Trial by Frost – a Muna review

Welcome to our quick review of the new cards revealed for the upcoming Altered TCG expansion Trial by Frost. This article focuses on the Muna faction, the themes developed in this set and the overall synergies.

Prepare your herbs and potions for the journey, young druid. And may the gods of the forest offer you shelter from the storm.

Characters

54. Snoozer Shroom

Card revealed here by Giulia Amici.

Snoozer Shroom is a cheap addition to plant-based synergies. For only two mana, you get a character with very uneven stats but a brand new support ability. Giving “asleep” to one of your characters seems worse than giving “anchored”, especially in a faction where the effect is very common. But here (still for zero mana), you can keep slightly more expensive characters. Maybe you have a very cool unique costing four mana with an amazing effect that you would like to keep multiple turns. Well now, you do not have to rely solely on Parvati to do that.

Generally speaking, this card adds one more way to keep your characters on multiple turns for no mana. Some decks could want as many of these effects as possible.

In “Festival” decks, Snoozer Shroom could be a star. The menace of an asleep effect for zero sitting in the reserve could be stress inducing for your opponent.

The rare version adds a “from hand” effect: the ability to pay two mana to give “asleep” to a character in the expedition facing the Snoozer Shroom. This seems really worse than the effect of a Sandman, for example, as you are a lot less flexible when it comes to choosing the target. You can’t even target one of your characters. In limited thought, Snoozer Shroom could be really strong as a finisher.

55. Jack Frost

Card revealed here by Jo Yana.

Jack Frost is one of the cheapest ways Muna has to interact with the reserve. Exhausting cards in reserve is sort of a “soft sabotage”, it does not remove the card completely but prevents your opponent from using it from the reserve this turn.

Exhausting cards is also more effective against Treyst, because it does not accelerate the activation of his hero power.

Keep in mind that if you wanted to prevent your opponent from playing a card from reserve before Trial by Frost, you had to include Axiom Scrambler in your deck. Now you have Jack Frost, who seems way easier to include.

The rare upgrade is simple but powerful. We will see if it deserves a rare slot in future decks.

56. Persephone

Card revealed here by Never Bored Gaming.

The problem Rin has is that only five of the eight regions you have to traverse to win are forests. But our darling Persephone here has a solution: everything can be a forest.

For only two mana, Persephone adds forest to the biome you are in, and in the rare version (for one more mana), she even deletes mountain and water for you and your opponent on this expedition. On top of that, she adds 3 in forest. Impressive!

This theme of growing forests everywhere could allow decks to have very uneven stats, with a heavy spike in forest. It could also allow Rin to activate her hero power every single turn, which seems extremely powerful.

57. Repotter Otter

Card revealed here by Mão Inicial.

Mister Harry Potter Otter brings another symmetrical effect to Muna. We already have Kitsune and Daughter of Yggdrasil, who allow each player to draw a card (or resupply, in case of the rare Kitsune), and this is a new effect.

Muna has a lot of cards that you could want to put directly in reserve and never play from hand, like the common Daughter of Yggdrasil. It could also be useful to put in reserve cards with powerful support abilities, like the ability to anchor a character with hand cost three or less.

Just make sure that you will benefit more than your opponent from the effect.

Repotter Otter has a big hole of stats in forest, which is unusual for Muna characters. I do not know if this will be relevant…

58. Saskia, Sly Naturalist

Card revealed here by La Reserva.

Even if we should not trust her, Saskia is a great ally to Muna heroes who want to grow forests everywhere. She can boost the rare Spindle Harvester you just put in forest, or the Sneezer Shroom, or the Aloe Vera… or everybody all at once if you happen to play the rare version.

You need to have at least two other characters in forest for the rare version to be interesting, but the ceiling (the best case scenario) of the card is through the roof.

This is also the kind of effect you could want to trigger multiple times with a Mechanical Training. Maybe Arjun could anchror Saskia to use her on multiple turns?

