Zendikar Rising

Zendikar Rising

 

Expeditions

 

Commander decks

 

Art Series

 

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Welcome booster

 

Zendikar Rising
[[File:{{#setmainimage:ZNR logo.png}}|250px]]
Set Information
Set symbol
Symbol description	A Skyclave
Design	Mark Rosewater (lead) Andrew Veen Erik Lauer Tom Ross George Fan Mark Heggen
Development	Erik Lauer (co-lead) Andrew Brown (co-lead) Melissa DeTora Ian Duke Michael Majors Jules Robins Jiachen Tao Reggie Valk
Art direction	Keven Smith
Release date	September 25, 2020
Plane	Zendikar
Themes and mechanics	Lands, creature class tribal, Party, modal double-faced cards, two-brid mana, ETB-attach Equipment
Keywords/​ability words	Kicker, Landfall
Set size	280 cards (101 commons, 80 uncommons, 64 rares, 20 mythic rares, 15 basic lands) +9 borderless cards +24 showcase cards +66 extended art cards +5 regular frame lands +1 Buy-a-Box promo +1 Bundle promo +5 dark-frame promos
Expansion code	ZNR
Development codename	Diving
Forgotten Realms Standard
Zendikar Rising Kaldheim Strixhaven: School of Mages
Magic: The Gathering Chronology
Secret Lair Drop Series: April Fools Zendikar Rising Zendikar Rising Expeditions

Expansion symbol

Zendikar Rising is the 85th Magic expansion. It was released on September 25, 2020.

Set details

“

Adventure Awaits

”

As Mark Rosewater announced "we return to a Zendikar without Eldrazi and revisit the adventure world players fell in love with." It is a "land set" in the sense of the sets of the first Zendikar block, and all about adventure, exploration and reward.

Zendikar Rising contains 280 regular cards (101 commons, 80 uncommons, 64 rares, 20 mythic rares, 15 basic lands) and includes randomly inserted premium versions of all cards. Cards with alternate card frames have another card number than the original version. Like all previous Zendikar sets, Zendikar Rising features full-art basic lands (#266-280). Borderless planeswalkers are numbered #281-283, borderless pathways are #284-289, showcase cards are numbered #290-313, extended artwork cards are numbered #314-379, and regular frame lands are numbered #380-384. The (non-exclusive) Buy-a-Box is #385, and the Bundle promo is numbered #386. Finally there are the FNM-treatment cards from the Universal promo pack numbered #387-391. Both regular and foil versions of the cards above #280 may be found in the Collector Boosters.

Hedron showcase treatment.

The Showcase cards are connected to Landfall mechanic. The card frame is themed around Zendikar’s hedrons, and the art style is intended to imitate bright-colored Travel Posters. The set features no new planeswalkers. The returning planeswalkers are Jace, Nissa, and Nahiri. Starting with Zendikar Rising, the mythic rares are changing their rate of drop. In the past, 1 in every 8 rares was a mythic rare. That is changed so that 1 in every 7.4 rares will be a mythic rare. Equivalently, this is an increased chance, from 37 in 296 packs previously, to 40 in 296 packs now. Draft boosters have a dedicated MDFC slot.

Storyline

Zendikar is a dangerous world of lethal risks where brave adventurers delve into ancient ruins in search of priceless rewards. The storyline features no Eldrazi but we see the ruin they have caused. From the perspective of its inhabitants, it is a hostile place that seems to be actively trying to kill the creatures that have the audacity to live there. The danger is unrelenting: precarious terrain, cunning predators, natural disasters on a massive scale, and the still continuing Roil — the unpredictable ripples of change that wash through the land — all present a constant challenge to survival. Nahiri has returned to Zendikar, and is willing to do anything to get rid of the Roil. Nissa has also returned home, but for reasons of her own.

