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Wilds of Eldraine

Facts
Placement
Plane
Eldraine
Other
Symbol description
An open storybook with a diamond nestled in the pages
Design
Chris Mooney (lead), Mark Rosewater , Erik Lauer , Jenna Helland , Doug Beyer , Dan Musser , Annie Sardelis
Development
Ian Duke (lead), Chris Mooney, Reggie Valk , Daniel Holt , James Rose , Ethan Fleischer , Daniel Xu , Andrew Brown , Michael Majors , Neale LaPlante Johnson , Sam Jiang
Themes and mechanics
Adventures , Enchantment matters, Food , Roles
Keywords/​ability words
Bargain , Celebration
March of the Machine: The Aftermath
March of the Machine: The Aftermath Wilds of Eldraine The Lost Caverns of Ixalan

Wilds of Eldraine is the ninety-seventh Magic expansion. It was released on September 8, 2023.

Set details

Wilds of Eldraine contains 266 regular cards (101 commons, 80 uncommons, 60 rares, 20 mythic rares, 5 basic lands), and includes randomly inserted traditional foil versions of all cards. The regular cards include 5 full-art "fairy tale" basic lands by Hari & Deepti (#262-266). Normal basic lands are #267-276. Alternate card frames have a different card number than the original version. Storybook showcase cards are #277-296. Borderless cards are #297-307, the new Jumpstart cards are #308-322 and extended art cards are #323-374. Promo cards are numbered #375-381.

Wilds of Eldraine Set Boosters feature Universes Within versions of the Secret Lair Drop Series: The Walking Dead characters (SLX #018-023).

There is no Standard Rotation connected to this set. Going forward, sets will rotate out every three years rather than every two years.

Storyline

The storybook world of Eldraine awaits as we venture beyond the Realm into the darker Wilds, filled with fairy-tale wonder — and danger. The witch Eriette, her sisters, and Talion are responsible for a curse that’s lying over the land as others vie for power in a land looking for leadership. As Will Kenrith takes up his father’s sword and seeks peace as a way to fix his home, his twin sister Rowan, now a Strixhaven-trained mage, thinks she can gain enough magical power to make everything back to the way it was. Meanwhile the non-desparked planeswalker Ashiok has arrived to profit from the Wicked Slumber nobody can wake up from.

Meanwhile, a young human with fae blood begins his journey in the Wilds as the Fae Lord Talion tasks him with vanquishing the three witch sisters to end the Wicked Slumber once and for all. Along his adventures, he meets a red-hooded scout and a Vedalken from a city far, far away. He learns that his fae ancestry is more extraordinary than he would ever imagine and continues his quest to seek more answers about it by setting foot into a most peculiar portal.

This visit delves much heavier into the fairy tales and less into the Arthurian legend, though it's still in the set. Wilds of Eldraine is the first set in the three-year Omenpath Arc, with creatures from elsewhere randomly showing up on the planes where the story takes place.

The cards that represent the Story Spotlights in Wilds of Eldraine are:

MagicStory

Marketing

Wilds of Eldraine is sold in regular 16-card Draft Boosters (one card being a marketing card), Collector Boosters, Set Boosters, the Wilds of Eldraine Bundle and two Commander decks. The Jumpstart Boosters for this set have been replaced by a Starter Kit. Starting with this set, the packaging for the Commander decks is changed. They don't show the face card anymore on the front. The land slot will have full-art lands in 33% of draft/set boosters.

Wizards of the Coast didn't release Jumpstart Boosters alongside Wilds of Eldraine. However, as with previous new-to-Magic Standard-legal cards in Jumpstart Boosters, players could find additional Standard-legal Jumpstart cards in Set and Collector Boosters.

Enchanting Tales

Enchanting Tales is a separate set of cards associated with Wilds of Eldraine, similar to the Retro Artifacts and Multiverse Legends Bonus sheets. In Enchanting Tales, Wizards of the Coast have reprinted 63 enchantments with a special card frame and the set code WOT. Wilds of Eldraine Draft Boosters contain 1 Enchanting Tales cards, Set Boosters contain 1-3, and Collector Boosters contain 3-4. These will only be legal in formats that they are already legal in and in Historic. They are not part of the Standard environment, however, the cards may be used in Limited events.

Events

Promos

Beadle & Grimm's

Beadle & Grimm's released a special Token Set in conjunction with Wilds of Eldraine. This consisted of a tin box depicting Syr Ginger fighting multiple Food Horrors, a Syr Ginger metal life counter (1–40), six Sweettooth-themed dice (1 x d20, 2 x d10, 3 x d6), seven aluminum role token cards and seven metal gingerbread counters (5 x +1 , 2 x +5).

Tokens and markers

Wilds of Eldraine has 17 tokens and 1 marker.

