Shadowmoor

For other uses, see Shadowmoor (disambiguation).

Shadowmoor
Set Information
Set symbol
Themes and mechanics	Hybrid mana, Untapping, -1/-1 counters
Keywords/​ability words	Conspire, Persist, Wither
Set size	301 (121 commons, 80 uncommons, 80 rares, 20 lands)
Expansion code	SHM
Development codename	Jelly

Shadowmoor is the forty-fifth Magic expansion and was released in May 2008 as the first set in the Shadowmoor block. Prerelease events were held April 19-20, 2008. Release events were held May 2-4, 2008.

Set details

Shadowmoor contains 301 cards (80 rare, 80 uncommon, 121 common, and 20 basic lands). It is the first set of a so-called mini-block, the second being Eventide. It is also a large expansion released in May, when usually a small expansion is released. Together with the previous Lorwyn block, they formed a four set mega-block.

Shadowmoor takes place on the plane of the same name, which is a reflection of Lorwyn, the setting of the previous block. Shadowmoor reboots mechanically and does not take over any mechanics or themes from Lorwyn and often inverts them, such as the case of power/toughness modifying counters. While Lorwyn had a subtheme promoting and heavily using +1/+1 counters, Shadowmoor uses -1/-1 counters instead. While Lorwyn contained only a few multicolored cards and Morningtide none, Shadowmoor contained many multicolored cards, primarily cards castable with allied-color hybrid mana.

The races native to Lorwyn also appear in Shadowmoor, but some switch color-alignment. The Elves who were green-black in Lorwyn are green-white in Shadowmoor. Kithkin who were once more green now have a blue influence. Merfolk go from blue-white to blue-black, Flamekin go from red to black and renamed Cinders, and Goblins who were uncharacteristically black in Lorwyn return to red and dabble in green. Additionally, a race of artifact creatures called Scarecrows is introduced.

The strongest theme of Shadowmoor is the usage of Hybrid mana which can be paid with mana of either of two colors. This mechanic was first introduced in the Ravnica block but is heavily expanded in this and the following set, Eventide. Shadowmoor focuses on Allied pairs.

The expansion symbol of Shadowmoor is alternately interpreted as a bat wing, a dead leaf or the Jack-o'-lantern lid from the Reaper King, the King of the scarecrows.

Flavor and storyline

Shadowmoor was once the world of Lorwyn — in fact, in a sense, it still is. But thanks to the Great Aurora, everything's changed. Where it was once constantly sunny, now it is always night, steeped in gloom and fog, with only cold moonlight to light the skies. Once-clear waters have turned brackish and chill. The howling wind creaks the brittle branches of rotting trees. Life, once abundant, either struggles to survive or is twisted into something vicious and cruel. This is not a world of despair, but of oppressive terror and constant death.

Marketing

Shadowmoor was sold in 75-card tournament decks, 16-card boosters, five preconstructed theme decks and a fat pack. Al products except the boosters contained a random Pro Tour Player Card. The booster packs featured artwork from Murderous Redcap, Grief Tyrant, Ashenmoor Gouger, Reaper King and Faerie Macabre. Starting with Shadowmoor, the fat pack was resdesigned so that the panorama artpiece surrounded just one card box (cardboard inserts allowed it to contain the contents, once the inserts and contents were removed the card box is the same size as previous card boxes). The artpiece is 2¼" smaller in unwrapped length. The number of boosters increased from 6 to 8. The promotional pre-release card for Shadowmoor is Demigod of Revenge with alternate art, a card that emphasizes hybrid mana. The promotional release card for Shadowmoor is Vexing Shusher. The set was accompanied by the anthology of the same name, written by by Cory J. Herndon and Scott McGough.

Like Morningtide boosters before them, boosters of Shadowmoor come with a bonus sixteenth card that is either a "rules card" or a creature token from Shadowmoor. One face of the Shadowmoor bonus card has one of six different rules tips or is one of twelve different creature tokens. The other face has one of six advertisements for organized play programs, Gleemax, fat packs and Eventide.

