Magazine Issue #3 Promo:

Existence of Unknown Origins

Type: Symmetry

Edition: Promo

Artist: Lexi Medina

Set: Converging Chasms

"Existence of Unknown Origins" has the simple yet insane effect of "Switch Life Points with your opponent." Illustrated by one of the game's creators, this beautiful card had and likely still has some players scared—and for good reason. In a game with no banlist, how can a card as dramatic as this possibly be balanced?! It has several things going for it in the design department that will help clear the air, which we'll get to in a moment.

But first, the results thus far speaks volumes:

No decks using Existence of Unknown Origins topped during the release weekend. Lots more players from all over were using it the following weekend, and very few placed Top 3 using it—and the ones that did were in the bottom half. What does that all mean? It's performing pretty much exactly as expected.

The card is crazy, chaotic and seems off-the-rocker experimental. But the card was playtested for nearly two years prior to its release this month. It's balanced for several reasons: For one, it doesn't progress the game state. Sure, it changes the game state, and does it quite drastically at that! But in principle, it doesn't always put you any closer to winning the game on its own. There are enough cards that exist by now which reward the player for having less Life Points. Using Existence might help your opponent more than it hurts them—unless you're ready with a Treeforge Complex or a couple of Star Struggles. But even that perfect hand has severe odds, even if it isn't countered—and when you need to win Best 2 out of 3 to win the match, the consistency just doesn't seem to be there from a competitive player's perspective.

     Further results show the card being used in all manner of decks—from All-Symmetry decks to ABD to being randomly splashed into just about everything. Which brings up another good point: You never know if your opponent has teched in a copy of their own; even running a single copy of it can undo all of that 'perfect RNG' that Origin OTK players have to work so hard for.

     Treefolk Reveal (specifically, Vastion Reveal) absolutely destroyed the decks that revolved around the new Magazine Promo card this past weekend. It just further solidifies the fact that there is a counter to everything, and that every deck is weak to something. Other decks outperformed the intimidating Life-Switcher by simply adapting their playstyle and playing around it, many of them not even running a copy of Existence themselves. The mirror-match was interesting to say the least, although a slow-go for those not running alternate card draw. Decks that run less than 6 creatures have significantly dropped in popularity (not counting All-Sym decks), but there were even a few of those running around testing 1 or 2 of the new Promo. Crystal Cove definitely gives it a hard time, so players should be ready to risk it all if running with this strategy.

"Shackled Silencer, Skyborn's Regret" has also been seen in lots of decks so far this month! While it hasn't been seen topping any events (yet), there is still potential. Lots of mid-tier Angel decks have upped their status with it. Benevolent Seraphim's isolated older brother does best when its owner's lowest energy Angel is attacked. Plenty of these decks run Invoke anyway, so the extra energy pile is usually out there awaiting the Silencer's triggered Ability. Ephemra the Star Shield from Converging Chasms has been rising in popularity among not just Angel decks, but all decks in general. Shackled Silencer is looking like a good option for getting more mileage out of Ephemra beyond her starting hand bonus chance. 

Exodus TCG Official Magazine Issue #3 is on sale now!

Switching back to the topic of the latest Magazine, it is now available for purchase directly from your friendly local game store! Besides the hotly debated Promo, it also comes with a shiny, gold-enamel 'First Turn Vortex' pin!

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