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"Unsanctioned" Hits Shelves, Hilarity Ensues! – "Magic: The Gathering"

Hold on to your donkeys – Magic: The Gathering's newest silver-bordered expansion, Unsanctioned, has been released!

"Unsanctioned" Hits Shelves, Hilarity Ensues! - "Magic: The Gathering"
Source: Wizards of the Coast

After three previous full-on silver-bordered releases and a fair smattering of other cards in a similar vein, Unsanctioned is an entirely new concept for the silver-bordered world of Magic. Instead of a completely new set with nothing but new cards (and a cycle of basic lands… and the occasional Steamflogger Boss), Unsanctioned contains five 30-card half-decks meant to be combined into 60-card full-decks and utilized in that way.

"Unsanctioned" Hits Shelves, Hilarity Ensues! - "Magic: The Gathering"
Sort of like that (note: There are no BFM cards in Unsanctioned). Source: Wizards of the Coast

Unsanctioned, as you may or may not recall, was revealed at the same time as the original Mystery Booster product for conventions was revealed. That product has since come out to the public with a version for local gaming and hobby venues due out sometime reasonably soon (though what the exact day is, offhand, is a mystery to me).

Wizards of the Coast Unveils "Unsanctioned" - "Magic: The Gathering"
Source: Wizards of the Coast

But Unsanctioned's contents are no mystery whatsoever. With five half-decks and enough basic lands to sate anyone who wants to squirrel them away (see what I did there?), Unsanctioned is very clearly a product for a very particular consumer.

So, preliminary shilling aside (his word, not mine), in looking at Brian Lewis (Tolarian Community College's The Professor)'s review, things seem pretty critical here. But that's all in theory and to be honest, the "fun" of Unsanctioned is likely to lay more firmly in its gameplay execution. That's not a criticism of The Professor, though, as obviously he's doing his job here. So, let's look at the newest Game Knights, which, this time around, showcases Unsanctioned gameplay in Commander. Exciting!

So is this a fair analysis of Unsanctioned? I'm more inclined to think so.

But what do you think? Is this a Magic: TheGathering product for you? Are you going to Squirrel these away, or will you Chicken out? Let us know your thoughts!


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Joshua NelsonAbout Joshua Nelson

Josh Nelson is a Magic: The Gathering deckbuilding savant, a self-proclaimed scholar of all things Sweeney Todd, and, of course, a writer for Bleeding Cool. In their downtime, Josh can be found painting models, playing Magic, or possibly preaching about the horrors and merits of anthropophagy. You can find them on Twitter at @Burning_Inquiry for all your burning inquiries.
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