Locations
1. (Your Beauty) or Full Art Lands - The fact that Zendikar is not only gracing us with readily obtainable full art lands is one thing. But providing a rich context in which you're encouraged to actually use those lands is another! With abilities like landfall and rare lands such as Arid Mesa, you're going to want to play those basic lands for more than just their gorgeousness factor. Of course the artwork on your average Zendikar card is at its usual high standard for Magic the Gathering but these full art lands will upgrade the aesthetic appeal of any deck.
2. (You Know How to Keep it Real) or Another Step Towards the Color Wheel - I'm not sure which excites me more- the fact that Zendikar is 100% mono color or the fact that it is 0% multicolor. I think a lot of people are a bit fatigued with the departure from the color wheel since Lorwyn in 2007. This isn't to say that there weren't some great sets released in the last two years but I think everyone (including Wizards) can agree- its time to move on. M10 was the first step and Zendikar looks to be the second towards a mono-colored, colorwheel respecting future. Zendikar's land theme is a perfect way to try and compensate for the loss of Lorwyn et al. 's multicolored lands. With the revelation of Arid Mesa at PAX we can now account for the 15 lands to be released in Zendikar. No dual lands are included in the set but the enemy pain-fetch lands look to be just as good, if not better. Don't worry Alara lovers, I'm sure your shards will still be playable post-Zendikar. Zendikar keeps it real by reviving the color pie and encouraging mono-colored, basic land toting, flavor packed decks.
3. (Your Grace) or Return of the Sweep - I'm not sure if Wizards was conducting some sort of grand social experiment by pulling Wrath of God out of standard for 3 months - but either way, the sweep is back. I'm certainly not one to question a blessing when I receive one. Those fretting about their trusty playsets of Wrath of God might find a silver lining in the fact that you'll be able to pick up a free copy of this card when you buy a booster box of Zendikar this October (see your local gaming store for details and availability). But more exciting than the card itself might be the impact it will have on the game. Aggro decks are always a huge part of Magic, but (at least in my meta) without the sweep, the paper, rock, scissors balance seems a tad lopsided lately. So, welcome back sweep! We can't wait for you to be part of our games again.
[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="225" caption=""It's a... Mythic Trap!" - A. Ackbar"]
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4. (The Way You Move) or Traps and Kicker - Wizards is always looking for ways to give you options as a player and as a deck builder. Whether its split cards, cycling, or kicker costs- having the option of using a single card multiple ways adds depth and playability to any card. Kicker has always been one of my favorite non-evergreen abilities. Cards that can work at both the beginning and the end of the mana ramp are few and far between but an ability like kicker can bridge that gap. Traps are new to the game but are little more than an alternate (usually lower) casting cost on a card that can be used if an opponent does something specific. This ability is actually quite similar to other abilities such as kicker and cycling in that it's giving you more options with that single card. Experienced players know that even great cards can become dead cards in your hand if they don't allow you some flexibility. Traps and kicker enable that flexibility most effectively.
5. (Your Style) or Gimmicks without being "Gimmicky" - Every expansion has to have a "gimmick". Ice Age had snowy lands and creatures. Alara Reborn was "Solid Gold!" And now Zendikar can safely be called a land focused set. And what better "gimmick" than focusing on an aspect of the game that has been, and always will be a huge part of Magic the Gathering? Alara's gold cards might become harder to play in a few years. Snow creatures and snow-covered lands have already faded into obscurity. But land? Land will always be relevant. Take landfall as an example - when in the future might that ability not be useful? Of course, you can build a deck around landfall to make it even more powerful but even if not, you'll have a useful ability on that dusty old creature for years to come! If that isn't value, I don't know what is. Zendikar's "gimmick" is hardly a gimmick at all.
6. (You like the same things that I do!) or Planeswalkers, Vampires and Planeswalking Vampires - I'll admit it- I'm a sucker for vampires... *groan*. I'm no stranger to tribal decks. I'll play treefolk or kithkin or even faeries. But give me a good old fashioned lifelinking, blood-sucking vampire deck any day of the week. The fact that we're getting a vampire planeswalker tips this set right over the edge into the abyss of awesomeness. I'd be lying if I said I were 100% on board with both Sorin and Chandra's high casting costs (6). But perhaps within the context of Zendikar and the presumably enhanced ability to get lands onto the table, six mana might not be as much as it seems right now. I'm keeping my fingers crossed in hopes that Zendikar allows me to get Sorin on the table prior to turn six. Either way I won't be complaining when I see this guy's name peek out the final slot of a booster pack. Zendikar taps right in to our hearts and minds with killer vampires and certified-badass planeswalkers.
There you have it Zendikar- an abridged list of the things I love about you. If you're not willing to give a guy a chance after that outpouring of admiration then I don't know what to tell you. Whaddya say we go on a second date? Or would it technically be a first date? Eh, who's counting anyways? Let's just get together and make some of that sweet, sweet love everyone's always talking about. Call me.
Your not-so-secret admirer,
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Alright, I'm glad I got that off my chest. Now, down to business. The place where I met my newest love: Zendikar. The Magic the Gathering event to end all Magic the Gathering events. The scene: a Seattle nightclub transformed into the world of Zendikar. Zendikar themed drinks, Zendikar decor and even the designers of Zendikar themselves were in attendance. Only those who had completed the quests within that day's Penny Arcade Expo were allowed entrance. Exclusive, spoilerific and teeming with Magic's famous starlets. An after-party fit for a planeswalking king. Here are some of the highlights from Trinity nightclub (aka Zendikar) at Penny Arcade Expo 2009.
