Murders At Karlov Manor First Look Gives A Clue Or Two

On December 5th, Wizards of the Coast revealed new information about their next upcoming Magic: The Gathering set, Murders at Karlov Manor. In this new set, players assume the roles of investigators, gumshoes, and other assorted detectives. The storyline involves a mystery surrounding a death within the mansion of the Karlovs, one of the most influential Orzhov Syndicate families. Surely, this will be a riveting, and dare we say killer, set! Let's take a look!

Alquist Proft, Master Sleuth, a new card from Murders at Karlov Manor.

Murders at Karlov Manor Premise Information

In a press release regarding the new set, Wizards of the Coast said this:

Magic: The Gathering will challenge players to solve a murder mystery scenario with the upcoming Murders at Karlov Manor set. The experience will feature new characters and a few fan favorites who will scour the manor in search of a killer - all against the backdrop of fan-favorite Ravnica.

In this First Look at the new set, which comes out on Feb. 9, Alquist Proft, Ravnica's greatest detective, and others will be trying to figure out who is a cold-blooded murderer in a classic case of whodunit. Through play, Magic players will weave their way through the story, deciphering puzzles, and solving the mystery.

Furthermore, according to the press release, there will be thirteen clues peppered into the set. This serves as a means to immerse players into the worldbuilding for the expansion. Starting on February 2nd, the day of the Murders at Karlov Manor Prerelease, a website will become active, tying into these clues. The site will feature a puzzle per day, leading sleuths ever-closer to answers.

Aurelia, the Law Above, a new card from Murders at Karlov Manor.

Murders at Karlov Manor Showcase Treatments

The First Look presses onwards to elaborate on the various Showcase treatments to grace Murders at Karlov Manor. These include the City Showcase, seen in March of the Machine's Multiverse Legends bonus sheet, and serialized cards in that Showcase type. However, we also get the "Dossier Showcase" (including the cards shown above with the typewritten text box fonts). Furthermore, we get a showcase type called "Invisible Ink". At the time of writing, we are still trying to parse out what that means.

Ravnica: Clue Edition and Another Innovation

There would be no Murders at Karlov Manor without another classic tabletop game that Hasbro has some stake in. I'm guessing you know which one we're talking about, but if not, here's a Clue.

According to the press release:

Ravnica: Clue Edition, available on Feb. 23, will feature Clue-themed shock lands, brand new cards featuring a person, place, or object, and a whodunit gameplay twist that will excite players. Play Magic, look for clues into the death of Guildmage Boddy, and crack the case or eliminate your rival detectives!

The interesting thing about this honestly fantastic tie-in is that it's an all-new multiplayer variant product and will undeniably command a premium almost immediately. With shock lands, mechanically-unique legendary creatures, and more, this is one of those releases that players will be clamoring for, no question.

Some of the cards from Ravnica: Clue Edition.

Murders Commander Deck Color Combinations & Themes

Before we dump an entire gallery of images on you, the last thing we wish to impart upon you is the color combinations and themes of the Murders at Karlov Manor Commander decks:

Deadly Disguise, a Naya (red, green, and white) deck with a theme of "disguising" cards. This implies a Morph/Manifest-style of play.
Revenant Recon, a Dimir (blue-black) deck with themes of surveiling and reanimation.
Deep Clue Sea, a Bant (green, white, and blue) deck with a heavy Investigate theme for card advanage.
Blame Game, a Boros (red-white) deck with themes of goading creatures and "identifying suspects". We don't have any ideas as to the meaning of that last part at the time of writing.

Withouy further ado, we present to you the boxes for the above Commander decks!

The box for Deadly Disguise, one of four Commander decks from Murders at Karlov Manor.

The box for Revenant Recon, one of four Commander decks from Murders at Karlov Manor.

The box for Deep Clue Sea, one of four Commander decks from Murders at Karlov Manor.

The box for Blame Game, one of four Commander decks from Murders at Karlov Manor.

Murders at Karlov Manor Gallery

With this, we have a plethora of new cards to look at, plus some reprints! Thus, here is a gallery of what we have seen in the First Look for the new set!

Benthic Criminologists, a new card from MTGMKMr. — Benthic Criminologists, a new card from *MTGMKM*.

Burden of Proof, a new card from MTGMKM. — Burden of Proof, a new card from *MTGMKM*.

Curious Cadaver, a new card from MTGMKM. — Curious Cadaver, a new card from *MTGMKM*.

Demand Answers, a new card from MTGMKM. — Demand Answers, a new card from *MTGMKM*.

Gleaming Geardrake, a new card from MTGMKM. — Gleaming Geardrake, a new card from *MTGMKM*.

Hotshot Investigators, a new card from MTGMKM. — Hotshot Investigators, a new card from *MTGMKM*.

Lightning Helix, a reprinted card from MTGMKM. — Lightning Helix, a reprinted card from *MTGMKM*.

Magnifying Glass, a reprinted card from MTGMKM. — Magnifying Glass, a reprinted card from *MTGMKM*.

Meddling Youths, a new card from MTGMKM. — Meddling Youths, a new card from *MTGMKM*.

Novice Inspector, a new card from MTGMKM. — Novice Inspector, a new card from *MTGMKM*.

Out Cold, a new card from MTGMKM. — Out Cold, a new card from *MTGMKM*.

Rakdos, Patron of Chaos, a new card from MTGMKM. — Rakdos, Patron of Chaos, a new card from *MTGMKM*.

Shock, a reprinted card from MTGMKM. — Shock, a reprinted card from *MTGMKM*.

Topiary Panther, a new card from MTGMKM. — Topiary Panther, a new card from *MTGMKM*.

Wojek Investigator, a new card from MTGMKM. — Wojek Investigator, a new card from *MTGMKM*.

Parting Thoughts on the First Look

With this, our first look into Murders at Karlov Manor comes to a close. But fret not! The set releases on February 9th, with Prerelease events happening as of February 2nd. Till then, be wary of who you invite to your murder mystery parties...