Magic: The Gathering is celebrating its 30th anniversary next year, and the venerable card game is leading into the milestone with Dominaria United, the first set in a new story arc. It will see the game return to Dominaria, its original setting and one of the most storied planes in Magic history, where a cast of familiar races and characters will face a whole new assault from one of the great threats to the multiverse - the Phyrexians.

IGN has a brand new card to reveal for Dominaria United, and it very much ties into the 30-odd years of worldbuilding that makes Dominaria so special for Magic fans. Introducing, Serra Paragon:

This card references some key Dominarian history. “Serra was a powerful Planeswalker who came to Dominaria thousands of years before the events of Dominaria United,” explains Roy Graham, Game Designer: Story. “At the time, the power of Planeswalkers was almost unlimited so she was able to create a host of angels (ones similar to Serra Paragon!). While Serra then moved on from Dominaria, a church was created in her honour and she became revered.

“She ties in with the new story as her angels still populate the plane and she’s intrinsically linked with the Phyrexians: her own home plane was invaded by them years ago and was eventually collapsed to prevent a total Phyrexian takeover. So while Serra is now dead, there’s a definite Phyrexian vendetta in there!”

“The immediately obvious utility with Serra Paragon,” says Ethan Fleischer, Sr. Game Designer: Play & Design, in response to my question about which decks and strategies Serra Paragon might best be suited to, “would be to pair her with fetch lands: lands that sacrifice themselves to search your library for another land to put into play. These fetch lands are easy to get into the graveyard and can ensure you have a steady stream of lands once the Paragon hits play. It also lets you immediately cash them in for that little life total bump!

“Other applications would be in decks with creatures that have powerful enter the battlefield effects such as Elite Spellbinder: being able to recur those effects can become such a headache for opponents who basically have to deal with them twice.

“Lastly, I can see Serra Paragon being fun with smaller artifacts that sacrifice themselves for some sort of effect. Doubling down on those while gaining life would be a lot of fun!”

Opening a Karn of Whoop-Ass

I’ve already alluded to the broad brush strokes of Dominaria United's story, but given how important it is, I also asked Ethan Fleischer and Roy Graham to help set the scene. “Dominaria is in a time of renewal across the plane—with the demon Belzenlok dispatched and no major planar crises, the inhabitants of the world have a moment to breathe easy,” says Graham. “Of course, that’s just in time for the Phyrexians to arrive.”

The Phyrexians are going to be central to the events that unfold. They are “artificial and biomechanical beings hellbent on overtaking the multiverse one plane at a time,” continues Graham. “One of the key Praetors or leaders of New Phyrexia is Sheoldred who is slowly spreading her influence across the plane of Dominaria… Sheoldred’s plan of attack involves a lot of infiltration and subtlety before she shows her full strength, and we’ll see a lot of sleeper agents and betrayals throughout Dominaria United.

“Up against Sheoldred and her steadily increasing Phyrexian army stand a cast of familiar faces. Most prominent is Karn, a metallic Planeswalker who has fought the Phyrexians many times across many years and planes. Jodah, an immortal archmage from Dominaria’s past, will join Karn in his efforts to defeat the Phyrexians, along with the Planeswalkers Jaya and Teferi.”

These are big names for Magic players, and Wizards has already hinted at some pretty significant twists for a number of them. And of course, the story very much ties into the game design, too. Several mechanics “express what’s happening in the story currently,” says Fleischer. “The people of Dominaria must put aside their differences and unite in the face of a common foe. Kicker cards where the kicker cost is a different color from the card’s casting cost represent two (or more!) nations combining their powers. Domain encourages you to play with all five colors in your deck, uniting all of Dominaria!

“The new Enlist mechanic also represent the creatures of Dominaria teaming up," he continues. "When a creature with Enlist attacks, you can tap another creature you control without summoning sickness to add its power to the attacking creature’s. This will allow players to build up massive attackers while keeping their other creature relatively safe!”

Other mechanics tie into the plane’s rich lore and many epoch-shifting events. “Legends represent characters with roots in the past; there is one legendary creature in each booster pack,” explains Fleischer. “Sagas tell the stories of events from previous sets, particularly stories that are likely to be relevant to future stories. Each Saga in Dominaria United has the new Read Ahead mechanic, which allows players to skip past the early chapters of a Saga.”

It’s clear how tight the integration between storytelling and gameplay will be with Dominaria United, and this speaks to the team having the benefit of Magic's almost 30 years of existence. I ask Ethan Fleischer how all that experience informed how the team approached this set. “Dominaria was the setting of over 25 Magic sets, many of them from very early in the game’s history,” he says. “Since that time, our worldbuilding philosophy has evolved; each plane now needs a distinctive identity. Dominaria’s sprawling history and geography defied a unifying identity until the 2018 Dominaria set, where we established that Dominaria’s identity was its history.

