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March of the Machine Sealed Quick Guide
Quick Intro
Hey there!
I'm incredibly excited to be back and have the opportunity to share some insights with you all about March of the Machine, the brand new 281-card set from Wizards of the Coast. Mark your calendars, because the official release date is April 21st, 2023, with the pre-release event happening on Friday, April 14th.
This is the thrilling culmination of the four-part Phyrexian story arc that kicked off with Dominaria United. The entire Multiverse comes together for an epic showdown. Here are some notable Story Spotlights featuring my favorite image – Karn clutching the head of Elesh Norn.
In examining the new set, we must first delve into the various mechanics found in March of the Machine, which features a mix of returning and new mechanics. Notably, we have the debut of Battle cards, as well as the return of the fan-favorite Convoke from previous editions.
Relevant Mechanics
BATTLE
As soon as I saw the design of this mechanic, I was instantly transported back to September 2009, the release month of Planechase - oversized cards that took us on a journey through the planes of what's now known as the Multiverse, with a primary focus on multiplayer format. Battle directly references Planechase and employs the so-called Siege for its gameplay mechanics.
Battle cards are horizontally oriented cards that consist of a cost, text box, and a unique counter similar to Planeswalker loyalty counters called defense counters. Upon entering the battlefield, their effect triggers, and you must choose an opponent to be the protector of this permanent. Each time you attack, you can direct damage towards the Battle card with the goal of defeating it by reducing its defense counters. Once all counters have been removed, the card leaves the battlefield to a special exile zone and can be cast transformed.
Keep in mind that the card does not transform immediately; it is cast transformed, allowing for the possibility of countering this new form or even choosing not to cast the transformation at all. The back sides of Siege cards can be various types of cards, ranging from oppressive enchantments, fierce creatures, useful artifacts, powerful sorceries, and astonishing planeswalkers.
Battle cards rarity will range from uncommon to mythic, making them an essential part of your Sealed and Draft deck-building strategy.
BACKUP
In Magic, it's always crucial to have a backup plan, and that's precisely the premise behind the BACKUP mechanic. This mechanic is pretty straightforward - when a creature with Backup enters the battlefield, you have the option to either place a +1/+1 counter on it or assign the counter to another creature in play. If you choose the latter, the chosen creature will gain an additional bonus until the end of the turn. The abilities you can find among those granted by BACKUP are quite diverse, with Boon-Bringer Valkyrie's abilities being particularly noteworthy.
INCUBATE
Speaking of memories, Incubate reminded me a lot of the keyword action introduced in War of the Spark called amass, with one significant difference. To bring the token created by Incubate to life, you must pay 2, which slightly decreases its playability. However, it's a fair 2-for-1 trade in sealed.
CONVOKE
Convoke is a classic mechanic making a comeback, first associated with the Selesnya guild from Ravnica: City of Guilds and initially designed by Richard Garfield. Convoke allows you to use your creatures to help pay the cost of cards with this ability and can be crucial in sealed play.
MULTIVERSE LEGENDS
This isn't a mechanic, but rather a crucial piece of information to keep in mind: all booster packs will contain a Multiverse Legend, a special art card representing a legendary creature from Magic's history that is thematically connected to the set's storyline. These cards can be played in limited formats even if they don't belong to the set, and could potentially be a significant bomb to consider both for and against your strategy. So, be mindful of your removal options, as they could save you from something far more impactful.
Best Cards By Color
As you all know, sealed involves playing with a high number of common and uncommon cards, we will now review the top cards for each color.
WHITE
Creatures
In this color, the knight creature type plays a significant role, with cards like Zhalfirin Lancer acting as a solid pick that will reward you for casting knights. Tiller of Flesh boasts impressive stats and synergizes well with Attentive Skywarden. Additionally, we have top-notch removal reminiscent of Pacifism with Realmbreaker's Grasp.
Best Color Combinations
All these creatures work really well in Azorius with cards like Marshal of Zhalfir.
Also, going Boros is a great choice if we get cards like Invasion of Kylem, which is an amazing battle that, which when defeated, brings in an excellent reward.
Best Spells
Angelic Intervention safeguards your win condition while providing a secure attack. Inspired Charge is versatile, allowing you to both win the game and protect your creatures. Aerial Boost excels in defense, offering a +2/+2 boost for just one mana – a pretty sweet deal if you ask me! It can also catch your opponent off-guard with an unexpected aerial block, which sounds awesome!
