Dear Magic the Gathering

Our letters

On this website Hanjo writes a love letter for a Magic the Gathering card every day. Danny writes hate letters for a Magic the Gathering card every now and again. You can read about our feelings here.

  • Dear Furnace Host Charger, 

    <3

    Fetchlands are crazy high pickups in high power level Cubes like the MTGO Vintage Cube. Luis Scott-Vargas always has them in his top 50 list for Vintage Cube. And rightfully so, because together with Duals, Shocks, Triomes and Surveil lands they are crazy good. And yet you, Furnace Host Charger, are better. 

    You are better in the context of my ‘Alles-2 Cube’, where all players start with the following Emblem: ‘all spells, activated and triggered abilities cost 2 generic mana less’. In this new context you basically become a fetchland, for only Mountains that is. But you are so much more than just a fetchland, you are a modal card now. And modal cards are always crazy strong, and you are one of the strongest versions of it. 

    If you look at Fire//Ice, the most classic and one of the strongest modal cards ever made, both modes cost 2 mana. What is very strong about Fire//Ice is that especially the base level, Fire, is on its own already a strong Magic card. Which makes the card as strong as it is. Your base level, Furnace Host Charger, is a fetchland for mountains. Which is crazy strong. But your other mode is a 4-mana, 5/5 haste creature, is also very strong. But what makes you so much better than Fire//Ice is that your modes are very far apart in the moments you want them in the game. You are good on turn 1, and you are good in the late game. I think not just having the choice of what mode to play, but also choosing what part of the game needs you the most is such a fun puzzle to solve. Plus having modal lands that also double as a mid to late game banger gives so much texture to the game. I absolutely love you in my Alles-2 Cube. 

    With love, 

    Hanjo

  • Dear Delivery Moogle, 

    <3

    Yesterday I wrote about Traveler’s Amulet in my Alles-2 Cube (my reduction emblem Cube). I forgot to mention one of my favourite cards to combine Traveler’s Amulet with (on purpose), and that is you. Having a 3/2 flyer that fetches up a basic land (essentially, but we know the Traveler’s Amulet is so much more than that) is already really cool. But also you offer so much more. 

    You have the potential to be a toolbox in a Cube. There is a reason why Cube designers and players love narrow tutors (LuckyPaperRadio made a very good episode about this). Drafting a little toolbox around a narrow tutor is such a fun experience. It adds this layer of complexity to your draft, and you get rewarded with these very fun (and complex) play patterns during the games. Which I love both as a designer and player. 

    You can (essentially) fetch up a basic land. But you can also draw a card with something like Ichor Wellspring. You can draw a card and make a lethal attacker unblockable with Sleeper Dart. You can control a board state with a card like Siren Song Lyre. You are a removal spell with Pyrite Spellbomb. You straight up make a mana with Springleaf Drum. But the best thing you do, in my experience, is trigger Fae Offering all by yourself. I did this at my last Cube Invitational against my friend, and eventual winner of that Invitational, Tristan. And the best thing was, I did it each and every turn with the help of First Responder. It was so much fun, I loved it. 

    With love, 

    Hanjo

  • Dear Traveler’s Amulet, 

    <3

    I really want to write a love letter for you, but I am afraid it’s going to be a short one. Because you are way too simple, way too elegant, way too efficient that it’s impossible not to love you. In my Alles-2 (I’ve made a video about this Cube explaining its unique concept), you are a Prismatic Vista. I can play you for free, sacrifice you for free, get myself a basic land to my hand. Simple as that. Right? 

    Not quite. Because you are an artifact there is so much more design space for me to play with. There are the 2 obvious suspects: Emry, Lurker of the Loch and Drafna, Founder of Lat-Nam that you are insane with. Being able to fetch up a basic land each and every turn with both of those Legends is so strong. Having Efficient Construction turn you into a free 1/1 thopter while still fetching that land is so awesome. You, a fetch land, triggering prowess on a whole bunch of creatures and tokens with cards like Jeskai Elder or Goblin Wizardry is so cool. Getting some late game card draw out of your fetch land with a Sage of Lat-Nam, Acolyte Hybrid or Trading Post is such a good feeling. Giving you extreme powers with a Quicksmith Rebel or Quicksmith Spy just feels plain unfair. 

    You are so much more than just a Prismatic Vista (besides the 30 euro vs 10 cent difference). You give me so much more design space to play with when designing this Cube. You give my players so much more synergy space to explore when drafting you. You offer so many ‘Eureka!’ moments to my drafters that I absolutely love. I love that Magic can be as cheap as 10 cents to offer this type of gameplay experience with a little help of the concept of an Emblem Cube. I love Cube, and I love you in it. 

