Mirrodin
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| Mirrodin | ||
|---|---|---|
| Expansion symbol |  Sword of Kaldra |
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| Release date | October 2, 2003 | |
| Mechanics | Artifacts, Equipment | |
| Keywords | Affinity, Imprint, Entwine | |
| Size | 306 cards | |
| Expansion code | MRD | |
| Development codename | Bacon
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| Sets in Mirrodin Block | ||
| Mirrodin | Darksteel | Fifth Dawn |
| Magic: The Gathering Chronology |
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| 8th Edition | Mirrodin | Darksteel |
Mirrodin was the 50th Magic: The Gathering set, the 30th expert level set, and the first set in the Mirrodin Block, released in October 2003. It is a 306-card expansion set. It is also the name of the block containing the Mirrodin, Darksteel and Fifth Dawn expansion sets. This expansion, as well as the rest of the block, is centered around artifacts and is only the second set to do so (from a card frequency point of view) since Antiquities. The percentage of artifact cards is much higher than in any preceding set. Mirrodin 's expansion symbol is a small image of Sword of Kaldra, a card from this set.
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[edit] The world of Mirrodin
The setting for Mirrodin is a plane by the same name. An artificial world created by the planeswalker Karn, and named after the mirari by Memnarch, Mirrodin's environments and inhabitants mix organic and metallic. Mirrodin is orbited by four satellites, which are called by suns and moons, that correspond to red, black, white and blue magic. Green was notably absent until Glissa Sunseeker became a conduit for its birth.
The set focuses on five main regions on Mirrodin, each corresponding to a part of the Magic color pie:
- The Oxidda Chain, a range of mountains populated by goblins and the Vulshok tribe.
- The Tangle, a dense jungle populated by elves, the human Sylvok tribe and horrible beasts.
- The Mephidross, a dreadful swamp, and a home of Nim (zombies) and the Moriok.
- Quicksilver Sea, a sea of mercury populated by Vedalken and the Neurok tribe.
- Razor Grass Fields, the plains of Mirrodin, overgrown with sharp metallic grass and home to the Leonin, the Auriok tribe and Loxodon.
The main character of the story is the elf Glissa Sunseeker, who visits all these places, guided by revenge against the machines that killed her family. The story is captured in the novel Moons of Mirrodin by Will McDermott.
[edit] Set history
Mirrodin is notable for being the first expansion set to feature the new card front design (which debuted in 8th Edition). The high number of artifacts in Mirrodin highlighted the inherent flaw of the new border design - artifact cards, which were now bordered in a very light grey instead of brown, were very hard to distinguish from white cards. The problem prompted Wizards of the Coast to change the bordering background of artifact cards to a much darker grey in Fifth Dawn.
[edit] Mechanics
Below is the list of mechanics introduced by Mirrodin:
- Affinity for artifacts - This keyword reduces the total cost of the spell by the number of artifacts in play under your control. This mechanic was extremely powerful and "Affinity" decks quickly monopolised Magic: The Gathering tournaments (see below), eventually resulting in sweeping bannings of the most powerful Affinity-related cards in an effort to revive the tournament scene.
- Artifact lands - While artifact creatures were not a new story, Mirrodin introduced artifact lands. These were the great helpers to the previous mechanic, increasing the artifact count while still being considered lands.
- Imprint - This keyword allows a player to "imprint" some card on the artifact (removing that card from the game). That artifact's effect depends on the card imprinted (for example you can imprint a creature on Soul Foundry and then activate it to reproduce copies of that creature).
- Entwine - An ability on modal spells, which normally require a player to choose only one of multiple effects. By paying the Entwine cost, all of the effects occur.
- Equipment - A new artifact subtype that denotes things which could be wielded or worn by creatures. Equipment functions like "Enchant Creature" cards of yesteryear (now called Auras) in that they provide some effect while attached to the creature. Unlike Auras, however, Equipment can only be attached to creatures you control in most cases, and can remain in play even if they aren't attached to anything. Like many mechanics from Mirrodin, Equipment have gone on to be a staple of Magic in general, being featured in future core sets and expansions.
