Sets Ikoria Inquiry

[TrainmasterGT]

Ikoria previews don't officially start until April 2nd, but that doesn't mean we're free of stuff to talk about. In fact, between the few tidbits of official information we have and a few cheeky leaks, we can actually get a pretty good picture of what Ikoria and Ikoria Commander are going to look like. Since almost none of this information is confirmed, I'm going to kindly ask that no one post official card previews here. I want to discuss leaks here and since not all of this information is confirmed I don't want people 5 years from now having to sift through 4 pages of discussion of cards that may very well be fake before they can start reading about reactions to real magic cards. Anyway, without further ado, lets take a look at what we know.

Official Information​

The first "real" information we have about Ikoria comes straight from the Magic man himself, Mark Rosewater. This is the only concrete information we have about this set other than "it has two ambitious mechanics." Not all of this information is relevant to our discussion today, so I'll leave the full text in a spoiler and point out the bits we care about.​

​

Spoiler: Maro Teaser

Previews for Ikoria: Lair of the Behemoths don’t start until April 2, but I’ve been getting a lot of requests from people cooped up at home that are eager for any content, so I decided to do something I used to do all the time back in my column in The Duelist. I’m going to be giving you a Maro Teaser where I give tiny hints of things to come. Note that I’m only giving you partial information.
The following can be found in Ikoria:
• Magic’s seventh Egg
• A card with the text “four or more times this game”
• A card with the text “total power 10 or less”
• Magic’s largest power/toughness granting aura.
• A card with the text “X is the number of times this creature has mutated”
• Magic’s third and fourth card with “(Zero is even.)” reminder text.
• Three cards with the text “different name(s)”
• Twelve different types of counters
• A card that says “choose a kind of counter at random”
• A card with the text “remove eight foreshadow counters”
• And a cycle that players have been asking us to make for over ten years
In addition, Ikoria has creatures with the following creature types:
• Dinosaur Turtle
• Shark Beast
• Demon Kraken
• Elemental Otter
• Brushwagg
• Hellion Horror
• and a Nightmare Squirrel (Yes, a Squirrel in a Standard-legal set!)
Hopefully, this can tide you all over until the previews begin on April 2nd. Enjoy!

EDIT: Oops, there’s actually thirteen different type of counters. I searched for counter and planeswalkers don’t actually say “counter” on them. So that’s twelve not counting loyalty counters. Sorry.

The biggest news of the day is that Brushwaggs are back! Hopefully this card is good, if for no other reason than the memes. I'm also excited to see the return of Squirrels in black border magic! Even if this specific squirrel card isn't cubable, the important thing is that the WOTC creative team have finally realized that squirrels are less silly house cats in a fantasy card game. Dinosaurs are coming back, as turtles, no less! Finally, "Shark" is going to be a creature type now. I guess Fish Beast just wasn't a good creature type for a Landshark (<-- That wasn't confirmed or leaked anywhere but why else would they give a Shark the Beast creature type as well?).

​

It was confirmed a few months ago from a now-deleted WPN post that Ikoria prerelease packs would contain "double-sided keyword counters." This leads me to believe that the 10 of the "Twelve Thirteen different types of counters" will be keyword counters, sort of like the Recycla-bird playtest card. I think that the Mutate mechanic will be an activated ability that either allows you to put a keyword counter on a creature by revealing the mutate card from your hand, or an activated ability that lets you put a keyword counter following some parameters on a creature already in play. The card with the text “four or more times this game” may actually just say “If CARDNAME has mutated four or more times this game, EFFECT.” I believe that specifically 10 of the counters will be Keyword Counters because 3 of the counters will be eaten up by Loyalty, +1/+1, and "foreshadow" counters. In fact, I think the "foreshadow" counters reveal was just a red herring to sow dissent about Keyword Counters being in the set. If I were a betting man, I would even be willing to say that Recycla-bird is actually just an Ikoria card, like how Enchantmentize showed up as One with the Stars in Theros: Beyond Death.​

​

Now, we may actually know what Cycle of Cards Mark is referring too when he talks about "a cycle that players have been asking us to make for over ten years." However, for that, we're going to have to take a look at the Cheeky Leaks. Stop reading here if you care about that sort of thing.​

