Alchemy Horizons: Baldur’s Gate’s spoiler season is all but over, giving us three new mechanics to get excited about. We’ve already delved into the wackiest of these three mechanics, Specialize, and now it’s time we look at Double Team.
As a new mechanic introduced in Alchemy Horizons: Baldur’s Gate, Double team is the replacement for the Commander-exclusive Myriad mechanic. Like Myriad, Double Team gives you increased value from just one attacking creature.
To ensure you’re not caught in your next Alchemy game, here’s everything you need to know about Double Team in Magic: the Gathering!
What is Double Team in Magic: the Gathering?
Double Team is a new ability in MTG Arena that may be triggered when attacking. When a creature with Double Team attacks, its owner may conjure a duplicate of that creature to their hand. If this action is taken, both the copy and original card lose the Double Team ability.
As a conjured card, the created duplicate creature is physically added to the game. After being conjured, the new card behaves like a regular card in your deck. The only difference between a normal card and a conjured card is that a conjured card does not remain in your deck once the game is over.
Based on available spoilers at this time, only 13 cards in Alchemy Horizons: Baldur’s Gate feature the Double Team mechanic. Similar to Myriad from Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur’s Gate, this includes an Enchantment that gives your creatures the ability.
Will Double Team Come to Paper MTG?
Similar to Specialize, it is unlikely that Double Team will ever see paper play in Magic: the Gathering. However, if Wizards of the Coast deemed it worth the trouble, it is theoretically possible that Double Team could be played on paper.
With the need for duplicate cards to be brought in from outside of the game, Double Team would likely require a player to use a supplementary deck containing the relevant cards. This means a Standard deck with 20 Double Team creatures would probably need an additional deck of equal size. Cards such as Ulder Ravengard, Marshal and Sworn to the Legion complicate this, however, as they both bestow the Double team ability.
Alongside Double Team being difficult to facilitate on paper, it’s important to note that paper MTG already has Myriad. Since they fulfill similar roles, it isn’t very certain we’d both of these mechanics on paper. Not to mention since Myriad and Double Team cards share art, things could get incredibly confusing.
Read More: This New Alchemy Mechanic Might Come to Paper MTG
