The new Commander decks coming in Adventures in the Forgotten Realms – Magic: The Gathering’s upcoming Dungeons and Dragons crossover set – will each feature a D&D adventuring hero as their main commander card, as well as at least one other possible commander, including an “iconic” D&D monster, publisher Wizards of the Coast says.
And, while we don’t know much about those monster commanders yet, we have been introduced to the noble adventurers. Revealed in Wizards’ Good Morning Magic YouTube show on Monday, the four decks’ primary commanders together make up a D&D adventuring party, with each representing a recognisable D&D character, from race, to class, to backstory.
In the show – which you can watch below – presenter Gavin Verhey introduces the commanders’ names, artwork and backgrounds. They are Vrondiss, Rage of Ancients (a Dragonborn Barbarian, leading the red/green Draconic Rage deck), Prosper, Tome-Bound (a Tiefling Warlock, helming the red/black Planar Portal deck), Sefris of the Hidden Ways (a Genasi Wizard, leading the White/Blue/Black Dungeons of Death deck), and, finally, Galea, Kindler of Hope (a Half-Elf Paladin, topping the White/Blue/Green Aura of Courage deck).
Verhey also drops 12 new cryptic hints about the other cards in these Commander decks, similar to the list of teasers shared by veteran Magic designer Mark Rosewater last week.
He says the decks will include:
- A white card that can phase out your own creatures
- A Legend with the rules text ‘whenever an illusion you control dies…’
- A cursed version of a previous D&D-inspired magic card
- A new card with the Melee mechanic
- A card called Ride the Avalanche
- A card which uses ‘Component’ counters
- A Land which can remove an Artifact, Creature or Planeswalker from the battlefield
- A new ‘Enchant Player’ curse
- The creature type line ‘Beholder Skeleton’
- An equipment with ‘Equip: 10’
- A card with the ability “Until end of turn, Permanents your opponents control gain…”
- A card which grants some of your spells Cascade
More information about the commanders’ in-game abilities (and thus the likely strategies on which their decks will function), the alternate monster commanders, and other new cards within each deck, are being revealed on July 2 by a variety of sites and channels:
Draconic Rage – LoadingReadyRun
Planar Portal – MTGGoldfish
Dungeons of Death – MTG Muddstah
Aura of Courage – The Command Zone
Monday’s reveals came on the first day of Adventures in the Forgotten Realms’ Preview Week event, Verhey said, promising daily updates for the rest of the week, with “art, preview cards, stories, hints, and more about what you can expect in the set”.
Adventures in the Forgotten Realms launches worldwide on July 23. You can stay up to date with all the revealed cards by checking out our Adventures in the Forgotten Realms spoilers guide.
Alternatively, go back to basics and learn how to play Magic: The Gathering, or how to build a Magic: The Gathering deck.