59. Yeti

Card revealed here by Adyboo.

There are many things to say about the Yeti. First, he is adorable. He is another character, like Kodama, that can join the expedition already asleep, which is relevent for Festival decks.

His static effect is really powerful: he is basically a Monolith on a stick, as he will boost all the characters joining your expeditions while he is here. The fact that his hand cost is three means you can re-anchor him easily to keep him more than two turns.

Playing the Yeti, the cards that can ancror themselves like Spindle Harversters or Sneezer Shooms seem quite powerful (in a Teija boost deck, for exemple).

From reserve, the Yeti is more expensive, so maybe he will not be easy to setup a second time.

The rare version seems interesting to play in an Arjun deck, as you can anchor him easily with the hero’s power, avoiding him bringing no stats on the turn you play him from hand.

60. Mighty Simbi

Card revealed here by Rofellos.

Mighty Simbi wants you to progress in forest (I think you can start to see a theme here for the Muna faction in this set). So does Rin. And you know what Rin also wants? Not to clog her reserve.

If you play Rin and advance in forest with a Mighty Simbi in your expedition, you are likely to have too many cards in reserve at the end of the day. Well first, you can sacrifice Mighty Simbi to draw a card. Then you can draw a card with Rin’s hero power, and finally put a card from your hand in reserve. This allows you to dig in your deck a little more and to choose the best card to have in reserve for the next day.

The rare version, while having a weaker stat in forest, rewards you differently for advancing in forest: she helps you ramp by going directly in your mana orbs, if you choose so.

61. The Snow Maiden

Card revealed here by Maindeck.

Like Daughter of Yggdrasil, the Snow Maiden is another overstated character that gives a gift to your opponent. But unlike Daughter of Yggradsil, the advantage you give may not help at all. If you give an exhausted card and your opponent does not have a way to use it, he will likely have to clean up his reserve at the end of the turn anyways. In this case, you only give card selection, and not card advantage.

Sadly, the Snow Maiden has a hand cost of four, which means that unlike Daughter of Yggdrasil, it is hard to anchor.

In the rare version, the statistics are even higher for the same cost from hand. The cost is higher from reserve, and you give two exhausted resupplies to your opponent, but keep in mind that the Snow Maiden can be a 7/7/7 for four mana from hand in Teija. Impressive.

62. Leshy

Card revealed here by Maxildan.

Leshy is – wait for it – another card that rewards you for being in forest!

This forest god can change shape and size depending on the environment. If you play him while all four expeditions are in forest (maybe Persephone can help on this one), he will be a 8/8/8 for five mana. If you play the rare version, Leshy can be a 5/5/5 with gigantic for five mana, which is 10/10/10 worth of stats!

All the stars may not align though. You will also need to pay attention to your opponent’s removals, as Leshy sadly does not protect himself (play the Spindle, you fools!).

Now imagine Leshy in 2v2. If you and your partner cooperate on the forest matter, he could be a beast…

63. Demeter

Card revealed here by Equinox.

Demeter pairs really well with Persephone (they are mother and daughter, after all…). The rare Demeter can even anchor Persephone to always keep her close, eternally if possible…

Flavor wise, this set is a banger.

Back to our big plant mom. The common version is a little less expensive than an Hydracaena and has more statistics. But keep in mind that she will stay in play only if the biome you arrive in at the end of the day contains forest. Unless you anchor a Persephone in her expedition, you cannot be sure that there will be forest if you advance.

07. Walrus Scout

Card revealed here by La Mesa de Dam.

Walrus Scout is a card you never want to play from hand. In a Rin deck, I could see why you could want to put him in reserve at the end of your turn, then open your next turn with an “after you” that exhausts a card in you opponent’s reserve. Other than that, I don’t see why you would spend a rare slot on the card.

09. Lord Kelvin

Card revealed here by SpooksTheBoops.

