Dominaria Leak - Release Notes

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Happy Friday MTG Peeps,

Perhaps the biggest Magic: the Gathering news so far this year - the unfortunate / accidental leak of the Release Notes for Dominaria.  Here's what you may need to know -

Yesterday evening, Thursday 8th March, an anonymous user, logged in as 'guest' posted the full Dominaria Release Notes in Chinese to Pastebin.  This website is popular with software programmers (posting code), students, and anyone else who may wish to post simple text to retrieve at a later time.  In fact, this website is popular with some Magic: the Gathering players who post decklists for easy access later.  In this case, the community picked up on this and went to work translating.  There is also a possibility that this document was originally posted to the Hong Kong based Gamelives Magic: the Gathering community forum.

In an unprecedented move a short time later, Wizards of the Coast staffer Blake Rasmussen had posted an article about this leak and provided the official release notes.  This article is linked right here and contains a number of items of interest beyond that of the Dominaria Release Notes.

For the moment, here is a brief summary of the forward -

The Dominaria set contains 269 cards (20 basic land, 101 common, 80 uncommon, 53 rare, and 15 mythic rare) that appear in booster packs, plus 10 cards available only in Dominaria Planeswalker Decks and 1 unique promotional card (available as part of the Dominaria in-store Buy-a-Box promotion).

The Dominaria set becomes legal for sanctioned Constructed play on its official release date: Friday, April 27, 2018. At that time, the following card sets will be permitted in the Standard format: Kaladesh, Aether Revolt, Amonkhet, Hour of Devastation, Ixalan, Rivals of Ixalan, and Dominaria. Cards from Welcome Decks (and other ancillary products) with the W17 set identification code are also permitted in the Standard format.

Dominaria Story Spotlight Cards
There are many important moments in the Dominaria story, but some of the most crucial—called "story spotlights"—are shown on cards. You can read more about these events in the official Magic fiction at MTGStory.com.
Story Spotlight 1: Broken Bond
Story Spotlight 2: Final Parting
Story Spotlight 3: Settle the Score
Story Spotlight 4: In Bolas's Clutches
The story spotlight cards in this set feature a Planeswalker symbol icon in their text boxes. The icon has no effect on gameplay. The printed cards also include the mtgstory.com URL and a number indicating the sequence of the cards in the story.

New Mechanic: Saga Cards
The Dominaria set introduces a new kind of enchantment: Sagas. Each Saga tells the story of a key event from the past as it unfolds during each of your turns.  

Major Theme: Legendary Permanents
Legendary characters new and old have risen to prominence across the plane. In every Dominaria booster pack, you'll find at least one legendary creature. Beyond just creatures, the set also features a significant number of other legendary cards.

New Mechanic: Legendary Sorceries
Dominaria debuts legendary sorcery cards that capture extraordinary moments from our characters' pasts. These powerful spells can be unleashed only with the assistance of a legendary creature or planeswalker on your side of the battlefield.

New Term: Historic
If you look at this set's Saga cards, legendary cards, and artifact cards, you'll see a broad swath of Dominaria's extensive and mysterious history. Some cards celebrate the plane's storied past by rewarding you for playing these historic cards. Historic is a game term that refers to a card that has the legendary supertype, the artifact card type, or the Saga enchantment type.

Returning Keyword: Kicker
Kicker is a returning keyword that lets you pay a little more to give your spells some "oomph."

Rules Change: Damage Can't Be Redirected to Planeswalkers
Previously, you could redirect noncombat damage that a source you control would deal to an opponent, having that source instead deal that damage to one of their planeswalkers. With the release of the Dominaria set, this rule is being removed from the game. A large number of cards that dealt a certain amount of damage to "target player" are receiving errata.

Cycle: "Check Lands"
The Dominaria set features a cycle of enemy-color dual lands to help you make sure you always have the mana that you need. These cards were first printed in the Innistrad set, and their allied counterparts were recently printed in the Ixalan set.


CARD-SPECIFIC NOTES - See the Dominaria Release Notes document linked here.

