After seeing Amonkhet fully spoiled and reading into the lore a bit, I started thinking about how the lore would tie into the game mechanics for Hour of Devastation. After all, the stories of Magic: the Gathering build the cards for Top-Down designed sets. We are due for at least one new mechanic to be featured in HOU.
Amonkhet gave a lot of hints as to a likely graveyard-centric mechanic. The first indication was the return of Cycling and the general "graveyard" theme of Amonkhet. Fill your graveyard for card advantage by discarding. When I saw the full spoiler I noticed there were few cards that could reanimate creatures or gather cards back from the graveyard represented outside of the typical commons and uncommons. There did happen to be a decent amount of graveyard hate, which was surprising to me because Entomb, while has yet to be proven, does not seem to provoke any signs of being "overpowered" to warrant for more powerful graveyard hate than Shadows over Innistrad block, which had considerably more powerful graveyard cards but fewer answers to it. Sure, they were around. Amomkhet however has much stronger answers to the graveyard.
Considering the game and the meta, WotC does add cards into formats to try and help stabilize unfun playing environments, it's fair to assume that the stronger graveyard hate in Amonkhet is to make up for the lack of it in Innistrad, but while there are strong graveyard synergy decks in Standard, they really aren't taking over the Format.
WotC also adds cards to sets as "seeds" for the next set following it in the block. After all, it helps build new draft environments as the sets play better together if their mechanics and overall synergy align. With heavy graveyard disruption, and plenty of ways to fill up the graveyard, and only a few cards and the Embalm mechanic to bring them back, it seems that it is likely Hour of Devestation will feature a new graveyard mechanic.
It connects the dots, even with lore considered, which remember is important for Top-Down Design. Nicol Bolas manipulating the plane using the Gods and Trials to sacrifice people to some promised afterlife? Why? As far as the mechanics in the set blend into the story, Filling the graveyard with things like Cycling, a lack of "Reanimate" effects and strong graveyard hate, it seems ominously foretold that there is something Nicol Bolas is doing with this power he's gaining from the afterlife. What better way to make that a mechanic for Hour of Devastation?
Overall, there are a good number of indications that Hour of Devastation will feature a strong graveyard mechanic, whether it be returning or something completely new.
Amonkhet gave a lot of hints as to a likely graveyard-centric mechanic. The first indication was the return of Cycling and the general "graveyard" theme of Amonkhet. Fill your graveyard for card advantage by discarding. When I saw the full spoiler I noticed there were few cards that could reanimate creatures or gather cards back from the graveyard represented outside of the typical commons and uncommons. There did happen to be a decent amount of graveyard hate, which was surprising to me because Entomb, while has yet to be proven, does not seem to provoke any signs of being "overpowered" to warrant for more powerful graveyard hate than Shadows over Innistrad block, which had considerably more powerful graveyard cards but fewer answers to it. Sure, they were around. Amomkhet however has much stronger answers to the graveyard.
Considering the game and the meta, WotC does add cards into formats to try and help stabilize unfun playing environments, it's fair to assume that the stronger graveyard hate in Amonkhet is to make up for the lack of it in Innistrad, but while there are strong graveyard synergy decks in Standard, they really aren't taking over the Format.
WotC also adds cards to sets as "seeds" for the next set following it in the block. After all, it helps build new draft environments as the sets play better together if their mechanics and overall synergy align. With heavy graveyard disruption, and plenty of ways to fill up the graveyard, and only a few cards and the Embalm mechanic to bring them back, it seems that it is likely Hour of Devestation will feature a new graveyard mechanic.
It connects the dots, even with lore considered, which remember is important for Top-Down Design. Nicol Bolas manipulating the plane using the Gods and Trials to sacrifice people to some promised afterlife? Why? As far as the mechanics in the set blend into the story, Filling the graveyard with things like Cycling, a lack of "Reanimate" effects and strong graveyard hate, it seems ominously foretold that there is something Nicol Bolas is doing with this power he's gaining from the afterlife. What better way to make that a mechanic for Hour of Devastation?
Overall, there are a good number of indications that Hour of Devastation will feature a strong graveyard mechanic, whether it be returning or something completely new.
Dunes of Zairo
SHANDALAR
Innistrad - The Darkest Night
~THE RAVNICAN CONSORTIUM~
A Community Set
Commander: Allies & Adversaries