A closer look

Card game metas are supposed to be rock-paper-scissors ecosystems, but sometimes the developers accidentally print a nuclear bomb. During Magic's infamous 'Combo Winter', the Urza's Saga expansion introduced mechanics so wildly overpowered that games routinely ended on the very first turn before the opponent could even draw a card. The resulting mass exodus of furious players taught designers a permanent, terrifying lesson about the necessity of exhaustive synergy testing.