Tips & Tricks

The tips & tricks cards are

• Rules Tip: is the Untap Symbol
• Rules Tip: +1/+1 and -1/-1 counters
• Rules Tip: Template:Rg and Template:2r Are Hybrid Mana Symbols
• Rules Tip: Conspire
• Rules Tip: Persist
• Rules Tip: Wither

Tokens

The Shadowmoor tokens are:

• "1/1 Kithkin Soldier" produced by Repel Intruders
• "1/1 Spirit with flying" produced by Spectral Procession
• "1/1 Rat" produced by Plague of Vermin
• "1/1 Elemental" produced by Elemental Mastery
• "1/1 Elf Warrior" produced by Flourishing Defenses and Presence of Gond
• "1/2 Spider with reach" produced by Gloomwidow's Feast
• "2/2 Wolf" produced by Howl of the Night Pack
• "1/1 Template:Ub Faerie Rogue with flying" produced by Oona, Queen of the Fae
• "5/5 Template:Br Elemental" produced by Din of the Fireherd
• "4/4 Template:Rg Giant Warrior with haste" produced by Giantbaiting
• "1/1 Template:Rg Goblin Warrior" produced by Wort, the Raidmother
• "1/1 Template:Gw Elf Warrior (green and white)" produced by Mercy Killing and Rhys the Redeemed

Misprints

• Reflecting Pool — the white mana symbol was inserted into the text box of the premium version of the card, carried over from the premium Mistveil Plains.

Mechanics

Shadowmoor expands on its hybrid theme with the the introduction of mono-colored hybrid mana. This case the mana can be paid by either one mana of a specified color, or by two mana of any color. The converted mana cost of these cards is the highest possible.

Another mechanical breakthrough was the untap symbol which is used as a cost allowing a permanent to be untapped to produce some effect as listed on the card. The card must be tapped to use that ability, just as cards with must be untapped. This ability appeared primarily in white and blue.

Further, the set includes a cycle of lands which have basic land types, despite not being basic lands. To prevent them from being strictly better than basic lands, these enter the battlefield tapped. However, they can also be used for a specific, somewhat weak effect, if its controller also controls at least two permanents of the appropriate color.

Shadowmoor introduced the following keyword mechanics:

• 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.
• Persist — When this creature is put into the graveyard from play, if it had no -1/-1 counters on it, return it to play under its owner's control with a -1/-1 counter on it.
• Wither — This deals damage to creatures in the form of -1/-1 counters. Primarily in red, black and green.

Cycles

Shadowmoor has 20 cycles:

