The upcoming Magic: The Gathering Oath of the Gatewatch set promises to shake things up with tons of new cards and some seriously exciting retro-fare with Expeditions, 20 extremely rare throwback land cards that represent some of the coolest and most exciting lands from the game's history. We're happy to officially confirm the presence of Strip Mine today, but since the card unofficially leaked a little bit ago, we've got some exclusive art and card text to share too that should keep you guessing about what's to come.

Let's take a look at the new stuff!



Artist: Chase Stone



Artist: Lake Hurwitz



Artist: Izzy



Artist: Igor Kieryluk



Artist: Jason Felix

So, the new artwork is pretty cool, but we can add a bit more to the speculation. While we don't have the specifics behind the card names or mechanics, Wizards of the Coast has provided some flavor text and art insight for these cards, so let the guessing games begin! Here are the enigmatic blurbs -

Kozilek’s brood are much different than Ulamog’s before. Reality itself warps around them, and the laws of physics—such as they exist on Zendikar—become mere suggestions. In the art piece [161245_CN], you can see the difference between the destruction wrought by Ulamog’s kind on the right versus Kozilek’s brood on the left. Strip Mine, as you can see, is clearly Kozilek’s doing.





And here is some flavor text that relates to Kozilek’s rise. The first one is about Kozilek’s ability to pull sustenance from virtually nothing. The second two speak to how Zendikari view Kozilek and his ilk.





“From nothingness, sustenance.”





“We didn’t know where it came from or where it was going. All we knew was that we did not matter.”—Akiri, kor line-slinger

“Zendikar’s true gods have risen. Whether in reverence or agony, all the world will kneel.” – Ayli, high priest of the Eternal Pilgrims





Personally, I can't wait to mess around with Eldrazi again, and with the added cool factor of Expeditions coming into the fray, Oath of the Gatewatch is shaping up to be a memorable experience. Oath of the Gatewatch lands on January 22, 2016.