Innistrad: Midnight Hunt

Innistrad: Midnight Hunt

 

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Innistrad: Midnight Hunt
[[File:{{#setmainimage:Midnight Hunt logo.png}}|250px]]
Set Information
Set symbol
Symbol description	Wolf head in front of the full Innistrad moon
Design	Ethan Fleischer (lead) Doug Beyer George Fan Ari Nieh James Rose Mark Rosewater James Wyatt
Development	Ian Duke (co-lead) Erik Lauer (co-lead) Mark Gottlieb Ari Nieh Reggie Valk Melissa DeTora Michael Majors Andrew Brown John Penick
Art direction	Taylor Ingvarsson
Release date	September 24, 2021
Plane	Innistrad
Themes and mechanics	Werewolves, TDFCs, Graveyard matters
Keywords/​ability words	Coven, Daybound, Disturb, Decayed, Flashback, Investigate, Nightbound, Transform
Set size	277 + 114
Expansion code	MID
Development codename	Golf
Streets of New Capenna Standard
Midnight Hunt Crimson Vow Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty
Magic: The Gathering Chronology
Jumpstart: Historic Horizons Innistrad: Midnight Hunt Innistrad: Midnight Hunt Commander Decks

Innistrad: Midnight Hunt is the 89th Magic expansion. It was released on September 24, 2021, and is paired up with Innistrad: Crimson Vow which released two months later.

Set details

“

Become What You Fear

”

The set was originally announced with the provisional name Innistrad: Werewolves. Based on the registration of public domains on September 18, 2020, the final name was speculated to be Innistrad: Midnight Hunt, which was confirmed on March 18, 2021. Both Innistrad sets are full size sets and they both are Standard-legal. Although they come out only two months apart, R&D is not changing how many sets are being added to Standard during the rotation window, but are just moving around when they come out. The sets are designed to draft by themselves, but they also will draft well together. The two sets are synergistic and overlap in spots. This will be further explored as the sets are reprinted in the Innistrad: Double Feature set that will be released in early 2022.

Innistrad: Midnight Hunt contains 277 regular cards (100 commons, 83 uncommons, 64 rares, 20 mythic rares, 10 basic lands) and includes randomly inserted premium versions of all cards. The regular cards include 10 "Eternal Night" basic lands. Each type has two different pieces of black-and-white art with colored accents. Alternate card frames have another card number than the original version. Borderless planeswalkers are numbered #278-280, borderless dual lands are #281-285, "Equinox" showcase cards are numbered #286-311, "Endless Night" showcase legendaries are #312-325 and extended artwork cards are numbered #326-379. The regular framed basic land cards from the Bundle are numbered #380-384. The Buy-a-Box card is #385 and the Bundle promo is #386. The FNM-treatment cards from the Universal promo pack are numbered #387-391.

Midnight Hunt and Crimson Vow both have the same number of single-faced and double-faced commons (90 SFC/10 DFC), uncommons (60/23), rares (53/11), and mythic rares (15/5).

The black and white horror movie inspired "Eternal Night" showcase cards are all basic lands and legendary creatures that aren't a Werewolf or Warlock. The brighter "Equinox" showcase cards with autumnal decorations are all Werewolves and Warlocks.

Storyline

Midnight Hunt key art featuring Arlinn Kord

For the Midnight Hunt storyline R&D wanted to reset Innistrad to the "2011 version where horror monsters from classic horror films are menacing humanity and who is going to protect them? because Avacyn is dead now" and without Avacyn's protection the humans have to "turn to older, and perhaps darker forms of magic to stave off the onslaught of the different monsters, most particularly the werewolves" who have gone "plumb loony." Midnight Hunt begins the new story ripped right from the worries of Innistrad's populace: a night that may never end. With the sun rising later and setting sooner each day, they turn to the hope of the Harvesttide festival and a ritual with warlocks to maintain the balance. Despite plenty of werewolves and other denizens of the night, there's strength and hope for the humans gathered deep in the woods of the Kessig countryside.

The first chapter of the Innistrad: Midnight Hunt story was posted to the Magic: the Gathering website on September 2, 2021. The storyline began in Midnight Hunt will be continued with Innistrad: Crimson Vow and both stories "revisit what we learned first about Innistrad, showing us again why the wisest humans there never stop fearing nightfall."

