IntroductionHey, everyone! How's it going?It's time for another trip through the Multiverse. Reality Fracture is finally here!In this article, we'll show you everything you need to know before your Prerelease events, from mechanics and archetypes to removals and mana fixes.So, before reality starts to fracture, let's see what Reality Fracture has in store for us.Reality Fracture - MechanicsReality Fracture introduces two new mechanics, Empower Jace and Heartwood Tokens, and brings back Prepared.If you'd like to know more about these mechanics and how they work and interact, check out this article by our house judge.Empower JaceEmpower Jace X creates a Jace Planeswalker token with X loyalty counters. If you already control one, it gives X counters to that token instead.The token itself can Surveil 1 for -1 or draw a card for -3, so it lets you card select and creates card advantage throughout the game.Heartwood TokensA Heartwood Token is a red and green artifact token that you can tap to create red or green mana.In Limited formats, it is a way to ramp and mana fix. We also can't forget it's an artifact, so all artifact synergies apply to it.Next up is the returning mechanic.PreparedPrepared links a creature to a spell and creates a copy of that spell in exile that you can cast as long as that creature remains on the battlefield. Once the spell is cast, that creature is no longer Prepared.In Limited formats, timing matters: if that creature leaves the battlefield before you cast the spell, you lose access to the copy.Reality Fracture - ArchetypesNow that we covered the main mechanics, let's explore the 10 two-color archetypes in Reality Fracture: their game plans, key synergies, and main cards.Azorius - Fatehold Surveil AggroThis blue-white archetype is aggressive and uses Surveil to create value and buff its creatures.Prudent Fateseer and Desperate Futurescribe allow you to put pressure on the opponent from very early on and make the most of the many Surveil effects in this archetype.Denzilore Fatehold is another excellent card in this strategy. Because it can enter the battlefield on the opponent's turn, it can punish them for attacking after they tapped out of mana. Casting it at the end of their turn also allows you to trigger its ability at least twice on your next turn, and build a solid board quite fast.Proctor of Potential gives this archetype another way to put bodies in play, while cards with Empower Jace keep triggering Surveil throughout the game. Surveillance Phantasm allows you to use leftover mana and interact with those synergies.Saheeli, Consul of Oversight also fits this strategy quite well. You may use her to buff your creatures and also create evasive tokens that put more pressure on the opponent.Finally, Proft, Consulting Detective keeps cards flowing and gives you a threat that grows as you Surveil. It fits this archetype quire naturally.Best CommonsBest UncommonsOrzhov - Liliana's AttritionThis white-black archetype centers around filling the battlefield and getting something back when creatures die. You'll use removals, sacrifices, and recursion to create an advantage over the course of the game.Edgar, Ancient Bloodlord is one of the key pieces in this trategy. It creates value when creatures die and lets you sacrifice them to grow stronger. With the right pieces, he can push forward much of the archetype all on his own.Blessed Ghoul gives you fodder for your sac outlets, while Generous Revival recycles resources and keeps the main game plan moving. Its Flashback is especially useful in long games, as it allows you to use this card a second time and get even more out of your resources.Winter, Tormented Loner is great with these interactions. It acts as a removal, enables sacrifices, and turns into a significant threat as the game goes on.Massacre Girl, Most Wanted is also great in this archetype and an excellent top-of-the-curve option. She is a serious threat on her own, can attack from different angles and grows stronger as creatures leave the battlefield.Liliana the Repentant is another way to progress the main strategy. She enables self-mill and becomes even more valuable later on, as then she can turn your graveyard into a resource by reanimating another creature.Danitha, Spear of Agony works particularly well in builds centered around attrition. She gets a lot from your removals and grows stronger when enemy creatures die, too.A more midrange build is a viable option, especially considering the great removals in these colors. Silence the Echo, Last Gasp, Multiply By Zero, Your Fate Ends Here, Surgical Precision, and Prophesied End are many ways to control the board while your threats and recursion take over the match.This Orzhov archetype doesn't have to rely entirely on sacrifice, then. You can use those