Editor's Note: FIRE REIGN 2 sent this to me over a week ago and a lot of stuff has happened since then.  I would have posted this article last week had I not had server issues and my own personal internet connectivity problems.  So, I've edited a few sections of this article to include information that has been revealed since he originally wrote this.  ~Streetz~

With Dissension fast approaching and my spring break steadily coming to an end, I have had time to look over my reasoning for quitting this series. I think it was because I overwhelmed myself with trying to get an article out to you viewers every week or every other week. And let’s face it; I’m not one of the top writers, such as Mike Flores or Brian David-Marshall, who gets paid for their articles. This isn’t my occupation. I write solely for pleasure and to inform the audience to which I direct my article towards. I’m a mere freelancer in this vast inter-world.

But was this enough of a reason to quit the article series entirely? Or just to take some time off and try to focus a little harder on my studies? After much thought, I’ve decided on the latter. This little break has allowed me time to relax and start gathering information on Dissension. Seeing as no one took my offer to replace me as the author of Exit 267 for this rumor season, I figure I’ll pick up right where I left off. I know I disappointed you last season with only one article to my name. I’ll try not to allow that to happen again this season, as I want to inform you as much as possible on the new set.

Recognition of Rancored_Elf

I’m sure many of you have already heard about the lawsuit that has been issued by Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast against Daron Rutter, known to many of us as Rancored_Elf. Right around the start of the New Year, Daron got a hold of some playtest card images from Snap, now known as Time Spiral. He did not know if these cards were fake or actual cards that might be seen in the new set. He posted them in the MTGSalvation Rumor Mill to see how the community, there, would react to them.

Obviously, they were real playtest cards and Wizards of the Coast soon found out that the images had been made public. That’s when they filed the lawsuit against Rutter. Recently, I’ve talked to the Elf concerning these issues, and he’s been pretty calm about the whole thing. Daron was able to get the assistance of a lawyer, who he’s been friends with for some time. The lawyer offered to help Rutter at no cost and, supposedly, he has a lot of knowledge regarding proprietary laws and laws regarding to confidential information.

But, recently, Hasbro has made known that they are wanting $90,000 + lawyers’ fees, if they do, indeed, win the case. I doubt there is any way Daron will be able to come up with this amount of cash. He will probably have to go bankrupt if he does lose the case.

I will stop here because I still do not know everything about the case. There are always missing details in a big story. The way it is portrayed, it seems as if the man got stuck in the crossfire of a large company. But things are not always as they seem. And I don’t think it is right to bring my own feelings into an argument, regarding whether he deserved this lawsuit or not. I just wanted to let the community know a little more about what happened, in a casual, objective style.

Since the filing of the lawsuit, I’ve seen a lot less of the Elf over at MTGSalvation. I’m not sure whether or not the lawsuit has frightened him away from his previous pastime. And I’m not sure if he’ll ever return to be a major contributing factor of the Rumor Mill. In any case, I would like to pay respect to him for his work in this field of rumors. Sorting out the fact from the fiction, and getting the Magic Community hyped for the release of new sets. Thank you, Rancored_Elf, for all of those seasons.

UPDATE:  Since this article should have been posted last week, some new information has emerged regarding this matter.  Based on a brief article on MTGS on 4/7/06. Wizards and Daron Rutter have settled out of court on undisclosed terms.  ~Streetz~

A Little Background Information...

Ah, Dissension; the third set in the Ravnica Block. This block has quickened its arrival to the Magic Community, because of the release of another new set, Coldsnap. Coldsnap is just a solitary block that is coming out after the release of Dissension. It is, supposedly, going to be “The Final Set of the Ice Age Block.” Even though, that is just a cover story for Wizards wanting to create just a new set, instead of a whole new block. Anyways, back to Dissension and what you people have come for.

