Alara Reborn

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Wizards has now entered 'Grixis Week' with the typical inaugural article from MaRo, but just as news-worthy is the Magic Arcana announcement today introducing the thirds Shards of Alara small set, due to be released in April 2009. The set's code name "Scissors", is called Alara Reborn.

The birth of one world. The death of five.

Set Name Alara Reborn
Block Set 3 of 3 in the Shards of Alara block
Number of Cards 145
Release Date Thursday, April 30, 2009
Prerelease Events April 25-26, 2009
Launch Parties April 30-May 3, 2009
Previews start on magicthegathering.com April 13, 2009

Design Team Aaron Forsythe (lead)
Mark Gottlieb
Alexis Janson
Brian Tinsman

Development Team Matt Place (lead)
Dave Guskin
Alexis Janson
Erik Lauer
Mike Turian

First off, it appears that MaRo is not on the design team for this set. He may either in a 'time-out' or WoTC has told him to let another person take a turn on the design-ride.

I will speculate that the entire Shards of Alara block will develop into a 3 / 4 / 5 mana colour theme as the Shards begin to come together. I also suspect that we will be introduced to the entity who was responsible for the 'Sundering', as he / she / it comes back with crowbar to attempt to pry the shards appart again.

WoTC also has a note about this very usual Thursday release . . .
That's right, Alara Reborn is being released on Thursday, April 30, instead of the usual Friday.

Why? Well, we're just so excited about it that we can't hold it back even an extra day! Oh, and also May 1 is International Worker's Day /Labor Day throughout Europe. There's that, too. But the point is that this means an unprecedented four-day Launch Party! Whoo! Be sure to check back to magicthegathering.com this spring for more details and updates.

A quick note about 'May Day / Labour Day' . . . Many people mistakenly believe that May Day is of Russian origin, but it actually had its beginnings in the United States. On May 1st, 1886, more than 340,000 people marched in many American cities to demand an 8-hour working day.

Three days later, a bomb exploded at a labor rally in Chicago and 8 labor leaders were charged with the crime. All eight were found guilty based on questionable evidence, and five were executed. The remaining three men were finally pardoned by Governor Altgeld in 1893, as he was convinced that all eight were innocent. In 1889, the 1st of May was officially declared "International Workers' Day" and from that time on, it has been celebrated in virtually every country, many of them making it a national holiday.