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{{SubTabs
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{{Infobox expansion|
  
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|sub1 = Card comparisons
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set name = Shards of Alara|
  
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|sub2 = Intro packs
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logo = [[Image:ALA logo.png|Shards of Alara]]|
  
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symbol = ALA symbol.png|
  
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symbol description = |
  
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design team = [[Bill Rose]] (design lead),<BR>[[Devin Low]] (development lead),<BR>[[Aaron Forsythe]],<BR>[[Mark Globus]],<BR>[[Mark Gottlieb]],<BR>[[Graeme Hopkins]],<BR>[[Alexis Janson]],<BR>[[Erik Lauer]],<BR>[[Michael Mikaelian]],<BR>[[Kenneth Nagle]],<BR>[[Matt Place]],<BR>[[Mark Rosewater]],<BR>[[Brian Tinsman]],<BR>[[Mike Turian]],<BR>[[Noah Weil]] |
  
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development team = same as Design Team|
  
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art director = [[Jeremy Jarvis]]|
  
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date_release = October 3, 2008|
  
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mechanics = Three-color play,<BR>Colored artifacts,<BR>Large creatures|
  
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keywords = [[Cycling]],<BR>[[Devour]],<BR>[[Exalted]],<BR>[[Unearth]]|
  
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size = 249 (101 Common 60 Uncommon 53 Rare 15 Mythic 20 Lands)|
  
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code_expansion = ALA|
  
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code_development = Rock |
  
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block name = [[Alara block]]|
  
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first set = [[Shards of Alara]]|
  
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second set = [[Conflux]]|
  
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third set = [[Alara Reborn]]|
  
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previous set = [[Masters Edition II]]|
  
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this set = Shards of Alara|
  
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next set = [[Duel Decks: Jace vs. Chandra]]|
  
 
}}
  
}}
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{{Infobox set
−
'''Shards of Alara''' is the forty-seventh [[Magic]] [[expansion]] and was released October 2008 as the [[Large expansion|first set]] in the [[Alara block]]. The [[prerelease]] events for this set were held on September 27-28, 2008. Release events were held on October 3, 2008, the same day the set went on sale. <ref>{{DailyRef|mtgcom/daily/1549|Announcing Shards of Alara|Wizards of the Cast|March 18, 2008}}</ref>
  
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|image = ALA logo.png
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|symbol_description = 5 shards of a plane
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|design = [[Bill Rose]] (design lead),<br />[[Devin Low]] (development lead),<br />[[Aaron Forsythe]],<br />[[Mark Globus]],<br />[[Mark Gottlieb]],<br />[[Graeme Hopkins]],<br />[[Alexis Janson]],<br />[[Erik Lauer]],<br />[[Michael Mikaelian]],<br />[[Kenneth Nagle]],<br />[[Matt Place]],<br />[[Mark Rosewater]],<br />[[Brian Tinsman]],<br />[[Mike Turian]],<br />[[Noah Weil]]
  +
|development = same as Design Team
  +
|art = [[Jeremy Jarvis]]
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|release = October 3, 2008
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|plane = [[Alara]]
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|mechanics = Three-color play, [[colored artifact]]s, large creatures
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|keywords = [[Cycling]], [[Devour]], [[Exalted]], [[Unearth]]
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|size = 249 + 1
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|code_expansion = ALA
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|code_expansion_ref = {{DailyRef|magic-online/shards-alara-block-magic-online-release-events-2010-01-28|Shards of Alara Block Magic Online Release Events|Mike Gills|January 28, 2010}}
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|code_development = Rock
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|series = [[Alara block]]
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|first = Shards of Alara
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|second = Conflux
  +
|third = Alara Reborn
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|previous = Masters Edition II
  +
|next = Duel Decks: Jace vs. Chandra
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}}
  +
'''''Shards of Alara''''' is the forty-seventh ''[[Magic]]'' [[expansion]] and was released October 2008 as the [[Large expansion|first set]] in the [[Alara block]]. The [[prerelease]] events for this set were held on September 27–28, 2008. Release events were held on October 3, 2008, the same day the set went on sale.<ref>{{DailyRef|announcing-shards-alara-2008-03-18|Announcing ''Shards of Alara''|[[Wizards of the Coast]]|March 18, 2008}}</ref>
   
 
==Set details==
  
==Set details==
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''Shards of Alara'' was the first set to follow a new packaging policy, which amongst other things introduced a new [[rarity]] level called [[mythic rare]], as well as the replacement of one of the [[common]]s in a [[booster pack]] with a [[basic land]] (the first time this was done outside of a core set). After evaluating the set sizes, [[Wizards of the Coast]] decided that card sets would be smaller than they had traditionally been. Initial sets of a block were now 249 cards (101 Common, 60 Uncommon, 53 Rare, 15 Mythic, 20 Basic Lands) instead of the approximately 300 cards of previous expansions. <ref>{{DailyRef|mtgcom/daily/mr334|The Year of Living Changerously|[[Mark Rosewater]]|June 2, 2008}}</ref> ''Shards of Alara'' heralded the return of [[planeswalker]] cards, and introduced the first [[multicolored]] planeswalkers.
+
''Shards of Alara'' was the first set to follow a new packaging policy, which amongst other things introduced a new [[rarity]] level called [[mythic rare]], as well as the replacement of one of the [[common]]s in a [[booster pack]] with a [[basic land]] (the first time this was done outside of a core set). After evaluating the set sizes, [[Wizards of the Coast]] decided that card sets would be smaller than they had traditionally been. Initial sets of a block were now 249 cards {{curmb|101|60|53|15|20}} instead of the approximately 300 cards of previous expansions.<ref>{{DailyRef|making-magic/year-living-changerously-2008-06-02|The Year of Living Changerously|[[Mark Rosewater]]|June 2, 2008}}</ref> ''Shards of Alara'' heralded the return of [[planeswalker]] cards, and introduced the first [[multicolored]] planeswalkers.
   
−
''Shards of Alara'' [[design]], was anything but typical. Design lead [[Bill Rose]] assembled no fewer than fifteen people on five teams, one for each of the five three-color [[shards]]. Each of the five shards has its own game play themes, and its own stable of [[artists]]. <ref>{{DailyRef|mtg/daily/arcana/1728|Ask Wizards: Shards, RSS, and Mysterious Symbols|[[Magic Arcana]]|November 25, 2008}}</ref> The [[expansion symbol]] of the set is a representation of the five shards. <ref>{{DailyRef|mtg/daily/feature/8|Five Teams Share One Fate|magicthegathering.com Staff|October 13, 2008}}</ref>
 +
''Shards of Alara'' [[design]] was anything but typical. Design lead [[Bill Rose]] assembled no fewer than fifteen people on five teams, one for each of the five three-color [[shard]]s. Each of the five shards has its gameplay themes and its stable of [[artists]].<ref>{{DailyRef|arcana/ask-wizards-shards-rss-and-mysterious-symbols-2008-11-25|Ask Wizards: Shards, RSS, and Mysterious Symbols|[[Magic Arcana]]|November 25, 2008}}</ref> The [[expansion symbol]] of the set is a representation of the five shards.<ref>{{DailyRef|feature/five-teams-share-one-fate-2008-10-13|Five Teams Share One Fate|magicthegathering.com Staff|October 13, 2008}}</ref>
   
−
In light of the flavor of the shards, ''Shards of Alara'' launch parties (October 3–6, 2008) were Wizards Play Network events that featured a new format: the Theme Tournament. Designed to highlight the fun and flavorful aspects of the set, the Theme Tournaments had the same structure as the prerelease tournaments (Sealed Deck format in which each player receives one tournament pack and three boosters), with a few additional rules. As players build their decks, they had to choose one of the five shards ([[Bant]], [[Esper]], [[Grixis]], [[Jund]], or [[Naya]]). The mana cost of each card in a player's deck could contain only [[mana symbol]]s that matched the chosen shard's three colors (mana symbols in a card's text box were ignored). Colorless cards could be played in any deck. In addition, a deck could not generate mana outside its shard's colors. Any card which would generate mana of a color that doesn't match the chosen shard generates colorless mana instead. <ref>[[Mark Gottlieb]]. (September 23, 2008.) [http://www.wizards.com/dci/downloads/EN_MTGALA%20FAQ%20092308.doc ''Shards of Alara'' Frequently Asked Questions]</ref>
 +
In light of the flavor of the shards, ''Shards of Alara'' launch parties (October 3–6, 2008) were [[Wizards Play Network]] events that featured a new format: the Theme Tournament. Designed to highlight the fun and flavorful aspects of the set, the Theme Tournaments had the same structure as the prerelease tournaments (Sealed Deck format in which each player receives one tournament pack and three boosters), with a few additional rules. As players build their decks, they had to choose one of the five shards ([[Bant]], [[Esper]], [[Grixis]], [[Jund]], or [[Naya]]). The mana cost of each card in a player's deck could contain only [[mana symbol]]s that matched the chosen shard's three colors (mana symbols in a card's text box were ignored). Colorless cards could be played in any deck. In addition, a deck could not generate mana outside its shard's colors. Any card that would generate a mana of a color that doesn't match the chosen shard generates colorless mana instead.<ref>[[Mark Gottlieb]]. (September 23, 2008.) [http://www.wizards.com/dci/downloads/EN_MTGALA%20FAQ%20092308.doc ''Shards of Alara'' Frequently Asked Questions]</ref>
   
 
===Collector numbers===
  
===Collector numbers===
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''Shards of Alara'' contains many [[colored artifact]]s. These cards were sorted alphabetically into their color when determining [[collector numbers]]. For example, the colored artifact <c>Executioner's Capsule</c> (which requires {{B}} to cast) is placed alphabetically between the [[black]] cards <c>Dregscape Zombie</c> and <c>Fleshbag Marauder</c>. Colored artifacts which require multiple colors are alphabetized among the [[multicolored]] cards. As usual, the artifacts which have a [[colorless]] casting cost are alphabetized together and appear numerically between the multicolored cards and the [[nonbasic]] lands.
 +
''Shards of Alara'' contains many [[colored artifact]]s. These cards were sorted alphabetically into their color when determining [[collector numbers]]. For example, the colored artifact <c>Executioner's Capsule</c> (which requires {{B}} to cast) is placed alphabetically between the [[black]] cards <c>Dregscape Zombie</c> and <c>Fleshbag Marauder</c>. Colored artifacts that require multiple colors are alphabetized among the [[multicolored]] cards. As usual, the artifacts that have a [[generic mana]] cost are alphabetized together and appear numerically between the multicolored cards and the [[nonbasic]] lands.
   
  +
Fourteen years after the release of the set, [[The List]] for ''[[Streets of New Capenna]]'' added a new collector number (#250) to the set with a special non-foil {{card|Rafiq of the Many||Ala|#=250}} featuring new art and the ''Streets of New Capenna'' Golden Age treatment.<ref>{{DailyRef|feature/whats-new-list-streets-new-capenna-2022-04-14|What's New on The List for ''Streets of New Capenna''|[[Wizards of the Coast]]|April 14, 2022}}</ref> This card notably lacks the usual List [[planeswalker symbol]] in the lower left corner.
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===Flavor===
  
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{{cquote|Five worlds share one fate.}}
  
  +
===Flavor and storyline===
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[[Alara]] was a single plane once, a massive world rich with [[mana]].However, those same resources led to its downfall, for an unknown [[planeswalker]] tore the plane asunder millennia ago, harvesting it of its mana. <ref>{{DailyRef|mtg/tcg/shardsofalara/flavor1|Five Worlds|[[Wizards of the Coast]]|September 2008}}</ref> This disaster broke Alara along color lines into incomplete planes called [[shards]], as light is diffracted by a prism. The shards recovered their mana in time, but only in part. Each shard is vastly different, as the combinations of triple-colored mana have shaped natural and cultural forces on each world in distinctive ways. <ref>{{DailyRef|mtg/tcg/shardsofalara/flavor2|Life Imitates Mana|[[Wizards of the Coast]]|September 2008}}</ref> <ref>{{DailyRef|mtg/daily/feature/3|Alara, a World Broken|[[Doug Beyer]]|September 08, 2008}}</ref> <ref>{{DailyRef|mtg/tcg/shardsofalara/explore|Explore ''Shards of Alara''|[[Wizards of the Coast]]|September, 2008}}</ref> <ref>{{DailyRef|mtg/daily/feature/4|Ripping a World Apart|Richard Whitters|September 15, 2008}}</ref> <ref>{{DailyRef|mtg/daily/feature/9|A Shards Day's Night|[[Rei Nakazawa]]|October 20, 2008}}</ref> <ref>{{DailyRef|mtg/daily/stf/6|Faction + Fiction|[[Doug Beyer]]|October 01, 2008}}</ref> <ref>{{DailyRef|mtg/daily/stf/8|''Shards of Alara'' in Italics|[[Doug Beyer]]|October 15, 2008}}</ref>
  
 
{{Main|Alara|Alara Unbroken}}
  
{{Main|Alara|Alara Unbroken}}
  +
{{cquote|Five worlds share one fate.}}
  +
  +
[[Alara]] was a single plane once, a massive world rich with [[mana]]. However, those same resources led to its downfall, for an unknown [[planeswalker]] tore the plane asunder millennia ago, harvesting of its mana.<ref>{{DailyRef|feature/five-worlds-2008-09-01|Five Worlds|[[Wizards of the Coast]]|September 2008}}</ref> This disaster broke Alara along color lines into incomplete planes called [[shard]]s, as light is diffracted by a prism. The shards recovered their mana in time, but only in part. Each shard is vastly different, as the combinations of triple-colored mana have shaped natural and cultural forces on each world in distinctive ways.<ref>{{DailyRef|feature/life-imitates-mana-2008-09-09|Life Imitates Mana|[[Wizards of the Coast]]|September 2008}}</ref><ref>{{DailyRef|alara-world-broken-2008-09-08|Alara, a World Broken|[[Doug Beyer]]|September 08, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{DailyRef|feature/ripping-world-apart-2008-09-15|Ripping a World Apart|Richard Whitters|September 15, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{DailyRef|shards-days-night-2008-10-20|A Shards Day's Night|[[Rei Nakazawa]]|October 20, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{DailyRef|savor-flavor/faction-fiction-2008-10-01|Faction + Fiction|[[Doug Beyer]]|October 01, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{DailyRef|savor-flavor/shards-alara-italics-2008-10-15|''Shards of Alara'' in Italics|[[Doug Beyer]]|October 15, 2008}}</ref>
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====Story Comics====
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{{main|Flight of the White Cat}}
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{| class="wikitable sortable"
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|-
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! Title !! Author !! Release Date !! Setting (plane) !! Featuring
  +
|-
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| [https://web.archive.org/web/20201111211629/https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/feature/flight-white-cat-part-i-2008-10-08 Flight of the White Cat, Part 1] || [[Brady Dommermuth]] || 2008-10-08 || [[Naya]] || [[Ajani Goldmane]], [[Jazal Goldmane]]
  +
|-
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| [https://web.archive.org/web/20190813160649/https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/feature/flight-white-cat-part-ii-2008-10-15 Flight of the White Cat, Part 2] || [[Brady Dommermuth]] || 2008-10-15 || [[Naya]], [[Jund]] || [[Ajani Goldmane]], [[Jazal Goldmane]]
  +
|-
  +
| [https://web.archive.org/web/20210116180040/https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/feature/flight-white-cat-part-iii-2008-10-22 Flight of the White Cat, Part 3] || [[Brady Dommermuth]] || 2008-10-22 || [[Jund]] || [[Ajani Goldmane]], [[Karrthus]], [[Sarkhan Vol]]
  +
|}
  +
   
 
===''Planes Explorer''===
  
===''Planes Explorer''===
 
[http://www.wizards.com/mtg/flash/alaraexplorer/planesExplorer.html ''Planes Explorer''] is a Flash object that allows one to explore the flavor of the five shards of Alara.
  
