Khans of Tarkir Release Notes

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Happy Tuesday MTG peeps,

Magic: the Gathering fans we've been yattering to have all been chattering up a storm about the Khans of Tarkir PreRelease events taking place this weekend - anything from cards they want to pull, Clans they should go with, sealed pool strategy and of course the handful of new mechanics / abilities with this set.  We'll be at our local card shop, OMG! Games here in Barrie to take part in at least one event over the course of the weekend.

WotC rules gur Matt Tabak and a small crack team have put together the Khans of Tarkir Release notes which should be going up over on the mothersite tomorrow.  For now, we've pulled just the very essential notes on the new tech as much for our benefit as perhaps yours to ensure our PreRelease events go smooth.  We suggest you read over the entire Release Notes including card specific notes before you head into the events this weekend - for now, here's the quick 'n' dirty -
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The Khans of Tarkir set contains 269 cards (101 common, 80 uncommon, 53 rare, 15 mythic rare, and 20 basic land).

Prerelease events: September 20–21, 2014
Launch Weekend: September 26–28, 2014
Game Day: October 18–19, 2014

The Khans of Tarkir set becomes legal for sanctioned Constructed play on its official release date: Friday, September 26, 2014. At that time, the following card sets will be permitted in the Standard format: Theros, Born of the Gods, Journey into Nyx, Magic 2015, and Khans of Tarkir.

Theme: Five “Wedge” Clans

The plane of Tarkir is inhabited by five clans, each led by a powerful khan, that battle for territory and supremacy. Although dragons have long been extinct on Tarkir, the clans each embody a draconic aspect. Each clan is based around three colors of magic known as a “wedge”: a pair of allied colors and their common enemy. For example, the Mardu clan uses the allied colors black and red and their common enemy white. Each clan has a signature keyword or ability word. Cards strongly associated with a clan, including all cards with that clan’s mechanic, have the clan icon in their text boxes. These icons have no effect on game play.
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Abzan Keyword: Outlast
Abzan is the white-black-green clan. Its clan icon is a crossed pair of dragon scales. Outlast is a new keyword that allows creatures to prepare for a long battle by becoming more powerful.

The official rules for outlast are as follows:

702.106. Outlast

702.106a Outlast is an activated ability. “Outlast [cost]” means “[Cost], {T}: Put a +1/+1 counter on this creature. Activate this ability only any time you could cast a sorcery.”

* The cost to activate a creature’s outlast ability includes the tap symbol ({T}). A creature’s outlast ability can’t be activated unless that creature has been under your control continuously since the beginning of your turn.

* Several creatures with outlast also grant an ability to creatures you control with +1/+1 counters on them, including themselves. These counters could come from an outlast ability, but any +1/+1 counter on the creature will count.

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Jeskai Keyword: Prowess
Jeskai is the blue-red-white clan. Its clan icon is a dragon eye. Prowess is a new keyword that gives a creature a size bonus whenever you cast a noncreature spell.

The official rules for prowess are as follows:

702.107. Prowess

702.107a Prowess is a triggered ability. “Prowess” means “Whenever you cast a noncreature spell, this creature gets +1/+1 until end of turn.”

702.107b If a creature has multiple instances of prowess, each triggers separately.

* Any spell you cast that doesn’t have the type creature will cause prowess to trigger. If a spell has multiple types, and one of those types is creature (such as an artifact creature), casting it won’t cause prowess to trigger. Playing a land also won’t cause prowess to trigger.

* Prowess goes on the stack on top of the spell that caused it to trigger. It will resolve before that spell.

* Once it triggers, prowess isn’t connected to the spell that caused it to trigger. If that spell is countered, prowess will still resolve.

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Sultai Keyword: Delve
Sultai is the black-green-blue clan. Its clan icon is a single dragon fang. Delve is a returning keyword that lets you exile cards from your graveyard to help pay for spells.

The official rules for delve are as follows:

702.65. Delve

702.65a Delve is a static ability that functions while the spell with delve is on the stack. “Delve” means “For each generic mana in this spell’s total cost, you may exile a card from your graveyard rather than pay that mana.” The delve ability isn’t an additional or alternative cost and applies only after the total cost of the spell with delve is determined.

702.65b Multiple instances of delve on the same spell are redundant.

* The rules for delve have changed slightly since it was last in an expansion. Previously, delve reduced the cost to cast a spell. Under the current rules, you exile cards from your graveyard at the same time you pay the spell’s cost. Exiling a card this way is simply another way to pay that cost.

* Delve doesn’t change a spell’s mana cost or converted mana cost. For example, Dead Drop’s converted mana cost is 10 even if you exiled three cards to cast it.

* You can’t exile cards to pay for the colored mana requirements of a spell with delve.

* You can’t exile more cards than the generic mana requirement of a spell with delve. For example, you can’t exile more than nine cards from your graveyard to cast Dead Drop.

* Because delve isn’t an alternative cost, it can be used in conjunction with alternative costs.

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Mardu Ability Word: Raid
Mardu is the red-white-black clan. Its clan icon is a pair of dragon wings. Raid is an ability word that appears in italics at the beginning of cards that improve if you attacked with a creature that turn. (An ability word has no rules meaning.)

* Raid abilities care only that you attacked with a creature. It doesn’t matter how many creatures you attacked with, or which opponent or planeswalker controlled by an opponent those creatures attacked.