  1. {W} 1/1 Bird creature with flying for Knight of Doves.
  2. {W} 1/1 Human creature for Have for Dinner, Return from the Wilds, Stroke of Midnight and Welcome to Sweettooth.
  3. {W} 2/2 Knight creature with vigilance for Ardenvale Fealty, Hopeful Vigil. and Train Troops.
  4. {W} 1/1 Mouse creature for Three Blind Mice.
  5. {U} 1/1 Faerie creature with flying and “This creature can block only creatures with flying.” for Faerie Slumber Party and Into the Fae Court.
  6. {B} 1/1 Nightmare creature with "At the beginning of combat on your turn, if a card was put in exile this turn, put a +1/+1 counter in this creature." for Ashiok, Wicked Manipulator.
  7. {B} 1/1 Rat creature with "This creature can't block." for Edgewall Pack, Experimental Confectioner, Gnawing Crescendo, Harried Spearguard, Lord Skitter, Sewer King, Lord Skitter's Butcher, Ogre Chitterlord, Pest Problem, Rat Out, Redcap Gutter-Dweller, Song of Totentanz, Tangled Colony, Totentanz, Swarm Piper, Twisted Sewer-Witch, Voracious Vermin and Warehouse Tabby.
  8. {G} 3/3 Beast creature for The Huntsman’s Redemption.
  9. {W/U} 4/4 Elemental creature for Hylda of the Icy Crown.
  10. {C} Food artifact for Bakery Raid, Experimental Confectioner, Feed the Cauldron, Food Coma, Gingerbread Hunter, The Goose Mother, Greta, Sweettooth Scourge, Have For Dinner, Intrepid Trufflesnout, Mintstrosity, Night of the Sweets' Revenge, Old Flitterfang, Provisions Merchant, Restless Cottage, Return from the Wilds, Scream Puff, Skybeast Tracker, Spider Food, Sweettooth Witch, Tempt with Treats, The Witch's Vanity, Tough Cookie and Welcome to Sweettooth.
  11. {C} Food artifact.
  12. {C} Food artifact.
  13. {C} Food artifact.
  14. {C} Treasure artifact for Charming Scoundrel, Collector's Vault, Decadent Dragon, Discerning Financier, Flick a Coin, Korvold and the Noble Thief, Redcap Thief and That's Mine.
  15. {C} Monster Role aura enchantment with "Enchant creature" and "Enchanted creature gets +1/+1 and has trample." for Become Brutes, Curse of the Werefox, Faunsbane Troll, Guard Change, Monstrous Rage and Syr Armont, the Redeemer.
    {C} Sorcerer Role aura enchantment with "Enchant creature" and "Enchanted creature gets +1/+1 and has "Whenever this creature attacks, scry 1." for Living Lectern, Spellbook Vendor, Splashy Spellcaster and Unassuming Sage.
  16. {C} Royal Role aura enchantment with "Enchant creature" and "Enchanted creature gets +1/+1 and has ward {1}." for Betroth the Beast, Charmed Clothier, Redtooth Genealogist and Royal Treatment.
    {C} Young Hero Role aura enchantment with "Enchant creature" and "Enchanted creature has "whenever this creature attacks, if its toughness is 3 or less, put a +1/+1 counter on it."" for Cut In, Embereth Veteran, Merry Bards, Protective Parents and Return Triumphant.
  17. {C} Cursed Role aura enchantment with "Enchant creature" and "Enchanted creature has base power and toughness 1/1." for Asinine Antics, Croaking Curse, Cursed Courtier, Diminisher Witch, Gadwick's First Duel and Spiteful Hexmage.
    {C} Wicked Role aura enchantment with "Enchant creature", "Enchanted creature gets +1/+1." and "When this Aura is put into a graveyard, each opponent loses 1 life." for Charming Scoundrel, Eriette's Whisper, Lord Skitter's Blessing, Not Dead After All, Price of Beauty, Shatter the Oath, Twisted Fealty, Twisted Sewer-Witch, The Witch’s Vanity and Witch’s Mark.
  18. On an Adventure marker for Adventure cards.

Themes and mechanics

Where the original Eldraine had a theme for both artifacts and enchantments, this time it trends heavier to the Enchantment themes. Food is also a major theme again, and this time it is a bit more aggressive, seeing multiple legendaries.

Adventures make a return, with adventurers getting new card types beyond creatures. Some of them are multicolor now.

Sagas also make up an important part of the set, now based on classic and re-imagined fairy tales.

Wilds of Eldraine introduces Bargain, a keyword ability that allows you to sacrifice an artifact, enchantment, or token as you cast the spell for an additional effect. Another new mechanic is Celebration, an ability word for abilities that trigger if two or more nonland permanents entered the battlefield under your control this turn. Several cards create new predefined tokens portrayed as Roles, aura enchantments that attach to creatures giving them different abilities, but only one role controlled by the same player can exist at the same time on a creature.

New counter types introduced include: Skewer counter

Card types

Wilds of Eldraine introduces the Role aura enchantment type.

This set features one Planeswalker card: Ashiok, Wicked Manipulator. Going forward, the general intent is that there will be only one Planeswalker per set.

Rats get multiple cards and tribal support in {B}{R}, while Faeries get the same in {U}{B}. Other notable creature types are Nightmares, Mice, Giants and Satyrs.

Limited archetypes

Wilds of Eldraine features the following Limited archetypes, each based on a well-known fairy tale:

Cycles

Double cycles

Vertical cycle

Pairs

Reprinted cards

Banned and restricted cards

  • Up the Beanstalk is a card that generates card draw when casting expensive spells, subsidized by drawing a card itself. This usually is balanced as the engine is vulnerable when five mana is spent each turn to do so, and it risks being overrun before casting all the cards drawn. However, most larger formats have a multitude of cost-reduced spells, such as the engine offsetting the cost of Pitch spells, letting a Beanstalk player accelerate through their deck without losing on the tempo axis. While manaless spells and severe cost reduction are usually problematic and are the main issue, they make up the expected texture of the format and so Up the Beanstalk was the card banned in Modern in December 2023.

Misprints

  • The Cursed and Wicked Role tokens have swapped art.

Preconstructed decks

Wilds of Eldraine features two Commander decks that are released as a regular part of a set's product line.