Magic the Gathering: Words, Words, Words – Big Keywords in ‘The Brothers’ War’

A historic set deserves to have historic keywords, and The Brothers’ War definitely delivers.

The Brothers’ War set is right around the corner, plunging fans of the TCG into the war at the root of Dominaria’s story. Following the first invasion of Phyrexia and the titular war between Urza and his brother Mishra, the set is shaping up to be phenomenal. Alongside some stellar new cards and old characters making a return, The Brothers’ War also brings in some gnarly keywords, both brand-new and previous favorites. Here are some of the coolest new(ish) keywords in the upcoming set.

Meld

Originally introduced in Eldritch Moon, Meld is a keyword that smashes two cards together into a bigger, scarier card once certain conditions are met. So far we’ve seen three such cards for the new set, but there could potentially be many more. Titania melds with her homeland to become an avatar of Gaia itself, Urza slams the Might and Meek stones into his eyes to become a 5-ability planeswalker, and Mishra does his best Sheoldred impersonation by fusing with a Dragon Engine. I’d love to see some of the other legends, like Gix or Ashnod, get a Meld ability as well, but only time will tell.

Prototype

A brand new ability introduced in this set, Prototype allows you to cast spells for a slightly reduced cost to get the same creature with a little less power. Don’t count them out though; they get to keep all their abilities, so you could cheat in a nasty creature, then blink it off the field to come back at full strength. Mishra and Urza experimented on their masterworks several times before unleashing them, and now you can do the same.

Unearth

Another classic mechanic returning with style, Unearth allows you to give some of your creatures one last hurrah before they blink out. Considering that most of the Unearth creatures have ETB effects or high power, this will be an awesome hidden blade mechanic. Just watch out for graveyard hate.

I can’t wait to crack into this set!

Author: Clint Lienau

From North Carolina to Texas and back to North Carolina again, Clint lives the life of a traveling artist. An avid gamer, writer, actor, pyrotechnician, and general nerd, he has finally turned his love of EDH into a career. When not busy being a clueless cowboy, Winterfell Bannermen, or whatever else acting life throws at him, he enjoys reading folklore from around the world, writing narratives for his Wargaming armies, or running D&D 5e games as a professional DM. Look for his storytelling podcast, By the Dancing Fire, or find him on Twitch at FeybornPhyrexian, where he produces MTG content.