If you've ever thought of yourself as an armchair detective, MTG Murders at Karlov Manor should be right up your street. The next Magic set revolves around crimes most foul, and it takes us back to one of the franchise's best-loved worlds.

We've also got info on which pre-made decks will better suit your play style, not to mention what the new 'Play Boosters' for this set are. The game, as they say, is afoot…

 MTG Murders at Karlov Manor is the latest major release for Magic: The Gathering, and that means its cards can be used across a wealth of game types. More specifically, publisher Wizards of the Coast has noted that "cards with the MKM set code are permitted in the Standard, Pioneer, and Modern formats, as well as in Commander and other formats." 

As per usual, you can get this set's cards via booster packs or premade Commander decks. However, this time there's something extra being added into the mix – a separate game combining MTG and one of the most iconic classic board games, Clue.

In terms of its theme, this is MTG's take on murder mysteries. That means it includes mechanics (which we'll go into later) built around the whodunit genre – namely 'Collect Evidence,' 'Disguise,' and the return of 'Investigate.' All of these allow you to crack the case or avoid detection in one way or another, so they're certainly in keeping with cloak-and-dagger action.

As a mainline MTG set, Murders at Karlov Manor gets the kitchen sink treatment - it offers multiple Commander decks, two kinds of booster packs, a bundle, and a prerelease box for those early to the party. Basically, you're spoiled for choice regardless of whether you're an MTG greenhorn or a veteran of many releases.

MTG MURDERS AT Karlov Manor Story

• Takes place in a classic MTG setting, Ravnica
• A party at a stately home is interrupted by strange killings
• Investigators must uncover the disguised murderers

There's always an in-depth story chugging away beneath every Magic release, and Murders at Karlov Manor is no exception. As the name would suggest, this is a classic whodunit; a party for society's best and brightest has been disturbed by grisly killings, and now a band of investigators must find the culprit.

The plot takes place in the planet-wide city of Ravnica, a location seen many times throughout MTG – and even in D&D books. (You can find out more about the setting via our guide on everything you need to know about Ravnica.) The new head of the Orzhov Syndicate has invited high society to their stately home, but festivities are cut short with the discovery of a corpse. Seeing as the Syndicate are fantasy loansharks that force spirits of the dead to continue serving so they can pay off their debts, there's plenty of motive for someone to cause trouble.

This attracts the attention of canny investigators like the famous Alquist Proft (who may as well be a cockier, more genial Sherlock Holmes). Seeing as they quickly uncover vampires lurking amongst the crowd, something larger is clearly at play here.

These story elements play into the mechanics of this set. You'll collect evidence, disguise yourself, investigate clues during matches, and more. It's one of the best marriages in terms of narrative and theme we've had from Magic in a while.

You can catch up on the full plot at the official site. Just set aside a bit of time to go through it all; there are 10 short stories in total that are longer than you'd think, though they can be listened to instead in podcast form if you'd prefer. Either way, it's a surprisingly gripping tale that does a good job of tying into previous sets without being an overwhelming prospect for anyone that's new to all this. Some aspects may be baffling, sure (what's a Phyrexian? What does the Orzhov Syndicate do, exactly?), but you can piece it together quickly enough.

Reference: https://www.gamesradar.com/mtg-murders-at-karlov-manor/