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Throne of Eldraine

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Throne of Eldraine
A crown, a sword and a knight's tabard
ReleasedOctober 4, 2019
Size269 cards
Development codeArchery
Expansion codeELD
← War of the Spark Theros Beyond Death →

Throne of Eldraine is a Magic: The Gathering expansion set. It is not part of a block. It was released on October 4, 2019.[1] The sets development codename is "Archery",[2] and its expansion code is ELD. MTG Arena also officially launched with this set.[3][4]

Themes

[edit]

Fairy tales

[edit]

Throne of Eldraine is inspired by fairy tales from King Arthur's Camelot and the European Grimms' Fairy Tales.[5][6] Previously Magic "had Faerie-focused sets [...] in the Lorwyn block, which saw various fairy tale-inspired tribes of creatures move to the fore while also introducing Planeswalkers as a concept for competitive play".[7]

On the design, Mark Rosewater said, "One of the cool things about fairy tales and Arthurian tales is that they have a lot of themes that run through multiple stories. [...] Fairy tales and Arthurian tales run the gamut of storytelling and easily provided material for all five colors".[8]

Planeswalkers

[edit]

It is revealed in this storyline that the Planeswalker twins Rowan and Will Kenrith (introduced in the 2018 Battlebond set) are from the Eldraine plane.[9][10][11][12] The Planeswalker Garruk also returns in this storyline.[13][14] Jamie Lovett, for ComicBook.com, highlighted that Garruk was introduced in the Lorwyn block but "was notably absent from War of the Spark, a set that included more planeswalkers than any before. [...] In the [Throne of Eldraine] set, Garruk seems to take on the role of the huntsman from tales like Snow White and Red Riding Hood".[15]

This set also introduced a new Planeswalker, the Fey shapeshifter Oko.[16] Scott Gardner, for GameRant, wrote "in keeping with all the cautionary tales the Grimms were known for, Oko looks to fit into this world well with deceit, conceit, and an all-around sneaky personality. [...] Oko originated on a plane where the Fey were deemed as a menace to be suppressed. [...] Oko travels about playing cruel pranks on anyone and anything he feels is hypocritical, even other planeswalkers".[16] Oko's card was banned from the Standard and Brawl formats in November 2019.[17][18]

Mechanics

[edit]

Throne of Eldraine introduced a new keyword called Adamant. Spells with Adamant have bonuses if you spend at least three mana of a particular color to cast them.[19][20]

Reception

[edit]

Jamie Lovett, for ComicBook.com, reviewed the Throne of Eldraine set for MTG Arena after playing it in a preview event. Lovett wrote, "I wish I’d had more time to experiment and play in the preview event (it was a busy day), but what I did play was a lot of fun. Throne of Eldraine has powerful new cards, interesting new mechanics, and shakes up the meta just enough to be interesting without throwing every fun archetype that already existed out the window. I’m looking forward to the set launching on Magic: The Gathering Arena this week, and I think other Magic players should be looking forward to it as well".[21]

Joshua Nelson, for Bleeding Cool, reviewed a Throne of Eldraine booster box, a Throne of Eldraine Bundle, and the two Planeswalker decks.[22][23][24] On the Planeswalker decks (Oko, the Trickster, and Rowan, Fearless Sparkmage), Nelson wrote, "I've so far played one game with these decks straight out of the box, and while it's clear that a bit more tuning up could have been good for the Rowan deck (in contrast the Oko deck could have been tuned down, but where's the mirth in that?), the two decks played together quite well. [...] In playing with both decks together I found that the sooner a player got out their Planeswalker, the better – this actually lends itself very well to modifying these decks into Oathbreaker decks [...]. All in all, the Magic: The Gathering Planeswalker Decks are quite good, and more importantly tons of fun to play with".[23] Nelson also commented that "the only gripe I have about the Throne of Eldraine Bundle is that (as with the Planeswalker Decks' booster packs) the packs are significantly harder to open than the packs within the booster box".[24]

Carl Yaxley, for the UK game store ZAKU, rated the set as 92% and highlighted that, "The artwork in this set stands out from other recent expansions, largely due to the Showcase card variants. [...] The overall result is a good looking, thematic mash-up reminiscent of the Lorwyn and Shadowmoor expansions. [...] When this set was first teased I had mixed feelings. I liked the lean in towards Knight tribal. However, I thought the fairytale theme might be too childish (Shrek came to mind). On balance, I think the theme has the right tone".[20]

