Magic: The Gathering is a game where everything fits. By being set in a multiverse, it is possible to go in practically any direction and it will work. Collections based on specific characters or stories work as well as those that have a more general idea, such as a genre or an external franchise. As shown by the collections of The Lord of the Rings and Fallout. Or how the game’s new main collection does it: Murders in the Karlov Mansion.
As the name suggests, this collection is based on a very simple idea: detective stories. With influences and nods to classics like Sherlock Holmes, but also less obvious ones like Colombo, everything in Murders in the Karlov Mansion seeks to emphasize that idea. We are facing a story of crimes, where clues, evidence, murders, and a whole parade of detectives, victims, and suspects play their role in the plot.
This has been translated with a very interesting story about the murder of a mythical character from the franchise, which can be read for free on the Magic: The Gathering website. But not only that. As usual in the game, the crime and its investigation is something that also transpires in its mechanics.
In this case, it has been in the introduction of two series of mechanics based on crime or the attempt to uncover it. On the crime side, we have mechanics like Disguise, which allows us to play cards face down for a fixed cost, uncovering them by paying a different mana price. Something that serves so that the enemy never knows what is coming
Something more complex is the detective side. Investigate, a mechanic that consists of creating Clue tokens that allow us to draw a card if we sacrifice them, returns because they fit the case so well. But there are also some new ones. Suspect allows us to make a creature unable to block, but in return it can only be blocked by two or more creatures at the same time. Gathering evidence asks us to exile cards that cost the indicated mana value to get extra effects. And the cases are new enchantments, in the form of sagas, that have an effect when they enter the battlefield and, when they are resolved by meeting certain requirements, it is considered that we have solved the investigation, giving us a permanent benefit. As long as the Case remains in play.
This adds a distinctly detective flavor to the game. But it’s not the only thing that gives it that particular flavor. Because along with the collection at Wizards of the Coast, they have released an edition called Ravnica: Clue Edition.
Here we find a series of unique cards, inspired by the mythical board game of criminal investigation. With evidence cards featuring characters, weapons, and rooms taken from Clue, this is a version of the board game that is played with Magic cards. These cards are included in the game pack, creating a new multiplayer format where victory can be achieved in two different ways: by defeating our opponents or by discovering who the killer is.
If something Asesinatos en la mansión Karlov shows us is how versatile and flexible Magic: The Gathering is. The infinite possibilities it has as a game. Besides, a good detective story always works. Even in a card game.
