[Update]: The Adventures in the Forgotten Realms expansion has now arrived with 261 cards in tow!

Before each Standard rotation Magic: The Gathering tends to release a Core Set as a way to reprint highly useful cards without the designers being constrained by any one plane or storyline. However, this time around the usual Core Set will be getting replaced by a fully fledged Dungeons & Dragons themed expansion - Adventures in the Forgotten Realms.

As the name alone might imply, this expansion will bring with it dungeons as a brand new mechanic, as well as a plethora of powerful dragons to toy around with. There will also be dice rolls, references to numerous Dungeons & Dragons spells and abilities, equipment and enchantments themed after the various classes, as well as a couple of god-like beings to spice things up.

If you're curious what all of these cards might actually look like, you'll be happy to hear that Wizards of the Coast have now finally released the full preview! You can find all of the cards over at the MTG website, all neatly sorted by color.

And if that isn't enough, I'm also happy to say that the Adventures in the Forgotten Realms expansion will be launching tomorrow, July 8, on both MTG Arena and Magic Online! The initial launch on MTG Arena will bring with it Sealed and Premium/Traditional Draft game modes, while the highly popular Quick Draft mode will be launching two weeks later.

Once the expansion goes live I'll make sure to let you know. Until then, have fun brewing up new deck ideas!