Arjan Kuijper (Zaandam) (251)

17-5-2016 23:23:00

Here's how they're going to work. Each set will have two Planeswalker Decks, each built around a different Planeswalker. Those Planeswalkers will be characters relevant to that block. Each Planeswalker Deck will be a preconstructed 60-card deck and will be packaged with two booster packs from that block with an MSRP of $14.99. The Planeswalker Decks will be released in each of the eleven languages that Magic is published in.

The decks will play into mechanical themes of the block, most often making use of a new keyword mechanic. The default will be that the decks will be two-color even if the Planeswalker is monocolor. (Remember that a "default" means that's what we will do most of the time, but we reserve the right to change things up if we feel a particular Planeswalker Deck wants to be different.)

The other big difference about Planeswalker Decks is that there's going to be five cards in each that won't be found in the expansion, but that will be considered connected to that block for Standard legality (meaning Planeswalker Decks will be playable in Standard). Here's what you can expect:

One copy of a mythic rare planeswalker

Each Planeswalker Deck will have a brand-new planeswalker card, obviously of the Planeswalker the deck is themed around. These cards are being designed to be fun and flavorful but not pushed for tournament play. The idea is we want new players to be excited by them and for them to have a big impact on the game, but we don't want established players to feel obligated to buy the Planeswalker Decks. As a default, the planeswalkers will be expensive to cast and splashy. There will be one copy of this card in the deck, with art tied to the appropriate world.

R&D spent a lot of time debating whether or not the decks should have planeswalkers, and ultimately decided that we couldn't have a Planeswalker focus to the decks without having a card that actually represented them. We felt very strongly that the Planeswalker focus was key. We then had an even lengthier debate about how the planeswalkers should be designed. How many loyalty abilities should they have? Ideas ran the gamut from three to zero. In the end, we decided that we wanted them to work like all the other planeswalkers, but that we would make sure to design them more with beginners in mind.

Two copies of a rare spell that has an effect and also tutors for the specific planeswalker

It was important to us for the deck to have a planeswalker, but we wanted it to be mythic rare—which meant that each deck could only have one. Was there a way to help the planeswalker have a big impact if only one was in your deck? The rare was our solution to this problem. The rare usually will cost one mana less than the planeswalker (to help ramp into the planeswalker) and have an appropriately themed effect. It will then search your library or graveyard for a copy of the specific planeswalker and put it into your hand. (Note that it only looks for the Planeswalker Deck's version of the planeswalker and not any version. Allowing you to get any version had huge developmental issues.) This functionally allows the player to have three copies of their planeswalker, which will increase the chances that it makes its way into play. There will be two copies of this card in the deck and it will have art tied to the Planeswalker.

Three copies of an uncommon permanent that is enhanced by having the planeswalker on the battlefield

For the uncommon, we are making a permanent that is upgraded if you have the relevant planeswalker on the battlefield. Note that unlike the rare spell, the uncommon is looking for any version of the planeswalker—not just the one that comes in the Planeswalker Deck. This card will be thematically tied to the Planeswalker of the deck in name and art. There will be three copies of this card in the deck.

Four copies of a common flavored to the Planeswalker

At common, we have a basic staple effect—one the Planeswalker would cast most often, with art showing them casting it. There will be four copies of this card in the deck.

Four copies of an appropriate common dual land

Oath of the Gatewatch and Shadows over Innistrad introduced a ten-card cycle of dual lands that enter the battlefield tapped. It is our intention to make sure that ten-card cycle stays Standard-legal so that budget players will always have access to them. For Planeswalker Decks, the plan is to include the appropriate ETB-tapped dual land that matches the colors of the deck. The card will have brand-new art tied to the world of the block. There will be four copies of this card.

That means of the 60-card Planeswalker Deck, there will be four mechanically unique cards with ten total copies in the deck (one of the mythic rare, two of the rare, three of the uncommon, and four of the common). There will be fourteen cards with new art (the ten listed above plus the four copies of the dual land). All the rest of the cards will be from the large set if the Planeswalker Deck is tied to the large set and from the whole block if the Planeswalker Deck is tied to the small set. The art on all those cards will match the art used in the block.

The Planeswalker Decks will premiere with Kaladesh, this year's fall set, where they will replace Intro Packs. I've had a chance to see the first two decks and I think beginning players are going to be in for a real treat.

One last thing before I move on. The above breakdown is our current philosophy of how to make use of the new cards in the product. As the Planeswalker Decks get played and we start getting feedback, we might tweak how we use the new cards.

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