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Magic: the Gathering - Shadows over Innistrad |OT| Blue's Clues
- Thread starter SigmasonicX
- Start date
- Status
Simply Sarah
Member
Well, that would certainly help explain why Ugin was less than thrilled with the whole "We destroyed them!" thing.
charlequin
Banned
One of the things they learned from AVR is that next time they want to do an angel set they should do it somewhere that it doesn't stomp all over a different, also extremely popular set.
And to be clear, while it's true that Rosewater is paid to promote everything he does and he certainly sells the upside of everything, it's actually reasonably rare for him to claim the next block has the potential to be The Best Block Ever; he did say it in advance of Innistrad (and he was right there), and he's been saying it about Kaladesh (and only Kaladesh) for a while now, so at least cautious hype is probably warranted.
also why do they keep printing red instants that deal damage and white creatures with doublestrike
what kind of bullshit is this
Different art.
You know, I feel kind of stupid for not thinking that the BW angel might show up because Liliana reanimates her.
Angry Grimace
Two cannibals are eating a clown. One turns to the other and says "does something taste funny to you?"
I mean, it was "killed" by Avacyn, so I would assume Avacyn being gone would be the most likely reason.
Familienoberhauptvogel
Banned
do they keep printing them at rare and mythic?
I most likely wouldn't touch standard until battle lands rotated out but I'll take it.
Yeah, might be coming in the Spring set, not fall, but they're definitely inbound.
CoconutTank
Member
Maybe the truth is that there's really only 1 Eldrazi titan, and Emrakul simply shapes whatever is the most powerful thing she can influence into very powerful Eldrazi O_O
We'll finally get rid of Jace.
Edit:
On second thought, better not, or we get a "Save Jace" arc.
The Technomancer
card-carrying scientician
Man new Thalia is bonkers
Simply Sarah
Member
Eh, I'm not sure about that. The Eldrazi have established mechanical interactions with exile and even if Maro dislikes the card it fits into that paradigm.
I would support that as an arc if only for the chance that they failed to save him in the end.
If the Wishes get printed again it would likely be in a Masters style set, which wouldn't really matter to Maro.
They've established a desire to restore original functionality when possible: see winter orb and time vault. New printings of wishes let them do this.
DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDAngry Grimace
Two cannibals are eating a clown. One turns to the other and says "does something taste funny to you?"
I'm guessing the fall block definitely has untapped enemy colored rare lands. The reason being that Painlands rotate and they like the idea of balancing rare lands in Standard.
Enemy: Painlands + Manlands
Allied: Battlelands + Handlands
The interesting question is whether people would play 4 colors again if they put Fetches in Kaladesh. The actual answer is maybe. A lot of what incentivized 4 color paradise was Khans of Tarkir having a grip of overpowered wedge cards, which don't really exist. That of course means the spring set could have both since BFZ has both enemy and allied rare lands.
I'd personally be way more interested in Enemy Scars-fastlands
Simply Sarah
Member
Sure, they could do that but I'm not sure they will or want to.
First off, Howling Mine would have been a better example than Time Vault since the latter only changed from its original functionality to start with due to specific, misguided power-level errata making the time counter nonsense up out of whole cloth.
Second, even for Orb or Mine it's a case of those being an exception to the new rule since they didn't make all old artifacts with always-on effects become disabled while tapped.
Third, if that really is a new Ulamog we're seeing then the idea of Eldrazi returning even after being entirely obliterated is a flavour thing that doesn't really apply outside of them.
I'm not saying restoring the old Wish functionality cannot or will not happen, I'm just not convinced this is an indication of it occurring.
charlequin
Banned
That'd be nice. Tabak (like Gottlieb before him) has generally been about removing errata that changes game function even when the card is better off for it, but also been pretty willing to use reprinting to make such errata stick on sufficiently interesting cards.
It just seems so ridiculous to me to throw a fit about a card archetype that's existed since the beginning and has remained popular ever since.
Familienoberhauptvogel
Banned
it's awesome for 5 colour edh. That forest subtype OP
I kinda see it. They're not exactly feel-good rares to open unless they're pretty powerful (give me ALL the Phantasmal Images). That said, it would be like complaining about getting elves in green, or merfolk in blue, or dwarves in re... oh.
Been waiting for the buyout on it forever for this reason lol
Using which metric? Clones haven't seen play in standard since Phantasmal Image. In limited they're not exactly bombs. The last clone I actually played in limited was Evil Twin. Okay, maybe Dack's Duplicate too.
