Lorwyn
Encyclopedia
Lorwyn is the 66th Magic: The Gathering
set, 43rd expert level set, and the first set in the Lorwyn Block, released in October 2007. It is codenamed "Peanut". The pre-release events for this set were held on September 29–30, 2007.
, Paul Sottosanti, Brady Dommermuth, Nate Heiss, and Andrew Finch; the developers of the set were Devin Low (lead developer), Bill Rose, Matt Place, Henry Stern, Mike Turian, and Doug Beyer.
Lorwyn is set in a more traditional fantasy world, inspired by Welsh folklore. The plane is a pastoral world inhabited by several major races: boggarts (goblins), faeries, elves, giants, treefolk, merfolk, elementals (including the flamekin) and kithkin.
Lorwyn saw the release of an entirely new card type, the Planeswalker
. This marks the first time that Wizards has added a new card type to the current game, as Alpha
introduced all current card types, other than the type "Tribal". A single tribal card, , was printed as a timeshifted card in Future Sight
.
The set has a tribal theme, focusing heavily on creature subtypes, revolving around eight primary creature types. Each of these appear in two or more colors, with one as the primary color:
Another significant creature type is the shapeshifter type, all of which have the ability "changeling." Creatures with changeling have all creature types. This plays into the tribal mechanics which grant bonuses to creatures of certain types. Though these changelings counts as humans for the purposes of the rules, no humans are found in the world of Lorwyn, or are printed on the cards. This marks yet another fundamental change of the game, as this will be the first set to have no humans since their introduction as a creature subtype in Mirrodin
. (Although humans had been in all sets since the beginning of the game, they did not have their own subtype until Mirrodin, instead only having subtypes based on their classes.) However, several of the planeswalkers, although they have no creature type, are physically humans.
The second set of the Lorwyn block is called Morningtide
. A third set, codenamed "Jelly", was originally planned as part of Lorwyn block, but partway into the design of Lorwyn, that block was changed to a two-set block. Jelly was revealed as Shadowmoor
, the first set of a second two-set block. The two blocks were linked through synergy and rotated through the official tournament formats as a single, four-expansion unit.
The Lorwyn block features a new keyword action known as clash. Clash involves two players revealing the top cards of the libraries. The person who reveals the card with the highest mana cost, wins the clash, and gets a bonus on the card played.
The Tenth Edition Starter games include basic land cards printed in Lorwyn. Also, certain Tenth Edition booster packs feature art from Lorwyn on the back of a rules card or token card.
Five theme decks have been released as part of the set, one more than the standard four-per-expansion, which has been a long-time trend. The preconstructed theme decks are: "Kithkin Militia" (White), "Merrow Riverways" (White/Blue), "Boggarts' Feast" (Black/Red), "Elvish Predation" (Black/Green), and "Elementals' Path" (White/Blue/Black/Red/Green).
Magic: The Gathering
Magic: The Gathering , also known as Magic, is the first collectible trading card game created by mathematics professor Richard Garfield and introduced in 1993 by Wizards of the Coast. Magic continues to thrive, with approximately twelve million players as of 2011...
set, 43rd expert level set, and the first set in the Lorwyn Block, released in October 2007. It is codenamed "Peanut". The pre-release events for this set were held on September 29–30, 2007.
Set details
The designers of the set were Aaron Forsythe (lead designer), Mark RosewaterMark Rosewater
Mark Rosewater is a Magic: The Gathering card designer. He is currently Magics head designer.-Biography:Rosewater grew up in Pepper Pike, Ohio, where he attended the Orange High School. Rosewater has a Jewish background. Rosewater has described himself in his youth as a "social outcast", who did...
, Paul Sottosanti, Brady Dommermuth, Nate Heiss, and Andrew Finch; the developers of the set were Devin Low (lead developer), Bill Rose, Matt Place, Henry Stern, Mike Turian, and Doug Beyer.
Lorwyn is set in a more traditional fantasy world, inspired by Welsh folklore. The plane is a pastoral world inhabited by several major races: boggarts (goblins), faeries, elves, giants, treefolk, merfolk, elementals (including the flamekin) and kithkin.
