In the 25+ year history of Magic: The Gathering, players have had the chance to visit a ton of amazing planes. Each set usually focuses on one plane of existence (though many planes are revisited in future sets) and each plane has its own lore, characteristics, heroes, and villains. As Magic Legends gets closer to its 2021 launch, players are continuing to speculate about which planes will be featured in the game at launch and shortly after.
For starters, Magic Legends has already revealed that Dominaria and Zendikar will be featured in the game. Recent developer blog posts have highlighted art from those zones and discussed how the team took on the challenge of brining those iconic destinations to life. In the recent reveal of Magic Legends' fourth starting class option, the Sanctifier, some key art also drops a pretty major hint about another one of MtG's most popular locations...
Fans of the collectible card game will be quick to catch that the reveal art of the Sanctifier class features a massive emblem that looks a whole lot like the Avacyn symbol. For those who aren't familiar with the angel, Avacyn is a character who was prominently featured in the final act of set of the original Innistrad block. Innistrad is one of the most popular Magic sets ever thanks to its dark, moody setting and the introduction of some cards and mechanics that are still very popular. The set was also a great draft experience and is always very popular when it makes its way back onto Magic Online.
Innistrad was a horror themed set that featured tons of werewolves and vampires. After Innistrad and Dark Ascension, the final third of the block, Avacyn Restored, brought some light to the plane in the form of very powerful angels. The use of the Avacyn symbol on the Sanctifier's robes seems too prominent to be a coincidence and is likely a tease that players will be making their way to Innistrad when Magic Legends launches in 2021.
During a recent interview with Magic Legends Executive Producer Stephen Ricossa Game Rant brought up the Sanctifier's unique emblem and asked if it was a sign that Innistrad would be featured in the game at launch. Unfortunately, Ricossa was unable to comment on the possibility of other locations or settings during this interview, so fans will have keep speculating for now.
Game Rant: Is the promo art a hint that Avacyn might be part of the story or Innistrad might be one of the planes that we visit when the game launches?
Stephen Ricossa: I can neither confirm nor deny any of the suggestions that you have made.
If Innistrad is featured when the ARPG launches next year, it seems like it could be a level or zone that is ripe with creative possibility. Based on when it seems like the game takes place (around the War of the Spark set), it's unclear what sort of state Innistrad might be in during the planeswalker's potential visit. For the sake of seeing some awesome villains and monsters, hopefully there would still be plenty of werewolves and vampires causing problems.
The original Innistrad set released all the way back in 2011 and was the 56th Magic expansion. Players who are familiar with legacy formats or cube drafts would likely recognize a lot of cards from the original set including Delver of Secrets, Snapcaster Mage, Lilliana of the Veil, and Geist of Saint Traft. That list alone should help clarify just how powerful of a start the Innistrad block kicked off with. The block was interesting for more reasons than its power level alone though. The set was full of flavor and introduced a very interesting horror setting that was enhanced by some very cool mechanics.
It seems like it could also be a very cool chance to see the plane shift in tone if things start out in darkness and under the threat of werewolves and other monsters, but eventually the iconic Avacyn angels make an appearance and restore light to the plane again. If Innistrad does end up being featured as a playable level in Magic Legends, those sorts of plot details will likely have to wait until much closer to launch to learn about.
Closed alpha gameplay tests are already underway and additional beta tests should be firing off before 2020 is over, so keep an eye out for more details as the game progresses towards its launch window. Game Rant also learned a ton of details about the newly announced Sanctifier class during the interview, so be sure to check all the details about the white-mana inspired class' Primary Attacks, upgrades, Spark Power, and other traits.
The game is shaping up to have some great diversity amongst the starting classes, which should offer the kind of variety needed to make small parties a little more exciting. Obviously each class can be heavily modified depending on which spells are selected and whether they want to focus on summons versus direct damage or other strategies.
There is only one remaining launch class left to reveal, so hopefully the team at Cryptic is ready to offer a look at what the Black-mana planeswalker class has to offer in the very near future. Until then, be sure to check back for more Magic Legends news, updates, and features.
Magic Legends plans to release in 2021 on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.