If you’re anything like me (a massive fan of both MtG and Sci-Fi media) you’ll be eagerly awaiting the release of the newest Magic the Gathering set: Edge of Eternities. Although Magic has dabbled in Science Fiction from time to time, this marks the first occasion we’re getting a full non-Universes Beyond, non-Silver Bordered/Acorn MtG set in this genre, complete with Spaceships, Planets, and all manner of weird and wonderful Aliens. With the set prereleasing at your local game stores in just under two weeks at the time of writing with the full array of products releasing 1st August, now seems like an excellent time to provide a quick and spoiler-free rundown of what to expect and look forward to.
New and Returning Mechanics
As with all Magic sets, Edge of Eternities is both debuting some exciting new abilities and keywords that will soon grace your decks, whilst also bringing back some familiar ones which you may not have seen in a little while.
The first of our new abilities is Warp. Accompanied by a cost, typically mana but in at least one case also life (https://scryfall.com/search?q=set%3Aeoe+o%3A%22warp%E2%80%94%22&unique=cards&as=grid&order=set), Warp is an alternative casting cost for your permanents. At the end of the turn in which you Warped a card, that card is exiled and you may cast it for as long as it remains exiled this way for its normal cost. The Warp cost is typically cheaper than the default cost to offset you only getting the card for a turn before needing to recast it, and it is often paired with enter or exit the battlefield abilities which Warp allows you to trigger multiple times. Already being touted as “fixed Evoke” by some Magic players (a similar mechanic that allowed you to cast a creature for a reduced cost but not get to keep it around), Warp looks to be a very fun mechanic especially in limited environments where every trigger matters, but will no doubt also enable wacky hijinx in commander games too.
Up next is Void. An ability word (like Landfall), Void is used to group the abilities in this set that triggers if a nonland permanent has left the battlefield or if you have Warped a spell this turn. This is a strictly better version of the Revolt ability word from 2017’s Aether Revolt set, and should provide some fun payoffs to sacrifice and Warp decks alike.
Let’s move on now to Station. This keyword appears exclusively on the new Spacecraft and Planet cards (Artifacts and Lands respectively), and is sort of like a combination between Crew and Level Up. You can tap your Creatures to put charge counters onto a card with Station equal to the tapped Creature’s power, and when the charge counters pass a certain threshold listed on the card it gains new abilities and in the case of Spacecraft can also become a Creature themselves. It remains to be seen how much of an effect these cards will have, they seem to have been used in some cases to gate abilities from older cards that were previously too powerful on their own. It’s also worth noting that as of the release of Edge of Eternities, both Legendary Vehicles and Legendary Spacecraft will be eligible to be run as the commander of EDH decks, which no doubt will unlock endless new possibilities.
The final new addition is actually not an ability but a new predefined token: Lander Tokens. Landers are Artifacts which you can pay 2 mana, tap, and sacrifice to search your library for a basic land card to put onto the battlefield. This is a fun new way to have land ramp with all sorts of new interactions with token modifying cards and I personally hope to see these used more going forward.
Onto the first of our returning abilities, we have Affinity! Although this wasn’t seen all that long ago, having turned up in both the Final Fantasy and Aetherdrift sets, this is worth mentioning because of the exciting new ways it’s used in this set. Namely, we have one new card which gives all your spells Affinity for Artifacts which is immediately going in every red and white Artifacts deck, and the second is a powerful Artifact with Affinity for Slivers that makes you more Slivers every upkeep. Whilst not the most niche ability ever, these appearances are certainly worthwhile mentioning.
Next on this list is Devour. This appears on one card in the set in the form Devour Land 3. Although one Land is a steep cost for three +1/+1 counters, the card it’s on lets you fetch lands from among the top cards of your library based on its power to put onto the battlefield, which in Land heavy decks can typically net you a positive number of Lands.
The final unusual returning mechanic of this set is Poison Counters. Not seen in a main set outside of reprints since 2024’s Murder of Karlov Manor (and even then only on one card), Edge of Eternities introduces a new Artifact Creature that gives your opponents Poison Counters whenever any nontoken Artifact Creature you control damages them. This nasty piece of work is sure to be a good fit as an alternate win condition in many Artifact decks, especially as it requires only three mana to cast.
Special Treatments
Although I’m sure we’re all hoping we’ll receive special treatment from Wizards of the Coast in the form of free Magic cards, the special treatment I’m actually referring to here is alternative card arts, frames, and foilings. It looks like we’re going to be spoiled for choice with all the new and exciting card variants this set, so let’s have a look at them.
In terms of alternative arts we have at least five different options, including gorgeous Celestial basic lands, bright and exciting Triumphant cards Featuring legendary Creatures, and action-packed Anime style showcase cards by a slew of incredibly talented artists.
There are also two different special foiling options, Galaxy foils which have a star-like effect and Fracture foils which have a shattered glass-like effect. Unfortunately foiling never comes through very well in photographs, so you’ll have to find some of these yourself in person if you want to see them!
The other notable inclusion treatment-wise comes in the form of a bonus sheet. The Stellar Sights Lands reimagine various locations from Magic’s history as stellar phenomena, from planets to space stations to nebulae. Available in two different distinct styles and frames, these cards have some of the best art in the set and will absolutely knock your socks off.
Thank you for reading, and I hope you’re just as excited for the set as I am. If you want to play with the cards from Edge of Eternities, you’ve only got a few more weeks to wait before they release, and if you want to read or listen to some of the story and lore behind them whilst you’re waiting you can do so Here!
