Unfinity has broken the rules as Un-sets are wont to do, this time by adding cards in black border that are playable in eternal Magic: The Gathering formats. The sets, known for their zany take on Magic: The Gathering mechanics, are usually looked at as a fun aside to the main game. Un-sets always stayed within their silver borders until the recent release of Unfinity, which brought the wackiness into the mainstream game.
The goal of Un-sets in Magic: The Gathering was to be a jokey side-game based on the main game’s rich mechanics. Cards and sets before Unfinity could flip MTG on its head by having players start a nerf gun war at the table, determine the outcome of card effects by rolling dice (a mechanic that was introduced into mainstream magic during the Dungeons & Dragons crossover set Adventures in the Forgotten Realms), or cracking a fresh booster pack of Magic: The Gathering cards to use in the game during the game. The sets never took themselves too seriously, but the release of Unfinity changed that by introducing the sets’ mechanics to the mainstream. There are cards in the set (denoted by an acorn-shaped stamp at the bottom of the card) that are still illegal to play in eternal formats, which are some of the best Magic: The Gathering formats for new players, but many of the cards, wacky effects and all, are fully legal and may well see play in Commander or Modern decks.
There are some mechanics in Unfinity that don’t make the transition to non Un-set play smoothly, and the best cards from the set are those that don’t incorporate those mechanics. Stickers are the obvious one, as even though some sticker cards may be legal in most formats, very few players view the idea of putting stickers on their valuable decks as appealing. Attractions on the other hand provide a side deck similar to the Adventures in the Forgotten Realms and Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur’s Gate MTG dungeon mechanics and are legal (provided they lack the acorn stamp at the bottom) and can provide a fun randomized experience to the game.
Why Include Unfinity Cards In An Otherwise Serious Commander Or Legacy Deck?
If the pod a player is in is consenting, Unfinity cards can provide fun asides that can break up and enhance the usually tactics-heavy and drawn out proceedings of a regular Magic: The Gathering game. Fun carnival rides and performers appearing aside plane-striding gods and demons can be a good time for the right group. Plus, many of the cards offer strategies that were simply too far-fetched or off-theme to be considered for a regular set, but Unfinity gave them the chance to be played alongside their more traditional brethren. In some cases, these mechanics provide entirely new play styles that make their way into MTG sets like those officially announced for 2023.
The Cons Of Bringing Un-Cards To An Eternal-Format Table
Unfinity is a truly unique Magic: The Gathering set, combining the off-kilter humor and illegality of the Un-sets of before with new cards designed to push boundaries and be played in eternal legal formats. Despite mixed player reception, the inclusion of the Ravnica Shock Lands reprinted in gorgeous space-themed art ensures that people will be picking up the set (at least the lands) for a while to come. Whether they play with the other cards of the set outside the occasional joke match is up to them, but the following cards are certainly good for new strategies in players’ next Commander game.
Name | Cost | Effect |
|---|---|---|
Cosmo, Stellar Pup | 2RW | 0: Roll a six-sided die. 1 or 2 — +2, then create two 1/1 green Squirrel creature tokens. They gain haste until end of turn. 3 — -1, then return a card with mana value 2 or less from your graveyard to your hand. 4 or 5 — Comet, Stellar Pup deals damage equal to the number of loyalty counters on him to a creature or player, then -2. 6 — +1, and you may activate Comet, Stellar Pup’s loyalty ability two more times this turn. |
Magar of the Magic Strings | 1BR | {1}{B}{R}: Note the name of target instant or sorcery card in your graveyard and put it onto the battlefield face down. It’s a 3/3 creature with “Whenever this creature deals combat damage to a player, you may create a copy of the card with the noted name. You may cast the copy without paying its mana cost” and “If this creature would leave the battlefield, exile it instead of putting it anywhere else.” |
Space Beleren | 2WU | Space sculptor (Space Beleren divides the battlefield into alpha, beta, and gamma sectors. If a creature isn’t assigned to a sector, its controller assigns it to one. Opponents assign first.) +1: Creatures in each sector can be blocked this turn only by creatures in the same sector. −1: Put a +1/+1 counter on each creature in the sector of your choice. −5: Destroy all creatures in the sector of your choice. |
Exchange of Words | 1UU | When Exchange of Words enters the battlefield, choose two target creatures. For as long as Exchange of Words remains on the battlefield, exchange the text boxes of those creatures. |
Saw in Half | 2B | Destroy target creature. If that creature dies this way, its controller creates two tokens that are copies of that creature, except their base power is half that creature’s power and their base toughness is half that creature’s toughness. Round up each time. |
Starlight Spectacular | 2WW | Parade! — At the beginning of combat on your turn, choose creatures you control one at a time until each creature you control has been chosen. Each of those creatures gets +1/+1 until end of turn for each creature chosen before it. (Places everyone! The first creature in line gets +0/+0.) |
The Most Dangerous Gamer | 2BG | Deathtouch Whenever The Most Dangerous Gamer enters the battlefield or attacks, open an Attraction. Whenever you open an Attraction, put a +1/+1 counter on The Most Dangerous Gamer. Whenever you claim the prize of an Attraction, destroy target permanent. |
Not every Magic: The Gathering player likes all formats or will be okay with including cards from an off-theme (and downright silly) set like Unfinity in their games. Some would rather keep things to main series sets, where every card is legal unless otherwise banned. It comes down to player comfort and in some cases, players are more comfortable leaving the Un-sets for the drafts. But when possible, Unfinity cards can make for a lively way to spice up regular play.