Magic: The Gathering brings back gothic horror with Innistrad: Midnight Hunt

Magic: The Gathering delves deep into Gothic horror with Innistrad: Midnight Hunt. This is the first of two upcoming Halloween-themed sets, and will bring players back to the plane of Innistrad. Werewolves, vampires, ghosts, and zombies roam Innistrad. One thing’s for sure, humans will bump into a horror of some kind whenever they turn a corner.

 

The media drop that arrived at the Geek Culture office whetted our appetite for more of the game, and with the new Commander decks, we can jump right in and summoning creatures and slinging spells!

 

From the mechanics and cards that we have seen so far, it seems like this set will make for really exciting decks to play with. Not only that, the gorgeous artwork, like always, hint at the lore of Innistrad: Midnight Hunt.

The humans are trying to survive in a world where the supernatural threats feel overwhelming, almost impossible to counter. The nights are growing ever longer, with a looming sense of imminent destruction lurking in every shadow on the eve of the Harvesttide Festival.

 

Leading the fight against all the horrors is Arlinn Kord, the werewolf Planeswalker searching for the elusive Moonsilver Key. That is the only way to turn the tide and keep the humans of Innistrad safe.

The one thing we know about werewolves is that they transform. Yes, the mechanic first introduced in the original Innistrad set in 2011 is back. Now called Daybound/Nightbound, Innistrad: Midnight Hunt brings 19 new double-faced cards to the game. Creatures will transform into their monstrous forms when they bathe in the noctilucent glow of the full moon, able to partake in fisticuffs using a different set of abilities.

And with the flashback mechanic, cards can still haunt opponents even while in the graveyard by allowing players to cast spells from there. How fitting, for a set with the undead to have cards that rise from the grave.

Keeping in line with the gothic horror theme, Innistrad: Midnight Hunt features card variants.

The full-art basic lands with a spooky black and white aesthetic are called Eternal Night lands, bringing to mind classics of gothic literature such as The Count of Monte Cristo, The Haunting of Hill House, and, of course, Dracula.

 

The planeswalker, Arlinn Kord herself, has a variant that sports an ornate frame and macabre design that effectively encapsulates the visual theme of the entire set.

Releasing on Sept 24, 2021, Innistrad: Midnight Hunt will be available in Draft Boosters, Set Boosters, and Collector Boosters, including the Midnight Hunt Bundle and two Commander decks. They are all up for pre-order already, so what’re you waiting for?