​

Cheeky Leaks​

There have been 3 major leaks for Ikoria so far to which I have access. The first two are the least impressive in my opinion, but I think they have a slightly higher chance of being real. In addition, thematically, they kind of confirm each other and are slightly backed up by information MaRo has given us, specifically in terms of the Cycle.​

Spoiler

1 Mosurag, Venerated Terror
Creatures
1 Anafenza, the Foremost
1 Aura Gnarlid
1 Auramancer
1 Avacyn's Pilgrim
1 Bramble Elemental
1 Bringer of Offerings
1 Bristling Hystricid
1 Drakitar Warlord
1 Dreampod Druid
1 Elves of Deep Shadow
1 Enveloping Chrysalis
1 Gorjaru, the Horned Crown
1 Kitsune Mystic
1 Manglehorn
1 Miasma Lurker
1 Nikau, Breeder of Monsters
1 Ogru Centipede
1 Onuwat Dowser
1 Pontiff of Blight
1 Ravenous Chupacabra
1 Roaring Behemoth
1 Saber Mantid
1 Siege Rhino
1 Thran Golem
1 Umbra Mystic
1 Vampire Nighthawk
1 Wardshell Tortoise
1 Watchful Loris
1 Whiptongue Frog
1 Wood Elves
1 Zetalpa, Primal Dawn
Noncreature Spells
1 Abzan Charm
1 Ancient Ultimatum
1 Canopy Cover
1 Dawn Charm
1 Despark
1 Dregs of Sorrow
1 Faith's Reward
1 Fertile Ground
1 Golgari Signet
1 Heliod's Intervention
1 Indrik Umbra
1 Maelstrom Pulse
1 Mosurag’s Roar
1 Necromancer's Magemark
1 Ob-Nixilis, the Hate-Twisted
1 Orzhov Charm
1 Orzhov Signet
1 Painful Truths
1 Priviledged Position
1 Pulse of Murasa
1 Putrefy
1 Rancor
1 Shimmering Lotus
1 Selesnya Signet
1 Sol Ring
1 Swarm Stampede
1 Swiftfoot Boots
1 Triumph of the Hordes
1 Winds of Rath
Land
1 Blossoming Sands
1 Brushland
1 Cavernous Lair
1 Caves of Koilos
1 Command Tower
1 Evolving Wilds
7 Forest
1 Gateway Plaza
1 Golgari Rot Farm
1 Shambling Vent
1 Jungle Hollow
1 Llanowar Wastes
1 Murmuring Bosk
1 Orzhov Basilica
7 Plains
1 Sandsteppe Citadel
1 Scoured Barrens
1 Selesnya Sanctuary
7 Swamp
1 Vivid Grove

Now, this is just another commander deck following in the tradition of Crappy, Low Powered commander products without any value we've seen since Commander 2016. "But what about the new cards?" You may ask. Well, Here they are!

Spoiler: r/MTGFinance Commander Leak

New Cards:
Mosurag, Venerated Terror 2WBG
Legendary Creature- Insect Beast M
Flying
Spells your opponents control that target Mosurag, Venerated Terror cost 1 more to cast for each Aura you control attached to it.
Whenever an Aura you control becomes attached to Mosurag, deal X damage to any target, where X is the number of Auras you control attached to it. You gain X life.
4/3

Bringer of Offerings 3B
Creature-Human Shaman R
Sacrifice a creature: Target creature you control gains indestructible until end of turn.
[“What are we to Mosurag’s magnificience? What are our lives to her eternity?”-Angdak, Voice of Mosurag]
2/3

Bristling Hystricid 2BG
Creature-Beast U
Lifelink, Evolve
Enchanted creature has lifelink and evolve.
When Bristling Hystricid becomes attached to a creature, move all +1/+1 counters from it to that creature.
Merge 2
4/1

Drakitar Warlord 6WB
Creature-Human Warrior Shaman U
Whenever one or more creatures you control attack, each defending player loses X life and you gain X life, where X is the total power of attacking creatures you control.
[Crafted from the god-beasts’ horns, Drakitar trumpets still resound with their roars.]
5/3

Enveloping Chrysalis 2W
Creature-Insect R
Indestructible
Enchanted creature has indestructible, can't attack or block, and its activated abilities can't be activated.
Merge 1W
0/6

Gorjaru, the Horned Crown WBG
Legendary Creature-Beast M
Trample
Enchanted creature gets +2/+2 and has trample. If Gorjaru, the Horned Crown is your commander, enchanted creature deals commander damage as if it was Gorjaru.
Merge 3
[Even among behemoths, there are kings.]
4/4

