One of the most beloved blink enablers in Magic: The Gathering is effectively coming back – just wearing a different color. The upcoming in-multiverse set Reality Fracture includes a creature called Flickering Hound, and it is a near-perfect mirror of the fan-favorite Displacer Kitten.
Flickering Hound vs. Displacer Kitten
Displacer Kitten is a 2/2 creature for three generic and one blue mana. Its ability lets you exile a nonland permanent and return it to the battlefield under its owner’s control whenever you cast a noncreature spell.
Flickering Hound flips that logic around. It costs three generic and one white mana, it is also a 2/2, and whenever you cast a creature spell, you may exile a creature and return it to the battlefield under its owner’s control. Where the Kitten rewards you for noncreature spells and can blink almost anything, the Hound cares about creatures on both ends.
- Displacer Kitten – 3 + blue, 2/2, triggers on noncreature spells, blinks any nonland permanent
- Flickering Hound – 3 + white, 2/2, triggers on creature spells, blinks a creature
Thematically it fits the set, too. Reality Fracture revolves around Jace and his plan to shape a new multiverse, so a card built around things leaving reality and snapping back into it feels right at home.
Why Flickering Hound Matters for Standard
The big deal for competitive players is legality. Once Reality Fracture releases, Flickering Hound will be legal in Standard for the next three years, which gives it plenty of time to find a home in decks.
Flicker effects – exiling a permanent and returning it – are traditionally strong because they are a reliable way to re-trigger enter-the-battlefield abilities. That can mean generating tokens, buffing creatures, making mana and plenty more. Stack enough cheap creatures with ETB triggers and you get chain reactions, which is exactly what the Hound can do with low-cost bodies from Foundations onward.
Wizards of the Coast has already shown how dangerous this style of play can get: Badgermole Cub was recently banned in Standard, and its earthbend 1 ETB would put a +1/+1 counter on a land every time it was blinked.
Release Dates and Possible Supply Problems
Reality Fracture launches on October 2, with prerelease events kicking off on September 25. Wizards of the Coast has said that the set will run into supply issues in North America in the weeks following release, which raises the obvious worry about scalping, availability and inflated prices – the same problems that surrounded The Hobbit set.
After Reality Fracture, the year wraps up with the Star Trek Universes Beyond set, which has split the community: some Star Trek fans are excited, while other players argue sci-fi belongs in in-multiverse sets like Edge of Eternities rather than crossovers.
What Comes in 2027
The next year already looks packed. The roadmap starts with Nauctis and its underwater focus, continues with Kamigawa: Titanbreach and its monsters-versus-mechs theme, and closes on the Afrofuturist plane of Zhalfir.
Where to Go Next
If you want more from our desk, browse the full feed of gaming articles. We also covered a batch of permanently free Steam games and the giveaway that makes For Honor free to keep on PC.
FAQ
The set launches on October 2, and prerelease events begin on September 25.
It is a 2/2 for three generic and one white mana. Whenever you cast a creature spell, you may exile a creature and return it to the battlefield under its owner’s control.
Displacer Kitten is blue, triggers on noncreature spells and can blink any nonland permanent. Flickering Hound is white, triggers on creature spells and blinks creatures only.
Yes. Starting October 2 it will be legal in Standard for the next three years.
Wizards of the Coast has confirmed supply issues in North America in the weeks after October 2, so availability and pricing may be rough early on.