Lorwyn saw the release of an entirely new card type, the Planeswalker
Planeswalker
In the collectible card game Magic: The Gathering, a planeswalker is a mage with the ability to travel to different planes of existence.-Magic: The Gathering:...
. This marks the first time that Wizards has added a new card type to the current game, as Alpha
Alpha (Magic: The Gathering)
The name Alpha refers to the first print run of the original Magic: The Gathering Limited Edition, the first Magic: The Gathering card set. It premiered in a limited release at Origins Game Fair in 1993, with a general release that August. Its print run of 2.6 million cards sold out very quickly...
introduced all current card types, other than the type "Tribal". A single tribal card, , was printed as a timeshifted card in Future Sight
Future Sight
Future Sight is an expansion set, codenamed "Pop", for the trading card game Magic: The Gathering. The set was released worldwide on May 4, 2007. The pre-release events for this set were held on April 21 and April 22, 2007.-Storyline:...
.
The set has a tribal theme, focusing heavily on creature subtypes, revolving around eight primary creature types. Each of these appear in two or more colors, with one as the primary color:
| Creature type (Race) | Tribe name | Primary Color | Secondary Color(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goblins | Boggarts | Black | Red |
| Elves | Green | Black | |
| Merfolk | Merrow | Blue | White |
| Kithkin | White | Green | |
| Elementals | Flamekin (in red) Greater Elementals (in all five) |
Red | All other colors |
| Faeries | Fae | Blue | Black |
| Giants | Red | White | |
| Treefolk | Green | Black and White |
Another significant creature type is the shapeshifter type, all of which have the ability "changeling." Creatures with changeling have all creature types. This plays into the tribal mechanics which grant bonuses to creatures of certain types. Though these changelings counts as humans for the purposes of the rules, no humans are found in the world of Lorwyn, or are printed on the cards. This marks yet another fundamental change of the game, as this will be the first set to have no humans since their introduction as a creature subtype in Mirrodin
Mirrodin
Mirrodin was the 50th Magic: The Gathering set, the 30th expert level set, and the first set in the Mirrodin Block, released in October 2003. It is a 306-card expansion set. It is also the name of the block containing the Mirrodin, Darksteel and Fifth Dawn expansion sets...
. (Although humans had been in all sets since the beginning of the game, they did not have their own subtype until Mirrodin, instead only having subtypes based on their classes.) However, several of the planeswalkers, although they have no creature type, are physically humans.
The second set of the Lorwyn block is called Morningtide
Morningtide
Morningtide is an expansion set, codenamed "Butter", for the trading card game Magic: The Gathering. It is the 44th expert level set, and it was released on February 1, 2008. The pre-release events for this set were held on January 19 and January 20, 2008.-Set details:Morningtide is the second and...
. A third set, codenamed "Jelly", was originally planned as part of Lorwyn block, but partway into the design of Lorwyn, that block was changed to a two-set block. Jelly was revealed as Shadowmoor
Shadowmoor
Shadowmoor is an expansion set, codenamed "Jelly", from the trading card game Magic: The Gathering. It was released on May 2, 2008. The pre-release events for this set were held on April 19-20, 2008.-Set Details:...
, the first set of a second two-set block. The two blocks were linked through synergy and rotated through the official tournament formats as a single, four-expansion unit.
The Lorwyn block features a new keyword action known as clash. Clash involves two players revealing the top cards of the libraries. The person who reveals the card with the highest mana cost, wins the clash, and gets a bonus on the card played.
The Tenth Edition Starter games include basic land cards printed in Lorwyn. Also, certain Tenth Edition booster packs feature art from Lorwyn on the back of a rules card or token card.
Five theme decks have been released as part of the set, one more than the standard four-per-expansion, which has been a long-time trend. The preconstructed theme decks are: "Kithkin Militia" (White), "Merrow Riverways" (White/Blue), "Boggarts' Feast" (Black/Red), "Elvish Predation" (Black/Green), and "Elementals' Path" (White/Blue/Black/Red/Green).