Magic: The Gathering has been on something of a world tour, as far as settings are concerned, lately. Usually, Wizards of the Coast only focuses on a couple settings in a year and takes its time weaving story threads there. Ever since War of the Spark, though, the trading card game has rapidly been hopping from plane to plane, exploring a lot of different settings over the last year and a half. Even if that means Magic: The Gathering hasn't landed on a clearly visible overarching storyline yet, it means that Wizards has added a ton of lore to the Magic multiverse that could be invaluable down the line. All these unconnected settings could still be leading to something bigger.
Magic's next new set is Kaldheim. The titular plane is heavily inspired by Norse mythology, one of popular culture's favorite branches of mythos, but previously untouched by Magic. This seems like a great time for Wizards of the Coast to take Magic players somewhere Nordic, considering how the success of recent games like God of War and Assassin's Creed Valhalla have refreshed attention to Scandinavian aesthetics. However, so far, Kaldheim actually does feel reminiscent of a previous Magic plane: Theros. The cultures of Kaldheim and the planeswalker Tibalt's machinations in Kaldheim seem like a new take on Magic's first story about Theros.
Theros, Kaldheim, and Living Gods
The most obvious thing that Theros and Kaldheim have in common is the apparent emphasis on gods who define everyday life on the plane. Theros has a wide pantheon of gods who have an intimate relationship with the mortal denizens of the plane. In fact, the relationship between gods and mortals is so important that sets in Theros prominently feature a mechanic called Devotion, symbolizing the player's own dedication to the ideals of a certain color in Magic, and therefore to a certain god. As far as the lore is concerned, everyday worship is very common in Theros. It's impossible to avoid the influence of the gods on this Greco-Roman plane, and so most people turn to them regularly for strength, wisdom, protection, and so on.
Wizards of the Coast has yet to publish much lore about Kaldheim, but the trailer for the set and the Kaldheim cards revealed so far indicate that the gods play a similarly crucial role in the set's lore. It seems that every mortal living in Kaldheim is devoted to the plane's gods. As is fitting of Norse mythology, people from Kaldheim apparently strive to go to a realm within the plane called Starnheim when they die. Starnheim sounds like Wizards' take on Valhalla, where valiant warriors feast eternally with Kaldheim's valkyries. Just like Theros and a little like Amonkhet too, the plane's culture is all about revering the gods and fighting for the best possible afterlife. However, the similarities don't end with the culture. The central storyline on Kaldheim sounds a lot like Theros too.
The New Usurper
Those who were Magic fans several years ago when Theros was first revealed likely remember the planeswalker Xenagos. He was the main antagonist for three sets: Theros, Born of the Gods, and Journey Into Nyx. Over the course of these sets, Xenagos infiltrated the pantheon of Theros by ascending to godhood, causing disorder throughout the plane. His machinations were only ended when Elspeth Tirel vanquished him with a weapon granted to her by another god. The trailer for Kaldheim makes it sound like there's another character with a lust for power here to wreak havoc.
The set's trailer involves an unnamed character describing Kaldheim before turning to the Sword of the Realms, a powerful weapon supposedly meant to be wielded by Kaldheim's gods. Although the speaker's face isn't shown, viewers will notice the speaker has horns and red hands. This is very reminiscent of Tibalt, the half-devil planeswalker and master of magical torture. Tibalt has only featured a couple times as a minor antagonist on Innistrad and a heartless antihero in War of the Spark. However, since Wizards of the Coast has confirmed Tibalt's involvement in Kaldheim, he seems like the star of the show for once.
Xenagos and Tibalt have a lot in common. Just like Tibalt, Xenagos was a callous, cruel, and selfish person bent on stealing godly power for his own ends. The difference here is how Wizards is going to handle Tibalt's fate once he claims the sword. Xenagos was slain and may never return to Magic. However, Xenagos was from Theros, so it made narrative sense for his story to begin and end there. As an outsider, Wizards may see it fit to let Tibalt escape Kaldheim with the Sword of the Realms, setting him up as a recurring antagonist in sets to come.
Conflicts Across The Multiverse
Magic: The Gathering is in the market for a new main antagonist after Nicol Bolas' defeat in War of the Spark. Wizards of the Coast exploring so many planes, new and old, comes across as necessary exposition before it begins a new story. It's unclear if Tibalt is the antagonist Wizards of the Coast is looking for or if he's just one of many characters that may eventually band together in a group of villains that mirror Magic's heroic Gatewatch. A third journey to Tibalt's home plane of Innistrad is on the way, so Kaldheim may not be the last time players see the half-devil in 2021.
There's one more thing that ties Theros and Kaldheim together. Kaldheim features a fledgling planeswalker named Niko Aris, a nonbinary javelineer who only recently left Theros. They may end up teaming up with the set's other planeswalkers to stop Tibalt, providing some insight on Tibalt's machinations with any knowledge they have of Xenagos' rise and fall. It would be surprising of Tibalt dies over the course of Kaldheim, considering how much more visibility he's getting all of a sudden. It seems more likely that, once he steals the Sword of the Realms, Tibalt will become a problem for many more planes than Kaldheim. Magic has been adrift without an overarching story for a while now. Although Tibalt may not have been an important character before, he may be kicking something major off now.
Magic: The Gathering - Kaldheim releases February 2, 2021. Other Magic: The Gathering sets are available now at game shops or digitally in Magic Arena.