LIST of cards unfortunately named in the Leak :

WHITE
Baird, Steward of Argive 
Benalish Marshal 
Charge 
Dauntless Bodyguard 
Dub 
Evra, Halcyon Witness 
Fall of the Thran 
Healing Grace 
History of Benalia 
Invoke the Divine 
Knight of Grace 
Kwende, Pride of Femeref 
Lyra Dawnbringer 
On Serra's Wings 
Seal Away 
Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle 
Triumph of Gerrard 
Urza's Ruinous Blast 
Academy Journeymage 

BLUE
Befuddle 
Blink of an Eye 
Curator's Ward 
Deep Freeze 
Blink of an Eye 
Curator's Ward 
Deep Freeze 
Homarid Explorer 
In Bolas's Clutches 
Karn's Temporal Sundering 
Merfolk Trickster 
Naban, Dean of Iteration 
Naru Meha, Master Wizard 
Precognition Field 
Sentinel of the Pearl Trident 
Tempest Djinn 
Temporal Machinations 
Tetsuko Umezawa, Fugitive 
The Antiquities War 
The Mirari Conjecture Time of Ice 
Wizard's Retort 

BLACK
Chainer's Torment 
Dark Bargain 
Demonic Vigor 
Demonlord Belzenlok 
Drudge Sentinel 
Demonic Vigor 
Demonlord Belzenlok 
Drudge Sentinel 
Fungal Infection 
Kazarov, Sengir Pureblood 
Knight of Malice 
Lich's Mastery 
Phyrexian Scriptures 
Rat Colony 
Settle the Score 
Thallid Soothsayer 
The Eldest Reborn 
Torgaar, Famine Incarnate 
Urgoros, the Empty One 
Whisper, Blood Liturgist 

RED
Bloodstone Goblin 
Chandra, Bold Pyromancer 
Fight with Fire 
Firefist Adept 
Ghitu Journeymage 
Ghitu Lavarunner 
Goblin Barrage 
Goblin Chainwhirler 
Goblin Warchief 
Haphazard Bombardment 
Jaya Ballard 
Jaya's Immolating Inferno 
Keldon Overseer 
Keldon Warcaller 
Radiating Lightning 
Rampaging Cyclops 
Siege-Gang Commander 
Skizzik 
Squee, the Immortal 
The First Eruption 
The Flame of Keld Valduk, Keeper of the Flame 
Verix Bladewing 
Warcry Phoenix 
Warlord's Fury 
Wizard's Lightning 

GREEN
Ancient Animus 
Baloth Gorger 
Broken Bond 
Corrosive Ooze 
Gaea's Blessing 
Gaea's Protector 
Gift of Growth 
Grunn, the Lonely King 
Kamahl's Druidic Vow 
Llanowar Elves 
Llanowar Scout 
Marwyn, the Nurturer 
Multani, Yavimaya's Avatar 
Song of Freyalise 
Sporecrown Thallid 
Steel Leaf Champion 
Sylvan Awakening 
Territorial Allosaurus 
Thorn Elemental Verdant Force 

MULTI-COLOUR
Oath of Teferi 
Teferi, Hero of Dominaria 
Rona, Disciple of Gix 
Garna, the Bloodflame 
Grand Warlord Radha 
Hallar, the Firefletcher 
Shanna, Sisay's Legacy 
Arvad the Cursed 
Aryel, Knight of Windgrace 
Primevals' Glorious Rebirth 
Adeliz, the Cinder Wind 
Jhoira, Weatherlight Captain 
Slimefoot, the Stowaway 
Firesong and Sunspeaker 
Tiana, Ship's Caretaker 
Darigaaz Reincarnated 
Jodah, Archmage Eternal 
Muldrotha, the Gravetide 

ARTIFACT
Blackblade Reforged 
Damping Sphere 
Forebear's Blade 
Helm of the Host 
Howling Golem Icy Manipulator 
Jhoira's Familiar 
Juggernaut 
Karn, Scion of Urza 
Mishra's Self-Replicator 
Mox Amber 
Navigator's Compass 
Powerstone Shard 
Shield of the Realm 
Sorcerer's Wand 
Sparring Construct 
Urza's Tome 
Voltaic Servant 

LANDS
Isolated Chapel 
Sulfur Falls 
Woodland Cemetery 
Clifftop Retreat 

Hinterland Harbor 

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Hour of Devastation Previews 6-19

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Happy Monday MTG peeps,

There was a wonderful volume of Hour of Devastation previews throughout the weekend during the Grand Prix Los Vegas event.  To catch up on the latest Magic: the Gathering previews and spoilers stay tuned to the official Wizards of the Coast Hour of Devastation page, linked here, or our sister station at MTG Realm on Tumblr, linked right over here.