Familienoberhauptvogel
Banned
Altered Ego overperformed for me in limited. Being able to copy their bomb but better is unsurprisingly good.
Eh, for modern the colorbase is just too good, it's not like edh where you need that turn ~4 WUBRG through singletons. And for commander to drive demand...
The Wishes got altered due to the re-name of the Exile zone. They got messed up due to a broader rules change, much like "mono artifiact" did.
Balance-wise, I actually think that given the choice, you don't let the card get Exiled stuff. It's much less flavorful and invalidates removal. This makes me think it got the Exile rider for broader reasons.
Balance-wise, I actually think that given the choice, you don't let the card get Exiled stuff. It's much less flavorful and invalidates removal. This makes me think it got the Exile rider for broader reasons.
Angry Grimace
Two cannibals are eating a clown. One turns to the other and says "does something taste funny to you?"
lol whoops
I was playing some dude in SOI Sealed and he was just playing the most insane Vampires/Madness pool. Lightning Axe, Fiery Tempers, multiple Murderous Compulsions, Call the Bloodline, Nahiri. And I was like "your pool is ridiculous." and then he made a bad block and lost to a Sorin I fetched from Tamiyo's Journal and then he got mad at me for telling him his pool was good because I "knew" what was gonna happen.
I mean, I didn't, but he made a very weird block and opened the door for me to kill Nahiri with Sorin (FLAVOR), but he was already mad so I didn't say anything else.
I was playing some dude in SOI Sealed and he was just playing the most insane Vampires/Madness pool. Lightning Axe, Fiery Tempers, multiple Murderous Compulsions, Call the Bloodline, Nahiri. And I was like "your pool is ridiculous." and then he made a bad block and lost to a Sorin I fetched from Tamiyo's Journal and then he got mad at me for telling him his pool was good because I "knew" what was gonna happen.
I mean, I didn't, but he made a very weird block and opened the door for me to kill Nahiri with Sorin (FLAVOR), but he was already mad so I didn't say anything else.
Fuck that, you got the flavor win
Simply Sarah
Member
You asshole! How dare you let your opponent blow the game after you compliment their deck? What terrible form. You should have conceded the moment they made the block!
Angry Grimace
Two cannibals are eating a clown. One turns to the other and says "does something taste funny to you?"
I mean, he suicided both of his dudes and got Nahiri down to 3 loyalty, which let me cast Sorin and keep him alive. But he still would have lost Nahiri to my board because for whatever reason he wasn't valuing Nahiri at all.
ThLunarian
Member
Thinking about it, I am really skeptical that Gisela and Bruna are like BFM for one reason - Commander.
Unless things went very weird, there's no way that Bruna and Gisela individually would share a color identity, so they could never be in the same deck (at least not if one of them is the Commander).
I am highly skeptical that they'd print such a high-profile legendary creature like that, and then prevent you from actually transforming it properly in the premiere legendary-centric format.
Unless things went very weird, there's no way that Bruna and Gisela individually would share a color identity, so they could never be in the same deck (at least not if one of them is the Commander).
I am highly skeptical that they'd print such a high-profile legendary creature like that, and then prevent you from actually transforming it properly in the premiere legendary-centric format.
The response to this concern is simple: F*** commander.
They'll adapt while whining about it the whole way. It won't stop cool shit from happening.
Keru_Shiri
Member
Clearly the card will be designed for 2HG.
cooltrainer
Member
Hmm not sure what to think of Thalia in Legacy DnT. I think having evasion is pretty important in Death and Taxes. She has a kind of pseudo-evasion I guess, and fetchlands are of course everywhere in legacy.
ThLunarian
Member
If it were up to me I'd say go ahead and do it. But I don't think Wizards is going to respond like that.
If the two halves on their own weren't legendary but they combined to form something legendary, I could see them doing it now. But since both individual halves are already legendary I just don't feel like it's something they'd do.
Ultrecht says hi.
charlequin
Banned
Rosewater says like ten times every set that they don't care about making every legendary creature work well in Commander.
Angry Grimace
Two cannibals are eating a clown. One turns to the other and says "does something taste funny to you?"
A local store is doing MMA/MM2/EMA drafts
They're like $50, though. MMA packs are expensive as shit now.
They're like $50, though. MMA packs are expensive as shit now.
charlequin
Banned
The chances are rapidly receding for this mechanic in this particular set (and Rosewater answered a question today about how they hoped they would figure the mechanic out someday or some such) but I think it'll be something like this when they finally do it -- some prominent character(s) to serve as anchors for the marquee execution of the mechanic.
