Introduction
Hello everyone. The Hareruya Media Team is back to present a preview of the new cards from Innistrad: Midnight Hunt, which will be released on Friday, September 24.
Image Copyright: MAGIC: THE GATHERING
Innistrad is the dimension that we’ve visited twice, and it is also known as an expansion that fully emphasizes the flavor storyline. The theme of Innistrad is based on graveyards and tribes. There are many cards that have been used across formats, not only in Standard at the time, but also in Legacy today. With zombies already appearing in the official unveiling article and the return of “Flashback” confirmed, it seems that graveyard and tribe will be a theme shared again this in game.
I’d like to introduce the latest cards right away, but before we do so, let’s start with a brief review of Innistrad so far.
Previous Innistrad
Innistrad, a gothic horror-inspired dimension set, has been introduced to us twice, in 2011 and 2016. The main themes of the game are graveyard and tribe, and “Delirium” and “Flashback” are the keyword abilities that fit the theme.Humans, zombies, and spirits became archetypes in their original tribes and dominated the Standard metagame. Werewolves couldn’t be an archetype, but there were cards like 《Huntmaster of the Fells》/《Ravager of the Fells》 and 《Duskwatch Recruiter》/《Krallenhorde Howler》 that were the core of the deck.
Actually, I think there was another tribe…
Right, how could I have forgot about the vampires! The vampires, mainly in Rakdos colors, are the representative tribe of “Innistrad” where there are four representative bloodlines.
Among them, the bloodline that binds the Voldaren family is one of the most representative. The founder of this family is Olivia. Yes, the 《Olivia Voldaren》!
《Olivia Voldaren》‘s overwhelming ability to control the board has had an impact not only in Limited, but also in Standard and Modern. Its tapless ability to control creatures from small to big made it a game ending card if not able to remove.
Her next card, 《Olivia, Mobilized for War》 was designed to be aggressive, but somewhat supportive. This ability, which triggers when another creature enters the battlefield, strengthens it and gives it a fast attack, giving it an advantage in the damage race of a game. Moreover, the cost of discarding a hand, which is normally a disadvantage, went well with the Innistrad features of “Madness” and “Flashback,” creating a synergistic effect.
So, without further ado, let’s take a look at the latest card. The Descendants of House Voldaren!
《Florian, Voldaren Scion》
《Florian, Voldaren Scion》
First Strike
At the beginning of your postcombat main phase, look at the top X cards of your library, where X is the total amount of life your opponent lost this turn, Exile one of those cards and put the rest on the bottom of your library in a random order. You may play the exiled card this turn.
《Florian, Voldaren Scion》 is the next Rakdos-colored creature in Voldaren’s bloodline, and it has a different set of strengths. At the beginning of the postcombat main phase, He has a card advantage effect that allows you to dig into your opponent’s library for as many cards as they have lost this turn, and play one of them that turn. Since it has a first strike of its own, it promises additional draw.
If you play it on turn 3, you can dominate the game to gain continuous advantage. Even if you are facing a huge blocker standing in your way, it is not big deal since Black and Red are good at removing creatures. 《Florian, Voldaren Scion》 will be backed up by removal spells, and the resource difference will be growing apart every time you attack. Strengthening it with equipment’s and auras will make it easier for damage to pass through, while at the same time increasing the number of cards you can dig into.
In addition, 《Florian, Voldaren Scion》 doesn’t have to stop attacking in front of multiple blockers lined up to attack, as is often the case with this type of card. This ability does not depend on combat damage, so it can be triggered even if your opponent’s life is reduced by firepower. It’s like having a cantrip on the first spell you cast each turn. This is a creature that your opponent will have to remove no matter when it enters the battlefield.
It is also worth noting that this ability refers to the total life lost by all your opponents. In a commander game, if you can deal damage to multiple opponents, the number of cards you can play is only one, but the number of cards you can dig into increases dramatically. If you cast 《Flame Rift》 with 《Florian, Voldaren Scion》 on the battlefield, you can dig from 8 to 12 cards.
《Florian, Voldaren Scion》 is not only available in the standard card illustration, but also in a special version: Eternal Night, a sleek black and white version of the two showcase frames. This one will appear from all versions of the booster packs!
Don’t forget that the plane of the expansion to be released on Friday, November 19 is also “Innistrad”. The illustration of Innistrad: Crimson Vow that has already been released shows a vampire that looks like “《Sorin Markov》“, so we can expect even more upgrades for the tribe.
Conclusion
In this article, I introduced you to a new card 《Florian, Voldaren Scion》 from Innistrad: Midnight Hunt. It’s a good matchup card that brings card advantage to aggressive archetypes. What will the new legendary vampire do in Standard? If the strategy is right, it will be used in aggressive decks across all formats.
Last but not least, we thank Wizard of the Coast for letting us share a preview card from the “Innistrad: Midnight Hunt” which will be released near your local game store on Friday, September 24, 2021!