“Having established that identity so strongly, we were now free, in Dominaria United, to focus more on concepts that resonated more with what’s going on in the current storyline. Who are the characters who would be most appropriate to fight in a second Phyrexian Invasion? What are mechanics that emphasize alliances being formed, and call back to the original Invasion set? How can we prime the audience to best enjoy the storyline over the next year of Magic?”

Early indications are that this freedom is paying off, but we’ll know for sure when Dominaria United launches on MTGA on September 2 and for tabletop on September 9. You can see the full range of products coming with the set - as well as all the cards as they’re revealed - by visiting Magic's Dominaria United homepage.

Cam Shea has worked at IGN since before the before times, and has played more Breath of the Wild than just about any other game. He also loves CCGs and when he's not playing games he's mixing records.

Andrew Garfield has planted his flag in the method acting debate, saying people who criticize the process don't truly understand it.

Appearing on the WTF with Marc Maron podcast (via Variety), Garfield explained that method acting isn't about mistreating other members of a production.

“[There've] been a lot of misconceptions about what method acting is, I think,” Garfield said. “It’s not about being an a**hole to everyone on set. It’s actually just about living truthfully under imagined circumstances, and being really nice to the crew simultaneously, and being a normal human being, and being able to drop it when you need to and staying in it when you want to stay in it.”

The actor also said critics of method acting may not have a full understanding of what goes into it, saying "I don’t think you know what method acting is if you’re calling it bullsh*t, or you've just worked with someone who claims to be a method actor that isn’t actually acting the method at all."

Garfield himself also detailed his approach to method acting for 2016's Silence, where he played a 17th-century Jesuit priest. He prepared for the role by researching Catholicism, undergoing spiritual training, and going celibate and fasting ahead of filming, saying he "had some pretty wild, trippy experiences from starving myself of sex and food”.

There are plenty of examples of method acting, from tame implementations like Benedict Cumberbatch and Kirsten Dunst not speaking to each other while filming The Power of the Dog, to more extreme examples like Jared Leto requiring crutches for his bathroom breaks while on the set of Morbius.

Earlier this year, some actors began speaking out against method acting. Mads Mikkelsen called the practice "pretentious", Will Poulter said method acting is used as an excuse for inappropriate behavior, and Samuel L. Jackson, Robert Pattinson, and Martin Freeman have also weighed in. Stranger Things actor David Harbour also recently criticized method acting, calling the practice "dangerous" and "silly".

Garfield also recently decided to take a break from acting after a busy stretch where he appeared in Spider-Man: No Way Home, Tick, Tick... Boom!, Under the Banner of Heaven, and more. When he does eventually return to our screens, there are a ton of fans that would love to see him in The Amazing Spider-Man 3.

Logan Plant is a freelance writer for IGN. You can find him on Twitter @LoganJPlant.

Andrew Garfield has planted his flag in the method acting debate, saying people who criticize the process don't truly understand it.

Appearing on the WTF with Marc Maron podcast (via Variety), Garfield explained that method acting isn't about mistreating other members of a production.

“[There've] been a lot of misconceptions about what method acting is, I think,” Garfield said. “It’s not about being an a**hole to everyone on set. It’s actually just about living truthfully under imagined circumstances, and being really nice to the crew simultaneously, and being a normal human being, and being able to drop it when you need to and staying in it when you want to stay in it.”

The actor also said critics of method acting may not have a full understanding of what goes into it, saying "I don’t think you know what method acting is if you’re calling it bullsh*t, or you've just worked with someone who claims to be a method actor that isn’t actually acting the method at all."

Garfield himself also detailed his approach to method acting for 2016's Silence, where he played a 17th-century Jesuit priest. He prepared for the role by researching Catholicism, undergoing spiritual training, and going celibate and fasting ahead of filming, saying he "had some pretty wild, trippy experiences from starving myself of sex and food”.

There are plenty of examples of method acting, from tame implementations like Benedict Cumberbatch and Kirsten Dunst not speaking to each other while filming The Power of the Dog, to more extreme examples like Jared Leto requiring crutches for his bathroom breaks while on the set of Morbius.

Earlier this year, some actors began speaking out against method acting. Mads Mikkelsen called the practice "pretentious", Will Poulter said method acting is used as an excuse for inappropriate behavior, and Samuel L. Jackson, Robert Pattinson, and Martin Freeman have also weighed in. Stranger Things actor David Harbour also recently criticized method acting, calling the practice "dangerous" and "silly".

