You may be thinking to yourself - "How can this guy review something that hasn't even been completely revealed yet, let alone released?" To which I would respond - "The same way one might review a restaurant without having tried every single item on the menu. Through extrapolation and inference." Let's face it, with the release of the rules, a handful of planes cards and now even a decent swath of the deck lists revealed, most fair minded observers of MTG can extrapolate the rest. This isn't to say that the remaining 30+ unrevealed "Plane" cards couldn't bring more to the table. They probably will. But the cross-section of cards we've seen so far, coupled with an understanding of the complete rules is at least enough to warrant a first impression. The big reveal is the nature of the format itself, not the individual cards.

[caption id="attachment_4090" align="alignright" width="138" caption="Planeswalking and Chaos frozen between the chilling voids of nothingness. OR - A Die."][/caption]

At the risk of repeating what Wizards has already said about the rules, I am going to very briefly explain how the Planechase format works. (Please read the official rules right now if you haven't already as I will not go into complete detail here.) Briefly, players each have a new sidedeck consisting of ten "Plane" cards. Each of the plane cards is a place in the Magic the Gathering universe that we've been before (Kamigawa, Dominaria etc.) Each if these places is a unique "global enchantment" that usually effects all players in the game. You can "Planeswalk" to the next plane in your stack, on your turn as a sorcery by first paying 0, then (if you want to roll again) 1 then 2 etc. as many times as you want. After paying you'll have to roll a 6 sided die and land on the planeswalker symbol, otherwise, nothing happens. The planes also have a "chaos" ability that is triggered when you roll the chaos symbol. Otherwise, the game is played exactly as you would normally. There are more specifics on players leaving the game, and various other details at the main site. But the idea can be simplified as "There is one rotating, semi-random global enchantment in play at all times."

In general, new formats are good for the game. If you can introduce a secondary, fun and interesting way to use the cards that I already have, I'll jump all over it. New play styles add value to the game. Unplayable, worthless (literally) cards that might otherwise waste away for eternity in that old shoebox might now see the light of day. New formats also give players a welcome, casual break in between Pro Tours, Grand Prix' and other competitive play styles. All this wrapped in the essence of becoming a real, live Planeswalker who actually (wait for it) Planeswalks! I'd pay 20 bucks for that kind of value any day of the week. The other great part about Planechase is that you don't really need anything more other than the 10 plane cards. Play with your already established decks or the decks that came with the Planes. It's all good.

[caption id="attachment_4094" align="alignleft" width="217" caption="Planechase will arrive to your multiplayer meta exactly like this."][/caption]

At first glance (and as specifically stated by WotC) it is obvious that Planechase is really meant to shine in casual multiplayer. Though it can be played in a duel setting, I'm guessing most will want to save this format for their casual Free For Alls. If you've played a decent amount of multiplayer you know that often, the game can go on for 15, 20 even 30 turns. Players often stare each other down and wait for another to flinch. Multiply that by four or five players and you're looking at a long night. You've probably heard of the MP "house rule" of starting the game with an indestructible Howling Mine in play. This is intended to get the game going and shake things up. Planechase does much the same thing. Its hard to imagine a game remaining stagnant when you're on a plane that says "Creatures can't block." I really do appreciate what Planechase will surely bring to my mutiplayer meta. This is where Planechase will shine brightest.

[caption id="attachment_4080" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Its going to be tough to lay low with this little number in play."][/caption]

Where strategy is concerned, I feel as though Planechase does not lend itself to being particularly "strategic". In a world where multiple opponents can change the nature of the game for free on each or any of their turns, you're rarely if ever, going to be in control of the current Plane. You can't ever count on remaining on the one that you want.  That being said, you can still, obviously, put planes into your sidedeck that help you with your particular strategy. Control, in particular, mana manipulation and stall tactics are going to be crucial. Gigadrowse, Exhaustion and Manabarbs are great cards to play once you're on the plane you want to be on.  Of course your opponents still have a 1/6 chance of walking for free but you'll have a better chance of controlling the chase if you play some cards that disrupt your their mana pool.

