Shadowmoor Art

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I was hoping to get back to my continuing exploration and examination of Lorwyn / Morningtide but it appears that the next Expansion set of Shadowmoor is an itch I will have to continue to scratch.

To this end, today's post showcases some of the absolutely stunning artwork Wizards of the Coast is providing with the new set. As expected, Shadowmoor is a dark Lorwyn of sorts, an environment in perpetual twilight with only the elves clinging on to the last rays of beauty and light.

Speaking of Elves, lets start with one . .
Most likely an instant or other sorcery perhaps. Very little change from the Lorwywn block Elves we have all come to love (or hate).

The Elves may be provided with some divine assistance perhaps as the Shadowmoor card 'Beseech the Queen' suggests. The mana symbols on Beseech the Queen are three half 2 Mana and half 1 Black Mana. Mark Rosewater addressed this is a new twist on hybrid in a recent article. Apparently, the converted mana cost is 6.

The new Shadowmoor Merfork lurking in the wanderbrine look decidedly more vicious however. I should think twice about taking a dip in any merrow now.

There is a suggestion with Wanderbrine Rootcutters that the merrows may have flooded past the confines of their banks and now threaten Shadowmoor forests. Think of a saline soaked mangrove but with dangerous swimming critters.

The comical accident-prone Lorwyn boggarts (goblins) also appear to evolved significantly. No more fish-bricks . . .

Kithkin kitchens in Kinsbaile, Burrenton, Goldmeadow, and Cloverdell are now no longer safe.

The Shdowmoor boggarts now may also perhaps pose a threat beyond clachans. Treefolk and other combustible creatures take note of Boggart Arsonists.

Perhaps the Kithkin do not have any great cause to fear for the safety of their kitchens given their new war-like appearance. A Kithkin Rogue such as Ballynock Chohort would surely clean the place up.

Shadowmoor critters may be well served to stock up on a LOT of Raid ® Outdoor Demon-cide with the threat posed by by Demigod of Revenge.

Artifact creatures may be making a return to Magic: The Gathering. Lurebound Scarecrow looks like the stuff nightmares are constructed of. Kithkin kids beware . . . do not accept candy (or dolls) from strangers or strange things.


Until next time, play safe . . . always use card sleeves.

Alara Announcement

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Shards of Alara

Today, Judge Hugh Bennett, residing over the divorce settlement case involving Paul McCartney and nutcase Heather Mills delivered final judgement. In other more interesting news, Wizards of the Coast officially announced the next expansion block (code named 'Rock', 'Paper', 'Scissors') on Magic Arcana.

Block Logo

Set Expansion Symbol

Set Name - Shards of Alara

Block - Set 1 of 3 in the Alara block

Number of Cards - 249

Release Date - October 3, 2008
Prerelease Events - September 20-21, 2008
Previews start on - September 1, 2008

From leaked documents, specifically a image from "A Planeswalker's Guide to Rock" (as shown below), it appears that the new set will contain planeswalkers, mages, assassins and a host of other interesting characters including 'commoners'.

May the Spoilers Begin !
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Lorwyn Artifacts

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In Magic: The Gathering, Artifacts represent magical items, animated constructs, pieces of equipment, or other objects and devices. In previous sets, Artifacts were often inanimate creatures, sometimes a land, and once even a fortification. Like enchantments, artifacts remain in play until something removes them. Artifacts are distinct from other cards in that they are colorless, and can be played using any color or colours of mana. Only once do I recall an artifact card requiring 2 colourless and one blue mana.

Recently (OK, a few short years ago), Wizards of the Coast introduced Equipment Artifacts. Equipment has carried over to the Morningtide set in the form of Tribal-themed Equipment. These Equipment cards enter play just like other Artifacts and may be attached or equipped to a player's creature to provide the stated effect. Should the creature be slayed (may your Deity forbid it) during the course of the game, the equipment still remains in play and may be equipped to another creature.

