Welcome to a Friday edition of the 'Daily Dose of Kaladesh', where today I’ll be looking at the new Energy mechanic from Kaladesh. Some might call this is a new mechanic, but truly it is a new resource to be used in the game. Since the start of Magic, there have been the same resources we’ve always had, with certain cards that take advantage of each resource. Let me talk about some of the resources currently available to you in each game of Magic you play.
Mana – This is the main resource needed to cast any of the spells you cast each game.
Cards in your hand – These spells and lands will help shape the battlefield and how you influence the game.
Cards on the battlefield – What permanents you have will help decide most often if you win and lose the game.
Library – Your deck can be used as a resource if you are able to outlast an opponent that runs out of cards in their library.
Graveyard – Often the graveyard can become like a second hand if you have spells and creatures that take advantage of what they can do.
Life Total – How you use your life total is up to you, but sometimes your current life total will affect whether you can attack this turn or if you need to hold back for defence.
Now thanks to Kaladesh, you can add a new resource to the game, called Energy. Energy is a resource, unlike mana, does not drain at the end of each phase or turn. Energy is associated with you as a player and won’t go away until you use it or you leave the game. The energy you gain during a game can be used not only on the cards that make the Energy, but over multiple cards, or all at once for one large Energy cost. Most cards that provide Energy, also give you and outlet to use Energy, but not all of them. Enough talk about this new resource, let me show you a card with Energy. Here is Aetherworks Marvel.
This mythic is definitely a card that could be powerful in a deck that is built to utilize it. I think you will need to have other ways to gain Energy to really make this card shine. With a lot of the high casting cost powerful cards in Standard like Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger and Elder Deep-Fiend, having Aetherworks Marvel cast the card instead of putting it onto the battlefield is a huge difference. If you can take advantage of cards that have Scry as well, you can plan which cards are on top of your library to make sure you get huge cards on top such as Emrakul, the Promised End.
Next, I’m going to be looking at a new creature that gives you some Energy, and also provides a couple of ways to spend Energy as well to make the creature better. Here is Multiform Wonder.
I unofficially call this card, the Energy Morphling. I love having options on a card, and Multiform Wonder has it in spades. The versatility of being able to block and make it a 1/5, or attack with it and make it a 5/1 to get in lots of damage. Need to gain life? Add some lifelink and gain up to 5 life per turn. Multiform Wonder can also have evasion by gaining flying to get through damage as well. It would have been nice to have maybe a way to protect itself, but maybe that would be a bit greedy. This card is a great way to use all of the Energy you have acquired during the game.
The last card I’m going to be looking at is a great way to gain Energy to be used for other Energy outlets throughout the game. Here is Woodweaver’s Puzzleknot.
Most self contained Energy cards will provide anywhere from one to three Energy, which might not always be enough to use high Energy output cards. Woodweaver’s Puzzleknot allows you to not only get six Energy to use during the game, but also gain six life in the process. I can see this Common card being a cycle of Energy gainers in Kaladesh, and look forward to seeing what the other artifacts in the cycle provide on top of the Energy.
As you can see Energy as a personal resource is going to be a great change to games of Magic. Most cards are self contained in being able to use the Energy you produce, but I look forward to seeing entire decks that can take advantage of this new resource and what other preview cards from Kaladesh are still to come.
Thanks again for reading this end of the week version of the 'Daily Dose of Kaladesh' and I look forward to seeing you all next week for some more great previews from Kaladesh.
