MTG Set News - returning to eldraine
The Wilds of Eldraine are coming back in MTG’s upcoming set
The official MTG Twitter released a handful of art and information today that confirm the “Wilds of Eldraine” set will be coming out for everyone by September 8th. This comes on the back of some lore and character reveals, including a new woman who appears very important to the set: Eriette, the Charmed Apple.
This “Eriette” seems to tap into multiple different fairy tales, something very common in the previous Throne of Eldraine set. On top of that, an alternate artwork of her has been revealed and confirmed to be the face of not only the set booster packs but the bundle boxes as well.
Many theories about her presence have already sprung up; some believe she may be Will and Rowan’s mother. Others believe she may play into her fairy tale role with her “charmed apple” title, being an antagonistic force. With the chaos following the Phyrexia attack, it only seems right that this fairytale land needs a new evil villain.
Will and Rowan, siblings and leaders, have taken an even more important role following the death of their parents. Will seeks community and camaraderie with his people to rebuild the kingdom. Rowan, on the other hand, has left seeking power to help her people.
If fairy tales have taught us anything, though, it’s that power rarely comes without a cost. What will happen to Rowan? Time will only tell, but let’s hope it’s something good.
Ashiok is also coming back, this time with the label “Wicked Manipulator.” Their presence in Eldraine seems to tie into the method the Eldraine people used to defeat the Phyrexians; magical sleep.
Ashiok has been seen before preying on nightmares, particularly in Theros where they attempted to put everybody into a permanent nightmare-filled slumber. Ashiok has shown an interest in the Phyrexians before, but with easy access to a horde of vulnerable, sleeping warriors and even potentially the hivemind, who knows what power Ashiok will obtain.
“Wicked Slumber” has been confirmed to be the Eldraine peoples’ method of defeating the Phyrexian invasion. The card, released in the March of the Machines set, seems to follow the fairy tale story of the Wizard of Oz; a field of plants put any who walk through it to sleep.
Unfortunately, this sleep has spread to the citizens of Eldraine. The MTG Twitter confirmed that “magical sleep has continued and begun to prey on the inhabitants of Eldraine.” With Ashiok on their way, the Eldraine people are in for a world of trouble.
A more light-hearted card, Syr Ginger, the Meal Ender, has been revealed as well. While the character was first shown in the 2019 Throne of Eldraine trailer, this gingerbread warrior has found herself a horse companion and skewer spear.
It may have taken Syr Ginger 4 years to join the battlefield, but everybody I know is excited to play her in Commander. Food creatures may make a bigger comeback then we anticipated!
In the end, I just can’t wait to learn more about the Wilds of Eldraine set. Not only are we getting some interesting new characters, but old characters are also getting some lore updates that I’ve been waiting for – particularly Ashiok. We’ll have to wait and see what happens to Will and Rowan, particularly with Rowan’s search for power. And the sky is the limit for Eriette’s story.
With another chapter in the fairytale land on its way, all we can do is wait for our questions to be answered.