SigmasonicX
Member
We finally have a developer blog, to match Blogatog's design blog. It looks like it will only update once a week or so and will be very selective about questions, though.
Elephant tribal probably coming in Kaladesh
We're finally getting cryptic hints again with Kaladesh
Elephant tribal probably coming in Kaladesh
We're finally getting cryptic hints again with Kaladesh
I can't decide if "The land continues to burn" makes me happy or annoys me. Wish it was on a better card!
SigmasonicX
Member
Draft of Eldritch Moon OT OP. Of note, I added a character section, and I plan on having the set highlights be a separate post. In this thread, I had issues with the fact that the URL tags use up so many characters.
(version with captions)
Trailer
Official page
Eldritch Moon information
Previous topic: Shadows over Innistrad OT (OT7)
Next set: Kaladesh
Welcome to the Multiverse! Multiple worlds exist side by side in different dimensions, known as planes, and each plane is as different as night is from the day. All of them, however, have a form of magical energy known as mana, which can be channeled into powerful spells. Residents of these planes are usually unaware of other worlds, but there are some special beings with the ability to safely travel between them, known as Planeswalkers.
Magic: the Gathering is a Trading Card Game, the first of its kind, developed by Richard Garfield and his playtesters for the gaming company Wizards of the Coast in 1993. The game quickly became a hit, and it is currently bigger than it has ever been. In the standard game, you and your opponent play the role of dueling Planeswalkers, using customized 60-card decks made up of your spells, the creatures you can summon, your mana bonds with lands, and even other Planeswalkers you can call in to help out. Whoever can get his or her opponent down from 20 to 0 life, wins.
Shadows over Innistrad brought us back to the world of Innistrad, where the graveyard reigns and gothic horror is the name of the game. There, we learned that some dark force is warping the minds and flesh of the denizens, and now Eldritch Moon has revealed what it was:
The powerful Eldrazi known as Emrakul has made its presence known, and thus, a flavor of Lovecraftian horror has been added to Innistrad. The heroes must find a way to stop it, or else this will be the fate of them all:
This topic will cover the two weeks before all cards in the Eldritch Moon set are fully revealed, known as the spoiler weeks, where cards are slowly unveiled every weekday, up through the set release itself. Some cards have already been revealed, but this is when they are rolled out at a consistent pace. The main website updates at 8 AM PST / 11 AM EST, but Wizards also provides card previews to other sites that will unveil them throughout the day, including non-English sites.
GETTING STARTED
If you're a beginner, feel free to come in--that's why this is in OT, after all. Spoiler season is one of the most exciting times for a Magic player, and it would be great for more to join in. Us regulars can get a bit technical with card evaluations and use a lot of jargon, and many of us will loudly proclaim that a cool-looking card is junk, or say that a lame-looking card is really powerful, but feel free to ask us if you want an explanation.
To see what a game is like, check out Geek and Sundry's Spellslinger series, where Day[9] battles various geek celebrities, often losing, using simple and easy to follow decks.
To get started, check out the official page. Basically:
* It's recommended that new players play Magic Duels (thread). It's a great way to learn the game on your own, and it's free!
* For your first deck, you can buy an Intro Pack, a simple prebuilt deck that comes with a few booster packs. For each new set, five Intro Packs used to be released, but this will be the last set to do so. Starting with Kaladesh, there will instead be Planeswalker Decks, which are expected to be a worthy replacement. There are also Duel Decks that provide two decks for a game right out of the box, but are a bit more complicated.
* To get your physical collection started, buy a Deck Builder's Toolkit, which includes not just a starting collection of cards (including a lot of lands), but also has some booster packs and is a good place to store cards. You could also buy a Holiday Gift Box to get an even larger starting collection and better storage.
* To learn about the theories behind deckbuilding and gameplay, check out Level One.
* Once your skill advances, another popular way to play Magic casually is Commander. Each player chooses a legendary creature to act as commander and then chooses 99 additional cards, one of each card that isn't a basic land (of which you can have any number) and only of the colors of the commander, to make up the deck. In games, each player starts at 40 life and there are typically four or more players. Wizards provides prebuilt decks for this format too.
* While game stores will often hold Magic events at other times, every store that has Magic events will have Friday Night Magic. There, you will be able to find other players in your area to both have matches with and trade with. Find game stores here. And to get started participating in your local game store (LGS) scene, attend a prerelease!
