Wilds of Eldraine brings a new fairytale chapter to Magic: The Gathering
Magic's first post-Phreyxian invasion set brings three new mechanics to a plane facing a new curse.
The first post-Phyrexian invasion Magic: The Gathering set Wilds of Eldraine is due for release on 8 September.
While the Phyrexian threat in the fairytale-inspired plane Eldraine is gone, a new curse, The Wicked Slumber, is now afflicting the plane.
Will Kenrith, the king of Eldraine, and his twin sister Rowan Kenrith, will have to find a solution for the curse, especially since their shared Planeswalker spark had been removed at the end of the Phyrexian invasion.
And of course, with any new set comes new mechanics. Wilds of Eldraine will introduce three new mechanics: Role tokens, Bargain, and Celebration. Let's break them down for you.
Role tokens
Role tokens are a new set of tokens released this set. Each Role token is an Aura card with enchant creature, meaning they are enchantment tokens that can only target creatures.
There will be a grand total of seven Role tokens released in this set. Six of them can be found within the main set, while the last Role is only found in the Commander deck for Wilds of Eldraine.
Six of the seven Role tokens bring additional benefit to the creature they are enchanting, while the remaining Role token is meant to be mostly detrimental to your opponent’s creatures.
Here are the seven Role tokens you can find in Wilds of Eldraine:
Cursed — Enchanted creature has base power and toughness 1/1.
Monster — Enchanted creature gets +1/+1 and has trample.
Royal — Enchanted creature gets +1/+1 and has ward {1}.
Sorcerer — Enchanted creature gets +1/+1 and has "Whenever this creature attacks, scry 1."
Wicked — Enchanted creature gets +1/+1 and "When this Aura is put into a graveyard from the battlefield, each opponent loses 1 life."
Young Hero — Enchanted creature has "Whenever this creature attacks, if its toughness is 3 or less, put a +1/+1 counter on it."
Virtuous (only in Commander) — Enchanted creature gets +1/+1 for each enchantment you control.
Each player can only attach one Role token controlled by them onto a creature at any time, and many spells in Wilds of Eldraine such as Asinine Antics can generate Role tokens.
If a player has already attached a Role token they control to a creature and makes a new one under their control, the new Role token will be attached to the creature, and the Role token already on the creature will be put to the graveyard (and cease to exist since it is a token).
Your opponent can still attach a Cursed Role token, or if they really want to, any of the other six Role tokens, to your creature that already has a Role token controlled by you attached to it since they control the Role token instead of you.
Bargain
Bargain is a new keyword found on different kinds of cards in Wilds of Eldraine. Bargain allows you to sacrifice an artifact, enchantment or token as an additional cost to cast a spell.
In essence, it is similar to the Kicker mechanic, albeit with a different kind of additional cost. The additional cost of Bargain should be an easy one to meet in this set, especially since this set also introduces Role tokens (both an enchantment and token).
Permanents with Bargain will usually have an additional enter the battlefield effect when the Bargain cost is paid.
Meanwhile, instants and sorceries with Bargain will have additional bonuses when the Bargain cost is paid. Sometimes, Bargain can even help to reduce the casting cost of a spell, such as the card Johann’s Stopgap.
Celebration
The last new keyword Celebration is a new triggered ability that triggers whenever two or more nonland permanent enter the battlefield under your control during your turn.
Celebration is mostly found on creatures in this set, such as Lady of Celebration, which generates you card advantage if you have two nonland permanents entering the battlefield under your control during your turn!
Returning mechanic: Adventure
The last time Magic: The Gathering was in Eldraine, the keyword Adventure was introduced, and it was the hallmark mechanic of the plane.
With that said, Adventure is (of course) returning in Wilds of Eldraine. Permanents with Adventure have an additional instant or sorcery type with a different name, mana cost, type line, and rules text.
When players play the card above for example, they can either choose to cast Birthright Boon or Kellan, the Fae-Blooded.
If they cast Birthright Boon and Birthright Boon resolves, the card will then go on an adventure and be exiled instead of going to the graveyard.
When the card is on an adventure and in exile, players can choose to cast the permanent Kellan, the Fae-Blooded from exile whenever they can cast a creature spell.
Otherwise, players can just cast Kellan, the Fae-Blooded from their hand, and not have it go on an adventure.
Do note that permanents with Adventure will always be of the said permanent type in a player’s hand, library or graveyard; in other words, you cannot use Mystical Tutor to search for Birthright Boon.
Magic Open House
To celebrate the new set Wilds of Eldraine, new and active players can attend Magic Open House in selected WPN stores across Singapore from 8-10 September, and challenge each other with a brand new Starter kit.
Every attendee will receive an exclusive promotional card Drown in the Loch as well as some collectible stickers, while anyone who brings along a friend will receive an additional promotional card Cultivate.
Enchanting Tales
Besides the new cards in Wilds of Eldraine, players will have a chance to open one of 63 enchantments in every single booster.
These 63 enchantments are reprints from all of Magic: The Gathering’s history, and they will not be not legal in Standard. However, if you open them in a sealed or draft event, you can choose to play with them!
Note: being able to draft Smothering Tithe and then cast it in a draft game is definitely one way to annoy your opponent in the most obnoxious way.
These 63 enchantments will feature new storybook art, while 20 of these 63 enchantments will also come in an anime borderless Booster Fun treatment too.
If you are a huge fan of anime and enchantment cards in Magic: The Gathering (a very particular pairing, I know), Wilds of Eldraine is the set made for you!
Wilds of Eldraine will be available as Draft Boosters, Set Boosters, Collector Boosters, Commander Decks, Prerelease Packs, Bundles, and the new Starter Kit.
Jay is a content creator who likes to hoard vintage photographic lenses, and loses too often in Dota 2 and Magic: The Gathering after work.
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