[http://www.wizards.com/mtg/flash/alaraexplorer/planesExplorer.html ''Planes Explorer''] is a Flash object that allows one to explore the flavor of the five shards of Alara.
  +
−
<gallery>Image:PE-Bant.jpg|A shard of rolling hills, forests and glittering beaches. The landscape is dotted with beautiful high-rising castles.
  
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<gallery>Image:PE-Bant.jpg|'''Bant:''' A shard of rolling hills, forests and glittering beaches. The landscape is dotted with beautiful high-rising castles.
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Image:PE-Esper.jpg|The sophisticated beauty of this shard is etched into every artifact, city, and even the faces of some of the inhabitants.
  
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Image:PE-Grixis.jpg|The inhabitants of this hellish shard are either buying power at a high price or spiraling out of sanity and into despair.
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Image:PE-Esper.jpg|'''Esper:''' The sophisticated beauty of this shard is etched into every artifact, city, and even the faces of some of the inhabitants.
−
Image:PE-Jund.jpg|Goblins, lizardmen, and humans scour this shard for food and power, but all here are ruled by fearsome dragons.
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Image:PE-Grixis.jpg|'''Grixis:''' The inhabitants of this hellish shard are either buying power at a high price or spiraling out of sanity and into despair.
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Image:PE-Naya.jpg|The lush growth and rich natural beauty of this shard sometimes masks the savage dangers of the jungle.
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Image:PE-Jund.jpg|'''Jund:''' Goblins, lizardmen, and humans scour this shard for food and power, but all here are ruled by fearsome dragons.
  +
Image:PE-Naya.jpg|'''Naya:''' The lush growth and rich natural beauty of this shard sometimes mask the savage dangers of the jungle.
 
Image:PE-SoA.jpg</gallery>
  
Image:PE-SoA.jpg</gallery>
   
 
===Marketing===
  
===Marketing===
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''Shards of Alara'' was sold in 75-card [[tournament deck]]s, 16-card [[boosters]], five [[intro pack]]s and a [[fat pack]]. <ref>{{DailyRef|mtg/daily/arcana/1667|''Shards of Alara'' Fat Pack|[[Magic Arcana]]|September 01, 2008}}</ref> It was the last set to feature tournament decks; in these, any number of the usual rares could have been replaced with mythic rares. The intro packs replaced the traditional [[preconstructed theme deck]]s and the [[2-Player Starter Set]]. The fat pack's content was changed replacing the novel with a brief introduction of the expansion's respective novel or [[Planeswalker's Guide to Alara|Planeswalker's Guide]]. The [[Pro Tour Player Cards]] were discontinued. The Alara block was accompanied by only one novel: ''[[Alara Unbroken]]'', written by by [[Doug Beyer]] and the ''[[Planeswalker's Guide to Alara]]'', written by written by Doug Beyer and [[Jenna Helland]].
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''Shards of Alara'' was sold in 75-card [[tournament deck]]s, 16-card [[boosters]], five [[intro pack]]s, and a [[fat pack]].<ref>{{DailyRef|arcana/shards-alara-fat-pack-2008-09-01|''Shards of Alara'' Fat Pack|[[Magic Arcana]]|September 01, 2008}}</ref> It was the last set to feature tournament decks; in these, any number of the usual rares could have been replaced with mythic rares. The intro packs replaced the traditional [[preconstructed theme deck]]s and the [[2-Player Starter Set]]. The fat pack's content was changed replacing the novel with a brief introduction of the expansion's respective novel or [[Planeswalker's Guide to Alara|Planeswalker's Guide]]. The [[Pro Tour Player Cards]] were discontinued. The Alara block was accompanied by only one novel: ''[[Alara Unbroken]]'', written by [[Doug Beyer]] and the ''[[Planeswalker's Guide to Alara]]'', written by Doug Beyer and [[Jenna Helland]].
   
−
The promotional card given to participants at both the [[Prerelease]] and Release events was <c>Ajani Vengeant</c>, one of the [[mythic rare]] planeswalkers, with alternate artwork. <ref>{{DailyRef|mtgcom/arcana/1660|''Shards of Alara'' Prerelease Card|[[Magic Arcana]]|August 21, 2008}}</ref>
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The promotional card given to participants at both the [[prerelease]] and release events was <c>Ajani Vengeant</c>, one of the [[mythic rare]] planeswalkers, with alternate artwork.<ref>{{DailyRef|arcana/prerelease-card-2008-08-21|''Shards of Alara'' Prerelease Card|[[Magic Arcana]]|August 21, 2008}}</ref>
   
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Starting with the ''Shards of Alara'' set, each [[booster pack]] contained the following: one basic land <ref>{{DailyRef|mtgcom/daily/20080602|Changes as of Shards of Alara|[[Wizards of the Coast]]|June 2, 2008}}</ref>, ten commons, three uncommons, one rare or mythic rare, and 1 non-game [[marketing card]]. If the pack happened to contain a foil premium card, it would do so in place of one of the commons, regardless of that premium card's rarity. (Every game card in the set can appear as a regular card or as a premium card). <ref>{{DailyRef|mtg/daily/mm/259|Twenty Things That Were Going To Kill Magic|[[Mark Rosewater]]|August 05, 2013}}</ref> The boosters featured artwork from <c>Steward of Valeron</c> (with white background), <c>Sphinx Sovereign</c> (with blue background), <c>Sedris, the Traitor King</c> (with black background), <c>Hellkite Overlord</c> (with red background) and <c>Godsire</c> (with green background). <ref>{{DailyRef|mtg/daily/arcana/1663|''Shards of Alara'' Boosters|[[Magic Arcana]]|August 26, 2008}}</ref> An all-[[foil]] booster pack containing cards from ''Shards of Alara'' and the other two sets of the block was released on January 8th, 2010. <ref>{{DailyRef|mtg/daily/arcana/287|The All-Foil Booster|[[Magic Arcana]]|September 29, 2009}}</ref>
 +
Starting with the ''Shards of Alara'' set, each [[booster pack]] contained the following: one basic land,<ref>{{DailyRef|news/changes-2008-06-02|Changes as of ''Shards of Alara''|[[Wizards of the Coast]]|June 2, 2008}}</ref> ten commons, three uncommons, one rare or mythic rare, and 1 non-game [[marketing card]]. If the pack happened to contain a foil premium card, it would do so in place of one of the commons, regardless of that premium card's rarity. (Every game card in the set can appear as a regular card or as a premium card).<ref>{{DailyRef|making-magic/twenty-things-were-going-kill-magic-2013-08-05|Twenty Things That Were Going To Kill Magic|[[Mark Rosewater]]|August 05, 2013}}</ref> The boosters featured artwork from <c>Steward of Valeron</c> (with white background), <c>Sphinx Sovereign</c> (with blue background), <c>Sedris, the Traitor King</c> (with black background), <c>Hellkite Overlord</c> (with red background) and <c>Godsire</c> (with green background).<ref>{{DailyRef|arcana/shards-alara-boosters-2008-08-26|''Shards of Alara'' Boosters|[[Magic Arcana]]|August 26, 2008}}</ref> An all-[[foil]] booster pack containing cards from ''Shards of Alara'' and the other two sets of the block was released on January 8, 2010.<ref>{{DailyRef|arcana/all-foil-booster-2009-09-29-0|The All-Foil Booster|[[Magic Arcana]]|September 29, 2009}}</ref>
   
−
The sixteenth card in the boosters is either a "flavor/shard card", instead of the usual "[[rules card]]", or a creature [[token]]. One face has one of five shard flavor cards or is one of ten different creature tokens. The other face has one of six advertisements for organized play programs, ''[[Conflux]]'' , [[Duel Decks: Jace vs. Chandra]], [[fat pack]]s, [[magicthegathering.com]], [[Magic Online]], ''[[A Planeswalker's Guide to Alara]]'' and [[Ultra Pro]] products for Magic.
 +
The sixteenth card in the boosters is either a “flavor/shard card”, instead of the usual “[[rules card]]”, or a creature [[token]]. One face has one of five shard flavor cards or is one of ten different creature tokens. The other face has one of six advertisements for organized play programs, ''[[Conflux]]'', [[Duel Decks: Jace vs. Chandra]], [[fat pack]]s, [[magicthegathering.com]], [[Magic Online]], ''[[A Planeswalker's Guide to Alara]]'', and [[Ultra Pro]] products for Magic.
   
 
====Tips & Tricks====
  
====Tips & Tricks====
 
The tips & tricks cards are:
  
The tips & tricks cards are:
  +
−
* "[[Bant]] - Keyword: [[Exalted]]"
  
  +
*[[Bant]] — Keyword: [[Exalted]]
−
* "[[Esper]] - Theme: [[Colored artifact|Colored Artifacts]]"
  
  +
*[[Esper]] — Theme: [[Colored artifact|Colored Artifacts]]
−
* "[[Grixis]] - Keyword: [[Unearth]]"
  
−
* "[[Jund]] - Keyword: [[Devour]]"
 +
*[[Grixis]] — Keyword: [[Unearth]]
  +
*[[Jund]] — Keyword: [[Devour]]
−
* "[[Naya]] - Theme: [[5-power matters|Power 5 or Greater]]".
  
  +
*[[Naya]] — Theme: [[5-power matters|Power 5 or Greater]]
   
 
====Tokens====
  
====Tokens====
−
The ''Shards of Alara'' tokens are: <ref>{{DailyRef|mtg/daily/arcana/1688|''Shards of Alara'' Tokens|Wizards of the Coast|September 30, 2008}}</ref> <ref>{{DailyRef|mtg/daily/arcana/1689|More ''Shards of Alara'' Tokens|Wizards of the Coast|October 1, 2008}}</ref>
 +
The ''Shards of Alara'' tokens are:<ref>{{DailyRef|arcana/shards-alara-tokens-2008-09-30|''Shards of Alara'' Tokens|Wizards of the Coast|September 30, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{DailyRef|arcana/more-shards-alara-tokens-2008-10-01|More ''Shards of Alara'' Tokens|Wizards of the Coast|October 1, 2008}}</ref>
  +
−
# {{W}} 1/1 [[Soldier]] produced by <c>Elspeth, Knight-Errant</c> and <c>Knight-Captain of Eos</c>.
  
−
# {{U}} 0/1 [[artifact]] [[Homunculus]] produced by <c>Puppet Conjurer</c>.
 +
# {{W}} 1/1 [[Soldier]] creature produced by <c>Elspeth, Knight-Errant</c> and <c>Knight-Captain of Eos</c>.
−
# {{U}} 1/1 artifact [[Thopter]] with [[flying]] produced by <c>Sharding Sphinx</c>.
 +
# {{U}} 0/1 [[Homunculus]] [[artifact creature]] produced by <c>Puppet Conjurer</c>.
−
# {{B}} 1/1 [[Skeleton]] with "{{B}}: [[Regenerate]] this creature." produced by <c>Skeletonize</c>.
 +
# {{U}} 1/1 [[Thopter]] artifact creature with [[flying]] produced by <c>Sharding Sphinx</c>.
−
# {{B}} 2/2 [[Zombie]] produced by <c>Archdemon of Unx</c>.
 +
# {{B}} 1/1 [[Skeleton]] creature with “{{B}}: [[Regenerate]] this creature.” produced by <c>Skeletonize</c>.
−
# {{R}} 4/4 [[Dragon]] with flying produced by <c>Broodmate Dragon</c> and <c>Sarkhan Vol</c>.
 +
# {{B}} 2/2 [[Zombie]] creature produced by <c>Archdemon of Unx</c>.
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# {{R}} 1/1 [[Goblin]] produced by <c>Dragon Fodder</c>.
 +
# {{R}} 4/4 [[Dragon]] creature with flying produced by <c>Broodmate Dragon</c> and <c>Sarkhan Vol</c>.
−
# {{G}} */* [[Ooze]] produced by <c>Ooze Garden</c>.
 +
# {{R}} 1/1 [[Goblin]] creature produced by <c>Dragon Fodder</c>.
−
# {{G}} 1/1 [[Saproling]] produced by <c>Jund Battlemage</c>, <c>Mycoloth</c>, <c>Necrogenesis</c> and <c>Sprouting Thrinax</c>.
 +
# {{G}} */* [[Ooze]] creature produced by <c>Ooze Garden</c>.
−
# {{R}}{{G}}{{W}} 8/8 [[Beasts|Beast]] produced by <c>Godsire</c>.
 +
# {{G}} 1/1 [[Saproling]] creature produced by <c>Jund Battlemage</c>, <c>Mycoloth</c>, <c>Necrogenesis</c>, and <c>Sprouting Thrinax</c>.
  +
# {{R}}{{G}}{{W}} 8/8 [[Beast]] creature produced by <c>Godsire</c>.
   