PRERELEASE
While the set won't officially be sold until the release date, that isn't the first time you can get your hands on the new cards. Game stores hold prerelease events for every set, and in this set's event, every player is given a box with six booster packs and a random additional rare card. From this pool of cards, all of which you keep, each player builds a deck of 40 cards and participates in a Swiss-system tournament. This is a fun and casual event, where everyone is still trying to figure out the set, so don't worry about messing up. In addition to normal duels, there are also Two-Headed Giant events, where you pair up with another player and face off against another team.
Prerelease events will be held on July 16-17, 2016. Call your local game store a few days ahead of time to register, or they might just run out of room. Find local game stores here.
CHANGES
Shadows over Innistrad having released in spring and Eldritch Moon releasing in summer demonstrates a major change to how Magic sets are handled, with an in-depth explanation for why here. In short, the two-set block model means:
* No more core sets. Eldritch Moon will release in the previous core set slot.
* Blocks will have two sets instead of three. Yes, that means Shadows over Innistrad block will only have two sets.
* Without any core sets, there will now be two blocks a year.
* Standard (a rotating format that only includes the latest sets) rotates with each block, so it will now rotate twice a year. Three blocks will be in Standard at a time. Sets will be in Standard for a max of 18 months. Note that Standard rotation is kind of odd this time. For the final three-set block, Khans of Tarkir, only the first two sets have rotated out. Dragons of Tarkir and the final core set, Magic Origins, will remain in Standard until fall.
STORY
Trailer
Lore introduction
Guide to Innistrad
Catch-up guide for Eldritch Moon story
Innistrad was always a world of monsters, but when a Planeswalker named Jace arrived there, he found that it was somehow getting worse. Some sort of madness was spreading through the land, and not even the angels were spared. Their wings had become soaked in blood and they were slaughtering humans, forcing the humans to fight both monsters and their former protectors. After helping fellow Planeswalker Tamiyo investigate, they discovered an ancient grudge.
Long ago, three Planeswalkers--dragon Ugin, vampire noble Sorin, and kor lithomancer Nahiri--sealed away ancient horrors known as the Eldrazi in the plane of Zendikar. A native of Zendikar, Nahiri vowed to stay behind and watch over the prison, on the condition that the others would come to her aid when she called. She remained vigilant for hundreds of years, until one day the seal loosened and she sent out her distress signal. Although she was able to fix the seal herself, she was dismayed to find that no one responded. Nahiri left to confront Sorin on his home plane of Innistrad. He informed her that he had constructed a special barrier to protect his plane, and that must have stopped her signal. She's appalled that he would do this without considering his promise to respond to her signal. Long story short, they both acted like punk-ass bitches, got into a fight, and Sorin sealed Nahiri into the Helvault, one of two pieces of the barrier and a prison that's impossible to break out of.
Nahiri remained in there for over a thousand years, accompanied only by the demons that were also placed there, until the Helvault was destroyed during the events of the original Innistrad story. She quickly returned to Zendikar, only to find out that Sorin hadn't watched over the Eldrazi, allowing them to break out and lay waste to the plane. She vowed to make Sorin suffer the way she did.
On Innistrad, she spent a year constructing monoliths to draw the Eldrazi known as Emrakul. It couldn't enter the plane, but the remaining source of the barrier, the archangel Avacyn, was driven mad by this, which is what led to the angels going crazy. Eventually, Sorin was forced to kill Avacyn, and the barrier fell. Emrakul has broken into Innistrad, and her presence is causing those weak of mind to transform in horrific ways.
Now, Jace has called for the aid of his friends in the Gatewatch. They defeated two Eldrazi before, but can they defeat the most powerful one of them all?
Eldritch Moon story
Story archive - Scroll to the bottom for chronological order; the layout of this archive is trash.
CHARACTERS
(Note, the linked biographies are often super outdated)
Main:
Jace Beleren - Blue - A psychic human Planeswalker driven by a thirst for knowledge, and a member of the Gatewatch. Jace comes from Vryn. He came to Innistrad to seek out Sorin, but he found himself drawn in by the mystery of what was happening to the plane. Jace is the most popular character in Magic, and is thus the most hated.
Tamiyo - Blue - A moonfolk researcher Planeswalker who prefers not to get involved. Tamiyo comes from Kamigawa. She came to Innistrad in order to research its unusual moon, and was studying the spread of madness in Innistrad well before Jace, but purely for academic purposes. She can summon magic by reading stories from special scrolls.
Sorin Markov - White/Black - An ancient vampire Planeswalker from a noble lineage on Innistrad. Long ago, he helped seal away the Eldrazi. He created the Helvault and the archangel Avacyn to protect Innistrad. While viewing things in the long term, he gives little regard to individuals, which is part of what led to him sealing Nahiri in the Helvault.
