Tarkir: Dragonstorm Mechanics Primer

<h6 style="text-align: right;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Max Speed" href="#" target="_blank">Max Speed</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> token | art by <a href="https://linktr.ee/josiahcameron">Josiah "Jo" Cameron</a></h6>
<p>Starting off 2025 with more than a couple bangs, Wizards of the Coast is releasing one of their most ambitious sets yet. <em>Aetherdrft</em>, set code DFT, continues <em>Magic's</em> trend of dressing everyone up in the same goofy clothes and hats all bought from the same store.</p>
<p>But this time the setting truly matches the outfits as the goggles and suits are all needed for the multiplanar death race known as the Avishkar Grand Prix!</p>
<p>This death race (its only a death race if you die) sees us travel across Avishkar (Formerly Kaladesh) Amonkhet and Muraganda, a first for a set not about a war.</p>
<p>Racing across these planes are ten teams, each representing the 2-color pairs we all know and love.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Wind-Scarred Crag"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Swiftwater Cliffs"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Rugged Highlands"></div></div>
<p>Now, because we're going through soo many locals as well as a Ravnica-sized set worth of factions, we're going to be introduced to more than a couple mechanics this time around.</p>
<p>So lets strap in and take a look at all of the special abilities we'll be seeing.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Vnwxt, Verbose Host"></div></div>
<h2>START YOUR ENGINES!!!!</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Starting Column"></div></div>
<p>No good race has ever involved drives going anything less than Max speed! Which means we need to start our collective engines if we want to win this race.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Samut, the Driving Force|DFT|367"></div></div>
<p>Start your engines! is similar to the day-night mechanic from Innistrad, but don't worry, it won't involve every player needing to keep track of something soo tedious.</p>
<p>So to start (your engines) you play a card with Start your engines! and you pull out a reminder card to help you keep track of your speed.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Start Your Engines!"></div></div>
<p>You start at speed 1 no matter what and you increase in speed when an opponent loses life on your turn. Increasing your speed only happens once on your turn with a Maximum speed of 4.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Far Fortune, End Boss"></div></div>
<p>So lets analyze this. We automatically start at speed 1 as soon as a Start your engines! card enters (the battlefield).</p>
<p>We have a maximum speed of four and we can only increase our speed once a turn no matter how much damage we do.</p>
<p>The ability cannot be responded to, so once that card lands it's looking for the next time your foes change their life totals.</p>
<p>With that in mind, we can see the fastest we can reach max speed (more on that latter) is in three turns if we cause life lose the turn we start counting.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Impact Tremors"></div></div>
<h2>"I SAID START"</h2>
<p>We can cause life loss any number of ways, most often through combat damage cards with evasion or trample will almost always guarantee a speed boost.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Access Tunnel"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Hazoret, Godseeker"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Bestow Greatness"></div></div>
<p>Cards with triggered abilities on attack work just as well, but will still only increase your speed once regardless if the attack connects or not.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sanguine Syphoner"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="General Kreat, the Boltbringer"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Far Fortune, End Boss"></div></div>
<p>Cards that punish your opponents for taking actions on your turn work twice as well now. Pay a ward coast or take my combat damage, the boost god cares not!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Razorkin Needlehead"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Harsh Mentor"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Hearthborn Battler"></div></div>
<p>The fact that Start your engines! is not a respond-able ability means that your opps who were leaving their fetchland cracking for your turn will net you a free speed.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Muraganda Raceway"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Avishkar Raceway"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Amonkhet Raceway"></div></div>
<p>There has yet to be a card that effects your speed, so nothing short of "set your speed to 0" will stop your climb to Max speed. Speaking of...</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Zahur, Glory&#039;s Past"></div></div>
<p>It would be wild if this guy won huh?</p>
<h2>Max speed</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Racers&#039; Scoreboard"></div></div>
<p>Max speed gives you some pay off for breaking the Speedforce! Max speed abilities are active only if you are at speed 4 and nothing before.</p>
<p>This is not a triggered nor activated ability unless it's tied to one. You get to speed 4 and boom, you just get access to these abilities, much like Ascend from the original Ixalan.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Radiant Destiny"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Gastal Raider"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Arch of Orazca"></div></div>
<p>Max speed abilities come in a couple different sizes from activated abilities or passive ones that are usually attached to a card that gives some sort of value up front, and then much better value later on.</p>