The cards that represent the Story Spotlights in Zendikar Rising are:

• Lithoform Engine
• Lithoform Blight
• Maddening Cacophony
• Nahiri's Binding
• Nahiri's Lithoforming
• Nissa's Zendikon

Magic Story

Title	Author	Release Date	Setting	Featuring
Episode 1: In the Heart of the Skyclave	A. T. Greenblatt	2020-09-02	Zendikar, Ravnica	Nahiri, Nissa, Jace
Red Route	Miguel Lopez	2020-09-04	Zendikar	Akiri, Zareth San
Episode 2: Race to the Murasa Skyclave	A. T. Greenblatt	2020-09-09	Zendikar	Nahiri, Kesenya, Akiri, Kaza, Orah, Zareth San, Jace, Mara, Nissa
The Magosi Steps	Miguel Lopez	2020-09-10	Zendikar	Akiri, Zareth San, Verazol
Episode 3: The Dangerous Climb, The Long Fall	A. T. Greenblatt	2020-09-16	Zendikar	Nahiri, Akiri, Zareth San, Orah, Kaza
Beneath Riverroot Tree	A. Z. Louise	2020-09-18	Zendikar	Obuun, Nezzan, Dykaar, Ayya
Episode 4: Of Haunting Songs and Whispered Warnings	A. T. Greenblatt	2020-09-23	Zendikar	Akiri, Nahiri, Nissa, Jace, Ashaya
Hunger	Brandon O'Brien	2020-09-25	Zendikar	Anowon, Tarsa, Nadino, Eret, Orien, Grakmaw, Jolly
Episode 5: The Two Guardians	A. T. Greenblatt	2020-09-30	Zendikar	Nissa, Jace, Nahiri, Ashaya

Marketing

Set Booster

Adventure gear given out to content creators

Zendikar Rising is sold in regular 16-card Draft Boosters (one card being a marketing card), Theme Boosters, Collector Boosters, Set Boosters, the Zendikar Rising bundle, and two Commander decks. A special Gift Edition of the Bundle will release in November 2020. The set is accompanied by a new Welcome Booster. The Draft Boosters feature artwork from Jace, Nahiri and Nissa. The Theme Boosters feature art from Adventure Awaits (Party), Archpriest of Iona (), Field Research (), Blackbloom Rogue (), Teeterpeak Ambusher (), and Murasa Brute (). The Collector Boosters feature art of Omnath, Locus of Creation. The Set Boosters feature art from Needleverge Pathway.

As part of the advertisement campaign for the set, content creators were provided with adventure gear (a water bottle, a bandanna, and a face mask).

The release of Secret Lair Drop Series: Showcase: Zendikar Revisited was timed to coincide with the release of Zendikar Rising.

Set boosters and the List

Zendikar Rising introduced Set Boosters. These are targeted to players that are not interested in Draft or Limited, and sell for a slightly higher price than Draft Boosters. Each pack comes with fourteen objects, twelve of which are Magic cards.

One of the objects in the Set Booster is an Art card. Art cards were last seen with Modern Horizons.

In 25% of the Set Boosters, cards of "The List" can be found instead of a marketing card. The List is a changing catalogue of 300 cards from older sets. These are not Standard legal. In addition, in 5% of the Set Boosters, the marketing card is replaced by a minigame card.

Expeditions

Similar to the original Zendikar Priceless Treasures and Zendikar Expeditions of the second block, Zendikar Rising has its own version of bonus cards from outside the set. There are 30 Expeditions in total, all of which are lands. These include all 10 fetch lands. Unlike those earlier cards, these do not randomly appear in booster packs. Instead, they are only available as Box toppers (non-foil with a high-gloss treatment) and in Collector Boosters (foil).

Events

• Magic Online and MTG Arena release: September 17.
• Tabletop Prerelease: September 18–24.
  • Each player purchasing a Prerelease Pack was given one Zendikar Rising Set Booster.
• Launch party (Outside US & LATAM only): September 26–27.
• Friday Night Magic (Outside US & LATAM only): September 25–January 15.
• Commander Nights (Outside US & LATAM only): September 28–January 14. A weekly Commander league with rotating rules and achievement-based prizes.

