Magic: The Gathering players are just a few short weeks away from returning to Zendikar yet again to revisit one of the game's most iconic locations of all times. Although the upcoming fall set is obviously in the spotlight right now, during a recent reveal stream fans got an early look at all of the sets that will be coming throughout 2021. One that came as a major surprise to everyone was the replacement of the usual summer Core set with a Dungeons and Dragons inspired standard legal set.
Adventurers in the Forgotten Realms will take MtG players to one of DnD's most popular settings in recent history. Throughout recent years there have been multiple D&D books inspired by Magic settings (like Theros and Ravnica), but this the first time Dungeons and Dragons characters, locations, and weapons will be acting as inspiration for the popular collecting card game.
For Magic: The Gathering players who may not be familiar with the details of the DnD world, the game shares the same multiverse concept as Magic: The Gathering. There are various planes (or realms) and each one has its own characters, gods, history, and lore. A very few select heroes and villains are able to travel from plane to plane using powerful Magic, similar to MtG's planeswalkers.
The Forgotten Realms is the default setting for fifth edition Dungeons and Dragons. That means that the majority of officially published adventure books since its release in 2014 take place in this setting. It is a classic heroic fantasy setting featuring magic, political tensions, monsters, and (obviously) dragons. That gives Magic designers a ton to work with and it will be very exciting to see which locations, characters, weapons, and maybe even gods make their way onto playable MtG cards.
Although no spoilers will arrive for many months, there are some very popular and interesting pieces of the Forgotten Realms that would definitely be exciting to include for fan service. Here is our current wishlist for the Adventures in the Forgotten Realms set...
Baldur's Gate, Neverwinter, and Waterdeep
Whether they are rare land cards or some other type of permanent, it seems like the biggest and most popular cities in the Forgotten Realms should make their way onto some of the upcoming MtG cards. The Sword Coast along is full of iconic locations and each one is full of interesting lore, politics, and secrets. Some cities have a maze of dungeons builts beneath them and others are just massive hubs for trade and politics. Locations like Baldur's Gate, Neverwinter, and Waterdeep are some of the most popular pieces of the Forgotten Realms brand, so it would definitely make sense to give each of them their name on a card.
Zhentarim and the other factions
Although they are completely optional, the Forgotten Realms setting does feature a handful of powerful organizations that players can align with and earn ranks in. These are useful for DnD Adventurer's League and offer an easy way to tie characters together for one-shot sessions. The factions could also make for some interesting archetypes in a Magic set, with each of the factions having their own play style and goals. It could be very exciting to sit down for a draft and start figuring out if you are building a Zhentarim deck, an Emerald Enclave deck, or one of the others.
Drizzt Do'Urden and his party
When it comes to iconic heroes from the Forgotten Realms, there is no name quite as popular as Drizzt. This drow was made famous in the Icewind Dale trilogy of novels, but has since gone on to be featured in other adventures, board games, comic books, and is one of DnD's most famous heroes. Depending on when this set takes place, it would be very interesting to see Drizzt featured and potentially even interacting with some of the Magic planeswalkers who are visiting The Forgotten Realms. If Drizzt and his party of adventuring friends are featured, it would also make sense to include Icewind Dale and Ten Towns as locations on various cards, as well.
The Black Spider
Not every iconic character has to be super powerful and Nezznar is a perfect version of a low level villain that many casual DnD players would be aware of. The Black Spider is featured as a villain in the popular Lost Mines Starter Set adventure and would make for a perfectly mine black creature card. Bonus points if the Spider Staff is also featured.
Powerful Dragons
Dragons are an iconic creature type in both Magic and DnD and it seems highly likely that they will be featured in Adventures in the Forgotten Realms. Faerun is full of iconic and powerful dragons. From low level young green dragons that a party of 5th level players could chase off all the way up to powerful legendary encounters with forces that only a max level party could defeat. There are many dragons in DnD to select and it will be very interesting to see which ones are featured by name when the set arrives.
Bahamut, Tiamat, and other gods
Although Theros wasn't that long ago, it would be very interesting to see a new cycle of Gods come to Magic: The Gathering inspired by the pantheon of the Forgotten Realms. The gods do not interfere with human life as frequently as the Gods of Theros do, so this one is probably a stretch. That said, it is hard to deny the importance of divine forces on many D&D campaigns, so it's possible the card designers may have a way to acknowledge that in a new and exciting way.
Those are just a handful of the many Forgotten Realms characters, locations, and items that would make for fantastic Magic: The Gathering cards. As the set approaches, it will be very interesting to learn exactly when in the Forgotten Realms timeline this adventure is going to take place. That would heavily impact which characters can appear and what state the various cities will be in.
Magic: The Gathering's Adventures in the Forgotten Realms set arrives summer 2021.