Miasma Lurker 1B
Creature-Horror R
Whenever a card is exiled from an opponent’s library, that player loses 1 life.
2B: Target player exiles the top card of their library.
[In the fetid swamps of Ogru, one's very thoughts become a part of the food chain.]
2/2

Nikau, Breeder of Monsters 2WB
Legendary Creature-Human Shaman M
1W: Attach target Aura you control to target creature you control.
Enchanted creatures you control get +1/+1 and have menace.
[A weaponsmith of claw and fang]
2/5

Ogru Centipede 1WB
Creature-Insect U
Merge abilities of other creatures you control cost 1 less to activate.
Deathtouch
Enchanted creature has deathtouch.
Merge WB
2/3
Onuwat Dowser 3W
Creature-Human Cleric R
When Onuwat Dowser enters the battlefield, create X 1/1 white Human tokens, where X is the amount of life you’ve gained this turn.
[Where mana flourishes, villages thrive.]
2/3
Roaring Behemoth 5GG
Creature-Dinosaur Beast
Vigilance
Creatures with power 2 or less can’t block creatures you control.
[Its footsteps are tremors, its bellow is a gale. Few can even meet its claws standing.]
8/5

Saber Mantid 2W
Creature-Insect C
First Strike
Enchanted creature has first strike.
Merge 1W (This creature becomes an Aura enchantment with enchant creature. Attach it and any number of Auras enchanting it to target creature. Merge only as a sorcery)
2/1

Watchful Loris 3W
Creature-Ape C
Vigilance
Enchanted creature has vigilance.
Merge W (This creature becomes an Aura enchantment with enchant creature. Attach it and any number of Auras enchanting it to target creature. Merge only as a sorcery. It becomes a creature again if it's not attached to a creature.)
3/3

Whiptongue Frog 1G
Creature-Frog C
Reach
Enchanted creature has reach.
Merge G (This creature becomes an Aura enchantment with enchant creature. Attach it and any number of Auras enchanting it to target creature. Merge only as a sorcery. It becomes a creature again if it's not attached to a creature.)
2/3

Ancient Ultimatum GGBBBWW
Return up to 5 target permanents from your graveyard to the battlefield.
[“If there is one single trait that describes life, it is endurance. Everything that lives finds a way to regrow, and clings to life,” -Angdak, Voice of Mosurag]

Mosurag’s Roar XWBG
Sorcery U
Choose one-
Tap up to X target creatures. Each opponent loses X life and you gain X life. Put X +1/+1 counters on target creature. It gains trample until end of turn. If X is 5 or more, choose all.

Shimmering Lotus 4
Artifact R
T: For each color among permanents you control, add one mana of that color.
[Each petal a mirror]

Swarm Stampede 4G
Instant R
Creatures you control get +2/+0 until end of turn. Prevent all combat damage that would be dealt to them this turn.
Creatures your opponents control must block this turn if able.
[On other planes, wars are fought with siege machines, fortresses, and canons. On Ikoria, the behemoths obsolete them all.]

Cavernous Lair
Land C
T: Add 1 to your mana pool
T: Add X to your mana pool, where X is the number of times you’ve cast your commander from the command zone. Spend this mana only to cast your commander.

Some of these cards are fine. The only two that interest me are Enveloping Chrysalis and Roaring Behemoth.
Enveloping Chrysalis
Creature-Insect R
Indestructible
Enchanted creature has indestructible, can't attack or block, and its activated abilities can't be activated.
Merge (This creature becomes an Aura enchantment with enchant creature. Attach it and any number of Auras enchanting it to target creature. Merge only as a sorcery. It becomes a creature again if it's not attached to a creature.)
0/6

Merge is probably the "other" wacky mechanic MaRo mentions in a previous blog post.It could work, it's basically bestow except you do it once the creature is already in play. Most of the merge cards revealed here appear to be limited filler that are just in the deck because of the theme. As for Enveloping Chrysalis, I just think this is a cool stall card and removal spell. I don't think I have room for it but I like the design space.​

​

Roaring Behemoth
Creature-Dinosaur Beast
Vigilance
Creatures with power 2 or less can’t block creatures you control.
Its footsteps are tremors, its bellow is a gale. Few can even meet its claws standing.
8/5

I really, really hope this card is in the main set. Roaring Behemoth is fine on both offense and defense and is exactly the type of card that is fun to play without being oppressive. 5 toughness is a little on the low side, but the fact that it can't be reasonably chumped makes up for it a little bit. If this is a $1 main set card, I'll pick it up even if I don't end up putting it in the main cube, if it's a card specifically for the commander decks, I'll pass.