<p>While some cards are also just only good if you have the speed to unlock them, leaving you as a player with a ton of options to weigh if having to wait no less than three turns is worth it for these abilities.</p>
<p>The best part, however, is that you will always be at speed 4 once you reach it, even if there is no Max speed or Start your engines! card on the field, so you can stop counting once you reach it.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Mendicant Core, Guidelight"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Burnout Bashtronaut"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Perilous Snare"></div></div>
<p>Exhaust</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Redshift, Rocketeer Chief"></div></div>
<p>"I AM SPEED" - this guy, probably</p>
<h2>Exhaust</h2>
<p>You see that red button? Don't press it, NEVER PRESS THE RED BUTT- oh, jeez, ok, well... now we're <em>exhausted</em>!</p>
<p>Much like in the movies, once you hit that red button, your car/space ship actives its booster engines and moves soo fast that things break off.</p>
<p>Things change and can never go back to normal... until you get a new car of course! This is the vibe for the new Exhaust mechanic from <em>Aetherdrift</em>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Rocketeer Boostbuggy"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Rangers&#039; Aetherhive"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Skyserpent Seeker"></div></div>
<p>You activate an Exhaust ability just like any other activated ability in the game. You pay the cost, put the ability on the stack or whatever, resolve it and boom you're done.</p>
<p>Like <strong>Done Done</strong>; because now you can never use that ability again for the rest of the game with that card. Exhaust activates once and as long as that card stays on the battlefield, you won't get access to it ever again.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Elvish Refueler"></div></div>
<p>Unless?</p>
<p>This mechanic reminds me a lot of exert, a returning sub mechanic from <em>Amonkhet</em> where you basically keep a creature tapped for an additional turn in trade for a powerful ability. The only difference is that this lasts the whole game, not just the turn.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Basri, Tomorrow&#039;s Champion"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Draconautics Engineer"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Boommobile"></div></div>
<p>The best way fans have stated as a way to get around this is to more or less flicker, bounce or in some way get the exhausted card off of the field for a second and then back into play.</p>
<p>Once you do that, since the card is now a new object, aka its not technically the same card that was once there, you are free to use its Exhaust ability again!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Displacer Kitten"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ephemerate"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Into the Flood Maw"></div></div>
<p>Typical <em>Magic</em> players, the moment they try to give us just one limitation on a card everyone just wants to break through it.</p>
<p>Yet that is just the name of the game, and honestly I'm pretty sure Wizards knew that going into this.</p>
<p>All in all exhausted cards are a decent trick to try and make work, and even through the 'fake' limitation might have been broken through immediately, we still get to experience what looks like a character's ultimate move that leaves them winded afterward.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Winter, Cursed Rider"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sita Varma, Masked Racer"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Boommobile"></div></div>
<p>It will be fun to learn about more exhaust cards and it's interesting to see that there's a place for them to be pretty powerful since you're only going to use the ability once in most Standard cases. Unless you're specifically building a deck around the flicker mechanic.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Loot, the Pathfinder"></div></div>
<p>At least he can only use this once right?...right?</p>
<h2>Vehicles and Mounts, Mounts and Vehicles</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Kolodin, Triumph Caster"></div></div>
<p>This card is peak actually</p>
<p>Vehicles and Mounts are back from <em>Kaladesh</em> (the set) and <em>Outlaws of Thunder Junction</em> respectively and they have never been more iconic than here in <em>Aetherdrift</em>.</p>
<p>The crews in this race need some way to get around and they are bringing all of their custom transportation options to this Grand Prix.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Lagorin, Soul of Alacria"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Thunderous Velocipede"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="The Last Ride"></div></div>
<p>With Vehicles, you'll notice that it has the same stats as a creature, a power and toughness and all that. Yet once it reaches the battlefield, it's just an artifact, heck, even when it was a card in your hand it was just an artifact.</p>
<p>These artifacts typically have abilities, many a call back to creatures from <em>Magic's</em> past, that they've stuck onto the side of these cars and ships.</p>
<p>In order to turn these cards into creatures however you just need to crew them, which you do by tapping any number of creatures, add their combined power, and compare it to the crew cost written on the card.</p>
<p>If you have equal to or more power, the artifact becomes an artifact creature and now that power and toughness actually means something.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Valor&#039;s Flagship"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Unidentified Hovership"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Skysovereign, Consul Flagship"></div></div>
<p>You can activate the crew ability at any time and on any turn, which has some wide reaching effects from instant blockers that get to dodge early turn sorcery speed removal.</p>
