The first spoilers in Magic: The Gathering Core Set 2020 have arrived and it’s all about Chandra Nalaar with three different planeswalker rarity cards.
An MTG Core Set is released annually by Wizards of the Coast, consisting of new and reprinted cards. The release date for M20 is July 12. Magic: The Gathering Core Set 2020 is the ninth edition and it’s already off to a hot start by featuring the planeswalker flame queen Chandra as the first spoiler to the set.
In an interview with io9 regarding Chandra, Art Director Taylor Ingvarsson said Chandra was chosen to herald M20 because she’s one who pursues justice.
“Since there were four different Chandra Planeswalker cards tied to Core Set 2020,” Ingvarsson says in his io9 interview. “This gave us the opportunity to showcase different aspects of this interesting, nuanced character. We could have shown her jumping, leaping, and blasting things with fire in all of them, but Jenna’s idea was such an elegant visual solution that added more variety to this product so we were excited to jump on the opportunity.”
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Within MTG Core Set 2020, are three legendary planeswalker cards featuring Chandra. And each one is a different rarity.
Chandra, Awakened Inferno
A Mythic Rare M20 planeswalker card with a casting cost of six mana (double red), Chandra, Awakened Inferno can’t be countered. Esper decks should beware due to a lack of the ability to counterspell and because Chandra’s plus-two loyalty counter also gives opponents an emblem that deals one damage during their upkeep. Every time a player uses Chandra, Awakened Inferno’s “plus two counter,” it’ll give the opponent an additional emblem, resulting in additional damage.
Sticking with the Burn theme, Chandra has a minus-three counter that “deals 3 damage to each non-Elemental creature.” In addition, her ultimate is dealing “X” damage to a target creature or planeswalker for the cost of “X” loyalty counters.
Chandra, Awakened Inferno artwork by Chris Rahn.
Chandra Acolyte of Flame
Chandra Acolyte of Flame is a Rare planeswalker card in M20 who beefs up the other red planeswalkers by adding loyalty counter to them every turn (similar to the mechanic Proliferate). At a zero cost of loyalty counters, she can also create two one/one elemental creature tokens each turn. These creatures have haste and get sacrificed at the beginning of the next end step.
In addition to her plus zero counters, Chandra Acolyte of Flame has a powerful minus two counter for Burn decks. “You may cast target instant or sorcery card with converted mana cost 3 or less from your graveyard. If that would be put into your graveyard this turn, exile it instead.”
Not only does Chandra Acolyte of Flame boost Mono-Red Aggro decks, but she works extremely well in a Rakdos sacrifice deck as well
Artwork for Chandra Acolyte of Flame created by Anna Steinbauer.
Chandra, Novice Pyromancer
An Uncommon planeswalker in Core Set 2020, Chandra, Novice Pyromancer has the loyalty counter abilities of a Mythic Rare planeswalker. Having a plus one counter, she is able to give all elementals plus two/zero until end of turn. In combination with Chandra, Acolyte of Flame, the elemental tokens are three/three with haste.
Typical with other Uncommon planeswalkers in War of the Spark, her minus one counter provides two red mana (great for casting cheap instant’s and sorceries) while her ultimate deals two damage to any target.
The artist behind Chandra, Novic Pyromancer is also Anna Steinbauer.
Magic: The Gathering Core Set 2020 is set to release on July 12.