I think this next card is what either confirms or dispels this leak:
Ancient Ultimatum
Return up to 5 target permanents from your graveyard to the battlefield.
“If there is one single trait that describes life, it is endurance. Everything that lives finds a way to regrow, and clings to life,” -Angdak, Voice of Mosurag


So, this card is clearly meant for commander, but It would make sense if the ultimatums were the "cycle that players have been asking us to make for over ten years" as MaRo states. The original Ultimatums from Shards of Alara are Iconic and see extensive commander play. They're exactly the type of card that WOTC would print in Timmy Monster World for Commander nerds. Shards of Alara was released in 2008, which would put it 2 years out of the 10 year time span MaRo indicated.

Now, Ancient Ultimatum is almost identical to a custom card posted on MTGsalvation in 2012. The card names are even the same. Some are saying that bit of information completely disproves this leak. However, I think this may just be a huge coincidence. The cards from the leak appear to be translated, so the name may not be Ancient Ultimatum. The two Ultimatums are also templated differently, with the Custom being unable to return planes walkers to play like the leak.

With the information I have already presented, I wouldn't be convinced that the leak is real given how outlandish merge is and the questionable status of Ancient Ultimatum as a copy of a custom card. It would just be weird to have a random Wedge-color commander deck and Ultimatum if the set as a whole were not a Wedge set. However, there are two pieces of information that make me believe that this leak is just a crappy translation of something that is in fact, Real.

The first is this Narset leak from MTGFinance Reddit:

Spoiler: Narset on Ikoria

A Facebook group I’m a part of said they got some leaks for Ikoria:
Can’t verify, take it for what it’s worth...

Narset on Ikoria
Legendary Planeswalker - Narset
+1 Add W, R, or U. Spend this mana only to cast noncreature spells.
-2 Draw a card, then discard a card. ~ deals damage to target creature or planeswalker equal to the CMC of the discarded card.
-6 You get an emblem that says "Deal 2 damage to any target when you cast a noncreature spell."
[4]

Obviously this is also a translation. Narset was uploaded 8 days before the commander deck by a different user from the commander leaker. If Ikoria is a wedge set, then using theWedge world Planeswalker would make sense. I know none of Narset's cards in the Dragons of Tarkir timeline have had a red streak to them, and that the Clans are now ally colored in the new timeline instead of Wedges, but I don't think that's worth getting hung up on.

The fact is: We have a Wedge Planeswalker, A Wedge Commander deck that contains a card from a cycle players have been asking to be completed for over a decade, and a Post from MaRo confirming the completion of an old cycle made after these two leaks. That all lines up a little too perfectly in my opinion for all of this information to be fake.

There's even a smoking gun. This year, there are going to be 5 commander decks, up from the 4 they've made during the last three years. Why would they do this? Well, it could be because this is the so-called "year of commander" and they just wanted to make more commander pre-cons. However, since there will also be commander decks with Zendikar Rising, it seems a little weird they would jump from 4 decks in a year all the way up to 7. I think the reason for this change is because Ikoria is a Wedge Set like Khans of Tarkir. Since there are 5 Wedges, WOTC made 5 Commander decks, one for each 3-color pair.

All of these cards are fine, but they're not really cubable. The only reason I'm even mentioning them is because I think they're real.

That's all I have for tonight. Do you think -any- of this is real, or did I just waste an hour writing this? Do you think WOTC is crazy enough to print a Wedge Set with Keyword Counters and Creatures that become Auras all at the same time? Do you think the Cycling cards are from Ikoria or M21? Let me know what you think!

 

[TrainmasterGT]

I'm not sure why multiple spoiler windows are showing up for each set of cards. My edit window shows only one [spoiler ][/spoiler ] per sub category. Mod, could you fix please?

 

[Velrun]

Very interesting and thank you for taking the time to write things down instead of just linking to the MARO game.

I very much hope Ikoria will bring keyword tokens like the ones you mention from Mystery Booster. This is what I predicted and hopefully I can replace my custom versions with real versions soon.