You may be well served by popping on over to the Wizards of the Coast site to review the Hour of Devastation Mechanics, linked here.

NEW - Afflict.  Afflict is focused in red and black.  Whenever a creature with this ability becomes blocked, defending player loses life equal to the Afflict value.

NEW - Eternalize.  Eternalize is centered in white and blue and similar to Amonkhet's Embalm.  The eternalize ability can only be activated if the creature is in your graveyard. When activated, the card is exiled but it creates a token copy of that creature. This creature token changes its Power and Toughness to 4/4, has no mana cost, is a zombie in addition to its other creature types, and it becomes a monocolored black creature.

Returning - Exert. Exert is focused in white, red and green.  When a creature with the exert ability is exerted, there ia an ability that triggers and the creature doesn't untap at the beginning of it's controller's next untap step

Returing - Cycling is a keyword ability that allows a player to pay a cost that includes discarding the card. When the activated ability resolves, that player draws a card.


Returning - Aftermath.  A keyword ability that lets a player cast one half of a split card only from his or her graveyard.

In today's post, we hope to focus on today's official Hour of Devastation previews, but before we get into that, we had posted earlier our deep appreciation to the Wizards of the Coast art team in creating a stunning graphical apposition of the extent of world-rending cataclysmic that Nicol Bolas, the so-called god-pharaoh had wrought upon the Plane of Amonkhet.  Here are the comparatives we had posted to Tumblr earlier here and here. 

Righto ! Onto today's previews -

Oketra's Last Mercy, 1WW
Sorcery, Rare
Your life total becomes your starting life total, Lands you control don't untap during your next untap phase

Pride Sovereign, 2G
Creature - Cat
Pride Sovereign gets +1/+1 for each
other Cat you control.
W, T, Exert Pride Sovereign: Create
two 1/1 white Cat creature tokens
with lifelink.
2/2

Mirage Mirror, 3
Artifact, Rare
2: Mirage Mirror becomes a copy of target artifact, creature or enchantment, or land until end of turn.

Some previously revealed cards - 

Accursed Horde

Angel of the God-Pharoh

Carrion Screecher

Defiant Khenra

Desert of the Fervent

Desert of the Glorified

Desert of the Indomitable

Desert of the Mindful

Desert of the True

Desert's Hold

Dreamstealer

Gilded Cerodon

Grind // Dust

Hour of Revelation

Inferno Jet

Khenra Eternal

Khenra Scrapper

Maurauding Boneslasher
Mirage Mirror

Oasis Ritualist

Oketra's Last Mercy

Open Fire

Pride Sovereign

Sand Strangler

Sidewinder Naga

Steadfast Sentinel

Sunset Pyramid

Supreme Will

The Scorpion God

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Banned List Update 1-09

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Happy Monday MTG peeps,

. . . Or perhaps not ?  Depends really we guess.

Early this morning, we read this tweet from WotC - a week early and quite unexpected.

Our first thought turned to standard constructed, our format of choice and quite specifically, the two-card combo that exists in post- Aether Revolt - that of Saheeli Rai from Kaladesh using here second ability on new bestie Felidar Guardian to make an infinite number of hasty copies of itself.  This comboriffic matrimony is called by some 'Crazy Cat Lady'.

Over the next few hours, with minutes moving at the speed of a glacier, doubt and darkness crept into the corners of our minds.  We started to think the unthinkable, what if this other cards from standard decklists we love were the target of malice ?  

Then, with much anticipation and bated breath, the bomb dropped . . .

"I felt a great disturbance in the Force, as if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced. I fear something terrible has happened."

Personally, we could not care the least about Emrakul, as we really had not see that card enjoy popular play at our local gaming store.  Smuggler's Copter was too expensive for us to purchase as singles and we never cracked one open, so again, no emotional buy-in.  Reflector Mage however did bruise our feelings a bit.

