WotC New M:tG set announced: "Adventures in the Forgotten Realms"

[Parmandur]

So, Ray Winnginger had this to say about the crossover:

ComicBook.com spoke to D&D Executive Producer Ray Winninger about how the process for developing the new card set differed from previous crossovers. "The process was very similar, but in reverse!" Winninger said via email. "The major difference is that Magic: The Gathering worlds are primarily (but not exclusively) grounded in their visuals, while D&D worlds are primarily (but not exclusively) grounded in text. We worked with the Magic: The Gathering team to develop lots of detailed background info on Theros and Ravnica; they worked with us to develop more detailed visuals for the 2021 D&D set."

Like previous collaborations, "Adventures in the Forgotten Realms" was a true collaboration between the two teams. Winninger noted that the D&D team worked with the Magic team on every aspect of the set, similar to how the Magic team worked with the D&D team on Mythic Odysseys of Theros and Guildmaster's Guide to Ravnica. "We provided extensive feedback on both the visuals and lore of The Forgotten Realms," Winninger said. Winninger also noted that, like other Magic: The Gathering sets, the visuals of "Adventures in the Forgotten Realms" would tell a story and that the set would feature many of their favorite characters in the text.

Magic: The Gathering Announces Dungeons & Dragons Set for 2021

grounded in text. We worked with the Magic: The Gathering team to develop lots of detailed [...]

comicbook.com

It strikes me now: the Magic team works two years ahead of time. This means they made the decision to do this D&D Magic Set shortly after the Ravnica book turned out to be a big hit for them, which makes sense. It also might explain the work Crawford has been doing to emphasize Vi, the Eberronian Gnome Artificer who was originally going to be on the cover of Rising from the Last War and who is mentioned heavily in the Artificer section and called out as a Plane walker. She has played a major role in Acquisitions Incorporated, too. It would make a lot of sense if this character was developed as a Blue Planeswalker to base one of the pre-constructed decks around.

 

[ProfessorDetective]

It also might explain the work Crawford has been doing to emphasize Vi, the Eberronian Gnome Artificer who was originally going to be on the cover of Rising from the Last War and who is mentioned heavily in the Artificer section and called out as a Plane walker. She has played a major role in Acquisitions Incorporated, too. It would make a lot of sense if this character was developed as a Blue Planeswalker to base one of the pre-constructed decks around.

Oh, that cover had lore? Neat. I was actually one of the few people who preferred that cover. The current one just looks so drab. I don't care if it's a magic warbot and a tribal halfling with their pet dinosaur, they look bored and lost and in need of a bath.

 

[Parmandur]

So, silly brainstorming here:

Part of the product line for the Core Sets for the past few runs has been sets of five pre-constructed monocolor decks themed around specific Planewalkers. We don't know anything, but it seems plausible that they might do that for the FR Set...so who would they use:

• Blue: Eliminster, Mordenkein and Vi seem the most likely candidates, with the latter bring a really off kilter wildcard.
• Black: an Epic Lich seems fitting: Ackerack, Vecna, Szazz Tam, or Larloch...?
• White: a high Level Cleric, or Chosen?
• Green: I want to say some Archdruid would be appropriate, but I'm not sure I can think of any off the top of my head...
• Red: I feel that the way they are presenting Tasha in the marketing material for the next book feels very Red, in Magic Color wheel alignment terms

 

[Parmandur]

Oh, that cover had lore? Neat. I was actually one of the few people who preferred that cover. The current one just looks so drab. I don't care if it's a magic warbot and a tribal halfling with their pet dinosaur, they look bored and lost and in need of a bath.

Yeah, it felt kind of oddly forced as presented at the time, as the character had just been introduced as a DM NPC in AI. However, as an internally developed Magic card centerpiece, the lore as presented makes a lot of sense, particularly why the people living and breathing the Magic/D&D project would see the character as iconic already.

 

[pukunui]

Oh, that cover had lore? Neat. I was actually one of the few people who preferred that cover. The current one just looks so drab. I don't care if it's a magic warbot and a tribal halfling with their pet dinosaur, they look bored and lost and in need of a bath.

I didn't like the Vi cover, but I'm also not a big fan of its replacement. I think the cover for the Wayfinder's Guide was much better. I wish they'd saved that one for the hardcover.

So, silly brainstorming here:

Part of the product line for the Core Sets for the past few runs has been sets of five pre-constructed monocolor decks themed around specific Planewalkers. We don't know anything, but it seems plausible that they might do that for the FR Set...so who would they use:

• Blue: Eliminster, Mordenkein and Vi seem the most likely candidates, with the latter bring a really off kilter wildcard.
• Black: an Epic Lich seems fitting: Ackerack, Vecna, Szazz Tam, or Larloch...?
• White: a high Level Cleric, or Chosen?
• Green: I want to say some Archdruid would be appropriate, but I'm not sure I can think of any off the top of my head...
• Red: I feel that the way they are presenting Tasha in the marketing material for the next book feels very Red, in Magic Color wheel alignment terms

Why would they use non-FR NPCs in an FR set?

Yeah, it felt kind of oddly forced as presented at the time, as the character had just been introduced as a DM NPC in AI. However, as an internally developed Magic card centerpiece, the lore as presented makes a lot of sense, particularly why the people living and breathing the Magic/D&D project would see the character as iconic already.

It wouldn't be the first time. Remember that band of adventurers that were going to be part of the Storm King's Thunder story but ended up just being some random named minis in the accompanying miniatures line. I think maybe one of them got into the book in the art as well.

 

[Parmandur]

Why would they use non-FR NPCs in an FR set?

Because they are Planewalkers: indeed, it wouldn't surprise me if they did give Planewalkers, and specifically avoided any FR character, to give some flavor of the D&D multiverse.

Though I did see someone speculate on Reddit that the end of the latest Driz'zt book had an event that looked a lot like a Planewalker spark igniting for Driz'zt...

 

[Urriak Uruk]

Though I did see someone speculate on Reddit that the end of the latest Driz'zt book had an event that looked a lot like a Planewalker spark igniting for Driz'zt...

Lol really? I'd like to take a look at that passage, or at least that Reddit post.

And if it does happen, that's some fresh meat for the "Driz'zt is a Mary-Sue" crowd.

 

[pogre]

This clever ploy will work on me. Dangit! I guess I am buying some MTG cards next year.

 

[ChaosOS]

Alright, that Vi cover explanation would make me feel a lot less negativity towards JC - that cover came to me as the lead designer trying to co-opt Eberron as his thing by putting making his DMPC the brand character for a setting.

 

[Parmandur]

Alright, that Vi cover explanation would make me feel a lot less negativity towards JC - that cover came to me as the lead designer trying to co-opt Eberron as his thing by putting making his DMPC the brand character for a setting.

Yeah, it just makes way more sense if he was knee-deep in developing the D&D Magic Set (which I'm sure he must be, at least as a representative consultant), and decided to insert a character they had developed as a Big Deal into AI to provide some history before this...and I do recall some folks here actually said it felt like they were setting up Vi as a Magic style Planewalker, based on the Rising from the Last War text that mentions her, and her activity in Acquisitions Incorporated games.