Shadowmoor is an expansion set, codenamed "Jelly," from the trading card game Magic: The Gathering. It released on May 2nd, 2008. The pre-release events for this set were held on April 19-20, 2008.^[1]

Shadowmoor

Released	May 2 2008
Size	80 rare, 80 uncommon, 121 common, 20 basic lands
Keywords	Persist, Wither, Conspire
Mechanics	Hybrid mana,[2] -1/-1 counters, untap symbol
Development code	Jelly
Expansion code	SHM
First set in the Shadowmoor Block block
Shadowmoor Eventide
← Morningtide Eventide →

Set Details

Shadowmoor is the first set of the new "Shadowmoor" block, starting May 2008. Shadowmoor is the first large expansion to be released in a month other than October since Ice Age’s June 1995 release. The designers of the set are Mark Rosewater (lead), Sean Fletcher, Mark Gottlieb, Devin Low, and Ken Troop; the developers of the set are Aaron Forsythe (lead), Devin Low, Alexis Janson (the winner of The Great Designer Search Contest^[3]), Matt Place, Jake Theis, Steve Warner, and Doug Beyer. The set's theme is color, utilizing hybrid (as seen in Ravnica) across the allied color pairs, along with new innovations in hybrid mana. A new action is introduced in this set, called "Q", representing the untap symbol; according to Rosewater, this has been "never done before."^{[4] [5]} Rosewater also stated that "the set plays into the duality theme between Lorwyn and Shadowmoor blocks, both in the art and the mechanics."^[5] For example, the same creature types from Lorwyn returned.^[5] Moreover, Rosewater claimed that the set plays on the same plane as Lorwyn, but due to an event called the Aurora, the plane and its inhabitants are twisted and changed.^[5] The art of Shadowmoor's booster packs depicts familiar Lorwyn creatures either during or after a dark change.^[6] The set has a strong hybrid mana theme.^[2]

Five theme decks were released as part of the set. The preconstructed theme decks are: "Aura Mastery" (White/Blue), "Mortal Coil" (Blue/Black), "Army of Entropy" (Black/Red), "Overkill" (Red/Green), and "Turnabout" (White/Green).^[7] Deck descriptions, strategy advice, and card contents are found at the Shadowmoor Theme Deck Contents page.

Mechanics

The following are mechanics released in this set:

• Persist - When a creature with persist is put into a graveyard from play, if it had no -1/-1 counters on it, return to play under its owner's control with a -1/-1 counter on it.^[8]
• Untap - The untap keyword action now has a symbolic representation which only appears in costs of activated abilities.^[9]
• Wither - A creature with wither deals damage to creatures in the form of -1/-1 counters. ^[10]
• Conspire- As you play this spell, you may tap two untapped creatures you control that share a color with it. When you do, copy it and you may choose a new target for the copy. ^[11]

Themes

The following are themes found in this set:

• Hybrid Mana - Cards have mana costs which may be paid by either of the two colors listed. This results in cards that can be multiple colors, but paid for by a single color source. It also results in cards like Rhys the Redeemed that cost one hybrid mana, but count as multiple colors. This was first seen in the Ravnica block.
• Monocolor Hybrid - Cards with hybrid symbols displaying a number and a color mana symbol can be paid for with either the number of colorless mana depicted or the colored mana. The converted mana cost of these cards is the highest possible cost that they can be paid for with. Examples of this are shown in a cycle including cards such as Tower Above and Beseech the Queen. Reaper King also has a monocolor hybrid mana in its manacost, but it has one monocolor hybrid mana symbol for each color, making it the only multicolored card with all monocolor hybrid symbols.

Cycles

More than 25 cycles have been identified in this set. Mark Rosewater notes that the set is a "little cycle heavy". ^[12]

The following are some of the monocolor cycles are found in this set:

• "Lace" Cantrips - The black version, Aphotic Wisps makes target creature black, gives it fear until end of turn, and allows the caster to draw a card. Along with Cerulean Wisps, Crimson Wisps, Niveous Wisps and Viridescent Wisps, these one casting cost cantrips can negate or promote many color based buff effects in Shadowmoor.

• Monocolor Hybrid Spells - Spells that have a converted mana cost of 6 colorless mana but can be paid with 3 mana of one type. The cycle of 5 are Tower Above, Beseech the Queen, Spectral Procession, Advice from the Fae, Flame Javelin.

• Initiate Cycle - A cycle of monocolored creatures that when a spell of their color is played, a single generic mana can be paid to give an effect related to their color. The five in the cycle are Apothecary Initiate, Drowner Initiate, Intimidator Initiate, Smolder Initiate, and Nuturer Initiate.

• Cohort Cycle - A cycle of monocolored creatures that gain +1/+1 if another creature of their color is in play. Most have an ability in relation to their color, except for Crabapple Cohort and Ashenmoor Cohort, who have no abilities but are simply bigger than the others. The other three are Mudbrawler Cohort, Ballynock Cohort, and Briarberry Cohort.

• Mentor Cycle - A cycle of uncommon monocolored creatures that give all creatures of their color in your control an abliity related to their color, for example Red's Bloodmark Mentor who give all Red creatures haste. The other four in the cycle are Resplendent Mentor, Deepchannel Mentor, Corrosive Mentor, and Roughshod Mentor.

