The Lorwyn block is a ''
Magic: The Gathering'' expert-level block consisting of two sets: ''Lorwyn'' (October 2007) and ''Morningtide'' (February 2008).
A third set, codenamed "Jelly", was originally planned as part of the Lorwyn block, but partway into the design of ''Lorwyn'', it was split into a two-set block. Jelly was revealed as ''
Shadowmoor
Shadowmoor is a '' Magic: The Gathering'' block consisting of the expansion sets ''Shadowmoor'' (released May 2, 2008) and ''Eventide'' (released July 25, 2008). The block was originally conceived as a single set that was to be released as the thi ...
'', the first set of the new two-set block. The two blocks were linked together and rotated through the official tournament formats as a single, four-expansion unit.
The primary theme of the Lorwyn block is tribalism.
Set details
Lorwyn
The designers of the set were Aaron Forsythe (lead designer),
Mark Rosewater
Mark Rosewater (born May 25, 1967) is the head designer for ''Magic: The Gathering'', a position he has held since 2003.
Biography
Rosewater grew up in Pepper Pike, Ohio. In his youth, he worked as a professional magician. Rosewater has descri ...
, 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, inspired by
Welsh folklore
Welsh folklore is the collective term for the folklore of the Welsh people. It encompasses topics related to Welsh mythology, Folklore, folk tales, customs, and oral tradition.
Welsh folklore is related to Irish folklore, Irish and Scottish folkl ...
. The plane is a pastoral world inhabited by several major races: boggarts (goblins), faeries, elves, giants, treefolk, merfolk, elementals (including the flamekin) and kithkin.
Five theme decks have been released as part of the set, one more than the standard four-per-expansion, which had been a long-time trend. The preconstructed theme decks are:
"Kithkin Militia" (White), "Merrow Riverways" (White/Blue), "Boggarts' Feast" (Black/Red), "Elvish Predation" (Black/Green), and "Elementals' Path" (White/Blue/Black/Red/Green).
Morningtide
As revealed in an advertisement in the trade publication ICv2 and later confirmed by
Mark Rosewater
Mark Rosewater (born May 25, 1967) is the head designer for ''Magic: The Gathering'', a position he has held since 2003.
Biography
Rosewater grew up in Pepper Pike, Ohio. In his youth, he worked as a professional magician. Rosewater has descri ...
in his column, ''Morningtide'' expanded upon ''Lorwyn’s'' flavor and theme by focusing on at least five classes (Soldiers, Shamans, Wizards, Warriors, and Rogues) as well as a few minor class-based tribes (Druids, Archers, Knights, Clerics, and Assassins) in addition to the eight races of Lorwyn (Kithkin, Merfolk, Faeries, Elementals
lamekin and Greater Goblins, Giants, Treefolk, and Elves).
Additionally, the three new mechanics keywords
Prowl,
Reinforce
In behavioral psychology, reinforcement refers to consequences that increase the likelihood of an organism's future behavior, typically in the presence of a particular '' antecedent stimulus''. For example, a rat can be trained to push a lever ...
, and
Kinship
In anthropology, kinship is the web of social relationships that form an important part of the lives of all humans in all societies, although its exact meanings even within this discipline are often debated. Anthropologist Robin Fox says that ...
were introduced in this expansion.
Four preconstructed theme decks were released as part of the set. The theme decks are "Battalion" (White/Blue), "Going Rogue" (Blue/Black), "Shamanism" (White/Black/Green), and "Warrior's Code" (Red/Green).
Tribal
The block has a tribal theme, now referred to in game as kindred, which focuses heavily on creature subtypes. The tribes of Lorwyn are composed of eight primary creature types.
Each of these are represented by a primary color, as well as one or two others:
Mechanics
''Lorwyn'' saw the release of an entirely new card type,
the
Planeswalker
The rules of the collectible card game, collectible card role-playing game ''Magic: The Gathering'' were originally developed by the game's creator, Richard Garfield, and accompanied the first version of the game in 1993. The game's rules have fre ...
