Regardless of whatever the subject may be – and to the baffling consternation of some – experience is a valuable asset that should be appreciated. Experience on a subject means that the person has spent ample time and energy immersed in something and therefore, quite likely, has more knowledge, insight, and wisdom about it than you. Yet there is a recurring (and longstanding) undercurrent of American society that dismisses and even denigrates experience. For reasons that are both maddeningly prescient and rooted in several developments both historical and topical, there is a pervasive streak of not wanting to trust experts – or even believing such things exist. Whether it’s because we don’t want to hear what they say, especially if it contradicts our stance on something, or we don’t want to admit someone has a notable skill advantage over us in that one specific instance, we collectively have a bad habit of either criticizing or flatly dismissing what those experienced individuals have to say.

If you don’t believe that, remember that if you ever have a sudden water leak. Or your computer crashes. Or when there’s something physically wrong with you.

Experience is not a bad thing, despite our sometimes knee-jerk aversion to smarty-pants know-it-alls on the matter. It doesn’t mean that the person is absolutely correct on everything – no one is. Even experts make mistakes and are certainly not above reproach or criticism. Even still, they’re still likely going to be a heck of a lot more versed on the topic than you after an afternoon of googling things on the internet. An expert occasionally being wrong on one thing doesn’t invalidate all experts on being wrong on everything. That is, quite literally, a textbook fallacy. As much as it can be a momentary ding in our ego of awesomeness, sometimes it’s prudent and even necessary to admit that on this one particular thing, at this moment in time, maybe, the person with more experience on something may, in fact, be a little smarter than you.

All of this is a long-winded way of saying that I am absolutely bored to tears on the ceaselessly unending cascade of Magic players who spout off to the game’s designers about which effects the colors should or shouldn’t have access to.

In this case, it’s less about people asking questions about why certain colors were given access to specific new mechanics or trying to get clarifications when WotC decides to actually make a change. Recent online discussions about the ways (and limitations) White card draw is changing, for instance, are perfectly legitimate, as was the introduction of Red’s new ‘rummaging’ mechanic a few years ago. No, the ones that never seem to die are the calls from players demanding that Color X be able to do Ability Y. Magic’s audience is constantly in flux with new players, and such questions from newcomers are understandable, even forgivable, as they try to navigate the different color identities within the game. Yet some of the most vocal voices are those who have been playing Magic for years and still can’t grapple with the fact that not every color can – or should – do everything. Yes, Blue gets hard counterspells unlike any other color. Green is unmatched at land fetch. Red can be positively explosive in its early game aggressiveness. All of these things are by design. Some colors can do things others can’t, and that is absolutely fine. In fact, it’s absolutely necessary to the health and appeal to the game. Yeah, it can be annoying sometimes that your favorite color is strong against one kind of deck and feeble against another, but that’s part of the game. The colors are not equal in features, but they are balanced in capabilities.

So no matter how much you scream into the void, or in the direction of a game designer like Rosewater, it’s not going to change the fundamental nature of the colors. MaRo alone has more than 25 years of Magic game design experience. You have been playing for 4 years and are mad that your monocolor EDH deck can’t do it all. You are not on equal footing on the matter developing the game’s color pie balancing.

Have discussions and arguments if you wish. But at the end of the day, no matter what kind of justification you try to make, certain aspects of the game aren’t going to change. Black and Red are still going to suck at dealing with enchantments. Green will still be over-reliant on creatures. Blue will always be slow on its ability to mana ramp. These are features, not bugs. These are the same complaints you are making in 2021 that players were making in 2008, and 2001, and 1996. I know, because I remember hearing them then too.

With that all being said, it’s not like there aren’t things that all colors have access to. One of those is the token generation. The means, volume, and efficiency around generating them definitely varies from color to color, but each gives you the ability to toss a pile of beads, dice, cards, or other totems onto the board as representations of temporary creature armies and potential fodder of one kind or another. Every color is innately capable of doing this.

However, somewhat ironically, this week’s card is about a token generator that has no color at all.

Today we have: Myr Matrix

Name: Myr Matrix

Edition: Darksteel

Rarity: Rare

Focus: Token Generation

Highlights: When the original Mirrodin block rolled around, it was a game changer on so many levels. It wasn’t set on Dominaria. It was heavily artifact-based block with a powerful overall crop of cards – many of which are still actively used in casual and even some constructed play to this day. Yet two of the most memorable features to Mirrodon was a) the introduction of the all-too-adorable Myr as a creature type, and b) the thematic introduction of darksteel and the idea of indestructible permanents (not withstanding Guardian Beast and Consecrate Land, which were given errata afterwards). As it happens, Myr Matrix offers both in a single card.

As with most token-generating permanents, one of the most difficult things in Commander is keeping the card around long enough to benefit from it. Between board wipes, spot removal, and other interference, the more efficient your cards are at making tokens, the bigger the problem it ultimately becomes to your opponents. Anyone who has been on the receiving end of a token army swarm attack knows that left unchecked, token generation can become a dangerous threat in a hurry. So there is often a natural inclination to do something about it before that inflection point is reached. Namely by removing your ability to keep doing it.

Thanks to its indestructible nature, Myr Matrix makes that particularly difficult to do, giving you plenty of time to take advantage of its Myr-making glory.

For five mana, this artifact can be slotted into nearly any Commander deck looking to boost its creature ratios on the battlefield. Like its darksteel-flavored brethren of the time, Myr Matrix is not easily removed once on the board and requires either exile or forced sacrificing. For most metas, this should give it a fair amount of longevity on the battlefield, at least compared to similar creatures, artifacts, and enchantments offering the same token creating options.

On similar cards, particularly the more sought after ones in Commander, token generation either happens automatically, such as the beginning of your turn, or they are generated based on something specific happening, such as casting cards or other creatures dying. Myr Matrix, on the other hand, falls into the third camp: those which require a mana activation. Typically token generators with activation costs over a particular number aren’t seen as desirable because they essentially force you to decide whether to spend mana on them or doing other things. To some, Myr Matrix may be no exception, as it requires 5 mana to activate. To others though, the fact that it has that tendency to stick around reduces the sense that you must utilize it as frequently as possible to justify your investment before it gets destroyed.

Essentially, the tradeoff in needing to spend a not-insignificant 5 mana to make a Myr token is offset by the fact that you should have a fair amount of time to make use of it, particularly in the latter half of a game. The fact that it doesn’t tap means is an added bonus, especially in those times when you’re flush with mana and can make several tokens at once.

Moreover, it can almost get overlooked, but in addition to making the Myr themselves, Myr Matrix also provides a +1/+1 buff to said tokens. Even if you don’t have any other Myr on the battlefield, the tokens you create are automatically 2/2s rather than 1/1s. Spending 5 mana for repeatable 1/1s is one thing. 5 mana for repeatable 2/2s is another entirely. Even in Commander, that small boost can make a huge difference, making it a card for the 99 that’s as versatile as it is advantageous.

And hey, as a bonus, it completely skips over the whole color pie arguments. At least until someone starts asking for everything in colorless form…

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.

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