Kaldheim Predictions and Speculation
Spoilers, Rumors, and Speculation forum
Posted on Sept. 22, 2020, 4:42 p.m. by DemonDragonJ
Before previews for Kaldheim officially begin, I would like to speculate and form my own theories about it, and invite others to do so, as well.
First, given that this plane is modeled after Norse mythology and Viking culture, I do expect that the inhabitants will be portrayed as fearsome warriors, but I hope that that is not the entirety of their identity. The actual Norse were more than merely powerful warriors; they were brave explorers, wondrous storytellers, skilled merchants, and also talented farmers; women actually enjoyed a fairly good social status for that time period, and they only went out raiding and pillaging on occasion. Stories of Vikings/Norse being savage barbarians are exaggerations spread by the Greeks and Romans, so I hope that this set is aware of that.
Second, I fully expect this set to have krakens, since krakens originated in Norse mythology, not Greek mythology, yet WotC had krakens in the Theros block, which was modeled after ancient Greece.
Third, given that both Theros and Amonkhet had deities, I expect that this plane shall have them, as well, but I expect them to be different from gods of the other plans. For example, the gods of Theros were creatures only under certain circumstances and the gods of Amonkhet could attack and block only under certain circumstances, so I predict that the deities of Kaldheim shall be indestructible only under certain circumstances, because, whereas the Greek gods were truly immortal and could not die, the Norse gods could be killed (although doing so was obviously not easy).
Fourth, given that the Vikings are best-known for their prowess in battle, as well as their skill with metallurgy and weapons, I expect both equipment and combat to be important in this set.
Fifth, many players are hoping for a return of snow permanents in this set, but I honestly do not see the appeal of it; it is such a weird supertype that I think should not exist and be retired, but, to appease those players, enemy-colored snow dual lands would be nice, to complement the allied-colored snow dual lands from Coldsnap.
Sixth, I believe that it is fairly safe to presume that this set shall have legendary creatures modeled after famous characters, such as Odin, Thor, Loki, Hela, Surtur, Thrym, Jormungandur, Fenrir, and so forth.
What does everyone else have to say about this? What predictions do you have for Kaldheim?
RiotRunner789 says... #3
Trolls and more trolls. Trolls under bridges. Trolls in the woods. Trolls trolling. More trolls please.
September 22, 2020 5:07 p.m.
SynergyBuild says... #6
Bruh @DeinoStinkus don't give 4c omnath more tools.
September 22, 2020 6:17 p.m.
I think it is a given that we will see a focus on the more martial side of Norse history. That is, after all, what most people think of when they think of the Vikings. However, that impression is a rather unfair one. Did the Viking raid and pillage across Northern Europe and the English Isles? Yes, but that is not all they were.
The oldest continuing democracy was created by the Vikings. They were a society governed by complex laws and a well-defined legal system, and some of their laws are still in effect in Norse countries to this day. The Sagas are brilliant works of literature often ignored in the Western Canon. The Viking nation of Iceland had one of the smoothest conversions to Christianity, converting via a legal arbitration rather than conquest (and still allowing for freedom of worship for years after the conversion).
I'd love to see Wizards lean more into the reality of Norse society, rather than just follow the steryotypes. But I have little faith in that--even the History Channel decided to go with steryotype rather than reality when they made their garbage television show.
September 22, 2020 6:20 p.m.
ZendikariWol says... #8
I dunno, Caerwyn, the design team tends to include enough deep cuts that "maybe not every norseman was a literal walking massacre?" shouldn't slip through the cracks.
September 22, 2020 6:33 p.m.
DemonDragonJ says... #9
DeinoStinkus, I like those card, but the name "Kalyptus" sounds very Greek, to me.
September 22, 2020 8:20 p.m.
ZendikariWol says... #10
DemonDragonJ, seems evocative of Charybdis or Calypso.
September 23, 2020 12:03 a.m.
DemonDragonJ says... #11
ZendikariWol, yes, and both of them are being from Greek mythology.
September 23, 2020 6:50 a.m.
davidsays1 says... #12
I heard we might finish the modal dfc cycle in this set idk yet
September 23, 2020 8:04 a.m.
Hey DeinoStinkus, +1 for including the GoW inspired artwork there. Good job, boy
September 23, 2020 9:05 a.m.