 
==Mechanics==
  
==Mechanics==
−
Though the set as a whole has multicolored cards as an overarching theme, due to the setting being split into five "shards" with no contact with each other, each shard was given its own distinct mechanical theme.
 +
Though the set as a whole has multicolored cards as an overarching theme, due to the setting being split into five “shards” with no contact with each other, each shard was given its distinct mechanical theme.
  +
−
*'''[[Bant]]''' (primary{{w}}, secondary{{g}}{{u}}): The shard of Bant was given the [[Exalted]] ability, which reads, "Whenever a creature you control attacks alone, that creature gets +1/+1 until end of turn." <ref>{{DailyRef|mtg/daily/mm/3|Between a Rock and a Shard Place|[[Mark Rosewater]]|September 8, 2008}}</ref>
  
−
*'''[[Esper]]''' (primary{{u}}, secondary{{w}}{{b}}): The shard of Esper was given an emphasis on [[artifact]]s, including the first widespread use of [[colored artifact|artifacts with colored casting costs]] (<c>Sarcomite Myr</c><ref>{{DailyRef|mtg/daily/mm/5|Shard Tricks|[[Mark Rosewater]]|September 22, 2008}}</ref> and <c>Reaper King</c> were earlier forays into this design space).
 +
*'''[[Bant]]''' (primary {{W}}, secondary {{G}}{{U}}): The shard of Bant was given the [[exalted]] ability, which reads, “Whenever a creature you control attacks alone, that creature gets +1/+1 until end of turn.”<ref>{{DailyRef|feature/between-rock-and-shard-place-2008-09-08|Between a Rock and a Shard Place|[[Mark Rosewater]]|September 8, 2008}}</ref>
−
*'''[[Grixis]]''' (primary{{b}}, secondary{{u}}{{r}}): The shard of Grixis was given the [[Unearth]] ability, which reads, "X: Return this creature from your graveyard to play. It gains [[haste]]. Remove it from the game at end of turn or if it would leave play. Unearth only as a [[sorcery]]." <ref>{{DailyRef|mtg/daily/ld/3|The Specter of the Present|[[Mike Turian]]|September 12, 2008}}</ref>
 +
*'''[[Esper]]''' (primary {{U}}, secondary {{W}}{{B}}): The shard of Esper was given an emphasis on [[artifact]]s, including the first widespread use of [[colored artifact|artifacts with colored casting costs]] (<c>Sarcomite Myr</c><ref>{{DailyRef|feature/shard-tricks-2008-09-22|Shard Tricks|[[Mark Rosewater]]|September 22, 2008}}</ref> and <c>Reaper King</c> were earlier forays into this design space).
−
*'''[[Jund]]''' (primary{{r}}, secondary{{b}}{{g}}): The shard of Jund was given the [[Devour]] N ability, which reads, "As this comes into play, you may sacrifice any number of creatures. This creature comes into play with N +1/+1 counters on it for each creature sacrificed in this way." <ref>{{DailyRef|mtg/daily/mm/4|Shard Candy|[[Mark Rosewater]]|September 15, 2008}}</ref> <ref>{{DailyRef|mtg/daily/ld/15|Predator and Prey|[[Matt Place]]|December 05, 2008}}</ref>
 +
*'''[[Grixis]]''' (primary {{B}}, secondary {{U}}{{R}}): The shard of Grixis was given the [[unearth]] ability, which reads, “[Cost]: Return this card from your graveyard to the battlefield. It gains [[haste]]. Exile it at the beginning of the next end step or if it would leave the battlefield. Unearth only as a [[sorcery]].”<ref>{{DailyRef|latest-developments/specter-present-2008-09-12|The Specter of the Present|[[Mike Turian]]|September 12, 2008}}</ref>
  +
*'''[[Jund]]''' (primary {{R}}, secondary {{B}}{{G}}): The shard of Jund was given the [[devour]] N ability, which reads, “As this enters the battlefield, you may sacrifice any number of creatures. This creature enters the battlefield with N times that many +1/+1 counters on it.”<ref>{{DailyRef|feature/shard-candy-2008-09-15|Shard Candy|[[Mark Rosewater]]|September 15, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{DailyRef|latest-developments/predator-and-prey-2008-12-05|Predator and Prey|[[Matt Place]]|December 05, 2008}}</ref>
−
*'''[[Naya]]''' (primary{{g}}, secondary{{r}}{{w}}): The shard of Naya was given an emphasis on [[creature]]s with [[power]] of 5 or greater, "[[5-power matters]]".
  
  +
*'''[[Naya]]''' (primary {{G}}, secondary {{R}}{{W}}): The shard of Naya was emphasized [[creature]]s with [[power]] of 5 or greater, “[[5-power matters]]”.
   
 
''Shards of Alara'' also featured the return of [[cycling]] for the third time (or fourth, including [[Future Sight]]) since the [[Urza block]].
  
''Shards of Alara'' also featured the return of [[cycling]] for the third time (or fourth, including [[Future Sight]]) since the [[Urza block]].
Line 89: Line 113:
 
==Cycles==
  
==Cycles==
 
''Shards of Alara'' has 19 [[cycle]]s:
  
''Shards of Alara'' has 19 [[cycle]]s:
  +
{| class="wikitable"
  +
! Cycle name
  +
! {{W}}
  +
! {{U}}
  +
! {{B}}
  +
! {{R}}
  +
! {{G}}
  +
|-
  +
|rowspan="2"|'''Common one-drops'''
  +
|{{card|Akrasan Squire||ALA}}
  +
|{{card|Cathartic Adept||ALA}}
  +
|{{card|Deathgreeter||ALA}}
  +
|{{card|Goblin Mountaineer||ALA}}
  +
|{{card|Wild Nacatl||ALA}}
  +
|-
  +
|colspan="5"|Each of these common 1/1 creatures costs one mana.
  +
|-
  +
|rowspan="2"|'''Battlemages'''
  +
|{{card|Bant Battlemage||ALA}}
  +
|{{card|Esper Battlemage||ALA}}
  +
|{{card|Grixis Battlemage||ALA}}
  +
|{{card|Jund Battlemage||ALA}}
  +
|{{card|Naya Battlemage||ALA}}
  +
|-
  +
|colspan="5"|Each of these [[uncommon]] 2/2 [[human]] [[creature]]s costs {{2}}M and has two [[activated ability|activated abilities]] corresponding to each of its allied colors.
  +
|-
  +
|rowspan="2"|'''Heralds'''
  +
|{{card|Angel's Herald||ALA}}
  +
|{{card|Sphinx's Herald||ALA}}
  +
|{{card|Demon's Herald||ALA}}
  +
|{{card|Dragon's Herald||ALA}}
  +
|{{card|Behemoth's Herald||ALA}}
  +
|-
  +
|colspan="5"|Each of these uncommon 1/1 creatures has a cost of M and has an activated ability with the cost “{{2}}M, {{T}}, Sacrifice a creature of this creature's color plus one of each of its allied colors” that allows you to search your library for its corresponding noble creature (see below) and put it onto the battlefield.
  +
|-
  +
|rowspan="2"|'''Allied-ability creatures'''
  +
|{{card|Knight of the Skyward Eye||ALA}} ({{G}}) <br/> {{card|Sighted-Caste Sorcerer||ALA}} ({{U}})
  +
|{{card|Cloudheath Drake||ALA}} ({{W}}) <br/> {{card|Vectis Silencers||ALA}} ({{B}})
  +
|{{card|Shore Snapper||ALA}} ({{U}}) <br/> {{card|Undead Leotau||ALA}} ({{R}})
  +
|{{card|Viashino Skeleton||ALA}} ({{B}}) <br/> {{card|Thorn-Thrash Viashino||ALA}} ({{G}})
  +
|{{card|Cavern Thoctar||ALA}} ({{R}}) <br/> {{card|Godtoucher||ALA}} ({{W}})
  +
|-
  +
|colspan="5"|Two cycles at common, with creatures having an activated ability with an allied-color cost. One goes clockwise around the color wheel, while the other goes counter-clockwise.
  +
|-
  +
! Cycle name
  +
! {{W}}{{U}}
  +
! {{U}}{{B}}
  +
! {{B}}{{R}}
  +
! {{R}}{{G}}
  +
! {{G}}{{W}}
  +
|-
  +
|rowspan="2"|'''Allied-colored two-drops'''
  +
|{{card|Deft Duelist||ALA}}
  +
|{{card|Tidehollow Strix||ALA}}
  +
|{{card|Goblin Deathraiders||ALA}}
  +
|{{card|Rip-Clan Crasher||ALA}}
  +
|{{card|Steward of Valeron||ALA}}
  +
|-
  +
|colspan="5"|Each of these [[common]] [[creature]]s requires one mana each of two allied colors to cast.
  +
|-
  +
|rowspan="2"|'''Common allied-colored spells'''
  +
|{{card|Hindering Light||ALA}}
  +
|{{card|Agony Warp||ALA}}
  +
|{{card|Blightning||ALA}}
  +
|{{card|Branching Bolt||ALA}}
  +
|{{card|Sigil Blessing||ALA}}
  +
|-
  +
|colspan="5"|Each of these common allied-colored [[spell]]s has two effects.
  +
|-
  +
|rowspan="2"|'''Uncommon allied-colored spells'''
  +
|{{card|Kiss of the Amesha||ALA}}
  +
|{{card|Thoughtcutter Agent||ALA}}
  +
|{{card|Blood Cultist||ALA}}
  +
|{{card|Sangrite Surge||ALA}}
  +
|{{card|Qasali Ambusher||ALA}}
  +
|-
  +
|colspan="5"|Each of these uncommon spells has a mana cost that includes two allied-colored mana.
  +
|-
  +
! Cycle name
  +
! {{W}}{{B}}
  +
! {{U}}{{R}}
  +
! {{B}}{{G}}
  +
! {{R}}{{W}}
  +
! {{G}}{{U}}
  +
|-
  +
|rowspan="2"|'''Uncommon enemy-colored spells'''
  +
|{{card|Tidehollow Sculler||ALA}}
  +
|{{card|Swerve||ALA}}
  +
|{{card|Necrogenesis||ALA}}
  +
|{{card|Bull Cerodon||ALA}}
  +
|{{card|Jhessian Infiltrator||ALA}}
  +
|-
  +
|colspan="5"|Each of these uncommon spells has a mana cost that includes two enemy-colored mana.
  +
|-
  +
! Cycle name
  +
! {{G}}{{W}}{{U}}
  +
! {{W}}{{U}}{{B}}
  +
! {{U}}{{B}}{{R}}
  +
! {{B}}{{R}}{{G}}
  +
! {{R}}{{G}}{{W}}
  +
|-
  +
|rowspan="2"|'''Common tricolored creatures'''
  +
|{{card|Waveskimmer Aven||ALA}}
  +
|{{card|Windwright Mage||ALA}}
  +
|{{card|Kederekt Creeper||ALA}}
  +
|{{card|Carrion Thrash||ALA}}
  +
|{{card|Rakeclaw Gargantuan||ALA}}
  +
|-
  +
|colspan="5"|Each of these common creatures has a mana cost that includes MNO.
  +
|-
  +
|rowspan="2"|'''Uncommon tricolored creatures'''
  +
|{{card|Rhox War Monk||ALA}}
  +
|{{card|Tower Gargoyle||ALA}}
  +
|{{card|Fire-Field Ogre||ALA}}
  +
|{{card|Sprouting Thrinax||ALA}}
  +
|{{card|Woolly Thoctar||ALA}}
  +
|-
  +
|colspan="5"|Each of these uncommon creatures has a mana cost that includes MNO.
  +
|-
  +
|rowspan="2"|'''Mythic legends'''
  +
|{{card|Rafiq of the Many||ALA}}
  +
|{{card|Sharuum the Hegemon||ALA}}
  +
|{{card|Sedris, the Traitor King||ALA}}<ref>{{DailyRef|savor-flavor/alive-and-unwell-2008-09-24|Alive and Unwell|[[Doug Beyer]]|September 24, 2008}}</ref>
  +
|{{card|Kresh the Bloodbraided||ALA}}
  +
|{{card|Mayael the Anima||ALA}}
  +
|-
  +
|colspan="5"|Each of these [[mythic rare]] [[legendary]] creatures has a mana cost that includes MNO.
  +
|-
  +
|rowspan="2"|'''Noble creatures'''
  +
|{{card|Empyrial Archangel||ALA}}
  +
|{{card|Sphinx Sovereign||ALA}}<ref>{{DailyRef|serious-fun/riddle-sphinx-2008-09-09|The Riddle of the Sphinx|[[Kelly Digges]]|September 9, 2008}}</ref>
  +
|{{card|Prince of Thralls||ALA}}
  +
|{{card|Hellkite Overlord||ALA}}
  +
|{{card|Godsire||ALA}}
  +
|-
  +
|colspan="5"|Each of these mythic rare creatures has a mana cost of {{4}}MNNO.
  +
|-
  +
|rowspan="2"|'''[[Fetch land|Panoramas]]'''
  +
|{{card|Bant Panorama||ALA}}
  +
|{{card|Esper Panorama||ALA}}
  +
|{{card|Grixis Panorama||ALA}}
  +
|{{card|Jund Panorama||ALA}}
  +
|{{card|Naya Panorama||ALA}}
  +
|-
  +
|colspan="5"|Each of these common [[triple land]]s can be tapped for {{C}} or sacrificed to search your library for a [[basic]] land of one of three types.<ref>{{DailyRef|feature/panoramic-view-2008-10-21|Panoramic View|[[Magic Arcana]]|October 21, 2008}}</ref>
  +
|-
  +
|rowspan="2"|'''Shardlands (or Trilands)'''
  +
|{{card|Seaside Citadel||ALA}}
  +
|{{card|Arcane Sanctum||ALA}}<ref>{{DailyRef|building-budget/show-your-true-colors-2008-09-11|Show Your True Colors|[[Jacob Van Lunen]]|September 11, 2008}}</ref>
  +
|{{card|Crumbling Necropolis||ALA}}
  +
|{{card|Savage Lands||ALA}}
  +
|{{card|Jungle Shrine||ALA}}
  +
|-
  +
|colspan="5"|Each of these uncommon triple lands comes into play tapped and can be tapped for one of three colors of mana. These are strictly better than the old [[tapland]]s.
  +
|-
  +
|rowspan="2"|'''Obelisks'''
  +
|{{card|Obelisk of Bant||ALA}}
  +
|{{card|Obelisk of Esper||ALA}}
  +
|{{card|Obelisk of Grixis||ALA}}
  +
|{{card|Obelisk of Jund||ALA}}
  +
|{{card|Obelisk of Naya||ALA}}
  +
|-
  +
|colspan="5"|Each of these common [[artifact]]s can be [[tap]]ped to add one of three [[mana]].
  +
|-
  +
|rowspan="2"|'''Resounding spells'''
  +
|{{card|Resounding Silence||ALA}}
  +
|{{card|Resounding Wave||ALA}}
  +
|{{card|Resounding Scream||ALA}}
  +
|{{card|Resounding Thunder||ALA}}<ref>{{DailyRef|feature/shards-alara-prerelease-primer-2008-09-22|''Shards of Alara'' Prerelease Primer|Tim Willoughby|September 22, 2008}}</ref>
  +
|{{card|Resounding Roar||ALA}}
  +
|-
  +
|colspan="5"|Each of these common instant or sorcery spells has a base effect and can be cycled for {{5}}MNO, where MNO are the card's shard colors, for twice the base effect.
  +
|-
  +
|rowspan="2"|'''Charms'''
  +
|{{card|Bant Charm||ALA}}<ref>{{DailyRef|latest-developments/charm-peddler-2008-09-19|The Charm Peddler|[[Mike Turian]]|September 19, 2008}}</ref>
  +
|{{card|Esper Charm||ALA}}
  +
|{{card|Grixis Charm||ALA}}
  +
|{{card|Jund Charm||ALA}}
  +
|{{card|Naya Charm||ALA}}
  +
|-
  +
|colspan="5"|Each of these uncommon [[instant]]s costs MNO and has three [[modal|modes]].
  +
|-
  +
|rowspan="2"|'''Ultimatums'''
  +
|{{card|Clarion Ultimatum||ALA}}
  +
|{{card|Brilliant Ultimatum||ALA}}
  +
|{{card|Cruel Ultimatum||ALA}}
  +
|{{card|Violent Ultimatum||ALA}}
  +
|{{card|Titanic Ultimatum||ALA}}
  +
|-
  +
|colspan="5"|Each of these [[rare]] [[sorcery|sorceries]] costs MMNNNOO and has a powerful effect.<ref>{{DailyRef|feature/whose-ultimatum-2008-10-27|Whose Ultimatum?|[[Magic Arcana]]|October 27, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{DailyRef|serious-fun/building-better-overrun-2008-09-22|Building a Better Overrun|[[Kelly Digges]]|September 23, 2008}}</ref>
  +
|-
  +
|rowspan="2"|'''Rare tricolored spells'''
  +
|{{card|Stoic Angel||ALA}}
  +
|{{card|Punish Ignorance||ALA}}
  +
|{{card|Sedraxis Specter||ALA}}
  +
|{{card|Broodmate Dragon||ALA}}
  +
|{{card|Realm Razer||ALA}}
  +
|-
  +
|colspan="5"|Each of these rare spells has a mana cost that includes MNO.
  +
|}
   