Dissension is the third set in the Ravnica Block. It comes in at a weight of 180 cards, and is due for release on May 5, 2006. Card Previews start on www.magicthegathering.com on April 10, 2006. Yes, you’ve heard me correctly. Today, you will start seeing high-quality card images from the new set premiering on mtg.com. Dissension’s Pre-Release tournaments take place on April 22-23. Make sure to participate in your local pre-release tournament to get your Dissension collection started 2 weeks in advance. And for those of you interested in who designed the block…

Design Team – Aaron Forsythe (lead), Mark Gottlieb, Brandon Bozzi, Mark Rosewater
Development Team – Matt Place (lead), Mark Rosewater, Brian Schneider, Steve Warner

For the readers that are more involved with the storyline and the development behind the block, here is some information on the new novel. The book is called Dissension and it is the third of the Ravnica Cycle. It was authored by Cory J. Herndon, and will be on shelves as of May 2006. The cost is $6.99 and it is 320 pages in length. Here is the summary from the book…

    The Rakdos cultists bloody the streets with a viciousness matched only by the Boros angels’ attempts to eradicate them.
    As it is, the dead outnumber the living. The Guildpact is torn by dissension. And the guildmasters are under attack.
    Lucky for Ravnica, on a world where ghosts linger, being dead isn’t half the excuse Kos would like it to be.
    This is the final title in the exciting trilogy dealing with the new Magic: The Gathering expansion sets. It gives players a sneak peek at the upcoming card releases.

You can read up on a sample chapter by visiting this link: Dissension - Ravnica Cycle, Book III

Or wait until May 2006 to purchase the whole novel for yourself. It is sure to give some insight on the new block, including upcoming card releases, a little explanation on why the Guildpact was broken, and how everything comes to a conclusion, as we finish our journey through the Ravnican plane.

The Guilds of Dissension

The Dissension Set will bring with it, three new guilds. These guilds are named: The Azorius Senate, The Simic Combine, and The Cult of Rakdos. The Azorious Senate is the Blue and White guild, the Simic Combine Blue and Green, with the Cult of Rakdos taking Black and Red. This is the information we have, thus far, on the new guilds…

“There is the Azorius Senate. Cold and calculating, they create the laws in Ravnica. Their bureaucracy is designed to keep the status quo as strong as possible. Its leader, Grand Arbiter Augustin, believes that change only brings chaos and trouble. In his arrogance, he has decided that the best way to serve Ravnica is to keep everyone else from acting in any way, shape, or form. Unfortunately, the Azorius have the magic and muscle to back it up.”

Guild Leader: Grand Arbiter Augustin IV

Mechanic: Forecast (X?) (Tap X (two?) untapped white and/or blue creatures you control and reveal this card from your hand. ~Effect~.)

“The Simic Combine were originally charged with preserving what was left of nature, but the march of civilization overcame even their immense power. Thus the guild has turned itself towards another goal: not only reviving nature, but improving what's left of it. They continually tinker with the very fabric of life itself, coming up with new lifeforms, strong yet hideous, parodies of existing beings. Momir Vig, the elvish biomancer who leads their efforts, is cool and distant, yet intense in his research, just like the rest of his guild.”

Guild Leader: Momir Vig

Mechanic: Graft X (This creature comes into play with X +1/+1 counters on it. Whenever a creature comes into play under your control, you may move a +1/+1 counter from this creature onto it.)

“Finally, there is the Cult of Rakdos, named after its demon leader. They are completely self-absorbed, out only for a good time. However, their idea of a "good time" usually involves murder and mayhem – the more bloody and depraved, the better. The cult would love to rule Ravnica and turn it into one big slaughter-fest, but to them, it's the process of random death and destruction that is fulfilling, not the goal. Fortunately for the Rakdos, their interest in the dark art of death has made them into top-notch mercenaries and assassins, which the other guilds are more than happy to take advantage of.”

Guild Leader: Rakdos

Mechanic: Hellbent (When you have no cards in hand, this creature gains ~Effect~)

The Beauty of Tension in Dissension

There has been quite a bit of artwork that has been presented to the Magic Community, which is, supposedly, going to appear in the Dissension set. Some of this artwork includes…

An illustration that was presented on mtg.com a little while after Ravnica was released. It has been said that this might be an artifact in Dissension, since it shows all of the guilds’ symbols.

An Image of the Simic Guildmage.

A Picture of the Rakdos Guildmage.

An illustration featuring the Azorious Guildmage.

An Image of Lyzolda, Blood Witch, who is the Cult of Rakdos’ guild champion.

A Picture of Isperia the Inscrutable, the guild champion of the Azorious Senate.

Momir Vig, Simic Visionary, who heads the Simic Combine.

An Illustration of Rakdos, the Defiler; Leader of the Cult of Rakdos.

An Image of Grand Arbiter Augustin IV; Leader of the Azorious Senate.

This is artwork that WotC posted as a puzzle in their Azorious product page; it is called Windreaver.

This is a piece of artwork that shows an elemental mutant known as Cytoplast Root-Kin.  It was originally thought that this was a guild champion of the Simic.  However, based on the card image, it isn't legendary... so it can't a guild champion.

