The latest Magic expansion, Strixhaven, released today. As I perused the new cards, I came to an unfamiliar expression: "mana value" (see Spectacle Mage below for an example). Wondering if that was a new way of saying "converted mana cost," I turned to the Strixhaven release notes for the answer.
The Release Notes include information concerning the release of a new Magic: The Gathering set, as well as a collection of clarifications and rulings involving that set's cards. It's intended to make playing with the new cards more fun by clearing up the common misconceptions and confusion inevitably caused by new mechanics and interactions. As future sets are released, updates to the Magic rules may cause some of this information to become outdated. Go to Magic.Wizards.com/Rules to find the most up-to-date rules.I never paid much attention to release notes, but I'm starting to. They confirmed my suspicion about mana value:
Strixhaven introduces the new rules term mana value. On cards and rules, wherever you previously would have seen "converted mana cost," you'll now see "mana value." They have the same definition. We're retiring the older term in favor of a shorter and hopefully more approachable alternative.I like both the explanation and rationale- it's helpful to get some insight into the reason for the change. I also appreciate the clarifications and explanations of new mechanics. Of course, you could always consult the 250-page comprehensive rules for this information, but release notes provide a focused summary targeted to questions people will likely have about the new set. So start there.
Here are release notes from some recent standard expansion sets (2020-onwards):
- Kaldheim
No comments:
Post a Comment