Innistrad: Crimson Vow

Innistrad: Crimson Vow

 

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Innistrad: Crimson Vow
[[File:{{#setmainimage:Crimson Vow logo.png}}|250px]]
Set Information
Set symbol
Symbol description	A vampire bat
Design	Mark Rosewater (lead) Andrew Veen Doug Beyer Ari Nieh Daniel Holt
Development	Adam Prosak (lead)
Art direction	Taylor Ingvarsson
Release date	November 19, 2021
Themes and mechanics	Vampires, Blood tokens
Keywords/​ability words	Cleave, Daybound and Nightbound, Disturb, Exploit, Transform, Training
Set size	277 + 130
Expansion code	VOW
Development codename	Clubs
Streets of New Capenna Standard
Midnight Hunt Crimson Vow Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty
Magic: The Gathering Chronology
Secret Lair Drop Series: Extra Life 2021 Innistrad: Crimson Vow Innistrad: Crimson Vow Commander Decks

Innistrad: Crimson Vow is the 90th Magic expansion. It is expected to be released on November 19, 2021, and is paired up with Innistrad: Midnight Hunt that released two months earlier.

Set details

“

Fear What You Become

”

Crimson Vow Key art, featuring Sorin Markov

The codename for Innistrad: Crimson Vow ("Clubs") deviates from the regular alphabetic sports naming convention, because the set was conceived after the following codenames were already established. The set was announced with the provisional name Innistrad: Vampires on September 1, 2020. Based on the registration of public domains on September 18, 2020, the final name was speculated to be Innistrad: Crimson Vow. This was finally confirmed on March 18, 2021.

Both Innistrad sets are full size sets and they are both are Standard-legal. Although they come out only two months apart in the latter part of 2021, R&D is not changing how many sets are being added to Standard during the rotation window, but just shifted the timing around slightly. 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 parts of the sets are reprinted in the Innistrad Double Feature set that will be released in early 2022.

Crimson Vow Bundle (Gift Edition)

Innistrad: Crimson Vow 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, "Fang frame" showcase cards are numbered #286-TBA, "Endless Night" showcase legendaries are #317-328, reskinned Dracula cards are #329-345 and extended artwork cards are numbered #346-397. The regular framed basic land cards from the Bundle are numbered #398-402. The Buy-a-Box card is #403 and the Bundle promo is #404. The are no FNM-treatment cards available for this set. The dark-frame Play Promos are #405-407.

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 Vampire. The spikey "fang" showcase cards with gothic architecture elements feature each of the 30 vampires in the main set, as well as Sorin the Mirthless.

Rules change

A change to how token naming works avoids that you can Pithing Needle Blood tokens.

Storyline

Crimson Vow continues the new Innistrad storyline begun in Innistrad: Midnight Hunt. As humanity turned to the hope of rituals and a Harvesttide festival to save them from the Eternal Night in Midnight Hunt, those that stalk from shadows aren't just the mindless zombies and frenetic werewolves, but also the eternally undead with calculating, grand designs of their own. This set features the biggest vampire wedding in Innistrad history, a bonding between the Markov and Voldaren bloodlines. Olivia Voldaren is the bride, and aims to form a pact with the Markovs to take control over Innistrad. "The bride pledges her heart to the groom and he, his undying affection to her. Blood and famine, violence and peace—In eternal life and through moment's struggle, the two shall rule this land until its people are no more. The Heron's blood make it so."

The cards that represent the Story Spotlights in Crimson Vow are:

• By Invitation Only
• Edgar's Awakening
• Glorious Sunrise
• Katilda, Dawnhart Martyr
• Katilda's Rising Dawn
• Resistance Squad
• Sigarda's Imprisonment
• Sigarda's Summons
• Voldaren Estate
• Wedding Invitation

Marketing

Crimson Vow is sold in regular 16-card Draft Boosters (one card being a marketing card), Theme Boosters, Collector Boosters, Set Boosters, the Crimson Vow Bundle (including a Gift Edition), and two Commander decks. The Draft Boosters feature artwork depicting Sorin Markov. They contain two double-faced cards in each and every pack. The Set Boosters feature art depicting Olivia Voldaren, and the Collector Boosters feature a stylized depiction of a wedding. The Theme Boosters feature art from TBA (5 color vampires), TBA (), TBA (), Bloodvial Purveyor (), TBA () and TBA (). With the release of Crimson Vow, 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 VOC code can be found in the Set and Collector Boosters that aren't found in the Innistrad: Crimson Vow Commander decks.

