April 2016: Shadows over Innistrad
Spoilers, Rumors, and Speculation forum
Posted on Oct. 31, 2015, 6:42 p.m. by JWiley129
Announced during GP Indy, the Spring 2016 set is Shadows over Innistrad!
Edits for FAQ:
- Here is Mark Rosewater on why we're getting two returns in a row.
GoldGhost012 says... #2
Olivia at $13 seems reasonable. It's unlikely, but in the long run she may even creep back up to that price, because MoW into Olivia Voldaren for tribal/EDH vampires seems gravy.
As an aside, anyone want to preorder Sorin for me? Lol.
March 17, 2016 11:30 a.m. Edited.
Stormcaller says... #3
Oh my god yes!
Sorin is mighty pissed and he isn't fu**ing around.
He's great walker with strong relevant abilities. Forget what i said about Nahiri, i want this!
March 17, 2016 11:33 a.m.
VampireArmy says... #4
Vampire madness is going to be a thing. If i, a shit tier pleb brewer can make the deck look good, i think a pro could make it top 8 deck.
March 17, 2016 11:33 a.m.
sorin is gonna be amazing in edh. i find his artwork rather lack luster compared to nahiri's though
March 17, 2016 11:35 a.m.
So is Olivia's clan mobilizing for war against Nahiri in aid of Sorin? Or are they fighting the angels...? or what?
March 17, 2016 11:47 a.m.
secondwhiteline says... #7
Yeah, I caved on $13 Olivia. Especially since SCG is holding fast at $20 for her.
I'm really excited about upcoming Standard. There's a ton of decks I want to brew and try out. There's something about Innistrad where they always seem to get it right.
March 17, 2016 11:53 a.m.
One of the best sets I've seen in a long time. Well done wizards. Even the uncommons are interesting. Fantastic.
March 17, 2016 11:58 a.m.
Another French translation mistake...?
'Abbaye du Val d'Orient' translates to 'Abbey of the East Valley' or 'Eastvale Abbey'
...but the card number is 281, sitting it right between 'Warped Landscape' and 'Woodland Stream'. - So the English version is believed to be 'Westvale Abbey'.
Good going Wizards... the French have fishermen in the East, while the rest of the world have sinners in the West. - West should be 'Ouest'.
I think they need to hire someone who actually speaks French to do their French translations.
March 17, 2016 12:11 p.m.
March 17, 2016 12:13 p.m.
GoldGhost012 says... #11
Yeah, apparently the Spanish, Italian, and German translations also use "West." The French are just the odd translations out.
March 17, 2016 12:13 p.m.
VampireArmy says... #12
Makes me wonder if they're just using google translate haha
March 17, 2016 12:14 p.m.
Stormcaller says... #13
TMBRLZ: From all we know up to now i think that this block will be centered around the Sorin/Nahiri War and everyone going insane fighting each other.
I would guess that Sorin called Olivia to aid (and she gladly joined hoping to get somekind of benefit). It's probaly going to be a Battle of the Five Armies style war: church of avacyn vs. vampires vs. Zombies vs. werewolves, with the humans as as innocent bystanders/cannonfodder.
The big showdown with whatever evil lurks and drives everyone mad, will probably take place in the second set of this block.
March 17, 2016 12:15 p.m.
VampireArmy - Google translate actually translates 'Abbaye du Val d'Orient' directly to 'Abbey of the East Valley'... if they are using Google Translate, they're doing it wrong.
March 17, 2016 12:17 p.m.
