Battle for Zendikar

Battle for Zendikar
Set Information
Set symbol
Themes and mechanics	Allies, Elementals, Colorless matters, Exile interaction.
Keywords/​ability words	Awaken, Converge, Devoid, Ingest, Landfall, Rally
Set size	274
Expansion code	BFZ
Development codename	Blood

Battle for Zendikar will be the 68th Magic expansion, and the first in the Battle for Zendikar block. It will be released October 2, 2015. Battle for Zendikar is a large expansion, and the Battle for Zendikar block will be the first block of the Two-Block Paradigm.

Set details

The set contains 274 cards, which is 5 more than the current default for large sets, and includes randomly inserted premium versions of all cards in the set. The expansion symbol of the set is a broken hedron. The set features special full art basic lands similar to those that appeared in Zendikar. There 25 basic lands, instead of the usual 20. The full-art versions appear in booster packs and fat packs, but not in intro packs. While allies represented adventuring parties in the last Zendikar block, they now represent the united army against the Eldrazi. This is also a battle between the colored against the colorless faction. The Eldrazi interact with the exile zone.

As a promotion to further the theme of the set, WotC randomly inserts Expedition cards into Battle for Zendikar boosters.

Storyline

Battle for Zendikar returns the storyline to Zendikar, a plane of adventure, many treasures, and potent mana supplies. The plane is littered with large, floating polyhedron-shaped stones called Hedrons, that were created by Nahiri, the Kor Lithomancer. Together with Ugin and Sorin Markov she used them to trap the horrendous Eldrazi on the plane. Thousands of years later, the meeting of Sarkhan Vol, Chandra Nalaar and Jace Beleren in the Eye of Ugin chamber unintentionally loosened the bonds that kept the Eldrazi in torpor. The Eldrazi were finally released by the elf Nissa Revane, thinking that they would leave Zendikar far behind them. She was wrong. Two years after the initial destruction, at least Ulamog is still around.

Now, Gideon Jura takes the lead of a group of planeswalkers in facing the Eldrazi alongside the residents of Zendikar. Meanwhile, the trapped planeswalker-turned-demon Ob Nixilis is desperate for a way off of the plane. A pivotal moment in the storyline is the Slaughter at Sea Gate.

Marketing

BFZ booster box, featuring Gideon Jura

Battle for Zendikar is sold in 16-card boosters (one card being a marketing card), five intro packs, one event deck and a fat pack.

Zendikar Expeditions

Zendikar Expeditions are all premium foil cards with a special Zendikari frame and a seperate expansion symbol. Thus, they are not part of the set. Zendikar Expeditions include all new art set on Zendikar and will appear slightly more often than premium mythic rares. These cards are playable in limited and formats where they're already legal. There are 25 Expedtion cards appearing with Battle for Zendikar (the 5 new dual lands, 10 shock lands and 10 fetch lands) and 20 more cards coming in Oath of the Gatewatch.

Prerelease

BFZ themed prerelease deck box

At the prerelease (September 26–27, 2015) each player will receive a special hedron-themed Prerelease pack that they can use after the event as a take-home deck box. Inside each Prerelease box, there will be six regular Battle for Zendikar Booster packs along with a randomized, date-stamped premium promo card, a spindown life counter, a deckbuilding guide and a story insert. Starting with this prerelease, seeded booster packs will no longer be used. This prerelease is the first to use the "Vancouver" mulligan rule.

Instead of getting a specific set Prerelease card or one of a small subset of Prerelease cards, starting with Battle for Zendikar players will receive a random Prerelease card in their boxes that can be one of any rare or mythic rare in the set.

