Planeshift (Magic: The Gathering)
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Planeshift | ||
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Expansion symbol | ||
Release date | February 2001 | |
Mechanics | Multicolored Cards, Domain, Gating |
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Keywords | Kicker | |
Cycles | {{{Cycles}}} | |
Size | 143 cards | |
Expansion code | PLS | |
Development codename | Hong Kong | |
Sets in Invasion Block | ||
Invasion | Planeshift | Apocalypse |
Magic: The Gathering Chronology |
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Beatdown Set | Planeshift | 7th Edition |
Planeshift is the name of the second set in the Invasion block of cards of Magic: The Gathering, along with the expansions Invasion and Apocalypse. It contained 143 cards.
Contents |
[edit] Set history
Planeshift continued Invasion's theme of multi-colored "gold" cards. Its major themes revolved around multicolor decks and strategies.
[edit] Mechanics
The following mechanics first appeared in Planeshift:
- Gating - When a creature with gating comes into play, its controller must return a creature he or she controls to its owner's hand. Cards with this disability cost less to make up for it. Many combos were created with gating creatures where cards had an ability played when they came into play.
- Familiars - A cycle of creatures that reduced the cost of allied-colored spells you play.
[edit] Notable Cards and Tournament Impact
- Orim’s Chant - A card that became very powerful when Mirrodin was released. In Mirrodin, the card Isochron Scepter lets the player use this card repeatedly, preventing opponents from doing anything meaningful on their turns (such as playing spells or attacking).
- Flametongue Kavu - A very powerful, under-costed red creature, Flametongue Kavu dealt 4 damage to the creature of the controlling player's choice upon entering play.
- Meddling Mage - The mage in the picture is Chris Pikula, winner of the Invitational before this card was printed. The winner of a Magic Invitational is allowed to design their own card for print, with their likeness featured in it. This card could actually prevent any card that the controlling player name from being played. It was very powerful in tournaments, where multiples of the same cards were used in decks.
- Terminate - One of the most efficient creature removal spells created, Terminate made it possible for black players to remove opposing black creatures for a cheap cost.
- Quirion Dryad* - This inoccuous 1/1 dryad is played in several Legacy tournament decks packing large amounts of efficient red creatures such as Kird Ape or Goblins, and red burn spells. It has seen more play in the form of "Gro" decks, using lots of cheap blue card drawing spells to "grow" the Dryad to a huge size.
[edit] Other interesting cards:
- Phyrexian Scuta - For the small kicker of 3 life, Phyrexian Scuta's controller could add two +1/+1 counters on it, making it a hefty 5/5 for 3B (A trait that gave flashbacks of Juzam Djinn beatdown).
- Goblin Game - This odd card makes each player gather objects that aren't in the game and hide them behind their backs. The players both lose life equal to the number of objects each collected, with the player posessing the fewer objects losing half their remaining life total. Considered justly as one of the more insane cards ever printed in a non Un- set.
- Thornscape Familiar - One of the better cards in the cycle of Familiars.
- Draco - This card holds the record for having the highest mana cost in the game (sixteen colourless). However, for every basic land type the casting player controlled, the cost would be decreased by 2 mana. The card found a home in the Extended-format deck "Draco Explosion", in which Draco's casting cost was used to play a devastating 16-damage Erratic Explosion
- Tahngarth, Talruum Hero - The minotaur Weatherlight first mate was based on the Visions card Talruum Champion. This version of Tahngarth has been 'tormented' during the Stronghold expansion, so his 'firstest-striking' ability was replaced with Vigilance and an Arena-like mechanic.
- Lord of The Undead - Initially viewed as Lord Dralnu's representation in a card, the Lord is an improvement of the base set Zombie Master. It has been reprinted in the recent 8th and 9th Edition Core Sets due to this. As of Time Spiral, Lord Dralnu has been printed as a card, making Lord of the Undead simply another lord.
- Skyship Weatherlight - With this card, the player could select a variety of cards from their library and set them aside. When they wanted to, they could put a random card from the pile into their hand. An alternate art version, drawn by Kev Walker, was created for the premium (foiled) version of this card.
- Rith's Grove - This land was part of a cycle of Lairs. They could produce 3 different colors of mana, but the player had to return a non-Lair land to their hand before the Lair could enter play.
- Questing Phelddagrif - The prerelease card, unusual in that Wizards chose to print the prerelease version in ancient Greek. The card was preceded by Invasion's Raging Kavu in Latin and followed by Apocalypse's Fungal Shambler in Sanskrit.
[edit] External links
- http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=magic/expansion/planeshift - Official Planeshift Page