Published May 13, 2026, 2:15 PM EDT

We played lead Magic designer Mark Rosewater's new TCG, and it did not disappoint

Mood Swings is simple, fast, and surprisingly strategic

Image: Wizards of the Coast

I meant it as a compliment.

You shoot your shot. Your opponent shoots theirs. Sometimes it goes in. Sometimes it doesn’t. Your points cancel out. Whoever ekes out a couple extra scores actually gets ahead in the game. Nobody playing really has to think too hard about it. Mood Swings — Rosewater’s long-gestating non- Magic trading card game — has the same kind of approachability as a backyard game like cornhole. You can explain the basics in under a minute. Each round resolves quickly. Momentum swings back and forth immediately. Spectators can understand what’s happening at a glance. It’s fluid, fast, and breezy.

Despite that simplicity, I still found myself thinking several turns ahead, the same way I would in Magic .…