Courtesy of Wizards of the Coast (WotC) and Games Radar UK, check out Magic: The Gathering’s take on an iconic Dungeons & Dragons enemy from Adventures in the Forgotten Realms — Xanathar, Guild Kingpin!
At the beginning of your upkeep, choose target opponent. Until end of turn, that player can’t cast spells, you may look at the top card of their library any time, you may play the top card of their library, and you may spend mana as though it were mana of any color to cast spells this way.
A six-mana 5/6, Xanathar is a strong top end card for most Dimir-based midrange and control decks. Fitting with its Dimir colors, Xanathar aims to shut down opponents by denying them counter-play during your turn, and by using their own library against them.
While the “look at and cast spells from the top of your opponent’s library” ability is likely to get most of the attention here, it shouldn’t be overlooked that a resolved Xanathar forces opponents to cast their spells during their own turn. In control matchups especially, forcing opponents to tap out on their turn in order to deal with Xanathar leaves you a wider window to cast your strongest spells.
So what do you think of MTG’s version of the Beholder? Will this card have an impact on constructed play? Let us know what you think in the comments!
Dungeons & Dragons: Adventures in the Forgotten Realms is scheduled for release on July 23. View our official preview gallery.