• Collective Creature Cycle - A cycle of uncommon monocolored creatures that gain power equal to the number of permanents of their color are in play. The five in the cycle are Faerie Swarm, Crowd of Cinders, Horde of Boggarts, Drove of Elves, and Kithkin Rabble.

• Land-Powered Spells - A cycle of uncommon monocolored spells that rely on the number of the land of their color that you control. For example, Howl of the Night Pack gives 2/2 Wolf tokens equal to the numbers of Forests you control. The other four in the cycle consist of Jaws of Stone, Flow of Ideas, Corrupt, and Armored Ascension.

• Monocolored Land Cycle - A cycle of uncommon lands of basic land types that come into play tapped and can be activated for a special ability by one mana of the color it can produce after reaching a small "threshold". Sapseep Forest allows the controller to gain 1 life as long as he or she controls more than 1 green permanent. Moonring Island, Mistveil Plains, Madblind Mountain and Leechridden Swamp round out the rest of the cycle.

The following are some of the hybrid cycles found in this set:

• Hybrid Enchantments Cycle - Common enchantments that give bonuses if the enchanted creature shares a color with it. The green and white enchantment Shield of the Oversoul gives +1/+1 and indestructibility if the enchanted creature is green and +1/+1 and flying if the enchanted creature is white. The other 4 cards of this cycle are Fists of the Demigod, Helm of the Ghastlord, Runes of the Deus and Steel of the Godhead

• Double Effect Hybrid Spells - A cycle of uncommon spells that have two effects depending on the colors you used to cast it, where you get both if both were used. The red/green version, Firespout, was known as 'Quake-icane' during the developement phase of Shadowmoor because of its reference to the classic Hurricane and Earthquake. ^[13] It deals 3 damage each creature with flying if green mana is spent to cast it and 3 damage to each creature without flying if red mana is spent to cast it. Firespout is joined by its cousins Dawnglow Infusion, Torrent of Souls, Repel Intruders, and River's Grasp.

• Demigod Cycle - A cycle of rare spirit avatars costing 5 hybrid mana. Godhead of Awe is blue and white, 4/4 flying, and makes all other creatures 1/1. The cycle completes with Ghastlord of Fugue, Demigod of Revenge, Deus of Calamity, and Oversoul of Dusk. Although only one has Demigod in its name, Shadowmoor designer Devin Low refers to all of them as Demigods. ^[14]

• Liege Cycle - A cycle of rare hybrid colored creatures, all costing four, one generic, and three of any of the colors it is affiliated with. They give creatures of their colors on your side +1/+1 as serperate abilities, combining to +2/+2 if both colors. It also has a third ability that usually relates to their color. For example, Boartusk Liege, the Green/Red Liege, has Trample. The other four in the cycle are Ashenmoor Liege, Wilt-Leaf Liege, Thistledown Liege, and Glen Elendra Liege.

• Triple Hybrid Cycle - A cycle of 5 uncommon creatures that cost 3 hybrid mana to play. The cycle consists of Wilt-Leaf Cavaliers, Ashenmoor Gouger, Wasp Lancer, Boggart Ram-Gang, and Plumeveil.

• Duo Cycle - A cycle of common hybrid creatures that are 3 creature types and gain +1/+1 and an ability when their controller plays a spell of their affiliated colors. Gravelgill Duo gains +1/+1 until end of turn when its controller plays a blue spell and fear when its controller plays a black one. Tattermunge Duo, Thistledown Duo, Emberstrike Duo, Safehold Duo complete the cycle.

• Witch cycle: A cycle of five 1/1 or 2/1 uncommon hybrid witches with activated abilities requiring mana from both affiliated colors. They are Inkfathom Witch, Mistmeadow Witch, Seedcradle Witch, Spiteflame Witch, and Tattermunge Witch.

• Unblockable Cycle - Common 3/3 hybrid creatures for 2 colorless and 2 hybrid mana that are unblockable by creatures of their shared enemy color. Barrenton Cragtreads are a white and blue hybrid creature that cannot be blocked by red creatures. Mudbrawler Raiders, Raven's Run Dragoon, Sootwalkers, Wanderbrine Rootcutters also follow the same theme. These were supposed to have protection from the enemy color but were deemed too powerful because Shadowmoor allowed for monocolored play. ^[15]

• Hybrid Friendly Artifact Creature Cycle - Common scarecrows that gain abilities from controlling other creatures of friendly colors. For example, Blazethorn Scarecrow gets Haste if you control a red creature and Wither if you control a black one. Wingrattle Scarecrow, Watchwing Scarecrow, Thornwatch Scarecrow, and Rattleblaze Scarecrow complete the cycle.

• Hybrid Land Cycle - A cycle of rare lands that provide a colorless mana when tapped, but can be activated by a hybrid mana of its affiliated colors to produce two of any combination of colored mana it is affiliated with. The cycle consists of Fire-Lit Thicket, Graven Cairns, Mystic Gate, Sunken Ruins, and Wooded Bastion.

External links

• Shadowmoor's Mechanic Web gives a concise overview of all the cycles in the set in addition to design considerations.

References

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