Champions of Kamigawa

For the accompanying novel to Champions of Kamigawa, see Outlaw: Champions of Kamigawa.

Template:Infobox expansion Champions of Kamigawa is the thirty-third Magic expansion and was released in 2004 as the first set in the Kamigawa block.

Set details

Champions of Kamigawa is set on the plane of Kamigawa, which is thematically based on feudal japan and related legends and mythis. The plane is haunted by Spirits and Ghosts, who are in conflict with the corporeal inhabitants of the plane.

The Champions in the name of the set refer to the Legendary super-type, which replaced the creature type "Legend" with this set. Every rare creature in the set is Legendary, and some uncommon creatures are too. Champions also makes a change to the Legend rule. Whereas before another legendary permanent with the same name could not be played, from the set onward two legendary permanents with the same name cause each other to be put into the graveyard.

The set also introduces Flip cards, which have a special Card frame with the top and the bottom half of the cards holding text boxes, the bottom being upside-down, and the art of the card in the middle. If certain conditions specific to the card were met, the card could be flipped, changing into a different card permanently.

The set also made minor rules adjustments for targeting, and introduced the Evergreen Keyword "Defender", which was retroactively to all previously printed cards with the type Wall and formally detached the creature type from its rules baggage.

Champions of Kamigawa, as well as the rest of Kamigawa block, was met with mostly negative reactions from players. The fact that all rare creatures were legendary was seen as cumbersome and annoying, particularly in mirror matches. Further, Flip cards were perceived as confusing and hard to keep track off. The set also was a significant downgrade in terms of raw power and card playability, and thus was often overshadowed by its predecessor Mirrodin block and successor Ravnica block.

Setting

Champions of Kamigawa is set in Kamigawa, a plane in the multiverse of Magic based on Japanese mythology. A war between the physical world and the spirits that are the essence of everything in the physical world, tears the veil between those two worlds apart. To represent this, the cards are mostly divided into two groups, the physical beings with their regular magic, and the kami with their "arcane" magic.

Mechanics

Champions of Kamigawa introduced the keywords Bushido, Soulshift, and Splice, as well as the first sorcery and instant subtype, Arcane, and finally flip cards. Of these mechanics, the Arcane subtype, Splice onto Arcane, and Soulshift represented spirit-world magic, while the flip cards contributed to another major mechanic throughout the block: legendary creatures (and permanents). It featured, for example, the first five legendary enchantments, the Honden Shrines.

Creature types

The following creature types are introduced in this expansion: Advisor, Monk, Moonfolk, Samurai, Zubera.

The following creature types are used in this expansion but also appear in previous sets: Assassin, Barbarian, Cleric, Demon, Dragon, Fox, Goblin, Hound, Ogre, Rat, Rogue, Shaman, Snake, Soldier, Spirit, Warrior, Wizard.

Cycles

Champions of Kamigawa has ten cycles.

• Deceivers: Each of these common Spirit creatures has the abilities ": Look at the top card of your library" , and ": If that card is a land, this creature gains an ability and/or a bonus": Harsh Deceiver, Callous Deceiver, Cruel Deceiver, Brutal Deceiver, and Feral Deceiver.
• Honden: Each of these uncommon legendary Shrine Enchantments grants their owner something depending on the number of shrines they control: Honden of Cleansing Fire, Honden of Infinite Rage, Honden of Life's Web, Honden of Night's Reach, and Honden of Seeing Winds.
• Legendary Lands: Each of these rare legendary lands produces a colored mana or can be tapped to give an ability or bonus to a legendary creature: Eiganjo Castle, Minamo, School at Water's Edge, Shizo, Death's Storehouse, Shinka, the Bloodsoaked Keep, and Okina, Temple to the Grandfathers.
• Myojin: Each of these legendary Spirits comes into play with a divinity counter (if you hardcasted them) and is indestructible as long as it has this counter. The counter can be removed for a powerful effect: Myojin of Cleansing Fire, Myojin of Infinite Rage, Myojin of Life's Web, Myojin of Night's Reach, and Myojin of Seeing Winds.
• Spirit Dragons: Each of these rare legendary Dragon Spirit creatures costs six mana, has flying in addition to an ability when the creature is put into a graveyard from play: Yosei, the Morning Star, Keiga, the Tide Star, Kokusho, the Evening Star, Ryusei, the Falling Star and Jugan, the Rising Star.
• Zubera: Each of these common 1/2 Zubera Spirit creatures costs C and has a triggered ability when it goes to the graveyard that grows with each Zubera put into a graveyard from play this turn: Silent-Chant Zubera, Floating-Dream Zubera, Ashen-Skin Zubera, Ember-Fist Zubera, and Dripping-Tongue Zubera.
• Rare Flip Creatures: Each of these rare humanoid creatures enters the battlefield as a humble youth and flips to become a legendary master: Kitsune Mystic, Jushi Apprentice, Nezumi Shortfang, Akki Lavarunner, and Budoka Gardener.
• Uncommon Flip Creatures: Each of these uncommon humanoid creatures enters the battlefield as a humble youth and flips to become a legendary master: Bushi Tenderfoot, Student of Elements, Nezumi Graverobber, Initiate of Blood, and Orochi Eggwatcher.
• Slow lands: Each of these dual lands produces either or one of two allied colors of mana. If tapped for colored mana, they do not untap during their controller's next untap step. They are functional reprints of the allied dual lands in Tempest: Cloudcrest Lake, Waterveil Cavern, Lantern-Lit Graveyard, Pinecrest Ridge, and Tranquil Garden.
• Flash Enchant Creatures: Each of these aura enchantments has flash and enchant creature: Indomitable Will, Mystic Restraints, Ragged Veins, Uncontrollable Anger, and Serpent Skin.

