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MTG Head Designer Teases Key Details For Commander Legends: Battle For Baldur’s Gate

Mark Rosewater teases card specifics, rules text snippets, and creature type lines for new set.

Xanathar, Guild Kingpin illustrated by Kieran Yanner

With the first wave of Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur’s Gate previews dropping this week, Mark Rosewater took to his blog to offer up some teasers for the new set.

Rosewater, the head designer for Magic, regularly gives teasers before set releases to get the community working together to predict upcoming cards and effects. First up are some card specific teasers:

  • A returning mechanic that feels apropos for D&D makes use of a new card type
  • A card capable of making an Ox, Boar, or Goat
  • A the word “seven” appears on two cards and the word “nine” appears on one
  • A a new legendary colorless artifact token named Volo’s Journal
  • A 10/10 creature with flying and trample that you can cast for G
  • A lord for Demons, Devils, Imps, and Tieflings
  • The character we got a lot of complaints about not being in Adventures in the Forgotten Realms gets a card
  • Three legendary creatures that are Gods
  • A card that enhances all creatures with mana abilities
  • A spell that can copy something X times

Next are some hints using only snippets of rules text on the new cards:

  • “This spell costs 1 less to cast for each opponent you’re attacking.”
  • “That artifact becomes a 0/0 Homunculus artifact creature with flying.”
  • “Whenever you cast a spell you don’t own,”
  • “If you control neither creature, draw three cards.”
  • “you don’t lose the game for having 0 or less life.”
  • “Tokens you control have ‘T:”
  • “Then choose a third player”
  • “where X is the total mana value of Dragons you control.”
  • “put a number of time counters on it equal to its mana value.”
  • “you may cast your commander from the command zone without paying its mana cost.”

Similar to Adventures in the Forgotten Realms, flavor words are returning. Here are some that will show up in Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur’s Gate:

  • Devour Intellect
  • Homunculus Servant
  • Bigby’s Hand
  • Gathered Swarm
  • Avoidance
  • Vicious Mockery
  • Blood Drain
  • Mantel of Inspiration
  • Animate Chains
  • Death Ray

Rosewater ended the post with some creature type lines appearing in the set:

  • Legendary Creature – Halfling Knight
  • Legendary Creature – Tiefling Barbarian
  • Legendary Creature – Gith Warrior
  • Legendary Creature – Dragon Peasant
  • Legendary Creature – Vampire Elf Rogue
  • Legendary Creature – Bear Warrior
  • Legendary Creature – Devil Noble
  • Legendary Creature – Human Boar
  • Legendary Creature – Cat Devil
  • Legendary Creature – Elephant Angel

Fans flocked to Reddit to start solving teasers right away.