The cards that represent the Story Spotlights in Midnight Hunt are:

• Borrowed Time
• The Celestus
• Dawnhart Wardens
• Defend the Celestus
• Dire-Strain Rampage
• Duel for Dominance
• Fateful Absence
• Light up the Night
• Olivia's Midnight Ambush
• Pack's Betrayal
• Secrets of the Key
• Sigarda, Champion of Light
• Storm the Festival
• Sunset Revelry
• Thraben Exorcism
• Unnatural Moonrise

Magic Story

Title	Author	Release Date	Setting	Featuring
Episode 1: The Witch of the Woods	K. Arsenault Rivera	2021-09-02	Innistrad	Klaus, Arlinn Kord, Agatha, Redtooth, Boulder, Streak, Patience, Katilda, Tovolar
Tangles	Seanan McGuire	2021-09-03	Innistrad	Teferi, Wrenn, Six, Seven
Episode 2: The Motives of the Wolf	K. Arsenault Rivera	2021-09-08	Innistrad, Ravnica	Arlinn Kord, Tovolar, Redtooth, Boulder, Streak, Patience, Katilda, Teferi, Chandra Nalaar, Kaya, Adeline
Sisters	Eugenia Triantafyllou	2021-09-10	Innistrad	Leinore, Sinnia, Katilda, Jagger, Saryth, the Coiled One
Episode 3: The Fall of the House of Betzold	K. Arsenault Rivera	2021-09-15	Innistrad	Chandra Nalaar, Teferi, Kaya, Arlinn Kord, Adeline, Worrin Betzold, Dennick Betzold, Sorin Markov, Sigarda
His Eyes, All of Them	Margaret Killjoy	2021-09-17	Innistrad	Vadrik, Hailin, Rem Karolus, Malynn, Old Stickfingers, Ariosa
Episode 4: Harvesttide	K. Arsenault Rivera	2021-09-22	Innistrad	Olivia Voldaren, Feuer, Deidamia, Hailin, Shana, Arlinn Kord, Kaya, Chandra Nalaar, Adeline, Teferi, Tovolar, Redtooth, Boulder, Streak, Patience
The Dance of Undeath	Seanan McGuire	2021-09-24	Innistrad	Gisa Cecani, Geralf Cecani, Wilhelt
Episode 5: Night Closes 'Round	K. Arsenault Rivera	2021-09-29	Innistrad	Arlinn Kord, Tovolar, Redtooth, Boulder, Streak, Patience, Chandra Nalaar, Adeline, Kaya, Teferi, Katilda, Olivia Voldaren
The Dusk Reborn	Rhiannon Rasmussen	2021-10-01	Innistrad	Algli, Olutio, Sruta, Liesa, the Buried Lord

Marketing

The Midnight Hunt Bundle

Midnight Hunt is sold in regular 16-card Draft Boosters (one card being a marketing card), Theme Boosters, Collector Boosters, Set Boosters, the Midnight Hunt Bundle, and two Commander decks. The Bundle comes with 8 Set Boosters instead of 10 Draft Boosters. The set also features a Welcome Booster. The Draft Boosters feature artwork depicting Wrenn. The Set Boosters feature key art of attacking werewolves, and the Collector Boosters a brightly colorshifted version of the art of Candlegrove Witch. The Theme Boosters feature art from Village Reavers (Werewolves), Sungold Sentinel (), Component Collector (), Bat Whisperer (), Falkenrath Perforator () and Harvesttide Sentry (). With the release of Midnight Hunt, 75 cards were rotated into The List, many of which were thematically or mechanically linked to the set. These can be found in the Set Boosters. In addition, eight cards with the MIC code can be found in the Set and Collector Boosters that aren't found in the Innistrad: Midnight Hunt Commander decks. Every Draft Booster contains two double-faced cards, a common card and either an uncommon or a rare or mythic rare card. They also contain a DFC helper card.

