<p style="text-align: right;"><em>MagicCon Vegas event key art | copyright Wizards of the Coast</em></p>
<p>It's a scenario with which many are very familiar. You're heading to a MagicCon and perusing the mammoth list of artists who'll be in attendance, and wondering if there's an efficient way to search through your decks to see just how many cards you're playing that were illustrated by those artists.</p>
<p>To help, Archidekt has just announced a new "<a href="https://archidekt.com/magiccon" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MagicCon</a>" feature, free for users of the deckbuilding website. For the upcoming MagicCon Vegas, there are <a href="https://mcvegas.mtgfestivals.com/en-us/art-of-magic/artist-directory.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a whopping 61 artists</a> who'll be on-hand to sign cards, sell prints and tokens, and chat with attendees. And with Archidekt's help, you can arrive prepared.</p>
<h2>How to Use the Archidekt Artist Search Feature</h2>
<p>Previously, you'd have two options. You could have simply memorized every card done by every artist. Or, you could open up Scryfall, search cards by each artist, and cross-reference that with every card in every deck you've got.</p>
<p>Now, simply sign in (though it's not required) to Archidekt, choose your deck from the drop-down menu or import a text list, and Archidekt will tell you instantly which cards in your deck were illustrated by artists who'll be attending MagicCon Vegas.</p>
<p>And even if you're not signed in, you can easily paste in an export from another site to import into the program.</p>
<p><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/archmagiccon1.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-155401" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/archmagiccon1-300x187.png" alt="" width="934" height="582" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/archmagiccon1-300x187.png 300w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/archmagiccon1-1024x638.png 1024w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/archmagiccon1-768x478.png 768w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/archmagiccon1.png 1260w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 934px) 100vw, 934px" /></a></p>
<p>And if you'd rather see entire catalogs of each artist's work, you can do that, too:</p>
<p><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/archmagiccon2.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-155400" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/archmagiccon2-300x196.png" alt="" width="947" height="619" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/archmagiccon2-300x196.png 300w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/archmagiccon2-1024x670.png 1024w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/archmagiccon2-768x503.png 768w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/archmagiccon2.png 1375w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 947px) 100vw, 947px" /></a></p>
<p>Simply head to the page, scroll down, and click "view artist's cards" for a convenient ready-made syntax search revealing every card by each artist.</p>
<p>And while you're there, if you see a card that strikes your fancy, you can add it to one of your existing decks with the click of a button.</p>
<h2>See Archidekt and the EDHRECast at MagicCon Vegas</h2>
<p>If you're heading to MagicCon Las Vegas, look for <a href="https://archidekt.com/">Archidekt</a>'s banners near the Artist Alley at the convention center, bearing a QR code that'll take you right to the Archidekt MagicCon Artists page.</p>
<p>Until then, be sure to keep up with the latest <a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/archidekt-deckbuilding-contest-june-2025">Final Fantasy deckbuilding contest</a> and get your decks ready to rock.</p>
<p>Are you ready to brave a journey into the desert for MagicCon Vegas?</p>
<p>If you are, be sure to <a href="https://mcvegas.mtgfestivals.com/en-us/experience/panels-and-events/panel-information.html?gtID=898650&amp;panel-name=EDHRECast-Live" target="_blank" rel="noopener">check out the EDHRECast Live in the Spindown room Sunday, June 22 at 4pm</a>!</p>


