Theros

Theros
Set Information
Set symbol
Themes and mechanics	"Enchantment matters", Heroes, Monsters, Gods, Minotaur tribal, Monocolored
Keywords/​ability words	Monstrosity, Heroic, Bestow, Devotion
Set size	249 cards (101 commons, 80 uncommons, 53 rares, 15 mythic rares)
Expansion code	THS
Development codename	Friends

Theros is the first set in the Theros block. It is the 62^nd Magic expansion and will be released on September 27,2013. Theros is a large expansion and will be followed by Born of the Gods and Journey into Nyx.

Set details

Theros has a ancient Greek themed top-down design, making use of many mythological tropes. It is the first set to thematically take place on the plane of Theros. It is mostly monocolored with a handful of gold cards. Theros will be an enchantment block that plays off building blocks in M14 and Return to Ravnica block. It's not just "enchantment matters". The mood and tone are those of Greek myth: adventure, achievement, accomplishment, a hero's journey. Many existing creature types will be getting reworked to match the Greek flavor. Apart from Minotaurs, it's not a tribal set. Other confirmed creature types are Kraken, Gorgons, Griffins, Hydras, Centaurs, Merfolk, Satyrs and Sphinxes. Elves are confirmed out. There are three Planeswalkers in the set; one is Elspeth and the other two are new ones. There will be an above average amount of legendary permanents.

Storyline

The plane of Theros is ruled by a pantheon of all-powerful gods. Krakens, minotaurs, and other monsters threaten the safety of walled cities. Heroes rise to battle, bolstered by their devotion to the gods. Theros is a very dangerous land outside of the walled cities Meletis, Akris and Setessa (which are inspired by Athens, Sparta and the legends of the Amazons). Nyx is the night sky, and home of the gods, it moves around each night. The five main gods are: Heliod (white), Erebos (black), Nylea (green), Thassa (blue) and Purphoros (red). The gods can take multiple forms and walk among mortals. The planeswalker Elspeth Tirel will fight a Hydra and attracts the attention of Heliod. Elspeth doesn't want to be a hero and does not believe she will be called on to be a leader in a world of gods. Minotaurs are the rampaging savages of Theros. The Merfolk of Theros are called 'Tritons'. Thassa (goddesss of the sea) favours appearing as a Triton when she's among mortals.

Marketing

Theros features an unprecedented first for organized play: a block-long Magic entertainment experience that will see players complete nine quests on the Hero's Path (three during Theros and six which will take place during Born of the Gods and Journey into Nyx. Hero Cards are a new type of Magic cards debuting as part of the Hero's Path during the Theros block. These cards are not for use in tournament decks but instead are awarded to players for completing quests along the Hero's Path. They'll use them to defeat later quests. Each card is double-faced, one side featuring a code redeemable for a Planeswalker points achievement while the other side features game mechanics players can use to help defeat a Game Day Challenge Deck.

Prerelease

The first quest the Hero's Path will be the Theros Prerelease on September 21st and 22nd. There players will choose their heroic path based on a favorite mana color (white, blue, black, red, or green), receive a Seeded Prerelease pack, and join fellow heroes on a social scavenger hunt. The Seeded Prerelease Pack contains a spindown life counter, a Hero Card unique to a players' chosen path, one of five quiz activity cards, five Theros boosters, and a seeded booster featuring cards appropriate for that player's chosen path (including one of the playable five Prerelease promo cards).

While building decks and playing matches players can work together to find the answers to the questions about Theros on their activity cards. This social scavenger hunt offers players an opportunity to engross themselves in the lore of the new block and interact with their fellow heroes. Once a player has filled out the card, he or she can check the answer key to see if they completed it correctly.

Launch Weekend

Theros launches to the public on September 27th and will kick off with Friday Night Magic. Hero's Path Quest #2 will bring players to their store to receive a "Gift from the Gods" by solving a puzzle hidden within a Poster Puzzle. Once they've discovered the solution they can report it to receive a second Hero Card.

Game Day

On October 19th and 20th Theros Game Day will be back to battle using their Standard decks for the third quest on the Hero's Path: Face the Hydra.! Using a special Challenge Deck provided to the retailer, players will battle the Hydra, one of the epic monsters of the plane of Theros. The Challenge Deck is a special self-running deck with its own set of rules. Players are encouraged to pilot it against one another one-on-one or in groups of up to four with guidance from the included instructional playmat. A player doesn't need to participate in the Game Day tournament to attempt to defeat the Hydra. This is the first opportunity for players to utilize the Hero Cards they received at the Prerelease and Launch Weekend. Beating the Hydra also awards players their third Hero Card, which they'll be able to use for quests at future Hero's Path events.

Promotional cards

• Prerelease, one of five according to the chosen path: TBA
• Launch promo: Bident of Thassa
• Game Day: full-art TBA
• Game Day (Top 8): full-art TBA
• Theros League: 2/2 white soldier token
• Buy-a-Box: Sylvan Caryatid

Themes and mechanics

Theros has a strong enchantment theme with widespread use of the Enchantment type alongside other card types. This includes enchantment creatures. Enchantments are primarily used to represent the Gods (which themselves are enchantment creatures) and their influence. Some enchantment creatures feature the new keyword mechanic Bestow which lets the player cast the card as an aura with enchant creature for the Bestow cost. It then conveys a bonus to the enchanted creature. If the creature it enchants dies, the enchantment itself reverts to a creature, usually with the same features as the abilities it conveyed as an aura.

Another mechanic tied to the gods is Devotion. Similar to Chroma, it scales effects based on the number of mana symbols on permanents a player controls.

Humans also tie into the enchantment theme with the Heroic keyword. Cards with heroic trigger an ability when its controller casts a spell targeting it.

Theros is also a plane filled with monsters such as Hydras, Kraken, Demons and others. They feature the new keyword mechanic Monstrosity. Upon activation, if the creature isn't "monstrous" already, a certain number of +1/+1 counters are put on the creature and it becomes "monstrous". Usually this is accompanied by a triggered ability when the creature becomes "monstrous".

Additionally, the Hero's Path features Hero's Reward.

Card types

Theros introduces the supertype Elite, the card type Hero and the Creature type Head.

Cycles

Theros has at least one cycle:

• Legendary Enchantment Artifacts: five mythic rare legendary enchantment artifacts — Bident of Thassa

Pairs

TBA

Reprinted cards

• Magma Jet last seen in Duel Decks: Jace vs. Chandra.

Tokens

TBA