Introduction

We get an early start on Spooktober here at 2 Generations Gaming with Noob’s Guide to Duskmourn. Officially titled, Duskmourn: House of Horror, it is the latest set release in Magic the Gathering. While we suffered a dearth of MtG content over the last few months to a year, I came up with an idea a couple of weeks ago to bring it back and try to give it a different spin to match our vibe.

It won’t take much tweaking of the formula to get there. I never wrote articles about the best or most valuable cards. Those articles are a dime a dozen and you can find them anywhere. Instead, I often focus on the fun factor of the set and cards. All I need to do is turn that up a little bit and I think I will have a winning formula.

Welcome to Duskmourn (Noob’s Duskmourn Tale I)

You pull at your horse’s reign as you come upon a fork in the road. No signs tell you where either direction leads. Your only indication is a general sense of foreboding no matter which way you choose. Damned if go you right or if you go left, you fish a coin out of your purse. Heads – left. Tails – right. You flip.

Heads. Left.

You spur your horse and guide it down the left path. At first, the scenery remains the same. Rolling hills with a forest far off to your left what looks like a lake on your right. Maybe a swamp. Some body of water with all manner of horrors that live there. The path turns to the left. Thank goodness. At least in the forest, you have the advantage of solid ground against anything that might try to kill you. As you follow the path, plan for whatever might hide in the shadows. After traveling long enough for the sun to fall slightly further down towards the horizon, you notice that the forest looks just as far away as when you started. Foul land.

You turn your horse around and ride back. As you get closer, you realize your second instinct was right. A bubbling fen, belching noxious gas that burns your eyes, nose, and throat. You have to stop to put on a pair of goggles and a bandana. Both only provide some relief. Additionally, the sun sinks lower towards the horizon more quickly. You have a choice to make. Do you light a lantern to make your trip easier and potentially alert the denizens of this swamp? Or, do you stumble around in the darkness and risk running into one of them without warning.

Shit. You pull out and light the lantern. Welcome to Duskmourn.

Noob’s Guide to Duskmourn Setting

In case that intro wasn’t enough of a hint, Duskmourn is a horror themed set. To distinguish is from the other horror planes, though, they based it on more modern interpretations of horror. Instead of gothic horror like vampires or werewolves, they used 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s slasher films and haunted houses as their inspiration.

While I focused more on the traditional version in that short story up there, I plan to write another article over the weekend. That part will pick up where I left off. But, I promise to include some of the more modern horror tropes in it.I wanted to write more.

However, the SEO app recommends less than 300 words per subheading for maximum readability. So, I came up with the alternate plan of the cliffhanger. Then, next time, I finish the story. Besides, who doesn’t love a a cliffhanger?

Duskmourn Art Style

Some players scoffed at the inclusion of modern horror tropes. I remember this being one of the first cards released and they went ape shit over it. This isn’t Magic the Gathering! What’s with the TVs?! Then they released a “sequel” to one of the best cards ever in the form of Meathook Massacre II. The story goes that a movie producer heard of the original and made a movie based on it and that’s the card. Admittedly, a bit weird. Still, fun.

I like that they try new and different things. Sometimes those things don’t work for everyone. But, I applaud the effort. Besides, the number of cards that fall into the more modern actually don’t number all that many. And, horror, even modern horror movies, allow for gothic and religious themes common to other Magic the Gathering sets. It’s the other reason that I started the story the way I did. Suck em in with what they know and then flip the script on them. It’s a time honored tradition.

That’s just my long winded way (is there any other with me?) of saying that I like the art style. They deftly combine the old with the new in a way that appeals to my particular brand of horror fan. Which is to say that I often like the snarky side of horror. When you mix genres. Or, remix them with a different sense and sensibility. That reminds me. Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter? That shit was my jam. And, so is Duskmourn.

Noob’s Guide to Duskmourn Mechanics

Without getting too bogged down in the mechanics (follow this link for more discussion about them), I want to commend them for working the keywords nicely into the theme of the set. Words like Eerie, Impending, Manifest (Dread), and Survival all add to the sense of horror and foreboding. Even Delirium, a graveyard mechanic, brings to mind the creeping insanity seen in many modern horror films.

But, my favorite new card type has to be rooms. It incorporates some of the same game play as other twofer cards but with a twist. You cast the enchantment with one mana cost and it only has that initial ability. At any point, you can pay the mana cost to unlock the room. Then, you have both parts of the room accessible. A very cool new type of card that’s mostly garbage. But, I love jank and all that it entails.

The Verdict

I hope this new format for Noob’s Guide to Duskmourn made the article more fun to read. I plan to write another one over the weekend. First, as I said, I need to finish the story. Second, I want to simulate a prerelease pack for the set. Be on the lookout for that in a couple of days.