Shard
- For the cosmological phenomenon, see Shard of the Twelve Worlds.
- For the token, see Shard (subtype).
A shard, or arc, is a series of three colors in an unbroken chain on the color pie.[1] The middle color in a shard is its primary color, allied to both of the shard's other colors.[2][1][3] A combination of a color and its two enemy colors is called a wedge.
Description
Prior to the official naming, Invasion block was the first multicolored set with some three-colored themes. Invasion and Planeshift were headlined by shard-colored Dragons as a reward for stretching the allied-color drafting. There were three cycles using the dragon's names, with four other cycles with [word]-Scape (Sun, Storm, Night, Thunder, and Thorn) as a name for the shards. These names did not stick, and three-colour spells were not developed further for many years.
The official term "shards" was established in the 2008 expansion Shards of Alara.[3] It depicts the plane of Alara divided into five shards, each having only three of the five colors of mana. Each shard has its own flavor and gameplay mechanic related to its place in the color pie.[2]
Fourteen years later, the next major Shard set was released in the Streets of New Capenna, where the factions are crime families ruled over by demons.
Bant
Bant (
) features the Exalted keyword. The associated Cappenian Gang are the Brokers, the lawyers. The Invasion era Dominarian school of magic was Sunscape. Primary color is white.
Esper
Esper (
) features a colored artifacts theme. The associated Capennian Gang is the Obscura, the manipulative wizards. The Invasion era Dominarian school of magic was Stormscape. Primary color is blue.
Grixis
Grixis (
) features the Unearth keyword. The associated Capennian Gang are the Maestros, vampiric assassins. The Invasion era Dominarian school of magic was Nightscape. Primary color is black.
Jund
Jund () features the Devour keyword. The associated Capennian Gang are the Riveteers, the artisans and brute-force wrecking crew. The Invasion era Dominarian school of magic was Thunderscape. Primary color is red.
Naya
Naya () features a 5-power matters theme. The associated Capennian Gang are the Cabaretti, the hedonistic druids. The Invasion era Dominarian school of magic was Thornscape. Primary color is green.
References
- ↑ a b Mark Rosewater (November 6, 2011). "On Wedge". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ a b Mark Rosewater (September 8, 2008). "Between a Rock and a Shard Place". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ a b Mark Rosewater (November 7, 2016). "A Few More Words from R&D". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
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