WeeklyMTG: Play “Clue” with Magic!
There’s been a terrible murder, and it’s up to you and your fellow Planeswalkers to solve the crime. But can you trust the other players?
Welcome in, Praetors and Planeswalkers! If you’re like me, you grew up hearing the names Professor Plum, Colonel Mustard, and all the other Clue personalities. The old-school game of sleuthing and whodunit has been a dining room staple for years. So when a murder took place in Teysa’s opulent Ravnican manor, it seemed the perfect time to combine the two properties. Ravnica: Clue Edition is a fabulous amalgam of the two games, and fans of either will find something to love.
What Makes it Clue?
If you’re a fan of the classic Clue game or Cluedo, depending on where you grew up, you’ll love this set. It plays out very much like the original game; there is a mysterious suspect, and you must solve Clues to figure out the person, weapon, and location. Several familiar faces and weapons return, albeit with a more Magic feel. You can make an accusation with your fellow inspectors, and they reveal what evidence they’ve found. When you’re sure you have your suspect, you can make a final accusation and look at the hidden cards. But be warned; if you make an accusation and are wrong, you’re off the investigation for good!
How Does That Work with Magic?
Unlike regular Clue, you’re also playing a game of Magic. The box includes eight Jumpstart-style MtG boosters, each representing one of the Ravnican guilds. Players select two, then shuffle them together to make their deck. The gameplay then goes similar to a Commander game, with play rotating clockwise around the table. Players start with 30 life to give everyone an equal chance.
To make an accusation, you need to do a little interrogation. That translates to dealing combat damage. When you successfully connect with another player, you can make an accusation. If that player has any of the cards you named, they secretly reveal them to you, scratching them off the suspect list. To help keep everyone from attacking the same player, if you show evidence from your hand, you create a Treasure token. In case you run out of creatures, you can also collect evidence by exiling cards with at least six mana values from your graveyard. If you do this, EVERY player is under scrutiny. This is a great way to knock things off the evidence list but might also dish out a lot of treasure.
You win the game in all the usual ways, but you also win if you solve the case. By the same token, being booted from the investigation isn’t the end of the game! After all, if you kill all the other investigators, there’s no one left to take credit for solving the case.
Ravnica: Clue Edition will be available everywhere starting February 28th. You can find the full cardlist here, and if you want to see the game played, you can check out the WeeklyMTG team playing a round.