.
This marked the first time that Wizards of the Coast added a new card type to the game since the initial Magic: The Gathering release ''
Alpha
Alpha (uppercase , lowercase ) is the first letter of the Greek alphabet. In the system of Greek numerals, it has a value of one. Alpha is derived from the Phoenician letter ''aleph'' , whose name comes from the West Semitic word for ' ...
'', other than the type "Tribal". A single tribal card, , was printed as a future-shifted card in ''
Future Sight
The future is the time after the past and present. Its arrival is considered inevitable due to the existence of time and the laws of physics. Due to the apparent nature of reality and the unavoidability of the future, everything that currently e ...
''. Another significant creature type is the shapeshifter type, all of which have the ability "changeling". Creature cards with the changeling ability have all creature types. This plays into the tribal mechanics which grants bonuses to specific creature types. Though these changelings count as humans for the purposes of the rules, no humans are found in the world of Lorwyn, or are printed on the cards.
This set marked another fundamental change of the game, as this was the first set to have no humans since their introduction as a creature subtype in ''
Mirrodin
Mirrodin is the name of the '' Magic: The Gathering'' expert-level block containing the ''Mirrodin'' (October 2, 2003, 306 cards), ''Darksteel'' (February 6, 2004, 165 cards) and ''Fifth Dawn'' (June 4, 2004, 165 cards) expansion sets. The Mir ...
''. (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 ''Lorwyn'' block features the new
keywords champion, clash, evoke, and hideway.
When a creature with Champion
typecomes into play, it is sacrificed unless another creature of that type the player controls is removed from the game (that card is returned to play when the card with champion leaves). 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. If a creature is played by paying its Evoke cost, it is sacrificed when it comes into play. Hideaway, which appears on a cycle of rare lands, lets the player "hide" (exiling facedown) a card "away" for later.
The new mechanics introduced in Morningtide are prowl, kinship, and reinforce. Cards may be cast for their prowl cost if the player has dealt combat damage with a Rogue, often providing some additional effect. Kinship rewards players for revealing creatures that share creature types from the top of their libraries. Reinforce allows you to discard the card with Reinforce, plus a small mana cost, to put +1/+1 counters on creatures already on the battlefield. Morningtide also has a cycle of tribal equipment.
Storyline
The Lorwyn plane is based on Welsh mythology. The plane itself resembles an idyllic land apparently locked in a midsummer state. There is no night, only perpetual daytime. Sun-dappled forests, babbling brooks, and flower-covered mountains abound throughout Lorwyn.
The inhabitants of the plane appear to be inspired by mythological creature from western Europe. Notably, the human race, while popular in other Magic sets, is completely absent. Hobbit-like beings called ''Kithkin'' take their place. Other races include the mermaid-like Merfolk,
Ent-like beings called Treefolk, Faeries, Boggarts, Elementals, and Changelings. While most of the groups live in relative harmony, the Elf race is cold and aloof, considering themselves superior and engaging in genocidal hunts against Boggarts and Elementals.
Every three hundred years a planar event occurs, known as the Great Aurora. This transforms Lorwyn into Shadowmoor, a sinister version of the former, where night is ever present. Each race dons a negative personality and become unaware of their past selves. The Elves, however, become modest and earnest-hearted. Strangely enough, the Faerie race and their queen, Oona, are unaffected during one Great Aurora manifestation. This is where the conflict of story begins.
The protagonists include Rhys, a male elf who had received tutelage from a Treefolk sage and who was later exiled from his tribe; Ashling, a female fiery elemental who assists the heroes; the Vendilion Clique, triplet faeries siblings; and the mysterious Maralen, a female elf, who, despite attempting to control the chaos of the Aurora, doesn't appear who she seems to be.
References
External links
Official Lorwyn Product Information PageLorwyn Spoiler ListMagic: The Gathering Web SiteMorningtide ReviewMorningtide Spoiler
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