Events

• Magic Online and MTG Arena release: September 16th, 2021
• Tabletop Prerelease: September 17, 2021
• Launch party: September 24–26
• Friday Night Magic: September 24–November 5
• Commander Nights: September 27–November 11
• Store Championship: December 4-5 (combined with Crimson Vow)

Promotional cards

• Prerelease: a stamped card that can be any rare or mythic rare of Midnight Hunt.
• Other events: cards from the Midnight Hunt universal promo pack.
  • The seasonal dark-frame promos are: Gavony Dawnguard, Consider, Infernal Grasp, Play with Fire, and Join the Dance
• Buy-a-Box: foil alternate art Champion of the Perished
• Bundle promo: foil alternate art Triskaidekaphile
• Bring-a-Friend: Mind Stone
• Store Championship promos: Arbor Elf (participation), Collected Company (Top 8), Wurmcoil Engine (winner)
• Commander Party promo: Conjurer's Closet

Tokens/emblems/markers

Day marker

Night marker

The sixteenth card in the boosters is a token creature card, an emblem or a marker, with advertisements on the back side. It can also be a helper card with a standard card back. There are 19 tokens and emblems:

1. 1/1 Human creature, for Adeline, Resplendent Cathar, Cathar's Call, Clarion Cathars, Dawnhart Mentor, Jerren, Corrupted Bishop, Join the Dance, Slaughter Specialist and Sunset Revelry.
2. 1/1 Spirit creature with flying, for Blessed Defiance
3. 1/1 Bird creature with flying and "This creature can block only creatures with flying," for Ominous Roost.
4. 1/1 Bat creature with flying, for Bat Whisperer
5. 2/2 Zombie creature with decayed, for Diregraf Horde, Falcon Abomination, Flip the Switch, Ghoulcaller’s Harvest, Ghoulish Procession,Hobbling Zombie, Jadar, Ghoulcaller of Nephalia, No Way Out Poppet Stitcher, Revenge of the Drowned, Rotten Reunion, Startle, and Tainted Adversary.
6. 1/1 Devil creature with "When this creature dies, it deals 1 damage to any target," for Burn Down the House
7. */* Elemental creature with trample and "This creature's power and toughness are each equal to the number of instants and sorceries in your graveyard plus the number of cards with flashback you own in exile," for Seize the Storm.
8. 4/4 Beast creature, for Shadowbeast Sighting
9. 3/3 Insect creature, for Rise of the Ants
10. */*+1 Ooze creature with "This creature's power is equal to the number of card types among cards in your graveyards and its toughness is equal to that number plus 1," for Consuming Blob.
11. 1/2 Spider creature with reach, for Brood Weaver
12. */* Treefolk creature with reach and "This creature's power and toughness are each equal to the number of lands you control," for Wrenn and Seven.
13. 2/2 Wolf creature, for Arlinn, the Pack's Hope and Tovolar's Huntmaster // Tovolar's Packleader
14. 3/1 Vampire creature with trample, lifelink and haste, for Hungry for More.
15. X/X Zombie creature with menace, for Corpse Cobble.
16. Clue artifact, for spells with investigate: Briarbridge Tracker, Dennick, Pious Apparition, Fateful Absence, Foul Play and Secrets of the Key
17. Emblem for Teferi, Who Slows the Sunset.
18. Emblem for Wrenn and Seven.
19. Day/night marker.

Themes and mechanics

Innistrad: Midnight Hunt, as following from the previous Innistrad sets, focuses on five allied-colored tribes, each of which have a mechanic associated to them - however, these mechanics can appear outside of those two colors.

• Werewolves mean the return of transforming double-faced cards, now with their transformation as a keyword mechanic. They have daybound and nightbound, tweaked transformation clauses from previous Innistrad sets. If it becomes day or night or if a daybound permanent enters the battlefield, track day/night for the rest of the game. As it becomes day, transform all nightbound permanents. As it becomes night, transform all daybound permanents. Permanents enter the battlefield nightbound (i.e. transformed) if it is night.
• Humans now work with in a coven, a new ability word that provides an effect if you control three or more creatures with different powers.
• Spirits rise from the dead with disturb, a keyword ability that allows you to cast these cards transformed from your graveyard.
• Decayed creatures can't block: and when they attack, they are sacrificed at the end of the turn. It appears on zombie tokens and zombie-related cards.
• Vampires gain additional abilities if an opponent has lost life during the turn, usually upon entering the battlefield.

Flashback and investigate also return.

