After weeks of teasers and a few early spoilers, Magic: The Gathering fans finally got a boatload of new information about upcoming cards and sets yesterday during the Zendikar Rising livestream. The event was mostly focused on the fall 2020 set that is right around the corner and featured plenty of new spoilers for what is to come in September. That said, there were a few moments when the event looked farther into the future and teased some other massive announcements for the collectible card game.
The old days of Magic featuring blocks with three connected sets are a thing of the past now and, instead, the game’s designers release sets in whichever way makes the most sense narratively. That means sometimes sets are connected by a common setting or theme and other times players will jump from plane to plane with each release in a year. 2021 seems to be one of those planes-jumping years and there are some incredibly exciting new and classic locations coming to Magic: The Gathering throughout the year.
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During the Zendikar Rising livestream, Wizards of the Coast announced at least the theme (if not the official titles) for each of the 2021 Magic: The Gathering sets. Let’s take a look at them one-by-one and talk about each location and its significance to the multiverse…
Kaldheim will be the first 2021 set and the follow up to Zendikar Rising. This will be a new location for Magic players and it is going to be Magic’s take on a viking-themed setting. Get your boats and battle axes ready, planeswalkers…
Strixhaven boasts the reputation as the more elite university in the multiverse. It will be very interesting to see what this set brings, as players are already predicting a more mature and dark version of Hogwarts from the Harry Potter universe.
These last two are likely to generate the most discussion and excitement. Fans of DnD have been begging for a Magic: The Gathering crossover for years and nobody expected one to come as part of a Standard legal set. The Forgotten Realms is the default setting for 5e Dungeons and Dragons, which means this set is likely to include many familiar characters, locations, and items that players have seen in their own campaigns over recent years. Interestingly, this set is taking the place of the usual summer Core set.
Last, but certainly not least, is the return to one of Magic’s most iconic and popular settings – Innistrad. This horror-themed location will apparently be the inspiration for two sets that drop at the end of 2021 (first a set focused on werewolves and then a follow up focused on vampires). Details on this won’t arrive for the better part of a year, but there will likely be two different types of booster packs that players can buy with different pools of rares and mythics or something along those lines. This should be a very exciting pair of sets and it will be interesting to how this approach to it plays out.
Overall, Magic has a pretty massive 2021 lined up and there should be enough hype surrounding some of these locations and themes to keep the community engaged throughout the whole year. It will be interesting to see how the game’s competitive scene continues to evolve with fewer in-person events taking place than ever before, but hopefully the offerings on MTGO and Arena are able to keep the competitive scene alive until players are able to gather around a convention center once again.
In the coming days, we should learn a ton more about Zendikar Rising spoilers, mechanics, and more. Start studying early so that you’ll be prepared for a new standard rotation and the upcoming draft format.
Magic: The Gathering Zendikar Rising releases September 25, 2020.
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