Understanding the Mystical Power Behind a Witch's Moon

The concept of a "witches moon" refers to the idea that certain moons possess unique energies and qualities that are connected to witchcraft and mystical practices. While the term "witches moon" is not recognized in mainstream astrology or science, it holds significance within certain spiritual and magical communities. The term is often used to describe the significance of the full moon for witches and spell-workers. The full moon is believed to be a potent time for setting intentions, performing rituals, and harnessing the energy of the moon to enhance one's magical workings. During this phase, the moon is fully illuminated and its energy is considered to be at its most powerful. The full moon is associated with manifestation, abundance, and heightened intuition.

The full moon is associated with manifestation, abundance, and heightened intuition. Witches also pay attention to other phases of the moon, such as the new moon, first quarter, and last quarter. Each phase is believed to have its own unique energy that can be utilized in different ways.

The Top 25 Black Cards Of All-Time: #5-1

Well, we knew black was the color of coveting power. So here we are. It may be predictable, but there’s no denying it: These are the most absurdly busted black cards ever.

The top of black’s range is seriously so ridiculous. How many of these
cards would make other colors top five lists, easily?

Could black’s top five actually have more cards that were at one time
considered the best card in Magic than even blue?

Okay, so here’s one for starters.

While its trendy these days for young people to say crazy things like,
“Hymn to Tourach is better than

' rel="noopener">Mind Twist has (rightly) been banned in every competitive format from
Legacy down for so long, an entire generation has grown up without ever
seriously competing in a format warped around its existence.

It was literally banned before the Pro Tour was even invented.

You know how many people tell me things like “Hymn to Tourach sees more
play in Legacy!”

Yeah? Does it? Does Legacy legal

Let’s set aside the argument of what would be better in Legacy (spoiler:
Mind Twist), despite the fact that

Let’s start with Vintage. Yes,

' rel="noopener">Mind Twist is legal as a four-of these days.
There are so many zero-mana counterspells, one-mana discard
spells, and cheap draw-sevens that

Now, which card has been better in Vintage (Type 1) historically? Again,
the answer is

' rel="noopener">Mind Twist was so dominant in
’94 and ’95 that in early 1996 it was actually straight up banned
from all formats due to power level. Remember,

' rel="noopener">Hymn to Tourach was
legal at this time, and while it was eventually restricted and then later
banned in Standard, it was never the force in powered formats that

Here’s an example of the kind of deck that got

Creatures (2)

Lands (21)

• 3 Strip Mine
• 3 Plains
• 4 City of Brass
• 4 Island
• 2 Volcanic Island
• 4 Tundra
• 1 Library of Alexandria

Spells (37)

• 4 Mana Drain
• 2 Counterspell
• 4 Swords to Plowshares
• 1 Sol Ring
• 1 Regrowth
• 1 Mind Twist
• 1 Demonic Tutor
• 1 Braingeyser
• 1 Time Walk
• 1 Ancestral Recall
• 2 Red Elemental Blast
• 1 Jayemdae Tome
• 2 Disrupting Scepter
• 4 Disenchant
• 1 Recall
• 2 Moat
• 1 Mirror Universe
• 1 Timetwister
• 1 Black Lotus
• 1 Mox Emerald
• 1 Mox Jet
• 1 Mox Pearl
• 1 Mox Ruby
• 1 Mox Sapphire

Sideboard

• 1 Fireball
• 1 Ivory Tower
• 2 Circle of Protection: Red
• 2 Red Elemental Blast
• 1 Jayemdae Tome
• 1 Disrupting Scepter
• 1 Moat
• 2 Divine Offering
• 1 Feldon's Cane
• 2 Blood Moon
• 1 Tormod's Crypt

That’s right, one of the most famous, most influential decks of all-time,
The Deck, was a

Now that is a good combo with

The Deck introduced the world to the concept of card advantage, and guess
what? Mind Twisting someone is a major source of card advantage.

What about Standard?

