Kaldheim

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Kaldheim is the collective name of ten 2-color planes connected by a World Tree. It is MTG's take on Vikings and Norse Mythology, proudly displaying its mix of history/myth and Metal genre music. Likewise, the characters of the setting are basically all warriors and/or storytellers.

Lore

Inspiration (And Historian Grousing)

While Norse mythology contains Níu Heimar, more commonly known today as "The Nine Worlds" there isn't a full explicit canonical list leading to scholars offering different lists. Which makes Maro's claim that WotC did a 1:1 ratio and then made up their own 10th world to round it up to a multiple of five a bit strange. There are actually 10 main candidates for what realms are part of the nine realms (which leads to or supports claims that 2 on the list are the same place with different names, or that one is part of the other. For example Henry Bellows conflates Niflheimr and Helheimr, where as [norse-mythology.org] conflates Svartalfheim and Nidavellir).

As elsewhere in Magic, dwarves are Red/White (unlike Norse mythology where they are evil little bastards). More directly from Norse is a loose distinction between Elves and gods, and their ability to play the tertiary antagonist and heroic sidekick roles at the same time based on how clever and/or badass the human who last talked to them is. As such, Elves continue to be Green/Black.

The gods are mostly expies.

• Alrund is Odin

Setting History

Backstory

In the beginning there was the Cosmos, an energy force which takes the form of the World Tree. The first “fruits” to grow from it were monsters, mostly animals of unusual size that outclass gods in intelligence and power; intelligent beings know they can wrest the secrets of the universe from them, dumbasses see them as awesome monsters to slay and earn their legend. Later came the ten Realms, which are separated to everything other than McGuffin objects, gods, beings who discover the rare and shifting paths between them, and the Cosmos monsters. Otherwise, even Planeswalkers can’t travel between them. The setting lacks any sun or moon, with the only light being stars and an aurora borealis entirely localized in the realm containing the positive afterlife and the setting angels, the Valkyries. The ten branches of the Cosmos Tree are also visible in every realm.

When the realms were young they were ruled by gods called the Einir, but upstart gods called the Skoti appeared who had became gods by drinking an elixer brewed from Cosmos sap.

The two pantheons squabbled for a time, with the ambitious Skoti family growing in power and numbers. Alrund focused his efforts on fighting the Cosmos monsters, beating each one so they would share their secrets which made him God Of The Cosmos. During the travels Alrund found an orphan human being raised by eagles. He adopted the child, named him Halvar, but dropped him off to be raised by Dwarves instead because he had critters to ‘wrassle. During that time the Dwarves gave him an axe called Galdrimel that can cut anything including the Cosmos. Twenty years later, Alrund came back to claim Halvar and bring him to the rest of the Skoti.

Meanwhile, the greatest Einir, the queen and tactician Lathril, ascended to godhood by defeating the Cosmos serpent Eidermaw. The Skoti and Dwarves managed to trap the Cosmos pupper wolf Sarulf with eight magical chains in Axgard, realm if Dwarves. But the constant howling of Sarulf caused the Dwarves to demand the Skoti remove him, agreeing to dump him on Littjara where the Shapeshifters dwell. Sarulf escaped during the trip, and went to check on his daughters Kit and Lukya. When he found Kit had been kidnapped he sent Lukya to recruit Lathril for a rescue; Kit later became the companion of a human child while Lukya became Lathril’s, and as thanks Sarulf granted the Einir the friendship of all forests and forest creatures.

The Skoti fought and defeated then locked the most powerful Einir away in seven Jaspera trees in the Skemfar realm, forcing the rest of the Einir there as well. Halvar used his axe to somehow split the Einir race in half between the Black and Green magic factions, which also cut them off from their godhood; the resulting depowered race is the Elves.

Multiversal/Meta Notes

Notably the setting made Tibalt actually relevant and introduced a viking Legolas Planeswalker named Tyvar Kell who’s brother Harald is a lazy analogue to Harald Bluetooth.

Seven real life heavy metal bands promoted the expansion on their social media, with an accompanying Spotify playlist found here. Said bands are Mastodon, Angra, Torche, Smoulder, Rhapsody Of Fire, Oceans Of Slumber, and Amon Amarth. All of which sound like card names.

Crunch

Notable Cards

Unlike other MTG settings with gods, these gods aren't resistant to removal (as in no returning to your hand or having indestructible), which makes sense since in Norse Mythology most of the gods die during Ragnarok.

Preconstructed Decks

• Elven Empire

• Phantom Premonition

Settings of Magic: The Gathering
Pre-revisionist:	First Magic Sets - First Urza Block - Arabian Nights Legends - Homelands - Ice Age - Mirage
Weatherlight Saga:	Portal Starter Sets - Second Urza Block Tempest Block - Masques Block - Invasion Block
Post-Weatherlight:	Otaria Block - Mirrodin - Kamigawa - Ravnica - Time Spiral
After the Mending:	Lorwyn - Alara - Zendikar - New Phyrexia Innistrad - Return to Ravnica - Theros - Tarkir - Eldraine - Ikoria
Two-Block Paradigm:	Kaladesh - Amonkhet - Ixalan
Post Two-Block Paradigm:	Eldraine - Ikoria - Kaldheim - Strixhaven
Never in a standard set:	Fiora (Where the Conspiracy sets take place) - Kylem (Battlebond)