Wizards of the Coast finally revealed all trademark game mechanics for Kaldheim, the metal-as-hell, Viking-inspired MTG set coming out later this month. Let’s see what the gameplay in the frozen world will look like!
Kaldheim is all about the theme – Viking warriors, longships, battle axes, and wild magic! However, MTG is first and foremost a game, and the unique keyworded abilities, as well as returning mechanics, are the meat and potatoes of the set. Let’s examine them now!
Foretell – Like Morph or Suspend, But Not Really
The first unique rule for Kaldheim is a prophetic Foretell keyword that could be found not only on creatures but other spells as well. In short, instead of playing the card from your hand, you could pay 2 generic mana and exile it face down.
On a later turn, you coil pay its Foretell cost and resolve it, giving you the flexibility to time the spell perfectly. This is reminiscent of the way Morph creatures and Suspend spells work, kind of mashed into one elegant and easy to understand package.
A few notes:
It’s optional – you can simply ignore the Foretell keyword and cast the card normally
Unlike Morphs, Foretold card are exiled, which makes them impossible to remove until cast
This is a great way to drop an expensive card on Turn 2 or 3, and cast a big spell later without the risk of getting it discarded
You can’t resolve a Foretold card the turn you exiled it – you will have to wait for at least one turn, even if you have the mana to spend
Boast – Attack, Then Pay to do a Thing
Boast is a new keyword found on mighty warriors native to Kaldheim. In short, it is a combat trick that’s printed right on the creature and can be reused! All you need to do to activate a Boast is attack with the creature. As soon as you tap it, you can pay its Boast cost and have the effect go off before your opponent has had the chance to declare blockers. Reminders:
The effect is available from the moment the creature attacks to the end of your turn, meaning you can Boast in your post-combat Main Phase or the End Step
You can boast once per turn. Reasonable!
Modal Double-Faced Cards (Are Back)
We won’t bore you by repeating things you already know – these cards work exactly the same as the Zendikar Rising double-faced cards – they have two faces, doing two different things. It even completes the land cycle started on Zendikar, and now we’ll have access to all 10 color combinations.
That being said, there is one notable difference – Kaldhaim double-facers are not always lands on the backside! Imagine getting a Theros God and their signature Artifact on the same card. Yup, you get this here.
Sagas and Snow (Are Also Back)
Again, no need to explain to you what a Saga is, you’ve played against plenty of them in Historic already. The special Enchantments are back, and so are Snow cards, not limited to Snow-Covered Lands, but also featuring Snow Instants, Sorceries, and more. As an extra nice touch, those Snow-Covered Basic Lands get a special graphic design that will look stunning in foil.
Now that you know what all of these mean, we're sure you're ready for some Viking adventures in MTG!
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