Conflux

For the event in the storyline, see Conflux (event)

Template:Expansion Conflux is the second set in the Alara block and is the forty-ninth Magic expansion. The prerelease events for this set were held January 31-February 1, 2009. Launch parties were held February 6-8, 2009. The set went on sale February 6, 2009.

Set details

Conflux was the first set to be sold in 6-card booster packs containing a tips/token card, 1 land, 3 commons, 1 uncommon, and 1 slot that has an equal chance of being rare/mythic, uncommon, or common. These packs are exclusively available from Gravity Feeds at large mass-market stores.

The promotional card given to players at the pre-release was the demon-dragon Malfegor. The set's sub-theme of all five colors converging was demonstrated in the launch party promotional, Obelisk of Alara, an artifact with five tap abilities, each one costing 1C and producing a common effect found in that color.

On September 29, 2008, the entire Conflux card list was leaked on MTG Salvation, thanks to mjmj.info.

Mechanics

In Conflux, Domain became an ability word, also introduced basic land cycling for which there is a cycle of common cards (also regular cycling appears on two cards).

“

All the shard keywords are back. Colored artifact creatures are still here. Bant still have their exalted ability. Jund still devour. Grixis raise their dead by unearth and Naya's "power 5 or greater" theme continues. In many ways, Conflux is a big continuation of Shards of Alara.

”

Marketing cards

Boosters of Conflux come with a bonus sixteenth card that is either a "tips & tricks card" or a creature token from Conflux. One face of the Conflux bonus card has one of four different rules tips or is one of 2 different creature tokens. The other face has one of 13 advertisements for organized play programs, Alara Reborn, Duel of the Planeswalker (Xbox game) fox Xbox Live, Magic Online, fat packs, A Planeswalkers Guide to Alara and Ultra Pro products for Magic.

Tips & Tricks

The tips & tricks cards are

• Theme: Cards
• Rules Tip: Domain
• A Threat to Alara: Nicol Bolas
• Fun Format: Pack Wars

Tokens

The Conflux tokens are:

• 4/4 Angel with flying produced by Sigil of the Empty Throne
• 3/1 Elemental produced by Rakka Mar
• 1/1 Soldier produced by Martial Coup (Shards_of_Alara set token)
• 2/2 Zombie produced by Grixis Slavedriver (Shards_of_Alara set token)
• 1/1 Saproling produced by Spore Burst, Tukatongue Thallid (Shards_of_Alara set token)

Flavor

A powerful and infinitely sinister force is conspiring to reunite the Shards of Alara. This reunification will come with a deadly price – sheer chaos, as realities begin to overlap. Thus begins the Conflux.

Cycles

Conflux has 8 cycles:

• Basic landcyclers: These common instants and sorceries have one effect that is relatively overcosted, and basic landcycling for C — Absorb Vis, Fiery Fall, Gleam of Resistance, Sylvan Bounty, and Traumatic Visions.
• Common allied-colored spells: Each of these common spells has a mana cost that includes two allied-colored mana — Esper Cormorants, Vectis Agents, Suicidal Charge, Exploding Borders, and Rhox Bodyguard.
• Creatures with shard-colored activated abilities: Each of these uncommon creatures has an activated ability which costs both allied-colored mana — Aerie Mystics, Scornful Æther-Lich, Dreadwing, Viashino Slaughtermaster, and Sacellum Archers.
• Enemy-color hosers: Each of these uncommon spells hampers both of their enemy colors at a low mana cost — Celestial Purge, Controlled Instincts, Corrupted Roots, Ignite Disorder, and Filigree Fracture.
• Outlanders: These common 2/2 allied-colored scout creatures each have protection from their enemy color — Goblin Outlander (red/black), Nacatl Outlander (green/red), Valeron Outlander (white/green), Vedalken Outlander (blue/white), and Zombie Outlander (black/blue).
• Rare shard-colored creatures: Each of these rare creatures has a mana cost that includes CDE — Giltspire Avenger, Magister Sphinx, Blood Tyrant, Charnelhoard Wurm, and Meglonoth.
• Uncommon allied-colored spells: Each of these uncommon spells has a mana cost that includes two allied-colored mana — Jhessian Balmgiver, Countersquall, Shambling Remains, Hellkite Hatchling, and Vagrant Plowbeasts.
• Uncommon shard-colored spells: Each of these uncommon spells has a mana cost that includes CDE — Skyward Eye Prophets, Sludge Strider, Elder Mastery, Scarland Thrinax, and Knotvine Mystic.

Mini-cycles

Conflux has three cycles of three cards:

• Esper artifact-enhanced creatures: Each of these common artifact creatures gets better the more artifacts you play — Court Homunculus, Faerie Mechanist, Salvage Slasher.
• Esper scepters: Each of these rare artifacts is a colored version of an artifact from alpha — Scepter of Dominance, Scepter of Insight, Scepter of Fugue.
• Uncommon creature: Each of these uncommon 2/2 creatures has a mana cost of C and an ability that gives them bonuses for — Dragonsoul Knight, Fleshformer, Paragon of the Amesha.

Notable Cards

• Knight of the Reliquary — heavily played in Standard midrange decks, also to the lesser extent in Extended and Legacy.
• Maelstrom Archangel — a very popular Mythic rare which allows its controller to play a free spell whenever it does damage. In Standard Five-Color-Control decks, this was typically the engine by which players could play Nicol Bolas, Planeswalker
• Nicol Bolas, Planeswalker — a highly sought-after card when it first came out; has since shown to have little competitive-play value, due to its unruly mana cost, but is still valued reasonably as a noteworthy and flavorful card; a favorite of Timmy and Vorthos. Notable in being the first tri-colored Planeswalker.
• Noble Hierarch — often used in various formats mostly for mana fixing and acceleration.
• Path to Exile — considered a near-functional reprint of Swords to Plowshares, and is run in many decks in Legacy, Extended and Standard.
• Progenitus — one of the most powerful creatures, often played in combo decks in Standard, Extended and Legacy.

Reprinted cards

• Mana Cylix — last seen in Planeshift.
• Maniacal Rage — last seen in Invasion.
• Unsummon — last seen in 10th Edition.
• Worldly Counsel — last seen in Invasion.

Functional reprints

Conflux has 7 functional reprints:

• Canyon Minotaur is a functional reprint of Hill Giant from 10th Edition, Tor Giant from Ice Age, Ogre Warrior from Starter 1999, Barbarian Horde from Portal Three Kingdoms and Wild Jhovall from Mercadian Masques, save for creature type.
• Might of Alara is a functional reprint of Gaea's Might from Planeshift.
• Nacatl Savage is a functional reprint of Tel-Jilad Chosen from Mirrodin, save for creature type.
• The multicolored protection Bears cycle is a functional reprint of a cycle in Invasion, save for Vedalken Outlander, which is an artifact, while Galina's Knight is not, the others only differ in creature types. They are:
  • Zombie Outlander is a functional reprint of Vodalian Zombie.
  • Goblin Outlander is a functional reprint of Shivan Zombie.
  • Nacatl Outlander is a functional reprint of Yavimaya Barbarian.
  • Valeron Outlander is a functional reprint of Llanowar Knight.

Intro packs

The intro packs are: Template:Intro packs

External links

• Conflux product information page — Wizards of the Coast
• "Magic Arcana" (Wednesday, July 30, 2008). "Announcing Conflux". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.