Finally, we have a return to Lorwyn - a place of beauty and whimsy unlike any other. It is an absolute delight to see the setting return and for us to finally be able to see some new and returning characters for it! As such, I’m glad to say we have some Alchemy: Lorwyn Eclipsed cards to show you today as they enter the fold on Arena starting February 2nd!
Oh dear, it looks like Lorwyn is turning to Shadowmoor here…
Hey it’s Shadowmoor Elle on the scene. I’ve been told that I’m supposed to be more evil, or maybe just an inversion of my inner personality, or perhaps just a facet of my own personality - like maybe this version of me really cares about Parmesan Cheese. Who really knows… Thorna and Twigtooth are some of my homies though, so let’s see what they do.
With their effect and colours it might be hard to find a home for them out the gate - being, effectively, a 4/5 with no keywords can feel rather unappealing. But I do think the card has potential. Especially with [[Arena of Glory]] and other haste granters, this card does up to 8 damage in their first swing, which not many 4 drops can offer. The perpetual growth for creatures isn’t going to matter as much, as we’ve seen with creatures like [[Dalkovan Outrider]] - who do a good job as threats but don’t exactly stand the test of time. However, the rest of the ability being able to drain per counters removed means that you are able to really push damage in ways you might not expect. For example, being able to turn an Orc Army from Orcish Bowmasters into a mini Lightning Helix can be helpful if the Orc Army can’t otherwise get into combat - and with creatures like Luminarch Aspirant staying relevant even in 2026, I do feel like there is plenty of room for Thorna and Twigtooth to just do a lot of damage very fast.
Okay, Lorwyn Elle back at the reins - maybe my super power is that I’m aware of the shift happening. I wonder how many people are actually fully aware of how things change for them or if it just feels natural. More importantly - look at that rad Cat-Fish! I love the art on this card and how it captures the feeling of Lorwyn. Looking at the card itself, it might seem unimpressive on first blush; being a draw spell that doesn’t actually create card advantage might be the death of the card right there. However, perpetually giving all of the blue creatures left in hand an evoke cost of pitching another blue card does make me think that maybe this card has the chance to do something special. I do want to know what you all think is the best target for the perpetual evoke - I am currently thinking about Evoking an Atraxa, Grand Unifier (even though the triple blue pips make that a bit unlikely) or perhaps a Saiba Syphoner to get back Time Walk (which could be relevant for the really slow UG Turbofog decks). But at the end of the day I don’t think most decks are going to be picking up Aquatic Subtlety, especially over cards like Stock Up or Brainsurge.
Thank you again to Wizards of the Coast and the Arena Team for giving us these exclusive preview cards! Make sure to check out the Gladiator Discord as events are now starting up for the 2026 Season!