Ice Age rare. The Alpha card Lich has spawned a number of variants over the years that play with the idea of cards substituting as a player’s life total in some way, but Oath of Lim-D?�l often gets forgotten from the group since it’s the only version that doesn’t actually have “lich” in the name. (See Lich, Lich’s Tomb, Nefarious Lich, and also the drawback on Dralnu, Lich Lord.)
Limited Edition Alpha common. Pestilence is easily one of the most powerful common cards ever printed for Limited formats. With the advent of Sixth Edition, it was moved to uncommon???and the Sixth Edition rules changes removed a saucy combo with Circle of Protection: Black that had been popular in early Constructed formats. Prior to Sixth Edition, one Circle activation could prevent a whole batch of Pestilence damage, rather than just 1 point.
Dissension uncommon. Although many monster names in Magic are invented from scratch, Drekavac is not one of them. Pronounced “DREK-ah-vats” in its source language, this mythical creature of south Slavic folklore was believed to be the tortured soul of a dead unbaptized child.
Exodus uncommon. In addition to its musical meaning (such as in J.S. Bach’s “Toccata and Fugue in D minor” or Guys and Dolls‘ “A Fugue for Tinhorns”), “fugue” is a psychiatric term that refers to an amnesic episode-a period of memory loss, befitting a discard spell that causes a player to “forget” some of the spells in his or her hand.
Mirrodin common. The myr, short for “myrmidon,” a Greek word meaning “servant,” were designed by illustrator Matthew D. Wilson. Although both Wizards and players were very pleased with Kev Walker’s illustrations for the cycle of common, color-keyed myr, the prolific illustrator is rumored to have been a bit bored by the assignment because of the similarity of the five little simulacra.
Betrayers of Kamigawa common. The Japanese word “kaminari” means “lightning,” but with the honorific-”kaminari-sama”-it can also refer to the kami of lightning, the “lightning spirit” of the Shinto belief system. The lightning spirit is also referred to as “laijin.”
Invasion rare. Kavu Titan is one of many creatures???stop us if you’ve heard this one???that are basically always better to have in your deck than poor old Grizzly Bears. The trend began with Muscle Sliver (a liability if your opponent has Slivers, but a much better choice in the abstract) and has continued since. How many creatures are there that have the same cost and effective stats as Grizzly Bears and an ability that is “all upside”? Click here.
Planeshift rare. Though Orim was originally intended as a minor character, she was eventually to have as many cards named after her possessively???that is, “Orim’s”???as any other Weatherlight storyline character, and more than most. How many “Orim’s” cards are there, what sets are they in, and what other Weatherlight character has as many? No points for using Gatherer! Click here.
Invasion rare. When the Bird type was consolidated with the various Vultures, Falcons, Aesthir, Pigeons, Mana Birds, Rocs, etc., some players were concerned about the fate of a certain Homelands card, then the only “lord” of any Bird-related type. Not only did Kangee come along to provide a genuine Bird “lord,” but the Homelands card received errata so that it helped all Birds as well. What was that card, and what creature type was it “lord” of before the consolidation? Click here.
Invasion rare. During Unhinged, Verdeloth was featured in the art of the card Name Dropping. The designers knew that they wanted a prominent Magic character wearing a “Hello, My Name Is” sticker, and Verdeloth was chosen. Partly this was because a tree wearing a name tag and “Hello, My Name Is Verdeloth” are funny, and partly it was because his name contains “the,” making him especially likely to be returned with Name Dropping. Verdeloth also appears in the art of what Planar Chaos card? Click here.