synergies to create value within a broader attrition plan, trading resources with the opponent and getting more out of your graveyard as the game stretches.Best CommonsBest UncommonsBoros - Ajani's ArmyThis white-red option is an aggressive archetype that swarms the battlefield and uses its creatures to put a lot of pressure on the opponent's life points.That means you want cheap creatures and cards that put more than one body on the battlefield, so you can build a solid board quickly. Equipment and spells that buff your creatures are welcome too, as they allow you to turn that board presence into damage.Mabel, Valley Hero is excellent in this case, as it buffs the creatures you put on the battlefield. She goes particularly well with Gallia, the Merrymaker and Samut, Hazoret's Champion. When you play these cards together, your new creatures can go into combat immediately, and, like so, every extra body puts pressure straight away.Shatterwing Pegasus plays a similar role. Once you've filled the battlefield, it gives you a good way to spend your mana and turn small creatures into substantial threats.In terms of removal, Warrior's Blades and No Admittance both fit the main game plan: each can deal damage directly and also answer an enemy threat at the same time. Warrior's Blades also stays on the battlefield and buffs your creatures later, while No Admittance allows you to rearrange up the top cards in your deck through Jace.Koth, the Geomancer allows you to attack through another angle. You'll essentially be able to use landfall to turn your land drops into direct damage and put even more pressure on the opponent.Ajani's Anguish gives you another way to finish games unexpectedly with the mana you've built up. It's particularly great with Pyre Rhymer's Prepared spell, as this will allow you to deal a big burst of damage in a single turn.This archetype also has powerful options when you can't end the game quickly.Chandra, Torch of Defiance is strong even by itself. She can create card advantage, progress your game plan, or deal with large creatures. Meanwhile, her ultimate makes it very difficult for an opponent to survive the pressure you'll put on them. She's particularly effective against slow strategies. More specifically, when the opponent can't answer a Planeswalker immediately.Ajani Unrelenting is an excellent top-of-the-curve option. Your main game plan is to keep multiple creatures on the battlefield, and he can refill your resources whenever necessary, clear the board, and keep creating tokens if you activate him multiple times. His other ability can also end games, as it will buff your board and throw off the opponent when they try to figure out how to block.Best CommonsBest UncommonsSelesnya - Vigorbloom LifegainThis white-green archetype is built around gaining life. You want reliable ways to do that and cards that turn it into value and increasingly large threats.Let's start with the payoffs. Bloombrute is key because it turns the life you gain into value. As the game goes on, it can also give you some life itself, so it both fuels this archetype and acts as an engine.Ajani Resolute has a lot of potential in this strategy. The tokens he creates can get out of hand quite fast, and you'll naturally give him more loyalty counters because you'll constantly gain life. If you manage to use his -10 ability, nearly all of your creatures will become serious threats.To keep this engine running, Koth of the Homestead, Greenhouse Propagator, and Liliana the Faultless are all good ways to gain life and naturally fit the main game plan.After that, you want to turn that advantage into pressure. Lyra, Archangel of Dawn, Unflinching Hortimancer, and Titanbones, Towering Heart turn lifegain into threats and, like so, are strong ways to actually end the game.Thalia, the Survivor plays a different role. She stalls the opponent when they try to answer, and gets in their way when they try to use removals. Her Lifelink also keeps your lifegain effects active.You can also use lifegain to build a wider board. Germinate Recruits turns the life you gain into more bodies, and goes well with Shatterwing Pegasus and its ability to buff your entire team.Enlightened Confidant is similar, as well as an excellent source of value. It puts more creatures in play as you gain life.This Selesnya build can therefore take two approaches: use lifegain to build individually larger creatures or use it to go increasingly wide. Either way, gaining life is more than a defensive tool. It's the engine that keeps the entire strategy going.Best CommonsBest UncommonsDimir - Theorix Graveyard MathThis blue and black archetype uses the graveyard as a resource, putting cards in it to activate Threshold and unlock benefits throughout the game.Even so, I wouldn't necessarily build a