Dracula cards

Each booster box contains a box topper. These skinned cards, called the Dracula Series, feature Dracula themed "skins" on reprints of regular cards. The name of the original card is featured in a small font below the Dracula name of the card. The skin name is considered flavor text and has no effect on game play.

There are 18 total Dracula series cards in Innistrad: Crimson Vow inspired by beloved characters from the 1897 novel, and they can be obtained in a few different ways. 17 of these cards can be found in Collector Boosters (both foil and non-foil) and the single-card Box Topper boosters (foil), while the eighteenth card is only available as a Buy-a-Box promotion.

Events

• Magic Online and MTG Arena release: November 11, 2021
• Tabletop Prerelease: November 12, 2021
• Commander Party: November 16, 2021
  • A one-day event where players are immersed in a story affected by their in-game choices.
• Launch party: November 19–21, 2021
• Friday Night Magic: November 19–February 4, 2021
• Commander Nights: November 22–February 10, 2021
• Store Championship: December 4-5 (combined with Midnight Hunt)

Promotional cards

• Box toppers: 17 foil cards reskinned as characters, places or events from Bram Stoker's Dracula.
• Prerelease: a stamped card that can be any rare or mythic rare of Crimson Vow.
• Other events: cards from the Midnight Hunt universal promo pack. There is no separate pack for Crimson Vow.
  • The seasonal dark-frame promos are: Gavony Dawnguard, Consider, Infernal Grasp, Play with Fire, and Join the Dance
• Buy-a-Box: foil alternate art Voldaren Estate (reskinned as Castle Dracula)
• Bundle promo: foil alternate art Sigarda's Summons
• Bring-a-Friend: Mind Stone
• Crimson Vow dark-frame Play Promos: Geistlight Snare, Fell Stinger and Dominating Vampire

Tokens/emblems/markers

There are 21 tokens and emblems:

1. 1/1 Human creature, for Cemetery Protector and Wedding Announcement.
2. 1/1 Spirit creature with flying, for Brine Comber, Brinebound Gift, and Whispering Wizard.
3. 4/4 Spirit creature with flying, for Dorothea's Retribution.
4. */* Spirit Cleric creature with "This creature's power and toughness are each equal to the number of Spirits you control", for Hallowed Haunting.
5. */* Zombie creature, for Geralf, Visionary Stitcher.
6. 2/2 Zombie creature, for Dying to Serve, Headless Rider and Skull Skaab.
7. 2/3 Vampire creature with flying and lifelink, for Sorin, the Mirthless.
8. 1/1 Slug creature, for Toxrill, the Corrosive.
9. 1/1 Human creature, for Stensia Uprising.
10. */* Dragon Illusion creature with flying and haste, for Manaform Hellkite.
11. 3/2 Wolf creature, for Kessig Wolfrider.
12. 1/1 Insect creature, for Infestation Expert, Infested Werewolf, Hive-Heart Shaman, Old Rutstein and Vilespawn Spider.
13. 2/2 Wolf creature, for Child of the Pack.
14. 1/1 Human Soldier creature with training, for Torens, Fist of the Angels.
15. Blood artifact, for Anje, Maid of Dishonor, Belligerent Guest, Bloodcrazed Socialite, Bloodsoaked Reveler, Bloodvial Purveyor, Falkenrath Forebear, Gluttonous Guest, Old Rutstein, Restless Bloodseeker, Sigarda’s Imprisonment, Vampires’ Vengeance, Voldaren Bloodcaster and Voldaren Estate .
16. Treasure artifact, for Old Rutstein.
17. Emblem for Chandra, Dressed to Kill.
18. Day/Night marker

Themes and mechanics

Innistrad: Crimson Vow has a new mechanic Cleave, an alternative cost that allow to remove words from the rule text. It shows up on instant and sorcery cards.

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.

• Vampires came back with the new Blood tokens.
  • Blood tokens are colorless artifact tokens with ", , Discard a card, Sacrifice this artifact: Draw a card."
• Werewolves, Transform and Daybound and Nightbound is a returning mechanic from Midnight Hunt.
• Spirits rise from the dead with Disturb.
  • Whereas the disturb cards in Midnight Hunt were creatures on both sides (specifically, non-Spirits on the front and Spirits on the back), the ones in this set are Spirit creatures on the front and Auras on the back.
• Humans now work with Training.
  • When a creature with Training attacks alongside a creature of greater power, you may place a +1/+1 counter on it.
• Zombies have Exploit, which was first seen in Dragons of Tarkir.
  • Exploit lets you sacrifice a creature for a benefit.

