Tombstone icon
The tombstone icon, or tombstone symbol, is a graphic in the upper-left-hand corner of a number of Odyssey block cards with graveyard-active or -relevant abilities.
Description
Due to the mechanical and thematic focus on the graveyard in Odyssey block, the tombstone icon was designed to be featured on cards from the block's sets — Odyssey, Torment, and Judgment — so as to "make players' lives easier".[1] The practice of placing a tombstone icon was not carried over to future expansions or blocks, but the tombstone icon has since been seen on the Time Spiral "timeshifted" reprints of Valor and Call of the Herd.
History
Introduced in Odyssey, the tombstone icon was featured on cards with the Flashback ability. In Torment and Judgment, the tombstone icon was used indicator of cards with graveyard-active abilities,[2] as in the case of Ichorid[3] and the Incarnations of Judgment (e.g., Anger).[4]
The original plan was to make it a permanent addition, but it couldn’t work with the new card frame (starting two blocks later in Mirrodin) so R&D decided to just make it a block thing.[5]
Comprehensive Rules
From the Comprehensive Rules (June 7, 2024—Modern Horizons 3)
- 107.9. A tombstone icon appears to the left of the name of many Odyssey™ block cards with abilities that are relevant in a player’s graveyard. The purpose of the icon is to make those cards stand out when they’re in a graveyard. This icon has no effect on game play.
List of cards featuring the tombstone icon
- Odyssey block cards with flashback
- Ichorid (Torment)
- Judgment Incarnations
- Riftstone Portal (Judgment)
- Blast from the Past
FNM Promos
After technology changed it became possible to combine the Tombstone icon on modern bordered FNM card.[6]
- Cabal Therapy (Friday Night Magic)
- Chainer's Edict (Friday Night Magic)
- Deep Analysis (Friday Night Magic)
- Roar of the Wurm (Friday Night Magic)
- Wonder (Friday Night Magic)
See also
References
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- ↑ [[Lua error in Module:EzTumblr at line 40: Malformed URL.]]. "[{{{1}}} Why didn't R&D stick with this?]". Lua error in Module:EzTumblr at line 50: Malformed URL.. Tumblr.
- ↑ [[Lua error in Module:EzTumblr at line 40: Malformed URL.]]. "[{{{1}}} FYI, there are several modern bordered FNM Promos with the Tombstone icon]". Lua error in Module:EzTumblr at line 50: Malformed URL.. Tumblr.