New information on the new set: Ikoria: Reich des Behemoths was released yesterday. We will go into the news in stages here.

The new set Ikoria: Reich of the Behemoths takes us to Ikoria, a breathtaking world where adventurous Planeswalkers like you can discover unparalleled sights. Massive crystal formations, unfathomable caves, towering mountain peaks and much more await you.

New mechanics

Brands in various forms

Now there are not only the usual – or + marks, but a “capability mark”, so to speak. Just like the +1/+1 counters give +1/+1 to a creature they’re on, these “ability counters” give the listed ability to a permanent card they’re on. This gives some spells and abilities a little more staying power.

To help you quickly recognize which creature has which tokens on it, detachable tokens appear. We assume that these are included in Booster Packs.

Mutation

Each creature card with mutate gives you two ways to cast the spell. The first option is, unsurprisingly, to simply cast it for its mana cost. The second option: Instead of simply casting the creature spell, you mutate a creature in play!

When you cast a creature spell for its mutation cost, a few things change about the way it’s cast. First, you pay the mutation cost instead of the mana cost. Second, the spell requires a target. Specifically, a non-Human creature of your choice that you own. Mutate can only be used when casting the spell. If a creature card with mutate enters the battlefield in any other way, it simply enters the battlefield.

As soon as a mutating creature spell resolves, it doesn’t enter the battlefield but fuses with its target to become a single creature. Its controller chooses whether the mutating creature spell is put on top of the target or underneath it when it resolves. In the end, you have a stack of cards that all together represent a single creature. That creature has all the abilities of the top card plus the abilities of each card below it.

But remember that the creature’s name, converted mana cost, colors, and creature types are all determined by the top card. The mutating creature spell that resolves doesn’t come into play. It only changes the characteristics of the creature already in play. If the original creature was tapped, the new hybrid creature is also tapped. If it had tokens on it or auras or equipment attached to it, this is still the case.

Companion

There are ten companions in Ikoria. Each of them is a legendary creature whose companion ability has a deckbuilding rule. If your starting deck follows this rule, the legendary creature can be your chosen companion.

You can have up to one chosen companion in each game. This chosen companion does not start the game in your main deck. Instead, it is a card in your sideboard. You must show your chosen companion to your opponent before the game starts. When you cast your companion, it remains part of the game. It does not go back into the sideboard.

New design types

The new Showcase cards from Ikoria are in comic style.

Godzilla series

But it doesn’t stop at the changed Showcase designs, which now come in a different form from set to set. There is an additional Showcase form, which can be found in the Rare or Mythic slot with amazing new lands. Unfortunately, these are not yet known. These cards are part of the “Godzilla Series” monster cards. A total of 19 cards received this treatment. For play, they are equivalent to each other.

As these special cards are mainly contained in Collector Boosters, we will briefly discuss them. There will still be Extended-Art and Showcase cards. The Godzilla Series cards are new. In the following picture you can see the distribution in the new Collector Booster.

Pre-order Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths!