Magic: The Gathering 2013 Core Set

Template:Infobox expansion Magic: The Gathering 2013 Core Set, commonly referred to as Magic 2013, is a core set released July 13, 2012.

Set details

Magic 2013 contains 249 cards (101 Common, 60 Uncommon, 53 Rare, 15 Mythic, 20 Basic Lands), including randomly inserted premium versions of all cards. The returning mechanic for this Core Set was Exalted. Magic 2013 was the first Core Set to contain zero cards that had appeared in every core set from from Alpha (excluding the basic lands). It was also the first Core Set after Alpha to feature original art on (some of) the basic lands.

Magic 2013 is largely built around Nicol Bolas, Planeswalker, which became the first multicolored card to be included in a core set. The set also includes a cycle of Legendary creatures (only the second time a core set included Legendary creatures (the first was Tenth Edition) and a cycle of Planeswalkers. Ajani Goldmane and Liliana Vess received new cards. Magic 2013 is tightly incorporated into into the digital Duels of the Planeswalkers 2013 which contained a theme deck for each Planeswalker and Legendary creature, and featured those characters as opponents and Nicol Bolas as the final boss. Due to the close prospective release dates, "Duels 2013" was pushed as the introductory set, while Magic 2013 itself was to be the Magic "showcase", having many high-end, high-impact spells.

Flavor

“

Face a Greater Challenge

”

The set's flavor is an amalgamation of several different planes in the universe. Krenko and Yeva hail from Ravnica, Odric from Innistrad, Nefarox from the Grixis portion of a reunited Alara, while Talrand, Xathrid Gorgon, War Priest of Thune and the equipment cycle of Rings refer to the plane of Shandalar.

Bolas, like the other planeswalkers, is supplemented with several cards capturing his flavor, including Gem of Becoming and his minions Augur of Bolas, Disciple of Bolas and Mindclaw Shaman.

Marketing

Magic 2013 6-card booster

Magic 2013 was is sold in 16-card and 6-card booster packs, five Intro packs, two event decks, Booster Battle Pack"s and a fat pack. The packaging of the set is centered around Bolas' iconic feature, his warped horns. The regular boosters feature art from Liliana of the Dark Realms, Augur of Bolas, Spiked Baloth, Mindclaw Shaman and Ajani, Caller of the Pride. The 6-card booster features Diabolic Revelation. With each copy of Duels of the Planeswalkers 2013 a six card Magic 2013 sampler could be obtained.

Prerelease Events took place July 7-8, 2012 and Launch Parties took place July 13-15, 2012 (conflicing with an earlier report of "no more Launch Parties"). Game Day took place on August 4-5, 2012. The Prerelease card was Xathrid Gorgon, the Launch promo was Staff of Nin and the Game Day card was a full-art Mwonvuli Beast Tracker (the Top 8 received a full-art foil Magmaquake). A new promo card was introduced for Core set league participants: received an alternate art Goblin creature token. The Buy-a-Box card was Cathedral of War.

Regular boosters of Magic 2013 come with a bonus sixteenth card that is either a creature token or an emblem with an advertisement on the reverse side. "tips & tricks cards" were discontinued.

Tokens/Emblem

• 2/2 Cat produced by Ajani, Caller of the Pride.
• 3/3 Beast produced by Garruk, Primal Hunter and Thragtusk.
• 0/1 Goat produced by Trading Post.
• 2/2 Drake with flying produced by Talrand, Sky Summoner and Talrand's Invocation.
• 1/1 Goblin produced by Krenko, Mobb Boss and Krenko's Command.
• 4/4 Hellion produced by Hellion Crucible.
• 1/1 Saproling produced by Fungal Sprouting.
• 1/1 Soldier produced by Attended Knight, Captain of the Watch and Captain's Call.
• 6/6 Wurm produced by Garruk, Primal Hunter.
• 2/2 Zombie produced by Vile Rebirth.
• and the emblem for Liliana of the Dark Realms.

Sample decks

The Magic 2013 Core Set came with five thirty-card sample decks.

