Another new set is on the horizon, and as always, I’m excited to get to play it! I’ll be drafting March of the Machine for Pro Tour Minneapolis, and as part of my practice, I’ll keep you all updated with the knowledge I uncover. For today, we’re going to look at three brand-new mechanics being introduced in March of the Machine, a couple of returning ones, and their implications for Limited. Let’s go!
Backup (New Mechanic)
Backup is a brand-new mechanic that will appear on creatures. It’s followed by a number (as I write this, I’ve only seen backup 1 and 2), which indicates how many +1/+1 counters to put on target creature (you can’t split these up!).
All the creatures with backup have additional abilities, with some greater than others, like double strike from Fearless Skald compared to deathtouch and reanimation on Archpriest of Shadows. The mechanic gives a ton of modality to your existing, and somewhat boring, squad, allowing them to show off for a turn. The +1/+1 counter(s) stick around, but the text is only borrowed for a turn!
Incubate (New Mechanic)
Incubate is the second new mechanic, and it can show up on pretty much any type of card. Incubate will be followed by a number or an X, indicating how many +1/+1 counters it will have on it. The Incubator token is not a creature, but it is an artifact. The activated ability of paying two colorless transforms the artifact into a 0/0 creature with the +1/+1 counters remaining on the token.
To note, you can activate the transform on these tokens at instant speed, which will inherently make instant-speed tricks or mana-activated abilities better, as you can have multiple options available when you keep your mana up.
Battle / Siege (New Card Type / Subtype)
All right, we warmed up with some fairly straightforward and player-friendly mechanics. Now let’s tackle the brand-new card type, battle, and the subtype Siege. All battles in March of the Machine are Sieges, though future battles may not be.
Sieges do not come down attached to an opponent per se, but the Siege’s caster chooses an opponent to “protect” the Siege (the player who cast the Siege controls it). The March of the Machine battles are very reminiscent of the introduction of planeswalkers, in that they create a new “zone” you can target with spells and abilities that specify they can target a battle or allow “any target,” as well as a separate zone you may choose to attack.
Sieges have an overpriced effect when initially entering the battlefield, typically paying off in full after the Siege is “defeated.” Damage dealt to a Siege removes that many “defense counters” from it, and when a player has “defeated” a Siege (removed all defense counters), its controller exiles the Siege and then casts it transformed.
Choose Your Battles
While battles and Sieges present new and unique challenges, remember that you don’t need to defeat every battle put forth. Every point of damage dealt to a Siege is damage that could have gone to the opponent. When you cast and defeat a Siege, your opponent has effectively gained X life, where X is the Siege’s defense. To reiterate a point that I made earlier about Indoctrination Attendant and watching people bounce lands, “Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.”
Okay, deep breath – here are some easy ones to round it out.
Convoke (Returning Mechanic)
Convoke isn’t a new mechanic by any means, but it’s not one we’ve never seen as a set mechanic outside of original Ravnica: City of Guilds, and Return to Ravnica… and Magic 2015, but no one remembers Magic 2015. In March of the Machine, beyond a few rares, convoke is reserved for Izzet, which is unexpected. There isn’t a ton of token creation within the colors (yet), with only two cards incubating as well. Nonetheless, Joyful Stormsculptor, Invasion of Kaladesh, and Xerex Strobe-Knight look to be a very nice place to start going wide!
Double-Faced Cards / DFCs (Returning Mechanic)
We do know that each Draft Booster will include one double-faced transform card (DFC), but unlike their Werewolf predecessors, the cards in March of the Machine are unable to flip back to their original form. Not only are all the battle cards double-faced, there’s a cycle of mono-colored uncommon creatures that can transform for some amount of colorless mana and a Phyrexian mana of a chosen color, like Khenra Spellspear or Seraph of New Capenna. One cool thing we haven’t seen before (outside of battles) is creatures transforming into Sagas, like Jin-Gitaxias or Elesh Norn.
If you happen to go to a paper draft, the typical rule on DFCs is to reveal them to the table on opening the pack. With March of the Machine a brand-new set, I don’t think there’s too much to gain during the first couple of drafts, but if you happen to know what all the DFCs say and do, it’s nice to see when people pick them and adjust accordingly.
Colorless Cards (Absent Mechanic)
One point of interest in March of the Machine is its complete omission of colorless nonland cards! While artifacts do exist, you won’t find any of the colorless variety, which means a couple of things.
Firstly, you need to make sure you get enough playables that you can cast in your colors! You can’t grab a 23rd off-color Dross Skullbomb or Field Creeper because your draft didn’t work out. To build on that point, that means you really want to draft the right colors for your seat, as it may be far more difficult to acquire enough on-color cards to support your early bomb picks.
The second point I wanted to make is the importance of the dual land cycle. Similarly to Dominaria United, my initial opinion is that picking these up Pack 1 will pay dividends in later packs, giving you the flexibility to find your lands more easily.
I really like the new mechanics of backup and incubate, and I am cautiously optimistic about the new battle cards as well. It certainly looks to be a unique format, and I can’t wait to play the paper Prerelease!
Lose and learn, learn and win!