It is pretty cool you have some new information that no one has ever seen before. Is your guy working for Wizards? Indeed that Naturalize with cycling is perfect. I wish Forsake the Worldly was 1 mana cheaper and now it looks like it will be but color shifted and exile-to-destroyed shifted. Cool!

I think all those guys you may cast from your sideboard has value because of their ability to be a free card and not because of their abilities otherwise. I have quuuuuuuite a lot of experience with cards you may cast from your sideboard since my entire cube has that feature and in most cases it doesn’t matter what the extra card does as long as it is free.

I hope all these leaks are true. Good job, Train man

 

[TrainmasterGT]

I very much hope Ikoria will bring keyword tokens like the ones you mention from Mystery Booster. This is what I predicted and hopefully I can replace my custom versions with real versions soon.

It is pretty cool you have some new information that no one has ever seen before. Is your guy working for Wizards? Indeed that Naturalize with cycling is perfect. I wish Forsake the Worldly was 1 mana cheaper and now it looks like it will be but color shifted and exile-to-destroyed shifted. Cool!

I think all those guys you may cast from your sideboard has value because of their ability to be a free card and not because of their abilities otherwise. I have quuuuuuuite a lot of experience with cards you may cast from your sideboard since my entire cube has that feature and in most cases it doesn’t matter what the extra card does as long as it is free.

Even if I told you my source, I don't know my source's source so where this information originated from is not known to me. For all I know, these cards all could have come from the Narset Facebook group and just shared by someone who cares about cube cards as opposed to splashy mythics

Very interesting and thank you for taking the time to write things down instead of just linking to the MARO game.

I hope all these leaks are true. Good job, Train man

Thank you Velrun!

I always want to do a little bit of analysis when I'm discussing information tidbits from the mothership. Just posting a link to an article everyone has probably already seen is just poor character in my opinion.

 

[shamizy]

For the first batch containing commander cards it's kind of disappointing to me as an avid EDH player, but seems about right power level wise. The only thing that throws me off is that Whiptongue Frog because that card already exists and is in completely different colors than the pre-con it's associated with. Parts of that could be real, but I'm leaning towards false. A handful of them read more like custom card entries than something that would see print imo.

I think the Narset could be real. Power level wise it's kind of ehh but seems like something I'd expect from a secondary walker for a set.

The last set is very interesting, I'm a fan of more versatile removal and cycling on cards as far as designs go, but I'm not seeing how that cast from SB mechanic can work in paper magic. It would require a verification and check of the contents of the entire deck. I'd like some of the cards in the 3rd set to see print, but I'm not sure if those are real.

 

[TrainmasterGT]

For the first batch containing commander cards it's kind of disappointing to me as an avid EDH player, but seems about right power level wise. The only thing that throws me off is that Whiptongue Frog because that card already exists and is in completely different colors than the pre-con it's associated with. Parts of that could be real, but I'm leaning towards false. A handful of them read more like custom card entries than something that would see print imo.

I think the Narset could be real. Power level wise it's kind of ehh but seems like something I'd expect from a secondary walker for a set.

The last set is very interesting, I'm a fan of more versatile removal and cycling on cards as far as designs go, but I'm not seeing how that cast from SB mechanic can work in paper magic. It would require a verification and check of the contents of the entire deck. I'd like some of the cards in the 3rd set to see print, but I'm not sure if those are real.

I think the Whiptongue Frog from the first set is just a translation error.

 

[shamizy]

Yeah, you could call a judge, but that seems like an unnecessary hoop to jump through each time. Especially if it's each card in your deck, seems like a ton of work. Maybe if it's checking only for things currently on the battlefield? That would make a little more sense to me. Having to verify unknown information to enable a public effect seems bizarre in paper Magic.

 

[Onderzeeboot]

Weren't those commander spoilers confirmed as fake?

Those hybrids are moving firmly into digital only territory. Not sure what to think of them, other than that they're going to be a logistical nightmare for paper Magic. Not a fan of these designs, honestly Thanks for sharing though! That Naturalize with cycling is kinda exciting though, very useful.

(Also, sorry to be a negative Nancy...)

 

[Aston]

The "cast from sideboard" cards don't seem remotely plausible to me. The only way they'd work is if you showed your whole deck and hand to your opponent before you cast them.