We are presented with 12 Lorwyn-set Artifacts consisting of 7 rares and 5 commons. Of this bunch, only two are equipment.
NAME / COST / Rarity
Colfenor's Urn / 3 / Rare
Deathrender / 4 / Rare (Equipment)
Dolmen Gate / 2 / Rare
Herbal Poultice / 0 /Common
Moonglove Extract / 3 / Common
Rings of Brigthearth / 3 / Rare
Runed Stalactite / 1 / Common (Equipment)
Springleaf Drum / 1 / Common
Thorn of Amethyst / 2 / Rare
Thousand-Year Elixir / 3 / Rare
Twinning Glass / 4 / Rare
Wanderer's Twig / 1 / Common













As for the Morningtide set, there are 6 Artifacts containing 1 rare and 5 uncommons. Of this, 5 are equipment cards.
NAME / COST / Rarity
Cloak and Dagger / 2 / Uncommon (Rogue Equipment)
Diviner's Wand / 3 / Uncommon (Wizard Equipment)
Door of Destinies / 4 / Rare
Obsidian Battle-Axe / 3 / Uncommon (Warrior Equipment)
Thornbite Staff / 2 / Uncommon (Shaman Equipment)
Veteran's Armaments / 2 / Uncommon (Soldier Equipment)

The flavour and theme of the Lorwyn block are again echoed within Artifacts. There are 5 Artifact Equipment cards for each of the five classes offered; Soldiers (Kithkin, Giant, Treefolk, Merfolk, Faerie), Shamans (Elemental Flamekin, Treefolk, Goblin, Elf), Wizards (Giant, Elemental, Merfolk, Faerie, Kithkin), Warriors (Giant, Goblin, Treefolk, Elemental Flamekin, Elf), and Rogues (Goblin, Merfolk, Kithkin, Faerie, Elf) within Lorwyn.

The common text within these cards read "Whenever a (stated Class) creature comes into play, you may attach (stated Artifact Equipment) to it". Furthermore, a mana cost is provided to equip the given artifact to the creature which varies from card to card, but expect to pay 2 to 4 mana.

Whatever type of deck you have decided to build, chances are that there is a spot for an artifact which may play an integral part to that deck's success. Personally, I have had some limited success with the inclusion of several Springleaf Drums in my Merfolk Milling Deck to satisfy my tap-happy fish. I have also provided a pair of Door of Destinies in another aggro deck to enhance what my tokens may swing for.

For an engaging article stuffed with Artifact yumminess, drop by WOTC and read Mark Rosewater's article.

Shadowmoor Speculations

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Not exactly a spoiler, but Wizards has just released a preview of some 15 cards we can expect in the new Shadowmoor set to be released on May 4th, 2008. From the images, it appears that 'Hybrid' is to return. Hybrid mana (also known as half-half mana) is a type of mana first introduced in Ravnica: City of Guilds. Each hybrid mana symbol represents a cost
which can be paid with one of two colors.

Already, the resourceful Magic Community is hard at work in the forums developing speculations for the new Shadowmoor set. There is a very decent summary of the speculation discussions to be found at 'The Fugitive Wizard's' Blog which has been summarised here for your convenience. Please remember - these are still just speculations.

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Sickle Ripper - 1B. Creature-Elemental Shaman. 2/1.

Loamdragger Giant - 4(G/R),(G/R),(G/R). Creature-Giant Warrior. When Loamdragger Giant CIP, you may return up to two target lands from your graveyard to your hand. 6/6.


Torpor Dust - 2(U/B). Instant. Destroy target Non-Faerie creature.

Boggart Arsonists - 2R. Possibly a Creature-Goblin. 2R, Sacrifice Boggart Arsonists: Boggart Arsonists does 3 damage to target creature or player. 2/2.

Kinscaer Harpoonist - 3U. Creature-Kithkin Archer. U, T: Kinscaer Harpoonist does damage to attacking or blocking creature equal to the number of merfolk and kithkin you control. 2/2

Wanderbrine Rootcutters - 2(U/B),(U/B). Creature-Merfolk. When Wanderbrine Root-cutters CIP, destroy target treefolk. 3/2

Scar - (R/B). Instant. Put 2 -1/-1 counters on target creature.



Ballynock Cohort - 2W. Kithkin Rogue. First Strike. 2/2

Juvenile Gloomwidow - GG. Creature-Spider. Reach. Deathtouch. 2/2

Turn to Mist - 1(W/U). Instant. Prevent all combat damage that would be dealt to and dealt by target creature this turn.

Blistering Dieflyn - 3R. Creature-Elemental. When Blistering Dieflyn becomes blocked, it deals 2 damage to each creature blocking it. 2/2.


Beseech the Queen - (2/B), (2/B), (2/B) - Sorcery. This appears to be another new mana symbol. It looks like that the symbol '2/B' may give you the option to pay 1 Black or 2 colorless mana.

Lurebound Scarecrow - 3. Artifact Creature-Construct. Lurebound Scarecrow must attack each turn, if able.

Wilt-Leaf Cavaliers - (G/W),(G/W),(G/W). Creature-Elf Warrior. First Strike. Vigilance. 4/4.