ZendikariWol says... #14
Top-down Idunn, whadda y'all think?
Lacenna, the Gardener
Legendary Creature- God Druid
Creatures you control get +1/+1 for each land you control beyond seven.
: The next time target God would die this turn, return it to its owner's hand.
2/3
September 23, 2020 9:52 a.m.
EleshNornsFs says... #15
With Wizards' recent attempts to be more inclusive and culturally sensitive, I don't think that the Vikings will be too poorly depicted. I expect a majority of them to be the beefy pillagers, but I also expect Wizards to at least try to pay some respect to their rich culture and heritage, outside of the common misconceptions. As for the gods, I don't know what to expect. The established tradition with gods is that they can't function like a real creature without meeting a specific criterion. Even the Titans from the new Theros had that theme, but I don't know how they will accomplish it this go around, if gods are a thing at all.
September 23, 2020 9:55 a.m.
SynergyBuild says... #16
EleshNornsFs Have you seen how lazily they portrayed knights and fairy tales in ELD? Idk if their marketing team is connected to their design team xD
September 23, 2020 10 a.m.
EleshNornsFs says... #17
In my opinion, ELD was intended to be that way. It wasn't supposed to be historical or cultural. It was meant to be a standard, Arthurian faerie tale. Nothing super accurate or true to the original folklore. It was just supposed to be a fantastical adventure.
September 23, 2020 11:06 a.m.
DemonDragonJ says... #18
EleshNornsFs, on that subject, I expect all native humans on Kaldheim to look appropriately Scandinavian; if all (or most) natives of Kamigawa, Kaladesh, and Tarkir looked Asian, all natives of Amonkhet looked Egyptian, it would only be appropriate for everyone on Kaldheim to look Scandinavian, in my opinion.
September 23, 2020 4:49 p.m.
JANKYARD_DOG says... #19
How do you suppose they will tie into the party mechanic? I dont see there being alot of wizards or clerics in a Norse inspired set.
September 24, 2020 6:43 a.m.
DemonDragonJ says... #20
Mj3913, why do you say that? The Norse worshiped deities, so clerics would work on this plane, and magic was certainly abundant in their tales, so I believe that wizards will be present in this set.
September 24, 2020 7:21 a.m.
JANKYARD_DOG says... #21
I feel Shaman/Druid fits better than Cleric/Wizard.
September 24, 2020 10:34 a.m.
davidsays1 says... #22
Lovisa Coldeyes gets a new card or gets errata?
September 24, 2020 11:41 a.m.
ZendikariWol says... #24
TheMagicJankster, I have long speculated that Saskia may be from Kaldheim. More 4c legends plz??
September 24, 2020 1:54 p.m.
Bass_f13nd says... #25
Friela the distressed. WUG Legendary creature- god When friela enters the battlefield draw 2 cards then discard 2 cards. At the beginning of combat exile a card from your graveyard friela gets first strike if a card exiled with friela has first strike. The same is true for flying trample lifelink deathough hexproof menace double strike reach. When friela leaves the battle field put all cards exiled with her into your hand. Friela gets +1/+1 for each card you own in exile. Friela has indestructible if 3 or more cards you own are exiled. 0/3
September 24, 2020 7:54 p.m.
ZendikariWol says... #27
Bass_f13nd, that amount of text will scarcely fit on a card. Also, feels more in WBG, maybe BUG's color pie. Specifically reminiscent of Kathril, Aspect Warper tho.
Also, I'm skeptical we'd see Jace. WotC tends not to do the same walker twice in a row.
September 24, 2020 8:20 p.m.
Bass_f13nd says... #28
Im sure the textbox could be reworded to fit the intended effect.with less words. Odric had a similar ability so its not impossible to fit white. Maybe the indestructible should match a green requirement. Friela has indestructible if her power is 4 or greater
September 24, 2020 8:32 p.m.
ZendikariWol says... #29
Speaking of... what if we see Koth here? "Koth seems an odd pick. Explain." Two simple reasons: 1- WotC appeard to be setting up the return to Mirrodin/New Phyrexia. This would be a useful plane for gaining powerful allies 2- can you imagine Koth's ever-blazing shell contrasted against the snowy background, steaming slightly as gentle white falls on red and black? The artwork. The artwork.
