There are two very different vibes coming out of MagicCon: Amsterdam and they’re both something to get extremely excited for the next few Magic: The Gathering sets. The RAI in Amsterdam is hosting Europe’s MagicCon this year, alongside the Modern Horizons 3 Pro Tour, and tons of panels showcasing all sorts of amazing Magic content.
Wizards of the Coast is showing off some cards from the upcoming Bloomburrow and Duskmourn: House of Horror set, as well as some details on a returning format that hasn’t been seen since 2010.
Bloomburrow
A good chunk of cards was revealed for Bloomburrow, including a whole cycle of uncommon lands, one for each color, that has an extra ability that goes along with an associated creature type.
Let’s take a look at Lupinflower Village. This white land lets you sacrifice it to take a peek at the top six cards of your library to try and find a Bat, Bird, Mouse, or Rabbit card and put it into your hand. Each of these lands tap for a colorless mana, and then for a single color, like white, but only if you’re using it to cast a creature spell.
There are plenty of spells in Bloomburrow that play nicely with creature types, like Pearl of Wisdom. This blue draw spell is a Divination normally, but if you control an Otter creature, it costs one generic mana less to cast, which is pretty darn good.
For something a little more impressive, there is Salvation Swan, a Bird Cleric that is reminiscent of Restoration Angel with both its ability and artwork. When this swan or another Bird creature comes into play, you can exile another creature you control without flying. That creature returns to the battlefield with a flying counter on it at the beginning of the next end step, making it a great single-use ability that can dodge practically any removal spell.
Duskmourn: House of Horror
Magic is looking to do something a little different with Duskmourn, and with the cards previewed today, it certainly looks like the horror-themed set is going to be horrifying. The entire plane consists of a massive and unending haunted mansion, with each room filled with a new and terrifying monster.
The set seems to be inspired by classic horror films from the 1980s up to today. There seem to be references to everything from The Evil Dead to Saw and even Ghostbusters.
There’s the honestly amazing Chainsaw card, a new red equipment that Bolts a creature when it comes into play, all the while gaining a rev counter anytime one or more creatures die. Once equipped with a creature, that creature gets +X/+0, with X equalling the number of rec counters on it.
Duskmourn seems to be a bit of an ensemble cast on the plane, with plenty of former Planeswalkers and recent heroes stuck in the mansion. Returning characters include Zimone, Niko, Kaito, Tyvar, and The Wanderer.
There are a few new faces trapped as well, including a child who seems to make friends with monsters named Toby, a guide/assassin-looking fellow named Winter, and a few unnamed or perhaps nameless characters. The level of technology seems to be a fair bit higher than what Magic usually seems to employ, though there’s a good chance this is part of a non-canon art variant.
Tracking our plucky heroes is something much more sinister, and you can find it on the cards if you look closely enough. The card Come Back Wrong is a rare removal spell that destroys a creature and then brings it back to the battlefield under your control for the turn. But there are two versions of this card.
If you look closely at the background of the second image, there’s a long-legged monster stalking in the shadows. This creature seems to be called the Lurker, though what role they play in the story has yet to be revealed. Come Back Wrong also gets a sweet retro-tech showcase frame, with all sorts of knobs, buttons, and dials around the border of the card.
There seem to be at least two new cycles coming to Duskmourn, one dealing with enchantment creatures, with another card introducing a whole new lineup of Leylines.
Archenemy Makes A Return
Perhaps the most interesting Duskmorn announcement is the return of Archenemy. Last seen back in 2010, this alternate format is found exclusively in Commander products. Archenemy saw players competing in a 3v1 match, where the regular players tried to overcome the incredibly powerful and stacked Archenemy deck.
There’s a whole new level of exclusivity with Duskmourn. A new bonus sheet is coming called Japan Showcase, which features cards with artwork from famous Japanese illustrators. More details on these cards will be coming soon so make sure to keep an eye out here for when it’s revealed on how you can collect them.
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