Alara Reborn

Alara Reborn
	[[File:{{#setmainimage:ARB logo.png}}\|250px]]
Set Information
Set symbol
Symbol description	5 shards united
Design	Aaron Forsythe (lead); Mark Gottlieb; Alexis Janson; Brian Tinsman
Development	Matt Place (lead); Dave Guskin; Alexis Janson; Erik Lauer; Mike Turian
Art direction	Jeremy Jarvis
Release date	April 30, 2009
Plane	Alara
Themes and mechanics	All multi-colored set,; Hybrid mana
Keywords/ability words	Cascade,; Cycling,; Devour,; Exalted,; Unearth
Set size	145; (60 common, 40 uncommons, 35 rares, 10 mythic rares)
Expansion code	ARB
Development codename	Scissors
Alara block
Magic: The Gathering Chronology

Alara Reborn is the third set in the Alara block and is the forty-ninth Magic expansion. ^[3] Prerelease events took place on April 25-26, 2009 ^[4], launch parties on April 30-May 3, 2009. The set went on sale April 30, 2009 which was a day earlier than anticipated due to the May Day (May 1) holiday.

Set details

Alara Reborn contains 145 black-bordered cards (10 mythic rares, 35 rare, 40 uncommon, and 60 commons). It is the first and so far only set in the history of Magic that consists entirely of multicolored cards (much like Legions consisting entirely of creatures).^[5]^[6]^[7] As such the numbering of the cards is vastly different. Usually a set has all single colored cards alphabetically sorted and grouped together and in order followed by multicolored cards in alphabetical order followed by colorless artifacts, followed by non-basic lands, followed by basic lands. In Alara Reborn instead cards are ordered alphabetically grouped by their multicolored mana cost as such:

#1-16
#17-32
#33-48
#49-64
#65-80

#81-85
#86-90
#91-95
#96-100
#101-105

#106-110
#111-114
#115-119
#120-124
#125-129

Template:WUBRG #130

#131-133
#134-136
#137-139
#140-142
#143-145

There are no lands or colorless artifacts in the set. The all multicolor gimmick was revealed when Wizards of the Coast showed off a textless Ardent Plea with collector number #1.^[8] So far this is the latest expansion or core set which doesn't include any planeswalker cards. The expansion symbol of the set is a representation of the five converged shards.

Flavor

Main articles: Alara and Alara Unbroken

“

The birth of one world. The death of five.

”

The violent plans orchestrated by Nicol Bolas have reached their cataclysmic zenith, as the five shards of Alara are now merged, with untold power and unspeakable chaos at every turn. In this unpredictable environment, where mythic beings can greatly affect the outcome, mere survival isn’t enough. To live another day, one must battle with unflinching intensity to rise above the madness and master this now grotesquely unified plane. Amidst this overwhelming carnage, can Alara truly said to be reborn? ^[9]

Marketing

File:ARB 6 card booster.jpeg

6-card boosters from Alara Reborn

Alara Reborn was sold in 16-card boosters, 6-card boosters, five intro packs and a fat pack. ^[10] ^[11] The promotional card for the prerelease was Dragon Broodmother, which makes multicolored tokens ^[12]; whilst the launch party card was Knight of New Alara, which makes multicolored creatures more powerful. ^[13]

The 16-card boosters featured artwork from Slave of Bolas, Vedalken Heretic and Knotvine Paladin, the small booster featured artwork from the fat pack packaging. An all-foil booster pack containing cards from Alara Reborn and the other two sets of the block was released on January 8th, 2010. ^[14] This featured artwork from Slave of Bolas.

Regular boosters of Alara Reborn come with a bonus sixteenth card that is either a "tips & tricks card" or a creature token from Alara Reborn. One face of the Alara Reborn bonus card has one of three different rules tips or is one of four different creature tokens. The other face has one of 13 advertisements for organized play programs, Alara Reborn, Duels of the Planeswalkers for Xbox Live, Magic Online, fat packs, A Planeswalker's Guide to Alara and Ultra Pro products for Magic.

Tips & Tricks

The tips & tricks cards are

"Rules Tip: Hybrid mana Symbols"
"Rules Tip: Cascade"
"Theme: The Gold Standard".

Tokens

The Alara Reborn tokens are: ^[15]

1/1 Bird Soldier with flying produced by Flurry of Wings
1/1 Dragon with flying and devour 2 produced by Dragon Broodmother
2/2 Lizard produced by Predatory Advantage
1/1 Zombie Wizard produced by Lich Lord of Unx

From Shards of Alara:

1/1 Thopter with flying produced by Thopter Foundry

Mechanics

Alara Reborn is the first set in which Hybrid mana appears alongside conventional mana symbols in costs, in this case cards that have one centered color with a hybrid mana symbol of its two allied colors. ^[16] Though only two colors are required to play these cards, they are always of three colors.

The Cascade mechanic is introduced. ^[17] ^[18] ^[19] When a spell with Cascade is cast, the player who cast it reveals the top card of his or her library until he finds a non-land card that costs less than the card with Cascade and may play it. If that card has cascade again, this process repeats itself. This mechanic has been regarded as highly powerful and very popular.

