Shards of Alara

Template:Expansion Shards of Alara is the first set in the Alara block. The prerelease events for this set were held on September 27-28, 2008. Release events were held on October 3, 2008, the same day the set went on sale.

Set details

Shards of Alara introduced a new rarity level called mythic rare, as well as the replacement of one of the commons in a booster pack with a basic land.

A mythic rare card is approximately twice as rare as a rare card from the same set. Mythic rare cards have a red-orange expansion symbol.

Starting with the Shards of Alara set, each booster pack contains the following: one basic land, ten commons, three uncommons, one rare or mythic rare, and 1 non-game marketing card (which may be a token). If the pack happens to contain a foil premium card, it will do so in place of one of the commons, regardless of that premium card's rarity. (Every game card in the set can appear as a regular card or as a premium card.)

Collector numbers

Shards of Alara contains many colored artifacts. These cards were sorted alphabetically into their color when determining collector numbers. For example, the colored artifact Executioner's Capsule (which requires to cast) is placed alphabetically between the black cards Dregscape Zombie and Fleshbag Marauder. Colored artifacts which require multiple colors are alphabetized among the multicolored cards. As usual, the artifacts which have a colorless casting cost are alphabetized together and appear numerically between the multicolored cards and the nonbasic lands.

Mechanics

Though the set as a whole has multicolored cards as an overarching theme, due to the setting being split into five "shards" with no contact with each other, each shard was given its own distinct mechanical theme.

• Bant: The shard of Bant was given the Exalted ability, which reads, "Whenever a creature you control attacks alone, that creature gets +1/+1 until end of turn."
• Esper: The shard of Esper was given an emphasis on artifacts, including the first widespread use of artifacts with colored casting costs (Sarcomite Myr and Reaper King were earlier forays into this design space).
• Grixis: The shard of Grixis was given the Unearth ability, which reads, "X: Return this creature from your graveyard to play. It gains haste. Remove it from the game at end of turn or if it would leave play. Unearth only as a sorcery."
• Jund: The shard of Jund was given the Devour N ability, which reads, "As this comes into play, you may sacrifice any number of creatures. This creature comes into play with N +1/+1 counters on it."
• Naya: The shard of Naya was given an emphasis on creatures with power of 5 or greater, "5-power matters".

Shards of Alara also featured the return of cycling for the third time (or fourth, including Future Sight) since the Urza block.

Marketing cards

Like Morningtide and Shadowmoor boosters before them, boosters of Shards of Alara come with a bonus sixteenth card that is either a "flavor/shard card", instead of the usual "rules card", or a creature token from Shards of Alara. One face of the Shards of Alara bonus card has one of five shard flavor cards or is one of nine different creature tokens. The other face has one of six advertisements for organized play programs, Conflux , Duel Decks: Jace vs. Chandra, fat packs, magicthegathering.com, Magic Online, A Planeswalkers Guide to Alara and Ultra Pro products for Magic.

Rules cards

The rules cards are "Bant - Keyword: Exalted", "Esper - Theme: Colored Artifacts", "Grixis - Keyword: Unearth", "Jund - Keyword: Devour", "Naya - Theme: Power 5 or Greater".

Tokens

The Shards of Alara tokens are:

• white 1/1 Soldier
• blue artifact 0/1 Homunculus
• blue artifact 1/1 Thopter with flying
• black 1/1 Skeleton with ": Regenerate this creature."
• black 2/2 Zombie
• red 4/4 Dragon with flying
• red 1/1 Goblin
• green */* Ooze
• green 1/1 Saproling
• red, green and white 8/8 Beast

Flavor

“

Five worlds share one fate.

”

In light of the flavor of the shards, Shards of Alara launch parties (October 3–6, 2008) will be Wizards Play Network events that feature a new format: the Theme Tournament. Designed to highlight the fun and flavorful aspects of the Shards of Alara set, the Theme Tournaments have the same structure as the prerelease tournaments (Sealed Deck format in which each player receives one tournament pack and three boosters), with a few additional rules.