Demigod of Revenge - (B/R), (B/R), (B/R), (B/R), (B/R). Creature-Demon Wizard. Flying, Trample. Whenever a creature deals damage to Demigod of Revenge, destroy that creature at end of combat. 5/5.

Block Talk

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The other weekend, I was yattering with another Magic player, who, like me had just started playing and had some questions regarding the rotation of blocks out of standard play. With the announcement of the new set of Eventide today on Magic Arcana, I thought this would be an appropriate post.

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Some Basics

A block is a set of three story-based editions, typically beginning with a large expansion and followed by two small expansions. In general, every 12 months a new block is released. This does not hold true for the 'mini-blocks' of Lorwyn and Shadowmoor which contain only two sets of cards each.

My friend's question concern the length of time he would be able to play his new Morningtide cards during our regular Friday Night Magic (FNM) games.

FNM in our neck of the woods is typically Magic games using 'Standard' player-constructed decks. Standard is the format defined by the current block, the last completed block, and the most recent core set. The current Standard card pool consists of Time Spiral block, Coldsnap, the Tenth Edition core set, and "Lorwyn" block. For a list of all the blocks and their respective sets, visit Magic: The Gathering's website.

Sets only rotate out in October. This October (10/01/2008), the two previous blocks of Time Spiral and Cold Snap will rotate out of Standard play.

It is expected that the 'mini-Blocks' of Lorwyn and Shadowmoor will be treated as one large Über-Block for Standard and will not expect to have it rotate out of Standard until October, 2009.

This leads to a controversial point; With an average of three or four new sets being released each year, some players complain that it requires a substantial investment to maintain a current deck for Standard Magic play.

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Provided here is a summary of the recent and soon-to-be releases;

Set Name : Lorwyn
Block : Set 1 of 2 in the Lorwyn Block
Number of Cards : 301 black-bordered cards (80 rare, 80 uncommon, 121 common, 20 basic lands)
Release Date : October 12, 2007
Pre-Release Events : September 29-30, 2007

Set Name : Morningtide
Block : Set 2 of 2 in the Lorwyn Block
Number of Cards : 150 black-bordered cards (50 rare, 40 uncommon, 60 common)
Release Date : February 1, 2008
Pre-ReleaseEvents : January 19-20, 2008

Set Name : Shadowmoor
Block : Set 1 of 2 in the Shadowmoor Block
Number of Cards : 301 black-bordered cards (80 rare, 80 uncommon, 121 common, 20 basic lands)
Release Date : May 2, 2008
Pre-Release Events : April 19-20, 2008

Set Name : Eventide
Block : Set 2 of 2 in the Shadowmoor Block
Number of Cards : 180
Release Date : July 25, 2008
Prerelease Events : July 12-13, 2008

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If I have a date incorrect, please feel free to leave a comment or send me an eMail.

Morningtide Release Party

I attended a Morningtide Release party at my local store, OMG Games, here in Barrie on Saturday. Some 18 players were in attendance for this event.

The tournament held was 'sealed deck' in which players received one sealed deck of 75 random cards consisting of 45 game cards and 30 basic lands. Also provided was three Morningtide Booster packs which include 15 random cards. From this 'mess' of 120 cards, participants attempt to build a deck with which to play against other opponents . . . easy right ?

One beneficial aspect of a sealed deck format is that one only is required to build a deck of 40 cards instead of the typical 60 common to most other formats.

The first step one should take is to sort the cards by their respective colour to determine the number and strength provided in each colour. As it is very rare for a player to be able to pull a sufficient number of cards for a mono-coloured deck, it is expected that at least two colours are to be used.

One of the most important skills to have in Magic is card evaluation. Experienced players will be able to quickly assess which cards would be suitable for inclusion as well as knowing which other cards may provide synergies or use in combinations. Participants at this event had 50 minutes in which to build their decks.

Here is a brief look of what I received.

RED - 26 Cards; 11 elemental creatures, 7 goblins, 1 changeling, and 7 instants / sorceries / enchantments. Included among other decent commons, was Nova Chaser (rare 10/2 with trample), Vengeful Firebrand (rare 5/2 with conditional haste), Brightearth Banneret, War-Spike Changling, Stingmoggie, Stomping Slabs, and Inner-Flame Igniter. A red goblin Sensation Gorger (rare 2/2 with kinship discard ability) was also in the mix.
Given the last goblin card, I then looked over my support in black which did not look that bad.