Think blue control is 'unfun' - yeah - we agree, we hate that colour, but that sort of control is part of the basic colour wheel of the game.  We did feel frustrated when we got hit with Reflector Mage, but we took out licks and tried to work around this with strategy and sideboard.

Think that Reflector Mage deserved a hit to the nethers with the Ban-Hammer - then we will say to you what Thorin said to Thranduil in the Hobbit - You can go “ishkh khakfe andu null”.  

Last - we don't play as much Modern as we would like but we did love out Git Probes when it was in Standard.  :(
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Oath of the Gatewatch Release Notes

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Happy Wednesday MTG peeps,

Oath of the Gatewatch PreRelease events are the happening thingy this weekend.  We'll battle with the best at our local gaming store OMG! Games, here in Barrie, Ontario in our quest for glory.  Before we do head on off to the game store, we will want to do a little (fun) homework however and run through the Oath of the Gatewatch Release Notes, posted to the mothersite today (linky over here).  This will most certainly make things easier for you as well as the oganiser / judge at the PreRelease event.

Look for card specific notes over at Wizards and for the TL/DR preface here is a quick'n'dirty summary -
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The Oath of the Gatewatch set contains 184 cards (70 common, 60 uncommon, 42 rare, and 12 mythic rare). Some Oath of the Gatewatch booster packs also contain Zendikar Expeditions cards (see below).

Prerelease events: January 16–17, 2016
Launch Weekend: January 22–24, 2016
Game Day: February 13–14, 2016

The Oath of the Gatewatch set becomes legal for sanctioned Constructed play on its official release date: Friday, January 22, 2016. At that time, the following card sets will be permitted in the Standard format: Khans of Tarkir™, Fate Reforged™, Dragons of Tarkir™, Magic Origins, Battle for Zendikar™, and Oath of the Gatewatch.
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Zendikar Expeditions

◊ There are twenty Zendikar Expeditions cards that appear in Oath of the Gatewatch booster packs. They have collector numbers 26 through 45. (The first twenty-five cards appeared in Battle for Zendikar booster packs.) Zendikar Expeditions cards have their own expansion symbol.

◊ Zendikar Expeditions cards are very rare. You can expect to open one only a little more frequently than a premium foil Battle for Zendikar mythic rare.

◊ Zendikar Expeditions cards are playable in any Limited event using the booster packs that contained them. In a Sealed Deck tournament, those cards are part of your card pool. In a Booster Draft tournament, you must draft those cards into your card pool.

◊ However, Zendikar Expeditions cards are not legal in any Constructed format they weren’t legal in before. Appearing in Oath of the Gatewatch booster packs does not make them legal in Standard.
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New Symbol for Colorless Mana

Denoted in rules documents as {C}, it represents one colorless mana that can be added to your mana pool. It also represents a cost that can be paid only with one colorless mana. 
Previous cards that said “Add {1} to your mana pool” or similar will receive errata to say “Add {C} to your mana pool” or similar. Going forward, numerical or variable mana symbols ({1}, {2}, and so on, including {X}) will be used only to denote costs.
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New Basic Land: Wastes
◊ Because Wastes is a basic land, you can include as many of them as you like in your Constructed decks.
◊ In Limited events (including Sealed Deck and Booster Draft), Wastes must be in your card pool to be included in your deck. You can’t add Wastes to your card pool in the same way that you can add other basic lands.
◊ Wastes is legal only in formats that include Oath of the Gatewatch. Specifically, unless it’s reprinted in a future set, it will rotate out of Standard at the same time as the rest of the set.
◊ Wastes is not a land type. If something asks you to name a land type, you can’t choose Wastes.
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New Ability Word: Cohort

Cohort is an ability word and is associated with allies.  The activated ability requires tapping the ally creature and another ally.  The cost of each cohort ability (tapping, and tapping another ally) is always the same but the effects differ wildly. Because the cost includes To Tap.png, the Ally that has the cohort ability has to have been under your control since your most recent turn began. It can't have "summoning sickness." But the other Ally, the "an untapped Ally you control," could be one you just cast.
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New Keyword: Surge

Surge is a keyword ability that provides an alternative cost that if the spell is set up with another spell.  You may cast a spell for its surge cost if you or a teammate have cast another spell in the same turn. However, the triggered ability only gives a bonus to your own creatures, not to your teammate's. The cards are both cheaper and more powerful if cast for their surge cost
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New Keyword Action: Support

Support is a keyword action that boosts your (or your teammates') creatures with +1/+1 counters. "Support N" means "Put a +1/+1 counter on each of up to N target creatures." You may choose fewer targets at will.  If a creature (or any other permanent) has an ability that supports, the ability can't target the creature / permanent itself.