dedicated self-mill deck with these cards. This archetype actually seems better in a midrange/control approach: use spot removals and trade creatures early on, get ahead through Surveil, then lean on the graveyard and recursion effects to recycle resources.Cards with Empower Jace fit this strategy well. Besides creating value through Surveil and card draw, they give the opponent another threat to deal with: they must attack your life total or stop Jace from creating a huge advantage.Teyo, Diamondblade Mage supports this plan by setting up favorable trades and acting as a combat trick. It can even force the opponent to spend removals on less important creatures.Danitha, Spear of Agony is another strong option. She gets better as you deal with the opponent's board and can become a significant threat as the game goes on.Surveillance Phantasm works particularly well when you have to be more defensive. It can essentially hold off Flying creatures and, at the same time, gives you a way to spend excess mana later on.Sphinx of False Conclusions is exactly the kind of midgame creature this plan wants. It has evasion, is a meaningful threat, fills your graveyard and allows you to card select. It often keeps creating value after it dies, so it is even more appealing in strategies built around attrition.Arni, Humble Scribe allows you to activate Threshold faster and also card select. With it, you'll be able to dig for the answers we need. It essentially advances the main game plan but doesn't force you to fully commit to self-mill.The best thing about Theorix Charm is that it's flexible. Besides offering you a counter and a removal, it can help you fill your graveyard, activate Threshold, and speed up strategies centered around recursion.If you do lean further into self-mill, this archetype can play some promising pieces. Paradox Shaper becomes much more valuable in that build and goes well with cards such as Recursive Recruitment, Gallia, Tragic Host, Liliana the Repentant, and Rewrite Regrets. WIth these pieces, you'll be able to turn the cards you mill into resources later.Liliana the Repentant is particularly relevant because it has potential as recursion. With Emrakul, the Exigent Doom, it enables one of the most powerful plays available to this version of the archetype, and turns the graveyard into an incredibly impactful threat.Darklight Phoenix can also do a lot in this build, particularly with Silence the Echo, which allows you to meet the requirements you need to return it to the battlefield.Overall, I mostly see this Dimir option as a midrange/control archetype that fills its graveyard naturally while trading resources with the opponent. You can lean harder into self-mill if you find have the payoffs, but this archetype doesn't need it to work.If you decide to lean into self-mill, keep an eye on how many cards you still have. Limited decks usually only play 40 cards, so milling too aggressively can cost you long games. Lose track of that resource, and a game you had all but won can end in a loss because your library is empty.Best CommonsBest UncommonsIzzet - Chandra's ProwessThis blue and red archetype centers around noncreature spells. You'll use them to control the game and also to power up your threats and put pressure on the opponent's life points.This means looking for creatures with Prowess or other abilities that trigger whenever you cast noncreature spells. Fortunately, there are many pieces that fit this plan, so you actually have several ways to build it.Samut, Tyrant of Naktamun is fantastic in this strategy. Its ability makes sure your protection spells work, prevents counter battles, and stops the opponent from answering your plays. Essentially, you'll be able to play your most important turns a lot more safely.If you want to take the aggressive approach, Pompous Battlemage, Pyre Rhymer and Variable Chaser will put pressure on the opponent as you use Prepared to get more spells. This way, your payoffs will be better.Another option for this Prowess plan is Traxos, Academy Guardian. Its evasion and Vigilance allows you to use it to get damage through without necessarily leaving your life total exposed.Tetsuko Umezawa, Pursuer can also enable explosive turns alongside cantrips and combat tricks. You'll use your spells to clear a path and quickly put pressure on the opponent.Saheeli, Jewel of Avishkar and Winter, Team Player are another compelling pair in this archetype. They support an aggressive approach as your spells help you develop your board.Geist of Saint Thalia keeps the main engine going by discounting the cost of your spells. That will make it easier to chain multiple cards in a turn and trigger several of them along the way.Chandra's Emberling is another charming threat. Its ability is particularly effective with