Oath of the Gatewatch

Oath of the Gatewatch
Set Information
Set symbol
Themes and mechanics	Colorless matters, teaming up, planeswalker matters.
Keywords/​ability words	Cohort, Devoid, Landfall, Support, Surge
Set size	184 + 2
Expansion code	OGW
Development codename	Sweat

Oath of the Gatewatch will be the 69th Magic expansion, and the second and last in the Battle for Zendikar block. It will be released in January 22, 2016. Oath of the Gatewatch is a small expansion.

Set details

Oath of the Gatewatch contains 184 cards, but there are only 183 functionally different cards. However, because of the full-art and regular versions of the Wastes (twice), collectors view this as a 186 card set. Small sets are now enlarged to facilitate the new draft structure (2 boosters of the second set / 1 of the first set). The set includes randomly inserted premium versions of all cards. The expansion symbol of the set seems to be a stylized representation of Kozilek's brood, but it also has similarities with hedrons, usual for Zendikar sets. The set features two Planeswalker cards Chandra, Flamecaller and Nissa, Voice of Zendikar.

Oath of the Gatewatch is all about teamwork. It's designed to support Two-Headed Giant better than most any set in Magic history.

Storyline

Four planeswalkers (Gideon Jura, Jace Beleren, Chandra Nalaar and Nissa Revane) join forces in their battle against the Eldrazi Ulamog and Kozilek. They become the Gatewatch, a team with a lasting commitment to protect the people of the Multiverse from threats that no one else can handle. The five cards that represent the pivotal moments in the storyline are: Kozilek's Return, Call the Gatewatch, Bonds of Mortality, Fall of the Titans and Zendikar Resurgent.

Marketing

File:Colorless-symbol.png

The colorless mana symbol

Oath of the Gatewatch will be sold in 16-card boosters (the 16th card being a marketing card), five intro packs and a fat pack. The clash pack seems to be discontinued. This is the first small set to feature four different pieces of art on the boosters. These depict the four members of the Gatewatch as featured on the partial Oath-cycle: Gideon, Jace, Chandra and Nissa.

The set features the full-art lands from Battle for Zendikar (complete with the original expansion symbol). The Oath of the Gatewatch fat packs will also have full art basic lands. Like the other non-full-art basics, non-full-art Wastes are featured in the intro packs.

Zendikar Expeditions

Zendikar Expeditions are all premium foil cards with a special Zendikari frame and a seperate expansion symbol. Thus, they are not part of the set. Zendikar Expeditions include all new art set on Zendikar and appear slightly more often than premium mythic rares. These cards are playable in limited and formats where they're already legal. 25 Expedtion cards appeared with Battle for Zendikar (the 5 new battle lands, 10 shock lands and 10 fetch lands) and 20 more cards in Oath of the Gatewatch (10 filter lands and 10 assorted lands with resonant flavor for Zendikar).

Prerelease

OGW Prerelease pack

Two-Headed Giant is central to the prerelease experience. Prerelease events take place on January 16–17, 2016. The Prerelease Format will be Sealed (4 Oath of the Gatewatch/2 Battle for Zendikar). Each player receives a Prerelease pack that they can use after the event as a take-home deck box. Inside each Prerelease box, there will be four Oath of the Gatewatch Booster packs and two Battle for Zendikar booster packs, a spindown life counter, and a randomized, date-stamped premium promo card, drawn from any rare or mythic rare in the set.

Promotional cards

• Prerelease: a stamped card that can be any rare or mythic rare from the set.
• Launch promo: Endbringer
• Game Day: full-art Immolating Glare
• Game Day (Top 8): full-art Jori En, Ruin Diver
• Buy-a-Box: Goblin Dark-Dwellers

Tokens

1. 1/1 Eldrazi Scion for Abstruse Interference, Birthing Hulk, Scion Summoner, Sifter of Skulls, Vile Redeemer, and Warping Wail
2. 1/1 Kor Ally for Captain's Claws and Oath of Gideon
3. 2/2 Knight Ally for Allied Reinforcements
4. 3/3 Angel with Flying for Linvala, the Preserver
5. 2/2 Zombie for Drana's Chosen, Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet and Null Caller
6. 8/8 Octopus for Crush of Tentacles
7. 3/1 Elemental with Haste for Chandra, Flamecaller
8. 0/1 Plant for Nissa, Voice of Zendikar
9. X/X Elemental for Seed Guardian

Themes and mechanics

Wastes (left produced by Kozilek, right by Ulamog)

The set introduces the colorless mana symbol (differentiating it from generic mana). It is used for cards that depict Kozilek's brood lineage of Eldrazi. With Wastes, the set also introduces the first typeless basic lands. Wastes are twice as common as a normal common in boosters.

There are three new named mechanics:

• Surge (You may cast this spell for its surge cost if you or a teammate has cast another spell this turn)
• Support N (Put a +1/+1 counter on each of up to N target creatures.)
• Cohort, an ability word for activated abilities requiring tapping the ally creature and another ally.

To express the theme of "Planeswalkers forming a team" with game mechanics, R&D also created cards that encourage the player to use multiple planeswalker cards.

