The Standard-legal Dungeons & Dragons: Adventures in the Forgotten Realms set will contain new Magic: The Gathering mechanics, along with ones just for flavor.
Two Hasbro IPs will mash together in the Dungeons & Dragons: Adventures in the Forgotten Realms (AFR) set, introducing venturing into a dungeon, flavor word abilities, d20 die rolls, and Class cards. The set is scheduled to release digitally via Magic Online and MTG Arena on July 8.
Here’s every AFR mechanic players will need to familiarize themselves with.
Venture into the dungeon
With the release of AFR, venturing into and through a dungeon will become a Magic mechanic. In total, there are three dungeons players can choose from: Dungeon of the Mad Mage, Tomb of Annihilation, and Lost Mine of Phandelver. One can enter, or move through a dungeon, via the AFR mechanic Venture.
Related: How to Venture MTG dungeons in Forgotten Realms
Only one dungeon can be on the battlefield per player, slotting into the command zone. Dungeons don’t get put in the main deck or a player’s sideboard, they start outside the game. Upon completing a dungeon, players can choose to enter the same dungeon with the next Venture trigger or choose a different one.
Multiple types of MTG cards contain the Venture mechanic, from creatures to artifacts. The new AFR mechanic reads: “Enter the first room or advance to the next room.” The first time a player uses the Venture mechanic, they’ll enter room one of a dungeon. Each Venture trigger moves players through the dungeon, allowing them to pick their own path.
Once a dungeon is completed, it leaves the battlefield. Several AFR creatures use the new mechanic by providing additional abilities or stats upon completing a dungeon. And each room in a dungeon will provide a player with some form of benefit or punishment.
Flavor words
Flavor words on AFR cards can be somewhat confusing. They look like keywords or mechanics but are in reality just a touch of D&D flavor added to the card. A flavor word will look like “ability words,” according to WotC, with “neither having any rules meaning.” In instances where flavor words appear, those MTG cards would already have the ability on them that’s tied to the flavor word.
D20 dice roll
Flavor within the AFR set hits a high point via the d20 die-roll mechanic. For players unfamiliar with what a d20 roll is, it’s a 20-sided die used in D&D. It’s also the same die players receive upon playing a prerelease event within a local game store prior to the release of a set. Rolling a d20 in MTG Arena is accomplished by the game itself.
Players will find d20 rolls on creatures, artifacts, and even Instant spells. Rolling a die isn’t new to Magic, having appeared in “Un-sets,” a non-competitive and fun format. All AFR cards with the d20 mechanic have a black border.
AFR Classes
The AFR set will include a total of 12 Enchantment cards that contain a new subtype called Class. Each Class card reads: “Gain the next level as a Sorcery to add its ability.” Players can have multiple Class Enchantment cards on the battlefield at one time (even copies of the same Class), with each acting independently from one another. A player can only pay to activate a level during their main phase as a Sorcery.
There are three levels on each Class Enchantment card, contained within text boxes. Casting the Class triggers the level one ability. The level one ability is active for as long as the card remains in play. Activating the second and third levels requires paying a mana cost. Class abilities include static abilities, activated abilities, or triggered abilities.
Players can’t skip from level one to level three, similar to how a counter moves on a Saga. Upon paying for the level two ability, both levels one and two become “active.” The third level can’t get activated until the second level has been unlocked via paying the mana cost to activate it.
The Dungeons & Dragons: Adventures in the Forgotten Realms MTG set has a global tabletop release scheduled for July 23. A digital launch for AFR will take place on July 8.
All images via WotC, Magic: The Gathering.