Nahiri - Red/White - A kor lithomancer (stone magic) Planeswalker who is really angry about being sealed away for a thousand years. Nahiri comes from Zendikar. Long ago, she helped seal away the Eldrazi, and later Sorin sealed her in the Helvault. When her prison was destroyed, she decided to get revenge on Sorin by summoning Emrakul.
Liliana Vess - Black - A ruthless human necromancer Planeswalker who only looks out for herself. Liliana comes from Dominaria, but she feels at home on Innistrad. Despite her youthful appearance, she is hundreds of years old; she made a deal with four demons to stop aging. She later discovered a powerful artifact called the Chain Veil, and used it to start killing her demon creditors, but the Veil could be a worse master than even them. She isn't a hero by nature, but she intends to fight Emrakul to protect her home.
Avacyn - Red/White - The guardian archangel of Innistrad who channeled the faith of humans into powerful magic. Sorin created her long ago to guard Innistrad from extraplanar threats. Without the Helvault supporting the barrier around Innistrad, Emrakul's attempts to break in caused her to go crazy, forcing Sorin to kill her. Now, Innistrad has no defense.
Emrakul - Colorless - A horror born in the space between planes before magic had developed into five colors. Emrakul is the strongest of all Eldrazi and its only purpose is to travel to different planes and convert everything there into itself. Emrakul was mistakenly remembered as a goddess by the Zendikari, and thus it is often addressed with female pronouns.
The Gatewatch is a group of Planeswalkers devoted to helping people whenever they can, and Jace has called for their aid.
Members besides Jace:
Chandra Nalaar - Red - A chaotic human pyromancer Planeswalker who does what she wants, damn the consequences. Chandra comes from Kaladesh, and for a while, was in the uncomfortable position of being the only representative of a plane based on India while being a white woman with red hair.
Gideon Jura - White - A human Planeswalker with shirtlessly rippling muscles (mandatory wording) who can't help but intervene when something bad is happening. Gideon comes from Theros. He uses magic to harden his skin and fights physically instead of with spells.
Nissa Revane - Green - A spiritual elf druid Planeswalker. She used to be a racist elf supremacist, but Wizards of the Coast wants you to forget that. Her magic allows her to control plants, summon nature elementals, and channel mana. By far the worst written of the Gatewatch, and that's saying something.
Supporting:
Arlinn Kord - Red/Green - A werewolf Planeswalker who protects her pack. Arlinn comes from Innistrad. Unlike most werewolves, she can retain her human intelligence in wolf form, which she learned on another plane.
Thalia and Odric - White - When the angels started going crazy, many in the Church of Avacyn started executing heretics to appease them. Thalia and Odric left the Church and formed the Order of St. Traft to protect humanity.
Sigarda - Green/White - The one angel who was able to resist Emrakul's madness. She still fights to protect humans.
SET THEMES
(LINK: OFFICIAL CARD LIST) (alternate, includes leaks)
(LINK: OFFICIAL MECHANICS GUIDE)
Returning mechanics
Transform - With cards that have two faces, this ability switches the side that's face-up.
RESOURCES
Official articles - Nicknamed the Mothership, these articles are the primary source of news. Recommended columns are Making Magic, written by the head designer, Mark Rosewater (aka MaRo);Uncharted Realms Magic Story, which tells the story, written by various authors; and Latest Developments, written by various Magic developers. The other articles generally discuss deck building. For older articles before the site changed, go here.
(LINK: OFFICIAL CARD LIST) - Best way to see all of the spoiled cards together, but only updates once a day.
Blogatog - Tumblr ran by Mark Rosewater where he answers questions, updates very frequently.
Drive to Work - Mark Rosewater's weekly podcast about Magic that he literally records as he drives to work. Two episodes are released every Friday.
MTG Salvation's Rumor Mill - The best place to get new card information. The community sucks, though.
Mythic Spoiler - A good way to see what cards have been spoiled, updates throughout the day.
Gatherer - The official method of searching through released cards. Has an autocomplete.
magiccards.info - The better search engine for cards, with bigger pictures and more details. But it doesn't have an autocomplete.
