WotC Check out Magic: the Gathering's Tiamat

We've known for a while that WotC is releasing D&D-themed Magic: the Gathering cards, as a set called Adventures in the Forgotten Realms. Artist Chis Rahn has shared his Tiamat.

"Been looking forward to sharing this one for what seems like forever! Tiamat, for Mtg's D&D: Adventures in the Forgotten Realms set. This was one of those assignments that I felt incredibly lucky to get. I hope you enjoy it half as much as I enjoyed painting it!"

The MtG set comes out on July 23rd, 2021. The collector's sets have a beholder on the front. ICv2 has more information on the various set configurations. Bell of Lost Souls has some card images.

 

[Maxperson]

How many D&D things like bag of holding and fireball do you think already exist in MtG that could be included in the main set or as reprints in an AFR Commander Decks?

A lot. Counterspell and Lightning Bolt. Disintegration. And a lot more.

 

[Parmandur]

How many D&D things like bag of holding and fireball do you think already exist in MtG that could be included in the main set or as reprints in an AFR Commander Decks?

Good Lord, hundreds if not thousands, more than there are cards in the Set by far, really: the D&D influence on Magic was pretty evident years before WotC bought TSR, and they got less subtle after buying the IP.

 

[Parmandur]

The base line for the last few year going back 2019 seems to be 275 for none core sets, and 280 for Core Sets (including basic lands).

I really hope AFR has MDFCs or split Cards or Adventures mechanic from Eldraine. There is just so much to cover. Hundreds of Monsters/Spells/Characters/Sagas/Magic Items/Locations in D&D and FR. How do you deside what to leave out.

The largest non-Core Set since the 3-and-1 model was introduced in 2018 that wasn't inflated by MDFC is Ikoria at 274 cards, everything else from Dominaria until the current rotation grouping was less than that. Remember, Zendikar Rising, Kaldheim, and Strixhaven numbers include both sides of every MDFC card as a seperate number. Given how large AFR is, it looks like it does have double faced cards. Every Core Set in the past 12 years with the sole exception of Core 2020 is also smaller than AFR.

 

[Maxperson]

Good Lord, hundreds if not thousands, more than there are cards in the Set by far, really: the D&D influence on Magic was pretty evident years before WotC bought TSR, and they got less subtle after buying the IP.

I'm looking over the first core set and there are a ton.

 

[Hussar]

Heh, just read through the thread and three things occur to me. No, wait, four. Just thought of something else.

1. The art for MtG is GORGEOUS. That is some seriously pretty stuff.

2. It's funny that an announcement like this now generates zero negativity, while, not that long ago, people would lose their collective minds if WotC did this.

3. What is it about MtG that causes perfectly coherent people to stop speaking English?

4. I first read "Prosperous Innkeeper" as "Pompous Innkeeper" and thought, wow, that's really on the nose for how so many DM's play their innkeepers.

 

[Parmandur]

Heh, just read through the thread and three things occur to me. No, wait, four. Just thought of something else.

1. The art for MtG is GORGEOUS. That is some seriously pretty stuff.

2. It's funny that an announcement like this now generates zero negativity, while, not that long ago, people would lose their collective minds if WotC did this.

3. What is it about MtG that causes perfectly coherent people to stop speaking English?

4. I first read "Prosperous Innkeeper" as "Pompous Innkeeper" and thought, wow, that's really on the nose for how so many DM's play their innkeepers.

Oh, man, if you want the negativity, there are corners of the Internet where people are losing their minds over the fact that the Innkeeper is a Halfling rather than a Kithkin (like, a lot of anger over the introduction of Halfling as a Creature type, it's weird), and a Citizen rather than a Peasant. Don't worry, nerd-rage against WotC is alive and well.

It's still English, it's just technical jargon. It's actually easier to use technical jargon than "natural language" in this case.

 

[Charlaquin]

2. It's funny that an announcement like this now generates zero negativity, while, not that long ago, people would lose their collective minds if WotC did this.

Well, it generates zero negativity on a forum dedicated to D&D. In more MtG centric corners of the internet, the reaction is comparable to the reaction here to MtG settings in D&D.

3. What is it about MtG that causes perfectly coherent people to stop speaking English?

It’s a particularly jargon-heavy game

4. I first read "Prosperous Innkeeper" as "Pompous Innkeeper" and thought, wow, that's really on the nose for how so many DM's play their innkeepers.

Haha that would have been awesome

 

[Hussar]

It's still English, it's just technical jargon.

Hee hee hee. I know English, and that, sir, is not English. ((In case this isn't clear, I'm 100% kidding. Now I understand how people feel when we start talking about D&D. ))

I was just trying to imagine showing this thread to my ESL students and watching the confusion.

 

[Henadic Theologian]

The largest non-Core Set since the 3-and-1 model was introduced in 2018 that wasn't inflated by MDFC is Ikoria at 274 cards, everything else from Dominaria until the current rotation grouping was less than that. Remember, Zendikar Rising, Kaldheim, and Strixhaven numbers include both sides of every MDFC card as a seperate number. Given how large AFR is, it looks like it does have double faced cards. Every Core Set in the past 12 years with the sole exception of Core 2020 is also smaller than AFR.

Oh I didn't realize that both sides of an MDFCs count as seperate cards is that true of TDFCs too?

Aside from the Dungeon cards what makes you think AFR has MDFCs? Just the amount of cards in the set?

 

[Parmandur]

Oh I didn't realize that both sides of an MDFCs count as seperate cards is that true of TDFCs too?

Aside from the Dungeon cards what makes you think AFR has MDFCs? Just the amount of cards in the set?

Yup, because both "sides" take up a database slot.

Yeah, the large size of the Set, larger than most that don't have double sided cards, suggests there will be some level of double sided cards. And, yeah, since they said they are giving out double-sided cards with the Prereleases, I assume that means some double-sided cards play a part, as that is otherwise abnormal.