I want a Sorin now. And why is everyone thinking esper? Abzan control looking something like this
Creatures:
Blight herderx 4
Sigarda, Herons Grace x3
Dragonlord Dromoka x 3
Non Creatures:
Sorin Grim Nemesis x2
Anguished Unmaking x4
Declaration in stone x 4
Ruinous Path x4
Immolating Glare x4
Read the Bones/ Painful truths x4
Transgress the mind x3
Lands:
Llanowar wastes x4
Caves of Koilos x4
Evolving wilds x4
WestVale Abbey// Ormendahl Profane Prince x3
Plains x 13
Swamp x 8
Forest x 4P
Just one of the ideas I've brewed because I want to abuse ormendahl to the highest extent. Sigarda protects us and let's us generate tokens instant speed for offerings or blockers if need be. Since there is ALOT of exile removal in standard at this time it makes me jump with joy that I can cast blight herder for even more tokens that I can later use for instant speed ormandahl. Dragonlord Dromoka finally has found a competive home along side angels and demons and eldrazi oh my! By giving us life link and locking out our oppenents from our turn damn it. And Sorin well he's freaking Sorin he's just there to wreck face and give us more cards.
March 17, 2016 12:20 p.m.
Holy Crap. That new Sorin.
Much want. No breathe.
passes out from excitement
March 17, 2016 12:21 p.m.
Holy mother of all -- that's probably the best planeswalker I've seen in a long, long time. 6 mana for 6, with a draw mechanic that makes your opponent lose life? My God. I need all of them.
March 17, 2016 12:26 p.m.
VampireArmy says... #18
Hope you ordered your olivias. Tcg sold out apparently.
March 17, 2016 12:32 p.m.
VampireArmy: I believe they just haven't had anyone put on up for sale yet.
March 17, 2016 12:35 p.m.
VampireArmy says... #20
Could be it. That would be odd though. It's been spoiled a day or two now. Either way, got mine at 12.
March 17, 2016 12:39 p.m.
VampireArmy No one put up any on TCG for sale. SCG has 39 copies at $19.99.
March 17, 2016 12:39 p.m.
I'm still waiting on the Sigarda price. They always have a tendency to hold out on the prices of cards I want .-.
March 17, 2016 12:50 p.m.
CastleSiege says... #23
Since it doesn't appear that anyone has mentioned it yet, the new art for Sorin is absolutely atrocious. Definitely some of Eric Deschamps' worst work. Does not do Sorin justice in the slightest when compared to his other versions. Looks like something I myself could do, and what's up with that green screen background? So unfortunate that such an awesome card has such aweful artwork.
March 17, 2016 12:52 p.m.
Both Sorin and Olivia left me feeling weirded out. Eric has some fantastic work, so seeing these look awkward as they do left me very confused.
March 17, 2016 12:54 p.m.
CastleSiege says... #26
I'm not saying Deschamps is a terrible artist, because he does have a lot of amazing work. But a lot of his pieces are so inconsistent and this happens to be, in my opinion, his worst one yet.
March 17, 2016 1:07 p.m.
Yeah, I just met and spoke with Deschamps last weekend. He's a great guy and super talented and I like a lot of his pieces, but these past two have really rubbed me the wrong way.
March 17, 2016 1:16 p.m.
secondwhiteline says... #28
That ultra-realistic and often heavily photo-referenced art style is often hit or miss. I think it's fine on Magic cards mostly, but I hate it in comics. And I think it's best on Planeswalkers or maybe some major legends, who should have a heightened sense of reality about them.
Olivia MOW would seem a much better piece if it was closer on her - the promo shots of just her, using blown-up segments of that art, look nice. I'm hoping there'll be a promo to that effect. New Sorin's a bit weak, feels like the level of detail's a bit inconsistent.
March 17, 2016 1:17 p.m.
VampireArmy says... #29
The only thing i can see a gripe about is the face honestly. Everything else looks fine to me. I'm not an artist or anything.
March 17, 2016 1:18 p.m.
I would like to see the full art of the new Sorin before casting judgement upon it. But those abilities almost make me want him over Arlinn.
March 17, 2016 1:19 p.m.
GreenGhost says... #33
Diregraf Colossus 
Creature - Zombie
Diregraf Colossus enters the battlefield with a +1/+1 counter for each Zombie card in your graveyard.
Whenever you cast a Zombie spell, put a 2/2 black Zombie creature token onto the battlefield tapped.