Cycles

Magic 2013 has seven cycles:

• Planeswalkers: There are six mythic rare Planeswalker cards in the set — Ajani, Caller of the Pride; Jace, Memory Adept; Liliana of the Dark Realms; Chandra, the Firebrand; Garruk, Primal Hunter and Nicol Bolas, Planeswalker.
• Planeswalkers cards: Each Planeswalker has one card named after them. Nicol Bolas received two such cards — Ajani's Sunstriker, Jace's Phantasm, Liliana's Shade, Chandra's Fury, Garruk's Packleader, Disciple of Bolas and Augur of Bolas
• Planeswalkers cards: Each Planeswalker has one card related to its personality and actions. Nicol Bolas also received two such cards — Healer of the Pride, Mind Sculpt, Veilborn Ghoul, Flames of the Firebrand, Primal Huntbeast, Mindclaw Shaman and Gem of Becoming.
• Legendary creatures: Odric, Master Tactician; Talrand, Sky Summoner; Nefarox, Overlord of Grixis; Krenko, Mob Boss and Yeva, Nature's Herald.
• Cards related to the legendary creatures: Crusader of Odric; Talrand's Invocation; Servant of Nefarox; Krenko's Command and Yeva's Forcemage.
• Taplands: Each of these rare dual lands comes into play tapped unless you control a land of one of the appropriate types — Glacial Fortress, Drowned Catacomb, Dragonskull Summit, Rootbound Crag and Sunpetal Grove. (Reprinted from Magic 2010.)
• Magic rings of Shandalar: Uncommon Equipment that work best for a given color. — Ring of Thune, Ring of Evos Isle, Ring of Xathrid, Ring of Valkas, and Ring of Kalonia
• Sedge creatures: These five uncommon creatures, calling back to Sedge Troll (Crimson Muckwader is a Sedge Troll with slightly different costs and 1 less toughness), get +1/+1 if you control a basic land of the appropriate allied color and can gain an ability for a payment in that allied color. — Prized Elephant, Arctic Aven, Harbor Bandit, Crimson Muckwader, and Flinthoof Boar.

Pairs

Magic 2013 has two mirrored pairs.

• Dark Favor and Divine Favor are both common Auras with enchant creature that give a mirrored bonus to the enchanted creature's power/toughness and are illustrated by Allen Williams.
• The white Knight of Glory and the black Knight of Infamy are both uncommon Human Knights with with a mana cost of C, power/toughness of 2/1, exalted and protection from the opposite color.

Functional reprints

• Battleflight Eagle, functional reprint of Welkin Guide from Shards of Alara, save for creature type
• Faerie Invaders, functional reprint of Spire Monitor from New Phyrexia, save for creature type
• Flames of the Firebrand, functional reprint of Arc Lightning from Urza's Saga
• Guardian Lions, functional reprint of Border Patrol from Judgment, save for creature type
• Krenko's Command, functional reprint of Dragon Fodder from Shards of Alara
• Warclamp Mastiff, functional reprint of Tundra Wolves from Legends, save for creature type

Intro Packs

The intro packs now came with two boosters. They are: Template:Intro packs

Event decks

Template:Event decks

Cards added to Magic 2013

• Magic 2013 is the first core set to have a spell that specifically destroys an equipment - Turn to Slag.

Cards removed from Magic 2012

• Cycle of Titans: Sun Titan, Frost Titan, Grave Titan, Inferno Titan and Primeval Titan.
• This is the first core set without a cycle of "Lucky charms" artifacts (or the original cycle): Angel's Feather, Demon's Horn, Dragon's Claw, Kraken's Eye and Wurm's Tooth.
• Due to the impending return of a multicolor block, the hoser cycle Celestial Purge, Flashfreeze, Deathmark, Combust and Autumn's Veil are absent as to not make such an impact on allied-multicolor decks.
• Notably, this set does not include Giant Spider, before this was the only card that had been in every core set (excluding basic lands).

Gallery

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  Magic 2013 Fat Pack

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  Magic 2013 Event Decks

External links

• Magic: The Gathering 2013 Core Set product information page — Wizards of the Coast