Card Talk 6

Arni Metalbrow card art

Today is the sixth post in my Card Talk series.

Reminder how Card Talk works:

• I go to Scryfall and select 'Random Card'
• I present and blog about the card. I could discuss any aspect: the art, abilities, cost, set, impact on the game, and so on. Stream of consciousness.

Card Talk is a fun, uncurated way to look at Magic's cards, mechanics, history, art, sets, and so on. And of course it exposes some of my own preferences, biases, and memories of the game. 

Today's card is . . .

Erratic Portal

Hmmmm . . . Erratic Portal. A colorless artifact from Exodus.

It is fun to get an artifact on here. Since most (this one included) are colorless and have generic mana costs, many artifacts can slot into any deck with ease. Artifacts, I recall, started out as uncommons or rares only, but shortly after, they made common ones.

Artifacts can be "just" artifacts or artifact creatures. Many (2918) artifact cards have been made over the years; 980 of them are artifact creatures. Subtle rules point: artifacts can tap the turn they come into play, but artifact creatures are subject to creature rules, too, so they cannot (unless they have haste).

Erratic Portal has been printed twice in paper:

- Exodus (1998)

- The List (2020)

The List was a concept introduced in 2020. A card from this 'set' is included in 25% of set booster packs. It is a way to get cards long out of print (but they remain legal only in the format(s) of the original cards). They have a Magic symbol in the bottom left corner so you know they are not the original printing:

From the official site, "The cards can be pulled from anywhere in Magic's 27-year history. The plan is for The List to change subtly from set to set, bringing in cards that might make sense with the set we're in, but it will mostly stay intact from set to set, meaning you will all get to learn what cards are in The List." I was surprised to find that cards from The List can sell for prices nearing the original versions.

Other card observations

• Erratic Portal's ability doesn't seem that amazing, since it can be negated by just one generic mana, but the card's cost ($3.50) indicates that the ability may be better than I think. That is one way to gauge a card's power in the game: how much does it cost to buy?
• The lore (italicized text in the text box) mentions legendary creatures or planeswalkers that appeared throughout Magic's history. There is an underlying story in this game. You don't need to know it or follow it to enjoy the game itself, but it does add some depth to the experience.