Mirage block
The Mirage block is the second block of sets, consisting of the large expansion Mirage () followed by two small expansions, Visions () and Weatherlight (). The block was released in 1996–1997. Mirage block was the first group of sets intentionally designed as a block, in contrast to the retroactive 'blocking' of Ice Age-Homelands (later Coldsnap)-Alliances as the Ice Age block.[1]
Sets
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Mechanics
Keywords introduced in this block: Flanking, Phasing.
Keywords reused from the past: Cumulative upkeep, Rampage.
The first and only tournament-legal cards with the Phasing keyword ability were printed in this block. Old Fogey from Unhinged was printed with the ability as a reference to retired mechanics. New cards which cause permanents to phase out (but not granting the Phasing ability) started being printed again twenty years after Mirage block, starting with Teferi's Protection from Commander 2017, and Teferi, Master of Time and Teferi, Timeless Voyager from Core Set 2021. These reference Teferi, the central planeswalker of Mirage and master of phasing spells in the storyline. The phasing mechanic continues to be used on a few cards in newer sets even without such lore connections.
Several cards formerly had errata to use the phasing mechanic to smooth out their functionality, but Oubliette from Arabian Nights is the only card to retain that errata through subsequent revisions.
The Love Song of Night and Day
Flavor text of seventeen cards in Mirage and Visions feature parts of "The Love Song of Night and Day", a poem written by Jenny Scott, a long-time editor at Wizards of the Coast and frequent contributor to The Duelist magazine, who wrote it as part of the worldbuilding for Jamuraa.[2] Much later, the Song was referenced again in King of the Pride from Modern Horizons and Love Song of Night and Day in Dominaria United.
Theme decks
Paper versions of Mirage block theme decks (also known as precons) do not exist because the concept of theme decks was not implemented until the next block (Tempest block) was released. Mirage block precons were designed retroactively for the MTGO release of the Mirage block sets in 2005, nearly a decade after the sets were released in paper.
References
- ↑ Bill Rose (April 18, 2003). "A Three-Year Mirage". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ MagicTheGathering.com Staff (April 14, 2003). "The Love Song of Night and Day". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.