Every new MTG set looks both forward and backward, to differing degrees each time. Whether intentional or not, cards that call to mind others from the past are inevitable in a game as long-running as this one. In the case of Vren, the Relentless, however, the MTG callback is 100% intentional.
This new card, spoiled just yesterday, references a fan-favorite deck type and lets players enjoy it in a brand-new way. Even more than that, it looks to be a very solid threat for Standard, Commander, and possibly Pioneer.
Vren, The Relentless
Before I argue those claims properly, let’s break down the card itself. Vren, the Relentless is a 3/4 Rat Rogue for four mana, in Dimir colors. He comes with Ward two, and a passive ability that exiles any creature an opponent controls that would die. Right out of the gate, this is pretty strong. Ward two is pretty close to Hexproof, and exile effects like this are great for preventing graveyard shenanigans and dies triggers.
Vren’s last ability is where things get really spicy. At the beginning of each end step, it grants you a 1/1 Rat for each of your opponents’ cards that got exiled that turn. These Rats scale their power and toughness up by +1/+1 for each other Rat you control, including Vren himself.
Obviously, there’s a lot of synergy between the second and third abilities here. If you remove opposing creatures via combat or instants/sorceries, you’ll get scaling Rats in return. Since it specifies each end step, this also applies on your opponents’ turns. This means they’ll need to be very careful about attacking since even trades will now give you Rats after the fact.
That’s a lot of value for four mana. As a brief aside, Vren feels like an exemplification of the differing design philosophies of Bloomburrow and Thunder Junction. Where the latter featured cards clearly meant only for Commander in the main set, the former seems to have toned down the mana costs enough to make said cards viable in 60-card formats, too. You can see this in Vren, as well as many other legendaries in the set.
Chittering Callbacks
I’ve mentioned MTG callbacks a few times in this article, and that’s because Vren, the Relentless makes two very specific ones. Firstly, and most obviously, it refers to casual Magic favorite Relentless Rats. This is a creature that scales up based on the number of Relentless Rats you have in play. It’s also one of the rare Magic cards that suspends the ‘four copies per deck’ rule.
Vren references this card both in his subtitle, the Relentless, and in the tokens he creates. These Rats may start as 1/1s, but they count every Rat you own, not just other copies of themselves. This makes them better than Relentless Rats in most scenarios.
The other callback Vren makes is subtler, but perhaps more important. With its exile effect and creature creation, Vren looks an awful lot like a new take on Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet. This was an absolute all-star in the Standard of the time and went on to secure spots in Pioneer and Commander too.
Vren lacks Kalitas’ Lifelink, but he gets Ward two instead, which is arguably better on a lightning rod creature like this. He also produces creatures that are much more dangerous than 2/2 Zombies, especially in a deck that plays other Rats. For this reason, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Vren make serious waves in both Standard and Pioneer.
Even if those don’t come to pass, Commander is a shoo-in. For those who play a Relentless Rats deck, this is an ideal Commander choice. For those who don’t, it’s a brilliant graveyard hate option that affects all opponents and quickly builds you a formidable board presence. Any blue/black Commander deck from now on will need to at least consider Vren.
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