Back in 1993- indeed, right after Magic: The Gathering created the TCG concept (we called ‘em CCGs back then, pal)- rumors abounded around every table that those crazy Wizards of the Coast were going to introduce a new color of mana, widely tipped to be orange or purple. This was serious talk, because many were convinced that there needed to be more colors, balance be damned. But introducing new colors would not just upset the game’s concept, it will also have required that WotC replace the cardback image to reflect the new colors. Granted, this would have been a great opportunity for them to correct the errant ballpoint pen mark that made it to print but they never did, dear. No, they left well enough alone until Legends came out and they did something different. They introduced cards that had multiple colors (the titular Legends of that set), taking on some of the qualities of each of the colors and counting as a card of all represented colors.
Now here we are over thirty years later and Disney Lorcana is pulling the same sort of multicolor design shenanigans in the upcoming Archazia’s Island set. I’m optimistic that these could be a great addition for casual players but I’m not convinced that the cards shown so far are going to rock the meta- with a couple of possible exceptions and the benefit of a doubt that I could be badly mistaken.
Ravensburger
The storyline has something to do with the Illumineers finding Archazia, supposedly one of the first of their kind, and she teaches them how to dual inkcast. This forgotten inkcasting technique allows them to create special glimmers with two inks. Sure, why not. Sounds great!
The ink color identities in the game have been mostly quite strong in my opinion, with each developing a consistency over the past several sets bordering on predictability. Players know Ruby decks are going to have Be Prepared in them, they understand the weaknesses of Amber’s singers, it’s uniformly acknowledged that Sapphire is the color for ramping, Steel has high resistance, Amethyst is wildly unbalanced in the competitive meta, and Emerald is the color that jerks play. I really like the concepts for each color, the archetypes they suggest, and the deckbuilding opportunities that come from combining two inks to produce interesting effects and synergies.
I was a little wary about the dual-ink cards as some of that identity might get a little muddy, but I think the design team is doing two things right by them. One is that the two ink colors in your deck limit remains. These cards count as both colors, so you can’t stick an Amber Emerald card in an Amber Steel deck. The other is that these cards are fairly limited, at least starting out, so it’s not like a massive flood of dual-ink cards is hitting the game.
Ravensburger
Now, what I really hope comes out of these cards is a stronger and more expanded sense of deck archetyping. Many feel that the meta is stagnant, and this is due in part to a fairly limited field of highly competitive archetypes. Granted, tournament winners might tweak and adjust their Ruby Amethyst or Ruby Sapphire decks but the core archetypes and strategies remain. What these and future dual ink cards could possibly do is suggest alternative archetypes. One thing I really like about a couple of the MTG draft boxes I’ve bought over the past couple of years is that they include a little pack-in sheet that offers up several archetypes for you to draft toward based on a couple of colors and concepts. These dual ink cards could effectively do that by simply combining the strengths and qualities of their respective inks.
I think for casual players all of the above is a home run. I really like that I can do a casual draft or kitchen table constructed and pull something like The Troubadour or Calhoun –Courageous Rescuer and have a solid concept to build toward. But for competitive players, I can’t help but wonder if these cards aren’t really going to rock the rigidity of the archetypes already out there. And as the cards are combining effects that are already present in the ink color combination, I think the better cards are going to be the ones that are simply good cards to begin with- not so much because they are multicolor.
Ravensburger
But yeah, it’s interesting to see something like Mufasa – Among the Stars that has both Amethyst Evasive and Steel Resist- that’s pretty neat! And so is Beast – Frustrated Designer that combines Item banishment with big direct damage. That could be a particularly brutal combination in the ol’ Pawpsicle deck as you can have my boy throwing them for five damage a pop, or pawp as the case may be.
The set overall is looking fun and I’m hoping that we’ll see some competitive builds that make use of these cards to cement their value in the meta. For my part, I want to see some more Ruby Steel pirates and Amethyst Steel Hercules stuff as those remain my favorite casual decks. And maybe orange ink sometime further down the line. I heard a rumor.
Next time- more on Archazia’s Island!
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