Vault 21: House Gambit – Fallout
Date Reviewed: March 20, 2024
Ratings:
Constructed: 2.63
Casual: 3.50
Limited: N/A
Multiplayer: 3.25
Commander [EDH]: 3.63
Ratings are based on a 1 to 5 scale. 1 is bad. 3 is average. 5 is great.
Reviews Below:
In my mind, you can’t have an Old West-inspired setting without gambling. In both Red Dead Redemption games, I spent much more time playing poker than doing the actual stories. This card will no doubt play fine with Outlaws of Thunder Junction, but I do hope we’ll get similar references in that set.
Both of the game actions in Vault 21: House Gambit reference similar actions in poker and other casino card games; and as it happens, both are reasonably useful in Magic. We all know how good red’s discard-then-draw can be for setting up other things, and I like how it’s feasible to build a deck that has lots of overlap in mana value. Think of all the blue one-mana cantrips; or all the red two-mana burn spells, for that matter. This leads to an interesting trade-off when you need to include your main win condition, though I also think it’s generally better to have lots of Treasure tokens than not to.
Constructed: 2.5
Casual: 3.5
Limited: N/A
Multiplayer: 3.5
Commander [EDH]: 3.5
A reference to the gaming vault in New Vegas, Vault 21 is part of a cycle of sagas that cover the quirks and aspects of different vaults across the series. This leas a bit into the gambling aspect: you can generate up to five Treasure tokens in two turns, which can be a massive jump in mana, and you can loot your way into a better hand when the time comes. Notably, the wording here means that you get Treasure with two pairs, a full house (of sorts), or anything of that nature. It’s a potentially interesting approach, and while it’s not a star, I do think it has enough interesting things going on that it might show up in Legacy.
Constructed: 2.75
Casual: 3.5
Limited: N/A
Multiplayer: 3
Commander [EDH]: 3.75
We would love more volunteers to help us with our Magic the Gathering Card of the Day reviews. If you want to share your ideas on cards with other fans, feel free to drop us an email. We would be happy to link back to your blog / YouTube Channel / etc. 😉