Plenty of preview from Wilds of Eldraine were revealed in this week’s edition of WeeklyMTG, giving players plenty of cool Commander and Jumpstart cards to brew with as well as some powerful cards that could impact Standard.
Host Blake Rasmussen was joined by Corey Bowen and Melissa DeTora, two Game Designers who both worked on Wilds of Eldraine across various points in its development. The three broke down some of the design choices behind each card and divulged a bit about how certain cards changed throughout the development.
Swag of Eldraine
Matthew Lillard and Paul Shapiro from Beadle and Grimm’s have some really cool accessories coming with Wilds of Eldraine including a Wilds of Eldraine Tin, Metal Life and +1/+1 Counters, and Metal Role Tokens to help keep track of all the various Roles in the game. If you’re going to MagicCon Vegas you can check out their booth for some exclusive merch.
New Wilds of Eldraine Reveals
Questing Druid // Seek the Beast
A very powerful creature for multicolored decks, the Adventure card Questing Druid is both card advantage and a solid body that’ll grow over time. The Seek the Beast portion of the card exiles the top two cards of your library to let you play them until your next turn, while the Questing Druid starts off as a little 1/1, getting +1/+1 counters every time you cast a spell that’s another color.
The Irencrag
The first two-mana mana rock to enter Standard in a while, The Irencrag starts off as a basic artifact until you play a legendary creature, where it turns into a beefy piece of equipment.
It’s important to note that this is the first two-mana mana rock to enter the Pioneer format as well, potentially bringing a lot of power to the format.
Reckless Vinestalk
Another entry into the cycle of creature lands, Reckless Vinestalk is the blue-green addition to the set. While creature lands are relatively straightforward, you spend mana, turn it into a creature, and then attack, Reckless Vinestalk has the potential to either pump up another creature you control or nerfing one of your opponents by turning it into a 3/3 which has the potential for some silly antics.
Jumpstart Reveals
There are no actual Jumpstart packs for Wilds of Eldraine, but the new Jumpstart cards will still be available in Set and Collector Boosters.
Since Magic sets are designed years in advance, these Jumpstart cards were created well before the decision to not make Wilds of Eldraine Jumpstart packs was made. But, instead of just not printing these cards, Wizards made the decision to include them where players would otherwise normally find them: in Set and Collector Boosters.
A number of Jumpstart cards were displayed in the stream, but the majority were common and uncommon cards. We included the rares that players can find in packs since generally they’re the most interesting cards for players.
Lady of Laughter
A rather unique card on Eldraine, the Lady of Laughter is a mono-White Faerie card in a plane dominated by Blue and Black Faeries. While special because of its color and creature combination, it has a relatively weak celebration ability to draw a card at the end of your turn if you are able to trigger it.
Faerie Slumber Party
Sometimes a game just gets a little too complicated with all those creatures in play. Faerie Slumber Party bounces all creatures back to their owner’s hands and, in return, you get two 1/1 Faerie tokens for each opponent who had at least one creature put back in their hand. It’s a pretty sneaky mass removal spell—but is a little expensive at six mana.
Malevolent Witchkite
An interesting way to refill your hand, Malevolent Witchkite lets you sacrifice any number of artifacts, enchantments, or tokens to draw that many cards. With all the silly ways to create tons of tokens in Magic, you have the potential to draw all sorts of cards. Unfortunately, there are probably better ways to draw lots of cards but it’s still a fun design.
Ogre Chitterlord
Reminiscent of the old Titans of Magic (Sun Titan, Frost Titan, Grave Titan, Inferno Titan, and Primeval Titan), Ogre Chitterlord is a six-mana 6/5 that becomes a Rat lord after it attacks enough times. When it enters the battlefield or attacks, you get to create two 1/1 Rat tokens that can’t block. Once you control five or more Rats, all your Rats get +2/+0 every time it attacks.
Wildwood Mentor
Quite possibly the best rare of the Jumpstart cards, Wildwood Mentor gets a +1/+1 counter every time you create a token, which can quickly spiral out of control in a game of Commander. But the Mentor isn’t done just there—it also gives another creature +X/+X when it attacks, with X equal to its power. Keep pumping out tokens and attacking and you’ll be keeping your opponents on the backstep.
Enchanting Tales
The final four Enchanting Tales enchantments were revealed during WeeklyMTG, three uncommons and one rare. Players can look forward to finding the cards Compulsion, Hatching Plans, Dragon Mantle, and As Foretold in their packs, with As Foretold getting an anime edition as well.
Commander
The Courts of Eldraine
A cycle of Monarch enchantments are coming in the extra Commander cards for the set, each one appoints you to be the Monarch when it comes into play, and then does something unique and then a little more so long as you’re the Monarch. There are five cards, one for each of the castles on Eldraine: Court of Ardenvale, Court of Vantress, Court of Locthwain, Court of Embereth, and Court of Garenbrig.
Korvold, Gleeful Glutton
Everyone’s favorite dragon is back as Korvold, Gleeful Glutton, an immensely powerful creature with a steep mana cost.
You can offset the higher mana cost by one for each permanent type you have sacrificed this turn. Once he’s in play, Korvold has flying, trample, and haste, making a huge impact on the battlefield. He also has a sort of delirium effect, getting +1/+1 counters on it for each permanent you have in the graveyard and drawing you cards for each permanent type in your graveyard.
Bernard, Ginger Sculptor
Finally! Players have been asking for a Food creature-type Commander that doubles as a Golem commander and Bernard, Ginger Sculptor fills that slot. (Okay so no one has been asking for it but that’s what makes Bernard fun.) This Bant creature lets you make a token copy of it that’s also a Food Golem now if you exile that card from your graveyard. Since it’s a Food you can always sacrifice it to gain three life, making Bernard a very silly thematic Commander.
Throne of Eldraine
A strangely powerful mana rock for decks of just one or two colors, the Throne of Eldraine—the eponymous card from our first visit to Eldraine—is a bit on the expensive side, costing five mana, but generates four mana of just one color, like a Commmander-specific Gilded Lotus. It only lets you pick one color when it comes into play and just makes mana of that color. The Throne of Eldraine also lets you draw two cards if you spend three mana of the color you chose, but you don’t have to sacrifice it, which makes it a solid card for many decks.