Today during the official Magic: The Gathering stream on Twitch, we have had a sprinkling of War of the Spark spoilers following the announcement this morning. We saw 17 new cards revealed, along with FOUR Planeswalkers. We also saw an epic new cinematic trailer featuring Liliana and Nicol Bolas. Now, the latest in this line of awesome reveals is a character we’ve all been waiting for. A character whose last card was laughable at best in any competitive setting: Tibalt.
We last saw Tibalt on Innistrad, where he ran afoul of Sorin, one of the oldest and most powerful Planeswalkers in the multiverse. His first card is the one and only 2 mana Planeswalker card. As a result, he came with low powered abilities that really fit his low cost. Today, we got to see an entirely new version of Tibalt: The Rakish Instigator.
A new look Planeswalker
This new card is one of the first uncommon Planeswalker cards we’ve ever seen. The only other so far has been the new Vraska, which was spoiled earlier today.
A trend we’re seeing with these uncommon Planeswalkers is a high starting loyalty with only minus abilities alongside a static effect. Tibalt here refuses your opponent the opportunity to gain life. Additionally, he allows you to create 1/1 Devils that deal damage when they die. While by no means a powerhouse, he offers consistent value. He also does the number one thing any planeswalker needs to do to be relevant: he protects himself.
Whether he sees play anywhere is still up in the air. But there is one other thing we know: he came with a friend!
Tibalt’s Rager
In an earlier spoiler article, we discussed how the flavor text of Ajani’s Pridemate hinted towards each Planeswalker having a creature that goes with them. Tibalt’s Rager seems to be the one that works alongside the new Tibalt card and is another spoiler that was given to us via the official Magic Twitch stream in between rounds of the Mythic Invitational.
Tibalt is a fan favorite. His new card is sure to excite many players who wanted to play him in limited and standard once again.