' rel="noopener">Mind Twist was a much stronger Standard card than Hymn to
Tourach back in the day. And if we were to imagine today’s format?

Well, let’s just say that

' rel="noopener">Mind Twist would likely be the more popular
choice, assuming you could only pick one.

What about Modern?

You think these Jund players are gonna pick

Get off my yard.

' rel="noopener">Necropotence was seen as a great “defining feature of black,” but
unfortunately proved to be “too strong” and carried with it “too much rules
baggage.”

' rel="noopener">Necropotence that addressed both of these issues. After all, it costs twice
as much, and you can’t get much cleaner of a textbox than that.

Unfortunately, this was during Urza’s Saga block, the block that
made Wizards of the Coast realize that they needed to hire a balance team.

Upon first laying eyes on

' rel="noopener">Yawgmoth’s Bargain, eventual Hall of Famer Zvi
Mowshowitz boldly declared that he would break the card before the year was
out. This claim was particularly bold, as Wizards of the Coast had already
banned like a dozen cards, with the intention of completely killing “combo
winter.”

It didn’t take him long.

Lands (20)

• 4 City of Traitors
• 4 Underground River
• 4 City of Brass
• 3 Swamp
• 3 Crystal Vein
• 2 Rootwater Depths

Spells (40)

• 3 Show and Tell
• 4 Yawgmoth's Bargain
• 4 Vampiric Tutor
• 4 Grim Monolith
• 1 Yawgmoth's Will
• 4 Scroll Rack
• 4 Dark Ritual
• 1 Blaze
• 1 Intuition
• 3 Turnabout
• 3 Delusions of Mediocrity
• 4 Voltaic Key
• 4 Mox Diamond

There was a real shortage of playable lifegain, and the format was
extremely fast. Nevertheless, Zvi managed to build a fast combo deck that
turned the format on its head.

' rel="noopener">Yawgmoth’s Bargain was eventually relegated to the role of “Vintage one-of
that wins the game for

Lands (13)

• 1 Swamp
• 4 Underground Sea
• 1 Badlands
• 4 Polluted Delta
• 1 Bloodstained Mire
• 1 Library of Alexandria
• 1 Tolarian Academy

Spells (47)

• 1 Tendrils of Agony
• 1 Brainstorm
• 2 Cabal Ritual
• 1 Yawgmoth's Bargain
• 1 Vampiric Tutor
• 1 Yawgmoth's Will
• 4 Duress
• 1 Necropotence
• 1 Mana Vault
• 1 Wheel of Fortune
• 1 Sol Ring
• 1 Demonic Tutor
• 2 Hurkyl's Recall
• 1 Time Walk
• 4 Dark Ritual
• 1 Ancestral Recall
• 1 Mana Crypt
• 1 Timetwister
• 3 Cabal Therapy
• 1 Mind's Desire
• 1 Black Lotus
• 1 Lotus Petal
• 1 Lion's Eye Diamond
• 1 Mox Emerald
• 1 Mox Jet
• 1 Mox Pearl
• 1 Mox Ruby
• 1 Mox Sapphire
• 1 Ponder
• 4 Gitaxian Probe
• 4 Dark Petition

Sideboard

• 2 Hurkyl's Recall
• 4 Ancient Tomb
• 3 Defense Grid
• 1 Empty the Warrens
• 2 Mindbreak Trap
• 3 Ravenous Trap

' rel="noopener">Yawgmoth’s Bargain at half the
price. This card is so ridiculously good, it dominated the game for years
and actually changed the entire design philosophy the game is built around.

”

Keep banning cards until

From the moment

' rel="noopener">Black Vise was restricted, Necro took over Standard.
Earlier this week, we discussed a variety of

' rel="noopener">Necropotence decks from the
first Pro Tours. How about 1996 US National Champion Dennis Bentley’s B/r
Necro deck than cemented the term “Necro Summer”?