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Returning Battle for Zendikar Mechanics in Oath of the Gatewatch -

Devoid
Devoid is a characteristic-defining keyword ability which states that a card is colorless, regardless of the colors in that card's mana cost.

Landfall

Landfall is an ability word which signals triggered abilities that respond to a Land entering the Battlefield under the control of the player with the Landfall card.

Cycle: Oaths of the Planeswalkers
Oaths: four legendary enchantments that interact with planeswalkers: Oath of Gideon, Oath of Jace , Oath of Chandra, and Oath of Nissa.  There is no black Oath.  Each of the Oaths is legendary: if you control more than one of any particular Oath, you choose one to remain on the battlefield and the others are put into your graveyard.
The “legend rule” checks the full names of legendary permanents. You can control Oath of Gideon and Oath of Chandra at the same time, for example.

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DTK Mechanics

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Happy Monday (again) MTG peeps,

As promised, we have a second post for you today to cover off the freshly revealed mechanics of the next Magic: the Gathering set - Dragons of Tarkir.  We suggest, that if you have not yet already, pop on over to our previous post here to catch up with the big flashy rare / mythic rare Dragons of Tarkir previews.

Anywhoos, straight to business - lets get down to the new and returning mechanics for Dragons of Tarkir.  In today's article on the mothersite, Magic: the Gathering's Rules Gurur, Matt Tabak ran through the mechanics and provided a new Dragons of Tarkir preview card for each - 
• Bolster - Sandcrafter Mage
• Rebound - Ojutai's Summons
• Exploit - Silumgar Butcher
• Dash - Sprinting Warbrute
• Formidable - Stampeding Elk Herd
• Megamorph - Aerie Bowmasters
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Bolster - signature ability of the green-white Dromoka clan
Reminder text - Choose a creature with the least toughtness among creatures you control and put a +1/+1  counter on it.
To bolster, first find the creature you control with the least toughness. If there's a tie, choose one of those creatures. Then put a number of +1/+1 counters on that creature equal to the bolster number. Bolster doesn't target any creature. You don't determine which creature is getting the counters until you're taking the bolster action.

Rebound - signature ability of the white-blue Ojutai clan
Reminder text - If you cast this spell from your hand, exile it as it resolves. At the beginning of your next upkeep, you may cast this card from exile without paying its mana cost.
Rebound lets you cast an instant or sorcery spell a second time for free. If you cast a spell with rebound from your hand, you exile it instead of putting it into your graveyard. Then, at the beginning of your next upkeep, you can cast the spell again without paying its mana cost. After casting it from exile, it's put into your graveyard. If you manage to have several spells rebound during the same upkeep, you can cast those spells in any order.

Exploit - signature ability of the blue-black Silumgar clan.
Reminder text - When this creature enters the battlefield, you may sacrifice a creature.
Each creature with exploit has another ability that gives you a benefit when it "exploits a creature." This means when you sacrifice a creature because of its exploit ability. That ability doesn't trigger if you sacrifice a creature for any other reason, including the exploit ability of a different creature.

Dash - signature mechanic of the black-red Kolaghan clan
Reminder text - You may cast this spell for its dash cost. If you do, it gains haste, and it's returned from the battlefield to its owner's hand at the beginning of the next end step.
Dash is an alternative cost found on creature spells. As you cast a spell with dash, you can pay its dash cost instead of paying its mana cost. If you do, the creature will have haste, so it can attack that turn. At the beginning of the next end step, you'll return the creature from the battlefield to its owner's hand.

Formidable - signature mechanic of the red-green Atarka clan
Reminder text - specific with reference to a total power of 8 or greater.
Formidable is the signature mechanic of the red-green Atarka clan. Formidable is an ability word, so every formidable ability is different, but they all care in some way about controlling creatures with total power 8 or greater. Read each one carefully to see exactly what it does.

