Arthurian legend cut from first MTG Eldraine set pops off in Wilds of Eldraine

The legend of the Green Knight shines through Wilds of Eldraine, the new Standard-legal Magic: The Gathering set, despite the Arthurian legend not making the cut from the first Eldraine set, according to game designer Mark Rosewater on Sept. 11. 

Multiple new Wilds of Eldraine (WOE) cards are having an impact on the Standard meta, including a Naya deck that went undefeated at a Japanese tournament this past weekend which included over 100 players. Another build that dominated the meta straight after the digital release of WOE and at the Japanese tournament was the MTG Golgari Midrange deck, which includes four copies of Mosswood Dreadknight, a human knight based on the Arthurian legend the Green Knight. 

A version of the Green Knight was supposed to be included in the Throne of Eldraine set but was cut due to a lack of recognition of the character, according to Rosewater. Some players did recognize the infamous character had been left out, though, prompting Rosewater to make sure the Green Knight made it into the WOE set. 

“When Throne of Eldraine came out, I was asked about the Green Knight,” said Rosewater.  “He’s a popular character for fans of Arthurian legend, and there was some sadness that he hadn’t been included. It was then I realized we made a mistake. When leaning into a source material, you need some deep cuts for fans of that source material, and even though the average person might not know the Green Knight, fans of Arthurian legend did.”

Mosswood Dreadknight isn’t a broken MTG card, but it is impacting the Standard meta by providing Golgari decks with a solid two-drop that can cast its Adventure spell after the creature was put into the graveyard. 

The human knight can draw up to two cards through its Adventure spell Dread Whispers, providing the Golgari build card draw without having to sacrifice a creature or removal card slot. Mosswood Dreadknight also synergizes with Sentinel of Lost Lore, another solid WOE card in Mono-Green. 

Players can test out Mosswood Dreadnight, the Green Knight, through tabletop events at local game stores or digitally through MTG Arena and Magic Online.