As players build their decks, they must choose one of the five shards (Bant, Esper, Grixis, Jund, or Naya). The mana cost of each card in a player's deck may contain only mana symbols that match the chosen shard's three colors. (Mana symbols in a card's text box are ignored.) Colorless cards may be played in any deck. In addition, a deck may not generate mana outside its shard's colors. Any card which would generate mana of a color that doesn't match the chosen shard generates colorless mana instead.

Planes Explorer

Planes Explorer is a Flash object that allows one to explore the flavor of the five shards of Alara.

• 

  A shard of rolling hills, forests and glittering beaches. The landscape is dotted with beautiful high-rising castles.

• 

  The sophisticated beauty of this shard is etched into every artifact, city, and even the faces of some of the inhabitants.

• 

  The inhabitants of this hellish shard are either buying power at a high price or spiraling out of sanity and into despair.

• 

  Goblins, lizardmen, and humans scour this shard for food and power, but all here are ruled by fearsome dragons.

• 

  The lush growth and rich natural beauty of this shard sometimes masks the savage dangers of the jungle.

• 

Cycles

Shards of Alara has 18 cycles:

• Allied-colored two-drops: Each of these common creatures requires one mana each of two allied colors to cast — Deft Duelist, Tidehollow Strix, Goblin Deathraiders, Rip-Clan Crasher, and Steward of Valeron.
• Battlemages: Each of these uncommon 2/2 human creatures costs C and has two activated abilities corresponding to each of its allied colors — Bant Battlemage, Esper Battlemage, Grixis Battlemage, Jund Battlemage, and Naya Battlemage.
• Charms: Each of these uncommon instants costs CDE and has three modes — Bant Charm, Esper Charm, Grixis Charm, Jund Charm, and Naya Charm.
• Common allied-colored spells: Each of these common allied-colored spells has two effects — Hindering Light, Agony Warp, Blightning, Branching Bolt, and Sigil Blessing.
• Common one-drops: Each of these common 1/1 creatures costs one mana — Akrasan Squire, Cathartic Adept, Deathgreeter, Goblin Mountaineer, and Wild Nacatl.
• Common tricolored creatures: Each of these common creatures has a mana cost that includes CDE — Waveskimmer Aven, Windwright Mage, Kederekt Creeper, Carrion Thrash, and Rakeclaw Gargantuan.
• Heralds: Each of these uncommon 1/1 creatures has a converted mana cost of and has an activated ability with the cost "C, , Sacrifice a creature of this creature's color plus one of each of its allied colors" that allows you to search your library for its corresponding noble creature (see below) and put it into play — Angel's Herald, Sphinx's Herald, Demon's Herald, Dragon's Herald, and Behemoth's Herald.
• Mythic legends: Each of these mythic rare legendary creatures has a mana cost that includes CDE — Rafiq of the Many, Sharuum the Hegemon, Sedris the Traitor King, Kresh the Bloodbraided, and Mayael the Anima.
• Noble creatures: Each of these mythic rare creatures has a mana cost of CDDE — Empyrial Archangel, Sphinx Sovereign, Prince of Thralls, Hellkite Overlord, and Godsire.
• Obelisks: Each of these common artifacts can be tapped to add one of three mana to your mana pool — Obelisk of Bant, Obelisk of Esper, Obelisk of Grixis, Obelisk of Jund, and Obelisk of Naya.
• Panoramas: Each of these common lands can be tapped for or sacrificed to search your library for a basic land of one of three types — Bant Panorama, Esper Panorama, Grixis Panorama, Jund Panorama, and Naya Panorama.
• Rare tricolored spells: Each of these rare spells has a mana cost that includes CDE — Stoic Angel, Punish Ignorance, Sedraxis Specter, Broodmate Dragon, and Realm Razer.
• Resounding spells: Each of these common instant or sorcery spells have a base effect and can be cycled for CDE, where CDE are the card's shard colors, for twice the base effect — Resounding Silence, Resounding Wave, Resounding Scream, Resounding Thunder, and Resounding Roar.
• Shardlands: Each of these uncommon lands comes into play tapped and can be tapped for one of three colors of mana — Seaside Citadel, Arcane Sanctum, Crumbling Necropolis, Savage Lands, and Jungle Shrine.
• Ultimatums: Each of these rare sorceries costs CCDDDEE and has a powerful effect — Clarion Ultimatum, Brilliant Ultimatum, Cruel Ultimatum, Violent Ultimatum, and Titanic Ultimatum.
• Uncommon allied-colored spells: Each of these uncommon spells has a mana cost that includes two allied-colored mana — Kiss of the Amesha, Thoughtcutter Agent, Blood Cultist, Sangrite Surge, and Qasali Ambusher.
• Uncommon enemy-colored spells: Each of these uncommon spells has a mana cost that includes two enemy-colored mana — Tidehollow Sculler, Necrogenesis, Jhessian Infiltrator, Swerve, and Bull Cerodon.
• Uncommon tricolored creatures: Each of these uncommon creatures has a mana cost that includes CDE — Rhox War Monk, Tower Gargoyle, Fire-Field Ogre, Sprouting Thrinax, and Woolly Thoctar.