Promotional cards

• 

  Bundle

  Prerelease: a stamped card that can be any rare or mythic rare of Zendikar Rising.
• Other events: cards from the Zendikar Rising universal promo pack.
  • Doesn't contain modal double-faced cards.
  • The seasonal dark-frame promos are: Into the Roil, Bloodchief's Thirst, Roil Eruption, Roiling Regrowth, and Kargan Warleader.
• Buy-a-Box: foil alternate art extended art Orah, Skyclave Hierophant.

• 

  Gift Edition Bundle

  Bundle promo: foil alternate art Charix, the Raging Isle.

Tokens

The sixteenth card in the Draft Boosters is either a token with advertisements on the backside, or a helper card with a standard card back. The Collector Boosters contain a foil double-sided token. In total, Zendikar Rising comes with twelve tokens.

1. 4/4 Angel Warrior creature with flying, for Emeria's Call.
2. 1/1 Cat creature, for Attended Healer.
3. 2/2 Cat Beast creature, for Felidar Retreat.
4. 1/1 Kor Warrior creature, for Nahiri, Heir of the Ancients and Squad Commander.
5. 2/2 Drake creature with flying, for Roost of Drakes.
6. */* Illusion creature, for Inscription of Insight and Skyclave Apparition.
7. 1/1 Insect creature, for Iridescent Hornbeetle, Scute Swarm and Swarm Shambler.
8. 0/1 Plant creature, for Phylath, World Sculptor.
9. */* Hydra creature, for Grakmaw, Skyclave Ravager.
10. 1/1 Construct artifact creature for Myriad Construct.
11. 0/1 Goblin Construct artifact creature with "This creature can't block" and "At the beginning of your upkeep, this creature deals 1 damage to you," for Relic Robber.
12. Copy, for Lithoform Engine, Jace, Mirror Mage, Scute Swarm, Skyclave Relic and Verazol, the Split Current.

The Zendikar Rising Commander Decks also come with 10 double-sided tokens each. In total, there are eleven different token faces, all using the ZNC set code and set symbol.

1. 1/1 Bird creature with flying, for Emeria Angel
2. 1/1 Kor Ally creature, for Retreat to Emeria
3. 1/1 Faerie Rogue creature with flying, for Notorious Throng
4. 0/0 Germ creature, for Bonehoard and Scytheclaw
5. 1/1 Goblin Rogue creature, for Marsh Flitter
6. 1/1 Rat creature, for Ogre Slumlord
7. 4/4 Beast creature, for Rampaging Baloths
8. 2/2 Elemental creature, for Zendikar's Roil
9. 1/1 Saproling creature, for Sporemound
10. 5/5 Elemental creature, for Omnath, Locus of Rage
11. 1/1 Thopter artifact creature with flying, for Whirler Rogue

Oona, Queen of the Fae creates 1/1 Faerie Rogue creature with flying, which aren't provided with the deck.

Themes and mechanics

Helper card

A new mechanic in Zendikar Rising takes a popular theme that players like and twists it in a new way: party, a batching mechanic which resembles the ally tribal strategy of previous Zendikar visits. (Allies themselves do not appear in the set.) A party looks for one of each of Clerics, Rogues, Warriors and Wizards among creatures you control, then scales an effect on the size of the party.

The second new mechanic is modal double-faced cards (MDFCs). Like previous double-faced cards, modal double-faced cards have two faces, one on each side. However, when you play a modal double-faced card, you choose the face you're playing: they don't transform. Each draft booster contains a modal double-faced card. The set also introduces helper cards: similar to the checklist cards of past sets, they can be used to replace an unsleeved card. In lieu of the abandoned block model, R&D has found a new way to tie together the three non-core premier sets in a single Magic "year" (aka the fall, winter, and spring sets—using northern hemisphere seasons): they share a common mechanic. For Zendikar Rising, Kaldheim, and Strixhaven: School of Mages, that is MDFCs. The MDFC's of Zendikar Rising all feature lands on their back side.

