Maro teases about upcoming Zendikar Rising.
Spoilers, Rumors, and Speculation forum
Posted on Aug. 28, 2020, 8:07 a.m. by StopShot
His teaser thread here: Blogatog
Not sure if this marks the start of spoiler season and if this makes this thread the official Zendikar Rising spoilers thread, but I really wanted to discuss about the contents of his teaser here.
"The return of four mana symbols that have each only ever been used on two cards before"
has only been printed on two cards before. Blightsteel Colossus, It That Betrays. (Are they low-key printing some 4th Eldrazi titan that we're only now just finding out about?)
"Lands that come with a choice you’ve never had before"
I suppose they're not going to be completing any of the unfinished Future Sight lands. (Horizon Canopy, Grove of the Burnwillows, Nimbus Maze, Wizards when?) I'm predicting we're going to get a land cycle that behaves just like a shockland, but instead of paying life you can choose to give your opponent 3 life for it to come in untapped. Zendikar is known for being an aggro-heavy plane, so I don't see extra life gain dragging games out too long. It matches flavorfully too as the lands on Zendikar must now be healing after the eldrazi menace.
"Targeted enchantment removal in black"
I guessing it's going to be a common instant at that reads "Destroy target enchantment." and this card is going to be thrown into reprint hell similarly to red's Shatter.
"A red/white creature with a line of rules text that starts with “Whenever” and ends with “draw a card”"
Best case scenario we're getting an upgraded Mentor of the Meek, likely case scenario another Puresteel Paladin-esque creature, and worst case scenario an Academy Raider with vigilance instead of intimidate. Place your bets on which one it will be.
There's plenty more I didn't cover, but those are the ones that got the most of my attention. What do you guys think?
The Black targeted enchantment removal is unlikely to be as you proposed. Targeted enchantment removal is a huge break of the color pie - there almost certainly will be some additional requirements or restrictions to make the card a bend rather than outright break.
August 28, 2020 10:30 a.m.
I'm going with Caerwyn on this one, giving black the oppertunity to destroy an enchantment would break a few formats, then again I would love to in EDH. I'm hoping on the continuation of the story and fresh new mechanics. Ulamog and Kozilek are destroyed in the lore already and I'm done with the Eldrazi to be honost. General Tazri as a planeswalker is possible, since she was giving the task to rebuild the plane by the gatewatch. Ugin is reprinted in M21 and Drana is reprinted in Jumpstart, both are connected to the plane and lore. WOTC always prints stuff way ahead to keep the story rolling for future printed sets. What do you think?. Again my bet is that Tazri's spark is ignited and will be a planeswalker and joins the gatewatch.
August 28, 2020 12:13 p.m.
TheRealSpecialK says... #5
I agree with DeinoStinkus on their speculation on mana symbols being the mana symbol Marro is referring to when he says, "The return of four mana symbols that have each only ever been used on two cards before." My thoughts: When he says four mana symbols, they will all only appear once - on Omnath. Omnath is confirmed to have four colors. Printing him (it?) as would be a great way to make a one-of four color creature that is interesting, a potential commander, and totally usable in a limited environment.
August 28, 2020 12:38 p.m. Edited.
TheRealSpecialK says... #6
FounderX While I think a Tazri Walker would be cool, I think it is unlikely. There was a leak a while back for a golgari nissa, which has yet to be confirmed. The leaked card was balanced though, and now that we have a boros Nahiri and a mono blue Jace, a golgari nissa would balance the colors on the PWs nicely. Plus, if she is going to be in the set, it is unlikely that they would add a fourth walker anyways. In my recollection, most sets have either three or five walkers unless they are a smaller set (e.g. Hour of Devastation). So, provided that leak is true, I doubt that we will be getting a Tazri PW.
August 28, 2020 12:46 p.m.
TheRealSpecialK says... #7
DeinoStinkus haha sorry - unfortunately it is too late to edit the comment. Sorry for the faux pas XD
August 28, 2020 12:49 p.m.
I'm thinking the Black enchantment removal is going to be like Bone Splinters except enchantments. Might be at common, considering the number of decent enchantments in Standard.
The Red/White card I'm going to guess is an Uncommon that has some sort of attack or damage clause that draws a card.
August 28, 2020 7:29 p.m. Edited.
Daveslab2022 says... #9
DeinoStinkus but that is incorrect! It’s WUBRG. is the correct order.
August 28, 2020 11:36 p.m.
DemonDragonJ says... #10
I really hope that the black card that can destroy enchantments has severe conditions upon its ability to do so, such as causing loss of life or being able to destroy permanents only of certain colors. For example, "destroy target white" permanent or "destroy target green permanent" are both acceptable, but simply "destroy target enchantment" without any conditions, goes against 27 years of this game's history; Mark Rosewater himself has said that being unable to affect enchantments is a purposeful weakness of black, so it feels completely wrong to undermine that weakness, now, and I really hope that this does not set a precedent for future sets. When the eventual player survey for this set is made available, I will express my displeasure politely but very clearly.
August 28, 2020 11:51 p.m.
