Homelands
Homelands, released in 1995, is the seventh Magic expansion. It was previously considered the second set of Ice Age Block, however this was solely to keep Ice Age Block in line with the other blocks consisting of three sets. The mechanics specific to Ice Age and Alliances, such as Snow-covered lands and cumulative upkeep were not present in Homelands. Homelands is being removed from Ice Age Block to make room for Coldsnap, which is being designed as a "true" member of Ice Age Block. Mark Rosewater wrote that "Homelands was a poorly designed set"[1], thus the reason for Coldsnap.
Homelands is now the sixth expansion set that is not in a block. It was released in 8-card booster packs that each bore the same image.
Set Design & Development:
The set was developed, as many of the earlier sets were, without much comunication between designers of various sets. Until the later "block format," introduced in Mirage, sets were developed as takes on the original game. Homelands was devloped from a flavor-first design philosophy. The storyline and atmosphere determined the mechanical aspects of the cards. This led to oddities in mechanics and a generally low power level. Mechanics were found in colors that normally do not recieve them, e.g. the reappearance of flying in green, or vigilance and trample in black. Some of these mistakes were odd for the color pie at the time, and others appear worse given the current state of a well-defined and different color pie for mechanics. Ice Age's progress in design and development throws into contrast the poor quality of Homelands. This and and the low power level(overcosting of most cards/narrow and unplayable cards) account for the fact that the set has generally been received by fans as the worst set in magic.
Notable Cards:
Serrated Arrows saw some tournament play due to a contemporary compulsion to include four cards from every set released at the time.
Merchant Scroll, reprinted in 9th Edition, is a decent Blue tutor that remains a passable card in many formats.
Ihsan's Shade is among the iconic legends of Homelands. Although the set was underpowered, the flavor of the set is considered to be quite good. Other notable legends include Autumn Willow, Eron the Relentless, Joven, and Chandler.