Garfield also recently decided to take a break from acting after a busy stretch where he appeared in Spider-Man: No Way Home, Tick, Tick... Boom!, Under the Banner of Heaven, and more. When he does eventually return to our screens, there are a ton of fans that would love to see him in The Amazing Spider-Man 3.

Logan Plant is a freelance writer for IGN. You can find him on Twitter @LoganJPlant.

Many people invest in mesh wireless networking solutions to get rid of dead spots caused by walls and other barriers. However, what if you could effectively eliminate the walls as an obstacle?

Originally reported in Newsweek, Austrian scientists at the Vienna University of Technology and Rennes University detail a method of removing reflections caused by dense materials. The scientists revealed their findings in a paper entitled "Anti-reflection structure for perfect ransmission through complex media."

The scientists liken their solution to how the anti-reflective coating on glasses work. The coating allows light to traverse more freely through the lenses and thus prevent the light from bouncing off the lenses causing reflections. Similarly, the scientists use a special coating to allow Wi-Fi radio waves to travel easily through solid material.

"You first have to simply send certain waves through the medium and measure exactly how these waves are reflected by the material," said Michael Horodynski, one of the co-authors. "We were able to show that, with this information, a corresponding compensating medium can be calculated for any medium that scatters waves in a complex way, so that the combination of both media allows the wave to pass completely."

In laymen's terms, the scientists were able to mathematically calculate how radio waves move through a material and then use that information to create a substance that allows it to avoid reflections.

They first experimented with microwaves, sending it through a "metallic waveguide" that was filled with small metal and teflon objects. Only half of the microwaves made it through while the rest was reflected. The behavior of the microwaves through the waveguide was measured and an anti-reflective region was created. A subsequent test saw 100 percent of the microwaves get through.

Not only could this technique be used to enable better Wi-Fi reception, but other radio waves such as cellular and even telescopes that use radio waves to discover distant objects in the universe.

Obviously, we're probably far away from any practical applications, but the future implications are indeed interesting. While you wait for better Wi-Fi, check out our deals for OLED gaming TVs and a new Dell XPS desktop.

David Matthews is a Freelance Writer for IGN.

Many people invest in mesh wireless networking solutions to get rid of dead spots caused by walls and other barriers. However, what if you could effectively eliminate the walls as an obstacle?

Originally reported in Newsweek, Austrian scientists at the Vienna University of Technology and Rennes University detail a method of removing reflections caused by dense materials. The scientists revealed their findings in a paper entitled "Anti-reflection structure for perfect ransmission through complex media."

The scientists liken their solution to how the anti-reflective coating on glasses work. The coating allows light to traverse more freely through the lenses and thus prevent the light from bouncing off the lenses causing reflections. Similarly, the scientists use a special coating to allow Wi-Fi radio waves to travel easily through solid material.

"You first have to simply send certain waves through the medium and measure exactly how these waves are reflected by the material," said Michael Horodynski, one of the co-authors. "We were able to show that, with this information, a corresponding compensating medium can be calculated for any medium that scatters waves in a complex way, so that the combination of both media allows the wave to pass completely."

In laymen's terms, the scientists were able to mathematically calculate how radio waves move through a material and then use that information to create a substance that allows it to avoid reflections.

They first experimented with microwaves, sending it through a "metallic waveguide" that was filled with small metal and teflon objects. Only half of the microwaves made it through while the rest was reflected. The behavior of the microwaves through the waveguide was measured and an anti-reflective region was created. A subsequent test saw 100 percent of the microwaves get through.

Not only could this technique be used to enable better Wi-Fi reception, but other radio waves such as cellular and even telescopes that use radio waves to discover distant objects in the universe.

Obviously, we're probably far away from any practical applications, but the future implications are indeed interesting. While you wait for better Wi-Fi, check out our deals for OLED gaming TVs and a new Dell XPS desktop.

David Matthews is a Freelance Writer for IGN.

PSVR 2, PlayStation's next-gen VR headset, will be coming sometime in early 2023.

According to multiple PlayStation social media sites across Twitter and Instagram, the next-gen PlayStation VR headset has locked in a release window sometime in the early months of next year.

The window was confirmed on PlayStation's official Instagram account as well as numerous PlayStation regional Twitter accounts from France and Brazil.

PSVR 2 is Sony's next virtual reality headset. According to Sony, PSVR 2 will feature an OLED display with 2000x2040 pixels per eye and a refresh rate of up to 120Hz. It utilizes inside out eye tracking and will have 110 degree field of view.

