Magic the Gathering, being owned by the same company that owns the greatest RPG game of all time, Dungeons and Dragons, has taken a few stabs at merging the world in the past with the various Planeshifts to Innistrad, Zendikar, Amonkhet, Dominaria, Kaladesh and Ixilan. And Wizards of the Coast dug even deeper with a campaign setting earlier this year delving into the mythic world of Theros.
But, with renewal season upon us, WOTC has taken Magic and jumped right into the abyss that is D&D and I couldn’t be more excited!!
First off, in the announcement stream dropped this morning, they introduced two new game mechanics. One of those mechanics hailed back to the four old school D&D tropes that I encountered when I first played the RPG back in the 80s. The PARTY mechanic gives a special trigger for ‘each creature in your party’.
Now, first of all, using the word ‘party’ at all hearkens back to the dungeon delvers back in the early goings of D&D. I remember putting together our first party (although Rogue wasn’t even an option then) and, even to this day, when beginning with a new ‘party’ in 5E, balance is the key. And, just to be honest, that balance for as long as I can remember included four classes or class types: Fighter, Magic User, Cleric and Rogue. And Zendikar Rising is no different. For in clarification of what a ‘PARTY’ consists of, the card text says “Your party consists of up to one each o Cleric, Rogue, Warrior, and Wizard’.
Wow! Such value for putting together a balanced adventuring party.
And,, to go one step further, this new mechanic means that there will be a whole slew of new creatures with the type of Cleric, Rogue, Warrior and Wizard. This could brighten up your favorite tribal’s day. I’ve seen Rogues do well recently and Warriors and Wizards have had their day. Now, it may be their time to shine. I might even build that Cleric tribal in commander now.
Last but not least, Wizards of the Coast is taking Magic to one of the most iconic campaign settings of all times: FORGOTTEN REALMS! The third set coming out after Zendikar Rising is a blatant full fledged deep dive into D&D. Called simply ADVENTURES in the FORGOTTEN REALMS and sporting the red D&D logo, this set has my attention more than any other. There is SO much that could be done with a set like this. Is it generic or are we returning to a specific timeline? Do we get iconic characters like Drzzt Do’urden? How about specific Forgotten Realms gods? Oh, I’m just beyond ecstatic! My D&D fanboy is all giddy inside!
Let us know what you think should be in the upcoming Forgotten Realms Magic set. Also comment below on how you think this new mechanic and influx of the four tribal types will help or hinder your decks or gameplay!
BDC
AoE Table Top 
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