Time sure files when you are having fun. A new Magic: The Gathering expansion is right round the corner and there is just so much to look forward to! If you are a fan of the world’s best-selling collectible card game, this weekend 2nd and 3rd April will see the pre-release events for the latest Magic: The Gathering expansion Shadows over Innistrad.
“Some strange force is working on the world of Innistrad, twisting it into a bent reflection of itself… Curses have grown stronger, the monsters thirst could not be sated, and the living are once again haunted by the dead. The force of this evil needs to be found before its darkness consumes the world.”
With the release of Shadows over Innistrad, there’ll be over 290 new cards to look forward to. Just like the current storyline in the game, players will journey to the world of Innistrad to gather new forces to continue their fight against the giant Eldrazi in Zendikar. It’s a horror-themed expansion. If you are already a Magic player, you will welcome the new cards showcasing black zombies, red vampires, blue horrors and other amazing creatures and spells to add to your deck. Hopefully there’ll be new ways to take down those annoying Eldrazi decks that are running rampant now.
The pre-release event is also a terrific time for new players to experience Magic: The Gathering for the first time. Every one at the event will be on equal footing as they are all seeing and playing the new cards at the same time. This set is also an excellent entry point for new players as there’ll be pre-constructed decks for sale and it’s the start of a new expansion block.
Media representatives from Singapore and Malaysia were recently invited to a cool sneak preview of Shadows over Innistrad in Kuala Lumpur. We had an exciting time opening our packs and seeing the new cards. A giant green creature that grows bigger every turn, a powerful red spell to deal damage to your opponent or a flying white creature, you never know what you’ll find in your packs. As with every game of Magic: The Gathering, the real fun comes with building or constructing your decks and playing with other members of the Magic community.
Playing with the Malaysian players was a ton of fun. We all opened the pre-release packs and made a deck from the six booster packs of cards. The Malaysian players were there to guide the media folks and showed everyone how easy the game was to newcomers. I built a green white deck and managed to win a narrow victory by pulling off a combo with these two cards, green Groundskeeper and white Stern Constable. Tapped out my opponent’s big flyer several turns until I had enough creatures to rush through.
The Shadows of Innistrad cards re-introduced the double-faced cards from the first Innistrad expansion about four years ago. This allows some cards to turn over or transform into more powerful creatures when certain play conditions are met. It certainly brought back some fun memories for me. Other new mechanics include Madness, Delirium and Skulk.
So go check out the pre-release events there are happening all around the world this weekend. The cards go on sale 8th April 2016 and happy hunting!
To find your nearest Magic: The Gathering venue or shop, visit http://locator.wizards.com