Creatures (12)

• 2 Knight of Stromgald
• 4 Hypnotic Specter
• 4 Black Knight
• 2 Order of the Ebon Hand

Lands (24)

• 4 Strip Mine
• 4 Sulfurous Springs
• 2 City of Brass
• 14 Swamp

Spells (24)

• 1 Fireball
• 4 Lightning Bolt
• 4 Hymn to Tourach
• 3 Necropotence
• 1 Ivory Tower
• 4 Dark Ritual
• 1 Black Vise
• 1 Dystopia
• 4 Icequake
• 1 Zuran Orb

Sideboard

• 1 Jester's Cap
• 2 Dance of the Dead
• 1 Shatter
• 2 Dark Banishing
• 1 Contagion
• 2 Serrated Arrows
• 3 Dystopia
• 2 Stromgald Cabal
• 1 Infernal Darkness

When all you need to do is beat creatures with protection from white, the
incentives can really change.

Keep in mind, every non-Necro deck at the top was built with the near
exclusive purpose of defeating Necro decks. And still, The Skull prevailed.

By the time of Pro Tour Dallas,

' rel="noopener">Necropotence had spawned several new sub
variations. First, the champion, playing Mono-Black Necro “Control”:

Creatures (7)

• 4 Hypnotic Specter
• 2 Sengir Vampire
• 1 Ihsan's Shade

Lands (23)

• 1 Strip Mine
• 2 Mishra's Factory
• 18 Swamp
• 2 Lake of the Dead

Spells (30)

• 4 Nevinyrral's Disk
• 1 Hymn to Tourach
• 4 Necropotence
• 1 Ivory Tower
• 4 Dark Ritual
• 4 Drain Life
• 3 Stupor
• 2 Mind Warp
• 3 Contagion
• 1 Serrated Arrows
• 2 Demonic Consultation
• 1 Zuran Orb

Sideboard

• 1 Stupor
• 1 Soul Burn
• 1 Contagion
• 1 Serrated Arrows
• 3 Stench of Decay
• 4 Dystopia
• 3 Infernal Darkness
• 1 Lodestone Bauble

Then, in third place, representing the aggro decks of the format, Brian
Hacker’s

Creatures (19)

• 4 Knight of Stromgald
• 4 Hypnotic Specter
• 4 Black Knight
• 3 Erg Raiders
• 4 Order of the Ebon Hand

Lands (21)

Spells (20)

• 1 Nevinyrral's Disk
• 1 Hymn to Tourach
• 2 Necropotence
• 4 Bad Moon
• 3 Dark Ritual
• 1 Drain Life
• 2 Terror
• 2 Contagion
• 4 Choking Sands

And then finally carrying on the fine tradition of B/r Necro-decks, Chris
Pikula, who actually increased the red presence in the deck with

Creatures (14)

• 2 Knight of Stromgald
• 4 Hypnotic Specter
• 4 Black Knight
• 4 Order of the Ebon Hand

Lands (22)

• 4 Sulfurous Springs
• 1 City of Brass
• 12 Swamp
• 4 Mountain
• 1 Lava Tubes

Spells (23)

• 1 Fireball
• 4 Lightning Bolt
• 1 Hymn to Tourach
• 3 Necropotence
• 4 Dark Ritual
• 3 Drain Life
• 1 Black Vise
• 2 Shatter
• 3 Incinerate
• 1 Zuran Orb

Sideboard

Look, the mana wasn’t great in those days.

Now, the color-hosers, on the other hand…?

' rel="noopener">Necropotence had transitioned into Extended (the precursor to
Modern), the format had become overrun with fast combo decks. At first,

' rel="noopener">Necropotence was the hero. First, in the hands of Randy Buehler at Pro Tour
Chicago, and then when piloted by Andre’ Konstanczer, Necro-ing up Knight
of Stromgald,

Creatures (7)

• 4 Knight of Stromgald
• 1 Sengir Vampire
• 2 Sedge Troll

Lands (23)

• 4 Wasteland
• 2 Sulfurous Springs
• 9 Swamp
• 4 Badlands
• 2 Lake of the Dead
• 2 Bad River

Spells (30)

