Innistrad is the first Magic: The Gathering expansion that I have played since Tempest (1997). The additional features and darker feel to the set are the reason that I have entered back into the fold. For those players that have been away from the game for so long, there is little different from the fundamental game. Sure, there may be terms that I was not immediately familiar with, but the pre-made decks immediately allow players to be competitive against even seasoned veterans. The biggest addition to the Magic: The Gathering game play has to be the double-backed cards, which are all a variety of colors.
After some sort of action (discarding a creature card, having more than 5 Vampires on the board), the character becomes much stronger or provides players with a killer ability. There are a few additional twists and turns to Magic: The Gathering in the Innistrad set as well – Utility lands provide different colors of mana or additional buffs to one’s creatures, while there are quite a few late-game spells (Divine Reckoning, Devil’s Play) that have accessible flashback costs.
I feel that the Vampire side of things makes for a great nucleus to be formed around – the additional +1/+1 buffs granted them when they attack a creature or player makes them a tremendous force after a few turns of being on the board. Coming forth with a whole slew of older cards, I found it challenging to counter the pre-made Vampire deck; I would say to pick up a few booster packs to shore up any defenses you may have open. Keep an eye out in January for the next Magic: The Gathering set; Dark Ascension. It will be in stores at the beginning of February.
Rating: 9.4/10
Innistrad (Expansion) / Magic: The Gathering / http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Summoner/
John Sargeant, writing on NeuFutur as Sargeant, is the founder and editor-in-chief of NeuFutur Magazine, where he has covered independent music, PC hardware, consumer tech, and gaming culture since 1998. With over 25 years of continuous digital publishing experience, he has written thousands of hands-on game and record reviews, conducted in-depth hardware field testing, and analyzed digital media monetization trends. His work prioritizes first-hand evaluation and long-term product testing.
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