As for the last set, I think the cast from sideboard stuff is fairly easy to verify one way or another. If the player has only cast 4 drops this match, then they're not cheating when they play their "Big Beef." If they played a 1 drop and try to cast it from the side, call a judge! It's hard to game this system IMO, although I do agree it could cause issues.

For some, maybe, but looking at this card:

Spoiler

"Sideboard Goo" 2(B/G)(B/G)
Creature - Ooze
If all non-land cards in your deck share a card type, you may cast Sideboard Goo from your sideboard. As Sideboard Goo enters the battlefield, choose a nonland card type. Spells of that type cost 1 less to cast.
4/5

If I have a limited deck that's 22 creatures and one wrath of god, what's to stop me from waiting to see how the game plays out and whether I draw the card in question, and then deciding to cast this based on if I need to cast the wrath or not this game? In a tournament setting, you'd have to call a judge to deck check your opponent every time one of these cards was cast.

 

[Velrun]

Here are two custom cards that we run in our cube



They also require a judge or use the Hearthstone formula where the game makes the rules check/deck check for the players.

Also I remember reading that MTG Arena would one day have cards that would be released on Arena and not on paper. Arena-only cards. Maybe that will be in 2020?

 

[Onderzeeboot]

That Yaqup design is pretty spicy! I can't figure out if it's broken or not

 

[Velrun]

That Yaqup design is pretty spicy! I can't figure out if it's broken or not

 

[TekLazar]

The Narset planeswalker is intriguing to me cuz most of the tri-colored Jeskai cards are pretty "eh" and the Abzan wedge also makes it possible that this is a wedge set, but I'm not sure if we can prove it yet. Throne of Eldraine had shards in their Brawl decks so they could be doing the same thing for their Commander pre-cons cuz tri-color commanders are very popular. The only thing is that Narset doesn't have "this planeswalker can be your commander" but she is also a Mythic Rare, so I would find that still unclear if wedge set.
But I would certainly love if it was a wedge set, so I'm holding out hope.
I was already sold on Brushwagg, Squirrel, and giant flipping monsters, so anything else is gravy.

 

[Velrun]

Train

Someone put your article on the big map:

https://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums...ikoria-cycling-and-cast-from-sideboard-hybrid

 

[TekLazar]

Reading that thread reminded me of this article

https://thehardtimes.net/harddrive/...onent-isnt-ready-for-new-decks-secret-weapon/

EDIT: Looks like that thread was deleted, some other posters say that the leaks are fake, but I can't find where they got that info?

 

[Kirblinx]

I'm not sure why multiple spoiler windows are showing up for each set of cards. My edit window shows only one [spoiler ][/spoiler ] per sub category. Mod, could you fix please?

I got you fam.

Had to delete the r/MTGfinance link, as it was causing some of the problems, and also decided to hide the two other cards that you didn't hide behind a spoiler wall in case some people don't want to see leaks.
I don't really have much to say on how to fix it, it was just me copy and pasting your entire post into the preview pane and continually trying different things until the multiple spoiler tags went away. Maybe try and put quotation marks around the text for your spoiler tags?

[spoiler="Sup dude"][/spoiler]

I feel that might be one of the problems, but there is always lingering code that you can't see if you do too many edits, you just need to delete everything around that area to try and clean it up.

Hope that helps!

 

[TrainmasterGT]

I got you fam.

Had to delete the r/MTGfinance link, as it was causing some of the problems, and also decided to hide the two other cards that you didn't hide behind a spoiler wall in case some people don't want to see leaks.
I don't really have much to say on how to fix it, it was just me copy and pasting your entire post into the preview pane and continually trying different things until the multiple spoiler tags went away. Maybe try and put quotation marks around the text for your spoiler tags?

[spoiler="Sup dude"][/spoiler]

I feel that might be one of the problems, but there is always lingering code that you can't see if you do too many edits, you just need to delete everything around that area to try and clean it up.

Hope that helps!

Thank You!

Gavin Verhey made an Instagram Post talking about some stuff that will be in Ikoria Commander. Apparently, there will be creatures with the following types:
-Trilobite
-Goat Hydra
-Badger Dinosaur

So apparently WOTC is combining their Reptiles and Mammals now type-wise. Hopefully the Goat Hydra has good art.

 

[TrainmasterGT]

So... I found this picture on reddit.