You're also going to want to play more universally, fundamentally sound cards in your Planechase deck. What I mean by this is that you're not going to want to count on X creature that is only good when Y plane is up. You'll need to play fundamentally useful cards that will always be worth their mana cost such as White Knight, Great Sable Stag, or Mirri the Cursed. No matter which plane you're on, you'll pay these creature's casting cost because they are fundamentally great creatures. You can't count on your creature type being buffed or your creatures to be "copied when they come in to play". The correct strategy in Planechase deck building is to make a deck that is simultaneously buffed by your particular planes while still remaining potent on other's planes.

[caption id="attachment_4071" align="alignright" width="253" caption="Any game with multiple players quickly turns less into a game of actual skill and more of  a mix of gaming politics, camping, and chaotic cluster-fu$!ery But that doesn't mean it can't be a blast!"]

[/caption]

Planechase does not try to hide the fact that it is largely based on chaos (or some might say "luck"). It comes complete with a 6-sided die and has a "chaos" ability on every card, no less. Think about it, you have very little control over the plane you are in, yet the plane's power completely rewrites the story of the game. How much strategy can there be in such an ever changing world? Particularly in multiplayer where 8-10 mana is common place and planeswalking is essentially free. Strategy and hardcore competition isn't what Planechase is about. Its about multiplayer havoc and pure, chaotic fun. This isn't everyone's cup of tea but for those of us who love multiplayer and don't mind mixing it up a bit in casual play, Planechase is definitely something to be excited about.

[caption id="attachment_4077" align="alignleft" width="192" caption="WotC will always release new expansions and Duel Decks just as McDonald's will always sell hamburgers. But when a company takes a chance on something like Planechase, it won't hang around unless its financially succeeding no matter how much you personally enjoy it."][/caption]

Again, I haven't played the format myself. But I would encourage everyone interested in alternative formats, particularly multiplayer, to go out and pick up one or two of these decks as soon as they're released. If wizards releases an unloved expansion or duel deck, they can always switch it up with the next release. With a new format it is up to us, the players who love said format, to vote with our dollars. If Planechase is not a financial success, we will never see it again, period. They have a good idea about how many people play in tournaments. It is documented thoroughly. They have a good idea about how many people play in limited formats (again.. documented). But I think there is a silent majority of us out there in the shadows who love magic, play casually with our buddies and yes, play multiplayer more than we play standard constructed. They may not have the loudest voices on the blogs or forums. They may not get as... passionate (I was going to say gorilla-nuts-crazy but I held back) about damage being on or off the stack. But I think they exist in larger numbers than even Wizards knows. So if you're one of those casual players, do us all a favor and grab a pack of Planechase so that wizards knows just how many people out there actively embrace the casual multiplayer experience.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

In addition to the rules, Planechase also brings with it four Zendikar preview cards! (one in each Planechase pack) We've taken the liberty of putting these cards into "card" form (as opposed to simple text as you've probably seen on other spoiler sites).

My thoughts, just briefly- Blue getting a creature bounce (and a good bounce at that!) is a welcome addition, though Id still like to see a permanent bouncer. The trap ability (AKA an alternate casting cost that is triggered by something your opponent might do) is interesting and quite useful, if not a bit uninventive. The return of Kor is noteworthy and gets me wondering about heading back to Dominaria. Kicker costs (and cards being "kicked") are also a great way to add value to a card. Any time a card can be used for different purposes at different times in the game, that's a good thing. Now, if only they could have come up with something a bit more "fantasy-esqe" than the word "kicker". It makes me think of soccer and subwoofers more than swords and dragons. Beast Hunt looks more like a poor man's Gift of the Gargantuan. Hideous End is great for limited in a pinch, but I think I still prefer Doom Blade. And if I'm going to pay three colored mana I think I'd rather just play Unmake. White has stolen a bit of black's creature destroying thunder with Path to Exile and it's going to be tough to get that back unless a black 1-drop, exile, small drawback, alternative is printed. Unless I need 8 creature destruction cards for some reason, this is more of an "in-block-limited" creature destruction play. Though the idea of killing my opponent by destroying a creature is very tempting flavor wise. :)

All in all I like what I'm seeing so far. I'm excited to see a couple of decent cards out of the small number that have been revealed thus far. The new full art format for lands are looking great and have players excited for fat packs again. I'm guessing players everywhere are going to be itching to upgrade the land in all of their decks. I'm just glad I don't have to buy packs of Unglued to get them! Stay tuned to the Zendikar Spoiler page for real time updates and more mocked-up spoilers than anywhere else on the web.