Previews forMagic: The Gathering’s upcomingTarkir: Dragonstormset have shown off a lot of exciting cards, including a return to form for one of my favorite card types. The set also includes several new mechanics, including new keyword abilities tied to each of Tarkir’s five clans, and the new Omen cards. Overall, the set promises to be an exciting new addition toMagic, both in terms of its gameplay and also the narrative and artistic elements of its design.
I’ll admit I was initially a little worried aboutTarkir: Dragonstorm, especially whenFinal Fantasycard previewsstarted to pop up first, despiteTarkirbeing next to release. AlthoughMagic: The Gatheringknocked it out of the park with itsBloomburrowset last summer, my reaction to most of the recent Standard releases has been lukewarm at best. Luckily, it looks likeTarkir: Dragonstorm’s releaseis about to change things for the better, especially because of how the set is handling its Planeswalkers.
Tarkir Dragonstorm’s Planeswalkers Are Very Powerful
Tarkir Dragonstorm Has Two New Planeswalker Cards
Previews forTarkir: Dragonstormshowed off the set’s two Planeswalker cards, and I couldn’t be happier with them. At first glance, Elspeth, Storm Slayer is simply doing what most Elspeth cards do: create tokens, buff your creatures, and remove enemy ones. However, the relatively low cost of this card’s abilities makes this one of the best versions of Elspeth yet. Giving all your creatures a +1/+1 counter and flying is a potential finisher, and it won’t even cost you any loyalty. And that’s not even mentioning the static ability on the card.
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Elspeth, Storm Slayer is a token doubler, an ability that is typically considered very powerful on its own. For perspective, the enchantment Anointed Procession (a white token doubler that takes only one mana less than Elspeth to play) costs $40–60, and that’s without all the added benefits that come with Elspeth’s other abilities. Add to that the fact that Elspeth generates its own tokens to defend itself, and you have a very powerful Planeswalker.
Ugin cards have historically been rather powerful, andUgin, Eye of the Storm is no exception. While its high mana cost may make it hard to play in quicker formats, if it does manage to hit the table you’re getting a huge advantage. Generating three extra mana per turn can be a big swing in your favor, especially when Ugin allows you to exile cards for playing a colorless spell. If you manage to get its ultimate (which seems doable in Commander at least), you could set up a combo like the Sensei’s Divining Top infinite loop.
Planeswalkers Haven’t Felt This Exciting For A While
Powerful Planeswalkers Seem To Be Few And Far Between
Part of why I’m so excited aboutTarkir: Dragonstorm’s Planeswalkers is that they are my favorite card type, butPlaneswalkers have also been rather underwhelming for the past few sets. There are currently 35 Planeswalkers legal in Standard, but only a handful (if that) see competitive play. Of those, one of them is Liliana of the Veil, a reprint of a card that was originally from 2011’sInnistradset. That means, for the most part, Standard Planeswalkers who have come out in the last few years have been largely underwhelming.
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Although the flip-walkers fromModern Horizons 3weren’t bad,Standard sets' Planeswalkers have recently felt like a far cry from what they used to be. Planeswalkers like Jace, the Mind Sculptor and Teferi, Time Raveler, used to be prominent in their Standard rotations. That’s not mentioning Oko, Thief of Crowns, a Standard Planeswalker so powerful that it shot up to about $80 a piece before quickly being banned in Standard. Planeswalkers also more frequently had game-winning abilities, like Karn Liberated’s ability to restart the game but giving you powerful tools to work with while your opponent is rebuilding from scratch.
While there have always been underwhelming Planeswalkers alongside the more powerful ones, recent years have felt like an especially long drought between solid releases. I run a Superfriends Commander deck - an archetype that focuses heavily on Planeswalkers - and I have rarely slotted any recent releases into the deck, as they simply don’t pack the same punch as my older cards. Now,I am already considering the new Elspeth to be an auto-include to help with token generation, and I’m looking for a slot to fit Ugin into, and I couldn’t be happier.
Universes Beyond’s Inclusion In Standard May Have Helped Planeswalkers
Universes Beyond Sets Don’t Have Planeswalkers
Magic: The Gathering’sUniverses Beyondproductshave been a bit controversial since they first launched. While I was initially against the idea, the inclusion of IPs that I love (Warhammer 40K,Final Fantasy, and, of course,My Little Pony) sold me on the concept. Even so, I wasn’t sure ifUniverses Beyond’s inclusion in Standard would be a good move for the game, but now I’m starting to think that it may have, at the very least,improved the quality of Planeswalkers we get.
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A little while back,Magic: The Gatheringdecided to include only one Planeswalker in each Standard set. The justification at the time was that this would allow designers to really focus on that one Planeswalker to make it feel more impactful than some of the lackluster Planeswalkers we’ve been seeing. While it looks likeMagic: The Gatheringhas since abandoned this model and gone back to including multiple Planeswalkers in sets, the inclusion ofUniverses Beyondin Standard could potentially be a viable alternative for fixing the Planeswalker problem.
Magic’s official policy is thatUniverses Beyondsets will not include Planeswalkers. As Planeswalkers are a unique type of character from theMagicmultiverse, this makes sense, and it’s a nice way to have at least one type of card that will always be dedicated specifically toMagic’s IP. No Planeswalkers inUniverses Beyondalso means that now, only half of a given year’s Standard sets will include Planeswalkers. This meansMagic’s designers can focus on making fun and powerful Planeswalkers like the ones fromTarkir: Dragonstormwithout worrying about the card type becoming oversaturated.
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In general, I thinkUniverses Beyondcould be a huge benefit to the sets that take place inMagic’s original IP.Magic: The Gathering’s design team doesn’t have to invent worlds, characters, or stories forUniverses Beyondsets, because the outside IP already has that covered. While there is still plenty of work to be done designing the mechanics ofUniverses Beyondsets, there is less of a burden on Wizards of the Coast to create unique narratives for each one. IfTarkir: Dragonstormis any indication, Wizards now has time to perfect their original worlds and stories.
