As the first set following the end of the Phyrexian Arc, Wilds of Eldraine has a lot of work to do. Not only does it have to set up the Omenpath Arc, but it also has to showcase how this slice of the multiverse has changed. Thanks to this, it’s safe to say that many MTG players have been intently focused on this fairytale-themed set. Not least because it’s a nice way to forget about Commander Masters.
Accelerating the hype for the set, Wizards has recently been releasing the story chapters for Wilds of Eldraine. Jam-packed full of action, intrigue, and reveals, these chapters have led perfectly into the big reveal. Today, moving on from the story, Wizards revealed the first batch of official MTG spoilers for Wilds of Eldraine.
Debuting incredible format-warping staples, as well as plenty of reprints, Wilds of Eldraine already looks like a fantastic set. Even the mechanics are incredibly enjoyable with flavor galore! Alongside this flavor, Wilds of Eldraine’s mechanics also offer bizarre new tokens and twists to the established formula to keep things interesting.
While these mechanics each look thoroughly enjoyable for both constructed and limited play, there is a lot to go over. Thankfully, we’re here to do exactly that! So, without any further ado, here are all of the MTG mechanics in Wilds of Eldraine and a little bit about them!
Role Tokens
With not just one but six new tokens, it’s safe to say that Role Tokens are the big new mechanic in Wilds of Eldraine. As you can see above, these tokens look rather scary, being two cards in one, however, they’re actually surprisingly simple. At their core, these new tokens are just Aura Enchantments, except they’re, well, tokens.
Brought into play by cards such as Syr Armont, the Redeemer, there are six different Role Tokens in Wilds of Eldraine. According to Wizards, there will also be one or two more lurking with the Commander set. While this is definitely a lot, to save on space, two Role Tokens are on each card.
Thanks to this unique space-saving design, Role Tokens definitely look rather strange, to say the least. Mercifully, however, each enchantment token isn’t too complex. The Monster Role Token, for instance, simply gives the enchanted creature +1/+1 and trample. According to Wizards, all but one of the Role Tokens will feature positive effects.
To make Role Tokens even simpler, it appears the cards that create them will be very forthcoming. Looking at Syr Armont, the Redeemer again, for instance, this card states what the token is, and how it gets applied. This should hopefully prevent this mechanic from being too confusing, even if you don’t have genuine token cards.
Adventures
As we’ve covered already thanks to the First Look for Wilds of Eldraine, and recent leaks, Adventures are back! Considering this was the standout mechanic of Throne of Eldraine, this admittedly isn’t too much of a surprise. That being said, however, it’s nonetheless nice to see as Adventures are great fun to play with!
This time around, for Wilds of Eldraine, Adventures are being given a small yet undeniably important twist. Namely, Adventures in Wilds of Eldraine can be off-color. As seen on Decadent Dragon this unique twist can give cards with Adventures more range and versatility.
Alongside having plenty of off-color Adventure spells, Wilds of Eldraine will also have a number of classic adventures. Besotted Knight, for instance, is a white card with a white adventure. Overall, even with the off-color twist, Adventures are nothing new, as they’re the same spell and creature hybrid as before.
In case you need a quick refresher on the mechanic itself, Adventure spells can be played before casting the creature card. Once the creature is in play, the adventure cannot be cast, unless the card states otherwise. If you cast the Adventure first, your creature will ‘go on an Adventure,’ and hang out in exile where you can cast the creature side of it at your leisure.
Sagas
While highlighted as one of the many mechanics within Wilds of Eldarine, there’s not much new to Sagas. In the set, expect to see this deciduous mechanic with the same chapter and lore counter structure as usual. While this may not seem too exciting, Wilds of Eldraine harnesses Sagas for additional flavor, rather than function.
As seen in Three Blind Mince the Sagas in Wilds of Eldriane are all about fairytales. Since this is the main inspiration for the Wilds of Eldraine, these cards should provide some novel added flavor to the set. In terms of mechanics, however, these Sagas aren’t anything we haven’t seen before!
Bargain
To move onto something that we haven’t seen before, Bargain is a brand new mechanic in Wilds of Eldraine. Well…. It mostly is, at least. To put it simply, Bargain is basically a specific and flavorful Kicker variant. This means that like Kicker, it is an additional cost that can be paid when casting a spell.
As you can see on the utterly insane Beseech the Mirror, the Bargain cost is sacrificing an artifact, enchantment, or token. For some constructed decks, for better or worse this may be quite the hurdle to overcome, resulting in some tricky decisions. Within Limited, however, players shouldn’t struggle too much, as Wilds of Eldraine has plenty of tokens. Between Food Tokens and the new Role Tokens, players shouldn’t have any trouble activating Bargain if they want to.
Celebrations
For the last new mechanic within Wilds of Eldraine, we have Celebrations. Once again, despite being new, this is a fairly simple mechanic which is easily described by its rules text. Essentially, if two or more nonland permanents have entered the battlefield under your control this turn, you get a bonus.
As you can see on Ash, Party Crasher the bonus can be simply putting a +1/+1 counter on the card with Celebration. According to Wizards, the Celebration mechanic can primarily be found in the red/white color pair. As usual, however, there should be a few cards outside of this that feature the new Celebration mechanic.
Food
Last but not least, the return trip to Eldraine also features Food Tokens once again. As we’ve seen time and time again at this point, Food Tokens are Token Artifacts that can be sacrificed for a cost to gain three life. While this can already be useful in a pinch, Wilds of Eldraine offers more synergy for these cards.
As you can see on Greta, Sweettooth Scourge sacrificing food can occasionally be cheaper, alongside conveying additional benefits. While we’re likely not going to see a reprint of Cauldron Familiar and Witch’s Oven it wouldn’t be a surprise to see a constructed deck built all around food. After all, these have appeared multiple times in the past and have completely dominated their respective formats.
If not playable in constructed, Midrange Food is at least the Grixis Draft Archetype for Wilds of Eldraine.
