Welcome all to the Daily Dose of Kaldheim. Today I’m going to be talking about a new Aura subtype called Runes. Runes are wonderful Auras that enchant any permanent on the battlefield. This means you can enchant a land, a planeswalker, a creature, or even another enchantment. This adds some versatility on when you can cast it, but most of all they all allow you to draw a card when it enters the battlefield. Where the value comes from is when you enchant a creature or equipment you control. Here are the five new Rune cards from Kaldheim.
The Runes
As mentioned, each of the Runes replace themselves by drawing you a card once you enchant them to a permanent. This means in a pinch if you need to find an answer you can cycle them for two mana. Only the Red and Green runes add power to the enchanted creature, but their other abilities aren’t as strong. I would rate the White and Blue Runes as the best as Blue provides evasion and the Lifelink from White can keep you in a game longer. Attaching them to an equipment is interesting and will be better in the long term but will cost you additional mana to make it work. It also requires you to have an equipment on the battlefield which is another cost to get the most value out of Runes.
Now that we have these wonderful enchantments, how can we take advantage of them? How about an equipment that tutors them. Here is Runed Crown.
Runed Crown
Runed Crown helps in finding that key equipment to enchant directly to it when it enters the battlefield. This means that for three mana it already replaces itself thanks to the Rune you are searching for. It also makes the equipment better than with its base +1/+1 bump. Getting the Green Rune can make it so the equipment grants +2/+2 and Trample, a strong jump from its base of +1/+1. You will still need to spend two mana to equip this onto a creature so it will either take you two turns to start getting the enhanced value out of it or waiting until you have five mana so that you can cast and equip in the same turn.
Next up is a creature this time looking to help you cast your Rune cards for cheaper. Here is Runeforge Champion.
Runeforge Champion
Once again, another permanent that allows you to search your library and/or graveyard for a Rune card. Like Runed Crown it's nice that you can search your graveyard for a Rune you might have already cast earlier in the game. The ability to cast Runes for one generic mana means that they are both cheaper and get around the requirement for coloured mana costs. With Runeforge Champion it makes it easier to play more Runes in your deck even if they aren’t associated with the colours of your deck. Even if you have a Rune already in your hand, playing Runeforge Champion on turn four allows you to search for a Rune and play a Rune all in the same turn. Perhaps giving Runeforge Champion +1/+0 and Haste so that it can attack the turn you cast it. Being able to cast Runes with generic mana opens your deck building and drafting options when it comes to Runes.
Finally, we have a Legendary Warrior that will pump up all your creatures enchanted with Runes. Here is Koll, the Forgesmaster.
Koll, the Forgemaster
Now that you have all these Runes in your deck, you need a creature that ups the value of them. That’s where Koll, the Forgesmaster enters the fray. Not only does it pump up all the creatures you’ve enchanted with Runes, but it also bounces them back to your hand if they die. This will make it harder for your opponent to trade during combat or use removal on equipped or enchanted creatures. Being a 2/2 for two mana means you can get in for some quick attacks as well. Having creature types of Dwarf and Warrior will also fit in with past (party) and current (Dwarves) synergies making it a great two-drop for many decks to have. This will often become a target for removal from your opponent, but that might be better than the creature you’ve enchanted with a Rune already.
I’m not sure if there is enough here to make a solid Standard deck, but there could be some good synergies in Limited that you can work towards. The best part about Runes is that they replace themselves, therefore I can see them having some potential. Thanks again for reading the Daily Dose of Kaldheim. Join me tomorrow as I look at the last of some preview cards before the start of prerelease week begins on Monday.