  +
[[File:Kresh the Bloodbraided.jpg|right]]
−
Creature Cycles
  
−
*'''Common one-drops''': Each of these common 1/1 creatures costs one mana {{-}} <c>Akrasan Squire</c>, <c>Cathartic Adept</c>, <c>Deathgreeter</c>, <c>Goblin Mountaineer</c>, and <c>Wild Nacatl</c>.
  
−
*'''Allied-colored two-drops''': Each of these [[common]] [[creature]]s requires one mana each of two allied colors to cast {{-}} <c>Deft Duelist</c>, <c>Tidehollow Strix</c>, <c>Goblin Deathraiders</c>, <c>Rip-Clan Crasher</c>, and <c>Steward of Valeron</c>.
  
−
*'''Battlemages''': Each of these [[uncommon]] 2/2 [[human]] [[creature]]s costs {{2}}C and has two [[activated ability|activated abilities]] corresponding to each of its allied colors {{-}} <c>Bant Battlemage</c>, <c>Esper Battlemage</c>, <c>Grixis Battlemage</c>, <c>Jund Battlemage</c>, and <c>Naya Battlemage</c>.
  
−
*'''Common tricolored creatures''': Each of these common creatures has a mana cost that includes CDE {{-}} <c>Waveskimmer Aven</c>, <c>Windwright Mage</c>, <c>Kederekt Creeper</c>, <c>Carrion Thrash</c>, and <c>Rakeclaw Gargantuan</c>.
  
−
*'''Uncommon tricolored creatures''': Each of these uncommon creatures has a mana cost that includes CDE {{-}} <c>Rhox War Monk</c>, <c>Tower Gargoyle</c>, <c>Fire-Field Ogre</c>, <c>Sprouting Thrinax</c>, and <c>Woolly Thoctar</c>.
  
−
*'''Mythic legends''': Each of these [[mythic rare]] [[legendary]] creatures has a mana cost that includes CDE {{-}} <c>Rafiq of the Many</c>, <c>Sharuum the Hegemon</c>, <c>Sedris, the Traitor King</c>,<ref>{{DailyRef|mtg/daily/stf/5|Alive and Unwell|[[Doug Beyer]]|September 24, 2008}}</ref> <c>Kresh the Bloodbraided</c>, and <c>Mayael the Anima</c>.
  
−
*'''Heralds''': Each of these uncommon 1/1 creatures has a converted mana cost of {{1}} and has an activated ability with the cost "{{2}}C, {{T}}, Sacrifice a creature of this creature's color plus one of each of its allied colors" that allows you to search your library for its corresponding noble creature (see below) and put it into play {{-}} <c>Angel's Herald</c>, <c>Sphinx's Herald</c>, <c>Demon's Herald</c>, <c>Dragon's Herald</c>, and <c>Behemoth's Herald</c>.
  
−
*'''Noble creatures''': Each of these mythic rare creatures has a mana cost of {{4}}CDDE {{-}} <c>Empyrial Archangel</c>, <c>Sphinx Sovereign</c>,<ref>{{DailyRef|mtg/daily/sf/3|The Riddle of the Sphinx|[[Kelly Digges]]|September 9, 2008}}</ref> <c>Prince of Thralls</c>, <c>Hellkite Overlord</c>, and <c>Godsire</c>.
  
−
*'''Allied-ability creatures''': Two cycles at common, with creatures having an activated ability with an allied-color cost. One goes clockwise around the color wheel, while the other goes counter-clockwise. <c>Shore Snapper</c>, <c>Cloudheath Drake</c>, <c>Knight of the Skyward Eye</c>, <c>Cavern Thoctar</c>, <c>Viashino Skeleton</c>; <c>Undead Leotau</c>, <c>Thorn-Thrash Viashino</c>, <c>Sighted-Caste Sorcerer</c>, <c>Godtoucher</c>, <c>Vectis Silencers</c>.
  
−
Other Cycles
  
−
*'''[[Fetch land|Panoramas]]''': Each of these common [[triple land]]s can be tapped for {{1}} or sacrificed to search your library for a [[basic]] land of one of three types {{-}} <c>Bant Panorama</c>, <c>Esper Panorama</c>, <c>Grixis Panorama</c>, <c>Jund Panorama</c>, and <c>Naya Panorama</c>. <ref>{{DailyRef|mtg/daily/arcana/1703|Panoramic View|[[Magic Arcana]]|October 21, 2008}}</ref>
  
−
*'''Shardlands (or Trilands)''': Each of these uncommon triple lands comes into play tapped and can be tapped for one of three colors of mana {{-}} <c>Seaside Citadel</c>, <c>Arcane Sanctum</c>,<ref>{{DailyRef|mtg/daily/boab/3|Show Your True Colors|[[Jacob Van Lunen]]|September 11, 2008}}</ref> <c>Crumbling Necropolis</c>, <c>Savage Lands</c>, and <c>Jungle Shrine</c>. These are strictly better than the old [[tapland]]s.
  
−
*'''Obelisks''': Each of these common [[artifact]]s can be [[tap]]ped to add one of three [[mana]] to your [[mana pool]] {{-}} <c>Obelisk of Bant</c>, <c>Obelisk of Esper</c>, <c>Obelisk of Grixis</c>, <c>Obelisk of Jund</c>, and <c>Obelisk of Naya</c>.
  
−
*'''Common allied-colored spells''': Each of these common allied-colored [[spell]]s has two effects {{-}} <c>Hindering Light</c>, <c>Agony Warp</c>, <c>Blightning</c>, <c>Branching Bolt</c>, and <c>Sigil Blessing</c>.
  
−
*'''Resounding spells''': Each of these common instant or sorcery spells have a base effect and can be cycled for {{5}}CDE, where CDE are the card's shard colors, for twice the base effect {{-}} <c>Resounding Silence</c>, <c>Resounding Wave</c>, <c>Resounding Scream</c>, <c>Resounding Thunder</c>, <ref>{{DailyRef|mtg/daily/feature/5|Shards of Alara Prerelease Primer|[[Tim Willoughby]]|September 22, 2008}}</ref> and <c>Resounding Roar</c>.
 
−
*'''Charms''': Each of these uncommon [[instant]]s costs CDE and has three [[modal|modes]] {{-}} <c>Bant Charm</c>,<ref>{{DailyRef|mtg/daily/ld/4|The Charm Peddler|[[Mike Turian]]|September 19, 2008}}</ref> <c>Esper Charm</c>, <c>Grixis Charm</c>, <c>Jund Charm</c>, and <c>Naya Charm</c>.
  
−
*'''Uncommon allied-colored spells''': Each of these uncommon spells has a mana cost that includes two allied-colored mana {{-}} <c>Kiss of the Amesha</c>, <c>Thoughtcutter Agent</c>, <c>Blood Cultist</c>, <c>Sangrite Surge</c>, and <c>Qasali Ambusher</c>.
  
−
*'''Uncommon enemy-colored spells''': Each of these uncommon spells has a mana cost that includes two enemy-colored mana {{-}} <c>Tidehollow Sculler</c>, <c>Necrogenesis</c>, <c>Jhessian Infiltrator</c>, <c>Swerve</c>, and <c>Bull Cerodon</c>.
  
−
*'''Ultimatums''': Each of these [[rare]] [[sorcery|sorceries]] costs CCDDDEE and has a powerful effect {{-}} <c>Clarion Ultimatum</c>, <c>Brilliant Ultimatum</c>, <c>Cruel Ultimatum</c>, <c>Violent Ultimatum</c>, and <c>Titanic Ultimatum</c>. <ref>{{DailyRef|mtg/daily/arcana/1707|Whose Ultimatum?|[[Magic Arcana]]|October 27, 2008}}</ref> <ref>{{DailyRef|mtg/daily/sf/5|Building a Better Overrun|[[Kelly Digges]]|September 23, 2008}}</ref>
  
−
*'''Rare tricolored spells''': Each of these rare spells has a mana cost that includes CDE {{-}} <c>Stoic Angel</c>, <c>Punish Ignorance</c>, <c>Sedraxis Specter</c>, <c>Broodmate Dragon</c>, and <c>Realm Razer</c>.
  
−  
 
===Mini-cycles===
  
===Mini-cycles===
 
''Shards of Alara'' has 5 cycles of three cards, each missing the two colors not associated with its shard:
  
''Shards of Alara'' has 5 cycles of three cards, each missing the two colors not associated with its shard:
  +
{| class="wikitable"
−
* '''Esper capsules''': Each of these common artifacts can be sacrificed for an effect common to its color {{-}} <c>Dispeller's Capsule</c>, <c>Courier's Capsule</c>, <c>Executioner's Capsule</c>
  
  +
! Cycle name
−
* '''Jund scavengers''': Each of these uncommon 1/1 creatures has "Whenever another creature is put into a graveyard from play, you may put a +1/+1 counter on this creature" {{-}} <c>Scavenger Drake</c>, <c>Rockslide Elemental</c>, and <c>Algae Gharial</c>.
  
  +
! {{W}}
−
* '''Naya cycling creatures''': Each of these common creatures costs 5CC, has [[cycling]] {{2}} and a power of 5 or more {{-}} <c>Ridge Rannet</c>, <c>Jungle Weaver</c>, and <c>Yoked Plowbeast</c>.
  
  +
! {{U}}
−
* '''Naya druids''': Each of these uncommon 2/2 [[humans|human]] [[Classes#Druids|druid]] creatures has a [[triggered ability]] that activates at the end of your turn as long as you control a creature with power 5 or greater and "{{T}}: Add {{1}} to your mana pool" {{-}} <c>Exuberant Firestoker</c>, <c>Drumhunter</c>, and <c>Sunseed Nurturer</c>.
  
  +
! {{B}}
−
* '''Naya "soul spells"''': Each of these common [[instant]]s or [[sorcery|sorceries]] has an effect based on the power of the creature it targets {{-}} <c>Soul's Fire</c>, <c>Soul's Might</c>, and <c>Soul's Grace</c>.
  
  +
|-
  +
|rowspan="2"|'''Esper capsules'''
  +
|{{card|Dispeller's Capsule||ALA}}
  +
|{{card|Courier's Capsule||ALA}}
  +
|{{card|Executioner's Capsule||ALA}}
  +
|-
  +
|colspan="4"|Each of these common artifacts can be sacrificed for an effect common to its color.
  +
|-
  +
! Cycle name
  +
! {{B}}
  +
! {{R}}
  +
! {{G}}
  +
|-
  +
|rowspan="2"|'''Jund scavengers'''
  +
|{{card|Scavenger Drake||ALA}}
  +
|{{card|Rockslide Elemental||ALA}}
  +
|{{card|Algae Gharial||ALA}}
  +
|-
  +
|colspan="4"|Each of these uncommon 1/1 creatures has “Whenever another creature dies, you may put a +1/+1 counter on this creature”
  +
|-
  +
! Cycle name
  +
! {{W}}
  +
! {{R}}
  +
! {{G}}
  +
|-
  +
|rowspan="2"|'''Naya cycling creatures'''
  +
|{{card|Yoked Plowbeast||ALA}}
  +
|{{card|Ridge Rannet||ALA}}
  +
|{{card|Jungle Weaver||ALA}}
  +
|-
  +
|colspan="4"|Each of these common creatures costs {{5}}MM, has [[cycling]] {{2}} and a power of 5 or more.
  +
|-
  +
|rowspan="2"|'''Naya druids'''
  +
|{{card|Sunseed Nurturer||ALA}}
  +
|{{card|Exuberant Firestoker||ALA}}
  +
|{{card|Drumhunter||ALA}}
  +
|-
  +
|colspan="4"|Each of these uncommon [[human]] [[druid]] creatures has a [[triggered ability]] that activates at the end of your turn as long as you control a creature with power 5 or greater and “{{T}}: Add {{C}}”
  +
|-
  +
|rowspan="2"|'''Naya “soul spells”'''
  +
|{{card|Soul's Grace||ALA}}
  +
|{{card|Soul's Fire||ALA}}
  +
|{{card|Soul's Might||ALA}}
  +
|-
  +
|colspan="4"|Each of these common [[instant]]s or [[sorcery|sorceries]] has an effect based on the power of the creature it targets. In addition, each of these cards has flavor text starting with “An avatar he sculpts of...”
  +
|}
   
−
==Mirrored pairs==
 +
===Mega cycle===
  +
{| class="wikitable"
−
''Shards of Alara'' has two [[mirrored pair]]s.
  