Limited archetypes

Innistrad: Midnight Hunt features the following limited archetypes:

• : Spirits (Devoted Grafkeeper)
• : Zombies (Bladestitched Skaab)
• : Vampires (Vampire Socialite)
• : Werewolves (Kessig Naturalist)
• : Humans (Dawnhart Wardens)
• : Sacrifice (Fleshtaker)
• : Instants and Sorceries (Storm Skreelix)
• : Life and Death (Grizzly Ghoul)
• : Aggression (Sunrise Cavalier)
• : Flashback (Rootcoil Creeper)

Card types

Werewolves in this set also appear in black.

Counter types

The set introduced the following counter types: Ember counters, Ritual counters, and Valor counters.

It also saw the return of the following: Corpse counters, Flame counters, Slime counters, and Soul counters.

Cycles

Midnight Hunt has ten cycles.

Cycle name
Adversaries	Intrepid Adversary	Spectral Adversary	Tainted Adversary	Bloodthirsty Adversary	Primal Adversary
	Five mythic rare creatures with multikicker-esque abilities. Each kicker payment gives them gets a counter that gives them +1/+1, and also another scaling effect.
Rare Werewolves	Brutal Cathar	Suspicious Stowaway	Graveyard Trespasser	Reckless Stormseeker	Tovolar's Huntmaster
	Five rare Werewolves with Daybound and Nightbound. The white and blue Werewolves are noted as 'off-color' in a mirrored pair.
Nonmechanical DFCs	Bereaved Survivor	Delver of Secrets	Vengeful Strangler	Flame Channeler	Deathbonnet Sprout
	Five uncommon DFC creatures that don't use the transforming mechanics of the set (Disturb and Daybound).
Common Tribal spells	Flare of Faith (Humans)	Shipwreck Sifters (Spirits)	Crawl From the Cellar (Zombies)	Neonate's Rush (Vampires)	Howl of the Hunt (Werewolves)
	Five common spells that reward playing the major tribe in those colors.
Cycle name
Slow lands	Deserted Beach	Shipwreck Marsh	Haunted Ridge	Rockfall Vale	Overgrown Farmland
	Five rare dual lands that enter the battlefield tapped, unless you control two or more other lands.

The four curses are not considered to be part of a cycle.

Double cycles

Cycle name
Rare flashback spells	Hallowed Respite	Siphon Insight	Wake to Slaughter	Dire-Strain Rampage	Rite of Harmony	Can't Stay Away	Galvanic Iteration	Ghoulcaller's Harvest	Angelfire Ignition	Croaking Counterpart
	Ten rare flashback spells.
Rare legends	Dennick, Pious Apprentice // Dennick, Pious Apparition	Ludevic, Necrogenius // Olag, Ludevic's Hubris	Florian, Voldaren Scion	Tovolar, Dire Overlord // Tovolar, the Midnight Scourge	Katilda, Dawnhart Prime	Liesa, Forgotten Archangel	Vadrik, Astral Archmage	Old Stickfingers	Rem Karolus, Stalwart Slayer	Slogurk, the Overslime
	Ten rare legendary creatures.
Uncommon flashback spells	Faithful Mending	Corpse Cobble	Hungry for More	Unnatural Moonrise	Join the Dance	Rite of Oblivion	Arcane Infusion	Diregraf Rebirth	Sacred Fire	Winterthorn Blessing
	Ten uncommon flashback spells.
Uncommon signpost creatures	Devoted Grafkeeper // Departed Soulkeeper	Bladestitched Skaab	Vampire Socialite	Kessig Naturalist // Lord of the Ulvenwald	Dawnhart Wardens	Fleshtaker	Storm Skreelix	Grizzly Ghoul	Sunrise Cavalier	Rootcoil Creeper
	Ten uncommon gold creatures, each supporting a draft archetype.

Vertical cycles

Cycle name
Black werewolves	Graveyard Trespasser // Graveyard Glutton	Baneblade Scoundrel // Baneclaw Marauder	Shady Traveler // Stalking Predator
	A vertical cycle of black werewolves, giving the tribe a third color.

Pairs

Innistrad: Midnight Hunt has four mirrored pairs.