cantrips such as Artifist Acumen and Twinned Vision. With these cards, you'll be able to keep finding resources and putting pressure.Finally, Stingcaster Mage allows you to get more out of spells you've already used, and essentially turns the graveyard into an extension of your resources. It keeps the archetype going in longer games.Izzet looks strongest when you balance threats with low-cost spells. Rather than simply packing this deck with instants and sorceries, you want each spell to serve a purpose and also trigger your creatures. Like so, you'll turn interaction, card selection, and protection into pressure for the opponent.Best CommonsBest UncommonsSimic - Jace's MasteryThis blue and green archetype revolves around Empower Jace, using your Planeswalkers to create value, and setting up synergies with your other permanents.Mind Meanderer is a good example of the kind of card you want, as it is more effective when you have Planeswalkers in play. Inspired Tethermage grows stronger as you get Loyalty counters and lets you spend excess mana to create more Jace Token, which essentially means even more Planeswalkers.Besides creating Jaces and giving them Loyalty counters, you want cards that grant them new abilities and make them even more versatile.Avatar of Burgeoning Echoes is one of the clearest examples of that. It gives you a large number of Loyalty counters and gives your Jaces an ability that buffs a creature based on the number of lands you control. This effect is particularly powerful in Limited. Although thus ability costs a lot of Loyalty counters, this archetype has plenty of ways to build up its Planeswalkers over the course of a game.Kiora of Salt and Sand is another particularly interesting piece. It's easy to imagine this archetype putting the 8 counters on Jace Token to create the Leviathans. Even more important is that it gives your Planeswalkers Hexproof, and, like so, makes them much harder to answer and protects your main engine.Way of the Cryomancer gives your Planeswalkers more options, makes Jace Token more versatile, and offers you new ways to play.Way of the Mind Sculptor makes each ability that interacts with Planeswalkers more powerful and more impactful.Way of the Paradox is similar but it steers this archetype toward developing mana, accelerating your game plan, and making it easier to play expensive spells.At the top end of this plan is Jace, Reality Sculptor, which can be a win condition if the opponent can't keep your Jace Token under control. If you have enough Loyalty counters across the Jaces you control, its ability can all but win the game on its own.To get there, you'll keep developing your Planeswalkers and slowing down the opponent. Creatures and spells with Empower Jace do that job well.Countersculpt is an excellent example, as it slows the opponent and advances your own at the same time.Arcane Amphisbaena is another good way to develop your Jaces. Its Deathtouch makes combat particularly awkward for the opponent and protects your Planeswalkers as you try to get ahead.Finally, green allows you to use that time to develop your mana too. Greenhouse Propagator accelerates and gives you more resources for bigger threats such as Hexhaven Invigorator and Ghalta the Unstoppable.This Simic archetype, then, seems to lean on building momentum: you create and buff your Jaces, protect them, and turn your many Loyalty counters and mana into even greater advantages as the game goes on. The goal isn't just to use Empower Jace, but to make each new Jace expand what the others can do.Best CommonsBest UncommonsRakdos - Stingerguile Face BurnThis black and red archetype focuses on dealing damage to the opponent directly. That damage will do more than end the game: it will also buff your creatures and give you a few extra bonuses.You want cards that reward you for dealing damage outside of combat, and reliable ways to keep dealing it throughout the game.Master of Barbs adds a lot to this plan, as it buffs your board and allows you to deal even more damage.Whiplash Wordsmith's Prepared spell is a way to deal damage to the opponent directly, but it also gets evasion as you progress your strategy and becomes increasingly difficult to block.Massacre Girl, Most Wanted is another way to put pressure. She grows stronger and deals direct damage as creatures die. That will make combat even better for you, considering losing creatures will turn into a way to chip away at the opponent's life points.Tomik, Izzet Sparkmage is another strong option in this archetype. It will benefit from your spells through Prowess and buffs the damage you deal directly by 1, which will boost this entire engine. This ability works particularly well with Koth, the Geomancer, as it makes its Landfall triggers an even more effective source of