  +
! Cycle name
−
*<c>Marble Chalice</c> and <c>Onyx Goblet</c> are both common artifacts that cost 2C, and have a tap ability. The former causes you to gain one life, whilst the latter causes a player to lose 1 life.
  
  +
! {{G}}{{W}}{{U}}<br/>[[Bant]]
  +
! {{W}}{{U}}{{B}}<br/>[[Esper]]
  +
! {{U}}{{B}}{{R}}<br/>[[Grixis]]
  +
! {{B}}{{R}}{{G}}<br/>[[Jund]]
  +
! {{R}}{{G}}{{W}}<br/>[[Naya]]
  +
|-
  +
|rowspan="2"|'''Planeswalkers'''
  +
|{{card|Elspeth, Knight-Errant|Shards of Alara}}
  +
|{{card|Tezzeret the Seeker|Shards of Alara}}
  +
|{{card|Nicol Bolas, Planeswalker|Conflux}}<ref>{{DailyRef|savor-flavor/one-only-nicol-bolas-2009-04-08|The One, The Only, Nicol Bolas|[[Doug Beyer]]|Wednesday, April 08, 2009}}</ref>
  +
|{{card|Sarkhan Vol|Shards of Alara}}
  +
|{{card|Ajani Vengeant|Shards of Alara}}
  +
|-
  +
|colspan="5"|Each shard has a corresponding [[Planeswalker]].
  +
|}
  +
  +
===Pairs===
  +
''Shards of Alara'' has one [[mirrored pair]].
  +
{| class="wikitable"
  +
|-
  +
! colspan="2"|Mirrored Pairs
  +
!Description
  +
|-
  +
|{{card|Marble Chalice||ALA}} <br/> {{nowrap|({{W}})}}
  +
|{{card|Onyx Goblet||ALA}} <br/> {{nowrap|({{B}})}}
  +
|Common artifacts that cost {{2}}M, and have a tap ability. The former causes you to gain one life, whilst the latter causes a player to lose one life.
  +
|}
   
 
==Reprinted cards==
  
==Reprinted cards==
 
The following cards have been reprinted from previous sets and included in ''Shards of Alara'':
  
The following cards have been reprinted from previous sets and included in ''Shards of Alara'':
  +
 
*<c>Cancel</c> {{-}} first printed in ''[[Time Spiral]]'', was last seen in ''[[10th Edition]]''.
  
*<c>Cancel</c> {{-}} first printed in ''[[Time Spiral]]'', was last seen in ''[[10th Edition]]''.
 
*<c>Goblin Mountaineer</c> {{-}} first printed in ''[[Portal Second Age]]'', was last seen in ''[[9th Edition]]''.
  
*<c>Goblin Mountaineer</c> {{-}} first printed in ''[[Portal Second Age]]'', was last seen in ''[[9th Edition]]''.
Line 148: Line 425:
   
 
==Notable cards==
  
==Notable cards==
−
*<c>Ad Nauseam</c> {{-}} main engine powering the Legacy ANT deck. <ref>{{DailyRef|mtg/daily/mm/6|Cards of Alara|[[Mark Rosewater]]|September 29, 2008}}</ref>
 +
*<c>Ad Nauseam</c> {{-}} main engine powering the Legacy ANT deck.<ref>{{DailyRef|making-magic/cards-alara-2008-09-26|Cards of Alara|[[Mark Rosewater]]|September 29, 2008}}</ref>
 
*<c>Blightning</c> {{-}} one of the key Jund cards in Standard, also splashed in Red decks.
  
*<c>Blightning</c> {{-}} one of the key Jund cards in Standard, also splashed in Red decks.
 
*<c>Cruel Ultimatum</c> {{-}} important card in Grixis and 5-color Control decks in Standard.
  
*<c>Cruel Ultimatum</c> {{-}} important card in Grixis and 5-color Control decks in Standard.
Line 155: Line 432:
 
*<c>Knight of the White Orchid</c> {{-}} A popular <c>Tithe</c> variant, especially in combination with the Borderposts cycle from ''[[Alara Reborn]]''.
  
*<c>Knight of the White Orchid</c> {{-}} A popular <c>Tithe</c> variant, especially in combination with the Borderposts cycle from ''[[Alara Reborn]]''.
 
*<c>Ranger of Eos</c> {{-}} [[Antoine Ruel|Antoine Ruel's]] prize card for winning the 2006 [[Magic Invitational]].
  
*<c>Ranger of Eos</c> {{-}} [[Antoine Ruel|Antoine Ruel's]] prize card for winning the 2006 [[Magic Invitational]].
−
*<c>Wild Nacatl</c> {{-}} key creature in aggro decks such as Naya or Zoo. Wild Nacatl was later banned in Modern in December 2011. It was then unbanned in Modern in February 2014
 +
*<c>Wild Nacatl</c> {{-}} key creature in aggro decks such as Naya or Zoo. Wild Nacatl was later banned in Modern in December 2011. It was then unbanned in Modern in February 2014.
  +
*<c>Master of Etherium</c> powered up artifact decks in Modern and still sees some play in Legacy
  +
*<c>Fleshbag Marauder</c> is the first of an eponymous archetype of creature that makes each player sacrifice a creature when it enters the battlefield and sees play in Pauper aggro decks
  +
*<c>Fatestitcher</c>'s ability to untap any permanent lead to it seeing play in Modern Jeskai Ascendency combo decks as well as some versions of Dredge decks in multiple formats
  +
*<c>Relic of Progenitus</c> is one of the best graveyard hate artifacts of all time, seeing play in sideboards of every format it is legal in but especially Modern and pauper
  +
*<c>Ajani Vengeant</c> has seen sporadic play competitively and is notable for having a one sided <c>Armageddon</c> as a loyalty ability
  +
*<c>Lich's Mirror</c> has a unique effect that prevents its controller from losing the game in exchange for effectively resetting the game for them
   
 
==Intro packs==
  
==Intro packs==
−
Previous to ''Shards of Alara'', there were theme decks. [[intro pack|Intro packs]] premiered in ''Shards of Alara''. All of the intro packs are 3 colors based on their shard. <ref>{{DailyRef|mtg/daily/arcana/1682|Intro Packs of ''Alara''|[[Magic Arcana]]|September 22, 2008}}</ref> <ref>{{DailyRef|mtg/daily/arcana/1683|More intro Packs of ''Alara''|[[Magic Arcana]]|September 23, 2008}}</ref>
 +
Previous to ''Shards of Alara'', there were theme decks. [[Intro pack]]s premiered in ''Shards of Alara''. All of the intro packs are 3 colors based on their shard.<ref>{{DailyRef|arcana/intro-packs-alara-2008-09-22-0|Intro Packs of ''Alara''|[[Magic Arcana]]|September 22, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{DailyRef|arcana/more-intro-packs-alara-2008-09-23|More intro Packs of ''Alara''|[[Magic Arcana]]|September 23, 2008}}</ref>
   
 
Intro pack contents included:
  
Intro pack contents included:
−
* a 41-card preconstructed deck, which included 1 premium foil rare and one non-premium rare
  
−
* a booster pack of the current set
  
−
* a set-specific insert explaining the new mechanics in the set and info on the preconstructed decks included in the intro packs
  
−
* a learn-to-play insert for new players that includes game rules, deck building tips, and storyline information
  
   
  +
*a 41-card preconstructed deck, which included 1 premium foil rare and one non-premium rare
−
The preconstructed intro packs are:
  
  +
*a booster pack of the current set
−
{{Intro packs
  
  +
*a set-specific insert explaining the new mechanics in the set and info on the preconstructed decks included in the intro packs
−
|deck1=[[Bant Exalted]] |w|u|||g|card1=<c>Battlegrace Angel</c> <ref name="Intro pack foil">{{DailyRef|mtg/daily/twtw/4|Drink Up|[[Brian David-Marshall]]|September 19, 2008}}</ref>
  
  +
*a learn-to-play insert for new players that includes game rules, deck building tips, and storyline information
−
|deck2=[[Esper Artifice]] |w|u|b|||card2=<c>Master of Etherium</c> <ref name="Intro pack foil"/> <ref>{{DailyRef|mtg/daily/stf/4|Time for Esper|[[Doug Beyer]]|September 17, 2008}}</ref>
  
−
|deck3=[[Grixis Undead]] ||u|b|r||card3=<c>Vein Drinker</c> <ref name="Intro pack foil"/>
  
−
|deck4=[[Primordial Jund]] |||b|r|g|card4=<c>Flameblast Dragon</c>
  
−
|deck5=[[Naya Behemoths]] |w|||r|g|card5=<c>Spearbreaker Behemoth</c> <ref name="Intro pack foil"/>
  
−
}}
  
   
  +
The preconstructed intro packs are:<ref name="Intro pack foil">{{DailyRef|week-was/drink-2008-09-18|Drink Up|[[Brian David-Marshall]]|September 19, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{DailyRef|savor-flavor/time-esper-2008-09-17|Time for Esper|[[Doug Beyer]]|September 17, 2008}}</ref>
−
==Shard Cards==
  
−
Answering to an Ask Wizards, on October 16, 2008, Brady Dommermuth <ref name="Shard cards">{{DailyRef|mtg/daily/askwizards/1008|Do you have a list of what cards are supposed to go with each shard?|[[Brady Dommermuth]]|October 16, 2008}}</ref> gave a list of all the Shards of Alara cards belonging to each of the five shards. Here is the list.
  
   
  +
{{Decks|intro
−
===Bant===
  
  +
|Bant Exalted|GWU|Battlegrace Angel
−  
  +
|Esper Artifice|WUB|Master of Etherium
−
*<c>Akrasan Squire</c>
  
  +
|Grixis Undead|UBR|Vein Drinker
−
*<c>Angel's Herald</c>
  
  +
|Primordial Jund|BRG|Flameblast Dragon
−
*<c>Angelic Benediction</c>
  
  +
|Naya Behemoths|RGW|Spearbreaker Behemoth
−
*<c>Angelsong</c>
  
  +
}}
−
*<c>Bant Battlemage</c>
  
−
*<c>Bant Charm</c>
  
−
*<c>Bant Panorama</c>
  
−
*<c>Battlegrace Angel</c>
  
−
*<c>Call to Heel</c>
  
−
*<c>Cancel</c>
  
−
*<c>Clarion Ultimatum</c>
  
−
*<c>Court Archers</c>
  
−
*<c>Dawnray Archer</c>
  
−
*<c>Deft Duelist</c>
  
−
*<c>Elspeth, Knight-Errant</c>
  
−
*<c>Empyrial Archangel</c>
  
−
*<c>Excommunicate</c>
  
−
*<c>Forest</c>
  
−
*<c>Guardians of Akrasa</c>
  
−
*<c>Hindering Light</c>
  
−
*<c>Invincible Hymn</c>
  
−
*<c>Island</c>
  
−
*<c>Jhessian Infiltrator</c>
  
−
*<c>Jhessian Lookout</c>
  
−
*<c>Kiss of the Amesha</c>
  
−
*<c>Knight of the Skyward Eye</c>
  
−
*<c>Knight of the White Orchid</c>
  
−
*<c>Knight-Captain of Eos</c>
  
−
*<c>Obelisk of Bant</c>
  
−
*<c>Outrider of Jhess</c>
  
−
*<c>Plains</c>
  
−
*<c>Plains</c>
  
−
*<c>Rafiq of the Many</c>
  
−
*<c>Ranger of Eos</c>
  
−
*<c>Resounding Silence</c>
  
−
*<c>Rhox Charger</c>
  
−
*<c>Rhox War Monk</c>
  
−
*<c>Rockcaster Platoon</c>
  
−
*<c>Seaside Citadel</c>
  
−
*<c>Sighted-Caste Sorcerer</c>
  
−
*<c>Sigil Blessing</c>
  
−
*<c>Sigil of Distinction</c>
  
−
*<c>Sigiled Paladin</c>
  
−
*<c>Steward of Valeron</c>
  
−
*<c>Stoic Angel</c>
  
−
*<c>Topan Ascetic</c>
  
−
*<c>Tortoise Formation</c>
  
−
*<c>Waveskimmer Aven</c>
  
−
*<c>Welkin Guide</c>
  
−  
−
===Esper===
  
−  
−
*<c>Arcane Sanctum</c>
  
−
*<c>Brilliant Ultimatum</c>
  
−
*<c>Cloudheath Drake</c>
  
−
*<c>Coma Veil</c>
  
−
*<c>Courier's Capsule</c>
  
−
*<c>Dispeller's Capsule</c>
  
−
*<c>Esper Battlemage</c>
  
−
*<c>Esper Charm</c>
  
−
*<c>Esper Panorama</c>
  
−
*<c>Etherium Astrolabe</c>
  
−
*<c>Etherium Sculptor</c>
  
−
*<c>Ethersworn Canonist</c>
  
−
*<c>Executioner's Capsule</c>
  
−
*<c>Filigree Sages</c>
  
−
*<c>Gather Specimens</c>
  
−
*<c>Glaze Fiend</c>
  
−
*<c>Immortal Coil</c>
  
−
*<c>Island</c>
  
−
*<c>Island</c>
  
−
*<c>Marble Chalice</c>
  
−
*<c>Master of Etherium</c>
  
−
*<c>Memory Erosion</c>
  
−
*<c>Metallurgeon</c>
  
−
*<c>Mindlock Orb</c>
  
−
*<c>Obelisk of Esper</c>
  
−
*<c>Oblivion Ring</c>
  
−
*<c>Onyx Goblet</c>
  
−
*<c>Plains</c>
  
−
*<c>Protomatter Powder</c>
  
−
*<c>Punish Ignorance</c>
  
−
*<c>Puppet Conjurer</c>
  
−
*<c>Resounding Wave</c>
  
−
*<c>Salvage Titan</c>
  
−
*<c>Sanctum Gargoyle</c>
  
−
*<c>Scourglass</c>
  
−
*<c>Sharding Sphinx</c>
  
−
*<c>Sharuum the Hegemon</c>
  
−
*<c>Skill Borrower</c>
  
−
*<c>Spell Snip</c>
  
−
*<c>Sphinx Sovereign</c>
  
−
*<c>Sphinx's Herald</c>
  
−
*<c>Steelclad Serpent</c>
  
−
*<c>Swamp</c>
  
−
*<c>Tezzeret the Seeker</c>
  
−
*<c>Thoughtcutter Agent</c>
  
−
*<c>Tidehollow Sculler</c>
  
−
*<c>Tidehollow Strix</c>
  
−
*<c>Tower Gargoyle</c>
  
−
*<c>Vectis Silencers</c>
  
−
*<c>Windwright Mage</c>
  
   
−
===Grixis===
 +
==Shard cards==
  +
Answering to an [[Ask Wizards]], on October 16, 2008, Brady Dommermuth<ref name="Shard cards">{{DailyRef|ask-wizards-october-2008-2008-10-01|Do you have a list of what cards are supposed to go with each shard?|[[Brady Dommermuth]]|October 16, 2008}}</ref> gave a list of all the Shards of Alara cards belonging to each of the five shards. Here is the list.
−  
  +
{| class="wikitable"
−
*<c>Ad Nauseam</c>
  
