Wizards of the Coast’s next Magic: The Gathering set is called Strixhaven: School of Mages. The new set revolves around five magical colleges, and we have the info on one of them: Witherbloom.
Magic: The Gathering may be a tabletop card game featuring beasts, magic, and battle, but each new set tells a new tale, adding to the lore of the world. In fact, there’s a whole section of the MTG site devoted to telling stories that corelate with the newest set releases–with the latest being Kaldheim, which lined up with its release.
The next set release up is Strixhaven: School of Mages, which takes place at a magical college. While the stories to coincide with this set haven’t been released on the MTG site yet, we do know a little more about Witherbloom. The Witherbloom college has its students draw power from opposing and rival forces, with the best example being life and death. These spells are crafted using natural components like the essence of living creatures or herbs. While many students use their powers for the greater good–like defending the ecosystem for pollution and/or harmful forces–the college motto of “Get Your Hands Dirty” certainly applies to students who use their abilities for death and corruption.
In addition to learning more about the college of Witherbloom, GameSpot has learned more about one particular student from the Strixhaven story named Dina. According to a release, “Dina is a Witherbloom mage-student, a female dryad with a wicked sense of humor that more than often edges on the darker side. She doesn’t worry or watch what she says and speaks the thoughts in her mind as they come, never giving a moment to consider whether she might be out of place with her words. Even though she is quick-witted and confident, she is attentive, making her an excellent tutor to other students. However, her teaching methods can sometimes be a little out there, like her.”
She spends her time at Sedgemoor, the swampy marshlands on the college campus. She wears clothing mainly colored black, green, and brown. This is all fitting for a dryad, mind you. She relies on her professors for guidance, as Dina has no family. She carries a salamander-like creature with her and uses its essence to channel her magic.
Strixhaven releases on MTG Arena and Magic Online on April 15. On April 23, Strixhaven tabletop will release along with Commander (2021 Edition).
We’ll learn more about the colleges of Strixhaven and what’s contained in the new MTG set on Thursday. Keep tuned to GameSpot for some more reveals and info about the set. Additionally, you can check out the Twitch reveal on March 25 at 9 AM PT / 12 PM ET.