It is one of the most represented colours (along with blue) and has spent the longest time as the colour with most cards in the cube
If you use a five of spades, or any other object with numbers or text, ignore those numbers and text
Whether it's a giant threat, a piece of removal, or even a combo enabler, this card keeps your options open in a very sneaky way
People use proxies for a bunch of extremely normal reasons: - Playtesting new decks before spending money - Commander upgrades without chasing down every last staple immediately - Cube maintenance (updating lists without re-buying a small nations GDP) - Kitchen table games where the goal is fun, not authentication theater - Protecting valuable cards by keeping originals safe while you play with substitutes If your group is on board, proxies are often the simplest way to keep games creative, fair, and actually happening
Haven't seen those in a while
Im not going to cover every single mechanic, but lets take a look at the main new and returning ones