BLUE
In my opinion one of the weakest colors in the set. It features some interesting 2-for-1 cards, such as Preening Champion, Oracle of Tragedy, and Protocol Knight. The latter is an exceptional addition to any Knights-focused deck.
Best Color Combinations
Dimir is a fantastic color combination, and Halo Forager is truly remarkable. Not only does it amplify your sorceries and instants, which are always limited in sealed play, but its power and evasive ability make it a formidable threat. Invasion of Amonkhet is excellent as well, boasting numerous effects for a mere 3 mana and only 4 defense counters. This makes it an easily defeatable battle, bringing in a 4/4 creature that's sure to have an awesome ability copied from a creature in the graveyard.
Best Spells
Zhalfirin Shapecraft is a brilliant trick in this set, allowing you to remove an opposing creature while also drawing a card for just 2 mana – it's perfect. Wicked Slumber is equally impressive, capable of sealing the game or providing the necessary tempo boost.
BLACK
As always, black is once again getting the best of the best, Aetherblade Agent is fantastic. The two-cost cards in Sealed are crucial and this one is top-tier. For just two mana, you get a 1/1 with Deathtouch that can be a great blocker and when transformed brings in a 3/3 with Deathtouch, with the ability to draw a card each time it deals damage. Give him any form of evasion and it can be a really nice threat.
Removal
Final Flourish is really versatile, and references one of this year's most popular shows, "Succession." Deadly Derision is also great to deal with anything, offering four mana of pure devastating simplicity that also grants you a Treasure.
Best Color Combinations
As is usual, Golgari is a solid investment, even though green isn't in the best spot in this edition. However, Elvish Vatkeeper might just make it work, especially when paired with Gift of Compleation.
Best Spells
The Bladed Battle-Fan is an outstanding trick, much like Mirrodin Avenged. Combining Render Inert with battle cards is a great way to defeat them while also obtaining an additional card.
RED
This color is almost at the same power level as black. Volcanic Spite is top-notch, and I firmly believe it will make waves in Standard too. Dealing damage plus card filtering is always great in limited. Thrashing Frontliner is well-balanced, and as it grows, it may prove to be an unstoppable force. Pyretic Prankster, too, is a great card to include in our decks.
Best Color Combinations
Gruul has a lot to offer, and Invasion of Ergamon is a cheap battle with a significant reward. It's not just a 3/4 with trample; it also finds us another battle in our library!. Rampaging Geoderm is also great card in this color combination.
Best Spells
Noteworthy tricks include Mirran Banesplitter, Coming In Hot, and Burning Sun's Fury.
Green
In this set, green isn't among the strongest colors, but it still features some relevant spells. Overgrown Pest is a jack-of-all-trades, capable of everything putting a battle, a creature or a land in our hand - everything is possible with this 2/2 for 3 mana. Portent Tracker helps you play your more expensive spells while also protecting your battles or meddling with your opponents ones. Cosmic Hunger feels like a classic in the color but with the added twist that March of the Machine demands.
Best Spells
Green certainly has its tricks up its sleeve, such as Arachnoid Adaptation. It embodies the essence of green by combining reach and pumping up our creature with +2/+2. Vengeant Earth also performs exceptionally well for a really low mana cost.
Final Words
In conclusion, I hope you find this article about March of the Machine both useful and fun. Don't forget to join me on Thursday, April 13th, as I explore EARLY ACCESS gameplay on the FIVE COLOR HUB channel and apply everything we've talked about.
Until next time!
If you liked this article maybe you will also find interesting on of the following ones Brother's War Sealed Guide and best tips & tricks by color, Winning the Brother's War Limited Challenge: Tips, tricks & analysis, March of the Machine Limited: First Impressions & Analysis By Color, Exploring the Wilds of Eldraine Limited: Best Tips & Top Commons by Color, Breaking Lost Caverns of Ixalan Draft
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Experienced Magic the Gathering player and mathematician
A passionate and experienced Magic the Gathering player and mathematician, JimmyTo uses his discipline for data collection and statistics in the game; he is better known as JimmyTo and is constantly present among the top rankings of his country. He is currently a co-founder of Five Color Hub, a Chilean organization that has given 3 slots to a World Pro Tour.