Sony also announced that PSVR 2 will have over 20 games at launch. The company is also developing exclusive VR games for the headset including Horizon: Call of the Mountain, based on the popular Horizon series.

While the specs of the PSVR 2 can rival that of the Oculus Quest 2 and Valve Index, it is still a wired headset and requires a PlayStation 5 to operate. These factors could become hurdles when compared to the wireless Meta headsets, though those did receive a price bump earlier this year.

Will you be picking up Sony's next-gen PSVR 2 headset? Let us know in the comments.

Matt T.M. Kim is IGN's News Editor. You can reach him @lawoftd.

PSVR 2, PlayStation's next-gen VR headset, will be coming sometime in early 2023.

According to multiple PlayStation social media sites across Twitter and Instagram, the next-gen PlayStation VR headset has locked in a release window sometime in the early months of next year.

The window was confirmed on PlayStation's official Instagram account as well as numerous PlayStation regional Twitter accounts from France and Brazil.

PSVR 2 is Sony's next virtual reality headset. According to Sony, PSVR 2 will feature an OLED display with 2000x2040 pixels per eye and a refresh rate of up to 120Hz. It utilizes inside out eye tracking and will have 110 degree field of view.

Sony also announced that PSVR 2 will have over 20 games at launch. The company is also developing exclusive VR games for the headset including Horizon: Call of the Mountain, based on the popular Horizon series.

While the specs of the PSVR 2 can rival that of the Oculus Quest 2 and Valve Index, it is still a wired headset and requires a PlayStation 5 to operate. These factors could become hurdles when compared to the wireless Meta headsets, though those did receive a price bump earlier this year.

Will you be picking up Sony's next-gen PSVR 2 headset? Let us know in the comments.

Matt T.M. Kim is IGN's News Editor. You can reach him @lawoftd.

Spoiler Warning: This article contains major spoilers for a key scene in the House of the Dragon premiere.

House of the Dragon co-showrunner Miguel Sapochnik wanted the Game of Thrones spin-off's most harrowing scene to be "difficult to watch." Mission accomplished.

Social media was alive with conversation this morning about the House of the Dragon premiere's gruesome Caesarean section, which claims the life of both Queen Consort Aemma Targaryen (Sian Brooke) and her newborn son, who was to be the heir to the Seven Kingdoms. The twin tragedies spark the events that form the core of House of the Dragon's conflict.

Speaking with the Los Angeles Times, Sapochnick said that each birth in Game of Thrones "has a theme, just as the battles I've filmed in the past have a central concept."

According to Sapochnick, the theme of this birth was "torture."

"The hope and intention of the show — beyond the primary one of entertainment — is to shine a light on how the experience of men and women in this world has parallels to our own past and present," Sapochnik explained.

In House of the Dragon, King Viserys Targaryen (Paddy Considine) decides to allow the C-section to happen. As actress Sian Brooke points out, Aemma has no say over the procedure that ultimately claims her life.

"It's quite hard to think now, as a woman, to put yourself in [Aemma’s] position. It's so vulnerable to think, 'That's what you are: a vessel for childbirth,'" Brooke. "You've got this battle showing man’s eternal quest for power and status. And then within that, you’ve got this woman who's at the mercy of a man's decision."

"You think you've made this huge leap forward, with women being able to make decisions about their own bodies," she continued. "It's quite shocking, that, sadly, there is some similarity between that and centuries ago."

Brooke said she spent a day and a half "pinned to the bed with my legs akimbo" filming the birth. She also had a prosthetic belly filled with blood containing a pump designed to ensure that the blood flowed realistically.

Sapochnick, for his part, talked about how the scene came together in the editing room, with the perspective shifting from "Viserys' experience of the birth onto Aemma's" until he felt the show had found the "right balance."

"I know it may sound extreme, but we wanted it to be difficult to watch. We wanted people to remember that no matter what they thought of Viserys, he did this and he could never take it back," Sapochnik said. "It is the story's inciting incident and needed to be strong and unflinching."

Game of Thrones has a long history of showing women suffering horrifically, which in some cases has earned the show harsh criticism.

Millions of Game of Thrones fans ultimately tuned in for the premiere, crashing HBO Max in the process. Our review called it a "strong, well-cast start to the Game of Thrones spin-off" filled with "dragons, inbreeding, and resentment."

While you wait for the next episode, check out our analysis of Daemon Targaryen's Gold Cloaks and what they could mean for the rest of the series.

Kat Bailey is a Senior News Editor at IGN as well as co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Have a tip? Send her a DM at @the_katbot.

Spoiler Warning: This article contains major spoilers for a key scene in the House of the Dragon premiere.

