Magic: The Gathering‘s next Standard expansion may not be due to arrive for a solid few months as yet, but it appears that Wizards of the Coast has been unable to prevent leaks once again.
For those unaware, Magic‘s 2021 Standard year is scheduled to kick off in February with the release of Kaldheim. The name, referring to a Viking-themed plane, has only ever been referenced in extended lore and never explored directly, similarly to Ikoria. The latter, of course, finally got its long-awaited time to shine back in the spring with Lair of Behemoths, bringing with it several new gameplay mechanics, as well as a suitably-themed crossover with Toho’s Godzilla franchise. It goes without saying, then, that this Nordic region, as a never before explored realm, has fans excited to see not only what sorts of new thematic creatures and sorceries it’ll contain, but returning characters, too.
Normally, it’d be a long while before players would get a first glimpse of such things, though thanks to recently discovered packaging, Kaya, the ghost-assassin, is confirmed to be serving an integral role in Kaldheim‘s narrative.
Presumably uncovered in the garbage (many believe this to be the result of careless disposal by a private contractor), it’s not entirely clear where (or by whom) the image was taken, though the consensus over on Reddit is that this is genuine. Sadly, it appears as if the booster packs potentially contained within have long since been removed, though we wouldn’t be surprised to see several card leaks show up over the days and weeks to come.
At the very least, Magic: The Gathering players who primarily consider themselves black/white users will do doubt be happy to know that Kaya will be making her return to Standard in the New Year.