The Mechanics of Forgotten Realms

The Mechanics of Forgotten Realms

As promised in the last post, today we’ll be taking a look at all the mechanics in Adventures in the Forgotten Realms, so you can be as prepared as you can be for the upcoming Pre-Release Events this weekend!

This set provides an exciting opportunity for MtG and D&D players to merge their favorite hobbies, and no other mechanic could showcase that more than:

DUNGEONS:

During gameplay, certain cards instruct players to Venture into the dungeon. When that happens, players must enter one of three available dungeons. These are included in your pre-release kits. Dungeon cards are not part of your deck and don’t take up sideboard slots. They are placed in the command zone once you enter them, and you cannot enter a new dungeon until one already in progress has been completed. 

 When you Venture into the dungeon, select one of these cards, place it in your command zone, and set a suitable marker in the first room (room order goes from the top to the bottom). If you would Venture into the dungeon again, simply move that marker to the next room underneath the room the marker is currently in. Every time your marker would enter a room, apply the effects of that room. Note that some dungeons offer multiple paths from beginning to end. 

Once the last room is reached, remove the marker and dungeon card from the command zone. That dungeon is now considered to be complete. If you would Venture into the dungeon again, you may begin in any of the dungeons. Having completed one doesn’t prevent you from re-entering it.

FLAVOR WORDS:

Though wordy and slightly confusing to newer players, flavor words do a great job of evoking the feel and atmosphere of the elements of an RPG. You can see them in cards, such as the ones below, in italics, before the actual gameplay effect the card would have. The flavor text bears no gameplay function. 

D20’s:

Dice rolling in MtG? This might not be an UN-set, but dice rolling has made its return to a Standard legal set. Certain cards such as the ones shown below, will instruct you to roll a d20 when a specific condition is met. For example when that card enters the battlefield or when a creature attacks. 

 To do this, simply roll a d20 and consult the table on the card the effect originated from. After you apply those effects, the triggered ability is resolved. The pre-release kits come with a normal d20 instead of the typical spindown dice you might be familiar with. We strongly advise you use those (or other randomized d20s) instead of spindowns, or risk being called a filthy cheater. 

CLASS:

There are several Class cards in this set. This is a new Enchantment subtype and they are a mix between Sagas and the Level-up mechanic. Once a Class card enters the battlefield, it will either have a static ability or a triggered ‘enters the battlefield’ ability. You can then spend the requisite amount of mana to reach the next Level of that Class. Once a new level is reached, the class, in addition to any other static effects it might have had previously, will gain the new static effects from the new level or trigger an effect from the new level. Once a Class reaches level 3, it can not be leveled up any more. You can have multiple Classes in play simultaneously. 

And that’s it! There aren’t a lot of mechanics in this set, so it’s the perfect opportunity for you to jump into the game if you’re more of a D&D fan than an MtG one. And if you're more into MtG than D&D, the set will surely provide you with the fun gameplay you’ve come to expect from playing MtG limited formats.

And in case you didn’t know, you can already play this set on MTG Arena! Simply download the client and get to cracking new packs, drafting, playing sealed or even playing the constructed format of your choice.

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