Edge of Eternities is a long long way away at this point. Before the set can even start to be spoiled, we’ve got Tarkir: Dragonstorm and Final Fantasy to get through first. Despite this, it’s hard not to be enticed by the set’s out there setting and stunning visuals. Much like Aetherdrift, Edge of Eternities will either be a slam dunk or a crushing disappointment.
So far, details about Edge of Eternities are, unsurprisingly, incredibly few and far between. Outside of release dates and product announcements, we’ve not really seen anything about the set at all. Even the art we’ve been given to gawk at has been unnamed, so we can only really theorize at best.
Thankfully, to ground our speculation, a piece of art from the set was recently uploaded with its full name. First revealed at the MagicCon: Chicago preview panel, this art was initially just an awesome massive creature. Now we know its name, however, it seems we know for certain that Baloth is coming back.
Baloth Are Back?!
Since so much was revealed at the MagicCon: Chicago preview panel, it’s no wonder some details were overlooked. We barely had time to admire all the new artwork before a new reveal came along. The fact this art was also competing with new Tarkir: Dragonstorm spoilers certainly didn’t help matters as well.
Due to this, no one really noticed that artist Joshua Raphael had revealed the name of their art early. While it might not seem like much, typically this detail is kept under wraps until right before a set’s spoiler season kicks off. After all, Wizards wouldn’t want to spoil the surprise that a classic creature type is returning, right?
For better or worse, that’s exactly what Joshua Raphael did when posting to social media, revealing the name of their art as Baloth Prime. This basically confirms that Baloth are coming back in Edge of Eternities, which is one hell of a throwback. After all, the edge of space is a long long way from the plane of Zendikar.
So far, there’s no telling what the existence of Baloth Prime means for Edge of Eternities. Potentially, this creature type could get some decent support, or this card might just be a one-off. Regardless of which way it goes, this new card could finally give Baloth the errata that they’ve been waiting on.
Since their debut in 2002’s Onslaught, Baloth have always been typed as Beasts, which is hardly the most exciting. Now that Wizards is pushing the boat out with new creature types, however, Baloth may finally get a type all of their own. Sadly, there’s no guarantee that this will happen, but the possibility is nonetheless exciting.
If I Had a Nickel
On its own, the reveal of Baloth Prime’s name would be a weird flavor nod in Edge of Eternities and little else. Bizarrely, however, it appears that this set will make liberal use of classic creature types. During the MagicCon: Chicago preview panel, Mark Rosewater revealed that Kavu are also coming back.
Originally hailing from 2000’s Invasion, Kavu are a similarly classic creature type that’s getting a new twist in Edge of Eternities. As Rosewater explained during the preview panel, these returning creatures aren’t what we’re used to seeing. Instead, these types have been given a new space-themed twist.
Ideally, these returning types should help ground Edge of Eternities’ otherwise out-of-this-world designs. More than just grounding the set, these cards could, theoretically, help anchor the mechanical core of the set as well. Both Kavu and Baloth have historically cared about lands quite a lot, so that could be a strong theme within Edge of Eternities.
Ultimately, while the thought of these classic creature types returning is rather exciting, we’ve not seen much yet. Between Baloth Prime and the unnamed Kavu art, we’ve only seen two confirmed creatures. That’s hardly enough to make a dedicated major theme for a Standard-legal set.
At the end of the day, we’re just going to have to wait and see what happens when Edge of Eternities’ spoiler season rolls around. Considering this isn’t expected to happen until July, we’ve got a long while to wait until then. In the meantime, hopefully, Tarkir: Dragonstorm and Final Fantasy should be more than enough to keep us occupied.