Mini-cycles

Shards of Alara has 5 cycles of three cards, each missing the two colors not associated with its shard:

• Esper capsules: Each of these common artifacts can be sacrificed for an effect common to its color — Dispeller's Capsule, Courier's Capsule, Executioner's Capsule
• Jund scavengers: Each of these uncommon 1/1 creatures has "Whenever another creature is put into a graveyard from play, you may put a +1/+1 counter on this creature" — Scavenger Drake, Rockslide Elemental, and Algae Gharial.
• Naya cycling creatures: Each of these common creatures costs 5CC, has cycling and a power of 5 or more — Ridge Rannet, Jungle Weaver, and Yoked Plowbeast.
• Naya druids: Each of these uncommon 2/2 human druid creatures has a triggered ability that activates at the end of your turn as long as you control a creature with power 5 or greater and ": Add to your mana pool" — Exuberant Firestoker, Drumhunter, and Sunseed Nurturer.
• Naya "soul spells": Each of these common instants or sorceries has an effect based on the power of the creature it targets — Soul's Fire, Soul's Might, and Soul's Grace.

Reprinted cards

The following cards have been reprinted from previous sets and included in Shards of Alara:

• Cancel — was last seen in 10th Edition.
• Goblin Mountaineer — was last seen in 9th Edition.
• Hellkite Overlord — was last printed in From the Vault: Dragons.
• Infest — was last seen in Onslaught.
• Naturalize — was last seen in 10th Edition.
• Oblivion Ring — was last seen in Lorwyn.

Functional reprints

This is the first expansion set to have functional reprints since Lorwyn. Shards of Alara has three functional reprints:

• Cylian Elf is a functional reprint of Grizzly Bears from 10th Edition, Forest Bear from Portal Three Kingdoms, Balduvian Bears from Ice Age, Bear Cub from Portal Second Age, and Barbary Apes from Legends.
• Jhessian Lookout is a functional reprint of Coral Eel from 9th Edition, Coral Merfolk from 7th Edition, and Wu Infantry from Portal Three Kingdoms.

Banewasp Affliction is also a black Creature Bond.

Colorshifted

• Incurable Ogre is a colorshifted functional reprint of Dross Crocodile from 10th Edition.

Intro packs

Previous to Shards of Alara, there were theme decks. Intro packs premiered in Shards of Alara.

The preconstructed intro packs are: Template:Intro packs

External links

• Shards of Alara product information page — Wizards of the Coast
• Template:Arcref