There are two returning mechanics, both of which have appeared in a Zendikar set before. The first of these is kicker, a keyword ability that allows you to pay an extra cost for a bonus effect. Kicker was first featured in the Invasion block, later appeared in the original Zendikar set, and was last seen in the Dominaria expansion. This set also marks the first time a card with kicker having a multicolored cost (Moss-Pit Skeleton) is printed since Kangee, Aerie Keeper from Invasion. The second returning mechanic is landfall, an ability word for abilities that trigger on lands entering the battlefield under your control. All cards with landfall in the set receive an alternate showcase treatment.

The set also sees the return of "two-brid mana", first featured in Shadowmoor, on Tazri, Beacon of Unity. Similar to regular hybrid mana, two-brid mana symbols can be paid with two mana of any color or one mana of a specific color.

All Equipment in the set attach itself to target creature you control when it enters the battlefield ("snap-on equipment").

Card types

Zendikar Rising has a creature class tribal theme, centered on Clerics, Rogues, Warriors, and Wizards. Each class has an associated mechanic for Limited. Each color in the set showcases the four classes in varying proportions: with any two-color combination, you can have a full party with cards from only Zendikar Rising. That said, only three creatures are available in the tertiary colors in total, two in green and one in the other, not counting the "any role" vertical cycle.

It's noted that Green is present in all four classes as their tertiary colors, but in none as their primary or secondary colors. There are ten Green creatures that fill party roles; six commons, three uncommons and a rare.

Party type	Primary	Secondary	Tertiary	None	Mechanic
Cleric					Life gain
Warrior					"Snap-on" equipment (one free attachment)
Wizard					Caring about instants, sorceries, and other Wizards
Rogue					Caring about eight or more cards in an opponent's graveyard

Canyon Jerboa is the first non-token creature to feature the Mouse creature type. Tazri, Beacon of Unity is the only card to reference the Zendikar-specific Ally creature class.

Limited archetypes

Zendikar Rising features the following limited archetypes:

• : Party control (Spoils of Adventure)
• : Rogue tribal, mill (Soaring Thought-Thief)
• : Party aggro (Ravager's Mace)
• : Landfall aggro (Brushfire Elemental)
• : Landfall midrange (Murasa Rootgrazer)
• : Cleric tribal, lifegain (Cleric of Life's Bond)
• : Wizard tribal, "spells matter" (Umara Mystic)
• : +1/+1 counters (Moss-Pit Skeleton)
• : Warrior tribal, Equipment (Kargan Warleader)
• : Kicker ramp (Lullmage's Familiar)

Cycles

Zendikar Rising features fourteen cycles, including a partial cycle, a mega cycle, and two vertical cycles.

Cycle Name
Mythic Creatures	Angel of Destiny	Sea Gate Stormcaller	Scourge of the Skyclaves	Leyline Tyrant	Ancient Greenwarden
	Five mythic rare creatures with keyword abilities as well as spelled-out abilities.
Mythic Legendaries	Tazri, Beacon of Unity	Jace, Mirror Mage	Drana, the Last Bloodchief	Moraug, Fury of Akoum	Ashaya, Soul of the Wild
	Four mythic rare legendary creatures and one mythic rare planeswalker, each having a converted mana cost of three or more.
Inscriptions	—	Inscription of Insight (Zendikar Rising)	Inscription of Ruin (Zendikar Rising)	—	Inscription of Abundance (Zendikar Rising)
	An partial cycle of rare non-permanent modal spells with a kicker ability that allows the controller to choose multiple options.

