The realm is full of strange things sleeping in forgotten depths.
And in Gothic, the highly anticipated next set for Sorcery: Contested Realm, releasing on December 5, some of those things are beginning to wake.
In places long sealed and best forgotten, Monsters stir. These creatures didn’t rise from graves or ascend from infernos. They don’t belong to the world of men or the world of the dead. They don’t belong anywhere.
And yet…here they are.
In today’s Gothic spotlight, we’re turning our gaze towards the realms' most unspeakable inhabitants: Monsters.
A tribe long undefined, fair warning: unsettling spoilers ahead!
Things that Should Not Be
From the start, we knew that Gothic would be a set of wroth, ruin, and ritual, and few cards capture that better than Monsters. Many can be summoned through strange conditions, unleashed by sacrifice, and shaped by forgotten forces. These horrors don’t just arrive; they’re invited.
Let’s dive into the deep and see what should have stayed submerged.
The Shape of Fear
Of all the Evil tribes in Gothic, Demons, Undead, and Monsters, Monsters are the least orderly and the most unsettling.
They’ve always been our catch-all minion group for the strange things that don’t quite fit into the mold. But here, in the shadowy depths of Gothic, they’ve finally found their identity. Monsters in this set align most closely with the element of Water: the vast, unknowable abyss, a force tied to secrets, strangeness, and change.
And true to their element, Monsters don’t arrive through simple means. They can appear when the timing is just right (or terribly wrong, depending on which side of the ritual you’re on). One of the core design themes we explored in Gothic was the idea of eldritch rituals. That summoning these creatures should feel more like unlocking an ancient curse than just casting a spell.
Chaos Takes Form
What makes Monsters so compelling isn’t just their strange anatomy or unsettling art - though there’s plenty of both. It’s the feeling they evoke: that creeping dread, that sense that something terrible lies just beneath the surface.
Take Shoggoth, capable of navigating the void and submerging out of reach. Thanks to support cards like Elder Ruins, Shoggoth can be cast not from your hand or deck, but directly from your Collection, triggered by the sacrifice of a minion at just the right place and time.
That looming question, when or even if the ritual will be completed, creates the unease we want Monsters to embody in Gothic. They’re out there, waiting for their time to emerge within the realm.
Twisted Forms, Willing Vessels
Not all Monsters come from the deep, of course. Some begin as something familiar, until they are twisted into something else.
Through Monstermorphosis, a vile spell of transformation, the familiar can become the abhorrent. With the right vessel, you can bring forth a Horrible Hybrid or something even darker.
Mechanically, Monstermorphosis rewards players who can build pressure while leaving something behind to corrupt. The moment your opponent forgets a seemingly harmless minion on the edge of the board… it becomes something beyond recognition. Or perhaps, you're looking to target your opponents' minions, disabling them or twisting them into something more manageable. It’s not always about brute force, but opportunity.
Of course, not all monsters are transformed. Some are fed.
Hunger Without End
Gnarled Wendigo doesn’t twist what’s already there; it devours it. And the more you offer, the sooner it arrives. Fortunately for you, when it arrives, it’s already full!
The same can’t be said for the ever-hungry Regurgitator, revealed in person last week at PAX Aus by Lindsey Crummett. This horror must feed its belly, driven by its unrelenting hunger, but it's unable to hold its meals down.
For all their hunger, though, Monsters know how to wait. And that's what makes them truly dreadful.
Biding Their Time
If the Monsters of Gothic have one thing in common, it’s this: when the rituals succeed, they are unstoppable forces that strike fear into your enemies. When they fail, well, the suspense was part of the fun.
But for players who love chaos, or calculated madness, Monsters call (albeit through bubbling voices from far beyond).
So.. will you dare? Will you call to something that should have stayed forgotten?
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