* Raid abilities evaluate the entire turn to see if you attacked with a creature. That creature doesn’t have to still be on the battlefield. Similarly, the player or planeswalker it attacked doesn’t have to still be in the game or on the battlefield, respectively.

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Temur Ability Word: Ferocious
Temur is the green-blue-red clan. Its clan icon is a dragon’s claws. Ferocious is an ability word that appears in italics at the beginning of abilities that improve if you control a creature with power 4 or greater. (An ability word has no rules meaning.)

* Some ferocious abilities that appear on instants and sorceries use the word “instead.” These spells have an upgraded effect if you control a creature with power 4 or greater as they resolve. For these, you only get the upgraded effect, not both effects.

* Ferocious abilities of instants and sorceries that don’t use the word “instead” will provide an additional effect if you control a creature with power 4 or greater as they resolve.

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Returning Keyword: Morph
All five clans of Tarkir regularly use deception in their battles with each other. Morph is a returning keyword that lets a creature hide its true identity.

Other than some minor terminology changes and rules renumbering, the official rules for morph haven’t changed since their last appearance in an expansion. They are as follows:

702.36. Morph

702.36a Morph is a static ability that functions in any zone from which you could play the card it’s on, and the morph effect works any time the card is face down. “Morph [cost]” means “You may cast this card as a 2/2 face-down creature, with no text, no name, no subtypes, and no mana cost by paying {3} rather than paying its mana cost.” (See rule 707, “Face-Down Spells and Permanents.”)

702.36b To cast a card using its morph ability, turn it face down. It becomes a 2/2 face-down creature card, with no text, no name, no subtypes, and no mana cost. Any effects or prohibitions that would apply to casting a card with these characteristics (and not the face-up card’s characteristics) are applied to casting this card. These values are the copiable values of that object’s characteristics. (See rule 613, “Interaction of Continuous Effects,” and rule 706, “Copying Objects.”) Put it onto the stack (as a face-down spell with the same characteristics), and pay {3} rather than pay its mana cost. This follows the rules for paying alternative costs. You can use morph to cast a card from any zone from which you could normally play it. When the spell resolves, it enters the battlefield with the same characteristics the spell had. The morph effect applies to the face-down object wherever it is, and it ends when the permanent is turned face up.

702.36c You can’t cast a card face down if it doesn’t have morph.

702.36d Any time you have priority, you may turn a face-down permanent you control face up. This is a special action; it doesn’t use the stack (see rule 115). To do this, show all players what the permanent’s morph cost would be if it were face up, pay that cost, then turn the permanent face up. (If the permanent wouldn’t have a morph cost if it were face up, it can’t be turned face up this way.) The morph effect on it ends, and it regains its normal characteristics. Any abilities relating to the permanent entering the battlefield don’t trigger when it’s turned face up and don’t have any effect, because the permanent has already entered the battlefield.

702.36e See rule 707, “Face-Down Spells and Permanents,” for more information on how to cast cards with morph.

* Morph lets you cast a card face down by paying {3}, and lets you turn the face-down permanent face up any time you have priority by paying its morph cost.

* The face-down spell has no mana cost and has a converted mana cost of 0. When you cast a face-down spell, put it on the stack face down so no other player knows what it is, and pay {3}. This is an alternative cost.

* When the spell resolves, it enters the battlefield as a 2/2 creature with no name, mana cost, creature types, or abilities. It’s colorless and has a converted mana cost of 0. Other effects that apply to the creature can still grant it any of these characteristics.

* Any time you have priority, you may turn the face-down creature face up by revealing what its morph cost is and paying that cost. This is a special action. It doesn’t use the stack and can’t be responded to. Only a face-down permanent can be turned face up this way; a face-down spell cannot.

* If a face-down creature loses its abilities, it can’t be turned face up because it no longer has morph (or a morph cost).

* Because the permanent is on the battlefield both before and after it’s turned face up, turning a permanent face up doesn’t cause any enters-the-battlefield abilities to trigger.

* Because face-down creatures don’t have a name, they can’t have the same name as any other creature, even another face-down creature.

* A permanent that turns face up or face down changes characteristics but is otherwise the same permanent. Spells and abilities that were targeting that permanent, as well as Auras and Equipment that were attached to the permanent, aren’t affected.

* Turning a permanent face up or face down doesn’t change whether that permanent is tapped or untapped.

* At any time, you can look at a face-down spell or permanent you control. You can’t look at face-down spells or permanents you don’t control unless an effect instructs you to do so.

* If a face-down spell leaves the stack and goes to any zone other than the battlefield (if it was countered, for example), you must reveal it. Each graveyard is kept in a single face-up pile.

* If a face-down permanent leaves the battlefield, you must reveal it. You must also reveal all face-down spells and permanents you control if you leave the game or if the game ends.

* You must ensure that your face-down spells and permanents can easily be differentiated from each other. You’re not allowed to mix up the cards that represent them on the battlefield in order to confuse other players. The order they entered the battlefield should remain clear. Common methods for doing this include using markers or dice, or simply placing them in order on the battlefield.

The very handy new 'overlay' card printed by Wizards are definitely helpful with respect to the last point here and we've order a few extras (in case we don't pull enough) along with our Khans of Tarkir pre-orders from MTG Mint Card. 

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