<p>Or simply just needing something to tap (and later untap on your turn) your creatures to. So Kona and Rip, Spawn hunter will both absolutely love this set as will King Macar.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Kona, Rescue Beastie"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Rip, Spawn Hunter"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="King Macar, the Gold-Cursed"></div></div>
<p>Vehicles follow all of the same rules as creatures when they become them, so be sure not to turn your mana-producing Vehicle into a creature on first cast and then expect to be able to tap for mana. Summoning sickness, stun counters, health hitting zero, etc. all will suddenly lead to a bad misplay.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Cultivator&#039;s Caravan"></div></div>
<p>It is also very worth noting that if a Vehicle gets to copy a creature, say with an ability to untap itself if you place a -1/-1 counter on itself, untap it.</p>
<p>You would be able to add infinite -1/-1 counters to the Vehicle because its power and toughness only matter when it is a creature. So combo off to your heart's content.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Imposter Mech"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Devoted Druid"></div></div>
<p>"Take that, Green"</p>
<p>Saddle and Mounts work very similarly to vehicles but were made after all the 'flaws' with vehicles were well documented.</p>
<p>Meaning they have stripped down the fun rather significantly. No tapping at instant speed and only on your turns is a bit of a bummer however there is one thing that Mounts have over vehicles and that is the fact that they are always a creature from the start.</p>
<p>Now there is no pesky crew cost when you want to swing out with your Mount!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Lagorin, Soul of Alacria"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Gloryheath Lynx"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Gilded Ghoda"></div></div>
<p>The only thing the Mount wants to do is to rustle up some someone to saddle it so that it can attack with enhanced attack, usually in the form of an automatic "on attack" trigger. These triggers don't care what the card was saddled by, just that it was saddled.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Bulwark Ox"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Cloudspire Captain"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Autarch Mammoth"></div></div>
<p>Nothing bad happens to the neither the saddler nor the crew-er regardless of what happens to their Mounts and vehicles if they are destroyed. Perhaps they all come with really cool airbags?</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="District Mascot"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Cloudspire Coordinator"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Brightfield Glider"></div></div>
<p>You wouldn't hurt these lil guys would you?</p>
<h2>Cycling</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Agonasaur Rex"></div></div>
<p>"Roarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr"</p>
<p>The final mechanic in the set is cycling, which is a returning mechanic that will probably become evergreen at some point!</p>
<p>This is an activated ability on a card in your hand and only your hand. You pay the cost of the cycle and then you discard the card and draw a card from the top of you deck. It's that simple!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Curator of Mysteries"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Hekma Sentinels"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Shadow of the Grave"></div></div>
<p>Part of the cost to cycle is to discard the card, so your opponent cannot respond to your activation by making you get rid of that card before you discard it somehow, they can only do something before you draw the card itself.</p>
<p>There are also many cards in magic that trigger when you discard or even specifically cycle a card which we will certainly see some of the cards in this set.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Archfiend of Ifnir"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Shadowstorm Vizier"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Shark Typhoon"></div></div>
<p>You might even find some cycling cards have triggered abilities that activate when you cycle the very card, usually giving a lesser version of the card's regular casted ability.</p>
<p>This gives you added value to picking the right time and place to Cycle instead of cast that only the greatest of <em>Magic</em> players know how to Maximize, which is why it's one of their most beloved mechanics!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Dirge of Dread"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Stir the Sands"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Nimble Obstructionist"></div></div>
<p>With that we have reached the end of the main mechanics in the set. Honestly, it's refreshing to see some returning mechanics that could use more design love, especially Mount and Saddle.</p>
<p>Adding a new side mission to the game of reaching, or attempting to prevent, maximum speed is always a novel concept and this time I don't think it will lead to nearly the same eye-rolling frustration that Initiative or Day and Night brings.</p>
<p>What are your favorite <em>Aetherdrift</em> mechanics? And how did you fare in the Avishkar death race?</p>


Guide to Aetherdrift Mechanics

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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<h3>Read more:</h3>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>


Kurohitsuki

Tarkir: Dragonstorm Mechanics Primer

Guide to Aetherdrift Mechanics

The Magic of Mechanics - Foundations

The Magic of Mechanics - Duskmourn's Scary Spicy Tricks and Treats

The Magic of Mechanics - The Guilds of Bloomburrow