You wait two weeks for some fresh Magic: The Gathering news and it all comes along at once. Now that we’re back from the holidays, Innistrad Remastered spoilers are in glorious full swing. We should also be hearing more about Aetherdrift in just a couple of weeks. On top of these planned announcements, we’ve also had some not-quite-as-planned ones. A leak for August’s Edge of Eternities set, coming in the form of premature product listings, has just arrived also.
While this leak doesn’t reveal any actual cards, mechanics, or artwork, it’s worth paying attention to nonetheless. Not only does it reinforce a Commander trend many had hoped for this year, but it also confirms the existence of a spicy-sounding new land cycle. If this is all to be believed then August can’t come round soon enough.
A Reduction In Commander Product?
This Edge of Eternities leak came via rogue product listings on two different websites: Magazine Exchange and PHD Games. The listings appear to have been removed from the former, but you can still find them on the latter. They’ve also been archived on this Reddit post from Copernicus1981.
There’s very little concrete information here, but those with eagle eyes can deduce a thing or two. A lot of different playmats are mentioned here, including two labeled ‘Commander A’ and ‘Commander B.’ With no mention of the word Commander anywhere else in the product lineup, it’s fairly safe to assume that there will only be two Commander decks for Edge of Eternities.
In isolation, this would sound unlikely. Given what we already know about Aetherdrift, however, it’s totally feasible. Aetherdrift is also only getting two Commander decks, as opposed to the four we’ve come to expect in recent years. Based on this information, it appears the same is true for Edge of Eternities.
There have been a lot of complaints about the sheer volume of Commander products over the past few years. With four precons for every set, as well as plenty of dedicated card slots in non-Commander products, Commander fatigue has definitely been setting in for many. Switching to two precons per set makes a ton of sense in this context.
This leak is hardly confirmation that every set will be like this moving forward. Maybe core Magic IP sets will be getting two precons and Universes Beyond ones will be retaining the usual four? That said, it is an encouraging sign. In my opinion, the current rate of Commander content is unsustainable, and this is a hugely positive change.
A New Mythic Land Cycle?!
The other interesting aspect of the Edge of Eternities leak was its reference to a new mythic rare land cycle. Among the playmats listed, five refer to a ‘Mythic Land’ in one of the game’s five colors. Based on this, it’s very likely that a new cycle of mythic rare lands, one for each color, will be printed in the set.
We don’t have any more information on these lands beyond their possible existence. That said, we can look at past examples to get an idea of what such a cycle could look like. Looking back over Magic’s full history, it’s wild how few mythic rare lands we’ve actually seen overall. Scryfall only lists 117 in total, and that’s factoring in upshifted reprints in Masterpiece series’ and From the Vault.
Most of the non-reprints are colorless utility lands included as one-offs in various sets. Fomori Vault, Hostile Hostel, Maze’s End, etc. There’s not much connective tissue between these cards thanks to their individual nature. Since it looks like a cycle is confirmed in this case, we’re probably better looking elsewhere for past examples, however.
Interestingly, the only full mythic rare land cycle we’ve seen before is the Zendikar Rising Modal Double-Faced lands. These were all mono-colored, and proved powerful in the Commander format. I’d say another cycle of MDFC lands for Edge of Eternities is unlikely, however. Based on the theming of the set I’d expect them to be legendary lands based on different color-aligned planets or somesuch.
However it pans out, it’ll be exciting to see what Wizards does with the second-ever mythic land cycle in MTG. With the (literally) out-there theming of the set, the possibilities here really are endless. Let’s hope they live up to the hype.