  +
![[Bant]]
−
*<c>Agony Warp</c>
  
  +
![[Esper]]
−
*<c>Archdemon of Unx</c>
  
  +
![[Grixis]]
−
*<c>Banewasp Affliction</c>
  
  +
![[Jund]]
−
*<c>Blightning</c>
  
  +
![[Naya]]
−
*<c>Blood Cultist</c>
  
  +
|-
−
*<c>Bone Splinters</c>
  
  +
!{{G}}{{W}}{{U}}<br />
−
*<c>Cathartic Adept</c>
  
  +
!{{W}}{{U}}{{B}}<br />
−
*<c>Corpse Connoisseur</c>
  
  +
!{{U}}{{B}}{{R}}<br />
−
*<c>Covenant of Minds</c>
  
  +
!{{B}}{{R}}{{G}}<br />
−
*<c>Cruel Ultimatum</c>
  
  +
!{{R}}{{G}}{{W}}<br />
−
*<c>Crumbling Necropolis</c>
  
  +
|-
−
*<c>Cunning Lethemancer</c>
  
  +
|
−
*<c>Death Baron</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Akrasan Squire||ALA}}
−
*<c>Demon's Herald</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Angel's Herald||ALA}}
−
*<c>Dreg Reaver</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Angelic Benediction||ALA}}
−
*<c>Dregscape Zombie</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Angelsong||ALA}}
−
*<c>Fatestitcher</c>
  
  +
*{card|Bant Battlemage||ALA}}
−
*<c>Fire-Field Ogre</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Bant Charm||ALA}}
−
*<c>Fleshbag Marauder</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Bant Panorama||ALA}}
−
*<c>Grixis Battlemage</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Battlegrace Angel||ALA}}
−
*<c>Grixis Charm</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Call to Heel||ALA}}
−
*<c>Grixis Panorama</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Cancel||ALA}}
−
*<c>Hell's Thunder</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Clarion Ultimatum||ALA}}
−
*<c>Incurable Ogre</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Court Archers||ALA}}
−
*<c>Infest</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Dawnray Archer||ALA}}
−
*<c>Island</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Deft Duelist||ALA}}
−
*<c>Kathari Screecher</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Elspeth, Knight-Errant||ALA}}
−
*<c>Kederekt Creeper</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Empyrial Archangel||ALA}}
−
*<c>Kederekt Leviathan</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Excommunicate||ALA}}
−
*<c>Lich's Mirror</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Forest||ALA}}
−
*<c>Lightning Talons</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Guardians of Akrasa||ALA}}
−
*<c>Minion Reflector</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Hindering Light||ALA}}
−
*<c>Mountain</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Invincible Hymn||ALA}}
−
*<c>Obelisk of Grixis</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Island||ALA}}
−
*<c>Prince of Thralls</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Jhessian Infiltrator||ALA}}
−
*<c>Quietus Spike</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Jhessian Lookout||ALA}}
−
*<c>Resounding Scream</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Kiss of the Amesha||ALA}}
−
*<c>Scourge Devil</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Knight of the Skyward Eye||ALA}}
−
*<c>Sedraxis Specter</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Knight of the White Orchid||ALA}}
−
*<c>Sedris, the Traitor King</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Knight-Captain of Eos||ALA}}
−
*<c>Shadowfeed</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Obelisk of Bant||ALA}}
−
*<c>Shore Snapper</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Outrider of Jhess||ALA}}
−
*<c>Skeletal Kathari</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Plains||ALA}}
−
*<c>Skeletonize</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Plains||ALA}}
−
*<c>Swamp</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Rafiq of the Many||ALA}}
−
*<c>Swamp</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Ranger of Eos||ALA}}
−
*<c>Swerve</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Resounding Silence||ALA}}
−
*<c>Undead Leotau</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Rhox Charger||ALA}}
−
*<c>Vein Drinker</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Rhox War Monk||ALA}}
−
*<c>Viashino Skeleton</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Rockcaster Platoon||ALA}}
−
*<c>Viscera Dragger</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Seaside Citadel||ALA}}
−
*<c>Vithian Stinger</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Sighted-Caste Sorcerer||ALA}}
−  
  +
*{{card|Sigil Blessing||ALA}}
−
===Jund===
  
  +
*{{card|Sigil of Distinction||ALA}}
−  
  +
*{{card|Sigiled Paladin||ALA}}
−
*<c>Algae Gharial</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Steward of Valeron||ALA}}
−
*<c>Blister Beetle</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Stoic Angel||ALA}}
−
*<c>Bloodpyre Elemental</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Topan Ascetic||ALA}}
−
*<c>Branching Bolt</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Tortoise Formation||ALA}}
−
*<c>Broodmate Dragon</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Waveskimmer Aven||ALA}}
−
*<c>Caldera Hellion</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Welkin Guide||ALA}}
−
*<c>Carrion Thrash</c>
  
  +
|
−
*<c>Crucible of Fire</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Arcane Sanctum||ALA}}
−
*<c>Deathgreeter</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Brilliant Ultimatum||ALA}}
−
*<c>Dragon Fodder</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Cloudheath Drake||ALA}}
−
*<c>Dragon's Herald</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Coma Veil||ALA}}
−
*<c>Flameblast Dragon</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Courier's Capsule||ALA}}
−
*<c>Forest</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Dispeller's Capsule||ALA}}
−
*<c>Goblin Assault</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Esper Battlemage||ALA}}
−
*<c>Goblin Deathraiders</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Esper Charm||ALA}}
−
*<c>Goblin Mountaineer</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Esper Panorama||ALA}}
−
*<c>Hellkite Overlord</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Etherium Astrolabe||ALA}}
−
*<c>Hissing Iguanar</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Etherium Sculptor||ALA}}
−
*<c>Jund Battlemage</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Ethersworn Canonist||ALA}}
−
*<c>Jund Charm</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Executioner's Capsule||ALA}}
−
*<c>Jund Panorama</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Filigree Sages||ALA}}
−
*<c>Kresh the Bloodbraided</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Gather Specimens||ALA}}
−
*<c>Magma Spray</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Glaze Fiend||ALA}}
−
*<c>Manaplasm</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Immortal Coil||ALA}}
−
*<c>Mountain</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Island||ALA}}
−
*<c>Mountain</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Island||ALA}}
−
*<c>Mycoloth</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Marble Chalice||ALA}}
−
*<c>Necrogenesis</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Master of Etherium||ALA}}
−
*<c>Obelisk of Jund</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Memory Erosion||ALA}}
−
*<c>Ooze Garden</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Metallurgeon||ALA}}
−
*<c>Predator Dragon</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Mindlock Orb||ALA}}
−
*<c>Resounding Thunder</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Obelisk of Esper||ALA}}
−
*<c>Rip-Clan Crasher</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Oblivion Ring||ALA}}
−
*<c>Rockslide Elemental</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Onyx Goblet||ALA}}
−
*<c>Sangrite Surge</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Plains||ALA}}
−
*<c>Sarkhan Vol</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Protomatter Powder||ALA}}
−
*<c>Savage Hunger</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Punish Ignorance||ALA}}
−
*<c>Savage Lands</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Puppet Conjurer||ALA}}
−
*<c>Scavenger Drake</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Resounding Wave||ALA}}
−
*<c>Skullmulcher</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Salvage Titan||ALA}}
−
*<c>Sprouting Thrinax</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Sanctum Gargoyle||ALA}}
−
*<c>Swamp</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Scourglass||ALA}}
−
*<c>Tar Fiend</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Sharding Sphinx||ALA}}
−
*<c>Thorn-Thrash Viashino</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Sharuum the Hegemon||ALA}}
−
*<c>Thunder-Thrash Elder</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Skill Borrower||ALA}}
−
*<c>Vicious Shadows</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Spell Snip||ALA}}
−
*<c>Violent Ultimatum</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Sphinx Sovereign||ALA}}
−
*<c>Volcanic Submersion</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Sphinx's Herald||ALA}}
−  
  +
*{{card|Steelclad Serpent||ALA}}
−
===Naya===
  
  +
*{{card|Swamp||ALA}}
−  
  +
*{{card|Tezzeret the Seeker||ALA}}
−
*<c>Ajani Vengeant</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Thoughtcutter Agent||ALA}}
−
*<c>Behemoth's Herald</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Tidehollow Sculler||ALA}}
−
*<c>Bloodthorn Taunter</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Tidehollow Strix||ALA}}
−
*<c>Bull Cerodon</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Tower Gargoyle||ALA}}
−
*<c>Cavern Thoctar</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Vectis Silencers||ALA}}
−
*<c>Cradle of Vitality</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Windwright Mage||ALA}}
−
*<c>Cylian Elf</c>
  
  +
|
−
*<c>Druid of the Anima</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Ad Nauseam||ALA}}
−
*<c>Drumhunter</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Agony Warp||ALA}}
−
*<c>Elvish Visionary</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Archdemon of Unx||ALA}}
−
*<c>Exuberant Firestoker</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Banewasp Affliction||ALA}}
−
*<c>Feral Hydra</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Blightning||ALA}}
−
*<c>Forest</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Blood Cultist||ALA}}
−
*<c>Forest</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Bone Splinters||ALA}}
−
*<c>Gift of the Gargantuan</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Cathartic Adept||ALA}}
−
*<c>Godsire</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Corpse Connoisseur||ALA}}
−
*<c>Godtoucher</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Covenant of Minds||ALA}}
−
*<c>Gustrider Exuberant</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Cruel Ultimatum||ALA}}
−
*<c>Jungle Shrine</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Crumbling Necropolis||ALA}}
−
*<c>Jungle Weaver</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Cunning Lethemancer||ALA}}
−
*<c>Keeper of Progenitus</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Death Baron||ALA}}
−
*<c>Lush Growth</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Demon's Herald||ALA}}
−
*<c>Mayael the Anima</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Dreg Reaver||ALA}}
−
*<c>Mighty Emergence</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Dregscape Zombie||ALA}}
−
*<c>Mosstodon</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Fatestitcher||ALA}}
−
*<c>Mountain</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Fire-Field Ogre||ALA}}
−
*<c>Naturalize</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Fleshbag Marauder||ALA}}
−
*<c>Naya Battlemage</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Grixis Battlemage||ALA}}
−
*<c>Naya Charm</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Grixis Charm||ALA}}
−
*<c>Naya Panorama</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Grixis Panorama||ALA}}
−
*<c>Obelisk of Naya</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Hell's Thunder||ALA}}
−
*<c>Plains</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Incurable Ogre||ALA}}
−
*<c>Qasali Ambusher</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Infest||ALA}}
−
*<c>Rakeclaw Gargantuan</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Island||ALA}}
−
*<c>Realm Razer</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Kathari Screecher||ALA}}
−
*<c>Relic of Progenitus</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Kederekt Creeper||ALA}}
−
*<c>Resounding Roar</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Kederekt Leviathan||ALA}}
−
*<c>Ridge Rannet</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Lich's Mirror||ALA}}
−
*<c>Sacellum Godspeaker</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Lightning Talons||ALA}}
−
*<c>Soul's Fire</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Minion Reflector||ALA}}
−
*<c>Soul's Grace</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Mountain||ALA}}
−
*<c>Soul's Might</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Obelisk of Grixis||ALA}}
−
*<c>Spearbreaker Behemoth</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Prince of Thralls||ALA}}
−
*<c>Sunseed Nurturer</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Quietus Spike||ALA}}
−
*<c>Titanic Ultimatum</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Resounding Scream||ALA}}
−
*<c>Where Ancients Tread</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Scourge Devil||ALA}}
−
*<c>Wild Nacatl</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Sedraxis Specter||ALA}}
−
*<c>Woolly Thoctar</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Sedris, the Traitor King||ALA}}
−
*<c>Yoked Plowbeast</c>
  
