With Kaldheim coming out in February, there is lots of be excited about in the world of Magic. Inspired by Norse mythology, Kaldheim mentions the World Tree, Valkyries, and plane shifting Gods. But what exactly do these references mean?
Let’s go over the basics so you can enjoy of the mythological splendors ahead.
In Norse myth, the World Tree (also known as Yggdrasil) is the universe, holding all of the planes of existence. It is prophesied to exist until Ragnarök, the Apocalypse, that shall end the reign of Gods, and all of humanity.
Across the World Tree, there are a total of nine realms that exist – there is Asgard, the land of the Aesir (The Gods); Alfheim, the land of the Bright Elves; Jotunheim, the land of Giants; Nidavellir, the land of Dwarves; Nilfheim, a land of ice and mist; Svartalfheim, the land of Dark Elves; and Vanaheim, the land of the Vanir (More Gods).
I know what some of you are thinking – where is Valhalla? Isn’t that the whole thing for Vikings? All I want to do is scream ‘FOR VALHALLA!’, and you’re telling me I can’t?
Have no fear my ferocious brethren – Valhalla awaits.
Always ask for a map when traveling the World Tree.
Valhalla is not a plane of existence, but instead a mead hall in Asgard, where slain warriors go if they die in battle. The alternative to Valhalla, dying from sickness or any other non-violent, is going to Hel.
No, not Hell. The child of Loki one.
Let me explain.
Hel is one of the three children of Loki. That’s right kids – Tom Hiddleston got it on with a giant and is actually a baby daddy.
In the movie Thor: Ragnarok, Cate Blanchett plays the Marvel interpretation Hela. However, instead of being an Australian warrior woman in black and green spandex, Hel is a giant woman, with the head and torso of her natural form, but her legs nothing but bones and rotting flesh. Being banished from Asgard by Odin, the Father of all Gods, Hel tends to those who died outside of battle. It is not the worst place to go in death, but certainly not the best.
Instead, if you want to make it to that mead hall in Asgard to drink your cares away, you have to die in battle. Only then will you be visited by a Valkyrie.
The Valkyries are, simply put, the most badass angels in mythological history. Loyal servants to Odin, these warrior maidens fly down to capture the souls of those who died in battle in full battle regalia. They are known to smite warriors that they do not favour with ease, and guard heroes and vessels that were important to them.
So, you may be wondering – who else lives in Asgard? Who would you be able to be drinking buddies with after you have your over dramatic, super cool action movie death in the midst of battle?
“Yes, it’s Freya, we know – just chill dude.”
Norse gods are placed into two different factions – the Aesir and the Vanir. The Aesir are warriors naturally, able to strike down waves of enemies with ease. The Vanir are innate magical casters, using subtly instead of brute strength.
This distinction means little in the later myths of the Gods but is significant in the beginning. The Aesir and the Vanir began as foes, erupting into full war. Eventually, the Aesir and Vanir grew wary and called for peace. In doing so, each God spat in a cauldron, and thus the God Kvasir was born, the God of Knowledge.
The most famous Gods in Norse mythology will be familiar from the Marvel universe – Thor, Loki, and Odin, the three Gods who would find themselves in trouble the most often in Norse myth.
Some other notable figures include Freya, a witch goddess; Tyr, the god of Justice who lost his right arm to bind the demigod Fenrir; and Hoenir, who was the Odin’s loyal little screw up. He doesn’t have any real divine powers, but always gets himself pulled into Odin’s schemes or adventures. He never does anything or saves anyone – he is there to be captured, or to mess up a plan.
So, if you are ever having a rough go of it, just remember – you’re doing better than Hoenir.
Look at him – Odin’s little mistake.
There is so much left to say about Norse mythology – Ragnarok, the gods travelling to different planes, the apples of Iun – the list is endless. And from this expansive world, Kaldheim is going to give you a taste and explore this endless and beautiful tradition, reminding the world of the magic of the Norse.
So go forth, warrior – seize your weapons, your magics, and claim your seat in Valhalla!
Are there other aspects of Norse myth that I missed in the article that you have spotted in the preview cards? Make sure to comment below your thoughts!
For more articles like this in the future, make sure to follow The Bag of Loot!
Want to get a hold of your own Kaldheim pre-release set? Pre-order now with the link!
References:
https://www.ancient.eu/article/1305/nine-realms-of-norse-cosmology/
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Valkyrie-Norse-mythology
MTG Kaldheim a visit to the plane of the Vikings. Magic the Gathering is kicking off 2021 with a Norse mythology-inspired set; Magic’s take on what a world inspired by Vikings might look like. Kaldheim feels like another great set like Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths was.
