Artifact Equipment spells are mana costly and time-consuming, but for ones like Sword of Truth and Justice, patience is rewarded.
Set to release on June 13, Magic: The Gathering Modern Horizons contains cards for formats outside of Standard (available in paper card form and on Magic Online). The set contains 239 new and reprintable cards, previously not legal in formats like Modern, and the previews are reviving what many players felt were stale formats.
The newest Modern Horizons reveal, Sword of Truth and Justice, is changing things up in the artifact equipment realm. This three mana equipment artifact illustrated by Chris Rahn has an additional two mana to equip. It also provides creatures with protection against blue and white (which is a big deal in multiple MTG formats).
In addition, it gives the creature a plus two/plus two in its stats. If the creature deals damage while Sword of Truth and Justice is equipped to it, the owner can add a plus one/plus one counter to another creature and then proliferate (adding plus one/plus one counters to all creatures who have counters and to planeswalkers with loyalty counters).
“Whenever equipped creature deals combat damage to a player, put a +1/+1 counter on a creature you control, then proliferate (Choose any number of permanents and/or players, then give each another counter of each kind already there),” the card reads.
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Previous Magic: The Gathering cards in the same cycle of Sword of Truth and Justice include Sword of Body and Mind, Sword of Fire and Ice, and Sword of War and Peace.
Magic: The Gathering is having a pre-release weekend for Modern Horizons on June 8 and 9 and the set will be released on Magic Online on June 6. The regular release date is set for June 13.