#Zendikar Rising

[mtg-cards-hourly]

Soul Shatter

The Kargan tribes share legends of the victory their ancestors won over the Akoum Skyclave, and its horrendous cost.

Artist: Wylie Beckert TCG Player Link Scryfall Link EDHREC Link

[geekynerfherder]

'Nissa of Shadowed Boughs' by Dave Rapoza.

Card art from the 'Zendikar Rising' expansion set, published in September 2020 by Magic: The Gathering.

[incorrect-mtg]

Flavor Text Highlights - Zendikar Rising + Commander Precons

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Cool - Allied Assault

A common foe is the death of old hatreds.

Cool - Cleric of Life's Bond

“No gods. Only each other.”

Funny - Inordinate Rage

“In my years wandering this land I’ve seen a veritable menagerie of fantastic creatures, but one that has eluded me thus far is the fabled ‘easygoing minotaur.’” —Ko, expedition wizard

Worldbuilding - Sea Gate Restoration | Sea Gate, Reborn

“We have much to remember … and much we can never forget.” —Tazri

“We carry on the legacy of those who defended our world by continuing to unearth its secrets.” —Tazri

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[art-of-mtg]

Relic Axe (Zendikar Rising) - Cristi Balanescu

More cards with art by Cristi Balanescu on Scryfall

[haaaaaaaaaaaave-you-met-ted]

Zendikar Rising Key Art by Bjorn Hurri

[oops-prow-did-it-again]

I'm gonna do it I'm gonna rant about ZNR someone take the phone away

[overgrown-estate]

[rhineglade]

[beatsandskies]

deePRECONnaissance: the decks of the “Zendikar World Tour”

I’m coming to realise that the amount of preconstructed decklists that Arena churns through is actually absolutely intense. Not to mention that they’re often only available for 48 hours then they’re gone. Forgotten about. So hence this series where I’m going to be doing some deep reconnaissance, digging into the libraries for the basic info, and putting it into a post. So if you wanted to have a…

[refreshdaemon]

It's the same as the usual, but this one doesn't have any full art lands at all, which is the hallmark of Zendikar, making this bundle disappointing, especially since 2021's included showcase lands.

[mtg-cards-hourly]

Verazol, the Split Current

Artist: Daarken TCG Player Link Scryfall Link EDHREC Link

[niuttuc]

Alright, let's go back in reverse chronological order and list (at least) one story per set I liked. Mostly side stories, because those are easier to read without context.

March of the Machine:

Ravnica: One and the Same if you've been following magic story for a while, since it delves into the established character of Vraska, written by the same person who wrote most of Rivals of Ixalan. For something more standalone, the Cecani twins' correspondence is as always excellent in Innistrad: Family Game Night, and the Ixalan story has some sweetness and giant dino fights.

Phyrexia: All Will Be One:

A Hollow Body gives some good POV story for the phyrexians, both within Norn's religious brainwashing and beyond it.

The Brothers' War:

All the stories set in the past take the original Brothers' War novel and elevate it, both with an epilogue and with a more grounded point of view of it. Of those, Episode 1: The End and Episode 2: The Beginning are the only ones really linked, and they do a good job showing the consequences of the war.

Dominaria United:

Faith in Birds is sweet and hopeful and doesn't have as much dread and war. Shards of Nightmares is carried on Braids' back for the most part, but the Weatherlight crew is good to see again.

Steets of New Capenna:

The Contract Breaker gives a good look into one side of the city, has a sweet rhino man and enforcers aiming loaded violins at people.

Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty:

The Epoch Engine and The Blade Reflected and Reborn give a nice contrast between tech kamigawa and traditional kamigawa, and both their trappings. Neither of them are particularly memorable to me though.

Innistrad: Midnight Hunt and Crimson Vow:

The side stories from these two sets share a common thread of humanity learning to work with "monsters" to survive the night. Of these, Survivors and The Dusk Reborn are probably my favorites, with Survivors giving a good look at someone on the ground and The Dusk Reborn featuring an awesome archangel who ended up in a pact with an immortal demon she wears the skin of as a leather armor.

With that said, the BEST story from this pseudo-block is without a doubt Tangles, it wasn't nominated for an award for nothing.

Strixhaven: School of Mages:

Each of the face students from Strixhaven got a side story, but the most memorable to me is Rootha's, A Cry of Magic. It doesn't deal in incredible feats or impossible talent, quite the opposite, and the learning and struggle is quite interesting.

Kaldheim:

Direction. Purpose. Honor. Glory. The story of Ranar is pretty long, but it's really good at building the part of the world(s) of Kaldheim it sets out to, and is well-written.

Zendikar Rising:

Do you like a found family story? Join Anowon to gain a party's trust (he probably doesn't deserve, to be honest) in Hunger.

Aaaaand we're already back almost to the start of the most recent arc. That's a few years' worth of side stories cherry-picked, should be good enough for now. I'll add Note for a Stranger though as a Pride special that wasn't released with any set featuring Huatli and Saheeli through their clueless lesbian note exchange and first date.

Finally. I don’t even care if he’s good or not, I’ve been waiting for my boy Vronos to get a card for YEARS.

[mtg-art-daily]

Evolving Wilds

Every world is an organism, able to grow new lands. Some just do it faster than others.

Artist: Steven Belledin

[art-of-mtg]

Thundering Sparkmage (Zendikar Rising) - Billy Christian

More cards with art by Billy Christian on Scryfall

[haaaaaaaaaaaave-you-met-ted]

Soul Shatter by Wylie Beckert