Each one of these boxes corresponds to one of the decks. I noticed that the Symbiotic Swarm deck (the one that was leaked up top) is in the box that corresponds to black mana. This is significant because Black is the shared enemy color of White and Green in the Abzan Wedge. So... It's a little convenient that it happens to be in the black box, right?

Also, the other deck names totally match with their Wedges.

- Arcane Maelstrom. That's the most Jeskai Name Ever.
- Enhanced Evolution. I can see that as Sultai. Definitely a U/G deck.
- Ruthless Regimen. It isn't the most Ikoria-sounding name on the planet, but it works for Mardu extremely well.
- Timeless Wisdom. That sounds like a base U deck to me, but it totally makes sense as Temur Monsters. Green likes wisdom passed on from the ancestors, too.

Gavin Verhey also did another round of "previews" on his Instagram. He revealed that there will be a Whale Wolf creature and Dinosaur Cat tokens in Commander 2020. He also said that there is "A cycle of cards that is a reimagining of an old, popular multiplayer cycle." So... Ultimatums?

I'm beginning to think that the Symbiotic Swarm Decklist that was leaked is a fake, but certain parts of the leak are real. None of the cards leaked in that list really fit with the crazy creature types we'd expect to see thanks to all of these teasers, and all of the new cards seem pretty bad. In addition, the front of the commander boxes say "4 Legendary Foils," but there are only 3 tricolor commanders for the deck in the decklist. So, unless the W/B commander for the 99 is one of the foils, it stands to reason that something is wrong.

However, the Ultimatum cycle being the re-imagining cycle definitely makes sense since people really like the ultimatums in commander. In addition, the Narset leak came from a different source and has not yet been confirmed as either true or false.

Now, I'm not sure as to why someone would leak a commander deck that includes some real cards and some fakes, but that may have been what happened.

Honestly, I'm not sure what to think anymore.

 

[Velrun]

So... I found this picture on reddit.

Each one of these boxes corresponds to one of the decks. I noticed that the Symbiotic Swarm deck (the one that was leaked up top) is in the box that corresponds to black mana. This is significant because Black is the shared enemy color of White and Green in the Abzan Wedge. So... It's a little convenient that it happens to be in the black box, right?

Also, the other deck names totally match with their Wedges.

- Arcane Maelstrom. That's the most Jeskai Name Ever.
- Enhanced Evolution. I can see that as Sultai. Definitely a U/G deck.
- Ruthless Regimen. It isn't the most Ikoria-sounding name on the planet, but it works for Mardu extremely well.
- Timeless Wisdom. That sounds like a base U deck to me, but it totally makes sense as Temur Monsters. Green likes wisdom passed on from the ancestors, too.

I was rubbing my greedy hands when I saw ‘Ikoria Inquiry’ had received a new comment.

However I will say that a Jeskai (Non-green, non-black) deck named Arcane Maelstrom is not the most Jeskai name ever.



Also there has never been a Maelstrom card in Jeskai colors before.

On the other hand Timeless Wisdom does sound Jeskai since they were, in fact, the Khan who kept all of Tarkirs memory potected from Sarkhans time travel catastrophe. Or at least they tried.

I am not sure how all this holds up with your theories

Also I guess you could call the 5 Alara Ultimatums for multiplayer cards? I am not sure. I have never seen any of them cast in a multiplayer game and none of the cards mentions ‘teams’ or gets better when there are several opponents. I have seen Cruel Ultimatum get cast in tons of 1v1 games during its time in Standard.

One final thought is that some of this does sound like it hit the spot. We have seen things from Alara and Tarkir which were the only two planes in the MtG history where they have Shards and Khans; the tricolor clans.

 

[Onderzeeboot]

WotC pushed back the release of Ikoria in a number of continents by a month!

https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/news/changes-release-ikoria-lair-behemoths-2020-03-26

 

[TekLazar]

Unfortunate, but makes sense. It would be hard to convince my friends to do a booster box at this time anyway
"Yes, while huddling close together we open cards from a booster, observing, breathing, touching, and laughing on them, then we pass them to the person to our left."
"I... think that's considered a terrorist threat."

 

[Onderzeeboot]

Unfortunate, but makes sense. It would be hard to convince my friends to do a booster box at this time anyway
"Yes, while huddling close together we open cards from a booster, observing, breathing, touching, and laughing on them, then we pass them to the person to our left."
"I... think that's considered a terrorist threat."

As long as you have a draft table where you can keep ~2 meters distance between each drafter and you have loads of disinfectant ready you should be good. Easy!

