The official release of Edge of Eternities is less than a month away, and so far, the set looks like an absolute blast. This outer space-themed set is introducing a variety of unique mechanics and card types into our beloved game.
While more previews aren’t scheduled until Monday, over the last two days, a bunch of cards appear to have been leaked. Of course, some of these leaks could turn out to be fake. That said, they look legitimate, so for the sake of this article, we will be assuming that they are real. If you want to wait for an official reveal, consider this your spoiler warning.
Icetill Explorer
Our first leak is a card that looks like it was handcrafted for a Zask, Skittering Swarmlord EDH deck. First of all, combining the abilities of being able to play lands from your graveyard and play multiple lands per turn is extremely powerful. Whether you’re replaying Fetchlands over and over or abusing the power of Strip Mine, it’s hard to go wrong.
Second, Icetill Explorer happens to be an Insect, meaning if you Mill over it, Zask can let you cast it from your graveyard, too. Finally, as you continue to hit your land drops, Icetill Explorer then acts as a graveyard fueling machine, feeding both itself and Zask.
The reality is, though, cards like Exploration and Crucible of Worlds have been Commander staples for a while. Getting both effects at once is awesome.
This effect is a little pricy from a Constructed standpoint. Having four toughness helps, but whether this card will see Standard play really depends on what other land synergies Edge of Eternities brings to the table. Nonetheless, Icetill Explorer should make a splash in every Lord Windgrace shell and The Necrobloom deck for the foreseeable future.
Moonlit Meditation
Next up, we have yet another card that looks heavily geared for EDH. In order to maximize Moonlit Meditation, you need to have a deck that emphasizes token production and has some gnarly creatures or artifacts to copy.
In some cases, these ideas go hand in hand. For instance, enchanting a permanent like Myr Battlesphere or Avenger of Zendikar makes it trivial to flood the board with tokens, and these mass token generators do a great job as follow-ups to Moonlit Meditation as well.
In some cases, even enchanting mana rocks early enables you to ramp super hard as you continue to play token producers. The only real downside to this new card is that it’s blue, and many token-based Commander decks, such as Chatterfang, Squirrel General can’t utilize it as a result. Those that can, however, including Adrix and Nev, Twincasters, will be very happy to add Moonlit Meditation into the mix.
Terrasymbiosis
Continuing the theme of cards that seem a little clunky from a Standard perspective but will easily find a home in Commander, Terrasymbiosis is a card with an extremely high ceiling. Any deck with a +1/+1 counter theme will want this tool as a way to generate tons of card advantage.
While Terrasymbiosis does have the “once each turn” restriction, the more +1/+1 counters you put on a creature at once, the more cards you’ll get to draw. There are tons of cards where this effect can get out of hand quickly.
Increasing Savagery draws you five cards with Terrasymbiosis in play (or 10 if you cast it via Flashback). Kalonian Hydra, and a variety of other Hydra for that matter, quickly accumulate counters and can lead to some insane turns with Terrasymbiosis in play. It’ll be nice for these green decks to have another way to pull ahead on resources.
Nova Hellkite
Our last rare leak is one that breaks the Commander trend. This time around, Nova Hellkite looks its best in a Standard setting. There are plenty of popular one-toughness creatures like Llanowar Elves and Dark Confidant that are strong targets for this creature’s triggered ability.
Thanks to Warp, you have a lot of flexibility about how you use this card. If your opponent has enough creatures to pick off, sometimes getting in for four damage on turn three will be worthwhile. Then, you have the luxury of replaying Nova Hellkite later in the game and getting another trigger out of the deal.
Overall, a 4/5 with Flying and Haste for five mana is below the bar for Constructed. You really need to be getting value out of the triggered ability to make this card worthwhile. As such, how much play this card sees will likely depend on how vulnerable the top decks are to this effect.
Nonetheless, Nova Hellkite has potential. Who knows, maybe this card will help a dedicated Dragons shell emerge. We’ll just have to wait and see.
Larval Scoutlander and Tapestry Warden
Larval Scoutlander and Tapestry Warden aren’t the most exciting leaks in the world, yet they do have some potential. The Station cost is rather hefty on Larval Scoutlander, and the reward of getting a 3/3 flier isn’t huge. Luckily, you get most of your value up front with a reasonable Harrow-esque effect. With some Landfall or graveyard synergies, this card can pull its weight at least in Limited.
As for Tapestry Warden, the card is very cute with Evendo, Waking Haven and some Wall support. As an individual card, this is nothing to write home about. Perhaps there will be some spicy Station cards revealed in the future that make Tapestry Warden a cool build-around, though.
Starfield Shepherd and Starfighter Pilot
Our last handful of common and uncommon leaks look best suited for Limited play. Starfield Shepherd is a very solid option in Draft. Its Warp ability helps you hit your land drops. Casting it again on turn five as an evasive threat isn’t too shabby, especially if you have a one-drop to search up.
Starfighter Pilot is a very simple 2/2 with upside for two mana. The Surveil 1 bonus you get when it becomes tapped is nice in a format with Spacecraft, but chances are, this card is nothing more than filler.
It’s still very early, and there are tons of previews on the horizon. For Commander players, there’s a lot to look forward to already. Make sure to keep your eyes peeled for more official reveals this upcoming week.
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