This is rumored to be the arttwork for Seal of Fire which is rumored to be reprinted in Dissension.

This is a sketch by Matt Cavotta that premiered in his November 30, 2005 article, “Mythbashing”. He said that it was going to be in Guildpact, but, later, went back and apologized, saying that it would be in Dissension. It is, supposedly, a Rakdos creature.

Along with these pieces of artwork, we’ve received a small amount of miscellaneous items, including a Pre-Release Tournament Page, Product Shots, and an up-close image of the Simic Pre-Constructed Deck, “Simic Mutology.”

I have thumbnailed some of the following images to save page load time.  ~Streetz~

This is a promotional Pre-Release Tournament Page for Dissension that premiered in the Inquest magazine.

These are the high-resolution product shots that were shown at magicthegathering.com.

This is the close-up of the Simic Pre-Constructed Deck, “Simic Mutology.”

This is a Dissension poster that was just, recently, found on a Taiwanese Site. It is similar to the other posters that were found during the Ravnica and Guildpact Rumor Seasons.

And, finally, the expansion logo for Dissension surrounded by each guild’s symbol.
Top: Azorious Senate (Appears to be a labyrinth enclosed within a triangle.)
Left: Simic Combine (Appears to be a wave that is branching into a tree.)
Right: Cult of Rakdos (Appears to be a flaming skull.)

The Encore

Seeing as it’s getting closer to the release of Dissension, sources are starting to get larger bundles of information. The best information a source can get is, obviously, a full scan of a card(s). This is what the Magic Community looks for the most during Rumor Season. And slowly, but surely, they have been able to gather up a couple of full card scans.

Now, be aware that Magic is printed in many different languages; not only in English. This means that many of the preview scans of cards that we receive are in a foreign language, and must be translated to English. Often times, this leads to misinformed interpretations. I try my best to bring you the most accurate information and translations possible. But, sometimes, you will still get misinterpretations of cards. So, even though most of these cards are correctly translated, you can’t be completely sure until we get an English scan of the card.

Below are full scans of Dissension cards, and what they are known to do at the moment. The wording is susceptible to change as we get more accurate translations, but this is what we have, as of right now…

(I've included all cards so far, all found on www.mtgsalvation.com.)  ~Streetz~

Hussar of the Court - 2U Creature - Vedalken Knight (U) Vigilance When Hussar of the Court comes into play, look at the top 3 cards of your library. Put one of them into your hand and the rest on the bottom of your library. When Hussar of the Court comes into play, sacrifice it unless you paid W to play it. 1/3

Entropic Eidolon - 3B Creature - Spirit (C) B, Sacrifice Entropic Eidolon: Target player loses 1 life and you gain 1 life. Whenever you play a multicolored spell, you may return Entropic Eidolon from your graveyard to your hand 2/2   Infernal Tutor - 1B Sorcery (R) Reveal a card in your hand. Search your library for a card with the same name as the revealed card, reveal it, and put it into your hand. Shuffle your library. Hellbent - If you have no cards in your hand, search your library for a card and put it into your hand. Shuffle your library. Illus. Kev Walker Seal of Doom - 2B Enchantment (C) Sacrifice Seal of Doom: Destroy target nonblack creature. It can’t be regenerated.

Seal of Fire - R Enchantment (C) Sacrifice Seal of Fire: Seal of Fire deals 2 damage to target creature or player.

Cytoplast Root-Kin - 2GG Creature - Elemental Mutant (R) Graft 4 (This creature comes into play with 4 +1/+1 counters on it. Whenever another creature comes into play, you may move a +1/+1 counter from this creature onto it) When Cytoplast Root-Kin Comes into play put a +1/+1 counter on each other creature you control that has a +1/+1 counter on it. 2: Move a +1/+1 counter from target creature you control onto Cytoplast Root-Kin. Illus. Thomas Baxa 0/0 #81/180 Stomphowler Indrik - 4G Creature - Beast (U) When Stomphowler Indrik comes into play, destroy target artifact or enchantment. "The howl of the Indrik has a destructive power more subtle than its crushing leg. The sound is banal, but inaudible vibrations scramble and break magic defenses." Illus. Carl Critchlow 4/4

