By Miquel Serra & Miquel Àngel Moya

Magic Origins Limited Format

- The last Core set – M16- Some reprints but many new cards- Some new mechanics- The return of two-sided cards, with a

twist- New evergreen mechanics: prowess, scry

& menace

Mechanics in Origins (1/6)

Prowess- +1/+1 whenever you cast a noncreature spell- Ability goes on top of the spell that triggered

it on the stack

Potential problems- Acknowledging triggers when P/T becomes

relevant (usually, when assigning damage)

Mechanics in Origins (2/6)

Menace- Can only be blocked by two or more

creatures- Old ability that has been given a name

Mechanics in Origins (3/6)

Scry (1/2)- Scry N means “Look at the top N cards of

your library. You may put any number of them at the bottom of your library in anyorder and the rest in the top in any order”

- When not part of a trigger, opponents mustremember controller to Scry –intentionallynot doing so is USC-Cheating

Mechanics in Origins (3/6)

Scry (2/2)Potential problems- Issues with Out of order sequencing- Mixing cards currently being looked at with

the hand

- When instructing players to shuffle theirlibrary, *do remember* to ask if they knowthe position of any cards in it!

Mechanics in Origins (4/6)

Renown (1/2)- Renown N means When this creature deals

combat damage to a player, put N counterson it and it becomes renowned

- Works very similar to Monstruous -only thatit’s triggered instead of activated

- Putting +1/+1 counters on the creature forother reasons will not make it renowned orprevent Renown from working

Mechanics in Origins (4/6)

Renown (2/2)- Some cards have a second ability that

triggers when it becomes renowned- Some cards care about creatures being or

becoming renowned

Potential problems- Missed triggers –player must take physical

action- No counter put on the creature (usual on

Limited)

Mechanics in Origins (5/6)

Spell Mastery (1/2)- Spell Mastery is a keyword ability without

rules meaning- A card with Spell Mastery cares about two or

more instants or sorceries being in thegraveyard

- Checked on resolution, spell doesn’t countitself

Mechanics in Origins (5/6)

Spell Mastery (2/2)- Some cards add additional effects and some

others replace part or all of the original effect

- Not a trigger –opponents may not avoidremembering the controller theadditional/alternative effects!

Potential problems- Players forgetting to check the condition

Mechanics in Origins (6/6)

Double-Faced Cards (1/3)- Creature on one side, Planeswalker on the

other- Each creature has a triggered or activated

ability that exiles it and returns ittransformed

- Priority tricks (killing them on response to trigger/ability, or transforming them in response to other spells/abilities)

Mechanics in Origins (6/6)

Double-Faced Cards (2/3)- When transformed, they have no mana cost

and a color indicator- Enter the battlefield from the exile- Move to other zones as Planeswalkers, but

untransform as soon as they get there

Mechanics in Origins (6/6)

Double-Faced Cards (3/3)- Use checkcards when using no sleeves or

non-fully-opaque sleeves (watch out formarked cards)

- One checkcard for each Planeswalker in deck- One Planeswalker for each checkcard in deck- Watch out for unmarked checklists!

Card Highlights

Alhammarret’s Archive

- Life change counts as life gain or gain loss- Not applied to first card drawn in turn –look

out for DEC.- Two different replacement effects.- In 2HG, life gain by your teammate doesn’t

get affected.

Tragic Arrogance

- Chosen permaments aren’t targets.- Permaments with two or more types can be

chosen for each of them (an ArtifactCreature, for example, can be chosen bothfor Artifact and Creature).

- Permanents are sacrificed –Indestructible won’t prevent that.

Starfield of Nyx

- If an Aura is returned and it cannot be attached legally to anything, it won’t leavethe graveyard.

- You can attach an Aura to something that has hexproof. Protections and target restrictionsstill apply.

- Abilities from enchantments that havebecome creatures still work as expected.

- Counts *all* enchantments but only appliesto *nonaura enchantments*.

Calculated Dismissal

- You get to Scry 2 if you have Spell Masteryand even if the controller of the spell pays 3.

- You can target your own spell with this card, have Spell Mastery, decide not to pay 3 and still Scry 2 Super Secret Tech.

Turn to Frog

- Effects that set P/T to an specific value willbe overwritten, unless applied later.

- Effects that add or substract P/T will stillhave effect, yet other abilities granted bysuch effects will be lost.

- Any effect applied after this one willoverwrite it due to timestamps.

- When in doubt: Comprehensive Rules, 613.

Stop! Layer Time

1. Copy (Flameshadow Conjuring)2. Control (Act of Treason)3. Text4. Type (Turn to Frog)5. Color (Turn to Frog)6. Power & Toughness1. Characteristic-defining abilities (Tarmogoyf)2. Specifict P/T (Turn to Frog)3. Add/Substract P/T (Giant Growth)4. Counters (+1/+1, -1/-1 and the like)5. P/T Switch

Interaction of continuous effectsComprehensive Rules, 613.

Mizzium Meddler

- Works like Spellskite.- Can target any spell or ability, even if it has

no targets (but won’t do anything).- Can only change targets that could legally

target it.- If spell has multiple targets, it will only

change one of them.- If it leaves the battlefield before its ability

resolves, no targets will change.

Day’s Undoing

- If the turn finishes, everything on the stack isexiled, creatures are removed from combat, SBAs are checked, and the game proceeds to cleanup.

- Triggered abilities during this process will goon the stack on the cleanup step.

- Abilities that trigger “at the beggining of theend step” won’t trigger.

- You will shuffle your library no matter whatbefore drawing 7 cards.

Demonic Pact

- Choose a mode when the ability is put on thestack. You can only choose a mode withtargets if there are legal targets for it.

- If the ability is countered, the mode stillcounts as chosen.

- Yes, if there is no other option available, youwill have to choose the last mode. You didread the small print, right?

Abbot of Keral Keep

- You have to follow the usual rules to play theexiled card –pay costs, obey timingrestrictions and so on.

- If the exiled card is a land, unless an effectallows you to, you won’t be able to play it ifyou already played a land this turn.

- The card will remain exiled if not playedwithin the turn it’s exiled.

- Exiled cards are exiled face-up.

Flameshadow Counjuring

- The copy is exactly what is written on theoriginal card, unless it’s already a copy of some other card (in that case, the copy will be a copy of that copy).

- All ETB abilities and replacement effects thataffect how the permanent enters thebattlefield will be applied.

- The copy will be exiled no matter whocontrols it.

Aerial Volley

- You choose the number of targets and thedamage dealt to each one, with a minimum of 1 damage to each one.

- If a target becomes ilegal before the spellresolves, all other targets still receive thedamage you assigned to them (but it’s notredistributed!).

The Great Aurora (1/2)

- The number of cards you draw is equal to thetotal number of cards you shuffle into yourlibrary.

- A Token is property of the player who put iton the battlefield. It will be shuffled (not thephysical token, of course) and countedtowards the number of cards to be drawn. Itwill cease to exist when it enters the library.

The Great Aurora (2/2)

- Active Player chooses first the lands that willenter the battlefield and then the rest of players do so in turn order.

- All lands from all players enter the battlefieldat the same time.

Questions?

Thanks, and welcome to GP Madrid!

Remember to have fun, stay hydrated, smile, and, whenin doubt, ask away!