pressure.Chandra, Torch of Defiance also deserves a place in this archetype. Besides dealing damage directly, she can help in many ways: giving you resources, accelerating your mana, or acting as removal. It's hard not to consider her one of your best options.To keep this engine running, you may lean on Stingerquill Voxmancer, which gives you a way to deal damage repeatedly. It goes particularly well with Command the Stage, as it allows you to save resources as you use the synergies in this archetype to build your board.Screeching Soulbreaker is another strong way to use those synergies. Its evasion and solid stats allow you to keep putting pressure across multiple turns.Sanctum Lurker gives you another angle of attack. It essentially turns Empower Jace into a way to deal damage directly and combines two of the mechanics in this set into the same game plan.Cast Away Doubt is an excellent way to keep putting pressure because it gives you cards for dealing damage. This means you'll be able to keep finding resources without slowing down.Ingris Stingerquill fits this game plan well too. It creates tokens and builds your board even when resources are scarce. Meanwhile, you'll be able to use your creatures to deal damage directly. This interaction is particularly interesting with Massacre Girl, Most Wanted, considering the extra bodies also fuel her abilities.Finally, you want removals that progresses your game plan but still answer enemy threats. No Admittance, Ajani's Anguish, and Extended Absence all allow you to interact with the board and still put pressure on your opponent's life points at the same time.This Rakdos strategy is all about making every card work toward the same goal. Creatures, removals, and other sources of damage will fuel your synergies and still steadily bring down your opponent's life points. Small hits add up until your finishers can end the game.Best CommonsBest UncommonsGolgari - Garruk's BestiaryThis black-green archetype is fundamentally a midrange strategy. It uses efficient creatures, removals, and card advantage to make favorable trades and take control in the mid-game.Early on, you want to stabilize the board. Mabel, Bitter Recluse and Arcane Amphisbaena are sturdy blockers and useful in other ways too, while Teyo, Diamondblade Mage gives you Deathtouch, which means smaller creatures will be able to trade with significant threats.You can also ramp into your bigger threats with Primal Witchstalker, Simulacrum Shaper, and Greenhouse Propagator.Tarmogoyf naturally gets a lot from the different card types that get sent to graveyards as you trade, and self-mill effects such as Something Worth Saving can help it grow further. Wrecking Gecko, Hapatra, the Desert Fang, Vraska, the Cutting Glare, and Edgar, Moonlit Sovereign offer you different ways to turn a stable board into pressure.At the top of the curve, Yargle, Glutton of Urborg, Ghalta the Unstoppable, Garruk, Veiled Butcher, and Garruk, Curse Breaker are threats that can take over the game and use the resources you have accumulated really well.Finally, you want strong removals to support your creatures, particularly in black. Green options such as Compel Brutality are useful too, though they need another creature on the board to work properly.This Golgari strategy does not rely on just a single synergy. The plan is to play efficient cards, make favorable trades, and extend the game until your stronger threats can take control of the board.Best CommonsBest UncommonsGruul - Konstrari Mana RampThis red-green strategy is a ramp archetype built primarily around Heartwood Token, which accelerates your mana and let you play bigger threats earlier.Konstrari Improviser, Woodwork Prodigy, Tenured Tethermage, and Hungering Puppetbeast all support that plan. Because Heartwood Token are also artifacts, they fuel another part of this archetype and remain relevant even after you no longer need the extra mana as much.Puppet Crafting, Pia, Determined Rebuilder, Marwyn, the Clearcutter, and Draconic Visitor make those artifacts useful in different ways. They turn them into pressure, card selection, or new threats.At the top of the curve, Aerid Konstrari, Craterclaw Colossus and Craftwork Crusher turn your mana advantage into threats that can dominate the board. Wrecking Gecko and Ajani's Anguish also give you ways to spend excess mana if the game goes long.This Gruul archetype uses Heartwood Token for more than ramp. They also fuel the main engine, so resources you invest early continue to matter later.Best CommonsBest UncommonsReality Fracture - Mana FixingNow that we have covered the Reality Fracture archetypes, let's explore the main ways to fix your mana.LandsThis set includes common dual lands for every color pair. They enter untapped if you control a Planeswalker.You'll also