MTG Wilds of Eldraine: 5 New Cards to Look Out For
Spoiler season for Wilds of Eldraine, the newest Magic: The Gathering set, has concluded with all cards being revealed in the set's official image gallery. Here are five cards from the set that are worth keeping an eye on when building decks when Wilds of Eldraine officially releases in just a few weeks.
Wilds of Eldraine is Magic's second visit to the titular plane that takes inspiration from classic fairy tales and Arthurian legends. Throne of Eldraine released in 2019 and was acclaimed for its fun mechanics, like Adventures, but was also controversial due to its high power level that left several brand new cards banned across formats.
MTG Wilds of Eldraine: 5 New Cards to Look Out For
1. Rowan, Scion of War
Rowan, Scion of War makes a big splash with her primary ability that rewards gambling with one's life total. With plentiful ways in Black and Red to purposefully lose life, Rowan could potentially provide a huge discount on spells provided she sticks around long enough to use her tap ability. Combo with Streets of New Capenna's Cut of the Profits to not only build the discount but also draw into cards to cast at this new, lower cost.
2. Ardenvale Fealty / Virtue of Loyalty
Wilds of Eldraine features a cycle of "Virtue" Enchantments for each color, providing a powerful but expensive passive effect with another, cheaper spell on the Adventure side. Virtue of Loyalty creates a cheap token to provide early pressure or defense on turn two and can be cast on turn five to create a constant supply of +1/+1 counters for a built-up board. Just watch out for Enchantment removal.
3. Beseech the Mirror
Tutors, cards that allow players to search their deck for any card and cast it or put it into their hand, are rare in Magic and are usually less powerful than they historically have been, but Beseech the Mirror could definitely see some play, especially in a Standard format still dominated by Sheoldred, the Apocalypse. Showcasing the new Bargain mechanic, Beseech the Mirror is essentially copies 5-8 of Sheoldred in decks that rely on her, putting her into play from the deck at the small extra cost of a Blood token, which the decks that run her frequently create.
4. Gruff Triplets
The Billy Goats Gruff gets a glow-up in the form of Gruff Triplets, a trio of satyrs ready to kick butt. Gruff Triplets enter as three 3/3 creatures, but when one dies, they buff the others, at a floor of two 6/6s and finally a massive 12/12 with trample. This is before any power-increasing cards are added. Ouch!
5. Hylda of the Icy Crown
Blue and White's mechanical theme in Wilds of Eldraine is tapping, and Hylda of the Icy Crown supports this strategy to a frightening degree. Though tapping effects historically haven't been super impressive, Hylda gives a bonus for a one-mana tip. An army of 4/4 tokens can quickly get out of hand provided one can keep the tap effects coming and protect Hylda, which shouldn't be a problem in her colors.
While there are many more and powerful cards in Wilds of Eldraine beyond these five, these are some of the most interesting and could see competitive play -- especially Beseech the Mirror as it gives more support to an already powerful deck.