• Allied-color self-boosting creatures: Each of these common monocolored creatures has an activated ability with a hybrid mana cost that boosts one or both of its stats — Rune-Cervin Rider, Parapet Watchers, Loch Korrigan, Blistering Dieflyn, and Foxfire Oak.
• Allied "Filter" lands: Each of these rare lands take one mana of two allied colors and produce two mana of any combination of those allied colors that can be paid. They also tap for colorless mana - Fire-lit Thicket (Template:Rg), Graven Cairns (Template:Br), Mystic Gate (Template:Wu), Sunken Ruins (Template:Ub), and Wooded Bastion (Template:Gw).
• Basic land count spells: Each of these uncommon spells gains more power the more basic lands of the appropriate type you control — Armored Ascension, Flow of Ideas, Corrupt, Jaws of Stone, and Howl of the Night Pack.
• Cohorts: Each of these common creatures gains +1/+1 as long as you control another creature of its color — Ballynock Cohort, Briarberry Cohort, Ashenmoor Cohort, Mudbrawler Cohort, and Crabapple Cohort.
• Color-aligned scarecrows: Each of these common Scarecrow artifact creatures is matched with an allied pair of colors, gaining an ability if you control a creature of a specific color — Watchwing Scarecrow, Wingrattle Scarecrow, Rattleblaze Scarecrow, Blazethorn Scarecrow, and Thornwatch Scarecrow.
• Colored permanent count creatures: Each of these uncommon creatures costs C and has P/T each equal to the number of permanents of their color you control — Kithkin Rabble, Faerie Swarm, Crowd of Cinders, Horde of Boggarts, and Drove of Elves.
• Duos: Each of these common hybrid creatures has one race and two classes each, and gains a bonus until the end of turn whenever you play a spell of one of its colors — Thistledown Duo, Gravelgill Duo, Emberstrike Duo, Tattermunge Duo, and Safehold Duo.
• Hate-enhanced spells: Each of these common spells has a greater effect against enemy colors — Inquisitor's Snare, Consign to Dream, Gloomlance, Ember Gale, and Gloomwidow's Feast.
• Hideaway creatures: Each of these 7-mana rare creatures is the awakened form of one of the hideaway lands from Lorwyn, and has an ability that mirrors its land form — Windbrisk Raptor, Isleback Spawn, Hollowborn Barghest, Knollspine Dragon, and Mossbridge Troll.
• Hybrid conspire spells: Each of these common spells has conspire and has art depicting members of races introduced in Lorwyn — Æthertow, Memory Sluice, Traitor's Roar, Giantbaiting, Barkshell Blessing.
• Initiates: Each of these common 1/1 creatures allows you to pay whenever a spell of its color is cast to gain an effect — Apothecary Initiate, Drowner Initiate, Smolder Initiate, Intimidator Initiate, and Nurturer Initiate.
• Mentors: Each of these uncommon creatures grants an ability to all creatures you control of their color — Resplendent Mentor, Deepchannel Mentor, Corrosive Mentor, Bloodmark Mentor, Roughshod Mentor.
• Monocolor conspire sorceries: Each of these common sorceries has conspire and has art depicting members of races new to Shadowmoor or Eventide — Mine Excavation, Ghastly Discovery, Disturbing Plot, Burn Trail, and Gleeful Sabotage.
• Monocolor hybrids: Each of these uncommon spells has a mana cost of {/C}{/C}{/C}. The reminder text on these cards reads "{2/C} can be paid with any two mana or with C. This card's converted mana cost is 6." — Spectral Procession, Advice from the Fae, Beseech the Queen, Flame Javelin, and Tower Above.
• Rare persist creatures: Each of these rare creatures with persist has a powerful comes-into-play ability — Twilight Shepherd, River Kelpie, Puppeteer Clique, Furystoke Giant, and Woodfall Primus.
• Reflections: Each of these rare enchantments doubles a common event, and each is illustrated by the sister/brother team of Terese Nielsen and Ron Spencer — Boon Reflection (life gained), Thought Reflection (cards drawn), Wound Reflection (damage dealt), Rage Reflection (attacks), and Mana Reflection (mana).
• Unblockable hybrid creatures: Each of these common 3/3 creatures has a casting cost of HH, where H is an allied-color hybrid mana. They can't be blocked by creatures of their colors' shared enemy color — Barrenton Cragtreads, Wanderbrine Rootcutters, Sootwalkers, Mudbrawler Raiders, and Raven's Run Dragoon.
• Utility lands: Each of these uncommon lands has a basic land type, comes into play tapped, and can be tapped for one mana of its respective color in addition to another ability that can only be played if you control two or more permanents of the proper color — Mistveil Plains, Moonring Island, Leechridden Swamp, Madblind Mountain, and Sapseep Forest.
• Wisps: Each of these common cantrips changes a creature's color until the end of turn — Niveous Wisps, Cerulean Wisps, Aphotic Wisps, Crimson Wisps, and Viridescent Wisps.
• Witches: Each of these uncommon hybrid creatures as an ability that requires CD to play, where C and D are its colors — Mistmeadow Witch, Inkfathom Witch, Spiteflame Witch, Tattermunge Witch, and Seedcradle Witch.

Some cards are part of the seven Shadowmoor block mega cycles.

