Be it in video games or tabletop games, the term “cheese” is usually used to describe how players find ways to use some systems, mechanics, or elements to cheat in the game without actually cheating. Magic: The Gathering, as a TCG, also has similar strategies, such as Green cards often having abilities that allow players to cast even bigger cards for free under certain conditions, and this could be called “cheesing” the game. However, many players may not know that there is actually a cheese-themed card in Magic: The Gathering called The Cheese Stands Alone from the Unglued set all the way back in 1998.
Un-sets are all those Magic: The Gathering releases that are meant to be joke sets, such as Unglued from 1998, which was the first to be released, Unhinged from 2004, Unstable from 2017, Unsanctioned from 2020, and Unfinity from 2022. Most cards from the Un-sets are not tournament legal and are meant to be played in casual games, if at all, since they can have some wacky effects that make them different from the game’s usual cards. Magic: The Gathering‘s release schedule for 2026 is going to be almost the same as that of 2025, so it may be hard to fit another Un-set there. Yet, for those who would like some cheese in their decks, MTG has got them covered – even in tournaments.
Un-sets always have a silver border in MTG, indicating that these cards are not legal in official competitions.
The Cheese Stands Alone is a Great Magic: The Gathering Joke With a ‘Secret’ Follow-Up
The Cheese Stands Alone is a White enchantment card that costs 4 generic and 2 White mana, with its text saying that if the player controls no other permanents than The Cheese Stands Alone, and if they also have no cards in hand, they win the game. This is a perfect effect for a card whose name is The Cheese Stands Alone in terms of theme, but it’s not exactly easy to achieve in the game. Still, Magic: The Gathering‘s Commander format can make such a strategy work with the proper support, but The Cheese Stands Alone is not legal in the format.
However, contrary to the card’s name, Wizards of the Coast did print another card with the same effect almost 10 years later in the Future Sight in 2007, this time with a black border. This card is called Barren Glory, and again, it costs 4 generic mana and 2 White, but the effect is worded slightly differently, as it activates at the beginning of the user’s upkeep. This is arguably a nerf, but it’s still a cool strategy that may pair nicely with mass destruction effects, like Magic: The Gathering‘s Armageddon, Austere Command, and Ultima, at least for White cards.
The card’s best MTG combo would likely be with Sunscour, a White sorcery that destroys all creatures, which can be cast without paying its mana cost by exiling two cards in the user’s hand, which also plays in favor of Barren Glory/The Cheese Stands Alone.
Magic: The Gathering’s Time Spiral Block Explained
Even though Barren Glory is playable, it’s only legal in a handful of formats now, and the set it came out with is not without controversy. Future Sight was part of the Time Spiral block, which included Time Spiral itself, Planar Chaos, and Future Sight, with the block including references to past, present, and upcoming Magic: The Gathering sets and cards, respectively. For example, Future Sight included the so-called “future-shifted” cards that would represent some designs and concepts from sets to come, but it ironically ended up bringing back a 10-year-old card with Barren Glory. The entire block was not received well by all fans, and it was an ambitious one at the time.
Since Barren Glory exists, it can be argued that The Cheese Stands Alone is not necessarily a true statement because these cards do the same thing, even if the latter was meant to be a joke. Yet, its effect is perfect for a name like The Cheese Stands Alone, but at the same time, it’s fundamentally against cheesing cards into the game because then it’s harder to activate its effect and actually win the game.
- Original Release Date
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August 5, 1993
- Designer
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Richard Garfield
- Player Count
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2+
- Age Recommendation
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13+
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