The Brother's War

One of the most defining moments in the history of the Multiverse was the war between the brothers Urza and Mishra. Some of the events in this war were previously portrayed in the Antiquities set almost three decades ago but we now get the siblings’ history laid out in detail, from childhood to planar hostility in the latest Magic: the Gathering set to round out 2022, The Brother’s War. 

The Brother’s War is the second part of the four-set Phyrexian story arc that will determine the fate of Dominaria and the wider Multiverse. In it, some key characters and Planeswalkers will first hand experience some of the pivotal moments in this war, learning more about the events around this epic sibling rivalry and what it might mean for the future of the Multiverse.

Broadly speaking, The Brother’s War has a strong artifact theme with a number of the set mechanics applying exclusively to artiifacts. Modern artifact mechanics that have become popular in recent sets such as Vehicles and coloured artifacts are eschewed to maintain the narrative setting.

Meld

The first mechanic in The Brother’s War is one that returns from 2016’s Eldritch Moon - Meld. Meld is a keyword ability in which if the player has two specific partner cards in play, those two cards can be turned over to make one oversized card, the art of which exists on the card backs. Essentially, the ability turns two different cards into a new and unique one.

Unearth

Unearth is another returning mechanic which first appeared in Shards of Alara. If a creature has an Unearth cost, that cost can be paid when the creature is in the graveyard. It enters the battlefield with haste and then is exiled at the end of that turn. This is a great way to use the graveyard as an extra resource, powering out creatures for one last attempt to close the game out.

Prototype

The first new mechanic to appear in The Brother’s War is Prototype. Prototype only appears on artifact creatures and allows the player to cast the creature for an alternative casting cost and therefore an alternative power and toughness - normally smaller in each case. This type of modularity gives the player flexibility to cast a creature at the stage of the game where it best matches the demands of the battlefield and their mana restrictions. 

Powerstones

While not strictly a new mechanic as such, The Brother’s War prominently features the Powerstone artifact type introduced in the previous set, Dominaria United. Powerstones are artifact tokens which tap for one colourless mana but cannot be used to cast non-artifact spells. Whilst only seen on one card in Dominaria United, these are far more numerous in The Brother’s War, providing a way to accelerate your mana. It is also worth noting that while Powerstones can’t be used to cast non-artifact spells, the mana they generate can be used for activated abilities that exist on non-artifact permanents. 

Retro Artifacts

Retro frame artifacts can be found in Draft, Set and Collector boosters and have their own unique set symbol. 63 artifacts have been curated from Magic: the Gathering’s rich history and they come in three versions: regular retro frame, retro schematic and serialised retro schematics of which there are only 500 of each in existence, with their own unique number and only available from Collector Boosters.

Every The Brother’s War Set and Draft Booster will contain one retro artifact but roughly one in four Set Boosters will contain an extra in the wildcard slot. 

Universes Beyond: Transformers

Riffing on the emphasis on artifact creatures in the main set, The Brother’s War becomes the first set to include Universes Beyond cards, advertising other Hasbro brands. Cards based on Transformers can be found in Set Boosters, Collector Boosters and Bundles. Each of these are entirely unique and new designs and there are different versions available for each one.

We’re incredibly lucky at the moment to be playing Magic: the Gathering at a time when the game is thriving, new sets to play, mechanics to learn and story to uncover at a pace we have never seen before in the history of Richard Garfield’s magnum opus. 

The Brother’s War is fascinating because not only does it further an incredibly deep and detailed narrative started with Dominaria United, it also does some interesting new things both mechanically and in terms of what is included in each and every booster. The Brother’s War is going to be yet another sure fire hit and you can order your boosters from Chaos Cards here now!