Lorwyn
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| Lorwyn | ||
|---|---|---|
| Expansion symbol |  Elf Ear/Leaf |
|
| Release date | October 12, 2007 | |
| Mechanics | Planeswalker cardtype, Tribal by Race |
|
| Keywords | Champion, Evoke, Clash, Changeling, Hideaway | |
| Size | 301 Cards | |
| Expansion code | LRW | |
| Development codename | Peanut | |
| Designer | Aaron Forsythe (lead) | |
| Developer | Devin Low (lead) | |
| Sets in Lorwyn Block | ||
| Lorwyn | Morningtide | |
| Magic: The Gathering Chronology |
||
| 10th Edition | Lorwyn | Masters Edition |
Lorwyn is the 66th Magic: The Gathering set, 43rd expert level set, and the first set in the Lorwyn Block, released in October, 2007. It is codenamed "Peanut". The pre-release events for this set were held on September 29 – September 30, 2007.[1]
[edit] Set details
The designers of the set were Aaron Forsythe (lead designer), Mark Rosewater, Paul Sottosanti, Brady Dommermuth, Nate Heiss, and Andrew Finch; the developers of the set were Devin Low (lead developer), Bill Rose, Matt Place, Henry Stern, Mike Turian, and Doug Beyer.
Lorwyn is set in a more traditional fantasy world, evoking traditional European fairy tales. The plane is a pastoral world inhabited by several major races: boggarts (goblins), faeries, elves, giants, treefolk, merfolk, elementals (including the flamekin) and kithkin.
Lorwyn saw the release of an entirely new card type,[2] the Planeswalker.[3] This marks the first time that Wizards has added a new card type to the current game, as Alpha introduced all current card types, other than the supertype "Tribal". A single tribal card, Bound in Silence, was printed as a timeshifted card in Future Sight.
The set has a tribal theme, focusing heavily on creature subtypes, revolving around primarily the eight creature types listed below.[4][5] Each of these eight creature types appear in two (or more) colors. One color is the primary color and the other(s) are secondary colors. The breakdown can be seen in this table:[6]
| Creature subtype (Race) | Tribe name | Primary Color | Secondary Color(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goblins | Boggarts | Black | Red |
| Elves | Green | Black | |
| Merfolk | Merrow | Blue | White |
| Kithkin | White | Green | |
| Elementals | Flamekin (in red) Greater Elementals (in all five) |
Red | All other colors |
| Faeries | Fae | Blue | Black |
| Giants | Red | White | |
| Treefolk | Green | Black and White |
Another significant creature type is the shapeshifter type, all of which have the ability "changeling." Creatures with changeling have all creature types. This plays into the tribal mechanics which grant bonuses to creatures of certain types. Though these changelings counts as humans for the purposes of the rules, no humans are found in the world of Lorwyn, or are printed on the cards.[7] This marks yet another fundamental change of the game, as this will be the first set to have no humans since their introduction as a creature subtype in Mirrodin. (Although humans had been in all sets since the beginning of the game, they did not have their own subtype until Mirrodin, instead only having subtypes based on their classes.) However, several of the planeswalkers, although they have no creature type, are physically humans.
The second set of the Lorwyn block is called Morningtide. A third set, codenamed "Jelly", was originally planned as part of Lorwyn block, but partway into the design of Lorwyn, that block was changed to a two-set block. Jelly was revealed as Shadowmoor, the first set of a second two-set block. The two blocks will be linked through synergy and will rotate through the official tournament formats as a single, four-expansion unit.[8]
The Lorwyn block features a new keyword action known as clash.[9][10] Clash involves two players revealing the top cards of the libraries. The person who reveals the card with the highest mana cost, wins the clash, and gets a bonus on the card played. Old keyword actions include attach, counter, regenerate, sacrifice, and tap, and are a fundamental part of the game.
The Tenth Edition Starter games include basic land cards printed in Lorwyn.[11] Also, certain Tenth Edition booster packs feature art from Lorwyn on the back of a rules card or token card.
Five theme decks have been released as part of the set, one more than the standard four-per-expansion, which has been a long-time trend. The preconstructed theme decks are:[12] "Kithkin Militia" (White), "Merrow Riverways" (White/Blue), "Boggarts' Feast" (Black/Red), "Elvish Predation" (Black/Green), and "Elementals' Path" (White/Blue/Black/Red/Green).
[edit] References
- ^ Announcing Lorwyn. Magic Arcana. Wizards of the Coast (2007-01-25). Retrieved on 2007-09-04.
- ^ Lorwyn to Introduce New Card Type. TCGPlayer.com (2007-04-25). Retrieved on 2007-05-06.
- ^ It's Official - Planeswalker. TCGplayer.com (2007-08-15). Retrieved on 2007-09-04.
- ^ Rosewater, Mark (2007-09-10). A Lorwyn / Lorwyn Situation. Making Magic. Wizards of the Coast. Retrieved on 2007-09-10.
- ^ Nakazawa, Rei (2007-09-10). Lorwyn Lore. Wizards of the Coast. Retrieved on 2007-09-10.
- ^ Rosewater, Mark (2007-09-17). Lorwyn at all Costs. Making Magic. Wizards of the Coast. Retrieved on 2007-09-17.
- ^ Forsythe, Aaron (2007-08-24). Looking Back to the Future. Latest Developments. Wizards of the Coast. Retrieved on 2007-09-04.
- ^ Rosewater, Mark (2007-07-16). Two plus Two. Making Magic. Wizards of the Coast. Retrieved on 2007-09-04.
- ^ Gottlieb, Mark (2007-09-26). Lorwyn Comprehensive Rules Changes. Feature Article. Wizards of the Coast. Retrieved on 2007-09-26.
- ^ Forsythe, Aaron (2007-05-18). Scry and Keyword Actions. Latest Developments. Wizards of the Coast. Retrieved on 2007-09-04.
- ^ Tenth Edition Starter Game. Magic Arcana. Wizards of the Coast (2007-06-14). Retrieved on 2007-09-04.
- ^ Lorwyn Theme Decks. Magic Arcana. Wizards of the Coast (2007-08-21). Retrieved on 2007-09-04.
