Would You Like for the Game to Return to Kaldheim and Capenna?
Spoilers, Rumors, and Speculation forum
Posted on May 4, 2025, 3:57 p.m. by DemonDragonJ
There are numerous planes that WotC has not yet revisited in the game, and the planes to which I most wish to return are Alara, Kaldheim, and Capenna, but I shall focus specifically on Kaldheim and Capenna in this thread, since Alara already had a full block, while Kaldheim and Capenna each had a only a single set dedicated to them.
I had desired a set inspired by Norse mythology for years, so I was thrilled when Kaldheim (the set) was announced, but I shall admit that I found both the set and story to be somewhat lackluster, although that could be due to my expectations being too high, and a major issue with that is that the plane of Kaldheim is comprised of ten realms, so a single set was definitely insufficient to allow each realm to feel distinct and wholly developed, so returning to that plane would allow WotC to help further develop the identity of each realm, to help them feel distinct from the guilds of Ravnica, in terms of both mechanics and flavor.
I felt that Capenna was too similar to Ravnica, so a return to that plane would help to distinguish the two planes from each other, and I also believe that a return to that plane would help to distinguish the five crime families of that plane from the shards of Alara, in terms of both flavor and mechanics. Also, I imagine that most players are very interested to see how the return of angels to that plane would affect the balance of power, there, since I imagine that the angels would seek to form a legitimate government, since the plane does not seem to have such an entity, at this moment.
Also, I imagine that players are also eager to see how both of those planes have recovered from the Phyrexian invasion, so I believe that the idea of returning to those planes should be very appealing to WotC.
What does everyone else say, about this subject? How do you feel about the idea of returning to either Kaldheim or Capenna? I certainly am interested to hear your responses, on this matter.
I'm firmly in the camp saying that Kaldheim should have been at least two full sets. Between the Standard set and the Commander set, there were 303 new cards. That's only 30 cards per realm, and that's before you factor in the external Vorinclex-y, Omenpath-y, planeswalker-y stuff. And then there's the part of the story where Valla *oversized* falls off the World Tree and becomes a separate plane, which could almost be a set by itself. 20-25 cards aren't enough to define an entire sub-plane and have it feel meaningful, in my opinion. Axgard gets a mention by name on only seven cards and had almost no story presence. Kaldheim definitely deserves a revisit where the realms themselves are fleshed out more.
I'd rather return to Alara than New Capenna. They overlap as the major shard-trio planes, and I think Alara is long overdue. For New Capenna itself, though, I'd be interested but probably not excited. The big new world building facets that I see there are the return of angels and the disruption of the Halo flow. How will rival crime organizations react to new enforcement and economic disruption?
May 4, 2025 6:25 p.m. Edited.
RiotRunner789 says... #4
I would definitely like to go back to Kaldheim but don't miss Capenna (just not the plane for me). Though, it doesn't seem enough time has passed to return yet.
However, I feel the real issue is single blocks. I understand the reasoning leaving the 3 block system (less $$ though my preferred) but we should get at least two block sets for larger storied planes. Aetherdrift? Duskmourn? Thunder Junction? Perfectly fine as a one offs, but for reasons stated above, Kaldheim and Capenna needed more space.
May 5, 2025 7:06 a.m.
I have a preference for the Medieval/Forgotten Fantasy settings.
May 5, 2025 7:56 a.m.
TheoryCrafter says... #6
Kaldheim would be great if they fit the storyline around the eddas of old. Plus, I would love to get some more Rune Auras.
As for New Capenna, Elspeth's and Vivien's assessment of the situation at the end of the main story gave a "the story is told" vibe. The only way another Capenna story can be viable is if it explodes the plane outside the city.
May 6, 2025 9:45 p.m.
TheoryCrafter Re: New Capenna, the story team tends to have a pattern of wrapping up whatever the central conflict of the story at the moment is, and glossing over the consequences of that story, in my opinion. So there's definitely Elspeth and Vivien's story being ended, but not Ob Nixilis's, or Jetmir's, or Falco Spara's, or anyone else who actually lives in New Capenna.
If you're not an arc hero or villain, if you're a supporting cast non-planeswalker, then your story's over as soon as previews for the next set starts, and that's my biggest problem with the story right now. You're lucky if you get more than a short paragraph of backstory and one conversation with a main character.
Yisan says... #2
Personally I loved kaldheim and I hope we go back. I got nothing against capenna and would rather go back then go to something new. Kaldheim has a lot going on and we could ae a set focus in on just a few planes of kaldheim and still have a rich story. And I'd love to explore what it would look like with the elves back as gods
May 4, 2025 5:06 p.m.