The Edge of Eternity spoilers are progressing well, with a full reveal expected on July 17th and the official release set for August 1st.
Unlike all the other sets so far, which have been set on a dimensional plane, Edge of Eternity takes us outside the entire Multiverse and introduces us to the “Edge,” the enormous region of open space that surrounds it, described as bordering the Blind Eternities.
Specifically, the set focuses on the Sothera system, a planetary system of five worlds, each tied to a color of mana, orbiting a collapsed sun that now forms a huge black hole called Sothera.
So we're entirely in a space setting, with planets surrounded by a cosmic void and spaceships capable of traveling between worlds, thanks to their technology, which may be capable of warping space-time. And all of this is perfectly represented by four new mechanics, which immerse us completely in this atmosphere and give the set a unique identity, as well as making the Limited experience always fresh!
Station
Station is a new mechanic that represents the enormous objects of space and the effort required to handle them, and it can be found on two new card subtypes: Spacecraft, which concerns artifacts, and Planet, which concerns lands.
Station (Tap another creature you control: Put charge counters equal to its power on this Spacecraft/Planet. Station only as a sorcery. It’s an artifact creature at X+, if Spacecraft.)
The mechanic is an activated ability that works similarly to Saddle, where at sorcery speed you can tap a creature with a certain power, adding that many charge counters to the permanent in order to turn it on. Once you reach a certain indicated threshold, you unlock the appropriate text section and therefore new abilities on the card, in addition to making it become a creature if it is a Spacecraft and has power and toughness listed on it.
At the end of the day, Spacecraft are huge vehicles, and it's a cool idea that they both work in a similar way, but that these most of the time require a setup and a crew to be piloted (just don't be confused by the fact that Vehicles can be crewed at instant speed).
Warp
Warp represents how far these space objects are from each other and therefore the enormous distances they must travel, perhaps at the speed of light or perhaps by warping the surrounding space.
In fact, it allows a permanent to reach the battlefield faster than expected, but only temporarily, since it will be forced to leave quickly... and then maybe return permanently later!
Warp {cost} (You may cast this card from your hand for its warp cost. Exile this creature at the beginning of the next end step, then you may cast it from exile on a later turn.)
Warp is an alternative cost that allows you to cast a card with warp from your hand, paying its warp cost rather than its mana cost. If you do, that spell is warped, and you'll exile it at the beginning of the next end step. At this point, you can treat this permanent like a card on Adventure, as you can cast it again on a later turn.
Of course, since warp specifies “from your hand,” you can’t cast it from exile by still paying its warp cost and will normally have to pay its mana cost.
Warp is mostly found on creatures but can appear on any other permanent, and they almost always feature enter or exit triggered abilities, thus enhancing the mechanic and their brief appearance on the battlefield!
Void
Void obviously represents the huge empty spaces that characterize open space, and, more in line with the mechanic, it represents the emptiness that a traveler leaves behind!
Void is an ability that unlocks and improves the power of cards when a nonland permanent leaves the battlefield or a spell is warped, so basically it is designed to combo out with warp.
Void — [effect] if a nonland permanent left the battlefield this turn or a spell was warped this turn.
Note that the permanent leaving the battlefield can be yours or your opponent's, as can the warped spell, which may also have been cast by your opponent.
Every death in combat, every removal spell, and anything cast with warp releases Void, which usually results in replacement effects for instants and sorceries and additional triggered abilities for creatures and permanents in general.
Lander
With Spacecraft and Planets , you can't miss the landing, and Lander represents exploration and the feeling of discovering new worlds, and it does so in the form of an artifact that represents technology.
Lander token —(It's an artifact with “{2},{T}, Sacrifice this token: Search your library for a basic land card, put it onto the battlefield tapped, then shuffle.”)
After Clue, Treasure, Food, Blood, and Map, a Lander token is a new predefined artifact token type created by the abilities or text of other cards. For 2 mana, you can tap and sacrifice it, resulting in a Rampant Growth effect, taking a basic land from your deck and putting it onto the tapped battlefield.
This will prove extremely useful and solid, especially for Limited, where games are often decided by mana or color screw, and these tokens help fix that problem, at least in part. In addition, they create a ramp effect, and I can already see us resolving many big spells ahead of schedule!
That's all for today! As usual, the design of the new mechanics is on point and perfectly reflects the space atmosphere we're about to experience, with all its mysteries and uncertainties, being largely unexplored territory both for humanity and for Magic: The Gathering. It looks like it's going to be an interesting set, and I can't wait for the end of the spoilers to evaluate it better.