Archidekt Announces New 'MagicCon' Feature for Searching Artists

A PAX East Interview with Gavin Verhey and the Final Fantasy MTG Design Team

Deckbuilding Contest Finalists - February 2025

<h6 style="text-align: right;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Felidar Retreat" href="#" target="_blank">Felidar Retreat</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | art by <a href="https://www.ralphhorsley.co.uk/">Ralph Horsley</a></h6>
<p>Happy February! My name is Ben, and you may know me from <em>Conditions Allow</em>, my article series on EDHREC and <a href="https://commandersherald.com/tag/conditions-allow/">Commander's Herald</a>. It is my great pleasure to bring the Archidekt Deckbuilding Contest to EDHREC.</p>
<p>This will be a monthly contest with a different theme each month.</p>
<p>Your goal is to build a Commander legal deck that fulfills the prompt in a creative or unique fashion. At the end of each month, three finalists will be selected for you to vote on.</p>
<p>Whoever gets the most votes will be crowned the winner, although all three finalists receive a prize.</p>
<p>This is the second contest of the year, so we're focusing on the number two. Specifically, two color decks that do something unexpected.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Saw It Coming"></div></div>
<div></p>
<h3>What’s The Contest All About?</h3>
<p>Working within the parameters of the prompt provided below, construct a decklist with your own creative spin. Three chosen finalists will be awarded store credit to <a href="https://www.cardsphere.com/">cardsphere.com</a>.</p>
<p><strong>For February's deckbuilding contest, brew a two color Commander-legal deck with a theme or strategy not usually seen in those colors. The more unexpected your deck's theme is, the better.</strong></p>
<p></div>
<div></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>One of <em>Magic: The Gathering's</em> defining features is the color pie, which defines what each of the five colors can do in the game. This ensures each color plays differently, and allows players to express themselves through the cards they choose to include in their decks.</p>
<p>Each of these identities can also be interpreted in different ways, which opens up many different styles of play even among the same colors.</p>
<p><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Felidar Retreat"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Blasphemous Act"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Lifetap"></div></div></p>
<p>With thirty years of cards to choose from, however, there's no reason to limit your deckbuilding to what the color pie says. Every year we get new cards that push and pull the colors in different directions.</p>
<p>Can you build a <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-w" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-r" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> landfall deck, or a <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-r" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-g" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> control deck? What about a <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-u" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-r" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> lifegain deck? You're not supposed to, but that shouldn't stop us from trying.</p>
<p><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Hobbit&#039;s Sting"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Young Wolf"></div></div></p>
<p>This is also a great exercise for building a color pair you're very familiar with. Thinking outside the box is a great way to break old patterns and reignite a passion you might've lost.</p>
<p>Similarly, this could be the perfect time to revisit a color pair you don't like. What used to be strange and unwieldy can become fresh and invigorating when approached from a different angle.</p>
<p>If you love Burn decks, try porting that to Azorius, or take your favorite Orzhov deck and rebuild it as Simic.</p>
<p></div>
<h3>How To Participate</h3>
<ul>
<li>Brew an EDH/Commander legal deck on <a href="https://archidekt.com/">Archidekt</a> that satisfies the prompt.</li>
<li>Any unreleased cards spoiled during the contest’s duration are allowed.</li>
<li>Silver-bordered and acorn cards, while cool, are not allowed.</li>
<li>Digital-only cards (such as those designed for the Alchemy format on Arena) are not allowed.</li>
<li>Strictly one deck submitted per user.</li>
</ul>
<p>Reply to the <a href="https://archidekt.com/forum/thread/11254934">Archidekt newspost</a>, or submission post on the <a href="https://discord.gg/sctEc9Ru36">Archidekt Discord</a> with a link to your deck before <strong>9:00 pm EST</strong> (UTC -5, currently) on <strong>Wednesday, February 12, 2025</strong> (do not submit the same deck in multiple places). Only one submission per user! From the eligible submissions, we'll select three finalists with lists that we believe best embody the spirit of the prompt. Deck descriptions are not required but certainly may provide valuable context!</p>
<div></p>
<p>On <strong>Wednesday, February 19, 2025</strong>, we’ll announce three finalists via the Archidekt Discord and a brief article on EDHREC highlighting each deck. Each finalist will be awarded credit on cardsphere.com. The value of the credit is in US dollars and depends on the finalist's placement in deck upvotes at the end of the week-long polling period:</p>
<ul>
<li>1st Place Prize - $250</li>
<li>2nd Place Prize - $150</li>
<li>3rd Place Prize - $100</li>
</ul>
<p></div>
<p>Finalists will be contacted via email or Discord (depending on where they submitted) regarding their winnings within roughly 24 hours following the conclusion of voting on <strong>Wednesday, February 26, 2025</strong>. Please note, you must have a Cardsphere account in order to receive your winnings. It's quick and free-- <a href="https://www.cardsphere.com/">register here</a> if you don't have an account already!</p>
<p><a href="https://archidekt.com/contestRules">Official contest rules</a>.</p>
<p>If you have any questions, feel free to ask here, or join the Archidekt <a href="https://discord.gg/sctEc9Ru36">public Discord server</a>. We look forward to seeing what you all come up with!</p>


2025

Archidekt Announces New 'MagicCon' Feature for Searching Artists

A PAX East Interview with Gavin Verhey and the Final Fantasy MTG Design Team

Deckbuilding Contest Finalists - February 2025

Deckbuilding Contest - February 2025