Contrary to the sentiments of some, the principal purpose of any game isn’t to win – it’s to have fun. Emerging victorious is often a large component to enjoying a game, but at the end of the day, if you’re not having a good time, even a decisive victory will be rather moot.

Magic has no shortage of avenues to consider when it comes to having fun. If being the winniest winner who ever won at all times is what invariably drives your interest in the game, you’ll find yourself at home focusing on deck optimization, tournament settings, and besting your opponent in the most brutal duels possible. Yet if your adoration stems from ample and extensive worldbuilding, you can immerse yourself in the various planes through stories, artwork, and the different ways the sets behave in draft settings. And if scheming and intrigue are more your primary gameplay focus, you have your pick from a number of multiplayer formats.

Above all, though, none of these myriad choices matter if you don’t enjoy spending time with your fellow players. This includes the gameplay, yes, but also the banter, inside jokes, and extensive conversations that occur while spending time enjoying a mutual hobby.

My absolute favorite Magic memories involve sitting around with friends laughing incessantly at the goofy antics and unexpected events of our weekly multiplayer games over these many years, whereas my absolute worst are a pair of tournament events where my opponents cared so little about my even being there that they barely even spoke.

One of the more endearing stories for our group came about during the Alara block, when, as you’d expect, everyone ended up building decks around their favorite shards. We had decks representing all five shards, but Esper, Bant, and Naya were definitely the most popular. It was during this period that we a lasting portmanteau that developed thanks to one player’s beast-centric Naya deck and one of his creatures that he affectionately referred to as the “Boose”. Half bull, half moose, and quite dangerous all around.

So, as a simple yet periodic reminder that games ultimately are all about having fun, this week we look at the Boose itself.

Today we have: Meglonoth

Name: Meglonoth

Edition: Conflux

Rarity: Rare

Focus: Creature Advantage

Highlights: Meglonoth was one of many large Naya-flavored creatures released during the Alara block, but aside from our own internal anecdote towards its namesake, it has a couple traits that make it a potent creature that’s a danger to your opponent on both sides of the battlefield – thanks to an ability we liked to call ‘blample’.

‘Blample’ is Meglonoth’s most uniquely defining trait. This ability states that if it blocks any creature, Meglonoth deals damage equal to its power to that creature’s controller. Given that this massive force of nature is a 6/6 to start with, this means you can dish out serious damage on defense simply by chump blocking whatever comes your way. As a result, this makes Meglonoth rather intimidating just by being on the battlefield, as most players are going to be reluctant to attack you without having an answer for it first.

Of course, ‘blample’ alone would merely make Meglonoth a scary yet avoidable deterrent to attack you. What makes it truly a beast is that you aren’t locked in to only using it to protect yourself. Because it also has both Vigilance and Trample, you’re still free to attack and not lose its blocking potential in the process, meaning that your opponents effectively have to contend with a 6/6 damage dealer at all times.

Meglonoth isn’t a battlefield workhorse – it’s the Boose.

All of this power does come with some mild restrictions, however. For one, Meglonoth needs six mana to cast and requires three different colors. While the casting cost is well worth the investment, it also significantly limits the number of decks that can use it. Moreover, because of its potential for causing apprehension and nervousness as soon as it hits the board, the Boose has a tendency of being a frequent target for spot removal. To be fair though, it usually is warranted.

The tales of the Boose continue to endure in our retinue. Part of this is because of how useful it is as a creature in one’s deck. But perhaps more importantly, it created all manner of tales and speculation as to the life and times of such a massive beast. Tales that continue to amuse and entertain us to this day.

And, really, you can’t ask for a better thing of a game than that.

Keep an eye out for us to be regularly featuring other more accessible-but-worth-it Commander cards going forward. In the meantime, we’ll keep the light on for you.

You can discuss this article over on our social media!