Magic: The Gathering’s Adventures in the Forgotten Realms will let you Venture into classic D&D dungeons
New keyword will see players crawl their way through three familiar locations.
Magic: The Gathering’s upcoming Dungeons & Dragons set Adventures in the Forgotten Realms will let players crawl their way through three of the RPG’s most iconic dungeons using a new gameplay mechanic.
Venture is a new keyword that will appear on specific cards in Adventures in the Forgotten Realms, and pairs with three dedicated dungeon cards themed around classic Dungeons & Dragons deathtrap Tomb of Annihilation, fifth-edition adventure Dungeon of the Mad Mage and D&D 5E Starter Set adventure, Lost Mine of Phandelver.
Each dungeon card features a series of branching rooms across multiple levels. Each time a player uses the Venture keyword, they can progress further into a dungeon, deciding which path to take, tracking their location on the card with a token and activating any ability text and effects as they reach new rooms.
Once the end of a dungeon is reached, the card will offer a reward for completion, including the chance to draw additional cards, create token creatures or cast a card without paying its cost. Completing a dungeon will also allow specific ability text on other cards to be used, with Gloom Stalker and the very meta Dungeon Crawler revealed as two such cards that gain benefits from a completed dungeon - double strike and the option to return to the player's hand from the graveyard respectively.
The dungeon cards won’t need to be drafted or included as part of either player’s deck, starting alongside each player's sideboard without taking up a sideboard slot. Instead, they’ll always be available for either player to delve into - both players can explore the same dungeon on separate cards in their own play area, with each player able to venture into multiple different dungeons at the same time. The dungeon cards will be included in the token slot in Magic: The Gathering booster packs.
Cards that include the Venture keyword will span the spectrum of card rarity in Adventures in the Forgotten Realms, down to common cards such as the new Shortcut Seeker.
Wizards of the Coast confirmed that Tomb of Annihilation, Dungeon of the Mad Mage and Lost Mine of Phandelver would be the only dungeon cards introduced in Adventures in the Forgotten Realms, with no current plans to add further dungeons based on D&D adventures to the card game.
Adventures in the Forgotten Realms marks the first time that Magic: The Gathering has featured a full set of cards based on Dungeons & Dragons, although MTG planes Theros, Ravnica and Strixhaven have crossed over to the tabletop RPG in the form of sourcebooks.
The upcoming set is packed with references to Dungeons & Dragons locations, monsters and adventures both new and old, including elements that have appeared outside of the RPG in novels, video games and comics. Wizards previously teased the inclusion of iconic weapons such as the Vorpal Sword, along with dragon villain Tiamat - whose card features all five of MTG's mana colours, relating to each of her heads.
Magic: The Gathering - Adventures in the Forgotten Realms will be released for MTG Arena and MTG Online on July 15th, with a global release date to follow on July 23rd.