    With love, 

    Hanjo

  • Dear Cryptex, 

    <3

    When I first built my Alles-2 Cube, my emblem Cube where each player starts with the following emblem: “All spells, activated and triggered abilities cost 2 generic mana less”, I thought you, Cryptex, were the best card of the Cube. Before even doing a single draft or playing a single game in this crazy context shift environment, you were my number one first pick first pack. 

    Moxen are always good. You are a Mox that needs some work, but a Mox nonetheless. And in the late game, after 5 activations, you even provide this insane amount of value. I doubted when first constructing this Cube if you were too good. But I wanted to test you, because the Legacy power level I was trying to mirror should be ok with a Mox or 2 that need some work. Just like Mox Diamond and Chrome Mox. You and Springleaf Drum were my Moxen of choice. 

    I thought you would be crazy good because cards don’t lose their mana value. So a Night Terrors on turn 1 is already fuel for you. And cycling a Twisted Abomination, which is basically a fetchland, also fuels you. I just saw so much fuel for you. But it turns out, all those fetches are crazy strong and you can’t pick up too many because everyone wants them. And having to cast spells to provide fuel isn’t as good as free cycling. Don’t get me wrong, you are still at your place in this Cube and in the right deck you are still crazy strong, but you need the right deck. Your power level isn’t a given. But my dear friend Tom did give me a nice foil copy of you because of how outspoken I was about you being the best card. You aren’t my number one anymore first pick first pack, but my heart jumps every time I see you in that Cube. 

    With love, 

    Hanjo

  • Dear Bottle Gnomes, 

    <3

    After this past week writing about my classic 2 drops for each section, I was looking at all the love letters I wrote thus far for 3 mana creatures. And I wrote a whole bunch of good ones, each and every of them:

    But to my surprise there wasn’t a colorless option in there yet. So I set out to find my classic colorless 3 mana creature. The thing is, there aren’t many in my Cubes. Sure, I love myself a Pilgrim’s Eye, but it doesn’t cut it for my classic option. Metalworker is probably the biggest classic looking at his legacy. But I personally don’t have much history with Metalworker, even though he is in my 2009 Power Cube. I ended up choosing you, Bottle Gnomes. 

    I used to play you in the sideboard of my blue black Mannequin deck back in 2007. I was always amazed at how efficient you were at stopping aggro decks in that environment, especially with the recursion of Makeshift Mannequin. Heck, even Jon Finkel played 4 copies of you back in 1998 in his Sligh sideboard for the mirror. I always have been so impressed how such a quirky little creature is so potent as a sideboard card. 

    Even though you are not in one of my 19 Cubes yet, I’m happy that that is going to change because now you are going to be in the Love Letter Cube I’m going to make. Because you deserve to be in one of my Cubes. 

    With love, 

    Hanjo

  • Dear Arcbound Ravager, 

    <3

    There is actually another 2 mana colorless creature that actually is my favourite, but that is a story for a different day. That creature doesn’t really count in this mini-series, isn’t a real classic and deserves a video. After the decision to exclude that mystery card, the choice was really easy. I don’t think there is a bigger classic than you, Arcbound Ravager. 

    I started playing my local FNM in 2003 with the release of Mirrodin. So I was there when you were introduced to the world. And you took the world by storm. You were the perfect piece to an Affinity puzzle, you were the sauce. I have very fond memories of playing against you. Specifically at Grand Prix Liverpool together with my friends Tom and Frank because it was Team Unified Modern. In the 8th round we were playing Mines – Takahashi – Nielsen. Yes, that last guy is Simon Nielsen, the 2022/23 Player of the Year, and I was paired against him. He was playing with you, Arcbound Ravager, in Hardened Scales Affinity. I didn’t play all that much competitive Magic anymore by then and I had never played against that deck. I was playing my favourite Modern deck of all time, Living End. That was one of the best matches of Magic I have ever played. It helps that I won and that Simon went on to become one of the best players of his generation. But even then, the games were so much fun and so complicated thanks to you, Arcbound Ravager.

    The only problem with you, Arcbound Ravager, is that I always only enjoyed playing against you. And I have always enjoyed that immensely, but I also want to play with you. Your play patterns are amazing, I want to enjoy them too. Just the other day I ordered my first ever copy of you, and a sweet one in that. I ordered a gold-border version of you, from the 2004 World Championship deck piloted by Aeo Paquette. Because I’m going to add you to my Hanjo Masters #2 Cube. I have absolutely no idea why I never added you to that Cube earlier, especially because Hardened Scales is in there, but I’m glad the other day I realised you need to be in there. We are going to have such a blast when I’m going to play you in that Cube. 