Daveslab2022 says... #11
That’s a good question DeinoStinkus, apparently wizards weren’t being mindful when they printed the wedges.
Golos, Tireless Pilgrim, Niv-Mizzet Reborn Reaper King The First Sliver General Tazri Scion of the Ur-Dragon
Even cards older than those like Sliver Overlord follow the “color wheel” that’s found on the back of every MTG card. Idk why the wekdge cards are different.
However I just seen Jodah, Archmage Eternal and his activated ability followed WUBRG color wheel but his personal CMC does not.
WIZARDS WHY
August 29, 2020 9:17 a.m. Edited.
Daveslab2022 says... #12
Upon further inspection, the wedges DO follow the color wheel, but they don’t all start at the W.
So Atraxa, Praetors' Voice, is GWUB, which, if we started at G on the wheel it’s in order, GWUBR, instead of WUBRG
Very weird.
August 29, 2020 9:38 a.m.
JANKYARD_DOG says... #13
DemonDragonJ when black enchants something it typically is a negative effect, like a curse. Therefore, if one can curse something you would think they could also decurse (disenchant). Theoretically it makes sense, not in a prominent fashion as it's tertiary (G/W being basically tied), but anything made non restrictive or restrictive lite (I.e. a black Disenchant would most likely find itself in the sideboards of 60 card formats. I have my doubts that this effect will be found at any less than a Rare level, but could be wrong.
August 29, 2020 9:42 a.m.
Daveslab2022 says... #14
I’ve read they actually purposely avoided giving black enchantment removal because of self-curse cards like Demonic Pact.
August 29, 2020 9:46 a.m.
seshiro_of_the_orochi says... #15
Cowards can't block warriors.
There is exactly one card with that line, and Boldwyr Intimidator can't appear on Zendikar, as Boldwyr is a place on Lorwyn. So there's a new warrior lord.
August 29, 2020 10:30 a.m.
DemonDragonJ says... #16
Mj3913, Daveslab2022, I would much prefer that black land destruction return, instead of giving black an entirely new ability, since there is already a precedent for that.
August 29, 2020 12:12 p.m.
@seshiro_of_the_orochi, OR what if Boldwyr Intimidator is on Zendikar and we find out that he is now a planeswalker? I mean it would be highly unlikely, but I don't think we have a planeswalker that comes from the giant race, so it would be kind of cool.
August 29, 2020 12:14 p.m.
seshiro_of_the_orochi - Just because one of our three Coward-related cards deals with Warriors does not mean all of them will. The “cowards can’t block warriors” line is simply a static ability of the Boldwyr, it’s not like the old (now defunct) “Walls can’t attack” line, as Wizards decided having restrictions on creature types was kind of dumb (which is why all Walls have Defender now, rather than reminder text based on their race).
DeinoStinkus - all planeswalker cards are legendary, and their previous printing as non-legendary cards was never a mistake. Initially, they were covered by an entirely different rule - the Planeswalkers Uniqueness Rule - which functioned a lot like the Legend Rule. Wizards eventually decided that was silly, and made all PW legendary so there would be fewer near-redundant rules.
August 29, 2020 12:30 p.m. Edited.
seshiro_of_the_orochi says... #19
Caerwyn: I'm not sure how to respond. That line is a static ability of Intimidator, that's perfectly true. Also, MaRo mentioned this line in the "rules text in Zendikar Rising" section of his blog post. This line alone makes the card that has it a warrior lord. It might be a non-creature, but it Gould still be used in a warrior deck. That exactly is wrong about what I said?
August 29, 2020 1:46 p.m.
Ah, I had missed the line in MaRo’s blog, and just generally remembered another post somewhere saying Cowards would be in the set. I just figured you were quoting one of the existing coward cards.
My bad!
August 29, 2020 1:49 p.m.
seshiro_of_the_orochi says... #21
Caerwyn: Ok, great to be on the same page now. The post is pretty long, so it definitely is pretty easy to overlook some parts, no problem.
August 29, 2020 2:37 p.m.
Coward_Token says... #22
Yeah let this thread be the general spoiler one
With the Intimidator text and Nahiri's -2, I suppose class tribal will be a thing? Maybe instead of Allies even?
August 31, 2020 3:19 p.m.
So...
contributes Clerics
contributes Wizards
contributes Rogues
contributes Warriors
contributes to all four equally.
While I know fitting five unique creature types would have been difficult I felt like if they were to contribute a fifth type to Green it should have been Archer which is a really under-used creature type.
September 2, 2020 1:33 a.m.
can one creature with multiple creaturetypes like a creature with "Changeling" count as a whole party?
StopShot says... #2
@DeinoStinkus, as far as I can tell they all were printed on two unique cards being Reaper King and their own special cycle in Shadowmoor. None of them would ever be used again, not even in Modern Horizons or any of the Un-sets. So it's not like any given one of them has had three unique printings. Since he said four mana symbols were returning this would mean they'd have an incomplete cycle if they ran those mana symbols unless some card has escaped me that has already used that symbol once more than the others.
August 28, 2020 8:38 a.m.