Planeshift boasts two allied-color kickers offering powerful comes-into-play effects. Very flexible cards, the Battlemages can be played as cheap attackers or blockers if mana is in short supply, or played for six or even nine mana to generate a slew of powerful card advantage and a massive swing in the late game.
Future Sight common. The magical item getting wrecked in this particular piece doesn’t have much of a record for staying enchanted. First, click here to see a larger version of the art. Then, when you’re ready to see the card this art is referencing, click here.
Future Sight common. How do you represent a creature that’s an enchantment at the same time? In this card’s art (and flavor text), the concept is that the creature is magically made of the light coming through the stained glass window in the background. The art may even suggest that the creature is shown in the window as well, and then projected lower down by the light streaming through the image. (Click here to see a larger version of the art.)
Future Sight rare. The creatures shown here are vaguely insect-like, a cue that the smaller one in the foreground may be some kind of larvae. The two seen in the background are the full-sized version, monstrosities that loom from high above the devastated landscape. (Click here to see a larger version of the art.)
Future Sight rare. It’s easy to miss at card size if you aren’t watching for it, but if you look closely you can “see” how this particular artifact protects your creatures. (Click here to see a larger version of the art.)
Future Sight uncommon. To reflect the metamorphic nature of this spell’s aura swap ability, the feathers in the art can be seen transforming into slips of parchment toward the edges of the wings. (Click here to see a larger version of the art.)
Onslaught rare. How much rules text does a legend need to have to be flavorful and satisfying? Akroma, Angel of Wrath sports a panoply of keywords, whereas many old schoolers like Sivitri Scarzam relied on their splashy typeline and golden looks to get by. Rorix gives the answer “just two words,” and few would argue that he didn’t succeed. The ultimate result of these discussions was the entirely vanilla???but still exciting???Isamaru, Hound of Konda.
Legends rare. In years past, Dakkon Blackblade was the favorite card of one of Wizards’ premier tournament organizers. He liked the card so much, in fact, that he named his son “Dakkon.” This marks perhaps the first time???though certainly not the last???that a child was named after a Magic character.
Tempest rare. In the original draft of the Weatherlight storyline, the healer was a minor character. Weatherlight co-creator Mike Ryan named her Oram (MaRo backwards) as a joke, but the team kept the name, changing the A to an I for readability. Orim became a major character in her own right as the story developed, particularly during Mercadian Masques.
Prophecy rare. On one occasion, Wizards of the Coast was asked to make a presentation about how Magic differs from standard fantasy. In Magic, wizards have their own particular identity???no pointy hats, for instance???and the team needed an image to represent that identity. Out of the thousands of Magic cards that exist and the hundreds with the Wizard subtype, the team chose the art from Alexi, Zephyr Mage as one of the few that exemplify what ???mage??? means in Magic. Others include Sadistic Hypnotist and Vulshok Sorcerer.
