of fear and dread made flesh. However, with the Room mechanic, we're doing just a little bit more than just having enchantments enter. We are in fact also unlocking doors and that's what makes the <em>Eerie</em> mechanic different from <em>Constellation</em>. That's about it really, its just strictly an upgrade, but at the same time not every single <em>Constellation</em> ability has been replicated as an <em>Eerie</em> ability, so there is still a lot of specific uses for both within the overall game. But that's all, <em>Constellation</em> II, now with Rooms!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Eidolon of Blossoms"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Entity Tracker"></div></div>
<h2 style="text-align: left;">Manifest Dread</h2>
<p style="text-align: center;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Abhorrent Oculus"></div></div></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><em>Who up, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Manifest Dread" href="#" target="_blank">Manifesting they Dread?</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></em></p>
<p>Speaking of special actions, <em>Tarkir</em> and <em>Murders at Karlov Manor,</em> we have another mechanic in <em>Duskmourn</em> that uses special actions that cannot be responded to. Manifest dread is, much like eerie along side it, an old mechanic II electric boogaloo that makes a set-specific change to dress it into something new. Manifest, as you might recall, is when you take the top card of your deck and place it face down as a 2/2 colorless morph'd creature with no abilities. Manifest dread is when you look at the top two cards of your deck and manifest one then put the next one in to the graveyard. There ya go! Manifest but also some surveil 2, kind of.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Break Down the Door"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Hauntwoods Shrieker"></div></div>
<h2 style="text-align: left;">Survival</h2>
<p style="text-align: center;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="House Cartographer"></div></div></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><em>Keep on <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cautious Survivor" href="#" target="_blank">survivin</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>'</em></p>
<p>Now on to the last and final mechanic in this terrifying world of <em>Duskmourn</em> and the one glimmer of hope that is to be had; <em>Survival</em>. <em>Survival</em> is an interesting mechanic and honestly very straight forward. It simply reads: At the beginning of your second main phase, if *cardname* is tapped, its ability triggers. The idea of getting a bonus if this creature survives the combat step is honestly really cool and the most thematic of the set. Sometimes the best thing to do it just hope to survive the swings, but of course in many formats, especially in Commander there are quite a few ways to tap creatures down outside of combat like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Enduring Vitality" href="#" target="_blank">tapping for mana</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or paying for convoke.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Glimmer Seeker"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Cynical Loner"></div></div>
<p>This is the first time we've specifically seen reference to the second main phase and it makes sense too, as these abilities would be that much more powerful if we ended up with a ton of extra main phases. So it does make sense as to why they've stated the change earlier this year.</p>
<h2 style="text-align: left;">Don't Split up!</h2>
<p>That's our look at <em>Duskmourn</em> and its spooky mechanics! It was honestly a blast to see how each mechanic brings the world, which is just one gigantic house by the by, to life. From the survivors gaining experience every time they manage to <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Reluctant Role Model" href="#" target="_blank">survive combat</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Valgavoth, Terror Eater" href="#" target="_blank">Valgaboth</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>stealing your worst fears directly from your mind (library) and hiding them in plain sight, waiting to <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Jump Scare" href="#" target="_blank">jump scare</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>you. This set well be fondly remembered as we swap out a ton of our enchantments with rooms that do the same thing and more or as we figure out prime numbers with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Zimone, All-Questioning" href="#" target="_blank">Zimone, All-Questioning</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Tell us below which mechanic excites you to the most and especially if you have any questions on how they work too!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Kaito, Bane of Nightmares"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="The Wandering Rescuer"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Niko, Light of Hope"></div></div>
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Kurohitsuki

Kurohitsuki

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