The world that the game of Magic: The Gathering is set in is a weird and complex one – mostly because it’s set on multiple realities. Some of these worlds are fairly standard (like the Greek myth-inspired Theros), but the more popular ones tends to be much weirder. Zendikar is one such realm; a place of wild magic, ancient artefacts and long forgotten secrets. The Zendikar Vs. Eldrazi Duel Deck pits this weird and strange realm against the magic-devouring horrors from beyond reality known as the Eldrazi.
Or to put it another way, Duel Decks: Zendikar Vs. Eldrazi lets you pit really weird things against other, similarly really weird things. Like all Duel Decks, the set contains a bunch of old cards with new artwork as a well as two fairly nifty foil cards. The set also comes with some nifty boxes to store the cards and two twenty-sided dice to track the score and some token cards.
Being a versus set, we have two decks. Zendikar is a green/white deck which focuses on the gradual build-up of power and land control. Cards such as Khalni Heart Expedition and Groundswell allow for stronger units and also brings more available mana to the board. Monsters such as Knight of Cliffhaven, Beastbreaker of Bala Ged and Caravan Escort can be summoned with minimal mana initially and can be increased in ability over time. They also become significantly more powerful in number, as you’d expect in a white deck. This allows the player to scale up their defence, which is crucial when facing the horrible monsters of the Eldrazi.
The Eldrazi set is a black/red deck which is all about the damage, sacrifice and huge monsters. They are plenty of tiny horrid creatures to summon. These can be used to defend yourself, or if you’re so inclined you can sacrifice them for a handy boost in mana. This allows you to bring into play monsters like It That Betrays, an 11/11 creature with the annihilator trait that only costs 12 mana. Or to put it another way, a hideous creature from beyond space time that will eat the enemy all up.
Overall, this a great reminder as to what we like about the Zendikar setting in the first place.
MAGIC: THE GATHERING – DUEL DECKS: ZENDIKAR VS. ELDRAZI / DESIGNER: VARIOUS / PUBLISHER: WIZARDS OF THE COAST / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW
