Creature — Goblin (1/3)
084/275 Rare

When Putressa enters, target player becomes the monarch.

Whenever a player draws a card except the first one they draw in each of their draw steps, that player loses 1 life.

“I was a queen once, you know… Look where that got me.”

I love MtG’s Monarch mechanic. It’s such a flavorful way to provide extra card draw while also promoting combat. The mini-game of trading the crown back and forth gives players a clear goal while also pushing the game toward its conclusion. There are several ways to introduce the monarch in the Unwell Kingdom, and I wanted each of them to feel distinct. For example, Leviathan Tournament gives it at the end of a saga, after bouncing most creatures, which helps blue-white control decks relieve pressure and makes it harder for opponents to steal the monarch token back. Queen Gnarlnash gives a more aggressive red flavor, rewarding players with the monarch for crashing in with goblins and vehicles, then giving all creatures haste as long as they keep it!

Which brings us to Putressa, Resigned to Ruin. Unlike the other royalty in our story, Putressa is disgraced and bitter. Our players met her in a dungeon cell, deep within the Crestfall Catacombs and awaiting sacrifice by the Children of the Blade! To translate this into her card, that beloved monarch token now comes with a drawback: any player drawing extra cards will also lose life! Because of this, players may decide they don’t even WANT the monarch, and are given the option to force it onto an opponent instead. My hope was that this would provide an extra wrinkle to the familiar monarch mini-game.

I was shocked by how well this actually plays out! Every time Putressa hit the board in our draft and sealed playtests, games would go the distance in ways that were both fun and skill-testing. The extra cards from the monarch keep games from fizzling out as they sometimes do in limited, but those little damage pings also keep the clock ticking. Putressa usually plays out like a Phyrexian Arena, but sometimes she’s a lite Orcish Bowmasters… those pings don’t just trigger on monarch, but on ANY extra card draw from either side. She’s impactful, shakes up play patterns, and most importantly, doesn’t feel overpowered! Perfect for a rare!