Set symbol:
Number of Cards: 285
Prerelease Events: January 29th – 31st, 2021
Release Date: February 5th, 2021
Official Three-Letter Code KHM
The planeswalker Kaya visits a world of prophecy and legend, mortals and monsters. A world of many realms, epic sagas, bound by one truth. Viking or Valkyrie, Elf or Dwarf, all belong to the World Tree, all are supplicants to the gods. Gods who travel between the realms to their bidding for peace, for bloodshed, or for their own amusement. But what if there was a way to harness this power? A weapon with the ability to protect all. A weapon of pure strength. Forged for a god. Or … in more creative hands, a weapon of unimaginable chaos.
Jumpstart Logo provided by Wizards of the Coast
Jumpstart is an all-new way to play Magic: The Gathering. The elegant concept is perfect for players both new and old that can’t wait to start casting their spells. All you have to do is take two booster packs of Jumpstart, shuffle them together, and begin playing. Each 20 card pack contains 1-2 rares (33% of packs have 2 rares!), 7-8 lands, and focuses on a certain theme (goblin, dog, Garruk, etc.). One of the lands in each pack will feature new art focused on that pack’s theme. For example, a land in a dog-themed pack could have an image of a happy dog lounging in the middle of some plains. In addition to its simplicity, players that love tribal synergies and those that love being surprised by unexpected interactions will enjoy this product.
On top of a fun new way to play, Jumpstart also has plenty of cards that players of Eternal formats will love (especially Commander). Check them out below!
Wizards of the Coast has also created a new casual type of prerelease event to accompany this excellent casual product. Every prerelease player will be given a match slip and once that slip has been filled with match results, you’ll get an exclusive Jumpstart promo card. Win or lose, the most important thing is that you’ll be having fun. We hope to see you there!
This exciting new product releases two weeks after Core Set 2021 on July 17th. Preorders are available now at Three Kings Loot!
These days Wizards of the Coast is putting out an amazing amount of products for each of their sets. Here at The Bag of Loot, we’ve put together a little guide to see what’s going to be available this summer in Core Set 2021. Spend some time and take a look!
Core 2021 Draft Boosters come in booster boxes of 36 packs.
Familiarize yourself with the basic rules of Magic: The Gathering and the game’s most iconic mages, the Planeswalkers! These ready-to-play Planeswalker decks are a fantastic way to start your journey into the wonderful world of Magic.
A sweet package with more value than buying the boosters individually but not as expensive as a booster box. These bundles make a great gift for those loved ones that you know are into Magic and could use a couple of cards from the latest Core Set!
You’ll get to see these during the prerelease as you compete in the Sealed format against other Magic fans. They’ll be available for preorder and purchase both before and after the prerelease as well. Everyone will be able to enjoy these special prerelease packs (including date-stamped promo rares!) even if they miss the prerelease or decide they’d rather stay at home to play a prerelease event with just a couple friends and family.
Prerelease Packs will be shipped 18 packs per case.
Made for the collectors and those that want improved access to special (foil, showcase, borderless, etc.) versions of the cards, these special Collector Booster packs will carry a higher price but will also contain more valuable content.
Core 2021 Collector Boosters come in displays of 12 packs.
Description:
Well, you won’t be able to buy these but you will surely see them if you come down to Three Kings Loot for one of our weekly events. Participation in our events will earn yourself a shiny new card from one of these promo packs. Everyone’s guaranteed to get one, with the winners of the events getting the first pick of the goodies.
A booster for new players that will include 10 cards selected by Wizards of the Coast, including some powerful rares. We will be handing these out to new players for each set (with the 10 cards being different each time) and it will give them a nice starting point for their journey into Magic.
We hope this breakdown was helpful for you and we can’t wait to enjoy this very exciting and powerful-looking Core Set with you all. Until next time!
Signature Spellbook Chandra is a collection of eight cards plus one random premium foil version of one of those eight cards. It’s the ideal way to show your love of Chandra, stylize your Commander deck, or just help the world burn—in a good way. Check out the packaging and all eight cards below!
This fiery-hot Spellbook is available in English on Preorder for June 26, 2020 – the same weekend as the Core Set 2021 Prerelease!