Megamorph - keyword ability shared with all clans
If you understand how morph works, megamorph is almost exactly the same. The only difference is that if you turn a face-down creature with megamorph face up by paying its megamorph cost, not only will it suddenly have its normal characteristics, but you'll put a +1/+1 counter on it as well! Note that if you turn a face-down creature face up some other way (for example, say you manifest a card with megamorph and turn it face up by paying its mana cost), it doesn’t get the counter.

Turning a creature face-up doesn't use the stack and it can't be responded to. So if I controlled a face-down Aerie Bowmasters and turned it face up, it would be a 4/5 (3/4 with the +1/+1 counter) before any player could do anything.
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Cardhoarder FRF Ref Sheet

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Happy Friday MTG peeps,

We are off again to Friday Night Magic at OMG! Games here in Barrie, Ontario and will be bringing along a funky Mardu decklist that drew into first place last week (quick report over here on Tumblr).  There is a Fate Reforged PreRelease event at midnight but we're not sure if we can make it as we got up pretty dang early today, so it might be Saturday or Sunday.

Anywhoos, the great folks over at Cardhoarder had produced a very excellent reference sheet for Fate Reforged.  They might be one of the best Magic: the Gathering Online (MTGO) sellers out there, but they are also, like you, Magic: the Gathering players at heart and know how slow 'n' grindy a PreRelease match can go if a player had not bothered to do a cursory familiarization of some of the new tech.  We suggest to all players to pop on over to the Cardhoarder page here and review online what you'll be seeing on the game tables this weekend.  Here is a round-up of their article here - 

New Mechanics Featured in FRF

Bolster (green / white)
Bolster is a keyword action; accompanying the keyword will be a number which tells you how many +1/+1 counters will be created from the action. When a spell or creature with Bolster resolves, the Bolster action is completed without using the stack. The creature receives the counters when you Bolster, not when you cast the spell/creature. 

To clarify in the instance of the Bolster action on a creature: the Bolster trigger does use the stack, but once priority is passed on the action, the action is then completed without use of the stack (e.g., your opponent can kill a creature you control with the bolster ability on the stack, but cannot respond to the action of choosing the creature you control to bolster). 

To Bolster, you choose the creature you control with the least toughness; in the event of a tie, you may choose one of those creatures. Bolster does not target a creature. 


9 cards feature the bolster action (5 creatures, 2 instants and 2 sorceries):

Dash (black / red)
The aplty named dash ability is an alternate casting cost option for the creature. When a creature is dashed, it gains haste and returns to its owner's hand at the beginning of the next end step. Dashing a creature is still casting it - it goes on the stack like a normally casted creature, and may be targeted on the stack the same way (e.g., with a counterspell). 

In any event where the creature goes to the graveyard or is exiled from play, the return provision will not trigger. Similarly, if the creature leaves play and comes back into play (e.g., from an Astral Slide effect), the returned instance of the card will not return to hand, but rather will stay on the battlefield. 


8 creatures feature the dash ability:

Manifest (all colours)
A manifested card is put onto the battlefield face down. While manifested (i.e., face down), it functions just like a morph - it is a 2/2 colorless creature without any characteristics whatsoever (no name, no abilities, no types). A manifested card may perform all actions other creatures can perform (attack, block, ability to be targeted as a creature, etc.). 

Any time you have priority, you may turn a manifested creature card face up by revealing its mana cost and paying that mana cost. Similar to morphing a creature, the act of turning the card face up does not use the stack and cannot be responded to (any trigger upon turning it face up would use the stack as normal). A manifested creature card with the morph ability may be turned face up by paying either its morph cost or its casting cost. Non-creature cards that have been manifested may not be turned face up in this manner. 

A manifested creature that is turned face up is not a new creature. State-based effects affecting that creature remain when turned over (any counters on it remain, auras/equipment attached remain, etc.). Enter the battlefield effects do not trigger. 

In the event a card turns a manifested instant/sorcery card from face down face up, you reveal the card and it stays on the battlefield face down. 


18 cards feature the Manifest mechanic (6 creatures, 4 enchantments, 6 sorceries and 2 instants):

Click on over to the Cardhoarder page to see their handy summary of the returning mechanics.
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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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