Judgment (Magic: The Gathering)

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Judgment
Expansion symbol Balancing scale
Release date May 27, 2002
Mechanics Advocates, Incarnations, Nightmares, Phantoms, Wishes
Size 143 cards
(55 common,
44 uncommon,
44 rare)
Expansion code JUD
Development codename Carbon
Sets in Odyssey Block
Odyssey Torment Judgment
Magic: The Gathering
Chronology
Torment Judgment Onslaught

Judgment is the third set in the Odyssey Block for the collectible card game Magic: The Gathering.

This is the second expansion set made that did not have an equal number cards from each color. The first expansion with such an imbalance was its predecessor, the Torment expansion set, which was skewed towards the color black. The Judgment expansion set was meant to balance this, and skews towards green and white, black's enemy colors. The expansion symbol for Judgment was a scale, either to judge or to balance.

The set contains 33 Green cards, 33 White cards, 27 Red cards, 27 Blue cards and 16 Black cards. All multicolored cards in the set are both green and white.

Contents

[edit] Storyline

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

With Jeska mortally wounded by his own sword, Kamahl leaves his sister to the care of his centaur friend Seton, setting out on a quest to find a way to heal her. Her wound festers from the might of the Mirari, currently fixed to the pommel of Kamahl's sword.

Meanwhile, Laquatus schemes as much as ever to persuade Empress Llawan to aid him in finding the Mirari. Along with his bodyguard Burke (Laquatus' Champion), the ever-demented Braids, and Commander Eesha of the Aven, each plays a part in the war over the Mirari.

Kamahl trains with the Nantuko Thriss in Krosa in Druidic magic and ultimately confronts Laquatus in a showdown. Upon victory, Kamahl slams his sword into the ground, granting his wish and bringing life and growth to the surrounding environment (Mirari's Wake), though he unfortunately cannot cure his dying sister's wound.

[edit] Mechanics

Judgement continues Odyssey's Flashback, Threshold and Punisher mechanics and Torment's Nightmare creatures in the form of Wormfangs and Gorgers. It adds the following:

[edit] Set History

With the release of Judgment, the Wishes (specifically Burning Wish, Cunning Wish, and Living Wish) offered a radical new approach to deckbuilding in tournament play. Control decks and Combo decks across multiple formats revolutionized themselves with the method of devoting sideboard space for combo pieces and silver bullets. In essence, this made the maindeck stronger but the smaller sideboard made postboard games weaker.

Burning Wish received DCI attention after it was showcased in an absurdly powerful Vintage deck called "Long.dec" where multiple Burning Wishes were used to abuse a single Yawgmoth's Will in the sideboard. This tournament-legal combo deck boasted an incredible 60% 1st Turn Kill rate, making it one of the most powerful Magic decks ever. Burning Wish was thusly restricted in Vintage by the DCI on December 1, 2003, making it a good candidate for the most powerful card in Judgment.


[edit] External links

Magic: The Gathering sets
Advanced Level Core sets: Alpha, Beta, Unlimited, Revised, 4th Edition, 5th Edition, 6th Edition, 7th Edition, 8th Edition, 9th Edition, 10th Edition
Expert Level Early Sets
Arabian Nights, Antiquities, Legends, The Dark, Fallen Empires, Homelands
Expert Level Block Expansion Sets

Ice Age Block: Ice Age, Alliances, Coldsnap
Mirage Block: Mirage, Visions, Weatherlight
Rath Cycle: Tempest, Stronghold, Exodus
Urza Block: Urza's Saga, Urza's Legacy, Urza's Destiny

Masques Block: Mercadian Masques, Nemesis, Prophecy
Invasion Block: Invasion, Planeshift, Apocalypse
Odyssey Block: Odyssey, Torment, Judgment
Onslaught Block: Onslaught, Legions, Scourge

Mirrodin Block: Mirrodin, Darksteel, Fifth Dawn
Kamigawa Block: Champions of Kamigawa, Betrayers of Kamigawa, Saviors of Kamigawa
Ravnica Block: Ravnica: City of Guilds, Guildpact, Dissension
Time Spiral Block: Time Spiral, Planar Chaos, Future Sight
Lorwyn Block: Lorwyn, Morningtide, "Jelly"

Un-Sets Starter Level Sets Compilations/reprint/gift box sets
Unglued, Unhinged

Portal, Portal: Second Age, Portal Three Kingdoms, Starter, Starter 2000

Chronicles, Renaissance, Anthologies, Battle Royal, Beatdown, Deckmasters 2001