Double Feature Set Review

We've had a lot of fun in Innistrad in the last few months of Magic the Gathering. We went to the Harvesttide Festival in Innistrad: Midnight Hunt, before heading to the biggest Vampire wedding in history in Crimson Vow. Though we're only a few weeks away from departing for the high-tech cities of Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty, Wizards of the Coast has one more horror-themed treat for us with Innistrad: Double Feature.

Inspired by old black and white monster movies (think Night of the Living Dead, Dracula, The Invisible Man etc.), Innistrad: Double Feature isn't a new set, and doesn't feature any new cards. Instead, it's a collection of both Midnight Hunt and Crimson Vow into a single, draftable experience. Though both were treated as individual sets, they fit together very nicely in a lot of ways. For example, decayed zombies from Midnight Hunt make excellent sacrifice fodder for the Exploit mechanic from Midnight Hunt, while Training from Crimson Vow can really bolster up Midnight Hunt's Covens.

Every single card from both Midnight Hunt and Crimson Vow can be found in Innistrad: Double Feature, making it by far the largest Magic set ever released at a whopping 535 cards. Maybe you missed some of Midnight Hunt's best cards, like Arlinn, the Pack's Hope, The Meathook Massacre, or Wrenn and Seven? Or maybe you're still hoping to get some of Crimson Vow's bangers, such as Sorin the Mirthless, Cultivator Colossus, or Toxrill, the Corrosive? Or maybe you want one place to find all ten of the new 'slow' Lands Midnight Hunt and Crimson Vow introduced? All of them can be found in Double Feature.

What's cool about this is it feels like a return to the block system Magic sets used to run by. In the past we'd have multiple sets all set on the same Plane and be designed to play well with each other – think stuff like Battle of Zendikar and Oath of the Gatewatch, or Time Spiral, Planar Chaos and Future Sight. The block system was abandoned starting with 2018's Dominaria, and since then each set's been pretty self-contained. Double Feature is the first time we'll be able to draft more than one set at the same time since blocks went away, giving those who missed out on that a taste of how things used to be.

Maybe you're not interested in drafting, and want to pick up some new cards for your Commander, Standard, or Modern deck? That's fine, because Double Feature is going to be a brilliant set to bling up your favourite decks, thanks to the bold decision to print every single card in a black and white treatment. Every card of every booster pack will be monochromatic and slightly grainy, to give them the look of being displayed on an old TV.

Even the foil cards have been changed to fit the style. Instead of the usual rainbow foiling we see on Magic cards, Double Feature is using a new "Silver Screen" foiling process that is said to enhance the cinematic feel of the card. Of course, the frames will still have a hint of colour to help you distinguish the cards, but it's a really striking look that's sure to appeal to players who loved the Eternal Night showcase style from Midnight Hunt and Crimson Vow.

Best of all, you'll have double the chances to pull the choice cards you wanted. Every booster pack will come with two rare of mythic rare cards: one from Innistrad: Midnight Hunt, and the other from Innistrad: Crimson Vow. This sort of thing is usually reserved for Double Masters sets (which we're getting a new one of this year, by the way!), which makes Double Feature great value compared to its two parent sets!

Our last two visits to Innistrad have been fantastic. Everyone's favourite spooky plane never disappoints, and with mechanics like Cleave and Disturb to spice things up, they were sets people are going to look back fondly on for a long time to come. Double Feature feels like a great send-off for it, giving us all one last chance to get those exciting cards we may have missed out on, or get them in a stylish new art treatment to bring a bit of retro pizazz to our favourite decks. Whether you want to draft, crack packs, or just pick up the cards you need through https://magicmadhouse.co.uk/, Innistrad: Double Feature is a great palate cleanser before things get glowy in Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty!

Innistrad: Double Feature launches on January 28, 2022. Pre-order your packs and singles through Magic Madhouse today!