Mirrored Pairs		Description
Brutal Cathar () // Moonrage Brute ()	Suspicious Stowaway () // Seafaring Werewolf ()	Two rare "cameo" werewolves. Each of which is a color not commonly associated with werewolves on the daybound (human) face, and a color commonly associated with werewolves on the nightbound (non-human) face.
Village Watch // Village Reavers ()	Hound Tamer // Untamed Pup ()	Two uncommon werewolves. Each have an evergreen keyword, and when transformed, get +1/+1 and share that keyword with their other Werewolves and Wolves.
Fading Hope ()	Play With Fire ()	Two uncommon instants. If they are used on less-than-optimal targets, the controller scries 1.
Larder Zombie ()	Siege Zombie ()	Two common zombies. Both of them has an activated ability that costs "tap three untapped creatures you control".
Olivia's Midnight Ambush ()	Moonrager's Slash ()	Two common removal spells that depict the major antagonists of the Innistrad story arc (Tovolar and Olivia) and are strengthened at night, two of three noncreatures spells that do so.

Reprinted cards

• Bladebrand — first printed in Ravnica Allegiance, last seen in Commander Legends
• Clear Shot — first printed in Eldritch Moon, last seen in Double Masters
• Delver of Secrets / Insectile Aberration — first printed in Innistrad
• Devious Cover-Up — first printed in Guilds of Ravnica
• Dissipate — first printed in Mirage, last seen in Magic 2015
• Duress — first printed in Urza's Saga, last seen in Jumpstart: Historic Horizons
• Evolving Wilds — first printed in Rise of the Eldrazi, last seen in Dungeons & Dragons: Adventures in the Forgotten Realms
• Field of Ruin — first printed in Ixalan, last seen in Time Spiral Remastered
• Immolation — first printed in Legends, last seen in Fourth Edition
• Pithing Needle — first printed in Saviors of Kamigawa, last seen in Secret Lair
• Plummet — first printed in Magic 2011, last seen in Dungeons & Dragons: Adventures in the Forgotten Realms
• Return to Nature — first printed in War of the Spark, last seen in Adventures in the Forgotten Realms Commander
• Stormrider Spirit — first printed in Shadows over Innistrad
• Thermo-Alchemist — first printed in Eldritch Moon, last seen in Jumpstart
• Timberland Guide — first printed in Avacyn Restored, last seen in Iconic Masters
• Unruly Mob — first printed in Innistrad, last seen in Shadows over Innistrad
• Vampire Interloper — first printed in Innistrad, last seen in Explorers of Ixalan
• Vivisection — first printed in Mirrodin Besieged

Functional reprints

• Abandon the Post is a functional reprint of Nightbird's Clutches.
• Borrowed Time is a functional reprint of Banishing Light.
• Dawnhart Rejuvenator is a functional reprint of Centaur Nurturer, except for creature types.

Preconstructed decks

Innistrad: Midnight Hunt features two Commander decks that are released as a regular part of a set's product line.

Theme deck name	Color Identity					Commander
Coven Counters	W				G	Leinore, Autumn Sovereign
Undead Unleashed		U	B			Wilhelt, the Rotcleaver

Notable cards

• Champion of the Perished is a colorshifted, undead, version of Champion of the Parish.
• Enduring Angel is an alternate-lose card.
• Triskaidekaphile is an alternate-win card.

Banned and restricted cards

• After Dominaria United rotating in, black was known to be the strongest color in aggregate, especially with Sheoldred, the Apocalypse, Liliana of the Veil and Evolved Sleeper coming in. The Meathook Massacre served as a low-investment sweeper in all black decks that had utility against control through its passive enchantment ability. While not a critical banning, it was determined that a small push against Black was warranted, and so it was banned on 10th October 2022. This marked the end of 31 days of a fully unbanned Traditional Standard since the unban of Rampaging Ferocidon before the Throne of Eldraine rotation, though Arena Standard still had Ferocidon and Nexus of Fate banned.

Gallery

• 

  Provisional logo

External links

• Innistrad: Midnight Hunt Official Cinematic Trailer (Video). Magic: the Gathering. YouTube (September 16, 2021).
• Mark Rosewater (September 27, 2021). "Odds & Ends - Innistrad: Midnight Hunt, Part 1". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
• Mark Rosewater (October 4, 2021). "Odds & Ends - Innistrad: Midnight Hunt, Part 2". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.