BLACK - 23 Cards; 11 goblins, 2 elementals, 2 treefolk, 3 Elves, 1 faery, 1 changeling, and 3 instants / sorceries / enchantments. Included in this lot was the very lovely Nettlevine Blight (rare milling enchantment), Stinkdrinker Bandit (uncommon 2/1 with prowl and conditional pump), a pair of Prickly Boggarts (common 1/1 with fear), and a Moonglove Changeling (common 2/2 with payable deathtouch).

WHITE - 20 Cards; 6 Kithkin, 3 Giants, 1 Changeling, 1 Elemental, 1 Merfolk and 8 instants / sorceries / enchantments. A fairly poor turn-out with only 3 cards of any note. Austere Command (rare sorcery with table-clearing ability), Cloudgoat Ranger (uncommon 3/3 a token generate with 'tapable' flying ability), and Cenn's Tactician (uncommon 1/1 with payable pump ability).

GREEN - 16 Cards; 6 Elves, 3 Treefolk, 1 Shapeshifter, and 6 instants / sorceries / enchantments. Cards of note within this colour included Eyes of the Wisent (rare elemental tribal enchantment), Wolf-Skull Shaman (uncommon 2/2 kinship wolf-token-generator), and the highly desirable Imperious Perfect (uncommon 2/2 tribal pump and payable elf-token-generator).

BLUE - 4 Cards - a very poor showing; 3 Merfolk and 1 Changeling. Received was a Waterspout Weaver (uncommon 3/3 with a pumped kinship), Sage of Fables (uncommon 2/2 static pump with payable draw), Inkfathom Divers (common 3/3 with islandwalk), and a Mothdust Changeling (common 1/1 with a tapable fly ability)

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Where I went terribly wrong . . .

One Word - Inexperience.
I have been playing Magic for approximately one month (just a week before starting this Magic Blog). In a flash, my 50 minutes of deck-building had expired and participants were ready to play. In somewhat of a panic, I decided to play the cards with with I had some limited familiarity with - blue and white. Quite possibly the worst choice here.

After having won the first match and lost the next three, I retreated back home, had a coffee and looked over my cards once more. Writing this blog post has also assisted me greatly in understanding where I went wrong and how to improve next time.

Having played in my very first tournament has left me a more experienced magic player. Next time, I fully expect to improve in my card selection and be able to stretch my match wins to at least two. :-)

Morningtide Release Primer

With the Morningtide release just over a week away, we thought it was an appropriate time to go over some of the new keyword abilities one should expect at the table. This is only an overview of the new abilities and you are encouraged to download the official DCI Morningtide Rules Primer.



As Lorwyn had a strong tribal theme, Morningtide has a stong class theme. Expect to see Rogues, Shamans, Wizards, Warriors, and Soldiers in this set of 150 cards being called into service to support your deck in the Release Tournament. The most common event organised for the Release weekend are "Limited" where the player is provided a pool of cards with which to play. At the Release weekend, most venues will provide a "Sealed" Lorwyn tournament pack and two Morningtide booster packs. A sealed pack contains at total of 75 cards which includes 45 random cards and 30 basic lands. Of the 45 cards, one can expect to typically find 32 common cards, 10 uncommon cards, and 3 rare cards. Booster packs contain 15 cards. Within the Booster pack, the player can typically expect to find around 11 common cards, 3 uncommon cards, and 1 rare card.

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New Keyword Abilities

To start off, "Evoke" makes a return appearence from Lorwyn and is found on seven elemental creature cards in Morningtide . Although the creatures with evoke in Lorwyn all had "comes into play" effects, the creatures with evoke in Morningtide all have "leaves play" effects. Basically, the player can choose to pay the evoke cost and just obtain the ability, not the creature so the creature will be sacrificed when it comes into play. Alternatively, the player may choose to pay the full cost for the creature and its evoke ability.

Prowl:
Prowl is a static ability that is found on nine Morningtide creatures, sorceries and an instant. This ability is restricted to certain Rogue cards. A card with prowl allows the player to pay an alternative mana cost if a player was dealt combat damage. Futhermore, the damage dealt to the player had to be dealt by the specified creature (Goblin or Faerie) and / or a Rogue.

Kinship:
A dozen Morningtide creature cards will contain the "kinship" ability word. This ability will allow the player to look at the top card of their deck. If the top card shares a creature type with the card with the card with kinship ability, you may reveal it to obtain a stated bonus (gaining life, etc.). Note that if the palyer does not reveal the top card, the bonus cannot be obtained. Also important to note is that the top card, revealed or not, remains on top of the library.

Reinforce:
Reinforce is an acitvated ability on seven Morningtide cards. This ability is used only while the card with that ability is still within its owner's hand. A card with this ability will allow a player to to pay the card's mana cost and discard it in order to give a target creature a stated number of (+1/+1) counters.

