Earlier this week, Wizards of the Coast officially kicked off the Wilds of Eldraine spoiler season. Since then, MTG players have seen all manner of incredible reprints, spoilers, and art to admire. Typically, this is enough to keep players busy for the next week or two. This time around, however, the spoilers have only been the start.
Thanks to what appears to be some logistical mix-ups, Wilds of Eldraine has landed in some hands earlier than intended. As you might expect, this means the product has been leaked quite extensively. Considering the set’s cards will be trickling out over the next few days, thankfully, these leaks can be fairly easily ignored. That being said, however, we can’t resist talking about the latest batch of leaks since they’re so interesting and adorable.
Usually, this is where we’d put the disclaimer that leaked cards are exactly that, leaks. Subsequently, there’s no guarantee of authenticity for these cards, not until we see the official spoilers, at least. While this is the case usually, this time around, we’ve already seen numerous leaks confirmed by official spoilers. Subsequently, we’ll be talking about the cards in this article as if they’re 100% genuine.
Regal Bunnicorn
Thanks to the iconic British comedy Monty Python and the Holy Grail, modern fantasy is rarely complete without a rabbit. Specifically, a rabbit that is inexplicably powerful. We’ve seen this time and time again throughout references in games, films, and plenty of other media. Now, we can add TCGs to that long list, as Regal Bunnicorn is a pretty obvious reference to the iconic scene.
While Regal Bunnicorn certainly has the cute and cuddly look perfected, there is another part to the reference; strength. Thankfully, Regal Bunnicorn has that in droves too, as they’re an incredibly powerful card. Scaling with the number of nonland permanents you control, Regal Bunnicorn gets incredibly powerful incredibly quickly.
To show just how big and scary Regal Bunnicorn can get, consider playing them with Thraben Inspector. Should you manage to play nothing but Thraben Inspectors on turns one, two, and three before dropping Regal Bunnicorn, this fearsome rabbit will be a 9/9! Rather aptly for a Monty Python and the Holy Grail reference, that’s a seriously strong body!
While, in an ideal world, Regal Bunnicorn can scale up very quickly, even in a less meme-y deck they’re still powerful. In a Standard Mono White Soldiers deck, for instance, Regal Bunnicorn can easily be a 5/5 on turn three. This is thanks to the surprisingly strong Resolute Reinforcements.
As if that wasn’t enticing enough, Regal Bunnicorn also performs admirably in token-focused Commander decks. If you manage to get the freshly reprinted Parallel Lives into play, for instance, you can quickly spiral out of control. Even without that, if you’re playing a Jetmir, Nexus of Revels deck, your opponents are in for a tough time!
Not Quite The Black Knight
Unfortunately, while Regal Bunnicorn is an incredibly powerful card, they’re definitely not unkillable. This is quite the change from the last Monty Python and the Holy Grail we saw in Throne of Eldraine. While less explicit, there’s no denying that Oathsworn Knight is a play on The Black Knight. You know… The “Tis but a scratch” guy!
To put the references aside for a moment, Regal Bunnicorn simply dies to removal. While this is obviously a problem, this rabbit can at least escape Cut Down fairly frequently. Go for the Throat on the other hand, will cull this rabbit with ruthless efficiency, no matter how big.
Despite this major flaw, many MTG players were quick to become attached to Regal Bunnicorn. Part of this was thanks to their adorable looks, however, many players also drew comparisons to the beloved Tarmogoyf. Many players, such as u/KoyoyomiAragi, for instance, even said Regal Bunnicorn “has white Tarmogoyf vibes for sure.”
While there is definitely some similarity in the fact both these creatures can scale quickly, it’s not a perfect comparison. After all, Regal Bunnicorn requires you to have a lot in play, rather than variety in the graveyard. Thanks to this, notable difference, Regal Bunnicorn is not only more interactable but also slower.
To demonstrate this, just consider hitting a perfect Archive Trap into a T2 Tarmogoyf. In an ideal world, you could have an 8/9 Lhurgoyf threatening to ruin your opponent’s day. Regal Bunnicorn, on the other hand, requires a turn longer using Thraben Inspectors, and for nothing to get removed in the meantime. Not only does this require a lot more time, but it also requires a more unlikely series of actions using multiple resources.
Thanks to this, Regal Bunnicorn likely won’t become a Modern staple in the same way Tarmogoyf once was.
A Cavalcade Adorable Spoilers
While Regal Bunnicorn may not be able to reach the highs of Modern stardom, this card is still seriously strong. So much so, in fact, that it may well become a powerhouse in Standard and a favorite within Commander decks. You’ll also have to look out for Regal Bunnicorn in Limited, where they could utterly hose you thanks to all the Role Tokens going around.
Alongside Regal Bunnicorn you may also want to keep your eyes peeled for a number of the adorable, yet powerful, creatures in Wilds of Edlraine. One of the latest of these to be revealed is Lord Skitter, Sewer King, which supports Rat Typal. Offering graveward removal and a steady stream of 1/1 Rat Creatures, Lord Skitter, Sewer King is a great choice in Commander and even Brawl! What this card may turn into, however, is an enabler for Beseech the Mirror in Standard.
As if Wilds of Eldraine wasn’t already looking adorable enough, Elemental Raccoon has also been spoiled recently. While adorable, unfortunately, this raccoon isn’t much more than a defensive mana dork. Thankfully, however, they do also come attached with a potentially powerful adventure.
For players who still aren’t satisfied, just look at the adorable face of Frolicking Familiar. How could you not love such a cute otter like that?!
Thankfully for fans of MTG’s adorable critters and creatures, it seems the future has plenty more in store. Not only does Wilds of Eldraine have more spoilers to show, but there are two future sets that should be chock full of adorableness! As revealed during the recent Gen Con presentation, MTG is going to an anthropomorphized animal set in 2024, and then Lorwyn in 2025!
Between Bloomburrow and Codename Wrestling, there are plenty more adorable animals on the way.
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