Games - Tempest

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	Games - Tempest

Tempest was the twelfth expansion for Magic: The Gathering and the first set in the Rath Block. The release of Tempest represented a large jump in the power level of the card set as compared to the previous Mirage block. Many cards from Tempest instantly became (and still are) tournament staples. Its expansion symbol is a cloud, with a lightning bolt erupting out

Set History

Tempest was the second set and the first standalone in the Weatherlight Saga, a continuous storyline for over four years' worth of Magic expansions.

Mechanics

Tempest introduced two new keyworded mechanics to Magic: Buyback and Shadow. Buyback allowed players to pay an additional cost when casting a spell to return it to their hand after casting it, letting them use it again and again. Shadow created a separate level of creature combat--creatures with Shadow could not interact with creatures without it, and vice-versa. The Shadow ability only appeared in three colors (save Soltari Guerrillas), and Shadow creatures were all relatively small. Largely because of this mechanic, creature combat during Tempest Block was not very interactive and it was difficult to mount a defense.

Several non-keyworded mechanics were also introduced. The Licids were a group of creatures that could become enchantments on other creatures. Though a simple concept, this caused numerous rules complications.

The enduringly popular Slivers were also introduced in Tempest. These were creatures that share their abilities with their kin. Slivers continued into Stronghold
, and appeared again in Legions
.

Notable Cards

': this cheap artifact was originally intended to bring a measure of 'bluffing' to Magic, but instead provided a cheap, reusable source of damage and removal for any aggressive deck. As an interesting side note, Cursed Scroll was misprinted in a foreign language with an even cheaper cost to activate.

': never a powerful tournament card, Dregs of Sorrow is mostly memorable because it was considered by the set's designers to be one of its most potent.
': this cheap removal spell has been a popular card in every format it has been legal in, because of its ability to destroy creatures without actually targeting them, making it one of the few answers to many difficult creatures.

': a popular card in slow blue decks, Capsize (and Whispers of the Muse) allowed the slow gain of advantage by casting them and buying them back at the end of the opponent's turn.
': though it took some time to catch on, Intuition has become one of the most powerful 'tutoring' spells ever printed, getting you the card you need right as you need it. Intuition is capable of 'tutoring' for 3 cards. It's been a common misconception, until recently that you had to choose 3 of the same cards in your deck. http://www.top8magic.com/audio/1004.mp3 This gave blue the ability to tutor with little drawback, an ability normally reserved for black. The card became even more potent when combined with cards that benefitted from being in your graveyard, such as Kindle and most noteably Accumulated Knowledge.

': a very popular control card in its day, this creature provided excellent defense while returning your opponent's most dangerous threats to their hand.
': combined with cards that increase the mana production of basic lands and recurring creature producers like Sacred Mesa and Goblin Warrens, Earthcraft was enabled a deck to create infinite numbers of creatures or mana without much difficulty, and was eventually banned along with many of the powerful cards from Urza block. The card Squirrel Nest, printed much later, created an even more potent combo with Earthcraft.

': a universally popular creature despite its hefty cost, Verdant Force quickly produces a large swarm of creatures for its controller. Verdant Force has been an occasional target for decks that can bring creatures into play without casting them directly.
': a simple concept that has caused more rules complications than possibly any other card ever printed, in some situations actually opening up downright rules paradoxes. The interaction of Humility and two copies of Opalescence encouraged the creation of the "time stamp" rule.

': made as a toned down version of Black Lotus, the most expensive and iconic of all Magic cards, Lotus Petal was also eventually banned and restricted in any formats it was still legal in because, even with one third the effect of Black Lotus, it still allowed for dangerously fast games.
': another 'fixed' version of a powerful card, Strip Mine in this case, Wasteland has become a tournament staple in its legal formats, providing a cheap, universal answer to problematic non-basic lands.

': A green hoser, it was particularly cruel to green players, giving a one-sided wrath effect against them, it was reprinted in 6th Edition.

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for Tempest (Magic: The Gathering) ]

Games - Tempest

Set History

Mechanics

Notable Cards

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