Game store locator
PREVIOUS THREADS
Shadows over Innistrad (OT7)
Oath of the Gatewatch OT (OT6)
Battle for Zendikar OT (OT5)
OT4
OT3
OT2
OT1
HIGHLIGHTS WILL BE IN SEPARATE POST
Before preview weeks
First Eldritch Moon spoiler - Emrakul, the Promised End
Ulrich of the Krallenhorde
Coax from the Blind Eternities
Hanweir, the Writhing Township
Thalia, Heretical Cathar
Supplanter of Identity
(version with captions)
Trailer
Official page
Eldritch Moon information
Previous topic: Shadows over Innistrad OT (OT7)
Next set: Kaladesh
Welcome to the Multiverse! Multiple worlds exist side by side in different dimensions, known as planes, and each plane is as different as night is from the day. All of them, however, have a form of magical energy known as mana, which can be channeled into powerful spells. Residents of these planes are usually unaware of other worlds, but there are some special beings with the ability to safely travel between them, known as Planeswalkers.
Magic: the Gathering is a Trading Card Game, the first of its kind, developed by Richard Garfield and his playtesters for the gaming company Wizards of the Coast in 1993. The game quickly became a hit, and it is currently bigger than it has ever been. In the standard game, you and your opponent play the role of dueling Planeswalkers, using customized 60-card decks made up of your spells, the creatures you can summon, your mana bonds with lands, and even other Planeswalkers you can call in to help out. Whoever can get his or her opponent down from 20 to 0 life, wins.
Shadows over Innistrad brought us back to the world of Innistrad, where the graveyard reigns and gothic horror is the name of the game. There, we learned that some dark force is warping the minds and flesh of the denizens, and now Eldritch Moon has revealed what it was:
The powerful Eldrazi known as Emrakul has made its presence known, and thus, a flavor of Lovecraftian horror has been added to Innistrad. The heroes must find a way to stop it, or else this will be the fate of them all:
This topic will cover the two weeks before all cards in the Eldritch Moon set are fully revealed, known as the spoiler weeks, where cards are slowly unveiled every weekday, up through the set release itself. Some cards have already been revealed, but this is when they are rolled out at a consistent pace. The main website updates at 8 AM PST / 11 AM EST, but Wizards also provides card previews to other sites that will unveil them throughout the day, including non-English sites.
GETTING STARTED
If you're a beginner, feel free to come in--that's why this is in OT, after all. Spoiler season is one of the most exciting times for a Magic player, and it would be great for more to join in. Us regulars can get a bit technical with card evaluations and use a lot of jargon, and many of us will loudly proclaim that a cool-looking card is junk, or say that a lame-looking card is really powerful, but feel free to ask us if you want an explanation.
To see what a game is like, check out Geek and Sundry's Spellslinger series, where Day[9] battles various geek celebrities, often losing, using simple and easy to follow decks.
To get started, check out the official page. Basically:
* It's recommended that new players play Magic Duels (thread). It's a great way to learn the game on your own, and it's free!
* For your first deck, you can buy an Intro Pack, a simple prebuilt deck that comes with a few booster packs. For each new set, five Intro Packs used to be released, but this will be the last set to do so. Starting with Kaladesh, there will instead be Planeswalker Decks, which are expected to be a worthy replacement. There are also Duel Decks that provide two decks for a game right out of the box, but are a bit more complicated.
* To get your physical collection started, buy a Deck Builder's Toolkit, which includes not just a starting collection of cards (including a lot of lands), but also has some booster packs and is a good place to store cards. You could also buy a Holiday Gift Box to get an even larger starting collection and better storage.
* To learn about the theories behind deckbuilding and gameplay, check out Level One.
* Once your skill advances, another popular way to play Magic casually is Commander. Each player chooses a legendary creature to act as commander and then chooses 99 additional cards, one of each card that isn't a basic land (of which you can have any number) and only of the colors of the commander, to make up the deck. In games, each player starts at 40 life and there are typically four or more players. Wizards provides prebuilt decks for this format too.
* While game stores will often hold Magic events at other times, every store that has Magic events will have Friday Night Magic. There, you will be able to find other players in your area to both have matches with and trade with. Find game stores here. And to get started participating in your local game store (LGS) scene, attend a prerelease!
PRERELEASE
While the set won't officially be sold until the release date, that isn't the first time you can get your hands on the new cards. Game stores hold prerelease events for every set, and in this set's event, every player is given a box with six booster packs and a random additional rare card. From this pool of cards, all of which you keep, each player builds a deck of 40 cards and participates in a Swiss-system tournament. This is a fun and casual event, where everyone is still trying to figure out the set, so don't worry about messing up. In addition to normal duels, there are also Two-Headed Giant events, where you pair up with another player and face off against another team.
Prerelease events will be held on July 16-17, 2016. Call your local game store a few days ahead of time to register, or they might just run out of room. Find local game stores here.