Cycling also returned with a twist in the Sojourner cycle: Five creatures that do the same when put into a graveyard from play or when cycled. Some other cards have a cycling cost consisting of Hybrid mana. Landcycling, Exalted, Devour, Unearth, all used previously within the block, return as well.

Cycles

Most of Alara Reborn's cycles have cards of two or even three different types - sorceries, enchantments and creatures, for example.

Alara Reborn has 14 cycles:

Allied-colored equipments: Each of these uncommon equipment artifacts costs nMN, where MN are allied colors and has an uncolored equip cost. — Shield of the Righteous, Mask of Riddles, Demonspine Whip, Mage Slayer, Behemoth Sledge.
Borderposts: Each of these common artifacts costs MN, has an alternative casting cost of "pay and return a basic land you control to its owner's hand", comes into play tapped and has ": Add M or N to your mana pool" — Fieldmist Borderpost, Mistvein Borderpost, Veinfire Borderpost, Firewild Borderpost, and Wildfield Borderpost. ^[20]
Cascade commons: Each of these common spells costs nMN and has the new keyword Cascade: Captured Sunlight, Demonic Dread, Deny Reality, Stormcaller's Boon, and Violent Outburst.
Cascade uncommons: Each of these uncommon spells costs nMN and has the new keyword Cascade: Ardent Plea, Bituminous Blast, Bloodbraid Elf, Enlisted Wurm, and Kathari Remnant.
Cross-shard creatures: Each of these common creatures costs nMN, where MN are allied colors, and is flavored to be a blend of the two shards its colors are in — Ethercaste Knight, Sigiled Behemoth, Etherium Abomination, Godtracker of Jund, and Kathari Bomber.
Dual-Landcyclers: Each of these common creatures costs 4MN and has two landcycling abilities, each getting one of the basic land types of its color combination for — Sanctum Plowbeast, Jhessian Zombies, Igneous Pouncer, Valley Rannet, Pale Recluse.
Enemy-colored commons: Each of these common spells costs nMN, where MN are enemy colors. — Vectis Dominator, Putrid Leech, Winged Coatl, Magefire Wings, Cerodon Yearling.
Hybrid-cyclers: Each of these common spells costs nMN and cycles for M/N Hybrid — Glassdust Hulk, Architects of Will, Monstrous Carabid, Deadshot Minotaur, Sigil of the Nayan Gods.
Hybrid-gold commons: Each of these common spells costs nHM, where M is the main color of a shard and H is the Hybrid of its two side colors. — Crystallization, Arsenal Thresher, Sewn-Eye Drake, Sangrite Backlash, Trace of Abundance.
Hybrid-gold uncommons: Each of these uncommon spells costs nHM, where M is the main color of a shard and H is the Hybrid of its two side colors. — Messenger Falcons, Thopter Foundry, Slave of Bolas, Giant Ambush Beetle, Marisi's Twinclaws.
Mythic Legends: Each of these mythic rares is a legendary creature costing nMNO, where MNO are the colors of one shard. — Jenara, Asura of War, Sen Triplets, Thraximundar, Karrthus, Tyrant of Jund, Uril, the Miststalker.
Shard-colored uncommons: Each of these uncommon spells costs nMNO, where MNO are the colors of one shard. — Flurry of Wings, Etherwrought Page, Drastic Revelation, Dragon Appeasement, Gloryscale Viashino.
Shard Blades: Each of these common 2/1 creatures costs HM, where M is the main color of a shard and H is the Hybrid of its two side colors. Each of them has "As long as you control another multicolored permanent, this creature gets +1/+1 and has [ability word]" — Bant Sureblade, Esper Stormblade, Grixis Grimblade, Jund Hackblade, and Naya Hushblade.
Sojourners: Each of these common creatures costs nMNO, where MNO are the colors of one shard, has cycling N and has a triggered ability, when it is cycled or put into a graveyard from play. Each of them was illustrated by John Avon — Bant Sojourners, Esper Sojourners, Grixis Sojourners, Jund Sojourners, and Naya Sojourners.

Reprinted cards

Meddling Mage — last seen in Planeshift.
Terminate — last seen in Planeshift.

Notable cards

Bloodbraid Elf — A pillar of a Jund deck, also used in various other decks (such as RG Elves, Cascade Swans or Naya) and sometimes in Extended Zoo or even in Legacy.
Qasali Pridemage — A popular mainboard and sideboard card in various Extended and Legacy decks.
Thopter Foundry — Half of the popular Extended and Legacy combo (the other half being Sword of the Meek).
Uril, the Miststalker — A very popular EDH general.
Mayael's Aria is an alternate-win card.
Sphinx of the Steel Wind - A target for Reanimator decks, now obsoleted by more efficent cards like Iona, Shield of Emeria and Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite.

Intro packs

Main article: Alara Reborn/Intro packs

The intro packs are:^[21]^[22]

Intro pack name	Colors Included					Foil rare
Intro pack name						Foil rare
Legion Aloft	W	U				Filigree Angel
Unnatural Schemes		U	B			Lich Lord of Unx
Dead Ahead			B	R		Deathbringer Thoctar
Rumbler				R	G	Spellbreaker Behemoth
Eternal Siege	W				G	Dauntless Escort

References

External links

Alara Reborn Product Page

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Alara Reborn

Contents