Magic: the Gathering
January 9, 2026
John breaks down the best way to print Magic: the Gathering proxies in today’s featured article.
If you’re here for MTG news, reviews, and guides, you’re in the right place. Kraken Opus is built around Magic: The Gathering first, because that’s the game that keeps eating our free time and rent money. But we also cover other TCGs and board games, since sometimes you need a palate cleanser that doesn’t involve arguing about layers.
We post MTG news, reviews, and guides for the stuff you actually want to know: what a new set is trying to do, what a rules change really means at the table, and which cards are quietly doing work in Commander while everyone’s distracted by the mythic with the cool art.
Spoiler season is fun, and also exhausting. One minute you’re reading a new mechanic, the next you’re ten tabs deep into “is this better in Standard or Commander?” and someone in your group chat has already declared it “unplayable” without ever casting it.
Our MTG news is meant to keep you caught up without turning into a 3,000-word panic scroll. Expect set announcements, interesting deck tech shifts, big Commander releases, and the kind of updates that actually change how people build decks and play games.
We like games. We also like being honest when a game has issues. A good review should tell you what it feels like to play, who it’s for, and what’s going to annoy you after the third session.
On the MTG side, that means taking new products and decks seriously, but not treating every release like it’s sacred. On the board game side, it means talking about pacing, setup time, rules overhead, replay value, and whether the “45 minutes” on the box is a beautiful lie.
You’ll see reviews for:
Magic products that actually show up on tables (Commander decks, bundles, big crossovers)
Other TCG releases when they’re worth your attention
Board games, especially the ones that feel like they’ll stick around past the honeymoon phase
Magic is a game where one word can change everything. And half the time, the “obvious” play is wrong because the stack exists, replacement effects exist, or your opponent has two open mana and a grin.
Our guides are built for real games with real humans. We write for Commander because that’s where a lot of people live now, but we don’t ignore competitive formats either. Expect explainers that cover:
Rules questions that come up constantly
Deckbuilding basics and manabase choices
Card roles like removal, ramp, and draw
How to think about sequencing and play patterns, not just “run these 10 cards”
And yes, we’ll keep saying MTG news, reviews, and guides because that’s the point of the site. Also because Magic players love repetition. It’s called consistency. Or trauma. Same thing.
Magic is the main course. But it’s not the only good game in town.
We’ll dip into other TCGs when there’s something to actually talk about: a format shake-up, a smart design shift, a new set that’s doing something different, or a community trend that’s spreading fast.
And board games show up here because a lot of MTG players also love:
co-op games that punish you politely
dungeon crawlers with too many tokens
clever euros with one rules exception that ruins everything
quick fillers that aren’t a two-hour commitment
If it hits the table and sparks conversation, it belongs here.
’m not interested in writing content that reads like it was approved by a committee. This site is for players who like learning, like debating card choices, and like finding that one line of text they missed that explains why a play worked.
So the vibe is:
clear, practical writing
real opinions, but not hot-take noise
enough context that newer players aren’t lost
enough depth that experienced players don’t feel patronized
If that sounds like you, bookmark the site. Or don’t. But if you’re about to argue about whether a card is “win more,” at least do it with receipts.
