Two Iconic Dungeons & Dragons Monsters Get the Perfect Magic: The Gathering Cards

Previews for the next Magic: The Gathering set are coming out in earnest and they show a thoughtful and thematic attention to Dungeons & Dragons lore. Preview season for Magic: The Gathering's "Adventures in the Forgotten Realm" set are starting up, with new cards appearing every day. The "Adventures in the Forgotten Realms" set is the first official D&D crossover set and features many classic characters and monsters from D&D lore. Two cards previewed today include the "Xanathar, Guild Kingpin" and "Icingdeath, Frost Tyrant" cards, both of which feature classic characters from the Forgotten Realms.

The Xanathar is the beholder kingpin of an infamous Thieves Guild that operated in Skullport, an underground city located in the infamous Undermountain dungeon. Technically, Xanathar is a title passed down from beholder to beholder after they kill their predecessor and become leaders of this immense crime syndicate. The "Xanathar, Guild Kingpin" card has abilities that reflect Xanathar's beholder abilities and his status as a crime lord. When this Xanathar card is in play, their player chooses an opponent and prevents them from using spells every turn, which mimics a beholder's anti-magic cone. Additionally, the Xanathar card allows players to look at the top deck of their opponent's deck and play it as if was in their own hand. Basically, the crime lord beholder grants players the ability to steal cards from their opponent, a fitting ability for the leader of a thieves' guild.

Wizards of the Coast also revealed the Icingdeath, Frost Tyrant card. Icingdeath is known as an early opponent of Drizzt Do'Urden, a character that also appears in the "Adventures in the Forgotten Realms" set. Notably, when Icingdeath dies, the card automatically creates the Icingdeath, Frost Tongue token, a representation of Drizzt's Icingdeath sword. Given that Drizzt found his Icingdeath sword after killing Icingdeath the dragon, it's another thematically appropriate card that figures out a way to incorporate Forgotten Realms lore into cool Magic: The Gathering mechanics.

"Adventures in the Forgotten Realms" will be released next month. More previews will be released day, so keep a look out for our coverage on the best cards from this great new set.