Thanks to Wizards of the Coast for the spooky reveal!
Duskmourn: House of Horror is the fourth Standard release of the year and is shaping up to be exciting in addition to being just, well, horrifyingly gross. There’s a ton of love and attention put into Duskmourn, such as the fantastically designed Haunted Screen to my favorite in Veteran Survivor, a card that I’m thrilled to add to my Peasant Cube upon Duskmourn’s release. (Hey, did you know I have a Cube?)
Another feature of Duskmourn: House of Horror is how it offers exciting reprints and flavorful riffs on existing cards. Pyroclasm is the one that many players are eager to play with in Standard and in Pioneer (for the first time), but there’s a series of cards that are returning once again in Duskmourn, offering an interesting design space that will feature in decks across a variety of formats.
If you came into Magic much later (with much kinder joints than mine), Leylines are a class of cards first introduced in Guildpact around 2011. These Leyline cards provide a unique design space where if you have one of these in your opening hand, you can put that card into play before the game even begins! As such, these Leyline cards slowly changed the texture of Standard and Modern during their inception, as they offered a different way to counteract archetypes in post-board games. For example, starting the game with a Leyline of Sanctity in play means you (the player) have hexproof so you cannot become targeted by spells or abilities the opponent controls, blanking any spells such as Thoughtseize or even Lightning Bolt. They may read as narrow in terms of application, but can often serve as a lifeline against a particular strategy or open the doors to another.
And since then, Leylines have entered into a broader space with the recent Leyline of the Guildpact from Murders at Markov Karlov Manor, where Modern Domain strategies make the most of this card alongside Scion of Draco and Leyline Binding. Turning your Lands into every Basic Land type is remarkably strong, and plays rather well with our exclusive Duskmourn: House of Horror preview – Leyline of Mutation!
Leyline of Mutation’s effect is simple enough, you may pay a White, Blue, Black, Green, and a Red mana rather than pay the mana costs of spells that you cast. This is a really exciting effect that could very well see play in Commander, where you can “cheat” on mana costs by paying five mana for game-ending effect! Sure, you can only play the card in Five-Color Commander builds but there’s going to be a ton of synergy with the already-mentioned Leyline of the Guildpact and even Chromatic Lantern, a card that already sees a ton of play in Magic’s most popular format. Commanders such as Modern Horizons 3’s Ulalek, Fused Atrocity are likely to be interested in the new Leyline because you can just cast a Emrakul, the World Anew for five colored mana? Talk about value! You can also cast Omniscience for a cheaper rate, which I’m sure will please The Ur-Dragon.
Market Price: $20.01
That said, there’s a whole new exciting cycle of Leyline cards in Duskmourn: House of Horror, and each of them offers something unique for a particular archetype. Take Leyline of Hope, a card that cares greatly about gaining life and once you’re above (at least) seven life more than your starting total, each of your creatures receives a +2/+2 buff! This will be particularly strong for any Token or creature strategy going forward, casting this for the retail four mana is also reasonable, especially when we’re talking about Commander applications. Leyline of Resonance wants nothing more than to copy your instant and sorcery spells, allowing you to do your best finger gun impression as you sling a ton of spells at your opponents. Leyline of Transformation is the most interesting out of the bunch, as it utilizes creature typing in a way we haven’t seen before and will become a popular addition to any Kindred strategy that incorporates Blue. Leyline of the Void is a notable reprint for Constructed play, and was part of the original class of Leyline cards first seen in Guildpact.
Market Price: $14.27
Market Price: $13.99
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Market Price: $15.98
And much like the other fantastic Rares and Mythic Rares in Duskmourn: House of Horror, Extended Art copies of Leyline of Mutation are available if you want to add a widescreen aesthetic to the horrors that dwell in the ever-expanding Duskmourn house.
Market Price: $141.25
Market Price: $229.90
Market Price: $95.86
For Duskmourn: House of Horror’s release, traditional and Extended Art copies of Leyline of Mutation will be available from Play Boosters, Collector Boosters, and Bundles upon the September 27 release. Furthermore, the Nightmare Bundle dropping on October 18 will contain a mixture of Play and Collector Boosters along with some gruesome promo cards!