Landfall is reused, but in a minor capacity.

Cycles

Oath of the Gatewatch has three complete cycles and two partial cycles:

• Allied color taplands: five uncommon dual lands that enter the battlefield tapped — Meandering Stream, Submerged Boneyard, Ashen Moor, Timber Gorge and Tranquil Expanse.
• 3 mana allied uncommons: five uncommon creatures that each cost 1MN, where M and N are allied colors. They define the limited archetype for those colors — Reflector Mage, Flayer Drone, Mindmelter, Joraga Auxiliary, and Relentless Hunter.
• Enemy colored uncommons: five uncommon creatures in enemy colors that define the limited archetype for those colors — Baloth Null, Stormchaser Mage, Cliffhaven Vampire, Weapons Trainer, and Void Grafter.

Four-card cycle

• Oaths: four legendary enchantments that interact with planeswalkers: Oath of Gideon, Oath of Jace , Oath of Chandra and Oath of Nissa. The black Oath is missing.

Mega cycle

• Hissing Quagmire, Needle Spires, and Wandering Fumarole complete the enemy color megacycle of tapped manlands started with Shambling Vent and Lumbering Falls in Battle for Zendikar.

Mirrored pairs

• Embodiments: uncommon Elemental creatures which give a keyword ability to land creatures and itself. They also have a landfall effect that can turn Lands until the end of turn into 3/3 Elemental. — Embodiment of Fury and Embodiment of Insight.

Reprinted cards

• Bone Saw, first printed in Conflux
• Mighty Leap, first printed in Magic 2011 and last seen in Magic Origins.
• Negate, first printed in Morningtide and last seen in Magic Origins.
• Netcaster Spider, first printed in Magic 2015 and last seen in Duel Decks: Elspeth vs. Kiora.
• Unknown Shores, first printed in Theros.

Common to Uncommon

• Grasp of Darkness, first printed in Scars of Mirrodin.
• Strider Harness, first printed in Scars of Mirrodin.

Functional reprints

The allied color taplands are functional reprints of the taplands which appeared in Invasion and were reprinted in 8th Edition. The reason behind this was that the original cycle mentions locations in Dominaria, and the more generic name meant that these cards could be reprinted in any set.

• Meandering Stream is a functional reprint of Coastal Tower.
• Submerged Boneyard is a functional reprint of Salt Marsh.
• Ashen Moor is a functional reprint of Urborg Volcano.
• Timber Gorge is a functional reprint of Shivan Oasis.
• Tranquil Expanse is a functional reprint of Elfhame Palace.

Using different subtypes

• Affa Protector is a functional reprint of Standing Troops.
• Canopy Gorger is a functional reprint of Alpha Tyrannax and Tusked Colossodon.
• Makindi Aeronaut is a functional reprint of Concordia Pegasus and Territorial Roc.

Card comparisons

Strictly Better

• Comparative Analysis is strictly better than Inspiration, Touch of Brilliance and Weave Fate.
• Containment Membrane is strictly better than Paralyzing Grasp.
• Dimensional Infiltrator is strictly better than Gossamer Phantasm, Sea Eagle, Vaporkin and Welkin Tern.
• Grip of the Roil is strictly better than Crippling Chill.
• Expedite is strictly better than Accelerate and Unnatural Speed.
• Iona's Blessing is strictly better than Marked by Honor.
• Immolating Glare is strictly better than Eightfold Maze, Just Fate, Kill Shot, Rebuke and Terashi's Verdict.
• Overwhelming Denial is strictly better than Last Word.
• Slip Through Space is strictly better than Infiltrate and Touch of Invisibility.
• Thought Harvester is strictly better than Azure Drake.
• Unnatural Endurance is strictly better than Boon of Erebos.
• Vines of the Recluse is strictly better than Silk Net and Snare the Skies.
• Witness the End is strictly better than Mental Agony.

Strictly Worse

• Boulder Salvo is strictly worse than Flame Slash.
• Hedron Crawler is strictly worse than Manakin and Plague Myr.
• Kor Scythemaster is strictly worse than Porcelain Legionnaire.
• Oblivion Strike is strictly worse than Gild and Sever the Bloodline.
• Tar Snare is strictly worse than Last Gasp.
• Reality Hemorrhage is strictly worse than Shock.

Preconstructed decks

Intro packs

Oath of the Gatewatch has five intro packs:

Notable cards

• General Tazri is a legendary ally creature with a color identity of all five colors, very well suited for Commander players.
• Jori En, Ruin Diver is the first Red (and Blue) Merfolk since Razorfin Hunter in Apocalypse.
• Stone Haven Outfitter is the first card to refer to “equipped creatures” without being an equipment itself or being the creature that is equipped too, while the term “enchanted creatures” was used since Legends.
• Bonds of Mortality and Fall of the Titans depict the same scene. In the first card Nissa and Jace weaken the Eldrazi Titans, Ulamog and Kozilek. In the second one Chandra and Gideon take them both out.
• Hedron Alignment is an alternate-win card.
• Wastes is the first basic land without a subtype.