Everything We Know About MTG’s The Brothers’ War

Get the lowdown on MTG’s biggest sibling rivalry.

From one of the most important events in Magic: The Gathering‘s history, The Brothers’ War focuses on the historical conflict of Urza and Mishra on Dominaria. The Brothers’ War will be the final Standard set release of 2022, and the next Standard release of 2023 is Phyrexia: All Will Be One. 

With that out of the way, let’s break down what we know about The Brothers’ War.

The Brothers’ War Release Dates, Previews, and Event Schedule

The release and event schedule for The Brothers’ War is as follows:

• Worldwide Release: November 18, 2022
• MTG Arena and Magic Online Release: November 15, 2022
• Debut Video and Previews Begin: October 27, 2022
• The Brothers’ War Magic 30 Previews: October 28–30, 2022
• The Brothers’ War Previews Continue: October 31–November 4, 2022
• The Brothers’ War Story: October 20–26, 2022
• 30th Anniversary Kickoff Stream: October 4, 2022
• Complete Card Image Gallery: TBA
• Prerelease Events: November 11-17, 2022
• Launch Weekend: November 18-20, 2022
• Game Day: December 3-11, 2022
• Commander Party Events: December 16-18, 2022
• Store Championships: TBA
• The Brothers’ War Set Code: BRO
• The Brothers’ War Commander Set Code: BRC

The Brothers’ War tabletop release is scheduled for November 18 with the MTG Arena and Magic Online release falling on November 15. Previews for the upcoming Standard release begin on October 28 at the Magic 30 event in Las Vegas where previews will end on November 4. 

The Brothers’ War Lore

The Brothers’ War returns to the most pivotal story in Magic: The Gathering—the conflict between two brothers, Urza and Mishra. Like War of the Spark, The Brothers’ War is a set designed around a particular event, which sets the motion for the Dominaria plane and the Multiverse itself. The Brothers’ War is the second of a four-set story arc, the first being Dominaria United. Saheeli, Teferi, Mishra, Karn, Urza, and Gix appear in The Brothers’ War, and you can read the complete story over on the Wizards of the Coast website now. 

The Brothers’ War Mechanics

There’s a flurry of new and exciting mechanics appearing in The Brothers’ War. You can expect to see these appear in numerous formats such as Standard, Pioneer, Modern, Commander, and Sealed. 

Meld

Meld was the first keyword confirmed for The Brothers’ War. First introduced in Eldritch Moon, meld means two cards with meld on the back side into one oversized card, if you control the proper pair. An example of meld would be Gisela, the Broken Blade and Bruna, the Fading Light when melded, would turn into Brisela, Voice of Nightmares.

While less gruesome compared to Eldritch Moon‘s take on the meld keyword, Urza comes with the ability to demonstrate when Urza first gains his spark—becoming a Planeswalker in the battle against Mishra. Mishra also features the meld mechanic, where you combine Mishra, Claimed by Gix and Phyrexian Dragon Engine to flip into Mishra, Lost to Phyrexia.

Prototype

Skitterbeam Battalion

The Brothers’ War | Mythic

Next, we have Prototype, an exciting new mechanic where you can cast the spell with a different mana cost, color, and size, but it keeps the abilities and types on the card. So, for example, with Skitterbeam Battalion, if you pay two red and a generic mana, it would be a 2/2 red artifact creature with trample and haste. If you paid the full nine generic mana, you would get a 4/4 colorless creature with trample and haste. 

Unearth

Mishra, Tamer of Mak Fawa (Borderless)

The Brothers’ War

Unearth returns to The Brothers’ War, where you can return the card from your graveyard to the battlefield. The card also gains haste, but you have to exile the card at the beginning of the next end step or if it left the battlefield and can only be activated as a sorcery. With Mishra, Tamer of Mak Fawa, each artifact card in your graveyard has unearth, for example, you can cast  Ashnod’s Altar from your graveyard, sacrifice a bunch of creatures to generate mana, and then exile Ashnod’s Altar at the beginning of the next end step. 

Powerstone Tokens

Urza, Powerstone Prodigy

The Brothers’ War | Uncommon

First appearing in Dominaria United were Powerstone tokens, but they play a more significant role in The Brothers’ War. Powerstone tokens are artifact tokens created by spells or abilities, where they enter the battlefield tapped and can add one generic mana to your mana pool, but you can’t use the mana to cast a non-artifact spell. Expect to see an uptick in other cards such as Karn, Living Legacy that offers synergy with Powerstone tokens. 

The Brothers’ War Products

Market Price: $102.07

Market Price: $115.97

Market Price: $216.40

Market Price: $19.25

Market Price: $19.16

The Brothers’ War will see the usual range of products with Draft, Set, Jumpstart, and Collector Boosters available on release. Also Bundles and Pre-Release Kits will be available too. There are two options on the Pre-Release Kits—the first option is Urza’s Iron Alliance with the other being Mishra’s Burnished Banner. This approach is similar to Streets of New Capenna, where you picked a faction or guild depending on your preference.

The Brothers’ War Commander Precons

As confirmed by Wizards of the Coast, The Brothers’ War will see two Commander Precons support the release. These two Precons will feature Urza and Mishra at the helm—called Mishra’s Burnished Banner and Urza’s Iron Alliance , these two Commander Precons will highlight the ongoing battle between the two brothers. The Commander Precons take the same name as The Brothers’ War Prerelease Kits.

Urza, Chief Artificer and Mishra, Eminent One are revealed as the headline Commanders for this round of precons. As per Commander Preon releases, you can expect a blend of brand new Magic: The Gathering cards in addition to desirable reprints. The Brothers’ War Commander Precons introduce something unique to Magic: The Gathering, where these two products will include every card featured in the retro border treatment. For those who aren’t familiar, the retro frame is a throwback to a classic frame treatment which was the norm for cards back then. Since the release of Modern Horizons 2, retro frames are making a comeback as enfranchised players appreciate the nostalgia they bring.