• In a few sentences, what is the premise of Valdrasil: Voyage to Infinity?

"A time displaced planeswalker is sent forward three thousand years to the future, to find that his home plane is on the verge of beginning their voyage to deep space, in search of glorious battle and their lost gods. They soon discover that a sentient singularity is hunting them, eager to devour their home."

• Where would you say Valdrasil: Voyage to Infinity is in the development process?

"The set is both draftable and playable at the moment. The only thing that I need to do with the set is further playtesting for balancing, and expanding the lore with a main story that is coming soon. The set is Revolution bound in a year or so, so I’d like to prepare it to be at its best for then."

• What inspired you to begin creating Valdrasil: Voyage to Infinity?

"Valdrasil had gotten two other sets before; so for the third visit I wanted to introduce a big shake up. I took inspiration from one of my favorite sets, Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty, and took the setting to the distant future. This also gave me the opportunity to make the space explorer set I had always wanted to make! It also let me zoom out a bit from Valdrasil and focus on the wider Infinity, so I could add some wacky concepts that wouldn’t quite fit in a normal Viking set."

• ”Space” and “Vikings” are both very, forgive my pun, provocative ideas visually and thematically. How do you balance the interplay between those two in your designs?

"When I first envisioned the set, I knew that it would have to feature the Vikings adapting to space. So I tended to lean towards showcasing them overcoming the struggles that space presented, to keep the classic Viking thematic of rugged warriors braving harsh elements. Rather than sailing stormy seas and sieging coastal towns, I instead had them crossing solar storms and battling other spaceships. The theme translated over to the new setting quite well, in my opinion. It also gave me opportunities to reimagine classic Viking imagery in a futuristic way, such a longship-spaceship, or battle axes made of pure energy."

• One of the goals of the set mechanically is to bring the long-maligned Storm mechanic to a Standard-balanced level, how do you feel that has gone so far?

"While in initial field testing, VYI overperformed, the Storm part of the set actually came in a bit undertuned. The knife’s edge of balancing this mechanic has very thin margins, so I’m being quite careful in where and how I buff the deck. For when the set eventually gets submitted to Revolution, a lot of the Storm deck’s power level will rely on the environment in the format, so I have to keep a close eye on Revolution as a balancing criteria as well. What’s balanced in field test may not be so in Rev."

• What is your favorite card in Valdrasil: Voyage to Infinity?

"There are many cards in the set I have a fondness for, but I think my absolute favorite has to be Meteor Harvester, for its ability to make multiple Meteorite tokens!"

• Would you like to give any special thanks to anyone on this server for their help?

"I would like to first thank Schwa77 and CanterburyEgg for their assistance during the set’s production in helping with finding art and assisting with balance, along with everyone in Field Test who helped with the set’s balance. I’d also like to thank everyone who commented in the set channel, as it was a big help in identifying which parts of the set needed changing."