• 4 Hymn to Tourach
• 2 Yawgmoth's Will
• 4 Duress
• 2 Firestorm
• 4 Necropotence
• 4 Dark Ritual
• 4 Drain Life
• 3 Contagion
• 3 Demonic Consultation

Sideboard

• 2 Meltdown
• 2 Dread of Night
• 2 Perish
• 4 Bottle Gnomes
• 4 Pyroblast
• 1 Spinning Darkness

I’ve always enjoyed the “2 Yawgmoth’s Will” experience, the true embodiment
of discipline. It’s like receiving four drink tickets for an event and only
using two. You could have had four, but you chose to have two.

Creatures (22)

• 2 Llanowar Elves
• 2 Birds of Paradise
• 1 Eternal Witness
• 1 Magus of the Moon
• 4 Bloodbraid Elf
• 4 Arbor Elf
• 1 Inferno Titan
• 2 Elvish Mystic
• 2 Stormbreath Dragon
• 1 Pia and Kiran Nalaar
• 2 Tireless Tracker

Planeswalkers (2)

Lands (21)

• 8 Forest
• 4 Wooded Foothills
• 1 Mountain
• 4 Windswept Heath
• 3 Stomping Ground
• 1 Kessig Wolf Run

Spells (15)

• 4 Lightning Bolt
• 4 Stone Rain
• 4 Blood Moon
• 3 Molten Rain

Sideboard

• 3 Relic of Progenitus
• 1 Obstinate Baloth
• 2 Scavenging Ooze
• 1 Thragtusk
• 2 Destructive Revelry
• 3 Anger of the Gods
• 1 Nissa, Voice of Zendikar
• 1 Glorybringer
• 1 Abrade

You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the
villain.

Yeah, it turns out, finding whatever card you want for just two mana is a
little too much.

Rather than list every single Vintage deck ever, here’s an example of the
kind of stuff

' rel="noopener">Demonic Tutor and the rest of the busted tutors do (of which,
Demonic is clearly the best).

Creatures (8)

• 4 Dark Confidant
• 3 Trygon Predator
• 1 Inkwell Leviathan

Planeswalkers (3)

• 3 Jace, the Mind Sculptor

Lands (16)

• 1 Forest
• 1 Island
• 1 Volcanic Island
• 3 Underground Sea
• 2 Tropical Island
• 1 Polluted Delta
• 1 Flooded Strand
• 1 Tolarian Academy
• 4 Misty Rainforest
• 1 Scalding Tarn

Spells (33)

• 1 Sensei's Divining Top
• 1 Brainstorm
• 2 Mana Drain
• 1 Vampiric Tutor
• 1 Yawgmoth's Will
• 4 Force of Will
• 1 Sol Ring
• 1 Demonic Tutor
• 1 Time Walk
• 1 Ancestral Recall
• 1 Mana Crypt
• 1 Time Vault
• 1 Merchant Scroll
• 1 Tinker
• 1 Voltaic Key
• 1 Black Lotus
• 1 Mox Emerald
• 1 Mox Jet
• 1 Mox Pearl
• 1 Mox Ruby
• 1 Mox Sapphire
• 3 Thoughtseize
• 4 Spell Pierce
• 1 Nature's Claim

Sideboard

• 2 Red Elemental Blast
• 1 Pyroblast
• 1 Pithing Needle
• 4 Leyline of the Void
• 2 Yixlid Jailer
• 2 Sower of Temptation
• 3 Nature's Claim

While The Deck had to play a playset of

' rel="noopener">Demonic Tutor for restricted cards, eventually,
things got so powerful that you could just play decks with a single
creature kill spell and a single

Eventually, Urza’s Saga Block added so many broken cards games
became decided almost entirely on two-card interactions that would nearly
win the game on their own.

' rel="noopener">Time Vault combine for unlimited extra turns,
hyper-efficient library manipulation like

' rel="noopener">Tinker doesn’t even need a second card to be absurd, although frequently it
was combined with

Of course, there was one card even higher, one card that didn’t even need
you to untap, a card so strong, that basically just casting it amounted to
a win for many years.

