Three new cards have been spoiled for the upcoming Magic: The Gathering set, Theros: Beyond Death. Courtesy of Gamespot, three wildly popular characters from the Theros block is returning in Beyond Death. We also get a look at a new mechanic called Escape, which allows players to cast that specific spell from the graveyard. The catch is you’ll have to exile a specific amount of cards, plus pay mana to recast that card.
Here’s a look at the three upcoming cards for Theros: Beyond Death:
Ashiok, Nightmare Muse
[+1]: Create a 2/3 blue and black Nightmare creature token with “Whenever this creature attacks or blocks, each opponent exiles the top two cards of their library.”
[-3]: Return target nonland permanent to its owner’s hand, then that player exiles a card from their hand.
[-7]: You may cast up to three face-u[ cards your opponents own from exile without paying their mana costs.
Athreos, Shroud-Veiled
Indestructible
As long as your devotion to white and black is less than seven, Athreos isn’t a creature.
At the beginning of your end step, put a coin counter on another target creature. Whenever a creature with a coin counter on it dies or is put into exile, return that card to the battlefield under your control.
Elspeth, Sun’s Nemesis
[-1]: Up to two target creatures you control each get +2/+1 until end of turn.
[-2]: Creature two 1/1 white Human Soldier creature tokens.
[-3]: You gain 5 life
Escape [Four Colorless/Two White]: Exile four other cards from your graveyard. (You may cast this card from your graveyard for its escape cost.)
Out of the three new cards, we are really excited to see how Ashiok, Nightmare Muse performs. It has a lot of potential in a Control/Tempo build, as its second ability can set back your opponent and remove a card from their hand. While Ashiok’s ultimate is a little awkward, its ability to produce blockers will also make it a rather potent threat in the current meta.
Athreos is also a superb card and we see it quickly become a favorite in Brawl/Commander. The ability to put a coin counter on any creature gives Athreos a ton of flexibility. We expect to see a lot of this card in the future, especially in various control and reanimator decks. Plus, it’s Indestructible! Who doesn’t love an Indestructible commander?
Elspeth – while spoiled earlier – definitely supports more aggressive playstyles. Not only does she pump your team, but you can use all three of her abilities right away. Plus, Elspeth comes with the Escape mechanic, allowing you to replay her later in the match. She is definitely pushed, but we don’t think Elspeth is anywhere near game-breaking like Oko was in Throne of Eldraine.
Theroes: Beyond Death is set to release on January 25.
See Also
- Top 10 Commander/EDH Cards in Modern Horizons
- MTG Oathbreakers: How to Play, Rules, & Bans
- MTG Pauper Sees Three Cards Banned (May 2019)
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