Wizards of the Coast is making sure that 2020 is an excellent year for Magic: the Gathering players, and all sorts of products are being printed this year to bolster all of the players' favorite formats, from Standard to Commander, Modern, Cube and beyond.
This summer, the 2021 Core Set is coming out, and it's accompanied by five new Planeswalker Decks to give new players an entry ramp to the 2021 Core Set and the game as a whole. And, of course, enfranchised players are looking forward to Double Masters. Players of Magic the Gathering Arena can also get their hands on the Jumpstart cards, which will add a lot of depth to that game's Historic format. Many cards have been spoiled so far for these products, and here are ten mythic rare cards for players new and veteran alike to look out for.
10 Basri, Devoted Paladin
Basri Ket is a new white planeswalker who is aiming to fill Gideon's shoes this year. New players who buy the white Planeswalker Deck will soon realize just how team-oriented this color can be, and Basri will lead the way.
Some white cards focus on Angels, lifegain or destroying enchantments, but Basri is a battlefield commander who works well with "white weenie" strategies. Novice players can turn to Basri to learn all about it, and it will teach them how to play with the "go wide" strategy.
9 Mangara, the Diplomat
This is another white mythic rare that is bound to turn some heads this summer. White and green mana are historically weak at drawing cards, but they are catching up, so a deck of any color can be a little faster and smoother.
Mangara, the Diplomat is a legendary Cleric that can draw cards anytime an opponent attacks you aggressively or casts a lot of spells. That fits white mana's theme of punishing aggression, so this newfound card-drawing power isn't too exotic for white's mechanical identity. It also has lifelink.
8 Discontinuity
Blue mana isn't about to be left in the dust, even with all these powerhouse white cards around. This color is the trickiest of all and can pull off some bizarre stunts that no other color could, and that includes controlling time itself.
Turn-ending effects exist already, but they are few and far between, and Discontinuity brings that power to Standard and Historic at last. A player can even use this to end an opponent's turn as it begins, making it like Time Walk for triple the mana cost. At last, Time Walk is fair.
7 Fiery Emancipation
Red mana is the chief color of aggression and destruction, and Fiery Emancipation can set your opponent's entire world on fire with its unprecedented damage tripling effect. It's costly, but once on the field, it can end games quickly.
Earlier damage doubler effects like Dictate of the Twin Gods or Furnace of Rath applied their effect to all players, but this new card only grants its controller that incredible damage tripling effect. Suddenly, the classic Lightning Bolt can nearly halve an opponent's starting life total in one hit.
6 Blightsteel Colossus
Let's not forget about Double Masters, the Masters set that features two rares and two foils per pack. So far, the spoilers are minimal, but they are promising in terms of this set's power and value. For example, this particular infectious Golem is making an appearance.
This card has hardly seen any printing since its Mirrodin Besieged debut, but now it's stomping right back into the limelight with all its infectious glory. It's very expensive right now, but that is bound to change soon, so players can get their hands on Blightsteel Colossus for a fair price.
5 Doubling Season
Here is another Double Masters reprint whose name never fails to command respect: Doubling Season. This powerhouse green enchantment has been printed in Ravnica: City of Guilds, Modern Masters 2013, and Battlebond.
It's still an expensive card that many Commander players urgently need, and with Commander looking better than ever, Doubling Season came back just in time. And of course, it also has a stunning box topper alternate art form as well, just for extra pizzazz.
4 Elder Gargaroth
Green mana is looking quite strong this year, and like white mana, it is getting its hands on unprecedented card-drawing power. Of course, this mythic Beast's card draw effect is tied into green's mechanical identity; in this case, attacking and blocking. This color is all about creatures.
This particular Beast has a whole buffet of abilities, from reach and vigilance on the defensive to the capacity to make 3/3 Beast tokens and, of course, draw card. This monster will be a terror for any opponent whether it attacks or blocks, establishing it as king of the forest.
3 Barrin, Tolarian Archmage
Tolarian Academy is a major historic setting on Dominaria, and it was revisited in 2018's Dominaria expansion set. Barrin is the headmaster/principal there, and while he was quoted and mentioned in Dominaria, he has finally appeared now in 2020.
As a Wizard, Barrin isn't much of a fighter, but he has blue's classic bounce effect, and it can target planeswalkers as well as creatures. It also allows you to draw cards if you have bounced one or more permanents on each of your turns. Barrin can also be a Commander, since he's legendary.
2 Kaalia Of The Vast
Barrin can work well as a Commander in some cases, but Kaalia is a Mardu-colored Cleric that was born to be a Commander. In fact, it was printed in the first-ever cycle of Commander pre-constructed decks.
Kaalia is small, but she flies, which makes it easier to attack safely. Her real power lays in her activated ability; she can summon massive Dragons, Demons, and Angels from your hand right to the battlefield, and they will immediately attack the same target as Kaalia. In the right Commander deck, Kaalia is a monster.
1 Grim Tutor
This black Sorcery card is more significant than it looks. Once it enters Standard and Historic, it can allow any black-aligned deck to find exactly what it needs, and that can make some decks scarily consistent. Paying 3 life is nothing compared to getting a game-winning card from your library on command.
Grim Tutor can also work well for Commander players who can't or won't shell out big bucks for the likes of Vampiric or Demonic Tutor. This card costs {1} less than Diabolic Tutor, too, and that is significant for some players.