Class cycles

Cycle name	Cleric	Wizard	Rogue	Warrior
Relics	Relic Vial	Relic Amulet	Relic Golem	Relic Axe
	Four uncommon artifacts, one for each of the party class types, that either reference their respective class or (for Relic Golem) synergizes with the draft subtheme of that class (i.e. mill).
Expeditioners	Expedition Healer ()	Expedition Diviner ()	Expedition Skulker ()	Expedition Champion ()
	Four common creatures, one for each of the party class types, that get stronger if you control another creature of the same type.
Full Party Creatures	Archpriest of Iona ()	Linvala, Shield of Sea Gate ()	Nimble Trapfinder ()	Squad Commander ()
	Four rare creatures, one for each of the party class types, are the only cards that trigger an ability while controlling a "full party" (the only other reference is a sorcery, Coveted Prize). Notably contained with the color pair.
Common Tertiary Creatures	Cleric of Chill Depths ()	Farsight Adept ()	Sneaking Guide ()	Highborn Vampire ()
	Four common creatures, one for each of the party class types, are the only representative of their class at common, and for the non-red creatures, the only representative playable in monocolor.
Uncommon Mirrored Pair Creatures	Attended Healer ()	Windrider Wizard ()	Shadow Stinger ()	Fireblade Charger ()
	Scion of the Swarm ()	Rockslide Sorcerer ()	Sure-Footed Infiltrator ()	Kor Blademaster ()
	Eight uncommon creatures, two for each of the party class types. Each pair develops a distinct play style: life gain for Clerics, spellcasting for Wizards, saboteur abilities for Rogues, and equipped creatures for Warriors.
Common Party Ability Creatures	Shepherd of Heroes ()	Cascade Seer ()	Drana's Silencer ()	Grotag Bug-Catcher ()
	Malakir Blood-Priest ()	Ardent Electromancer ()	Seafloor Stalker ()	Kabira Outrider ()
	Eight common creatures, two for each of the party class types. Each has a party-scaling ability.

Modal double-faced cycles

Cycle name	Side
Mythic sorceries		Emeria's Call	Sea Gate Restoration	Agadeem’s Awakening	Shatterskull Smashing	Turntimber Symbiosis
		Emeria, Shattered Skyclave	Sea Gate, Reborn	Agadeem, the Undercrypt	Shatterskull, the Hammer Pass	Turntimber, Serpentine Wood
	Five mythic rare modal double-faced sorceries, each with a land on the back side that enters the battlefield tapped unless you pay 3 life.
Rares		Ondu Inversion	Glasspool Mimic	Hagra Mauling	Valakut Awakening	Kazandu Mammoth
		Ondu Skyruins	Glasspool Shore	Hagra Broodpit	Valakut Stoneforge	Kazandu Valley
	Five rare modal double-faced cards, each with a tapland on the back side.
Uncommon creatures		Skyclave Cleric	Umara Wizard	Blackbloom Rogue	Akoum Warrior	Tangled Florahedron
		Skyclave Basilica	Umara Skyfalls	Blackbloom Bog	Akoum Teeth	Tangled Vale
	Five uncommon modal double-faced creatures, each with a tapland on the back side. The nongreen creatures have the type and name of the primary party class in their color.
Uncommon spells		Kabira Takedown	Beyeen Veil	Malakir Rebirth	Kazuul's Fury	Bala Ged Recovery
		Kabira Plateau	Beyeen Coast	Malakir Mire	Kazuul's Cliffs	Bala Ged Sanctuary
		Makindi Stampede	Silundi Vision	Pelakka Predation	Song-Mad Treachery	Khalni Ambush
		Makindi Mesas	Silundi Isle	Pelakka Caverns	Song-Mad Ruins	Khalni Territory
		Sejiri Shelter	Jwari Disruption	Zof Consumption	Spikefield Hazard	Vastwood Fortification
		Sejiri Glacier	Jwari Ruins	Zof Bloodbog	Spikefield Cave	Vastwood Thicket
	Fifteen uncommon modal double-faced instants or sorceries, each with a tapland on the back side.