Anthem of Rakdos - 2BRR Enchantment (R) Whenever a creature you control attacks, it gets +2/+0 until end of turn and Anthem of Rakdos deals 1 damage to you. Hellbent - As long as you have no cards in your hand, if a source you control would deal damage to a creature or player, it deals double that damage to that creature or player instead. Illus. Ralph Horsley #103/180 Azorius AEthermage - WU Creature - Human Wizard Whenever a permanent is returned to your hand, you may pay 1. If you do, draw a card. 1/1 Azorius First-Wing - 1WU Creature - Griffin Flying Protection from Enchantments 2/2 Celestial Hussar - 3WU Creature - Human Knight?? Flying When Celestial Hussar comes into play, untap all creatures you control. Forecast - Tap two untapped white and/or blue creatures you control, reveal Celestial Hussar from your hand: Draw a card. (Play this ability only once per turn, during your upkeep.) 4/3 Cytoshape - 1GU Instant (R) Chose a nonlegendary creature in play. Target creature becomes a copy of the chosen creature until end of turn. "While very effective to model the flesh, these artificial cytoplastes cover the subject in a stinky mucus all over." -- Simic research notes Illus. Alan Pollock Dread Slag - 3BR Creature - Horror Trample Dread Slag gets -4/-4 for each card in your hand. 9/9 Experiment Kraj - 2GGUU Legendary Creature - Ooze Mutant (R) ~ has all activated abilities of each other creature with a +1/+1 counter on it. T: Put a +1/+1 counter on target creature. 4/6 Illus. Mark Tedin 110/180 Gobhobbler Rats - BR Creature - Rat Hellbent - Gobhobbler Rats gets +1/+0 and has "B: Regenerate Gobhobbler Rats" as long as you have no cards in hand. Lyzolda's pet rats eat better than the average citizen. In fact, they can usually be found eating the average citizen. Illus. Michael Suftin 2/2 #111/180 Isperia the Inscrutable - 1WWUU Legendary Creature - Sphinx (R) Flying Whenever Isperia the Inscrutable deals combat damage to a player, name a card. This player reveals his or her hand. If he or she reveals the named card, search your library for a creature card with flying, reveal it, and put it into your hand. Shuffle your library afterwards. 3/6 Leafdrake Roost - 3GU Enchantment - Aura (R) Enchant Land Enchanted Land has "GU,T: Put a 2/2 Green and Blue Drake creature token with flying into play." "The best experiments are those which where the success is always on schedule." Illus. Nick Percival #116/180 Lyzolda, the Blood Witch - 1BR Legendary Creature - Human Cleric  2, Sacrifice a creature: Lyzolda, the Blood Witch deals 2 damage to target creature or player if the sacrificed creature was red. Draw a card if the sacrificed creature was black. Sacrificial rites take place before an audience of cheering cultists, each begging to be the next on stage. Illus. Jim Nelson 3/1 #117/180 Omnibian - 1GGU Creature - Frog (R) T: Target creature becomes a 3/3 Frog until end of turn. 3/3 Rakdos the Defiler - 2BBRR Legendary Creature - Demon (R) Flying, Trample Whenever ~ attacks, sacrifice half the non-Demon permanents you control, rounded up. Whenever ~ deals combat damage to a player, that player sacrifices half the non-Demon permanents he or she controls, rounded up. 7/6 Illus. Zoltan Boros & Gabor Szikszai 129/180 Voidslime - GUU Instant (R) Counter target spell or activated or triggered ability. (Mana abilities can't be targeted.) From a technical point of view, it is an ooze, but its life spans mere seconds. However, in this short time, it has a big appetite for magic." - Simic research notes Windreaver - 3WU Creature - Elemental Flying W: Windreaver gains Vigilance until end of turn. W: Windreaver gets +0/+1 until end of turn. U: Switch Windreaver's Power and Toughness until end of turn. U: Return Windreaver to it's owners hand. 1/3 #138/180

Avatar of Discord - (b/r)(b/r)(b/r) Creature - Avatar (R) ((b/r) can be paid with either B or R) Flying When Avatar of Discord comes into play, sacrifice it unless you discard two cards. Such is the power of Rakdos that even his shadow takes on a cruel life of its own. Illus. rk Post 5/3 #140/180 (This is the Prerelease Card). Azorius Guildmage - (w/u)(w/u) Creature - Vedalken Wizard ((w/u) can be paid with either W or U.) 2W: Tap target creature. 2U: Counter target activated ability. (Mana abilities can't be targeted.) 2/2 Rakdos Guildmage (b/r)(b/r) Creature - ?? (U) ((b/r) can be paid with either B or R.) ?B:??? ?R:??? 2/2 Simic Guildmage - (g/u)(g/u) Creature - Elf Wizard (U) ((g/u) can be paid with either G or U.) 1G: Move a +1/+1 counter on target creature you control onto another target creature you control. 1U: Attach an aura enchanting target creature you control to another target creature you control. 2/2

