Magic: The Gathering – How Innistrad’s Werewolves Found Freedom in Nature – CBR – Comic Book Resources

Posted: December 26, 2020 at 1:16 am

In Magic: The Gathering, werewolves are savage night hunters on Innistrad. Here, following their instincts sets them free.

Magic: The Gathering features some thematic worlds, such as those based on real-life time periodsor cultures. For example, there'stheEgyptian-inspired Amonkhet or the pan-Asian setting of Tarkir. Innisitrad, meanwhile, is a dark plane based on gothic horror, and sure enough, this world is home to aristocratic vampires, the vengeful dead, scheming cultists and, of course, werewolves.

Werewolves are found everywhere on Innistrad, and they draw their power from the huge silver moon that looms overhead each night. No one knows how lycanthropy was introduced to this chilling world, but one thing is for sure: everyone dreads the howl of the werewolf at night.Here, these beasts enjoy true freedom.

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Werewolves have always existed on Innistrad, and unlike most other monsters on this plane, they are not the restless undead, nor did they come from the fiery pits of the underworld. Instead, werewolves are the ultimate expression of nature's savagery. They also represent the fact that, for all their laws and cities, human beings cannot fully separate themselves from the wild.

Humanity came from nature in the primordial days of instincts and hunger. The modern lycanrthropic condition is an alluring call to return to those savage roots and cast off the stiff, itchy pretenses of civilization. Mankind needs to be free, and werewolves have cast off the chains of law and order for good.

Werewolvescan be found all over Innistrad, but most of them live in the Kessig Province, which features plenty of forests and mountains where the werewolves can make their dens and gather in small packs to hunt more effectively. Cathars and inquisitors may be sent all the way from the Gavony province to hunt werewolves in return. However, only the most experienced, hardened hunters have a chance against these beasts. Typically, it's the Kessig natives who have the best luck, since they have the most experience with that province's dark, misty forests.

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Werewolves live a dual life, having one foot each in the free wilds and in human civilization. Once bitten, a victim will begin to change on the inside, and when the first full moon arrives, the new werewolf will transform for the first time, shredding their clothes and running off into the wild. They are unrestrained by human vulnerability or laws; instead, theybecome the apex predator, free to hunt and destroy at will. Werewolves act on instinct and hunger, as nature demands, and they fit right into the food chain -- at the top, of course.

When a werewolf transforms back in the morning, the person may find themselves nude and scratched up, and covered in dirt or the blood of their victims.They may be confused and ashamed,draggingthemselves back to their hometown or village to try and blend back in until the next full moon. Other werewolves, such as Ulric of the Krallenhorde pack, sincerely enjoy being a werewolf and identify much more with their beast side.

Once Avacyn the archangel was finally freed from the Helvault, she and the other angels cast the Cursemute, which transformed most werewolves into wolfir, noble humanoid wolves who would fight on humanity's behalf against other monsters. This gave humanity a much-needed reprieve from the terror of werewolf attacks, but this mercy was short-lived. Once Emrakul arrived on the plane and warped everything, Avacyn went berserk, and the Cursemute was lifted.

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The werewolves returned in full force and resumed the hunt, but soon enough, Emrakul replaced them as Innistad's apex predator. Emrakul twisted all living things into Eldrazi version of themselves, and that included the werewolves, which mutated into strange Eldrazi beasts that ran in dronepacks, rather than traditional packs. This bewildered the cathar hunters, who had no idea what they were dealing with. They actually became nostalgic for the days of ordinary werewolves.

In the game, Werewolf creatures only appear in the two blocks based on the Innistrad plane, as this tribe is practically unknown elsewhere. These creaturesdebuted in the Innistrad block, appearing in red and green. Innistrad introduced the Transform mechanic and the concept of double-faced cards, and all Werewolves were like that. Their front side was a Human of some sorts, and theycould flip over to their Werewolf side to become bigger and gain new abilities.

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Either or both sides of the creature may have tribal synergy with Wolves and Werewolves, such as Howlpack Alpha's +1/+1 stat boost and its ability to make 2/2 Wolf creatures without cost -- this is the flip side of the Mayor of Avabruck creature. Immerwolf is part of the "Captain" cycle in Dark Ascension, giving all allied Wolves and Werewolves +1/+1. It also won't let friendly Werewolves transform back to their human side, keeping them strong. Moonmist, meanwhile, can take the opponent by total surprise and flip over all Werewolves to their beast side and prevent damage done to them.

Meanwhile, the Shadows Over Innistrad set brought back traditional Werewolves. However, in the Eldritch Moon set, Werewolves could pay a mana cost to flip over to their Eldrazi side -- and they cannot flip back. These Eldrazi Werewolves may have unique abilities, such as menace for three creatures instead of two.

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I graduated high school in Kansas City in 2009, then earned my Associate's in Arts in 2011 at MCC Longview, then my BA in Creative Writing at UMKC in 2013. I have a passion for creative fiction and I've studied and practiced my craft for over ten years. Currently, I'm expanding my resume and skill set with jobs such as SEO writing and journalism.

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