    With love, 

    Hanjo de Vries

  • Dear Frostburn Weird, 

    <3

    I hope my readers did not think this cycle would end at just the 5 colours? Of course there is also a letter for my favourite multicolour 2-drop creature of all time. And this was a tough one, there were so many great options: 

    But seeing you in my friend Daan his deck the other night, I just knew my favourite is you, Frostburn Weird. 

    You have seen your fair share of Standard play: making top 8 of Pro Tour Dublin in 2013 in Devotion to Red and even better winning that same Pro Tour in Devotion to Blue. But most important for our shared history, 2013 is also the year I built my Hanjo Masters #1 Cube and put you in there. The playpatterns you offer are so much fun. So many choices, so many ways to attack a game with you. 

    You are my multicolor Dark Confidant, Snapcaster Mage, Stoneforge Mystic. Why? Because to me, you play as a 2 mana, common version of Morphling. And I love it. 

    With love,

    Hanjo

  • Dear Steve, 

    <3

    I think that in general you shouldn’t be THE classic, legendary, green 2 drop creature. In general, looking at the history of the game, that should be Tarmogoyf. But to me, without a doubt, it is you Steve. 

    I won my first FNM with you in my Standard Death Cloud deck. I qualified for my first Dutch National Championship with you in my Standard Heartbeat combo deck. You helped me earn my nickname “5-2 Hanjo” after going 5-2 in 9 Extended PTQ’s in a row with my Death Cloud brew. We played many Modern PTQ’s together with Scapeshift Combo. You are in 6 of my Cubes. You are in my first ever Cube from day one and still to this day. I don’t think there is a card with whom I have so much history. 

    You are a perfect Magic card to me. You are the best Rampant Growth the game has ever seen. Such an elegant creature. Always fun to put you in a Cube, always fun to draft you and always fun to play you. There is just bit of history we didn’t make together yet. We didn’t win a Cube Invitational together yet. Let’s change that! 

    With love, 

    Hanjo

  • Dear Inti, Seneschal of the Sun, 

    <3

    To be fair, this whole legendary 2 mana Red card, my red Snapcaster Mage, my red Dark Confidant, my red Stoneforge Mystic should probably have been Slith Firewalker. But since I already wrote a love letter for my old friend, I looked further. And when I did, at first, I found Young Pyromancer. I almost didn’t even look further, but just to be safe, I double checked. I found Goblin Engineer,  and I had doubts about Fireslinger (such a classic). And then I found you, and I just knew. 

    Yes, Young Pyromancer is a complete classic. Yes, Young Pyromancer is a really clean card. Yes, Young Pyromancer is such a fun card. But Young Pyromancer isn’t you, Inti. You offer so much gameplay: you do so many things, offer so many choices. You are a really complex card to play and I love it. 

    But the best thing is to combine you with my dear friend Frank his favourite card: Currency Converter. Both of you are cards that are very strong on your own, but combine the two of you and you have a value machine that is unmatched in how much fun it is. You are a banger of a synergy piece and it is exactly that what makes you so awesome. All that is left now is just write a love letter for your other half Currency Converter somewhere in the next 249 days. Shouldn’t be a problem. 

    With love, 

    Hanjo

  • Dear Stoneforge Mystic, 

    <3

    You are my white Dark Confidant, my white Snapcaster Mage. You are the next in this mini series of legendary 2 drop creatures. You dominated ever since Batterskull was printed. But I never really enjoyed that interaction, and don’t get me started on Kaldra Compleat. Sure, I will draft and play Kaldra Compleat with you in the Vintage Cube as much as the next guy. But it doesn’t mean that is my favourite way to play you. 

    I was amazed by the ‘Boss Naya’ tech battling through the Jund menace in Standard that helped Louis Scot Vargas to a top 8 at Pro Tour San Diego in 2010. Personally I played you a lot in Standard with the release from Mirrodin Biesieged. I really enjoyed that short period of time when your prime targets were cards like Sword of Feast and Famine (I do love me a Sword), Sylvok Lifestaff and Mortarpod. Those couple of months before Batterskull was printed and you changed forever. You were never the same anymore. 

    But I am going to make you the same again. I’m going back in time to when you really were my perfect white 2 drop. With these love letters, and this love letters Cube I’m building. Currently you are only in my Vintage Cube, together with Kaldra Compleat and Batterskull. But I want something else from you, so you betcha I’m not writing a love letter for those big equipments. No, I’m keeping it small, keeping you the way you should be. That guy who finds me a sweet Sword, because I do love me a Sword. 

    With love, 

    Hanjo