Spooky season is lurching into view now that the nights are drawing in, so why not celebrate with an exclusive look at an MTG Duskmourn card? Oh, the horror! Quite literally – this horror-themed set takes its inspiration from scary movies the world over, which makes it an appropriate way to get things Halloween-y up in this joint.
The MTG Duskmourn card in question is 'Dissection Tools,' and I don't think they're made for examining frogs in the classroom. This gnarly set of torture implements bounces off of a new mechanic for the set (manifest dread, which I'll circle back to in a bit) for an especially nasty combo. Alright, so it's expensive enough that you can't slap it down on a whim. It requires a sacrifice to work, too. But the cost feels worthwhile considering how much it should unsettle your opponent.
Before we dive into the nitty gritty, here's a better look at the card (along with the borderless alt version):
In terms of gameplay, Dissection Tools ties into a new mechanic that should give one of the best card games a shot in the arm – the aforementioned manifest dread. This is similar to morph and manifest before it, but refined. To be precise, you look at the top two cards of your library, choose one to place face down onto the battlefield as a nameless 2/2 creature, and put the other into your graveyard. If you pay the face-down card's mana cost, you can then flip it over to give your opponent a nasty surprise (because the creature you've put down could be anything from your deck, it'll heighten the paranoia). Dissection Tools allows you to do that, but the item can then be attached to the creature in question. Because equipping it affords your creature a +2/+2, deathtouch, and lifelink, it becomes a real force to be reckoned with. This brings to mind those unstoppable villains like Michael Myers in the Halloween films, so it perfectly blends tone and gameplay. It'll make your hidden creature more intimidating, too.
This feels very par for the course where Duskmourn is concerned, and it's already doing a good job of giving the creeps. For a better look, here's how MTG Duskmourn captures the '80s horror vibe.
You can pre-order Duskmourn from the likes of Amazon now ahead of its September 27 release date.
In the mood for spooks? Check out these Halloween board games. If you're looking for good horror experiences, they're some of the best board games.