' rel="noopener">Yawgmoth’s Will can be easy for non-Vintage players to underestimate since
so many lists seem to feature just two

' rel="noopener">Yawgmoth’s Wills, even when people
could have played four. The key is that the only formats where Yawgmoth’s
Will has been legal as a four-of have tended to include an absurd level of
ultra overpowered cheap tutors. You only need one

Sure, there were some value decks, such as the PT Rome era Necro deck
above, but that one just played two, as well. Finkel’s US Nationals winning
Napster deck played a full four (detailed
here
), but that was the first time you had to play with just

For a great example of what

' rel="noopener">Yawgmoth’s Will really does, let me
refer you to one of the most broken decks in the history of Magic. This
Team CMU creation was so demonstrably broken, it literally lead to the
first “emergency ban” in Magic history.

Black and White: While the rivalry between White and Black is the most iconic of the game, they agree in important and fundamental values like Free Will (for Black is quintessential, for White is the element which gives its value to moral choices), Responsibility (for Black is a duty to itself, for White is a duty to the world), Hard effort and sacrifice (even though Black is willing to make others effort and sacrifice if it have the choice, while White will do the opposite) and Religiousness (for both this world and the next, religions offer a way of salvation; and Black's respect for truth doesn't allow it to deny the spiritual dimension of the reality). At a practical scale, they're the embodiment of machiavellism and merit-based aristocracy, whether they are an elite genuinely concerned about the fate of their people or mere mobster leeches in power devoted to luxury and good life.

For example, the new moon is often associated with new beginnings and setting intentions, while the last quarter moon is associated with banishing and releasing. The concept of a "witches moon" goes beyond simply observing the lunar phases. Some practitioners connect the moon's cycles to specific magical correspondences, such as the element of water, certain deities, or specific spells and rituals. For example, a "witches moon" could refer to a moon that is particularly auspicious for love spells, protection rituals, or divination practices. It is important to note that the interpretation and significance of a "witches moon" can vary among individuals and different magical traditions. What is considered a powerful moon for one witch may not hold the same significance for another. Overall, the meaning of a "witches moon" encompasses the belief that certain lunar phases possess unique energies that can be harnessed for magical practices. It is a term that connects witches and spell-workers to the cycles of the moon, allowing them to align their intentions and workings with the natural rhythms of the universe..

Reviews for "The Different Phases of a Witch's Moon and Their Significance"

1. Amanda - 2/5 - I was really looking forward to reading "What is the meaning of a witches moon" as I am a fan of supernatural and magical stories. However, I was disappointed with this book. The plot was slow and uninteresting, with predictable twists and turns. The characters lacked depth and I found it hard to connect with any of them. Overall, the book failed to captivate me and I struggled to finish it.

2. John - 1/5 - "What is the meaning of a witches moon" was a complete waste of my time. The writing was subpar and poorly edited, with numerous grammatical errors and awkward sentences. The story felt disjointed and rushed, lacking any coherent structure. The author's attempt at building suspense and tension fell flat, and I found myself bored throughout most of the book. I would not recommend this to anyone.

3. Megan - 3/5 - While "What is the meaning of a witches moon" had an intriguing premise, I ultimately found it to be underwhelming. The pacing was inconsistent, with slow sections dragging on and sudden bursts of action that felt out of place. The world-building was weak and left me with many unanswered questions. The main characters were likable enough, but their development was lacking. Overall, the book had potential but didn't quite live up to my expectations.

4. Robert - 2/5 - I found "What is the meaning of a witches moon" to be quite confusing and convoluted. The story jumped between different timelines and perspectives without sufficient explanation, making it difficult to follow. The writing style was also inconsistent, with some parts overly descriptive and others lacking necessary details. The ending felt rushed and unsatisfying, leaving me with more questions than answers. Overall, I was left disappointed and unsure of the intended message or meaning of the book.

Harnessing the Energy of a Witch's Moon: A Guide for Witches