Magic: The Gathering Reveals New Mechanic From Dungeons & Dragons Set

Magic: The Gathering has revealed a new mechanic that will appear in its upcoming Dungeons & Dragons crossover set. Wizards of the Coast revealed the new “Dungeon” mechanic in a First Look video posted to its Magic: The Gathering YouTube channel earlier this morning. The new mechanic will be introduced in “Adventures in the Forgotten Realms,” the upcoming set that brings in numerous characters, monsters, and concepts from Dungeons & Dragons. The mechanic is focused around “Dungeon” cards, a new type of card that exists outside of a player’s library. There are three Dungeon cards in “Adventures in the Forgotten Realms,” each of which are named after a different iconic dungeon found in Dungeons & Dragons. This mechanic was previously teased during a leak earlier this year.

Each Dungeon card consists of several rooms, each of which have an associated ability or mechanic attached to them. Certain cards in the “Adventures in the Forgotten Realms” set instruct players to “venture into the dungeon,” which allows a player to either put the dungeon card into play or advance into another room and completing the instructions for that room. Some rooms allow players to scry or draw additional cards, while others create tokens or deal damage to opponents. Some cards also gain extra abilities if a player has completed at least one dungeon during gameplay. There is no limit to how many dungeons a player can complete during a match, and players can choose which dungeon they want to enter when they first “venture into the dungeon.” Players can also choose to re-enter a dungeon once they’ve completed it. Notably, there is no mana cost associated with dungeons, so players can choose which dungeon syncs up best with their playstyle and deck.

“Adventures in the Forgotten Realms” marks the first time that Dungeons & Dragons has formally appeared in Magic: The Gathering. The set features numerous D&D characters and monsters and replaces the annual “Base Set” expansion usually released in the summer. Wizards of the Coast is also planning more crossovers between its two signature games, including a new Dungeons & Dragons campaign setting book for its recently released Strixhaven setting. Strixhaven: Cirriculum of Chaos will be released in November.