Spoiler season is in full swing now with the announcement ad of visual spoilers for the new Fate Reforged set of the Magic the Gathering trading card game. This set, following its predecessor with Khans of Tarkir, is going to be a wedge set up with a new twist.
While Khans took place on present day Tarkir, Fate Reforged is to take place in the past, making it a prequel set in terms of story sense. The community has been stirred. With the Khans vs. Dragons mechanic involved in the new set as well, the makings could be like that of the Phyrexian-Mirran conflict in the Scars of Mirrodin set. Players chose the way the conflict between the Phyrexian invaders and the Mirran crusade.
The speculation involved with this new set could mean that the last 3rd block could be a time-twisted plane. The ramifications are intense. If the Khans win, then Tarkir will remain Dragon-less, and events on other planes of existence will continue as they have for years. But if the reverse is true and Dragons win, then major events in the Magic mythos will be shaken to their foundation, Would Zendikar block have occurred? Will Sarkhan Vol be born? Will the Eldrazi be destroyed or will they be permanently sealed?
Needless to say the flavor of this set is incredibly strong. The creatures and other spells introduced are equally flavorful. The delve mechanic and deck is still growing with the introduction of Soulflayer. This creature has the potential to be an undercosted, overpowered threat, as it can take most of the keyword abilities from creatures in your graveyard.
The introduction of Monastery Minister is insane. The addition of a young pyromancer ability in white plus the tokens pump themselves makes him one of the strongest creatures from the new set. There is a reason he’s over $20 already on pre-order. Now tackling the elephant in the room, Ugin, the Spirit Dragon. This new planeswalker is colorless, costs a whopping 9 mana, and has the bonus of being an extremely powerful walker. His +2 is a lightning bolt, three damage to a creature or to someone’s face, his -X exiles all creatures with CMC X or lower, so he can act as a board wipe, and his final ability, -10 nets you 7 life, draws you 7 cards, and puts 7 permanents in your hand on the battlefield.
Needless to say with his bulky 7 beginning loyalty we may just be seeing him as a heavy board wipe, but his potential to give you so much card advantage is also promising. Ugin may make a splash like Karn so make sure to get copies early on. In conclusion this new set promises an insane amount of value and efficiency, but until it drops no one will know for sure.