Notable Cards

In the tournament scene, Champions of Kamigawa contributed with a large number of finishers, like Kokusho, the Evening Star, Keiga, the Tide Star, Yosei, the Morning Star and Meloku the Clouded Mirror. It also provided excellent green mana fixing, like Sakura-Tribe Elder and Kodama's Reach, and an arsenal of cards that fueled multiple colored control decks, such as Gifts Ungiven. A notable sideboard card was also found in Cranial Extraction.

• Time Stop — Rules had to be added to the Comprehensive Rules for ending the turn thanks to this card.
• Sensei's Divining Top — A card which saw widespread tournament play due to the ability of setting up advantageous draws repeatedly and functioning as an emergency card-draw. The card was later banned in Extended and Modern, not due to power concerns but because the card tended to slow the game down immensely and was thus detrimental to tournament play. It is also a key piece in the a lock with Counterbalance (printed later in Coldsnap) due to its ability to change the card Counterbalance would reveal at instant-speed. Divining Top could also place itself on top of the library, making any spell with converted mana cost of 1 impossible to resolve.

Reprinted cards

The following cards have been reprinted from previous sets and included in Champions of Kamigawa.

• Befoul — was last seen in 7th Edition.
• Lure — was last seen in 8th Edition.
• Stone Rain — was last seen in 8th Edition.

Functional reprints

Champions of Kamigawa has 16 functional reprints:

• Jukai Messenger is a functional reprint of Zodiac Rabbit from Portal Three Kingdoms, Willow Dryad from Portal and Shanodin Dryads from Seventh Edition.
• Indomitable Will is a functional reprint of Mageta's Boon from Prophecy.
• Lantern Kami is a functional reprint of Suntail Hawk from Eighth Edition.
• Moss Kami is a functional reprint of Giant Warthog from Judgment.
• Order of the Sacred Bell is a functional reprint of Golden Bear from Portal Second Age.
• Orochi Sustainer is a functional reprint of Wirewood Elf from Onslaught.
• Quiet Purity is a functional reprint of Demystify from Eighth Edition, save for subtype.
• Rag Dealer is a functional reprint of Carrion Beetles from Urza's Saga.
• River Kaijin is a functional reprint of Horned Turtle from Eighth Edition.
• Sokenzan Bruiser is a functional reprint of Rock Badger from Mercadian Masques.
• Wandering Ones is a functional reprint of Fugitive Wizard from Eighth Edition and Merfolk of the Pearl Trident from Seventh Edition.
• The cycle of ally-colored lands with ': Add to your mana pool.' and ': Add C or D to your mana pool. This land doesn't untap during your next untap step.' from Battle Royale, with exeption of Rootwater Depths, which wasn't reprinted from Tempest:
  • Cloudcrest Lake - Thalakos Lowlands,
  • Waterveil Cavern - Rootwater Depths,
  • Lantern-Lit Graveyard - Cinder Marsh,
  • Pinecrest Ridge - Mogg Hollows,
  • Tranquil Garden - Vec Townships,

Colorshifted

• Heartbeat of Spring is a colorshifted functional reprint of Mana Flare from Alpha.
• Squelch is a colorshifted functional reprint of Bind from Invasion.
• Ghostly Prison is a colorshifted functional reprint of Propaganda from Tempest

Theme decks

The preconstructed theme decks are: Template:Theme decks

External links

• Champions of Kamigawa product information page — Wizards of the Coast