The following comes from the complicated mind of BDC of the Magic Tavern.
Ok, I was already heavily invested in the whole idea of having a Forgotten Realms MTG set WAY before that shotgun blast of spoilers we got almost a month ago. So, that incursion of amazing cards got me SO hyped. But…like I said, it’s been a while and I’m starting to come at this like an addict (which technically, in a small way, I am addicted to cardboard). Modern Horizon vaguely filled the void, but, to be honest, only made it worst. So…Wotc…you got some of those Adventures in the Forgotten Realm spoilers…cause I’ve never known a set that I have anticipated this hard.
So, we do what we have always done. We speculate. We’ve already touched upon what gods and lands can show up. But what creatures can we expect?
KOBOLDS
From least to greatest, I would be remiss to forget the staple in most entry level dungeons: Kobolds.
The first of the Dragonspawn from early in Faerun’s history, these pesky little rascals infested many a dungeon, and, although mid to high level adventures see them as little more than pests, that first level character entering his first dungeon saw them as a definite obstacle and right of passage.
Gelatinous Cubes
And what dungeon is complete with the slithering, slushy, shambling monstrous jello, the Gelatinous Cubes?
Once again, higher level dungeoneers find many a way to circumvent and eradicate these nasty creatures. But a low level group is in danger of loosing a party member to this hungry fellow.
It would of course be an Ooze. Probably either a mill card or an effect when it blocks; taking or tapping attackers.
Of course, there’s always a myriad of Oozes and Slimes with higher CR to challenge you in the future!
THE MIMIC
And what dungeon is complete without that alluring treasure chest that is anything but. The Mimic is always hiding in plain sight; waiting for some unsuspecting dungeon looter to get too grabby and step into it’s time honored trap. It would obviously have the shapeshifter type with, hopefully, changeling subtype.
Of course, across the lifetime of D&D, Dungeon Masters have gotten rather…uh…creative and devious with the Mimic. It can literally be anything and there are 3rd party books celebrating this fact. But, for this set, we better get the classic, grapplin’, ravenous chest mimic!
GIANT RATS
One of the enemies almost any first level party expects to see are the giant rats. This would be a great addition to the rat tribal that is a time honored MTG tradition.
DISPLACER BEASTS
One of the most original as well as iconic creatures of Faerun are the Displacer Beasts. They bring unique abilities that will play well into MTG mechanics.
I could see it including a mechanic to make it harder to block. More than likely Menace or some kind of flicker ability.
RUST MONSTER
What’s the worst thing an armed and armored warrior can fight? Well, one of them would be anything with the ability to destroy said armor and weapons.
Rust Monsters could have the ability to either destroy equipments or unequip them from the creature they block or that blocks them.
OWLBEARS
One of the most iconic creatures in all of D&D are the dreaded Owlbears.
These creatures look like some evil wizard’s experiment and should make a showing in this set!
BEHOLDERS
We already know we’re getting, at least, one Beholder card since it’s been spoiled. But I expect we’ll get more than that. First of all, with DARK ALLIANCE coming out in the vicinity of this set’s release, I could see getting a card for the big bad in that game. And it looks bad ass.
And how can we do a Forgotten Realms MTG set without a Xanathar card? I mean, he’s had is name on books in D&D. Anyway, it would be a great excuse for a LEGENDARY Beholder with several options for attack and defense. The possibilities are nearly endless!
MINDFLAYERS
And there better be at least one Mindflayer card; just sayin’. These iconic horrors bring so much flavor and mechanic possibilities. I could see them making illithid tadpole tokens or giving them the ability to steal your opponents creatures.
LICH/DRACOLICH
And what Forgotten Realms adventure is complete without the undead. And what’s more undead iconic than the LICH.
This almost screams LEGENDARY. So Wotc should probably delve into the great lich adversaries of the past and bring us a legend that can bring things out of the graveyard.
Which old school lich would you immortalize on a MTG card?
I also think, while you’re at it, you should go all the way and drop a Dracolich card. Talk about a big bad! Undead and Dragon? It would make a great addition to any Dragon tribal deck.
TARRASQUE
And, last but DEFINITELY not least, we have one of the most iconic kaiju like monsters from D&Ds monster manuals, the Tarrasque.
Touted as ‘the most terrible creature known to inhabit the Prime Material Plane’, the Terrasque MUST make an appearance in this set. It should most definitely be the biggest creature dropped here. It should also be one of those cards that MUST be dealt with as soon as it hits the board.
Ok, gang, that’s not even close to all of the creatures we could talk about, but we think it’s definitely the most wanted. What did we miss? What other creature would you like to see here? Let us know in the comments or hit us up on Social Media. We LOVE to hear from you.
For now, I’ll go back into withdrawal until the next spoiler or speculation.
BDC
AoE Table Top 