Lord Kelvin seems to be a card that you always want to play from reserve, as his statistics from hand are weak compared to the mana cost. If you manage to put him in reserve (let’s say: with a Repotter Otter or Rin’s hero power, for example), you get very good statistics and the ability to prevent your opponent from using a card from reserve, which is still rare in Muna.

10. Flawed Prototype

Card revealed here by Cleonis.

Flawed Prototype is (for now) a strange addition to the Muna card pool. You usually want to grow your plants, not sacrifice them. Maybe one day, we will have a card that will create 0/0/0 plants to either receive boosts or be harvested by cards like Flawed Prototype?

26. Akhlut

Card revealed here by Giacky Strike.

Akhlut is a very good boy and an amazing playing partner for Nauraa. In Teija decks, he can be a 4/4/6 for four mana who exhausts a card in your opponent’s reserve.

And played from reserve, he can even exhaust two cards!

28. Eros

Card revealed here by Kapuchon.

Eros is very expensive, but his effect could make for impressive turns. Note that he can anchor any character, not just ones with hand cost three or less.

I can’t help but imagine his effect on slightly less expensive unique versions.

40. Will-o’-the-Wisp

Card revealed here by No Reno.

Will-o’-the-Wisp is another card that can help you all-in with the forest biome in a Rin deck. Be careful thought, unlike rare Persephone, it does not turn your opponent’s biomes into forest but rather reduces it to forest if he/she happens to already have forest. So it is a rather defensive card.

The support ability could see some use in ramp decks.

44. Santa Claus

Card revealed by Equinox.

It feels like a flavor win to have Santa Claus give gifts to everyone. In terms of competitive potential though, I have some doubts.

His effect is symmetrical, but the fact that you play your free card first gives your opponent a lot of information that he could take advantage of. In some cases where your opponent is low on resources (few cards in hand and in reserve), Santa Claus could be good, but it tends to be a not so common situation in constructed.

76. Dong Da Shen

Card revealed by Equinox.

Dong Da Shen reminds me a lot of Quetzalcoatl. Both of them are 3/3/3 for three mana from hand and reserve, and are bureaucrats from the Ordis faction who want to be kept in the expedition until the next day.

Dong Da Shen‘s effect is quite strong, because your opponent will almost always have something in reserve at noon. Unless he has a way to use the card you exhausted, he is likely to overflow his reserve this turn.

78. Ordis Liaison

Card revealed here by ViktorTCG.

Ordis Liaison is another “Charge!” effect for Muna. She seems expensive, especially compared with Ogun or Saskia, but her effect applies no matter what (no need to have plants, or to be in forest).

Spells

64. Sow

Card revealed here by Mad’s Man Space.

Sow is a cool little spell, enabling effects that need a boost for only one mana. It has a new keyword, “cooldown“, forbidding you from playing it twice in a turn, or using the support ability right away.

However, it can be used by Arjun to activate is hero power, because the card being exhausted in reserve does not matter.

The rare version benefits from a big upgrade of its support ability.

65. Lost in the Woods

Card revealed here by SuryPlay.

Lost in the Woods is the new removal spell for Muna in this set. With Mana Reaping, it is the second common card that can handle permanents. It can even handle characters if they are in forest (five out of eight of your opponent’s expeditions are naturally forests). Compared to Mana Reaping, it has the great advantage of not increasing the mana of your opponent.

In decks where you can force your opponent to be in forest, the card is even stronger.

The rare version adds the possibility to remove characters wherever they are. It will make your opponent draw a card, but it could be live-saving in some situations.

94. Rime Frost

Card revealed here by Just For Fun!.

Yay! More control for Muna! Rime Frost, like Jack Frost, allows you to exhaust a card in reserve, this time for the low cost of one mana from hand and two mana from reserve.

You can play the spell twice in a turn if needed, and you can also use it to discard from reserve an already exhausted card, if you really don’t want your opponent to play it next turn.

