🔗 Share this article

Pre-release tournaments for this next MTG set, Lorwyn Eclipsed, will start on Jan. 16. Although the full spoiler season is slated to start on Jan. 5, lead creator Maro Rosewater has again shared a lengthy list of gameplay hints before time.

An Deep Dive into the Significant Reveals

Within the many hints, a few stand out. Lorwyn Eclipsed will include a "card that searches each turn." This probably refers to a enchantment that allows a you to look through their deck each turn for a specific type, potentially with specific conditions.

It could be an effect as modest as searching for a basic land each round, or a more powerful like a tutor that grows based on a creature's power.

He also mentioned a fresh card that duplicates abilities that trigger. This card could be linked to Kirol, Attentive First-Year, a creature that, by tapping two ready creatures, can copy a ability one time each round.

A further standout teaser involves an ability that will "negate every spells your opponents control." While the wording is somewhat ambiguous, it suggests an extremely potent ability capable of addressing numerous castings at once.

Gameplay Centered Around Power and Toughness

This expansion will further feature effects that reference "the difference in its strength and toughness." For cards with power/toughness splits like 1/3 or 3/1, this concept could prove highly meaningful.

• Additionally, a card will come into the play with six -1/-1 counters on it, signaling a comeback of this signature counter type from the first Lorwyn-Shadowmoor era.
• One more hint includes the phrase "if this is the third time this effect has resolved this round," pointing to a design that rewards repeated triggers.

Creature Type Emphasis and Story Hints

An intriguing lore teaser involves a legendary card with the type line: "Legendary Creature – Elf Faerie Noble." Considering the established tension among the Elf race and the Faerie race on this plane, this combined type hints at a significant story development.

Rosewater also confirmed the primary eight creature types featured in the set: Elemental, Elf, Faerie, Giant, Goblin, Kithkin, Merfolk, and Treefolk. This confirms a heavy tribal focus for the set.

Late in the list, he mentions "Bark of Doran," likely a reference to the famous Treefolk, suggesting a renewed emphasis on the relationship of power and defense.

Additional Interesting Details

Beyond these major mechanics, the set will include:

1. Several reprinted "kindred" cards that interact with particular tribes.
2. A broad variety of counters, including charge, dream, flying, first strike, indestructible, and lifelink.
3. The return of a keyword originally debuted earlier in 2025.
4. Multiple token producers, including 1/1 Faerie Faeries to a 3/4 green token.

Card Name Name Hints and Final Thoughts

Finally, the designer teased several card names, like Mirrorform, Moonshadow, Gilt-Leaf’s Embrace, and Chaos Spewer. These provide preliminary glimpses into the expansion's narrative directions and serve as nods to established concepts from the plane's history.

In summary, this new set is not only a homecoming to a beloved setting but also a challenge to see if contemporary Magic can handle the unique weirdness that defined the original Lorwyn sets so memorable.