The plane of Duskmourn is unlike any other in the world of MTG, existing solely within the walls of “The House”. It feeds on the fear and pain of those it has trapped within its walls, leaving survivors desperately trying to escape the entities and monsters who help to maintain the endless loop of terror and fear. At the heart of it all is a demonic being named Valgavoth. Once imprisoned by The House, Valgavoth has now woven his sentience into the very foundations of the mansion, using it as a breeding ground for pain, terror and fear… And with that spicy introduction to this ominous plane, let’s dive into what players have to look forward to in Duskmourn: House of Horror!
Malevolent Mechanics
As with all new releases, Duskmourn brings with it some new and exciting mechanics, allowing players to try their hand at new strategies and put the misery and malice of The House to good use!
Rooms: In a bid to terrorize and confuse those who are trapped within its walls, The House is ever-changing, shifting its walls so that no two hallways or areas are ever the same. With this, a new type of split permanent card has been created. Each half is a door that must be unlocked (by paying its mana cost) in order to gain the benefits of the static or triggered abilities.
Manifest Dread: What’s more terrifying than facing your fears head-on, but the threat of the unknown! Whilst manifest is not a new mechanic in MTG, manifest dead has allowed players a new way to drive fear into the hearts of their opponents. When this ability is triggered, you look at the top two cards of your library, manifesting one face down as a colourless, 2/2 creature with no types, abilities or mana cost. The other goes into your graveyard. At any time, the manifested card can be turned face up for its mana cost, allowing you to reveal a potential game-changing creature! Revealing the card is a special ability – it doesn’t use the stack, so it cannot be responded to! Nothing worse than not blocking a 2/2, only to find it’s a massive 15 power creature with game ending abilities or keywords!
Survival: This new keyword ability triggers on your second main phase, provided the creature it is printed on is tapped. How that creature became tapped is irrelevant (be it through combat or the ability of another card), but what is important is the fact that it will give you an additional way to outmanoeuvre and outplay both your opponent and The House itself!
Eerie: A triggered ability that occurs when an enchantment enters the battlefield under your control, or when you fully unlock a room card. This means an eerie ability has the potential to trigger twice with a single room card – value for money in my eyes!
Impending: A new keyword ability, seen only on Overlord cards. If the card is cast for its impending cost, it will enter with a number of time counters on it. This means that instead of it coming in as a creature straight away, you can cast it earlier in the game for a reduced cost, removing a time counter from it on your end step. Once all the counters have been removed, it becomes a terrifying creature, ready to take down your opponents as it emerges from the shadows in all its horrifying glory!
Keep Your Eyes Peeled For…
So, what are some cards we should be chasing down (instead of running away from) in Duskmourn: House of Horrors?
Overlord Cards: A new cycle of cards with the Impending mechanic, these enchantment creatures are terrifying cards with ETB triggers that repeat on attack once all time counters have been removed and the Overlord becomes a creature.
Enduring Cards: Enchantment creatures that are here to help the player escape the clutches of the Duskmourn plane unscathed! These creatures have powerful effects, the most impressive of which happens after they die – they can be returned to the battlefield as an enchantment, meaning you continue to get the benefit of the card’s powerful buff, whilst it becomes harder for your opponent to remove!
Meathook Massacre II: All the best horrors get a sequel, right?! Well in this case it certainly is – Meathook Massacre is back! First printed in Innistrad Midnight Hunt, Meathook Massacre II is a new version of this already loved legendary enchantment, allowing players to effectively board wipe, whilst retaining access to all the creatures that have entered the graveyard as a result.
There are so many more cards to look out for in this set, but you’ll have to venture into the mansion of madness yourself to find them!
Sucked In or Lucky Escape?
Duskmourn is a set which I feel will make for great sealed play at your local LGS! There are so many new and exciting creature types and mechanics for you to sink your teeth into, it will be up to you as to whether you become the hero of this horror story, or fall under Valgavoth’s spell and turn villain!
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About the author:
Melissa King is a nerd from Northern Ireland, who loves nothing more than a competitive games night with family! She loves anime, MTG and board games involving drafting, worker placement and resource management (although she’ll give anything a try).
