A First Look at the New Innistrad

• Posted on 10 August 2021
• By N. Brezina
• Posted in MagictheGathering
• 0

After 5 long years, Magic players are returning to the plane of Innistrad!

Veteran players will feel right at home with Innistrad: Midnight Hunt. We have iconic mechanics such as Flashback making a return, as well as the obligatory card that involves the number 13.

Players who foray into the nightmares of Innistrad for the first time will be enthralled by the plane’s outstanding gothic horror theme. With that said, let’s go over the first round of spoilers.

Starting with the first common spoiler of the set, let’s Consider.

This card is a pseudo-return to standard for Opt, a card that sees play in all sorts of decks whenever it’s reprinted. However, the key difference for Consider is its synergy with the graveyard. In a deck that cares about graveyard interaction, this is a straight upgrade to Opt. It’s up for debate if this is better in other styles of decks, but expect to see this card a lot in standard.

Let’s move on to the uncommons, of which there are three so far:

Let’s start with the outlier here: Infernal Grasp. This card is, without a doubt, one of the best removal spells ever printed. Instant-speed, non-conditional removal at the cost of just two mana and two life is the definition of brutal efficiency. Players of standard, modern, commander and pioneer should expect to see this become a staple.

Moving onto the next card of the bunch, Play with Fire. Not much to say here other than that this card is a straight upgrade to Shock, but that doesn’t mean you will stop seeing Shock. Expect the standard mono-red deck to run a playset of these on top of their existing playset of Shock. It may not be quite as game-changing as Bonecrusher Giant, but the additional scry is nothing to scoff at.

Lastly, Join the Dance: this card is one that I don’t see slotting into any existing archetypes. Unfortunately, token decks only see fringe play in modern and these tokens are humans, meaning they can’t trigger your Winota, Joiner of Forces in standard. However, that doesn’t mean the card is unplayable. With enough support, it is possible that an Abzan (WBG) Humans deck will pop up in standard, taking advantage of efficient removal and General Kudro of Drannith. This card is also nice in a token-based EDH deck, where the ability to generate tokens twice paired with Doubling Season or Parallel Lives can generate a lot of value.

Let’s move onto the rares:

Depending on what else is printed in the set, Champion of the Perished (nice callback to Champion of the Parish) has the potential to be a major player in modern and standard. Zombies have reigned supreme in standard before, most recently during the Amonkhet block, and Champion of the Parish, Champion of the Perished’s living counterpart has made a name for itself as a player in 5 Color Humans, a deck that was the top of the meta for a long time.

Triskaidekaphile is the latest Innistrad card that cares about the number 13, following in the footsteps of Tree of Redemption/Perdition and Triskaidekaphobia.Will this card be good?

No, absolutely not.

But will that stop the Johnny/Jennys out there from trying to assemble the perfect combo with this card? Not by a long shot. Cards like this rarely define a meta, but you should expect to see someone try and win with this card at least once in your life.

Lastly, Wrenn and her ubiquitous naming convention return, this time in the form of Wrenn and Seven.

While I don’t expect Wrenn and Seven to make an impact in standard or modern, I feel that she is a major player in commander decks led by Lord Windgrace or The Gitrog Monster. The two abilities that really stand out to me are her +1 and 0: being able to play Mulch for free every turn can provide a lot of card advantage, especially in a deck that can take advantage of the graveyard. Her 0 ability gives access to an incredibly powerful ability that has not been seen in commander since Fastbond was banned. All in all, Wrenn and Seven can be a major powerhouse in a deck that can take advantage of her many strengths.

All in all, I’m excited for Innistrad: Midnight Hunt. The mix of nostalgia, powerful cards, and awesome gothic flavor has me ripe with anticipation. With cards like these at just the start of spoiler season, there’s no telling what else we might run into in this upcoming spoiler season.

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