Every light casts a shadow as the bright realm of Lorwyn merges with the dark and sinister realm of Shadowmoor. Day and night blur into one, and as the chaos unfolds, the inhabitants watch in horror as allies blend with their twisted parodies.

It’s been a while since I last opened a package from Wizards of the Coast, having handed the reins over to WhippyXD for the last few months, but as we start to get busy after the holiday break, I find myself back in the hot seat, checking out the latest set for Magic: The Gathering. Lorwyn Eclipsed.

The realms of Lorwyn and Shadowmoor have merged, resulting in a host of new and returning cards with re-imagined characters, landscapes, and abilities. The Tribal ability makes a return, renamed as Kindred, allowing non-creature spells to carry creature types, alongside Changeling, allowing a creature to identify as whatever other creature type it wants.

With mechanics focusing on utilisation of every mana pool, Lorwyn Eclipsed introduces the Vivid mechanic, where abilities scale based on the number of coloured permanents under your control. In contrast, Blight forces you to apply negative values to creatures you control, but such is the price of power.

Other cards have been reimagined with both light and dark themes, adding a mechanic that emphasises the fractured reality of the Eclipsed Realm. Creatures naturally transform between their light and dark forms, creating a constantly shifting variation in how cards and abilities synergise.

​The package we received contained a selection of offerings from the new range, including booster packs from the Play Booster and Collector Booster range, a Bundle box, and one of the highly popular Commander Decks.

When you’re used to playing Magic: The Gathering in the traditional format, getting started on your first Commander deck can feel very intimidating. If you have no idea where to start, the pre-built Commander decks are one of the best ways to do it.

Designed for easy pick up and play, they give you everything you need to dive right into the most popular format of Magic: The Gathering, including the 100-card deck that features 12 new cards, a strategy guide, and a box to keep them safe.

Out of the two options available, representing the realms of Lorwyn and Shadowmoor, we received the Dance of the Elements, a pre-built deck that combines all 5 mana pools. Centred around Ashling, the Limitless, the deck is primed to utilise her ability to create copies of sacrificed elementals.

Although they offer a great way to dip your toes into the format, pre-built decks of any type are usually under-powered, but once you start to understand how the Commander works, you can use the deck as the basis for something your opponent will learn to fear, and this is where my favourite way to collect cards comes into play.

Play Booster packs offer cards you won’t find in pre-built decks, opening, and while you can buy them separately, the Bundle Box offers better value. Alongside the nine Play Booster packs, each containing 14 cards with random rarities, you also receive a total of 30 land cards, an oversized D20 life-counter, and a very sturdy box to store it all in.

While the new range includes a box dedicated to the Draft Night playing format, Bundle boxes can be used in a similar way, allowing you to build a deck out of whatever it is that you manage to pull.

As an alternative to the Play Boosters, either as individual packs or in the Bundle box, the Collector Booster packs come with a higher chance of pulling the chase cards. They’re also really good at providing a dopamine fix for anyone chasing a shiny high. At least 11 of the 15 cards they hold will be traditional foils, containing a variety of cards from the ECL, ECC and SPG sets.

Rarity is also skewed more towards the higher end, on average coming with fewer common cards and having a slight chance of pulling a serialised Bitterbloom Bearer. Limited to 500 prints, the borderless showcase card features gorgeous artwork by the incredibly talented Rebecca Guay.

While I’m still not getting my beloved Slivers in this release, the Lorwyn Eclipsed set brings exciting gameplay and bold new strategies to Magic: the Gathering. Whether you’re starting out for the first time or adding to an existing collection, you’re sure to find something that captures your attention.

Written by: Mathew Lindner