find allied-color slow lands: Deserted Beach, Shipwreck Marsh, Haunted Ridge, Rockfall Vale, and Overgrown Farmland. They enter play untapped if you already control two or more other lands.Finally, Room of Refuge enters play tapped and lets you choose a mana color to create. Later on, you can use it to buff a creature.Artifacts/ ColorlessMurmuring Volume is the only colorless mana fixing option. It gives you access to different colors and also ramps.Creatures/ ColoredOut of the creatures, most of the mana fixing is represented in red and green through Heartwood Token, which create red or green mana.Heartwood Crafter, Hungering Puppetbeast, Aerid Konstrari, Konstrari Improviser, and Woodwork Prodigy support this approach, while Tenured Tethermage offers another way to ramp.Other than that, Loot, the Nexus can create mana of any color, so it is an excellent tool for splashes.Reality Fracture - RemovalLet's explore the Reality Fracture removal spells that deserve special attention in Limited formats.First, here is the distribution of base toughness across the set, a useful reference when evaluating damage-based removal.Toughness up to 1 = 23,13%Toughness up to 2 = 48,13%Toughness up to 3 = 68,13%Toughness up to 4 = 86,88%Toughness up to 5 = 94,38%Toughness up to 6 = 96,88%Toughness up to 7 = 98,13%Toughness up to 8 = 98,75%Toughness up to 9 = 99,38%Toughness up to 12 = 100%NOTE! These figures only account for base toughness. Other effects in this set, including counters, can change how effective each removal is.ColorlessArchive Arbiter and Living Library can answer problematic permanents, not just creatures.The Echoverse Fulcrum stands out as a low-cost board wipe available to any archetype, and can become a threat itself later on.WhiteProphesied End rewards you for using it against attackers, but you can also cast it proactively when removing a threat immediately matters more.Kindred Judgment can spare your key creatures while removing enemy threats, depending on the types of creatures on the battlefield.Refute Destiny is a sideboard option to deal with green or blue Planeswalkers.BlueCountersculpt combines a counter with Empower Jace, while Infinite Coursework is a classic blue Aura-based removal spell.Precise Redaction belongs to the cycle of color-specific sideboard cards and is effective against blue's allied colors.BlackGarruk, Veiled Butcher and Lich's Relic are both removals and useful in other ways.Be careful when using Multiply by Zero against creatures with counters, as its effect will not affect them. Overwrite the Multiverse, meanwhile, works as a board wipe by turning creatures into Jace Token.Terminal Criticism is black's sideboard option against its allied colors.RedAjani's Anguish and No Admittance are removals that deal damage directly, and have Trample and Empower Jace, respectively, so they create extra value.Awaken the Inferno lets you develop your board while removing a threat, while Fulminous Forte can hit more than one creature and set up favorable trades against aggressive decks.Essence Burn is red's sideboard option against its allied colors.GreenBudding Insurgent answers artifacts and still leaves you with a creature, while Compel Brutality lets you use your Planeswalkers to remove creatures.Sureshot Sower answers Flying creatures, and Flourishing Grapple is the sideboard option against red and white in this cycle.MulticolorThese Charms stand out for their flexibility: they serve as removals but still have other modes when there is no suitable target.Craftwork Crusher is both a threat and a removal, while Twisted Fates is a broad answer to nonland permanents.Warrior's Blades is also notable: it can act as removal first, then remain on the battlefield as Equipment.ConclusionsReality Fracture should make for diverse Limited formats, with 10 two-color archetypes and cards that fit multiple strategies. Mechanics such as Empower Jace and Heartwood Token expand those options, whether by creating value, enabling synergies, or making splashes easier.Which archetype interests you most?The archetype that caught my eye most is Rakdos - Stingerguile Face Burn. It can get off to an aggressive start and use direct damage to close out games.I am also eager to try Izzet - Chandra's Prowess. It seems to need more setup, but it could allow us to play explosive turns once we put in the work.Overall, understanding the synergies and knowing when to prioritize individually strong cards will be criticql to making the most of this set.I hope this guide helps you prepare for Draft, Sealed, and Prerelease Reality Fracture events.If you have questions, suggestions, or experiences with the set to share, leave them in the comments.Thank you for reading, and see you in the next article!
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