Limited archetypes

Innistrad: Crimson Vow features the following limited archetypes:

• : Spirits / Auras (Brine Comber)
• : Zombies / Exploit (Skull Skaab)
• : Vampires / Blood (Bloodtithe Harvester)
• : Werewolves (Child of the Pack)
• : Humans (Sigardian Paladin)
• : Lifegain (Markov Purifier)
• : Spells Matters (Wandering Mind)
• : Toughness Matters (Ancient Lumberknot)
• : Aggro (Markov Waltzer)
• : Self-Mill (Vilespawn Spider)

Card types

Vampires in this set also appear in white. Markov Waltzer is the first gold vampire without black in its cost.

Cycles

Crimson Vow has at least six cycles.

Cycle name
Cemetery creatures	Cemetery Protector	Cemetery Illuminator	Cemetery Desecrator	Cemetery Gatekeeper	Cemetery Prowler
	Five mythic rare creatures. Each exiles a card from the graveyard when they enter the battlefield, then give you a benefit depending on the exiled card.
Uncommon tribal hate spells	Circle of Confinement (Vampires)	Lunar Rejection (Werewolves)	Parasitic Grasp (Humans)	Rending Flame (Spirits)	Sawblade Slinger (Zombies)
	Five uncommon spells that have a bonus when cast on the tribe the color is opposed to.
Cycle name
Rare cleave spells	Path of Peril()	Alchemist’s Gambit()	Dig Up()	Lantern Flare()	Winged Portent()
	Five rare monocolored spells with multicolored cleave costs.
Hunt lands	Shattered Sanctum	Stormcarved Coast	Deathcap Glade	Sundown Pass	Dreamroot Cascade
	Five rare dual lands that enter the battlefield tapped, unless you control two or more other lands.

Double cycles

Cycle name
Rare legends	Dorothea, Vengeful Victim	Runo Stromkirk	Anje, Maid of Dishonor	Halana and Alena, Partners	Torens, Fist of the Angels	Edgar, Charmed Groom	Eruth, Tormented Prophet	Old Rutstein		Grolnok, the Omnivore
	Ten rare legendary creatures.
Uncommon signpost creatures	Brine Comber	Skull Skaab	Bloodtithe Harvester	Child of the Pack	Sigardian Paladin	Markov Purifier	Wandering Mind	Ancient Lumberknot	Markov Waltzer	Vilespawn Spider
	Ten uncommon gold creatures, each supporting a draft archetype.

Pairs

Innistrad: crimson vow has at least three pairs.

Lore Pairs		Description
Olivia, Crimson Bride ()	Edgar, Charmed Groom()	The bride and the groom.
Bride's Gown()	Groom's Finery ()	Equipment that cost 1M, grant +2/+0, and equip for 2, representing the wedding attire of the couple. If the other card is also equipped, the wielder gets +0/+2 and a keyword.
Mirrored Pairs		Description
Gluttonous Guest ()	Belligerent Guest ()	Two common vampire creatures. Each has 2M as mana cost and a Blood creation ability.

Reprinted cards

• Abrade, first printed in Hour of Devastation, last seen in Commander Legends
• Hero's Downfall, first printed in Theros, last seen in Secret Lair Drop Series: Saturday Morning D&D.
• Mulch, first printed in Stronghold, last seen in Mystery Booster
• Splendid Reclamation, first printed in Eldritch Moon.
• Syncopate, first printed in Odyssey, last seen in Guild Kit: Dimir
• Thalia, Guardian of Thraben, first printed in Dark Ascension, last seen in Secret Lair.
  • The first legendary creature to get reprinted in a premier, non-core set (excluding timeshifted cards).
• Valorous Stance, first printed in Fate Reforged, last seen in Dungeons & Dragons: Adventures in the Forgotten Realms/Commander decks.

Notable cards

• Sinner's Judgment is an alternate-loss card

Misprints

• Bloodvial Purveyor was accidentally printed without the words "Until end of turn".

Preconstructed decks

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

Theme deck name	Color Identity					Commander
Spirit Squadron	W	U				Millicent, Restless Revenant
Vampiric Bloodline			B	R		Strefan, Maurer Progenitor

Gallery

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  Provisional logo