MTG Innistrad: Exclusive Midnight Hunt Preview Cards from the New Magic Set

The days are getting shorter in Magic: The Gathering. With the next card game, Innistrad: Midnight Hunt, the general mood turns to darkness. It pits powerful creatures – werewolves, zombies, and ghosts – against a thin line of human defenders. Compared to Wizards of the Coast’s recent playful crossover with Dungeons & Dragons, the setting is decidedly darker. We spoke with Meris Mullaley, head of worldbuilding and narrative design, and product architect Mike Turian to find out more. They also brought some new exclusive maps to share with Polygon readers.

Make a new set of Magic cards is a complex business that takes place years before release. There are of course some mechanical issues that involve making sure that the new cards are compatible with the old ones. But designers also need to keep an eye on the ongoing metagame so that it remains rich and engaging for dedicated gamers.

Plus, you just need to change things up a bit every now and then.

“It’s like a coordinated dance between the creative and game design teams,” said Mullaley. “We could envision a really fun and light setting. OK, now we have something darker and a little more spooky. Because throughout the year, creatively, you want something that everyone gets excited about.

Midnight hunt is not only the Magic annual team emo phase. it comes after Adventures in Forgotten Realms because the cards which preceded it are also intended to supplement it. The same goes for all Standard legal cards, a subset of the set Magic franchise that runs with the release of this next set.

“Creature types are something that has both a creative and a mechanical arc,” Turian said. And so a set with a lot of humans and other monsters goes well with Midnight hunt, which will be teeming with werewolves and other gothic horrors. “But Standard is also running. With the release of Midnight hunt, a lot of what we do is try to look back not directly [a set like] Forgotten realms, but looking at what leaves the environment. What are some of those basic staples that need to be replaced? “

One of those staples: dual lands, which Wizards recreates with the newly dubbed ultimate lands revealed on September 2. But there are a lot more reinforcements where these are coming from.

Image: Ryan Yee / Wizards of the Coast

Image: Wizards of the Coast

Cathartic Pyre is a new card, but it has nothing to do with catharsis. A Cathar is a priest in the world of Innistrad, and this art represents a traditional death ritual in the kingdom. Mechanically, the card performs an important function in the game.

“Inflicting 3 damage to a creature or planeswalker for 2 mana is a very simple effect,” said Turian. “Especially in limited, I see this as a pretty desirable card.”

Anything that adds more cards to the graveyard will pay dividends for players who have invested in certain strategies, he said. For example, Strixhaven: School of the MagiLorehold College has made extensive use of the graveyard to bring powerful new creatures to the battlefield. The card should also offer fans of Magic: the gathering arena the kind of flexibility they need to stay nimble. The new digital version of Magic is often played as a best of one match between two players, so Cathartic Pyre can serve double duty in these decks.

Image: Wizards of the Coast

Image: Wizards of the Coast

Even more disturbing is the subject matter of Memory Deluge, showing a woman forced to destroy a tragically young vampire. But again, mechanically, the card fulfills several important roles.

Turian notes that players who prefer blue mana are always looking for other cards that will allow them to draw additional cards from their hand. They’re also looking to research their deck, and this card does both.

As a bonus, this card can also be cast from the graveyard. When used, its ability to look at seven different maps makes it a potential gateway to an endgame finisher. All the blue players have to do is go find one in the deck and then play it when the time is right.

“I think it can be a good combo,” said Turian.

Image: Wizards of the Coast

Image: Wizards of the Coast

Meanwhile, The Meathook Massacre fills a base space that black decks need to remain viable. But it’s much more accurate than similar cards that deal damage to all creatures on the table.

“Anything that dies brings you a reward,” Turian said. “One of the good things here is that not only does it fill that space with a staple, but if you’re actually playing a more resilient creature, a lot of [similar cards] you just have to erase everything. Where here you can have more control over what gets killed.

Innistrad: Midnight Hunt arrive for Magic: the gathering arena and Online magic September 16. The pre-release week will begin on September 17th, with a full physical release on September 24th. The set includes Draft, Set, Collector and Theme Booster card packs, a suitable set to get started, and two Commander decks – Unchained Undead and Coven counters. Pre-orders are available now at your cool local game store and online.

Innistrad: Midnight Hunt

Price taken at time of publication.

• Keyword mechanisms: Daybound and Nightbound cards

• Types of creatures: werewolves, zombies and humans

• Physical release: September 24