Crime // Punishment 3WB/XBG Sorcery (R) Put target creature or enchantment card in an opponents graveyard into play under your control. ////////////// Destroy each artifact, creature and enchantment with converted mana cost X. Illus. Randy Gallegos #150/180 Supply // Demand XGW/1WU Sorcery (U) Put X 1/1 green Saprolings creature tokens into play. ////////////// Search your library for a multicolored card, reveal it, and put it into your hand. Then shuffle your library. Illus. Daren Bader #157?/180

Azorius Signet - 2 Artifact (C) 1, T: Add WU to your mana pool. Rakdos Signet - 2 Artifact (C) 1, T: Add BR to your mana pool. Simic Signet - 2 Artifact (C) 1, T: Add UG to your mana pool. Vessel of the Muse - 4 Artifact (R) 3,T: Target player removes a card in his or her hand from the game. Play this ability any time you could play a sorcery. 1: Choose a card removed from the game with Vessel of the Muse. You may play that card this turn. Illus. Christopher Rush #163/180

Azorius 'Karoo' Land (C) Azorius 'Karoo' comes into play tapped. When Azorius 'Karoo' comes into play, return a land you control to its owner’s hand. T: Add WU to your mana pool. Blood Crypt Land - Swamp Mountain (R) (T: Add B or R to your mana pool.) As Blood Crypt comes into play, you may pay 2 life. If you don’t, Blood Crypt comes into play tapped instead. #171/180 Breeding Pool Land - Forest Island (R) (T: Add G or U to your mana pool.) As Breeding Pool comes into play, you may pay 2 life. If you don’t, Breeding Pool comes into play tapped instead. #172/180 Hallowed Fountain  Land - Island Plains (R) (T: Add W or U to your mana pool.) As Hallowed Fountain comes into play, you may pay 2 life. If you don’t, Hallowed Fountain comes into play tapped instead. Rakdos 'Karoo' Land (C) Rakdos 'Karoo' comes into play tapped. When Rakdos 'Karoo' comes into play, return a land you control to its owner’s hand. T: Add BR to your mana pool. Simic 'Karoo' Land (C) Simic 'Karoo' comes into play tapped. When Simic 'Karoo' comes into play, return a land you control to its owner’s hand. T: Add GU to your mana pool.

Well, that puts a wrap on this Exit 267. There was a lot of information that needed to be covered from the start of the Dissension Rumor Season up until now. I hope I haven’t missed any important details or facts. I’m glad I found the high-resolution pictures of some of the characters before I sent this article off. Otherwise, you would have been looking at a blurry and darkened image of Momir Vig, along with an Isperia that was small and hard to see through all the contrast.

Well, I’ve enjoyed writing this article. And I hope you’ve taken pleasure in reading the mass of information that is Exit 267 – Tension in Dissension. This is my first article on the Dissension set, and, hopefully, you’ll be seeing a couple more of them before the season is over. That is, if I can find enough spare time on the weekends.

Make sure you tune into magicthegathering.com, starting on April 10 (today), in order to take a look at some of the new cards coming out in Dissension. Until then, keep your eye out for any rumors you may find about Dissension. And if you do find something new about the set, don’t be afraid to post it in MDV’s Rumor Mill. And be sure to visit the best rumor sites on the web to keep yourself informed on the latest news about Dissension. (www.magicdeckvortex.com, www.mtgsalvation.com, www.magicthegathering.com, www.magiccorporation.com.)

~FIRE REIGN 2~

P.S. I’d like to give a special thanks to the staff here at MDV and at MTGSalvation for keeping me up to date with the latest rumors. Ghurghs is still doing a wonderful job by collecting all the information he can find in a compilation thread in MDV’s Rumor Mill. Urzassedatives is doing the same over at MTGS. And, here recently, the French Site, Magic Corporation, has been very helpful by collecting all of the pictures and card scans from Dissension. Thank you, once again, for your help everyone.

P.P.S. Wizards has revealed two news cards today.. I've added them to the above information.  ~Streetz~

You can discuss this article in the MDV forums here.

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