Wizards of the Coast launched prerelease events for Duskmourn: House of Horror, the latest set for the world-renowned trading card game, Magic: The Gathering (MTG). Introducing a retro horror-inspired plane where evil lurks behind every door, Duskmourn will test the nerve of any player who hopes to survive its haunting and ever-changing halls. Duskmourn: House of Horror will be released for MTG Arena on 24 September and tabletop on 27 September if you dare.
W̶̑̕ͅhat’s ̵̺̃͊beh̶͎̍̊ind ̸̭͍͑t̶̺͓͆he do̶̢͚͑or?̴͕͒
Don’t look behind you, don’t give in to fear, and whatever you do, don’t split up.
You’ve entered Duskmourn, and there’s no turning back. This plane-enveloping House harbors horrors beyond your worst nightmares and breathes life into your greatest fears. In fact, you’re filled with an unsettling awareness that the House itself is alive…and it’s out to get you.
When the son of Planeswalker Tamiyo, Nashi, mysteriously disappears, leaving nothing behind but a glitched recording of a terrifying world, a rescue squad is assembled to follow his last-known steps into Duskmourn. Niko, Tyvar, The Wanderer, Zimone, and Kaito must navigate the malevolent house and face the horrors that await them.
Cǫ̴̯́me ṕ̷̣lă̷̖y̷̖͌̍ witḧ̸͈̟ ù̷̺s̷̃͛ͅ
Duskmourn feeds on the fear of its inhabitants. If you hope to overcome it, you’ll need to master new and returning mechanics and use them to your advantage before we get you first:
- Room cards: nothing is as it seems in Duskmourn, and its rooms are no exception. Rooms are enchantment cards that represent locations in the house you can explore. Once cast, players choose which door they want to unlock first, unleashing what awaits within. Brave enough to continue exploring? Simply pay the other door’s cost later to discover what it contains.
- Manifest dread: a new keyword action that allows you to instill a fear of the unknown into your opponents. When a player manifests dread, they look at the two top cards of their library. They then select one to put face down as a colorless 2/2 creature while the other goes to the graveyard. If the card is a creature card, its controller can pay its cost to flip it up at any time for its mana cost.
- Impending: look out ahead!! This new mechanic appears on the formidable mythic ‘Overlord’ cards. By playing these cards at a reduced cost, they enter the battlefield as non-creatures with a set number of time counters. These will gradually be removed on each turn, instilling a foreboding sense of danger as players wait for the creature to be unleashed.
- Survival: creatures with survival trigger a unique ability when they live to the end of the combat phase tapped. If you can outplay your opponent, survival will be the reward.
- Eerie: an ability that triggers whenever an enchantment enters the battlefield or when the second door of a room is unlocked.
- Delirium: a returning keyword that grants an improved effect when its controller has four or more different card types in their graveyard.
- Glimmer: there’s light in the dark. Glimmers are new enchantment creature types that are benevolent representations of a survivor’s hopes and dreams. When they die, these creatures return to the battlefield as enchantments but lose the creature type. This way, their effects live on, continuing to inspire hope.
Ē̴̞m̷̩̑b̸̜͑r̴̂͜a̸̛͖c̴̱̍ẻ̴̱ ̷̲͠t̴͈͛ȟ̵̼ĕ̷͜ ̶͈̊b̶̻̓e̷͂ͅa̵͈͑ǔ̵̟t̷̩͠y̴͔͊ ̷̡̏a̷̤̔ṉ̶̓ḓ̸̿ ̴͍͗t̸̝̓h̶͕̾e̸͙͋ ̷̺̍ḧ̷̺́ö̶̮́r̴̹̒r̷͙̎ô̶̗r̸̩͠
Magic: The Gathering sees Duskmourn and its awe-inspiring horrors represented in unique and creepy treatments. You’ll see its ever-changing rooms showcased in Full Art Manor Lands, offering twisted vignettes from many unsettling—and impossible—landscapes. These include the eerie Mistmoors, frozen Floodpits, rotted Balemurks, sulphurous Boilerbilges, and voracious Hauntwoods.
But that’s not all that awaits. Duskmourn pays homage to iconic retro horror imagery with Paranormal Frame cards. These bring eye-popping imagery and frightful figures in static form, serving as a reminder that while you’ll come to depend on technology to survive, that same technology could be turned against you…
And the other survivors? You’ll see them represented in Double Exposure cards, a haunting art style reminiscent of classic horror photography. These can also be seen in textured foil versions, available exclusively in Magic: The Gathering Collector Boosters.
Don’t look away, they’re coming for you! Brace yourself for a jumpscare with Mirror Monster cards, revealing a frightening visage of a monster’s reflection. To add to the creeping uncertainty, take care that your card isn’t a Lurking Evil variant. There might just be a creeping figure ready to strike when you least expect it…
Those eager to snatch up some Magic: The Gathering Collector Boosters may also come across Japanese Showcase cards. These exceedingly rare treatments, and their even rarer Fracture Foil variants, will feature art styles from renowned Japanese illustrators and artists. These include Silent Hill creature designer Masahiro Ito’s terrifying “Damnation” Special Guest card featuring Duskmourn’s elder demon, Valgavoth our Devouring Father will protect us.
Magic: The Gathering: Duskmourn: House of Horror includes Play Boosters, Collector Boosters, Commander Decks, Prerelease Packs, and Bundles. A special ‘Nightmare Edition’ Bundle will also launch on October 18, 2024. For more information on Duskmourn: House of Horror, visit: https://magic.wizards.com/en/products/duskmourn-house-of-horror.
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