My Favourite Parts of Magic: The Gathering – Crimson Vow

December 18, 2021

Crimson Vow

I’ve played Magic: The Gathering on and off for a number of years now. Starting my TCG life with Pokemon, Magi-Nation and Yu-Gi-Oh, it was until I was in my 20s that I began playing Magic in earnest. As the years have progressed, I’ve waxed and waned in the amount of time I dedicate to it, but there’s always a special place in my heart for a good card game. As more new releases of cards occur, I find myself once again becoming more and more interested in the medium. That interest has coincided with the release of the latest card set Magic: The Gathering – Crimson Vow; a Vampire themed card set that introduces new mechanics and designs into the fold. Thanks to our friends at Wizards of the Coast, I was able to get my hands on a bunch of boosters (all packaged in a small lovely wooden coffin) to check out what’s changed.

Here are my favourite additions/changes/designs in Crimson Vow –

New Full Art Land Designs

Full art Lands aren’t exactly a new thing in Magic: The Gathering, but generally speaking a full-art card isn’t the norm. In Crimson Vow, full-art is the norm in boosters. Every single booster I opened came with a beautifully stylised land card that was a joy to look at. Don’t get me wrong, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with a standard land card, but there’s something special about getting a full-art one in every booster you opened.

Vampires Reign Supreme

No matter the medium, I have a soft spot for the children of the night. Be it Salem’s Lot, Interview with a Vampire or What We Do In The Shadows, vampires have been a part of some of my favourite pieces of media. Now, the time has come for them to reign supreme in Magic: The Gathering as well. Set around a Vampire wedding, Crimson Vow has a focus on some absolutely fantastic vampires and their special abilities.

Worlds Continue to Collide

One of the big changes for Magic: The Gathering in recent times has been its introduction of worlds from outside the IP. We’ve had characters like Godzilla included as special variants and an entire expansion set around Dungeons & Dragons, and we’ve got some additions here as well. It would be a Vampire-themed expansion without some special guests like Dracula. Opening a pack and finding characters I was familiar with from other media and IP is always a nice thing.

Collectors Booster Continue to Bring the Loot

One of the biggest changes to the Magic: The Gathering formula came with the introduction of new booster types. With Strixhaven, Collector Boosters continue to be my favourite of the new world. They’ll cost you more than you normal booster, generally coming it around the $30-$40 mark depending on where/when you shop, but the value you get for that is great. You’ll get more rares, more foils and a higher chance of mythics, along with a guarantee of a Dracula series card as well. I got plenty of my favourite cards over the last few sets from Collector Boosters, and they continue to be great here, although potentially only for diehard collectors/players.

The Magic: The Gathering – Crimson Vow set is available right now both physically in stores and digitally in Magic: The Gathering – Arena, with more details at the official website.