Mark Rosewater is with Comic-Con @ Home giving us a sneak peek at the upcoming Zendikar Rising expansion.

Before we continue - check out this week's Brawl Haul featuring Radha, Heart of Keld!

  • The original Zendikar happened because Maro really wanted to do a set where there was an emphasis on land mechanics.
  • The ideas were tabled until finally, Maro was given 3 months to flesh out ideas for the set, putting together a team of designers to figure out the mechanics.
  • They created Landfall, the keyword which triggers abilities when a land enters the battlefield of the controlling player.
  • The goal is going back to the original Zendikar. They want to recapture the magic they had with the original set. "Adventure World Zendikar"
  • We won't be seeing mechanics or card spoilers right now. Sorry!

Big Takeaways

  • Full-Art Basic Lands! They're back and beautiful!
  • Maro created 6 dual-lands "many years ago" and he has been trying to get them into a set since. Finally, Zendikar Rising features these 6 new dual-lands.
  • A brand new mechanic is in the set. It takes a "very popular theme" and gives it a Zendikar twist. "Really fun, but different - a mix of new and old".
  • Two returning mechanics. They have appeared in a previous Zendikar set.
  • A bunch of Legendary creatures from Zendikar are making a return. This includes one that is going to get another color.
  • Three Planeswalkers, all of which we know. They have each had at least 3 previous Planeswalker cards.
  • The Eldrazi will not be making an appearance in Zendikar Rising. The world still suffers from the damage the Eldrazi had done.

Story / Timeline

  • Story for the original block was that it would be all about adventure, going into a new plane!
  • Ancient forces awakened in the follow-up set, Worldwake, causing even more danger while making it extremely attractive to adventurers.
  • Rise of the Eldrazi released. Zendikar's danger was created because the Eldrazi were kept prison there! Oops.
  • Everything was left as a cliffhanger until Battle for Zendikar released 5 years later in 2015.
  • The following set, Oath of the Gatewatch, saw Gideon, Jace, Chandra, and Nissa to battle against the Eldrazi, which were successfully defeated.
  • Zendikar Rising, where we are now, is a return to the adventure world.

Art Showcase

Maro showcased some art we'll see in the Zendikar Rising set.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Brand New Product - A Set Booster

  • A new kind of booster - a set booster.
  • This booster doesn't mean other types of boosters are leaving.
  • These will cost a little more than draft boosters because they can have more value.
  • Boxes of Set Boosters have 30 packs instead of the usual 36.
  • Wizards has been looking at their product line over the past few years to better design products that match how players play Magic.
  • Over half of the boosters opened aren't used for anything but players keeping the cards in your collection.
  • The booster is aimed at players that want a good pack opening experience. More fun than draft boosters.
  • Set boosters do not follow the same logic of draft boosters.
  • A set booster contains 12 Magic Cards.
  • A set booster contains 2 "Objects" (Token/Ad Card + Art Card)
  • A set booster can have 2 foil cards.
  • You could get 4 Mythic Rares in a set booster.
  • Here is how each slot of the boosters works.
    1. Art Card Slot - Making a return from Modern Horizons. 81 in total in Zendikar Rising.
      • 5% Chance of this slot being a "signature" version. This embosses the artist's signature, in gold, on the card.
    2. Land Slot - Normally a basic land. The slot will remain flexible though, possibly having other cases in the future.
      • Zendikar Rising sees a Full Art land in this slot.
      • 15% Chance for a foil version of the Full Art land.
    3. Connected Commons & Uncommons (3 to 8) - These cards might play well together, use similar mechanics, have the same creature types, and more.
      • 5 Commons, 1 Uncommon.
      • Every Common can possibly upgrade to an Uncommon (Even 6 UC!)
    4. Head Turner Slot - It will look different than a normal Magic card.
      • This will always be a Common or Uncommon.
      • In Zendikar Rising, this will be a Showcase card or a "new thing that can't be talked about [yet]".
    5. Wildcard Rarity Slots (10 & 11)
      • These can be ANY rarity.
      • Getting a Rare or Mythic Rare here does not take away from the future guaranteed Rare & Mythic Rare slots.
    6. Rare / Mythic Rare Slot
    7. Foil Slot
      • This slot can be ANY rarity.
    8. Ad/Token Card
      • 25% of the time, you'll instead receive a card from "the list".
      • The list contains 300 cards from the past of Magic.
      • Old expansion symbols and old frames will be on the cards if they had them at the time.
      • A Planeswalker symbol will be in the bottom corner, much like Mystery Boosters.
  • Slots in these boosters have "4 chapters".
    • Welcome
    • Fireworks - Splashy and a surprise!
    • Big Finish - All about guaranteeing you the biggest excitement.
    • Epilogue - Your Token or Ad card.

Three Cards of "The List"

Maro previewed three cards available on the list! There are 300 cards in total on this list. Some cards may leave the list and join the list over time in different set boosters.

  • Muscle Sliver from Tempest
  • Cloudgoat Ranger from Lorwyn
  • Pact of Negation from Masters 25