CHANGES
Shadows over Innistrad having released in spring and Eldritch Moon releasing in summer demonstrates a major change to how Magic sets are handled, with an in-depth explanation for why here. In short, the two-set block model means:
* No more core sets. Eldritch Moon will release in the previous core set slot.
* Blocks will have two sets instead of three. Yes, that means Shadows over Innistrad block will only have two sets.
* Without any core sets, there will now be two blocks a year.
* Standard (a rotating format that only includes the latest sets) rotates with each block, so it will now rotate twice a year. Three blocks will be in Standard at a time. Sets will be in Standard for a max of 18 months. Note that Standard rotation is kind of odd this time. For the final three-set block, Khans of Tarkir, only the first two sets have rotated out. Dragons of Tarkir and the final core set, Magic Origins, will remain in Standard until fall.
STORY
Trailer
Lore introduction
Guide to Innistrad
Catch-up guide for Eldritch Moon story
Innistrad was always a world of monsters, but when a Planeswalker named Jace arrived there, he found that it was somehow getting worse. Some sort of madness was spreading through the land, and not even the angels were spared. Their wings had become soaked in blood and they were slaughtering humans, forcing the humans to fight both monsters and their former protectors. After helping fellow Planeswalker Tamiyo investigate, they discovered an ancient grudge.
Long ago, three Planeswalkers--dragon Ugin, vampire noble Sorin, and kor lithomancer Nahiri--sealed away ancient horrors known as the Eldrazi in the plane of Zendikar. A native of Zendikar, Nahiri vowed to stay behind and watch over the prison, on the condition that the others would come to her aid when she called. She remained vigilant for hundreds of years, until one day the seal loosened and she sent out her distress signal. Although she was able to fix the seal herself, she was dismayed to find that no one responded. Nahiri left to confront Sorin on his home plane of Innistrad. He informed her that he had constructed a special barrier to protect his plane, and that must have stopped her signal. She's appalled that he would do this without considering his promise to respond to her signal. Long story short, they both acted like punk-ass bitches, got into a fight, and Sorin sealed Nahiri into the Helvault, one of two pieces of the barrier and a prison that's impossible to break out of.
Nahiri remained in there for over a thousand years, accompanied only by the demons that were also placed there, until the Helvault was destroyed during the events of the original Innistrad story. She quickly returned to Zendikar, only to find out that Sorin hadn't watched over the Eldrazi, allowing them to break out and lay waste to the plane. She vowed to make Sorin suffer the way she did.
On Innistrad, she spent a year constructing monoliths to draw the Eldrazi known as Emrakul. It couldn't enter the plane, but the remaining source of the barrier, the archangel Avacyn, was driven mad by this, which is what led to the angels going crazy. Eventually, Sorin was forced to kill Avacyn, and the barrier fell. Emrakul has broken into Innistrad, and her presence is causing those weak of mind to transform in horrific ways.
Now, Jace has called for the aid of his friends in the Gatewatch. They defeated two Eldrazi before, but can they defeat the most powerful one of them all?
Eldritch Moon story
Story archive - Scroll to the bottom for chronological order; the layout of this archive is trash.
CHARACTERS
(Note, the linked biographies are often super outdated)
Main:
Jace Beleren - Blue - A psychic human Planeswalker driven by a thirst for knowledge, and a member of the Gatewatch. Jace comes from Vryn. He came to Innistrad to seek out Sorin, but he found himself drawn in by the mystery of what was happening to the plane. Jace is the most popular character in Magic, and is thus the most hated.
Tamiyo - Blue - A moonfolk researcher Planeswalker who prefers not to get involved. Tamiyo comes from Kamigawa. She came to Innistrad in order to research its unusual moon, and was studying the spread of madness in Innistrad well before Jace, but purely for academic purposes. She can summon magic by reading stories from special scrolls.
Sorin Markov - White/Black - An ancient vampire Planeswalker from a noble lineage on Innistrad. Long ago, he helped seal away the Eldrazi. He created the Helvault and the archangel Avacyn to protect Innistrad. While viewing things in the long term, he gives little regard to individuals, which is part of what led to him sealing Nahiri in the Helvault.
Nahiri - Red/White - A kor lithomancer (stone magic) Planeswalker who is really angry about being sealed away for a thousand years. Nahiri comes from Zendikar. Long ago, she helped seal away the Eldrazi, and later Sorin sealed her in the Helvault. When her prison was destroyed, she decided to get revenge on Sorin by summoning Emrakul.