The line into the club looked to be two or three hundred planeswalkers long. It had been that way for at least an hour before the party had even started! I made my way into the club a bit early, got my never-before-seen, full art island (pictured above). People were chomping at the bit to get a taste of Zendikar.
The Trinity night club is naturally divided up into five separate areas. Wizards took each of these areas and assigned it a color of Magic! Each of the rooms had three oversize Zendikar cards hanging from the walls corresponding to that room's color. I wanted to head straight for the blue room (where I would feel most at home!) but the promise of free planeswalker cocktails called me into the main room.
The planeswalker cocktails were essentially the MTG promotional Jones Soda pops mixed with a bit of (you guessed it) alcohol and a twist of fresh fruit. I, myself had the "Beast Brew" which is the Green Apple (Garruk) Jones Soda mixed with Vodka. These drinks actually worked out well for me because I generally order the girliest drink on the menu, anyway.
So I've got my "Beast Brew" in hand but would this really be a party without munchies? Luckily, wizards had us covered there. The "Planeswalker Buffet" featured a variety of classic gaming snacks such as mini grilled cheese sandwiches, miniature corn dogs and nachos.
I know you didn't come here to hear about how refreshingly tart my "Beast Brew" was or what I had for dinner last night. You're here for the goods. You're here for the lowdown on Zendikar.
I made my way up the stairs to the "White Room" and hobnobbed with a few developers about "Arid Mesa" which was on display. I managed to get one of them to confirm (indirectly) that there will not be ally colored dual lands printed in Zendikar. The Arid Mesa block of enemy lands "completes the cycle" when combined with M10's allied duals. The white room also sported a giant-sized Mythic Angel as well.
On my way over to the red room I ran into Brady Dommermuth - long time creative director for Wizards of the Coast. I had just finished Doug Beyer's novel "Alara Unbroken" last week so I had a few questions. I asked him about Nicol Bolas- both his fate and future. Im not sure if it was the "Illusion Fusion" talking or Brady himself so I won't divulge the details just yet but lets just say - Twenty-Five Thousand year old tyrannical dragon fans rejoice! You have not seen the last of Nicol Bolas.
Speaking of Magic the Gathering starlets.. most everyone from the MTG dev team was in attendance. Tom LaPille and others were closely monitoring a few games of Planechase over in the red room. Other famous faces were floating around the party and chatting with whomever happened by.
There were even rumors of one Wil Wheaton and the ever omnipresent Mark Rosewater on the scene. Though I cannot confirm this myself, sources have confirmed this to be true.
Grabbing another "Beast Brew" from the red room I headed over to the green room. Some great land art and some surprisingly good common spoilers awaited me. The highlight of the room, though was the "green screen" Zendikar challenge. Patrons had the opportunity to immerse themselves in the world of Zendikar by having their picture taken against a green screen. Technicians edited and printed the photos on the fly. Most were simply standing and smiling in their pictures but I seized the moment and decided to spice it up a little with some Venser, Shaper Savant action.
After that stunt I had to fight off a few dozen women asking for my phone number but luckily I managed to escape back into the main room. The DJ was blasting Rick Astley's "Never Gonna Give You Up..." which was rather amusing.
I realized that I had neglected the very room I was dying to get into - the Blue room. I headed that way and was delighted to see Duels of the Planeswalkers being played on a large projector screen. It was my turn to give the game a shot so I took the controller. To my pleasant surprise the game featured new downloadable content titled - Duel the Dragon. Nicol Bolas now has his very own Grixis deck!
That was some of the best news of the night for me and I wanted to explore the deck further but it was time to give others a chance at the XBLA mega-hit.
I headed up the alternate staircase that led to the final room - Black.
The black room is a loft featuring its own bar, several big screen TVs and half a dozen black (most fittingly) leather couches. This room also gave you a birds eye view of the dance floor (though "dance floor" at a MTG party usually means "large open space"... but not at this party!) If I were going to hang out with a gaggle of friends, talking about magic for the night, this would be the room to do it in. All around planeswalkers were attempting to fill out their personal spoiler lists while sipping on custom cocktails. If completed, the spoiler list held the key to a chance at winning fabulous prizes.
The black room was actually a great room to end the night for me. I had talked to a number of developers, seen all of the spoilers, gotten some great pictures and even strutted my stuff on the Xbox. I said farewell to Zendikar for the night but knew I we would not soon be parted.
If I had one complaint about the night it would be that it was absolutely packed. I suppose that just goes to show that Wizard's promotional staff really know how to throw a hot party! Luckily I was able to get in a bit early to see all of the sights before the throbbing masses but the sheer number of people in attendance (over 700) was incredible.
I'd like to thank everyone who made that event what it was including the developers of the game who so graciously humored my hounding questions about dual lands, Mythic rarity and Nicol Bolas. Every time I meet a Wizard's employee I am impressed. If you ever get the chance to do something like this, take it. It is not to be missed. Wizards has proven they not only know how to make a great card game, they can throw an incredible party as well. Thanks Wizards! I hope we can do this all over again next year!
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I can't let you go without spilling the beans on some of the spoilers that were revealed at the party. Those who have been paying attention to our Zendikar spoiler page had seen most of the spoilers presented at the club. But to Wizard's credit, they included a few never before seen spoilers at the show. Ive taken the liberty of mocking the cards up for you. The art is the final art, and the pictures were taken directly from the giant sized cards at the show. My apologies for the sub-par photos on some of them. Enjoy:
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