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It's the long awaited return of Exit 267, MDV's very own series aimed at pulling together all the little tidbits from the spoiler season together! However, this won't be like previous Exit 267 articles, for a couple of reasons: 1. Between the Wizards of the Coast website and our own forum Rumor Mill, you get all the spoiler info you are going to need. I plan on a quick overview, rather than an all-encompassing report. 2. I have my own hidden agenda all lined up for this spoiler review, and I like to do things my way! Still, I guess I'd better start with a little introduction for those of you who live under rocks.
So what is Zendikar all about? Well, according to my "sources" on the web, it's all about "Deadly Perils, Priceless Treasures." That tagline introduces us to Zendikar, a plane apparently teeming with crazy mana, ruins of ancient civilizations, and loads of loot. But much like the middle of nowhere, creepy stuff happens in Zendikar, such as the Roil! The Roil is the local name for a natural disaster "storm front" of sudden upheavals, hurricanes, earthquakes, and any other natural phenomena that sweeps in rapidly and leaves just as quickly as it came. The Roil tends to make a mess. Remember the Kor from back when Magic centered on the happenings in Dominaria? If you haven't been playing that long, then maybe you recall their cameo in Time Spiral block. Well, it turns out that Zendikar is the Kor home plane, which is probably where they learned to be so wily. Such a dangerous and uncertain plane as Zendikar must force you to learn survival skills at a very young age.
Zendikar also has a few of the staple tribes that we expect to see on a regular basis: Merfolk, Elves, and the omnipresent Goblins. However, Black's tribe is an old creature type forged into a new community of the living dead: Vampires! The Vampires of Zendikar are no longer solitary wanderers or pawns of a greater evil (I'm looking at you, Crovax). Instead, they have a society based on family allegiances, which helps them to thrive in the unpredictable Zendikarian landscape. One more unusual thing Zendikar has is the existence of hedrons - diamond-shaped objects which affect the local gravity. So far, they just seem to be a little bit of extra flavor for Zendikar, but maybe we will see a hedron card or two in the future!
Is all this flavor and setting what Zendikar is really about? In looking at the cards revealed thus far, I'm beginning to think there is a deeper theme hiding beneath the surface of Zendiakar. First, lets look at a few of the returning and new mechanics. Kicker
That's right, Kicker returns with a slightly modified wording, but all it's power still intact. For example, looting three cards deep is a nice ability for Sphinx of Lost Truths, but kicking it to draw three cards is better! Ally Tribal
Kazuul Warlord really likes his Allies! Landfall
Putting a 4/4 Beast onto the battlefield for every land you play? Sign me up! Enemy Dual Fetchlands
Deadly Perils, Hidden Agendas Traps
Note how when an opponent triggers the Trap, there is no requirement that says you have to target the opponent that triggered the trap. To me, this suggests that whole "questing party" flavor again; one loser in the party steps on the tripwire, but it's the guy standing behind him who loses his head. In multiplayer, I wouldn't be surprised to see an opponent gain life, fully aware that you have Needlebite Trap in hand, just to give you the opportunity to finish off a mutual enemy! Most of the trap cards revealed so far have this open-targeting scheme. Quests
Note how Luminarch Ascension is designed to trigger on each opponent's end step. This is okay in a duel, but in a multiplayer game, it's possible you will be able to start cranking out 4/4 Angel tokens on your very next turn! Now, not all quests are quite so multiplayer friendly, but several already show designs which trigger on behaviors or actions that could be enhanced by having multiple opponents. Planeswalkers
Sorin's first ability is good no matter the format, really. His third ability is usually better in a duel. However, his second ability is where he shines in multiplayer. In a duel, putting an opponent to 10 is useful, but your opponent dropping to 10 is probably not losing that much life by the time you get a six-mana Planeswalker into play. On the other hand, multiplayer is where Sorin's second ability is almost always relevant. To start with, EDH, the current belle of the multiplayer ball, starts each player at 40 life. Taking an opponent from 40 down to ten at six mana suddenly becomes a pretty good move. Another reason that this ability is powerful is that arbitrarily large life gain is not unusual in multiplayer. Taking that life gain guy from 2,000,000 life to ten life is a bargain! Finally, there is the potential to use this second ability to form a political ally in multiplayer. For example you can use this ability to save that opponent at one life who is going to lose on their upkeep to their own Phyrexian Arena! Other Multiplayer Stuff
World Queller could easily have specified that only yourself and one opponent be affected. By making the ability affect all players, Wizards not only made the text simpler and cleaner, they also made it much better for multiplayer!
I already talked about how multiplayer life totals can get insane, so it should be no surprise that I think Eternity Vessel was designed with multiplayer in mind.
Celestial Mantle is a creature aura that costs six mana. Right off the bat, that suggests to me that this isn't primarily meant for dueling, or at least not for sanctioned tournaments. On the other hand, we again see the ability to abuse large life totals, and in multiplayer, there will often be an opponent that won't be able to block your flier. That's All Folks
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