Double cycles

Cycle name
Gold legends	Linvala, Shield of Sea Gate	Zareth San, the Trickster	Zagras, Thief of Heartbeats	Phylath, World Sculptor	Yasharn, Implacable Earth	Orah, Skyclave Hierophant	Kaza, Roil Chaser	Grakmaw, Skyclave Ravager	Akiri, Fearless Voyager	Verazol, the Split Current
	Ten rare dual-colored legendary creatures, each loosely supporting a draft archetype.
Gold signposts	Spoils of Adventure	Soaring Thought-Thief	Ravager's Mace	Brushfire Elemental	Murasa Rootgrazer	Cleric of Life's Bond	Umara Mystic	Moss-Pit Skeleton	Kargan Warleader	Lullmage's Familiar
	Ten uncommon dual-colored spells, each a signpost for a draft archetype.

Mega cycles

Cycle name	Side
Pathways		—	Clearwater Pathway	—	Cragcrown Pathway	Branchloft Pathway	Brightclimb Pathway	Riverglide Pathway	—	Needleverge Pathway	—
		—	Murkwater Pathway	—	Timbercrown Pathway	Boulderloft Pathway	Grimclimb Pathway	Lavaglide Pathway	—	Pillarverge Pathway	—
	Six rare modal double-faced lands, each side of which enters untapped and taps for a single color of mana. The other four are flagged for Kaldheim.

Vertical cycles

Cycle name
Multiclass creatures	Tajuru Paragon	Veteran Adventurer	Stonework Packbeast
	Each of these three creatures has a characteristic-defining ability which makes them also a Cleric, Rogue, Warrior, and Wizard. They can therefore fill any position in your party.
Goblin Rogues	Relic Robber	Grotag Night-Runner	Sneaking Guide
	Three goblin Rogues that have saboteur-based abilities. Red has three Rogues, unlike the other tertiary classes in the other three colors.

Pairs

Mirrored pair		Description
Skyclave Shadowcat ()	Iridescent Hornbeetle ()	Two uncommon creatures for the counters draft archetype that form a "soft" loop by converting creatures into counters which generate more creatures.
Hagra Constrictor ()	Gnarlid Colony ()	Two common creatures, each of which enters the battlefield with a number of +1/+1 counters and gives creatures you control with +1/+1 counters a keyword ability.
Akoum Hellhound ()	Canopy Baloth ()	Two common creatures, each has a landfall ability that gives it a +2/+2 for the turn; unlike previous Zendikar sets, only two creatures have this as opposed to a full cycle.
Territorial Scythecat ()	Prowling Felidar ()	Two common Cat creatures. Each has a landfall ability that gives it a +1/+1 counter, and another keyword ability.

Reprinted cards

The following cards have been reprinted:

• Disenchant, first printed in Alpha, last seen in Core Set 2020.
• Into the Roil, first printed in Zendikar, last seen in Commander 2018.
• Negate, first printed in Morningtide, last seen in Core Set 2020.
• Pressure Point, first printed in Fate Reforged, last seen in Mystery Booster.
• Rabid Bite, first printed in Shadows over Innistrad, last seen in Core Set 2020.
• Smite the Monstrous, first printed in Innistrad, last seen in Battle for Zendikar.
• Subtle Strike, first printed in Kaladesh.
• Tormenting Voice, first printed in Khans of Tarkir, last seen in Game Night.
• Vanquish the Weak, first printed in Ixalan.

Mythic Rare to Rare

• Lotus Cobra, first printed in Zendikar, last seen in Iconic Masters.

Functional reprints

• Cliffhaven Sell-Sword is a functional reprint of Blade of the Sixth Pride, Devilthorn Fox, Dromoka Warrior, Knight of New Benalia, Oreskos Swiftclaw, Raptor Companion and Savai Sabertooth, except for creature types.
• Dauntless Survivor is a functional reprint of Ironshell Beetle and Timberland Guide, except for creature types.
• Living Tempest is a functional reprint of Faerie Invaders, Spire Monitor, Stormrider Spirit and Wind Strider, except for creature types.
• Murasa Brute is a functional reprint of Centaur Courser, Harrier Naga and Nessian Courser, except for creature types.
• Tajuru Blightblade is a functional reprint of Moss Viper and Sedge Scorpion, except for creature types.