Other unlikely headcanons include: Vraska, an out-of-place loner, drifting through the tundra, looking for a place to escape the one thing she knows she can't: her past...
Tezzeret: a vicious new warlord stalks the tundra, ever mad with anger for reasons no one on Kaldheim could possibly know...
Chandra: a wandering monk, protecting the innocent in a world where the weak are trod upon.
September 24, 2020 9:02 p.m.
JANKYARD_DOG says... #30
What about Dwarves? Anyone else think this would be a good spot for them to show up?
I can see that, Tezz goes to hide/scheme in Kaldheim, Ral shows up and the locals think he's the God of Thunder/Thor.
September 24, 2020 10 p.m.
DemonDragonJ says... #31
Mj3913, yes, given that Norse mythology prominently features both elves and dwarves, I expect both races to appear on Kladheim/.
September 24, 2020 10:04 p.m.
DemonDragonJ says... #32
I forgot to mention this, but I expect this plane to have valkryies, and I expect them to be red/white angels.
September 24, 2020 10:06 p.m.
ZendikariWol, the card Bass_f13nd suggested certainly has a lot going on in the text box but Lukka, Coppercoat Outcast would like a word about how much text Wizards will cram onto a card, lol
September 25, 2020 1:36 p.m.
ZendikariWol says... #35
FSims81, you're right, and all three of Questing Beast's heads are smirking at Lukka (as Sublime Epiphany urges them both to keep an open mind!). I guess it's mostly that I don't like walls of text. I get that they need to happen sometimes, and on this it's just fine, as it only really does one thing. You should still just make it indestructible if it exiles something indestructible tho.
September 25, 2020 9:51 p.m.
Hi_diddly_ho_neighbor says... #36
My hopes:
1), 2), 3), 4), 5): A card depicting Ratatoskr (or a creature related to him) that finally gives us the black bordered squirrel tribal commander that we need.
6) God's are a gimmie in this set, however, I think it would be cool to see them go a more creative route and focus on the god's weapons since many of them are pretty iconic. They could move into design space similar to Elbrus, the Binding Blade Flip where if certain conditions are met, the weapon flips into a creature version of the god
7) Snow duals that function as replacements for the ABUR duals or snow fetchlands. I've seen these ideas floated by a number of people and I like it, and it actually would make sense for WotC to do this to help eternal formats without hurting the reserve list or the secondary market that "doesn't exist".
8) A good "snow matters" legend
9) The return of trolls and the regenerate mechanic
10) A general powering down of the cards in the set
September 28, 2020 10:29 p.m.
ZendikariWol says... #37
I'm excited to return to like, a Guilds of Ravnica power level, something just above Khans block and well below Throne of Eldraine.
September 30, 2020 2:10 p.m.
ZendikariWol says... #38
Also, I really think snow was a mistake. It's apparently a blazing hot take, but snow is strictly better than nonsnow, and I think that's ridiculous. This would be fine if snow was inefficient, like Arcane, (which, for those who don't know is an instant/sorcery subtype that had a bunch of cool payoffs but the spells were not great) or if there were any half-decent hate cards against it.
September 30, 2020 2:28 p.m.
Hi_diddly_ho_neighbor says... #39
Ehh, I disagree. It's at best marginally better than normal. Snow lands, spells, and creatures are still hit by all of the same things that hit their normal counterparts and most snow creatures/spells require deck building restrictions in order to actually trigger/be cast. I just think people developed bad feelings towards snow due to Arcum's Astrolabe.
October 1, 2020 12:24 a.m.
DemonDragonJ says... #40
Hi_diddly_ho_neighbor, WotC has said that they have retired regeneration in favor of temporary indestructibility, due to how complicated regeneration was.
October 1, 2020 7:14 a.m.
DemonDragonJ says... #41
Hi_diddly_ho_neighbor, also, forgive the double post, but the reserved list prevents functional reprints of cards on it, and WotC has said snow versions of the original dual lands would be too similar to the originals to be allowed, unfortunately; however, I imagine that snow versions of the shocklands are acceptable.
October 1, 2020 7:23 a.m.