Reprinted cards

• Corrupt, first printed in Urza's Saga, last seen in 7th Edition
• Flow of Ideas, first printed in Ravnica: City of Guilds
• Graven Cairns, first printed in Future Sight
• Last Breath, first printed in Mercadian Masques
• Mistmeadow Skulk, first printed in Future Sight
• Reflecting Pool, first printed in Tempest
• Torture, first printed in Homelands, last seen in 5th Edition

Colorshifted

• Power of Fire, red colorshifted version of Hermetic Study (Urza's Saga)

Reflections

Several cards from Shadowmoor were designed to reflect cards printed in Lorwyn and Morningtide, playing up the set's theme as a dark reflection of the world of Lorwyn:

Mechanical Reflections:

• Boggart Arsonists is a reflection of Boggart Loggers.
• Torture is a reflection of Daily Regimen.
• Hollowsage is a reflection of Fallowsage.
• Incremental Blight is a reflection of Incremental Growth.
• Kithkin Shielddare is a reflection of Kithkin Daggerdare.
• Kinscaer Harpoonist is a reflection of Kinsbaile Balloonist. Magicthegathering.com's Wallpaper of the Week featured a wallpaper of the two artworks together on May 30, 2008.

Flavor Reflections:

• Mistmeadow Skulk is a reflection of Goldmeadow Dodger.
• Rhys the Redeemed is a reflection of Rhys the Exiled.
• Sygg, River Cutthroat is a reflection of Sygg, River Guide.
• Wort, the Raidmother is a reflection of Wort, Boggart Auntie.
• Graven Cairns is a reflection of Ancient Amphitheater.
• Fire-Lit Thicket is a reflection of Auntie's Hovel.
• Sunken Ruins is a reflection of both Wanderwine Hub and Rustic Clachan.
• Wooded Bastion is a reflection of Gilt-Leaf Palace.

Notable cards

• Firespout — A hybrid sorcery with a casting cost of Template:Rg. This casting cost is cheaper than a 3 point Earthquake or Hurricane. If is spent to cast Firesprout then it deals 3 damage to each non-flying creature, if is spent to cast Firesprout then it deals 3 damage to each flying creature. Also, if is spent in the casting cost it deals 3 damage to all creatures - a very good bargain.
• Kitchen Finks — Hard to kill due to Persist and gaining life, this card would often simply shut down very aggressive decks.
• Murderous Redcap — May be characterized as the Finks evil twin, this card also has Persist and deals damage equal to its power when it enters the battlefield.
• Painter's Servant — Infamous for being part of a two-card combo with Grindstone.
• Reflecting Pool — As a reprint already famous, this card enabled some very strong and diverse mana-bases in combination with the Vivid Lands from Lorwyn.
• Runed Halo — The first card to grant Protection to a player rather than a creature.
• Safewright Quest — A land tutor with a casting cost of Template:Gw. It is also the first land tutor that can search for either a Forest or Plains specifically.
• Savor the Moment — This is the cheapest casting cost "take an extra turn" spell since Alpha's Time Walk, at just but has the drawback of skipping the untap step of that turn.
• Smash to Smithereens — An improved version of the card Shatter, Smash to Smithereens also deals 3 damage to the artifact's controller.
• Spectral Procession — A card which was initially dismissed later shaped Standard significantly as it provided three cheap, flying creatures who all individually would be able to take advantage of power/toughness boosting effects like Glorious Anthem or Ajani Goldmane.
• Strip Bare — At just , this instant destroys all auras and equipment attached to a target creature.
• Swans of Bryn Argoll — Used in a few combo decks wich would deal a large amount of damage to the Swans to draw a lot of cards and turn those cards into damage to the opponent, e.g. with Seismic Assault or Chain of plasma.
• Wheel of Sun and Moon — One of only three Auras that enchant a player, the others being Paradox Haze and Psychic Possession. This card can be used to hose an opponent who is reliant on his graveyard by enchanting him, or hosing an opponent with a mill strategy by enchanting oneself.
• Vexing shusher — This goblin is really good annoying control decks. A fantastic card for the sideboard in Legacy.

Preconstructed decks

Shadowmoor features five two-colored, allied-colored theme decks. Template:Theme decks Template:LRW—SHM theme decks

External links

• Shadowmoor product information page — Wizards of the Coast
• Shadowmoor Minisite