A few weeks back, I got the chance to sit in on a press-only preview for the upcoming Magic: The Gathering set, Edge of Eternities! Now that the first batch of preview cards has just been released on MTG's official stream, we can share the exciting new images for the space-themed set - so follow along as we blast off and explore the unknown with our Edge of Eternities Preview!
Let's start by diving into new mechanics for this set - and showing off cards for each.
Edge of Eternities Preview: How do Spacecraft, Planets, and Station work?
New to the set are the terms Spacecraft and Station - Spacecraft is a new Artifact subtype, Planet is a new non-basic land subtype, and Station is an activated ability that Spacecraft and some Planets have that help them turn into Creatures.
From the official mechanics document provided to us by Wizards, (and written by designer Matt Tabak), "Station is an activated ability that can be activated only as a sorcery, meaning during your main phase when the stack is empty. To activate the station ability, tap an untapped creature you control other than the Spacecraft itself... this can be any untapped creature you control, include one that came under your control this turn. As that ability resolves, put a number of charge counters equal to that creatures power on the Spacecraft."
The same applies to Planets with the station ability, except that, as you can see above, the Planets we've seen so far don't turn into creatures, but rather unlock more mana abilities when they hit their Station threshold.
Also as a helpful reminder, Vehicles and Spacecraft with a printed power and toughness can now be your commander!
Edge of Eternities Preview: How Does Warp Work?
Warp, just like the form of travel we see in so many of our favorite sci-fi stories, is a way to get cards onto the battlefield faster!
Permanents with Warp (and while they're mostly found on creatures, any permanent can have a Warp cost) allow you to cast them from your hand for their warp cost and exile it at the beginning of the next end step - remember, you can't cast for Warp as an instant ability unless the card has flash - which means these cards will usually have a nice enter the battlefield effect.
I especially like Nova Hellkite, pictured above, which let's you zoom in for two and red with this 4/5 flier with haste, and it pings for 1 damage to a creature an opponent controls. That's going to really move the needle, allowing you to scoot in with it, swing in the air, and then effectively hide until a later turn!
I really like this approach, and there are even cards that will care about cards in exile, like a brand new 'goyf!
Edge of Eternities Preview: How Does Void Work?
Void is another new mechanic in Edge of Eternities that triggers if a permanent left the battlefield this turn or if a card was warped this turn. We've seen other abilities kind of like this before, like the "Morbid" ability from Innistrad which triggered when a creature died this turn - but I like Void's inclusion of leaving the battlefield, which doesn't rely on cards hitting your yard.
In the above examples, we can see how a creature benefits from Void - creating an artifact creature at your end step when Void triggers, and as a sorcery, turning a pretty solid -2/-2 for one black into a super-charged -10/-10 if Void conditions were met.
It's clear just how important exile is going to be for this set, and I think that's just so thematically on-par with the whole sci-fi vibe!
Edge of Eternities Preview: What in the World are Lander Tokens?
To help explain Lander, I have to just quote directly from our rules document because I love the flavor here: "Encountering new planets is sometimes tricky. Are there hostile residents? A place to park? Is there air? You don't know! But once you're ready to make planetfall, a trusty Lander will help you get the lay of the land in no time."
First off, that's so cute and flavorful. But does it actually do? A Lander token is a new predefined token type (like Treasure, Food, etc.), and is a colorless artifact token with "{2}, {T}: Sacrifice this token: Search your library for a basic land card, put it onto the battlefield tapped, then shuffle."
Personally, I love the flavor here - you explore an uncharted planet, send down your little Lander, and it shows you the way (aka fishes for a basic for you). And while a few other cool cards were announced, there's one special card that's answering rumors on everyone's lips...
Edge of Eternities... Slivers Return!
Yes! That's right, everyone's favorite alien worm creatures are back! Are they from this part of the galaxy? Who knows! All we know is that we love Slivers and are scared/excited to see their return, as heralded by this incredible card:
Edge of Eternities Special Card Treatments
Along with all of these great new cards and mechanics, I got a chance to preview some of the special art preview cards that will be released alongside the set in Collector Boosters and more! Check em out!
As you can see from the various card art styles presented here, the design team is having a LOT of fun pulling inspiration from across the history of sci-fi artwork.
From paperback novels to trippy sci-fi posters, alt. art treatments of new and returning cards make this set, in my opinion, truly stand out visually!
Which cards are you most excited for? Let us know in the comments below!
Giaco Furino joined the TechRaptor team as a Staff Writer in 2019 after searching for a dedicated place to write and talk about Tabletop Games. In 2020, he… More about Giaco