ZendikariWol says... #42
I think that good snow fixing in the form of duals would be too nuts. Like, is there any reason not to play snow basics over regular basics?
October 1, 2020 12:16 p.m.
Hi_diddly_ho_neighbor says... #43
DemonDragonJ - WotC also said that Madness was extremely unlikely to return and Protection would never return as an game mechanic. And then SOI and Core 2020 happened. If the mechanic fits, they will likely use it regardless of previous claims.
Fair enough on the duels, it's just an idea that I heard that I liked. I could see snow shocks as an easy alternative. We also know that there will be MDFC's in Kaldheim so we could actually see lands that are snow on one side and normal on the other. That would be kind of cool.
ZendikariWol - Would it? I really don't see how a snow duel is any better than a normal duel other than in dedicated snow decks where you are required to play snow lands. I guess I can counter your question with: is there any reason to play snow basics over normal basics? I can think of exactly one corner case where it matters, and that involves Extraplanar Lens. Outside of that, really there isn't much of a difference. Now maybe there is a card in the future that makes snow lands nuts, but as of right now, there isn't.
October 1, 2020 7:25 p.m.
DemonDragonJ says... #44
Since the word "saga" is of Norse origin, I hope that sagas appear in this set, since WotC included them in the Greek-inspired Theros, making that the second time that they have included a Norse element in a Greek-themed world (the first being krakens).
October 1, 2020 11:06 p.m.
DemonDragonJ says... #45
ZendikariWol, I agree that the snow supertype should never have existed, but it does exist, and some players are very fond of it, so WotC seems to be determined to continue using it, on occasion.
October 1, 2020 11:08 p.m.
ZendikariWol says... #46
That's a really interesting viewpoint, DemonDragonJ. "No, it should not exist, but it does and people love it" is a really troubling challenge to overcome, I guess all you can do is give the consumers what they want. And I see why it's a thing, I mean, it's a sexy way to be like "dude, it's not just normal cold here it's cold as FUCK."
Also, I heard you mention sagas and I want to get as many people on this hype train as possible: the MDFCs in Kaldheim should be legendary creatures that can be played as sagas. Plays great with the legend rule, gives you an enchantment in the command zone, and the absolute flavor of it? Delicious.
October 2, 2020 2:06 a.m.
Hi_diddly_ho_neighbor says... #47
Interesting, what about a Saga that flips into a god when the story is complete?
October 2, 2020 6:07 p.m.
ZendikariWol says... #48
Equally interesting, Hi_diddly_ho_neighbor, but it doesn't play as nicely with the legend rule, and that's not really what MDFCs do.
That said, it could be a really interesting TDFC, flavored as a quest rather than a story.
October 2, 2020 9:48 p.m.
DemonDragonJ says... #49
Hi_diddly_ho_neighbor, I think that that would be an awesome idea, so I hope that WotC considers it.
October 3, 2020 12:19 a.m.
My top 5 predictions for this set.
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A "ragnarok" style theme where the whole plane is at war and will be annihilated at the end leaving onto two characters left. It will feature a powerful board wipe card themed to fit this. Maybe "players choose a creature and sacrifice the rest".
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Giants will be a prominent creature in this set and we will get a giant lord.
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Snow perms will not make a comeback.
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This set will feature a LOT of legendary artifacts.
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Kaya and Oko will both die.
ZendikariWol says... #2
My personal hopes and dreams include:
First and foremost, the MDFCs in this set (yes, there will be MDFCs in this set (and Strixhaven!)) better be legendary creatures that can be played as sagas. Not only would it be an AWESOME work-around of the legend rule for non-singleton formats, it would be flavorful as all... Hel? Get it?
Second, a two-parter involving the gods. 1- gods with no resistance to removal, PLEASE. I hate cards that just can't be killed. 2- because the gods have no resistance to removal, we can have God tribal!! Oh, that would be so cool. Specifically, I want a top-down Idunn card that regenerates gods, though I suppose that would require regeneration to come back.
Third, and this is a smaller one, I really like the idea of this being an arc set. Thor seems pretty Naya, Odin seems pretty Esper, Loki seems pretty Grixis, Tyr maybe for Bant, and I'm lost on Jund, but those first three seem pretty spot-on?
September 22, 2020 5:04 p.m.