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We hope this brief overview will assist the new or casual Magic player at the Morningtide Release event. For more information on Release events, visit the Wizards of the Coast Magic website.

Tribal Vignettes Two

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Lorwyn Tribal Vignettes #2
"Vignette - a brief literary description"

BOGGARTS (Goblins)
This is the second of eight posts in the Tribal Vignette Series. In the first post, we reviewed the Merfolk of Lorwyn. In this post, I hope to furnish the casual Magic Player some insights into Lorwyn's Boggarts which are limited to the colour black, with some red. For beginners, this means that these creatures use primarily black 'mana' or the magical energy resource used to cast spells.

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Here is a brief orientation video on the Boggarts of Lorwyn:

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Here is an excellent description of Boggarts taken from a Wizards of the Coast (WoTC) theme-deck description;

"When playing the "Boggart Feast" deck, you're running a raucous warren of expendable, accident-prone Goblins. Enjoy the sadistic delight of offing your own creatures for fun and profit, since that's what Facevaulter, Tar Pitcher, and Fodder Launch do. But have no fear—there are always more Goblins! Boggart Birth Rite and Warren Pilferers yank your critters back from the grave, and Marsh Flitter and Boggart Mob put Goblin tokens into play. If that's not twisted enough, some of these insane little freaks like to die! When Mudbutton Torchrunner or Hornet Harasser keels over, it can take an enemy creature out with it. And Boggart Shenanigans damages your opponent whenever any of your Goblins gets whacked. With this deck, that can add up in a hurry!"

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In most circumstances, cards in a player's graveyard are tpcially no longer relevant to the game, but the Lorwyn Boggart deck is suited to use or re-use cards in this graveyard, thus making this zone a useful resource for the player. This is the sort of card mechanic or ability that is sometimes referred to as 'recursion', and if a player has all the right cards, the graveyard could be his/her playground.

Some cards such as Boggart Forager, Boggart Loggers, Facevaulter, Knucklebone Witch, Mudbutton Torchrunner, and Tar Pitcher activate abilities when sacrificed or is killed such as increasing or decreasing strength / power, or dealing damage to an opponent. Other Boggarts such as Warren Pilferers, Wort and Boggart Auntie are happy to return the recently deceased back to your hand. Spells such as Boggart Birthrite and Footbottom Feast also provides the same service.

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Tribal Vignettes One

Lorwyn Tribal Vignettes #1
"Vignette - a brief literary description"

MERROW (Merfolk)
Today is the first of several posts we will provide giving a broad overview of each of Lorwyn's Tribes. In this post, I hope to furnish the casual Magic Player some insights into Lorwyn's Merfolk which are limited to the colour blue, with some white. For beginers, this means that these merfolk use primarily blue 'mana' or the magical energy resource used to cast spells.

Merrow or Muirruhgach is the Irish name given to Merfolk. In 'Magic: The Gathering', these water bound creatures may bear down upon otherwise 'land-locked' opponents with the use of aquitect cards such as 'Aquitect's Will' which will flood an opponent's land, or, 'Streambed Aquitect', which may target an opponent's land cause it to become an island until end of turn. The flavour text for 'Aquitect's Will' offers this; "There is nowhere on Lorwyn that the Merrow Lanes cannot go".

Here is a brief slideshow providing a glance at the Lorwyn set Merfolk.


A very good ability among some Merfolk are their power to tap or untap which make available or withhold the use of a card during a turn. Some Merkfolk creatures may be used to tap or untap your own or the opponent's creature while others may be used to do the same to any permanent. A permanent is any object in play and includes land (or mana) cards. This may be used to starve your opponent and deny them the mana they require to play a spell. Some Lorwyn Merfolk would be a decent choice for inclusion in a player's constructed 'Control Deck'. Control decks include cards which attempt to interfere with, prevent, deny, or otherwise cancel the opponent's actions.

In general, individual Lorwyn Merfolk, as with other Merfolk in previous sets, do not deliver heavy blows to an opponent, but when played together, may provide bonuses that increase the power and/or toughness needed to do battle against larger creatures. A smart move may be to also include a larger Elemental creature which may provide some muscle for the tribe. Unfortunately, the card previews for the new Morningtide set show no additional Merfolk with increased power and toughness. There are also no fliers within this tribe, it there may be a need to provide within your deck some Faeries or Changelings which are able to use the same-coloured mana base.

Here is a list of Merfolk within the Lorwyn set.
For card details, visit the official card look-up database at MTG Gatherer.