This is the third installment of the Signature Spellbook series. In other words, its third consecutive year. The first Signature Spellbook was released in 2018 and was dedicated to the most famous blue mage Jace Beleren, known as Signature Spellbook Jace. The second Signature Spellbook was released in 2019, in dedication to Gideon Jura. Its release was right after the War of the Spark set, where he finally died versus Nicol Bolas in the epic finale to years of Magic storytelling. These Signature Spellbooks are good collectibles and are great looking singles. Signature Spellbook Chandra is a great addition to this series. “But why Chandra?” you might be asking yourself.
There are various reasons that Chandra was selected for the third Signature Spellbook. The first is that, much like the upcoming Core Set 2021 will be centered around the planeswalker Teferi, Core Set 2020 was centered around Chandra. Naturally, that makes 2020 her year and a perfect time to release her Spellbook. The second is that the Russo Brothers, famously known for directing Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, etc., are working on an animated Netflix series for Magic: The Gathering. Promotional art for the series features none other than Chandra herself, who will at least play a key role or may even be the main, hot-blooded protagonist herself. The last is that she’s one of the last early members of The Gatewatch who’s still in the organization. Liliana and Nissa Revane, while famous in their own right, have gone their separate ways from Magic’s current supergroup. However, if you ask me, I’d bet we’ll be seeing one of the two visited next year to round out the color pie of Spellbooks.
Double Masters is a new twist on the whole Masters series sets. This set doubles everything as the name implies! Two rares or mythic and two foils per pack and two non-foil Box-topper per Box. You even get two Draft first-pick per pack. Three Kings Loot will be excited to be Drafting this new product on Release Weekend. We will also have preorders for Booster boxes available. WotC also announced there will be a Collector’s edition called VIP Edition, packed with awesomeness with more information closer to release. They also announced that this will not be the 2020 set containing Enemy Fetch Lands, reprinted in Secret Lair Ultimate edition on May 29th.
Release Date: August 7, 2020
Double Masters will be available on Magic Online starting August 6 for $6.99 per booster. It will not be redeemable.
Preorders for Double Masters Booster Box available from Three Kings Loot inc.
Similar to Collector Edition, these will be Double Masters premium packs. Their content is much different from the Collector’s packs, perhaps why they are called VIP Edition instead. Each pack will be around the price of a Draft Booster Box and will contain:
Previews
The King is back with a quick article about this silky box, containing the five enemy Fetch Lands that feature the artwork of premier Magic artists Alayna Danner, Adam Paquette, Sam Burley, John Avon, and Seb McKinnon.
There has been some complaining online about this reprint of Fetch Lands. The complaints are not about the reprint, but because of the way they are being released. As a Secret Lair: Ultimate Edition, a collection containing one non-foil copy of each enemy Fetch Lands. Some would have preferred a reprint in a Booster Set like Modern Masters 2017. While Masters Sets may be discontinued, Wizards had other opportunities to reprint fetches like Modern Horizons and Mystery Boosters. Wizards of the Coast did say WPN stores will receive up to 10 copies starting May 29.
This collection reminds me of From The Vaults. Except that, for the week after these go on sale at WPN stores, Wizards will be running a Secret Lair superdrop as well. More details about all of the drops will be released closer to June. The only detail Wizards has shared is that if you purchase the bundle that combines each drop that goes on sale during the superdrop, you’ll receive one random fetch land for each bundle you purchase. Wizards also added there will be another way to pick up some stylized versions of fetch lands later this year that will also be in your local game store. It could be Commander Legends, the first-ever Commander set, set to release in December 2020. The JumpStart set in July is the other possible non-Standard set. However, I don’t think they would contain Fetch Lands.
Pre-orders for the Secret Lair – Ultimate Edition containing all five Fetch Lands are on our website for only $299.99. Don’t miss out!
Well, Wizards has fully spoiled Modern Masters 2017 and in the process have driven players wild with just loads of amazing reprints. They must have looked at the reprint policy and then just shredded the thing in the recycling bin because this set looks NUTS. Honestly, who’s idea was it to reprint all this awesome stuff? On top of the set being full of many valuable reprints, Wizards has done an admirable job of balancing cards intended for competitive play and those destined to see play in Casual formats. Today I’m going to go through my top 10 cards for Casual play from Modern Masters 2017. If you feel like I missed something on my list, leave a comment down below.
If you feel like I missed something, please leave a comment down below or find me on twitter because I’d love to hear what other people have got in mind. As always, thanks for stopping by and be sure to come again for another Casual Encounter.
Bruce Gray
@bgray8791