  +
*{{card|Shadowfeed||ALA}}
  +
*{{card|Shore Snapper||ALA}}
  +
*{{card|Skeletal Kathari||ALA}}
  +
*{{card|Skeletonize||ALA}}
  +
*{{card|Swamp||ALA}}
  +
*{{card|Swamp||ALA}}
  +
*{{card|Swerve||ALA}}
  +
*{{card|Undead Leotau||ALA}}
  +
*{{card|Vein Drinker||ALA}}
  +
*{{card|Viashino Skeleton||ALA}}
  +
*{{card|Viscera Dragger||ALA}}
  +
*{{card|Vithian Stinger||ALA}}
  +
|
  +
*{{card|Algae Gharial||ALA}}
  +
*{{card|Blister Beetle||ALA}}
  +
*{{card|Bloodpyre Elemental||ALA}}
  +
*{{card|Branching Bolt||ALA}}
  +
*{{card|Broodmate Dragon||ALA}}
  +
*{{card|Caldera Hellion||ALA}}
  +
*{{card|Carrion Thrash||ALA}}
  +
*{{card|Crucible of Fire||ALA}}
  +
*{{card|Deathgreeter||ALA}}
  +
*{{card|Dragon Fodder||ALA}}
  +
*{{card|Dragon's Herald||ALA}}
  +
*{{card|Flameblast Dragon||ALA}}
  +
*{{card|Forest||ALA}}
  +
*{{card|Goblin Assault||ALA}}
  +
*{{card|Goblin Deathraiders||ALA}}
  +
*{{card|Goblin Mountaineer||ALA}}
  +
*{{card|Hellkite Overlord||ALA}}
  +
*{{card|Hissing Iguanar||ALA}}
  +
*{{card|Jund Battlemage||ALA}}
  +
*{{card|Jund Charm||ALA}}
  +
*{{card|Jund Panorama||ALA}}
  +
*{{card|Kresh the Bloodbraided||ALA}}
  +
*{{card|Magma Spray||ALA}}
  +
*{{card|Manaplasm||ALA}}
  +
*{{card|Mountain||ALA}}
  +
*{{card|Mountain||ALA}}
  +
*{{card|Mycoloth||ALA}}
  +
*{{card|Necrogenesis||ALA}}
  +
*{{card|Obelisk of Jund||ALA}}
  +
*{{card|Ooze Garden||ALA}}
  +
*{{card|Predator Dragon||ALA}}
  +
*{{card|Resounding Thunder||ALA}}
  +
*{{card|Rip-Clan Crasher||ALA}}
  +
*{{card|Rockslide Elemental||ALA}}
  +
*{{card|Sangrite Surge||ALA}}
  +
*{{card|Sarkhan Vol||ALA}}
  +
*{{card|Savage Hunger||ALA}}
  +
*{{card|Savage Lands||ALA}}
  +
*{{card|Scavenger Drake||ALA}}
  +
*{{card|Skullmulcher||ALA}}
  +
*{{card|Sprouting Thrinax||ALA}}
  +
*{{card|Swamp||ALA}}
  +
*{{card|Tar Fiend||ALA}}
  +
*{{card|Thorn-Thrash Viashino||ALA}}
  +
*{{card|Thunder-Thrash Elder||ALA}}
  +
*{{card|Vicious Shadows||ALA}}
  +
*{{card|Violent Ultimatum||ALA}}
  +
*{{card|Volcanic Submersion||ALA}}
  +
|
  +
*{{card|Ajani Vengeant||ALA}}
  +
*{{card|Behemoth's Herald||ALA}}
  +
*{{card|Bloodthorn Taunter||ALA}}
  +
*{{card|Bull Cerodon||ALA}}
  +
*{{card|Cavern Thoctar||ALA}}
  +
*{{card|Cradle of Vitality||ALA}}
  +
*{{card|Cylian Elf||ALA}}
  +
*{{card|Druid of the Anima||ALA}}
  +
*{{card|Drumhunter||ALA}}
  +
*{{card|Elvish Visionary||ALA}}
  +
*{{card|Exuberant Firestoker||ALA}}
  +
*{{card|Feral Hydra||ALA}}
  +
*{{card|Forest||ALA}}
  +
*{{card|Forest||ALA}}
  +
*{{card|Gift of the Gargantuan||ALA}}
  +
*{{card|Godsire||ALA}}
  +
*{{card|Godtoucher||ALA}}
  +
*{{card|Gustrider Exuberant||ALA}}
  +
*{{card|Jungle Shrine||ALA}}
  +
*{{card|Jungle Weaver||ALA}}
  +
*{{card|Keeper of Progenitus||ALA}}
  +
*{{card|Lush Growth||ALA}}
  +
*{{card|Mayael the Anima||ALA}}
  +
*{{card|Mighty Emergence||ALA}}
  +
*{{card|Mosstodon||ALA}}
  +
*{{card|Mountain||ALA}}
  +
*{{card|Naturalize||ALA}}
  +
*{{card|Naya Battlemage||ALA}}
  +
*{{card|Naya Charm||ALA}}
  +
*{{card|Naya Panorama||ALA}}
  +
*{{card|Obelisk of Naya||ALA}}
  +
*{{card|Plains||ALA}}
  +
*{{card|Qasali Ambusher||ALA}}
  +
*{{card|Rakeclaw Gargantuan||ALA}}
  +
*{{card|Realm Razer||ALA}}
  +
*{{card|Relic of Progenitus||ALA}}
  +
*{{card|Resounding Roar||ALA}}
  +
*{{card|Ridge Rannet||ALA}}
  +
*{{card|Sacellum Godspeaker||ALA}}
  +
*{{card|Soul's Fire||ALA}}
  +
*{{card|Soul's Grace||ALA}}
  +
*{{card|Soul's Might||ALA}}
  +
*{{card|Spearbreaker Behemoth||ALA}}
  +
*{{card|Sunseed Nurturer||ALA}}
  +
*{{card|Titanic Ultimatum||ALA}}
  +
*{{card|Where Ancients Tread||ALA}}
  +
*{{card|Wild Nacatl||ALA}}
  +
*{{card|Woolly Thoctar||ALA}}
  +
*{{card|Yoked Plowbeast||ALA}}
  +
|}
   
 
==References==
  
==References==
Line 446: Line 735:
   
 
==External links==
  
==External links==
−
*{{Prodpage|Shardsofalara|Shards of Alara}}
 +
*{{Prodpage|shards-of-alara|Shards of Alara}}
−  
−
{{Alara}}
  
−  
−
{{Sets}}
  
   
  +
{{Sets|state=collapsed}}
−
[[Category:Alara block]]
  
  +
{{Alara|block}}

Latest revision as of 21:45, 11 April 2024

Shards of Alara
 
Card comparisons
 
Intro packs
 

Shards of Alara
ALA logo
Set Information
Set symbol
Symbol description 5 shards of a plane
Design Bill Rose (design lead),
Devin Low (development lead),
Aaron Forsythe,
Mark Globus,
Mark Gottlieb,
Graeme Hopkins,
Alexis Janson,
Erik Lauer,
Michael Mikaelian,
Kenneth Nagle,
Matt Place,
Mark Rosewater,
Brian Tinsman,
Mike Turian,
Noah Weil
Development same as Design Team
Art direction Jeremy Jarvis
Release date October 3, 2008
Plane Alara
Themes and mechanics Three-color play, colored artifacts, large creatures
Keywords/​ability words Cycling, Devour, Exalted, Unearth
Set size 249 + 1
Expansion code ALA[1]
Development codename Rock
Alara block
Shards of Alara Conflux Alara Reborn
Magic: The Gathering Chronology
Masters Edition II Shards of Alara Duel Decks: Jace vs. Chandra

Shards of Alara is the forty-seventh Magic expansion and was released October 2008 as the first set in the Alara block. The prerelease events for this set were held on September 27–28, 2008. Release events were held on October 3, 2008, the same day the set went on sale.[2]

Set details[ | ]

Shards of Alara was the first set to follow a new packaging policy, which amongst other things introduced a new rarity level called mythic rare, as well as the replacement of one of the commons in a booster pack with a basic land (the first time this was done outside of a core set). After evaluating the set sizes, Wizards of the Coast decided that card sets would be smaller than they had traditionally been. Initial sets of a block were now 249 cards (101 commons, 60 uncommons, 53 rares, 15 mythic rares, 20 basic lands) instead of the approximately 300 cards of previous expansions.[3] Shards of Alara heralded the return of planeswalker cards, and introduced the first multicolored planeswalkers.

Shards of Alara design was anything but typical. Design lead Bill Rose assembled no fewer than fifteen people on five teams, one for each of the five three-color shards. Each of the five shards has its gameplay themes and its stable of artists.[4] The expansion symbol of the set is a representation of the five shards.[5]

In light of the flavor of the shards, Shards of Alara launch parties (October 3–6, 2008) were Wizards Play Network events that featured a new format: the Theme Tournament. Designed to highlight the fun and flavorful aspects of the set, the Theme Tournaments had the same structure as the prerelease tournaments (Sealed Deck format in which each player receives one tournament pack and three boosters), with a few additional rules. As players build their decks, they had to choose one of the five shards (Bant, Esper, Grixis, Jund, or Naya). The mana cost of each card in a player's deck could contain only mana symbols that matched the chosen shard's three colors (mana symbols in a card's text box were ignored). Colorless cards could be played in any deck. In addition, a deck could not generate mana outside its shard's colors. Any card that would generate a mana of a color that doesn't match the chosen shard generates colorless mana instead.[6]

Collector numbers[ | ]

Shards of Alara contains many colored artifacts. These cards were sorted alphabetically into their color when determining collector numbers. For example, the colored artifact Executioner's Capsule (which requires {B} to cast) is placed alphabetically between the black cards Dregscape Zombie and Fleshbag Marauder. Colored artifacts that require multiple colors are alphabetized among the multicolored cards. As usual, the artifacts that have a generic mana cost are alphabetized together and appear numerically between the multicolored cards and the nonbasic lands.

Fourteen years after the release of the set, The List for Streets of New Capenna added a new collector number (#250) to the set with a special non-foil Rafiq of the Many featuring new art and the Streets of New Capenna Golden Age treatment.[7] This card notably lacks the usual List planeswalker symbol in the lower left corner.

Flavor and storyline[ | ]

Main articles: Alara and Alara Unbroken
“  Five worlds share one fate.  ”

Alara was a single plane once, a massive world rich with mana. However, those same resources led to its downfall, for an unknown planeswalker tore the plane asunder millennia ago, harvesting of its mana.[8] This disaster broke Alara along color lines into incomplete planes called shards, as light is diffracted by a prism. The shards recovered their mana in time, but only in part. Each shard is vastly different, as the combinations of triple-colored mana have shaped natural and cultural forces on each world in distinctive ways.[9][10][11][12][13][14]

Story Comics[ | ]

Main article: Flight of the White Cat
Title Author Release Date Setting (plane) Featuring
Flight of the White Cat, Part 1 Brady Dommermuth 2008-10-08 Naya Ajani Goldmane, Jazal Goldmane
Flight of the White Cat, Part 2 Brady Dommermuth 2008-10-15 Naya, Jund Ajani Goldmane, Jazal Goldmane
Flight of the White Cat, Part 3 Brady Dommermuth 2008-10-22 Jund Ajani Goldmane, Karrthus, Sarkhan Vol


Planes Explorer[ | ]

Planes Explorer is a Flash object that allows one to explore the flavor of the five shards of Alara.

  • Bant: A shard of rolling hills, forests and glittering beaches. The landscape is dotted with beautiful high-rising castles.

    Bant: A shard of rolling hills, forests and glittering beaches. The landscape is dotted with beautiful high-rising castles.

  • Esper: The sophisticated beauty of this shard is etched into every artifact, city, and even the faces of some of the inhabitants.

    Esper: The sophisticated beauty of this shard is etched into every artifact, city, and even the faces of some of the inhabitants.

  • Grixis: The inhabitants of this hellish shard are either buying power at a high price or spiraling out of sanity and into despair.

    Grixis: The inhabitants of this hellish shard are either buying power at a high price or spiraling out of sanity and into despair.

  • Jund: Goblins, lizardmen, and humans scour this shard for food and power, but all here are ruled by fearsome dragons.

    Jund: Goblins, lizardmen, and humans scour this shard for food and power, but all here are ruled by fearsome dragons.

  • Naya: The lush growth and rich natural beauty of this shard sometimes mask the savage dangers of the jungle.

    Naya: The lush growth and rich natural beauty of this shard sometimes mask the savage dangers of the jungle.

  • PE-SoA.jpg

Marketing[ | ]

Shards of Alara was sold in 75-card tournament decks, 16-card boosters, five intro packs, and a fat pack.[15] It was the last set to feature tournament decks; in these, any number of the usual rares could have been replaced with mythic rares. The intro packs replaced the traditional preconstructed theme decks and the 2-Player Starter Set. The fat pack's content was changed replacing the novel with a brief introduction of the expansion's respective novel or Planeswalker's Guide. The Pro Tour Player Cards were discontinued. The Alara block was accompanied by only one novel: Alara Unbroken, written by Doug Beyer and the Planeswalker's Guide to Alara, written by Doug Beyer and Jenna Helland.

The promotional card given to participants at both the prerelease and release events was Ajani Vengeant, one of the mythic rare planeswalkers, with alternate artwork.[16]

Starting with the Shards of Alara set, each booster pack contained the following: one basic land,[17] ten commons, three uncommons, one rare or mythic rare, and 1 non-game marketing card. If the pack happened to contain a foil premium card, it would do so in place of one of the commons, regardless of that premium card's rarity. (Every game card in the set can appear as a regular card or as a premium card).[18] The boosters featured artwork from Steward of Valeron (with white background), Sphinx Sovereign (with blue background), Sedris, the Traitor King (with black background), Hellkite Overlord (with red background) and Godsire (with green background).[19] An all-foil booster pack containing cards from Shards of Alara and the other two sets of the block was released on January 8, 2010.[20]

The sixteenth card in the boosters is either a “flavor/shard card”, instead of the usual “rules card”, or a creature token. One face has one of five shard flavor cards or is one of ten different creature tokens. The other face has one of six advertisements for organized play programs, Conflux, Duel Decks: Jace vs. Chandra, fat packs, magicthegathering.com, Magic Online, A Planeswalker's Guide to Alara, and Ultra Pro products for Magic.

Tips & Tricks[ | ]

The tips & tricks cards are:

Tokens[ | ]

The Shards of Alara tokens are:[21][22]

  1. {W} 1/1 Soldier creature produced by Elspeth, Knight-Errant and Knight-Captain of Eos.
  2. {U} 0/1 Homunculus artifact creature produced by Puppet Conjurer.
  3. {U} 1/1 Thopter artifact creature with flying produced by Sharding Sphinx.
  4. {B} 1/1 Skeleton creature with “{B}: Regenerate this creature.” produced by Skeletonize.
  5. {B} 2/2 Zombie creature produced by Archdemon of Unx.
  6. {R} 4/4 Dragon creature with flying produced by Broodmate Dragon and Sarkhan Vol.
  7. {R} 1/1 Goblin creature produced by Dragon Fodder.
  8. {G} */* Ooze creature produced by Ooze Garden.
  9. {G} 1/1 Saproling creature produced by Jund Battlemage, Mycoloth, Necrogenesis, and Sprouting Thrinax.
  10. {R}{G}{W} 8/8 Beast creature produced by Godsire.

Mechanics[ | ]

Though the set as a whole has multicolored cards as an overarching theme, due to the setting being split into five “shards” with no contact with each other, each shard was given its distinct mechanical theme.

