Magar of the Magic Strings

Magar Combat Damage

Un-rules question: Regarding Magar of the Magic Strings, when a face-down instant or sorcery deals combat damage to a player, where is the copy of the noted card created and cast from?

The stack is my best guess.

Instants Magar of the Magic Strings Sorceries The Stack Un-sets

Magar Rule Reference

For those sending in asks about magar and ancestrap recall, you can point them to the specific rule707.14. One card (Magar of the Magic Strings) instructs a player to note the name of a particular card in a graveyard and create a copy of the card with the noted name. To do so, use the characteristics of that card as it last existed in the graveyard to determine the copiable values of the copy. (See rule 608.2h.)

FYI

Magar of the Magic Strings Rules The Graveyard

Unfinity's Magar

Back before Unfinity was made black bordered, did Magar of the Magic Strings just put the spells onto the battlefield, or did he always buy them face down?

They were always face down.

Black Magar of the Magic Strings Spells

Trick Outcome Explained

There has been much debate on how a certain trick involving Magar of the Magic Strings, Recall, manifest, and an "Ancestral" name sticker works, or if it even works at all. Basically, you manifest the Recall, put the Ancestral sticker on it, have it die, then transform it into a creature with Magar, noting "Ancestral Recall" because of the sticker. Does this cast Recall or Ancestral Recall?

It casts Recall.

Ancestral Recall Creatures Magar of the Magic Strings Manifest Stickers Transform

Unfinity Marketing Feedback

Hi, I just wanted to say, as someone who’s always loved silver border, and was super excited for Unfinity, and even suggested on this blog that un-sets should be a mix of silver and black border, I’m currently very unenthused about unifinity. I’d like to explain why:While I personally think an un-set being a mix of black and silver border is great, putting the distinction as a small holo stamp, rather than the clearer borders has resulted in a continuous series of misconceptions. Each preview for unfinity has shown the same card with both the acorn and the regular stamp. The first preview had a silver border reprint with the regular stamp. Magar had both. To make it worse, some cards, like Far Out, have an acorn stamp yet feel like they should work in black border while stickers is apparently going to be eternal-playable. The errors and the lack of clarity of what effects can/can’t be acorn, means people are unable to trust the previews they’re seeing as being accurate. This results in the discussion only being about the eternal legality of cards instead of what’s fun and how things play.The reason for my lack of enthusiasm is not due to anything in the set, rather, the marketing, whoever was in charge of these previews, has so mismanaged the set that instead of exciting me - a silver border player - I am significantly less excited than I was. I have to actively remind myself that you’re excited for a reason and take it on faith in you and the rest of the design team, while the previews continue to put me off.I hope as the set gets closer to release, this will change, because I want to support un-sets. But the marketing has really lost me. I am genuinely surprised at how much it has affected my anticipation. So surprised I felt compelled to tell you in the hopes you can pass this on to the right people so they learn from their mistakes.Thank you.

There have only been two mistakes, and it’s the same mistake (showing the wrong security symbol). When we make files, we make a version we use to show online (we call them HRR’s, but I have no idea what that stands for). Unfinity is the first set where the security stamp is a field that needs to be proofed on the HRR, and the system just wasn’t set up to do that proofing, because it dwasn’t a thing we had to worry about. We’ve now changed our process, so it is. Again, Magar of the Magic Strings is eternal and Water Gun Balloon Game is acorn. Everything else was what it said it was.Things like Far Out just demonstrate how fuzzy the line is between acorn and eternal. It often relies on minute details that the average player isn’t aware of, but that doesn’t mean on our end there isn’t clarity. I do believe when you get to see the full set, you’ll be excited. I just had to proof collation, which meant I opened up actual boost packs and it just reminded me how excited I am for the set. Un-sets just let us do things we normally can’t and the design team really had fun tapping into cool spaces.

Appreciation Balloon Black Black Border Blogatog / Tumblr Card Borders Card Printing Card Printing Demonstrate Eternal Far Out Magar of the Magic Strings Reprints Spoilers Stickers Un-Magic / Silver Border / Acorn Un-sets Water Gun Balloon Game

Expanding Vocabulary for Mechanics

We seem to see "if THIS would leave the battlefield, exile it instead of putting it anywhere else" with increasing frequency, latest being Magar of the Magic Strings from Unfinity. I can see why - it is a useful balance for effects such as reanimation and other forms of cheating-into-play. Is it at the point where keywording would be useful? After all, it is two full lines of text that one word might replace (suggestions: Aether, Untether, Vanish, Void).

Vocabulary comes with a cost, so we have to weigh what is worth adding new words to the game. This is not the kind of place where vocabulary helps us much.

Magar of the Magic Strings Mechanics The Exile Zone

Magar of the Magic Strings type

Is Magar of the Magic Strings Eternal or Acorn? The regular card uses the regular foil stamp, but the showcase has the acorn stamp.

It’s an eternal card. The image of the booster fun version is in error.

Boosters Eternal Foil Foils Magar of the Magic Strings Un-Magic / Silver Border / Acorn Un-sets