2/2
March 17, 2016 1:34 p.m.
AgentGreen says... #35
Look at all the tribal possibilities
They're really amping up the power here. I am really excited for this new season of Standard
March 17, 2016 1:39 p.m.
Dat Sorin...Black control w/ white splash fo realzies. At least I don't need to bother with silly Jace any more.
March 17, 2016 1:45 p.m.
VampireArmy: My problem with the new Sorin I think is his hunched look and the angle of his right arm. It just looks a bit unnatural to me. It makes it look more "immature" as an art piece. Similarly, Olivia's positioning/angle of her body lies in contrast to the background, making it almost appear as if she's suspended by wires in front of a greenscreen or backdrop. It's just looks cheesy to me. I don't look at that and say "oooo Innistrad". I look at it and say "oooo, broadway". It's unfortunate.
Also, WTF is that zombie? Seriously??
March 17, 2016 1:46 p.m.
I've got to agree on the Sorin art thing; he looks very flat, the pose seems weirdly stiff and I'm having a hard time understanding how he fits into the background...he kind of looks like a cardboard cut-out.
March 17, 2016 1:48 p.m.
LittleBlueHero says... #40
The Zombie Giant is awesome... he's basically a baby Grave Titan.
Play a zombie, get a zombie.
March 17, 2016 1:51 p.m.
GoldGhost012 says... #41
Sorin looks very shiny without his badass longcoat. Damn armor.
I don't know about you guys, but I really like the look of this faceoff.
March 17, 2016 1:52 p.m.
Serendipitous_Hummingbird says... #42
The biggest flaw with sorin is that his head is out of the frame but not his sword.
All 'walkers do that though, so he looks no more unusual than any other.
You guys are way over analyzing this
March 17, 2016 1:53 p.m.
Nobody will give a crap what he looks like when he hits the table in a Standard game.
March 17, 2016 1:54 p.m.
Serendipitous_Hummingbird says... #46
I mean it won't ever matter. Gonna nonland instant vindicate him all day
March 17, 2016 1:58 p.m.
So we have spirits cast with flash, vampires cast when discarded and zombies that make a 2/2 when cast. Since everything seems to be cast based maybe the werewolf will let you cast your wolves transformed or change their flip condition?
March 17, 2016 2:08 p.m.
secondwhiteline says... #48
Spootyone: You absolutely called it. That background just KILLS the Olivia art. Her pose isn't awkward, but the background doesn't mesh at all and it makes her look awkward - she's not in a flying pose, for one. Compare the closer piece:
Sorin's background is similarly out of place, but his pose isn't helping. I think he's intended to look slightly beleaguered and overwhelmed, like the whole world's coming at him? Compare that to the great Nahiri art, where she looks resolute and vengeful and focused in the middle of complete chaos. The background actually works on her card.
March 17, 2016 2:13 p.m.
Anyone else gonna talk about Sorin's ult flavor-wise? He must be rallying the vampires against some huge enemy, possibly with help from Olivia. They're obviously ready for a battle. I find it likely that enemy is Nahiri and whatever she's summoning, as hinted by her new ult.
subrosian says... #1
I really hope Thing in the Ice is representative of the main danger in the block. I much prefer the underwater actually-Lovecraft-themed creatures to Eldrazi. The clue token and Drownyard Temple make me hopeful, but the line about floating stones with runes on them flashing in Avacyn's mind from "A Gaze Blank and Pitiless" is worrisome. I do think the cryptoliths are Nahiri's doing (seems obvious), and so they're connected to hedrons in that way. However, I still think Nahiri is trying to free an Elder God/Old One-esque being that's native to Innistrad, rather than luring Emrakul there. It seems to me that the evil angels are a distraction, especially given Avacyn's coming death.
I'm actually digging this set so far. The power level seems better than BFZ block, and I'm actually interested in the world and invested in the story. Bravo, WotC.
March 17, 2016 11:29 a.m.