 

[Rasmus Källqvist]

Luckily it's still possible to get some sense of what's going in the set with arena and modo.

 

[TrainmasterGT]

I was rubbing my greedy hands when I saw ‘Ikoria Inquiry’ had received a new comment.

However I will say that a Jeskai (Non-green, non-black) deck named Arcane Maelstrom is not the most Jeskai name ever.



Also there has never been a Maelstrom card in Jeskai colors before.

On the other hand Timeless Wisdom does sound Jeskai since they were, in fact, the Khan who kept all of Tarkirs memory potected from Sarkhans time travel catastrophe. Or at least they tried.

I am not sure how all this holds up with your theories

Also I guess you could call the 5 Alara Ultimatums for multiplayer cards? I am not sure. I have never seen any of them cast in a multiplayer game and none of the cards mentions ‘teams’ or gets better when there are several opponents. I have seen Cruel Ultimatum get cast in tons of 1v1 games during its time in Standard.

"Maelstrom" is just a Norwegian word for "whirlpool," so it isn't actually an Alara-specific thing. I bet they just used the word because it evokes the feeling of a storm and sounds high-fantasy related.

As for timeless wisdom, I think Green has a far greater "timeless" quality to it than white. Green is the color of ancient behemoths and monsters, while white is the color of fragile humans (and their occasional angelic protector). Meanwhile, green doesn't really have any elements that feel "arcane" in my opinion, as it's the color least likely to interact with noncreature spells.

I wouldn't spend much time reading into the names if we didn't have both the box colors and a "leaked" decklist. Names alone could mean anything- I was only connecting them to color combinations based on other information we had.

One final thought is that some of this does sound like it hit the spot. We have seen things from Alara and Tarkir which were the only two planes in the MtG history where they have Shards and Khans; the tricolor clans.

I don't understand what you mean by this. Could you elaborate?

WotC pushed back the release of Ikoria in a number of continents by a month!

https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/news/changes-release-ikoria-lair-behemoths-2020-03-26

I find it weird that the countries closest to the epicenter of the pandemic are getting their Ikoria on time but the US and EU are getting ours delayed. Wouldn't it make more sense to push back the launch globally? Plus, won't some countries still be shut down when this releases?

To be fair, countries like Vietnam and South Korea have been taking this pandemic way more seriously than the US (and our incompetent Executive Branch and Senate).

 

[TrainmasterGT]

OK, we have actual leaks with pictures now.

These came from 4chan's traditional games board originally, I found them on MTGSalvation.

Spoiler

Bioquartz Space Godzilla (Brokkos, Apex of Eternity) (Mythic)
2BG? (probably U or hybrid mana)
Legendary Creature - Nightmare Elemental Beast
Mutate 2U/BGG
Trample
You may cast ~ from your graveyard using it's mutate ability.

6/6
Godzilla, Primal Champion (Titansomething Rex) (Uncommon)
7GG
Creature - Dinosaur Beast
Trample
Cycling 1G
When you cycle ~ put a trample counter on target creature you control
?/?

King Caesar, Ancient Guardian (Can't read name) (Uncommon)
3W
Creature - Cat
Mutate 2W
Whenever this creature mutates other creatures you control get +X/+X until end of turn, where X is the number of times this creature mutated.
3/4

Are these fake? Apparently these are all actual Kaiju monsters from Godzilla mythos. Having said that, these could be more plants to get us speculating in the right direction.

First, the Primal Champion has Cycling, which is possibly in the set as previously indicated. Second, the Bioquartz Space Monster has a mutate ability with a cost of ... A Wedge color combination. With hybrid mana. We still don't know what "mutate" does, but apparently it's an alternative casting cost or something.

It may also be that the names under the Godzilla character names are the names of the Cards. The rules text of these cards do not appear to reference the Godzilla names. I couldn't find anything about a Brokkos, Apex of Eternity after a quick Google search. Food for thought.

So, this is it. Wedge-color Cycling Kaiju set. If these three cards turn out to be real, they probably won't be in the main set, and will probably be the Box Topper promos that we've been told about in the past. Everything we've seen so far from Ikoria, real or fake, is extremely crazy. The continued usage of Cycling, Hybrid Mana, and Wedge colors amongst all of these seems a little too on the nose to indicate that everything is fake.


EDIT: Read the following comment.