Wizards of the Coast has shared the one and only new Planeswalker card in the upcoming Magic: The Gathering set, Duskmourn, and it’s a weird one. Kaito, Bane of Nightmares is a planeswalker with ninjutsu, who can leap onto the battlefield in the place of an unblocked attacker. And that’s not even the strangest thing about him.
How does Ninjutsu work with an MTG planeswalker? Well, it’s simple – this version of Kaito is also a creature while he’s on the battlefield. As long as he has loyalty counters, he’s a 3/4 ninja with hexproof. He’s not indestructible, like other planeswalker/creatures we’ve seen in the past. If you want to use him in combat after the first ninjutsu attack, you’ll have to be careful.
Kaito’s abilities are designed to assist ninja decks that want attacks to get through unhampered. His -2 ability can lock down a creature for several turns, helping remove a blocker. His 0 ability surveils, and draws cards for each opponent hit that turn.
But I’m really blown away by the +1 power on this Kaito. He creates permanent emblems that give all Ninjas a stat buff. This tips Kaito, Bane of Nightmares over the line from great in a ninjas deck to absolutely incredible. The fact that he does this while upticking is going to make him really frustrating to get rid of. And even if your opponent is able to slay him, there’s absolutely nothing they can do about the emblems.
Check out the terrifying textured frame version of the card (appearing in Collector Boosters) too. I think it reflects how absolutely nightmarish this supposed slayer of nightmares is going to be in the right circumstances.
According to the hosts at the Pax West Panel today, each of the ‘hero team’ in Duskmourn represents a classic horror archetype, and Kaito’s is the ‘grizzled veteran warrior’. Hopefully that won’t mean he dies immediately, just after imparting a vital bit of wisdom to the rest of the characters.
For more Magic: The Gathering content, check out the MTG release schedule, or our wider guide to MTG Duskmourn.
Source: Wargamer