Promotional cards

• Prerelease: a stamped card that can be any rare or mythic rare from the set.
• Launch promo: Blight Herder
• Game Day: full-art Stasis Snare
• Game Day (Top 8): full-art Radiant Flames
• Buy-a-Box: Ruinous Path

Tokens and emblems

1. 1/1 Kor Ally for Retreat to Emeria
2. 2/2 Knight Ally for Gideon, Ally of Zendikar
3. 8/8 Octopus for Kiora, Master of the Depths
4. 5/5 Dragon with flying for Dragonmaster Outcast
5. 1/1 Plant for Grovetender Druids
6. Template:Rg 5/5 Elemental for Omnath, Locus of Rage
7. 1/1 Eldrazi Scion for Blight Herder, Brood Butcher, Catacomb Sifter, Drowner of Hope, From Beyond, Incubator Drone, and Spawning Bed
8. 10/10 Eldrazi for Desolation Twin
9. Emblem for Gideon, Ally of Zendikar
10. Emblem for Kiora, Master of the Depths
11. Emblem for Ob Nixilis Reignited

Themes and mechanics

Eldrazi , Colorless matters , colorless instants, allies and landfall make a return from the Zendikar block. Landfall now sometimes is land specific.

There are at five new named mechanics:

• Devoid (This card has no color)
• Ingest (Whenever this creature deals combat damage to a player, that player exiles the top card of his or her library)
• Awaken N — (cost) (If you cast this card for (cost), also put N +1/+1 counters on target land you control and it becomes a 0/0 Elemental creature with haste. It's still a land)
• Rally, an ability word that gives an advantageous effect whenever an ally enters the battlefield. This is a tweak of the unnamed ally mechanic of the Zendikar block.
• Converge, an ability word that gives an advantageous effect for each color of mana used to cast the spell.

A remarkable mechanic is featured on Void Winnower, which cares about "even converted mana cost".

Card types

Battle for Zendikar introduces the creature types Scion and Processor.

• Eldrazi Scions are very similar to Eldrazi Spawn, but are 1/1 instead of 0/1. They're created by Eldrazi-themed spells in a variety of ways and all have the ability "Sacrifice this creature: Add to your mana pool."
• Processor is an additional creature type for some Eldrazi. Each one has an ability that requires you to put your opponent's exiled cards into their graveyard for some effect.

Cycles

Battle for Zendikar has at least six cycles:

• Allied color tangolands: A cycle of rare tapland dual lands that enter the battlefield tapped unless the player controls two or more basic lands (reverse of the scar lands) — Prairie Stream, Sunken Hollow, Smoldering Marsh, Cinder Glade and Canopy Vista.
• Common feature lands: A cycle of common taplands that does have additional effects when they enter the battlefield and can be tapped for C. — Sandstone Bridge, Skyline Cascade, Mortuary Mire, Looming Spires, Fertile Thicket
• Uncommon colorless lands: A cycle of uncommon lands that tap for one colorless mana, and can be sacrificed to activate an ability with a mono-colored activation cost. — Blighted Cataract
• Color-specific landfall cards: A cycle of rare creatures with landfall that does have a different effect when a land with a specific basic land type does enters the battlefield. Each are named after locations. — Guardian of Tazeem, Guul Draz Overseer, Akoum Hellkite and Oran-Rief Hydra
• Enemy-Colored Uncommons: A cycle of uncommon creatures with enemy-colored mana costs. — Drana's Emissary, Herald of Kozilek, Catacomb Sifter, Resolute Blademaster, Skyrider Elf.
• Retreats: A cycle of uncommon enchantments with a modal landfall triggered effect — Retreat to Emeria, Retreat to Coralhelm, retreat to Hagra, Retreat to Kazandu, Retreat to Valakut.

Reprinted cards

• Rolling Thunder, first printed in Tempest (last seen in Planechase).
• Felidar Sovereign, first printed in Zendikar
• Sylvan Scrying, first printed in Mirrodin (last seen in Tenth Edition).
• Dragonmaster Outcast, first printed in Worldwake

Card comparisons

Functional reprints

• Felidar Cub is a functional reprint of Kami of Ancient Law from Champions of Kamigawa, Ronom Unicorn from Coldsnap and Keening Apparition from Return to Ravnica, save for creature type.

Strictly better

• Guardian of Tazeem is strictly better than Air Elemental.
• Hedron Archive is strictly better than Sisay's Ring and Ur-Golem's Eye.
• Sheer Drop is strictly better than Vengeance.
• Skyrider Elf is strictly better than Gaea's Skyfolk.
• Crumble to Dust is strictly better than Sowing Salt.