Magic: The Gathering's next set, Theros: Beyond Death, is scheduled to release this Friday, January 24, and indeed many players now have their eyes steadily fixed on this imminently-arriving expansion. That said, Magic: The Gathering fans that attended a Theros: Beyond Death pre-release event this weekend got a glimpse of the legendary TCG's more-distant future, finding new artwork that showcases the world of Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths in their pre-release packs.
This new Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths artwork, which can be found below, features several creatures fleeing in apparent terror from a ferocious looking beast. What looks like the Magic: The Gathering Planeswalker Vivien Reid stands steadfast in front of the monster, and while this image has not been tied to a specific card from Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths, it gives fans a nice look at the new Plane that they will be entering when the set finally arrives.
With respect to exactly when that will occur, Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths will follow Theros: Beyond Death, and it is scheduled to release on April 24, with pre-release events taking place April 17 - 19. This means that players have exactly three months to wait before getting their hands on this brand new set, though Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths previews will undoubtedly reveal the full contents of the expansion in preface of its release.
While little is currently known about the specifics of those contents, aside from what can be gleaned from this new image, Wizards of the Coast has previously confirmed that Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths will allow fans to "play with and make their own monsters." Perhaps this ability will manifest as something like MTG's Meld mechanic, which sees multiple cards combine to form one larger and more powerful card, though the developer seems to suggest that there is more going on here.
Specifically, WotC states that Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths' monster-making mechanic is "one of the craziest mechanics" in recent memory, and that appears to imply that the ability will not simply be an embellished rehash of Meld. Whatever the mechanic ultimately turns out to be, Wizards' emphasis on its uniqueness will certainly leave some fans intrigued if not excited, and it will be interesting to see how it compliments the Theros: Beyond Death mechanics that players are now experiencing.
Magic: The Gathering's Theros: Beyond Death set releases January 24, 2020.