Liliana Vess - Black - A ruthless human necromancer Planeswalker who only looks out for herself. Liliana comes from Dominaria, but she feels at home on Innistrad. Despite her youthful appearance, she is hundreds of years old; she made a deal with four demons to stop aging. She later discovered a powerful artifact called the Chain Veil, and used it to start killing her demon creditors, but the Veil could be a worse master than even them. She isn't a hero by nature, but she intends to fight Emrakul to protect her home.
Avacyn - Red/White - The guardian archangel of Innistrad who channeled the faith of humans into powerful magic. Sorin created her long ago to guard Innistrad from extraplanar threats. Without the Helvault supporting the barrier around Innistrad, Emrakul's attempts to break in caused her to go crazy, forcing Sorin to kill her. Now, Innistrad has no defense.
Emrakul - Colorless - A horror born in the space between planes before magic had developed into five colors. Emrakul is the strongest of all Eldrazi and its only purpose is to travel to different planes and convert everything there into itself. Emrakul was mistakenly remembered as a goddess by the Zendikari, and thus it is often addressed with female pronouns.
The Gatewatch is a group of Planeswalkers devoted to helping people whenever they can, and Jace has called for their aid.
Members besides Jace:
Chandra Nalaar - Red - A chaotic human pyromancer Planeswalker who does what she wants, damn the consequences. Chandra comes from Kaladesh, and for a while, was in the uncomfortable position of being the only representative of a plane based on India while being a white woman with red hair.
Gideon Jura - White - A human Planeswalker with shirtlessly rippling muscles (mandatory wording) who can't help but intervene when something bad is happening. Gideon comes from Theros. He uses magic to harden his skin and fights physically instead of with spells.
Nissa Revane - Green - A spiritual elf druid Planeswalker. She used to be a racist elf supremacist, but Wizards of the Coast wants you to forget that. Her magic allows her to control plants, summon nature elementals, and channel mana. By far the worst written of the Gatewatch, and that's saying something.
Probably sexually attracted to dirt.
Supporting:
Arlinn Kord - Red/Green - A werewolf Planeswalker who protects her pack. Arlinn comes from Innistrad. Unlike most werewolves, she can retain her human intelligence in wolf form, which she learned on another plane.
Thalia and Odric - White - When the angels started going crazy, many in the Church of Avacyn started executing heretics to appease them. Thalia and Odric left the Church and formed the Order of St. Traft to protect humanity.
Sigarda - Green/White - The one angel who was able to resist Emrakul's madness. She still fights to protect humans.
SET THEMES
(LINK: OFFICIAL CARD LIST) (alternate, includes leaks)
(LINK: OFFICIAL MECHANICS GUIDE)
Returning mechanics
Transform - With cards that have two faces, this ability switches the side that's face-up.
RESOURCES
Official articles - Nicknamed the Mothership, these articles are the primary source of news. Recommended columns are Making Magic, written by the head designer, Mark Rosewater (aka MaRo);
(LINK: OFFICIAL CARD LIST) - Best way to see all of the spoiled cards together, but only updates once a day.
Blogatog - Tumblr ran by Mark Rosewater where he answers questions, updates very frequently.
Drive to Work - Mark Rosewater's weekly podcast about Magic that he literally records as he drives to work. Two episodes are released every Friday.
MTG Salvation's Rumor Mill - The best place to get new card information. The community sucks, though.
Mythic Spoiler - A good way to see what cards have been spoiled, updates throughout the day.
Gatherer - The official method of searching through released cards. Has an autocomplete.
magiccards.info - The better search engine for cards, with bigger pictures and more details. But it doesn't have an autocomplete.
Game store locator
PREVIOUS THREADS
Shadows over Innistrad (OT7)
Oath of the Gatewatch OT (OT6)
Battle for Zendikar OT (OT5)
OT4
OT3
OT2
OT1
HIGHLIGHTS WILL BE IN SEPARATE POST
Before preview weeks
First Eldritch Moon spoiler - Emrakul, the Promised End
Ulrich of the Krallenhorde
Coax from the Blind Eternities
Hanweir, the Writhing Township
Thalia, Heretical Cathar
Supplanter of Identity
Angry Grimace
Two cannibals are eating a clown. One turns to the other and says "does something taste funny to you?"
You forgot to mention Gideon's rippling muscles and lack of shirt.
SigmasonicX
Member
Corrected. Though in case your insistence on that joke is clouding your memory, I'd like to remind you that Gideon never actually takes his shirt off in the BFZ story
Ah, right.
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