  • Bant (primary {W}, secondary {G}{U}): The shard of Bant was given the exalted ability, which reads, “Whenever a creature you control attacks alone, that creature gets +1/+1 until end of turn.”[23]
  • Esper (primary {U}, secondary {W}{B}): The shard of Esper was given an emphasis on artifacts, including the first widespread use of artifacts with colored casting costs (Sarcomite Myr[24] and Reaper King were earlier forays into this design space).
  • Grixis (primary {B}, secondary {U}{R}): The shard of Grixis was given the unearth ability, which reads, “[Cost]: Return this card from your graveyard to the battlefield. It gains haste. Exile it at the beginning of the next end step or if it would leave the battlefield. Unearth only as a sorcery.”[25]
  • Jund (primary {R}, secondary {B}{G}): The shard of Jund was given the devour N ability, which reads, “As this enters the battlefield, you may sacrifice any number of creatures. This creature enters the battlefield with N times that many +1/+1 counters on it.”[26][27]
  • Naya (primary {G}, secondary {R}{W}): The shard of Naya was emphasized creatures with power of 5 or greater, “5-power matters”.

Shards of Alara also featured the return of cycling for the third time (or fourth, including Future Sight) since the Urza block.

Cycles[ | ]

Shards of Alara has 19 cycles:

Cycle name {W} {U} {B} {R} {G}
Common one-drops Akrasan Squire Cathartic Adept Deathgreeter Goblin Mountaineer Wild Nacatl
Each of these common 1/1 creatures costs one mana.
Battlemages Bant Battlemage Esper Battlemage Grixis Battlemage Jund Battlemage Naya Battlemage
Each of these uncommon 2/2 human creatures costs {2}M and has two activated abilities corresponding to each of its allied colors.
Heralds Angel's Herald Sphinx's Herald Demon's Herald Dragon's Herald Behemoth's Herald
Each of these uncommon 1/1 creatures has a cost of M and has an activated ability with the cost “{2}M, {T}, Sacrifice a creature of this creature's color plus one of each of its allied colors” that allows you to search your library for its corresponding noble creature (see below) and put it onto the battlefield.
Allied-ability creatures Knight of the Skyward Eye ({G})
Sighted-Caste Sorcerer ({U}) 		Cloudheath Drake ({W})
Vectis Silencers ({B}) 		Shore Snapper ({U})
Undead Leotau ({R}) 		Viashino Skeleton ({B})
Thorn-Thrash Viashino ({G}) 		Cavern Thoctar ({R})
Godtoucher ({W})
Two cycles at common, with creatures having an activated ability with an allied-color cost. One goes clockwise around the color wheel, while the other goes counter-clockwise.
Cycle name {W}{U} {U}{B} {B}{R} {R}{G} {G}{W}
Allied-colored two-drops Deft Duelist Tidehollow Strix Goblin Deathraiders Rip-Clan Crasher Steward of Valeron
Each of these common creatures requires one mana each of two allied colors to cast.
Common allied-colored spells Hindering Light Agony Warp Blightning Branching Bolt Sigil Blessing
Each of these common allied-colored spells has two effects.
Uncommon allied-colored spells Kiss of the Amesha Thoughtcutter Agent Blood Cultist Sangrite Surge Qasali Ambusher
Each of these uncommon spells has a mana cost that includes two allied-colored mana.
Cycle name {W}{B} {U}{R} {B}{G} {R}{W} {G}{U}
Uncommon enemy-colored spells Tidehollow Sculler Swerve Necrogenesis Bull Cerodon Jhessian Infiltrator
Each of these uncommon spells has a mana cost that includes two enemy-colored mana.
Cycle name {G}{W}{U} {W}{U}{B} {U}{B}{R} {B}{R}{G} {R}{G}{W}
Common tricolored creatures Waveskimmer Aven Windwright Mage Kederekt Creeper Carrion Thrash Rakeclaw Gargantuan
Each of these common creatures has a mana cost that includes MNO.
Uncommon tricolored creatures Rhox War Monk Tower Gargoyle Fire-Field Ogre Sprouting Thrinax Woolly Thoctar
Each of these uncommon creatures has a mana cost that includes MNO.
Mythic legends Rafiq of the Many Sharuum the Hegemon Sedris, the Traitor King[28] Kresh the Bloodbraided Mayael the Anima
Each of these mythic rare legendary creatures has a mana cost that includes MNO.
Noble creatures Empyrial Archangel Sphinx Sovereign[29] Prince of Thralls Hellkite Overlord Godsire
Each of these mythic rare creatures has a mana cost of {4}MNNO.
Panoramas Bant Panorama Esper Panorama Grixis Panorama Jund Panorama Naya Panorama
Each of these common triple lands can be tapped for {C} or sacrificed to search your library for a basic land of one of three types.[30]
Shardlands (or Trilands) Seaside Citadel Arcane Sanctum[31] Crumbling Necropolis Savage Lands Jungle Shrine
Each of these uncommon triple lands comes into play tapped and can be tapped for one of three colors of mana. These are strictly better than the old taplands.
Obelisks Obelisk of Bant Obelisk of Esper Obelisk of Grixis Obelisk of Jund Obelisk of Naya
Each of these common artifacts can be tapped to add one of three mana.
Resounding spells Resounding Silence Resounding Wave Resounding Scream Resounding Thunder[32] Resounding Roar
Each of these common instant or sorcery spells has a base effect and can be cycled for {5}MNO, where MNO are the card's shard colors, for twice the base effect.
Charms Bant Charm[33] Esper Charm Grixis Charm Jund Charm Naya Charm
Each of these uncommon instants costs MNO and has three modes.
Ultimatums Clarion Ultimatum Brilliant Ultimatum Cruel Ultimatum Violent Ultimatum Titanic Ultimatum
Each of these rare sorceries costs MMNNNOO and has a powerful effect.[34][35]
Rare tricolored spells Stoic Angel Punish Ignorance Sedraxis Specter Broodmate Dragon Realm Razer
Each of these rare spells has a mana cost that includes MNO.
Kresh the Bloodbraided

Mini-cycles[ | ]

Shards of Alara has 5 cycles of three cards, each missing the two colors not associated with its shard:

Cycle name {W} {U} {B}
Esper capsules Dispeller's Capsule Courier's Capsule Executioner's Capsule
Each of these common artifacts can be sacrificed for an effect common to its color.
Cycle name {B} {R} {G}
Jund scavengers Scavenger Drake Rockslide Elemental Algae Gharial
Each of these uncommon 1/1 creatures has “Whenever another creature dies, you may put a +1/+1 counter on this creature”
Cycle name {W} {R} {G}
Naya cycling creatures Yoked Plowbeast Ridge Rannet Jungle Weaver
Each of these common creatures costs {5}MM, has cycling {2} and a power of 5 or more.
Naya druids Sunseed Nurturer Exuberant Firestoker Drumhunter
Each of these uncommon human druid creatures has a triggered ability that activates at the end of your turn as long as you control a creature with power 5 or greater and “{T}: Add {C}”
Naya “soul spells” Soul's Grace Soul's Fire Soul's Might
Each of these common instants or sorceries has an effect based on the power of the creature it targets. In addition, each of these cards has flavor text starting with “An avatar he sculpts of...”

Mega cycle[ | ]

Cycle name {G}{W}{U}
Bant 		{W}{U}{B}
Esper 		{U}{B}{R}
Grixis 		{B}{R}{G}
Jund 		{R}{G}{W}
Naya
Planeswalkers Elspeth, Knight-Errant (Shards of Alara) Tezzeret the Seeker (Shards of Alara) Nicol Bolas, Planeswalker (Conflux)[36] Sarkhan Vol (Shards of Alara) Ajani Vengeant (Shards of Alara)
Each shard has a corresponding Planeswalker.

Pairs[ | ]

Shards of Alara has one mirrored pair.

Mirrored Pairs Description
Marble Chalice
({W}) 		Onyx Goblet
({B}) 		Common artifacts that cost {2}M, and have a tap ability. The former causes you to gain one life, whilst the latter causes a player to lose one life.

Reprinted cards[ | ]

The following cards have been reprinted from previous sets and included in Shards of Alara:

Functional reprints[ | ]

This is the first expansion set to have functional reprints since Lorwyn. Shards of Alara has three functional reprints:

Colorshifted[ | ]

Misprints[ | ]

Notable cards[ | ]

  • Ad Nauseam — main engine powering the Legacy ANT deck.[37]
  • Blightning — one of the key Jund cards in Standard, also splashed in Red decks.
  • Cruel Ultimatum — important card in Grixis and 5-color Control decks in Standard.
  • Ethersworn Canonist — popular hate card against various decks, especially combo decks which rely on casting multiple spells in one turn.
  • Hellkite Overlord — Was first released in From the Vault: Dragons, a special set predating Shards of Alara.
  • Knight of the White Orchid — A popular Tithe variant, especially in combination with the Borderposts cycle from Alara Reborn.
  • Ranger of Eos — Antoine Ruel's prize card for winning the 2006 Magic Invitational.
  • Wild Nacatl — key creature in aggro decks such as Naya or Zoo. Wild Nacatl was later banned in Modern in December 2011. It was then unbanned in Modern in February 2014.
  • Master of Etherium powered up artifact decks in Modern and still sees some play in Legacy
  • Fleshbag Marauder is the first of an eponymous archetype of creature that makes each player sacrifice a creature when it enters the battlefield and sees play in Pauper aggro decks
  • Fatestitcher's ability to untap any permanent lead to it seeing play in Modern Jeskai Ascendency combo decks as well as some versions of Dredge decks in multiple formats
  • Relic of Progenitus is one of the best graveyard hate artifacts of all time, seeing play in sideboards of every format it is legal in but especially Modern and pauper
  • Ajani Vengeant has seen sporadic play competitively and is notable for having a one sided Armageddon as a loyalty ability
  • Lich's Mirror has a unique effect that prevents its controller from losing the game in exchange for effectively resetting the game for them

Intro packs[ | ]

Previous to Shards of Alara, there were theme decks. Intro packs premiered in Shards of Alara. All of the intro packs are 3 colors based on their shard.[38][39]

Intro pack contents included:

  • a 41-card preconstructed deck, which included 1 premium foil rare and one non-premium rare
  • a booster pack of the current set
  • a set-specific insert explaining the new mechanics in the set and info on the preconstructed decks included in the intro packs
  • a learn-to-play insert for new players that includes game rules, deck building tips, and storyline information

The preconstructed intro packs are:[40][41]

Intro pack name Colors Included Foil rare
{W} {U} {B} {R} {G}
Bant Exalted W U G Battlegrace Angel
Esper Artifice W U B Master of Etherium
Grixis Undead U B R Vein Drinker
Primordial Jund B R G Flameblast Dragon
Naya Behemoths W R G Spearbreaker Behemoth

Shard cards[ | ]

Answering to an Ask Wizards, on October 16, 2008, Brady Dommermuth[42] gave a list of all the Shards of Alara cards belonging to each of the five shards. Here is the list.

Bant Esper Grixis Jund Naya
{G}{W}{U}
 {W}{U}{B}
 {U}{B}{R}
 {B}{R}{G}
 {R}{G}{W}

References[ | ]

  1. ↑ Mike Gills (January 28, 2010). "Shards of Alara Block Magic Online Release Events". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  2. ↑ Wizards of the Coast (March 18, 2008). "Announcing Shards of Alara". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  3. ↑ Mark Rosewater (June 2, 2008). "The Year of Living Changerously". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  4. ↑ Magic Arcana (November 25, 2008). "Ask Wizards: Shards, RSS, and Mysterious Symbols". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  5. ↑ magicthegathering.com Staff (October 13, 2008). "Five Teams Share One Fate". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  6. ↑ Mark Gottlieb. (September 23, 2008.) Shards of Alara Frequently Asked Questions
  7. ↑ Wizards of the Coast (April 14, 2022). "What's New on The List for Streets of New Capenna". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  8. ↑ Wizards of the Coast (September 2008). "Five Worlds". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  9. ↑ Wizards of the Coast (September 2008). "Life Imitates Mana". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  10. ↑ Doug Beyer (September 08, 2008). "Alara, a World Broken". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  11. ↑ Richard Whitters (September 15, 2008). "Ripping a World Apart". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  12. ↑ Rei Nakazawa (October 20, 2008). "A Shards Day's Night". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  13. ↑ Doug Beyer (October 01, 2008). "Faction + Fiction". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  14. ↑ Doug Beyer (October 15, 2008). "Shards of Alara in Italics". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  15. ↑ Magic Arcana (September 01, 2008). "Shards of Alara Fat Pack". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  16. ↑ Magic Arcana (August 21, 2008). "Shards of Alara Prerelease Card". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  17. ↑ Wizards of the Coast (June 2, 2008). "Changes as of Shards of Alara". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  18. ↑ Mark Rosewater (August 05, 2013). "Twenty Things That Were Going To Kill Magic". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  19. ↑ Magic Arcana (August 26, 2008). "Shards of Alara Boosters". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  20. ↑ Magic Arcana (September 29, 2009). "The All-Foil Booster". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  21. ↑ Wizards of the Coast (September 30, 2008). "Shards of Alara Tokens". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  22. ↑ Wizards of the Coast (October 1, 2008). "More Shards of Alara Tokens". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  23. ↑ Mark Rosewater (September 8, 2008). "Between a Rock and a Shard Place". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  24. ↑ Mark Rosewater (September 22, 2008). "Shard Tricks". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  25. ↑ Mike Turian (September 12, 2008). "The Specter of the Present". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  26. ↑ Mark Rosewater (September 15, 2008). "Shard Candy". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  27. ↑ Matt Place (December 05, 2008). "Predator and Prey". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  28. ↑ Doug Beyer (September 24, 2008). "Alive and Unwell". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  29. ↑ Kelly Digges (September 9, 2008). "The Riddle of the Sphinx". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  30. ↑ Magic Arcana (October 21, 2008). "Panoramic View". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  31. ↑ Jacob Van Lunen (September 11, 2008). "Show Your True Colors". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  32. ↑ Tim Willoughby (September 22, 2008). "Shards of Alara Prerelease Primer". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  33. ↑ Mike Turian (September 19, 2008). "The Charm Peddler". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  34. ↑ Magic Arcana (October 27, 2008). "Whose Ultimatum?". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  35. ↑ Kelly Digges (September 23, 2008). "Building a Better Overrun". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  36. ↑ Doug Beyer (Wednesday, April 08, 2009). "The One, The Only, Nicol Bolas". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  37. ↑ Mark Rosewater (September 29, 2008). "Cards of Alara". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  38. ↑ Magic Arcana (September 22, 2008). "Intro Packs of Alara". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  39. ↑ Magic Arcana (September 23, 2008). "More intro Packs of Alara". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  40. ↑ Brian David-Marshall (September 19, 2008). "Drink Up". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  41. ↑ Doug Beyer (September 17, 2008). "Time for Esper". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  42. ↑ Brady Dommermuth (October 16, 2008). "Do you have a list of what cards are supposed to go with each shard?". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.

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