We’re getting a new MTG Marvel set, and with it come a slew of set-specific mechanics. Wizards of the Coast showed off several new cards at New York Comic Con today, and a few keywords in particular stand out to us: the mysterious ‘Dimension’, the all-new ‘Vengeance’, and the returning ‘Arcane’.
Darkhold Destiny, releasing on April 9, 2027, is a Universes Beyond set dedicated to the supernatural side of the Marvel multiverse. Things are little darker, a little spookier, and a little more original – we’re even getting all-new canon characters and storylines.
As for those keywords, let’s start with the one we know most about. Arcane is an obscure subtype of Instant/Sorcery that first appeared in the Kamigawa block, in the form of ‘splice onto Arcane’. This collection of words allowed you to reveal a card, pay its alternate splice cost, and then add its effects to an Arcane card.
‘Splice onto Arcane’ was heavily criticized at the time for being extremely parasitic, and Mark Rosewater said a few years back that it was a 9 on the Storm scale – extremely unlikely to return.
But, the head designer also said that “Arcane as a subtype on instants and sorceries that interacts in a new way” was only a 7 on the scale. So we’re assuming WotC has found a new way to use them. The NYCC reveals include two Arcane cards: Hela’s Arcanum and Rise from the Nether.
Next, we have Vengeance. This appears to share DNA and design space with popular existing keywords like Flashback and Adventure. Basically, it’s an instant/sorcery that’s bolted onto a creature card, but it’s one that can only be cast from the graveyard. Once you cast it in this way, you exile it.
Hela, Mistress of Darkness has been given the Vengeance treatment. As a creature, she creates a tapped 2/2 Zombie token for every life a player loses during your turn. Her Vengeance power, however, is Dark Tutor. This searches your library for a card, putting it in your hand or graveyard. You then lose three life.
Lastly comes Dimension. I’ll be honest, I have no idea what the hell Dimension is. We see the word appear on Temple of Khonshu, a land that enters tapped unless you control a Dimension. Presumably, it’s a new card subtype rather than some altogether new card type, but stranger things have happened.
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Source: Wargamer
