Judging by 2024's first Magic: The Gathering set, the only thing stopping it from being a full-blown ode to Scooby Doo is the snack-guzzling hound himself.
In our first glimpse of Murders at Karlov Manor, the game is afoot with plucky investigators and a dash of murder most foul. Ahead of the set's launch on February 9, Magic: The Gathering publisher Wizards of the Coast has pulled the curtain pack on more than 30 cards. That includes "Meddling Youths" who are unmasking someone wearing a suspiciously familiar costume.
Basically, it's Mystery Inc. in all but name. The card in question actually hams up that connection up even more with descriptive text reading "Well, if it isn't mean old Mr Larchbottom, who's always been so eager to have the only dumpling stall in Oxblood Alley."
Zoinks indeed. Jinkies, even.
Anyway. Scooby Doo references aren't the only mystery tropes referenced in this set. The story's lead investigator, Alquist Proft, has something of Sherlock Holmes about him, while Joker-style criminals seem to be stalking the streets of Ravnica (a planet-wide city not unlike Coruscant from Star Wars) as well.
Also included in the sneak peek is Ravnica: Clue Edition. This offers a new multiplayer game type that features the characters, murder weapons, and locations from the classic board game (which is published by Wizards of the Coast's owner, Hasbro). The crossover helps us understand why being bashed with a lead pipe in the dining room is the deadliest punishment; this thing is seriously dangerous. As well as giving the bearer +2/+0, it allows you to deal a point of damage to each opponent when the creature holding it is defeated.
Ravnica: Clue Edition will launch a little later than Murders at Karlov Manor; it'll drop on February 23.
We've not got pre-orders for any of the above, but they'll probably be along soon. MTG's Fallout crossover (which is due to arrive in March) is already up for grabs, so Murders at Karlov Manor shouldn't be long.
Speaking of which, it looks like 2024 will be a big year for one of the best card games; following on from Ravnica Remastered in January, February's Murders at Karlov Manor, and Fallout in March, we're getting the Weird West set Outlaws of Thunder Junction and Redwall-esque Bloomburrow. Don't forget about the Assassin's Creed set, either…
For recommendations to keep you busy until then, be sure to check in with our guide to the best board games.
