Zendikar

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Zendikar
common expansion symbol
hedron
ReleasedOctober 2, 2009
Size249 cards (15 Mythic, 53 Rare, 60 Uncommon, 101 Common, 20 Basic Land)[1]
KeywordsKicker,[2] Intimidate
MechanicsAlly, Landfall, Trap instants,[2] Quest enchantments
DesignersMark Rosewater (lead), Doug Beyer, Graeme Hopkins, Kenneth Nagle, Matt Place[1]
DevelopersHenry Stern (lead), Aaron Forsythe, Mark Globus, Erik Lauer, Devin Low, Matt Place, Mike Turian, Steve Warner[1]
Development codeLive[1]
Expansion codeZEN
First set in the
Zendikar block
Zendikar Worldwake Rise of the Eldrazi
← Masters Edition III Worldwake →

Zendikar (codenamed Live) is a Magic: The Gathering expansion set, that was released on October 2, 2009. It consists of 249 cards.[1]

Set details

Zendikar is the first set in the Zendikar block. Its tagline is "Deadly perils, priceless treasures." The eponymous setting is a vast, untamed wilderness, whose few bastions of civilization exist primarily for outfitting treasure-seeking expeditions to distant locales. Colossal stones called "hedrons" float in the sky, and a phenomenon known as "the Roil" causes frequent geological upheaval as it sweeps across the land.

Unlike the previous two blocks, there is no multicolored theme[3] (in fact, every colored card in the set is monocolored). Instead, the set's themes revolve around lands.[2] The first cards revealed from the set were a selection of basic lands, each printed with both a traditional frame and a full-art frame reminiscent of lands from Unglued and Unhinged.[4] Cards with the "Landfall" mechanic have effects that are triggered when a land enters the battlefield under the card's owner's control. Adding to the land theme, there are a number of non-basic lands, including lands with a variety of enters-the-battlefield effects that were formerly restricted to creatures.[5]

Zendikar also contains three Planeswalkers:[3] Nissa Revane,[6] who first appeared in the Xbox 360 game Duels of the Planeswalkers; Sorin Markov, an all-new vampire character;[7] and a second version of Chandra Nalaar, Chandra Ablaze,[8] as previously foreshadowed in the novel The Purifying Fire.

To promote the "priceless treasures" tagline of Zendikar, original, authentic vintage cards were inserted into a limited number of booster packs, replacing the basic land. These cards were for collector and incentive purposes only, and were largely not legal for sanctioned Zendikar block play.[9]

Zendikar was the first "large" expansion since Legends where the only random packs were booster packs — 75-card tournament packs, introduced in Urza's Saga, were no longer sold.

Mechanics

Ally is a new creature type. An Ally has an effect (getting larger, gaining life, making creature tokens, etc.) that triggers when itself or another Ally enters the battlefield.

File:Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle (Magic, The Gathering).JPG
Valakut is one of the notable rare lands created for the block and a centerpiece to the Valakut Ramp deck [10]

Intimidate is a new keyword mechanic that makes a creature unable to be blocked except by artifact creatures and creatures that share a color with the creature. In Zendikar and future sets, this mechanic will replace "Fear," a similar ability that was restricted largely to black cards.[11]

Landfall is a new ability word that causes a creature, enchantment, artifact, or land to gain an extra ability or become more powerful when a land enters the battlefield under its controller's control.

Quests are enchantments that each have two abilities. The first ability causes "quest counters" to be added when a specific event or game state takes place; once a certain number of quest counters is reached, the card's second ability can be used.

Trap is a new type of instant that can be cast for a reduced cost if certain events have taken place this turn.[2]

Quests, Traps, and Allies were codenamed "Maps, Traps, and Chaps" in development respectively, and were designed to mechanically reinforce the "Adventure World" setting of Zendikar.[5]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Magic Arcana (2009-03-25). "Announcing Zendikar". Wizards of the Coast. Retrieved 2009-03-25.
  2. ^ a b c d Mark Rosewater (2009-08-24). "State of Design 2009". Wizards of the Coast. Retrieved 2009-08-24.
  3. ^ a b Mark Rosewater (2009-06-08). "Tweet Talk". Wizards of the Coast. Retrieved 2009-06-08.
  4. ^ Magic Arcana (2009-06-10). "Zendikar Plains". Wizards of the Coast. Retrieved 2009-06-18.
  5. ^ a b Mark Rosewater (2009-08-14). "Achieving Zendikar, Part II". Wizards of the Coast. Retrieved 2009-10-04.
  6. ^ Beyer, Doug (2009-06-03). "A Different Kind of Origin Story". Wizards of the Coast. Retrieved 2009-08-27.
  7. ^ Magic Arcana. "You Decided!". Wizards of the Coast. Retrieved 2009-08-24.
  8. ^ "Magic: the Gathering Facebook Account". Wizards of the Coast. Retrieved 2009-08-27.
  9. ^ http://www.mananation.com/judges-list-confirms-zendikar-treasure/
  10. ^ Reid Duke (12/01/2010). "Valakut Ramp: The Deck of Choice". starcitygames. Retrieved 21 October 2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  11. ^ Gottlieb, Mark. "July 2009 Update Bulletin". Wizards of the Coast. Retrieved 2009-10-11.

External links

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