Permanents – Gear

66. Magic Beans

Card revealed here by Tabletop Goodness.

Expedition permanents are the spice of this set. Magic Beans is truly an exciting card. For the low cost of one mana, it enables strategies where you always want to be in forest. The fact that it is so cheap and even gets you one boost allows you to play it early in your turn to give back the turn to your opponent, or to create a surprise forest at the end of the turn.

It is probably a card that you will want to keep in your hand while it is not needed, and then use at the right time. This supposes a certain amount of card advantage, but it should not be a problem for Rin.

With the high stats in forest Muna characters tend to have, I can even see the other heroes wanting to play this card.

The rare version has an upgrade similar to the one of Persephone, manipulating the biomes your opponent is in. This will probably allow for games where the menace of turning the landscape into a forest will induce very interesting decisions and play patterns.

The colors on the artwork are amazing, by the way. I cannot wait to test the card, then foil it!

67. Floral Tent

Card revealed here by Dice Story Gaming.

Floral Tent is another amazing card that does a lot of things. It resupplies (Muna is always hungry for more cards) and transforms all your “anchor” effects into protection from removal!

The common version is already amazing, but the rare version, while more expensive from hand, improves its flexibility with an anchor effect as a support ability.

The flavor of a tent sheltering your characters from the storm is cool.

49. Winter Outfits

You want to play characters with spikes in some statistics but big holes in others? No worries! This card can solve your problems.

Let’s say that you want to play an impressive amount of characters with good stats in forest, but you want to keep your defenses up. Winter Outfits has your back.

The card can be played multiple turns from reserve, so it can be a good recursive “after you” effect.

Permanents – Landmark

68. Icebound Taiga

Card revealed at PAX U 2024.

Icebound Taiga is the promise of a 5/5/5 anchored dragon if you manage to activate it. For only three mana, this seems really interesting. In a deck where you intend to always play in forest, Icebound Taiga is even easier to use than it would seem at first glance.

The fact that you can slow roll the activation of the Taiga means that the dragon is harder to remove than you could think. In fact, by the time you put the third counter on it, your opponent may not be in the position to play a removal spell anymore.

The rare upgrade makes Icebound Taiga even cheaper from reserve, encouraging us to put it directly in reserve (with Rin, for instance, or a Kelon Elemental). Will the cost reduction be worth a rare slot?

This Icebound cycle is overall very interesting, even in common, as it adds another layer of “game inside the game” to Altered.

16. Icebound Hollow

Card revealed at PAX U 2024.

Icebound Hollow is also good in terms of the statistics it will provide for three (most probably two) mana. The ability to ready all your cards in reserve is ok in Muna, but not nearly as strong as anchoring the 5/5/5 dragon.

Putting cards from your hand or deck in reserve is not that easy to do in Muna. You have to play resupply effects like Esmeralda or Harvest, or cards like Kelon Elemental. Even if Rin does it naturally with her hero Power, you do not fully control the pace of activation and can end up very predictable, or on the contrary release the dragon at a timing when you don’t really need it.

I could also be very wrong and there is a place for an Icebound Muna deck in the future meta. We’ll see…

17. Frozen Reprocessor

Card revealed here by Polygon.

Frozen Reprocessor is a variation of the card Axiom Reprcessor, with the same cost of four mana and the ability to resupply (here: exhausted resupply) at noon.

But unlike Axiom Reprocessor, Frozen Reprocessor gives you a card right away, even if it is exhausted. This is especially relevent for Arjun, who could use the resupplied card anyway to activate his hero power.

Conclusion

The dance, the forest, and the solitude…

The journey is a trial and Mother Nature a harsh judge. But the Muna druids are resourceful. If the ice pins them in place, they will wear their winter coats. If there is no cave to take shelter from the blizzard, they will pitch their tent. And if there is no tree to bring life to these desolate lands, they will grow entire forests.

Ascend on January 24.