Homelands (Magic: The Gathering)
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| Homelands | ||
|---|---|---|
| Release date | October 1995 | |
| Mechanics | None new | |
| Keywords | None new | |
| Size | 140 cards | |
| Expansion code | HML
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| Magic: The Gathering Chronology |
||
| Chronicles | Homelands | Alliances |
Homelands was the thirteenth Magic: The Gathering set and seventh expert level set, released in October 1995. It was considered to be part of the Ice Age block until the announcement of Coldsnap in October 2005.
Contents |
[edit] Storyline
The set takes place in a plane known as Ulgrotha. The plane was once a prime battleground for wizards, until the planeswalker Feroz happened upon it. He wished to protect the plane, so he, along with the planeswalker Serra, created a ban to keep other planeswalkers out. Feroz died in the process, and Serra is presumed by the planes' inhabitants to have died soon afterwards, though she reappeared again briefly in the novelization of a later set.
The events surrounding the set begin many years after Feroz's death, when his ban begins to fade. The residents of Ulgrotha (now known to its inhabitants as the Homelands) are at war with one another.
Homeland begins 600 years ago, during a war between the Tolgath, planeswalkers who desire knowledge, and the Ancients, wizards who are prepared to be cruel to defend 'their' mysteries. A Tolgath planeswalker named Ravi, used an artifact called the Apocalypse Chime, given to her by her master, to destroy all life and mana on Ulgrotha.
[edit] Mechanics
The 140-card set introduced no new mechanics or keywords; however, it did use some of the mechanics found in Ice Age. Most notably, Homelands used the "cantrip" ability: a cantrip spell in the Ice Age block allowed a player to draw a card at the beginning of the next turn in addition to a normally minor spell effect. Later cantrips allowed a player to draw a card immediately.
Homelands also included single-color legendary creatures, first found in Ice Age. In Homelands, each color had at least one legend, with some colors having as many as four.
[edit] Notable cards
Autumn Willow — A green Legend, her selectable untargetability made her a staple in many early green decks. She was the first creature printed to be untargetable as a static ability. [1][2]
Timmerian Fiends — The last ante card in Magic; no sets after Homelands included ante cards. [3]
Merchant Scroll — Due to its tutor ability it has become a staple of many Vintage decks, especially GAT. [4]
[edit] Reception
The expansion had an unexpectedly low power level compared to previously released expansions, with very few cards used for competitive play. To exacerbate this problem, there was an eight month hiatus following its release in which no new expansions came out (the longest pause in Magic's history). In 2004, the expansion was called "Magic's all-time design low" by Head Designer Mark Rosewater [5].
