Enchantments and Artifacts Interact with the Entirely Normal Armchair

In TCG ·

Entirely Normal Armchair card art from MTG Unsanctioned

Image courtesy of Scryfall.com

Enchantments, Artifacts, and a Very Normal Armchair: A Glimpse into MTG’s Whimsical Interactions

MTG loves to remind us that the multiverse isn’t all dragons and doom—sometimes it’s a well-worn armchair just waiting to be tapped for chaos. The Entirely Normal Armchair, a quirky artifact from the Unsanctioned set, embodies that playful spirit. With a zero-mana “hide” option tucked into its stat-line and a modest, practical payoff for two mana, this card invites conversations about how enchantments and artifacts interact on and off the battlefield 🧙‍♂️💎. It’s the kind of piece that makes a casual game feel like a mini-comedy of magic, where every decision has a punchline as crisp as a freshly opened booster pack ⚔️🎲.

The Armchair in Focus: What the Card Does and Why It Matters

  • Type and setting: Artifact from Unsanctioned (set code und), uncommon rarity, designed by Tom Babbey. No mana cost means it’s a rare guest in any casual build—especially when your plan centers on misdirection and surprise 🧙‍🔥.
  • Hide on the battlefield: “During your turn, if this card is in your hand, you may hide it on the battlefield.” This is the heart of the armchair’s mischief. You slide it from hand into play without paying mana, presenting a moving target that can confound an opponent who assumes they can log every item you own on the board. The flip side is a subtle tug-of-war about visibility and information in a game that prizes mind games as much as board presence 🎭.
  • Return to hand (opponent-restricted): “{0}: Return this artifact to its owner's hand. Only your opponents may activate this ability and only if they see this artifact.” It’s a brilliant trick of risk and reward. Your foes may try to erase the chair from the board, but they must first see it—an invitation for you to time and meter its return to hand when you want to restart the suspense. This line also creates a delicate power balance: the armchair isn’t simply a blocker or a beater; it’s a passport to information warfare 🧭.
  • Defensive sacrifice for offense: “{2}, Sacrifice this artifact: Destroy target attacking creature.” The chair is not just a wallflower. When the moment is right, you can sacrifice it for a clean, efficient answer to aggression—an effect that can swing tempo in your favor after you’ve teased out the opponent’s plan. Enchantment-heavy boards or creature-heavy assaults suddenly have a predictable counterplay, a rarity in a world full of surprises ✨⚔️.

When you pair Entirely Normal Armchair with enchantments that bless or burden permanents, the mind begins to hum with possibilities. Enchantments that say enchant artifact can legally attach to it, transforming the play into a test of information and timing. If an opponent manages to attach such an enchantment, it complicates the “see this artifact” clause for their reaction. The dynamic becomes a tug-of-war: does the chant of an enchantment actually reveal more about your board state, or does it enrich the misdirection the armchair already inspires? 🧙‍♀️🎨

One playful approach is to use the hide mechanic as a feint. On your turn, you may place the Armchair on the battlefield in a way that suggests you’re setting up for a big swing, only to reveal that it was simply hidden goods all along. Opponents then must decide whether to “see” it enough to trigger its return-to-hand option. If they wait too long, you time your next attack or your removal—suddenly the armchair is the most unassuming pivot point on the table 🪑💥.

In editorials about artifact-enchantment synergy, a common thread is that artifacts are often the quiet engines of a deck. That quiet engine is especially potent for Unsanctioned-style humor, where the rules are bent in spirit, not just letter. The Armchair’s ability to destroy an attacking creature for two mana, plus the possibility of returning itself to the hand, enables a flexible defense-and-bait strategy. You can lure an opponent into overreaching, then punish them with a well-timed sack and a counter-attack. It’s the MTG version of “surprise, I’ve had this chair all along” 🧙‍🔥.

From a design perspective, Entirely Normal Armchair embodies the playful edge of Untamed and Un-set politics—where the humor of the card is matched by a useful, tangible effect. It’s an artifact with a redundant, almost mundane element (a chair), elevated by unusual interaction logic. This is what fans love about the Unsanctioned line: it respects the fundamentals of the game while letting us twist expectations just enough to spark a smile. The card’s rarity and reprint status in a non-orthodox set adds to its charm; it isn’t a powerhouse commander staple, but it’s a delightful piece that invites shared stories across games and circles 🧩🎲.

Artist Tom Babbey gives the concept a crisp, accessible visual that makes the humor land. The silver border and the art’s clean line work help the card feel like a collectible joke with real strategic teeth—the sort of piece you’ll reach for in a casual night when your deck’s personality needs some extra sparkle. If you’re chasing nostalgia, you’ll appreciate how the armchair sits at the crossroads of “playful” and “practical,” a rare balance in a multiverse crowded with grandiose plans and grander names 🎨💎.

For fans who like to mix their MTG play with a touch of consumer-minded practicality, the convergence of form and function on everything from enamel secrets to protective accessories is a familiar thrill. To borrow a line from a different arena, a well-designed accessory can feel like armor for the mind as well as the cards—just as a well-wrought artifact can be armor for your strategy. This is the magic of a card that dares to be ordinary in name while delivering extraordinary tabletop theater 🧙‍♂️⚔️.

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