Derek Gallen, for Hipsters of the Coast, commented that "Throne of Eldraine looks excellent for cube owners. It’s full of new and unique cards; many of them are strong enough to be meaningful—without being too dominant—inclusions for every power level, or environment".[25]

Joshua Nelson, in a separate article for Bleeding Cool, also highlighted that players and store owners complained that the Throne of Eldraine Collector's Edition packs were mappable. Nelson wrote, "for those uninitiated to this phenomenon, 'mapping' a booster box is a trial-and-error process where packs are opened in order to locate where a specific card is in a box. From data extrapolated from numerous sources of opened boxes, a conclusion can or cannot be reached as to where a card can be on a near-definitive level. [...] The main concern here is that the cards themselves in these packs are cut in a way that denotes that they are oversized and slightly misshaped. [...] Still, the set is good and the Collector's Edition cards are obtainable in other places where the print run isn't totally skewed and the packs are cut properly, so in the end, we can all keep on playing Magic: The Gathering without worrying about these issues".[26]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Throne of Eldraine". MAGIC: THE GATHERING. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
  2. ^ "New Codenames". Blogatog. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
  3. ^ "MTG Arena Officially Launches With Throne of Eldraine Expansion". ScreenRant. September 26, 2019. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
  4. ^ "MTG Arena Throne of Eldraine Release Date Revealed". Esports Talk. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
  5. ^ Hall, Charlie (September 4, 2019). "Magic: The Gathering's new digital version will be released this month". Polygon. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
  6. ^ "Magic: The Gathering Reveals 2020 Release Slate Details". ComicBook.com. September 4, 2019. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
  7. ^ "Magic: The Gathering's Next Set Brings Back Faeries". ScreenRant. July 18, 2019. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
  8. ^ "INTERVIEW: Grimms' Fairy Tales Meet Arthurian Legend in New Magic: The Gathering Set". CBR. July 25, 2019. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
  9. ^ ""The Wildered Quest" by Kate Elliott Will Tell Throne of Eldraine's Story, Releases September 4". Hipsters of the Coast. July 25, 2019. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
  10. ^ "Wizards Unveils Throne of Eldraine at San Diego Comic-Con". Hipsters of the Coast. July 21, 2019. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
  11. ^ Johnson, Xavier (March 25, 2021). "Will and Rowan Kenrith are back as students in MTG Strixhaven: School of Mages". Dot Esports. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
  12. ^ "New MTG Rowan Throne of Eldraine Cards Leak in France, Translated". Esports Talk. August 9, 2019. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
  13. ^ Forster, Danny (September 4, 2019). "Garruk returns to MTG Standard in Throne of Eldraine". Dot Esports. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
  14. ^ "Garruk Returns in Throne of Eldraine Trailer". ScreenRant. September 4, 2019. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
  15. ^ "Magic: The Gathering Reveals First Look at Garruk in New Expansion". ComicBook.com. September 4, 2019. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
  16. ^ a b "Magic the Gathering's Newest Planeswalker for Throne of Eldraine Revealed". Game Rant. August 29, 2019. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
  17. ^ "Magic: The Gathering Arena Bans New Planeswalker Oko in Brawl". ComicBook.com. November 10, 2019. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
  18. ^ Carter, Chris (November 18, 2019). "Oko has been banned from Magic: The Gathering standard play, which includes Arena". Destructoid. Archived from the original on November 27, 2020. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
  19. ^ "Throne of Eldraine Mechanics". MAGIC: THE GATHERING. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
  20. ^ a b "MTG Throne of Eldraine Review | Board Games | Zatu Games UK". Zatu Games. April 16, 2020. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
  21. ^ "Magic: The Gathering: Throne of Eldraine First Impressions". ComicBook.com. September 28, 2019. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
  22. ^ Nelson, Joshua (October 1, 2019). ""Throne of Eldraine" Product Review, Part 1 - "Magic: The Gathering"". Bleeding Cool News And Rumors. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
  23. ^ a b Nelson, Joshua (October 2, 2019). ""Throne of Eldraine" Product Review, Part 2 - "Magic: The Gathering"". Bleeding Cool News And Rumors. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
  24. ^ a b Nelson, Joshua (October 3, 2019). ""Throne of Eldraine" Product Review, Part 3 - "Magic: The Gathering"". Bleeding Cool News And Rumors. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
  25. ^ "Throne of Eldraine Cube Review: Multicolor & Colorless". Hipsters of the Coast. December 4, 2019. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
  26. ^ Nelson, Joshua (September 30, 2019). ""Throne of Eldraine" Quality Control Problems - "Magic: The Gathering"". Bleeding Cool News And Rumors. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
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