Preconstructed decks

Zendikar Rising introduces Commander decks that are released as a regular part of a set's product line.

Theme deck name	Color Identity					Commander
Land's Wrath	W			R	G	Obuun, Mul Daya Ancestor
Sneak Attack		U	B			Anowon, the Ruin Thief

Notable cards

• Charix, the Raging Isle has the highest printed toughness of any black-bordered creature at 17.
• Years seemingly have passed for the Teeterpeak Ambusher, improving his skills and equipment, but using the same method since he was a Reckless Bushwhacker in Oath of the Gatewatch and a just a young Goblin Bushwhacker in the Zendikar set.
• Zendikar Rising is the first draft set since Scars of Mirrodin where no Auras were designed to be placed on one's own creatures due to the prevalence of "snap-on" Equipment.
• Skyclave Apparition became the most played white creature in Modern and one of the most played creatures in the format in general thanks to its ability to permanently remove recurring threats like Uro, Titan of Nature's Wrath and Kroxa, Titan of Death's Hunger.
• Skyclave Relic is the first non-creature artifact with indestructible since Darksteel Relic from New Phyrexia, around nine years after the latter was printed.
• Moss-Pit Skeleton is the second ever gold kicker spell, after Kangee, Aerie Keeper 20 years prior in Invasion.
• The modal double-faced cards enabled in Pioneer and improved in Modern and Legacy strategies based around having no cards counting as lands in your library and winning through different means. Eventually this led to the February 2021 banning of Balustrade Spy and Undercity Informer in Pioneer, two cards that allowed you to mill your entire library and win with a critical amount of creatures that put themselves from your graveyard onto the battlefield for free.

Banned and restricted cards

• Omnath, Locus of Creation was the fourth in the series of the ever-expanding Omnath legendary creatures, adding White mana to the Temur combination. Despite the four-color mana cost it became trivially easy to cast, and the base rate of a 4/4 that draws a card and gains 4 life every turn turned aggro from a traditionally bad matchup to a laughably easy one. Decks quickly built to exploit Omnath to its full potential, with Lotus Cobra managing the color requirements and Escape to the Wilds or Genesis Ultimatum being ways to continuously hit four or five land drops a turn, playing almost as a Storm deck. The deck was weakened with the Uro, Titan of Nature's Wrath banning, but that merely took away one avenue of long-game inevitability, and controlling a deck with so much mana was nearly impossible. A second build hybridized Omnath with the Adventures deck, making a ramp strategy with enough interaction that only the pure Omnath ramp decks would overpower. After a 70% metagame domination at the 2020 Grand Finals, Omnath was banned in Standard alongside Lucky Clover (part of the Omnath Adventures shell) and Escape to the Wilds. The card was simultaneously suspended in Historic, and later banned in February 2021, but with the creation of Alchemy it was rebalanced into A-Omnath, Locus of Creation and unbanned.

External links

• Zendikar Rising Teaser (Video). Magic: The Gathering. YouTube (August 24, 2020).
• Zendikar Rising Official Trailer (Video). Magic: The Gathering. YouTube (September 1, 2020).
• The Zendikar Adventuring Party (Video). Magic: The Gathering. YouTube (September 1, 2020).
• Blake Rasmussen (September 17, 2020). "Zendikar Rising Art Descriptions". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
• Mark Rosewater (September 28, 2020). "Zendikar Rising Vision Design Handoff Document". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
• Mark Rosewater (October 5, 2020). "Odds & Ends: Zendikar Rising". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
• Mark Rosewater (October 9, 2023). "Lessons Learned, Part 6". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.