House of the Dragon co-showrunner Miguel Sapochnik wanted the Game of Thrones spin-off's most harrowing scene to be "difficult to watch." Mission accomplished.

Social media was alive with conversation this morning about the House of the Dragon premiere's gruesome Caesarean section, which claims the life of both Queen Consort Aemma Targaryen (Sian Brooke) and her newborn son, who was to be the heir to the Seven Kingdoms. The twin tragedies spark the events that form the core of House of the Dragon's conflict.

Speaking with the Los Angeles Times, Sapochnick said that each birth in Game of Thrones "has a theme, just as the battles I've filmed in the past have a central concept."

According to Sapochnick, the theme of this birth was "torture."

"The hope and intention of the show — beyond the primary one of entertainment — is to shine a light on how the experience of men and women in this world has parallels to our own past and present," Sapochnik explained.

In House of the Dragon, King Viserys Targaryen (Paddy Considine) decides to allow the C-section to happen. As actress Sian Brooke points out, Aemma has no say over the procedure that ultimately claims her life.

"It's quite hard to think now, as a woman, to put yourself in [Aemma’s] position. It's so vulnerable to think, 'That's what you are: a vessel for childbirth,'" Brooke. "You've got this battle showing man’s eternal quest for power and status. And then within that, you’ve got this woman who's at the mercy of a man's decision."

"You think you've made this huge leap forward, with women being able to make decisions about their own bodies," she continued. "It's quite shocking, that, sadly, there is some similarity between that and centuries ago."

Brooke said she spent a day and a half "pinned to the bed with my legs akimbo" filming the birth. She also had a prosthetic belly filled with blood containing a pump designed to ensure that the blood flowed realistically.

Sapochnick, for his part, talked about how the scene came together in the editing room, with the perspective shifting from "Viserys' experience of the birth onto Aemma's" until he felt the show had found the "right balance."

"I know it may sound extreme, but we wanted it to be difficult to watch. We wanted people to remember that no matter what they thought of Viserys, he did this and he could never take it back," Sapochnik said. "It is the story's inciting incident and needed to be strong and unflinching."

Game of Thrones has a long history of showing women suffering horrifically, which in some cases has earned the show harsh criticism.

Millions of Game of Thrones fans ultimately tuned in for the premiere, crashing HBO Max in the process. Our review called it a "strong, well-cast start to the Game of Thrones spin-off" filled with "dragons, inbreeding, and resentment."

While you wait for the next episode, check out our analysis of Daemon Targaryen's Gold Cloaks and what they could mean for the rest of the series.

Kat Bailey is a Senior News Editor at IGN as well as co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Have a tip? Send her a DM at @the_katbot.

Despite consistently charting on Netflix since its release, The Sandman's creator is worried that the show's success may not be enough for Netflix to greenlight future seasons.

Neil Gaiman, the writer of The Sandman comic and Executive Producer of the Netflix adaptation, said the show's costly development means it needs to perform incredibly well to earn a second season. On Twitter, Gaiman responded to a fan asking why Season Two of The Sandman isn't a sure thing.

"Because Sandman is a really expensive show," Gaiman explained. "And for Netflix to release the money to let us make another season we have to perform incredibly well. So yes, we've been the top show in the world for the last two weeks. That still may not be enough."

Because Sandman is a really expensive show. And for Netflix to release the money to let us make another season we have to perform incredibly well. So yes, we've been the top show in the world for the last two weeks. That still may not be enough. https://t.co/m7VusGL2rW

— Neil Gaiman (@neilhimself) August 21, 2022

Back when The Sandman was announced in 2019, it was reported as a "massive" financial deal and the most expensive series that DC Entertainment had ever taken on at the time.

Gaiman also shared some insight into how Netflix measures the success of its content, saying that the streamer looks at completion rates — the percentage of people that actually finish a series or movie — rather than just the number of people watching it in general. So, if you want to contribute to The Sandman's success, be sure to finish watching the series all the way through.

It shouldn't be too difficult for most fans to finish the show, as we called the first season "everything longtime fans could have dreamed of in an adaptation" in our Sandman review.

Gaiman's words on how Netflix chooses what to renew line up with our own report on the subject, where former Netflix VP Cindy Holland said, "the biggest thing that we look at is, are we getting enough viewership to justify the cost of the series?" Completion rate is one consideration, along with the social media conversation and the fandom, among others.

For more, check out how Netflix's Sandman adaption changed Calliope's story in a big way. Or, read about the recently-released surprise episode of The Sandman.

Logan Plant is a freelance writer for IGN. You can find him on Twitter @LoganJPlant.