Theros Flav

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Happy Wednesday MTG peeps,

Magic: the Gathering fans are certainly eating up all the latest Theros spoilers and previews this week.  Our Theros Spoiler List is now up to 89 of 249 cards revealed and is being updated every day.  Today over on the mothersite, Wizards delivered the third and last installment of Planewalker's Guide to Theros with a whopping 51 images and storyline soaking with flavor.  Also, Marshall Sutcliffe covered off a neat five-color cycle of common Nymphs all with the 'Bestow' tech which went rather well with the Guide's 'Non-Human Creatures' of Theros article.  We suggest you definitely check out the mothersite today and also start planning your pre-orders wish list over at MTG Mint Card.  Anwywhoos - here's a little excerpt on Nymphs to give you a taste if Daily MTG happens to be on the wrong side of your academic / corporate firewall (horrible I would imagine) . . .
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Nymphs are divinely created creatures that inhabit special places, infusing them with the magic of Nyx. Most are benevolent and associated with healing or other life-giving magic, but dark nymphs dwell near the entrances to the Underworld and in places of great sorrow as well. Nymphs were intentionally created by the gods and can act as companions, messengers, guardians, or scouts.

Observant Alseid, Art by Todd Lockwood
Alseid - These white-aligned nymphs inhabit meadows. They protect flocks and are in closer proximity to human civilization than any of the other nymphs.

Nimbus Naid - Art by David Palumbo
Naiad - Blue-aligned nymphs can be found anywhere there is water. They are common in the streams and grottos of the Nistos Forest. Naiad also make their home on isolated beaches and shorelines, although they prefer areas with more cover.

Cavern Lampad - Art by Volkan Baga
Lampad. These rare, black-aligned nymphs are said to help Athreos in guiding the dead to the Underworld. They sometimes bear torches that burn violet.

Spearpoint Oread - Art by Todd Lockwood
Oread. The most aggressive and dangerous nymphs, these red-aligned creatures dwell in remote mouInline image 5ntain crevasses and near volcanoes. Purphoros is fond of their company, and these nymphs also take part in satyr bakkeia—but only the very wildest ones.

Dryad - Art by Todd Lockwood. Nylea has created many green-aligned nymphs, and her followers can be found throughout the Nistos and Skola regions.

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Theros PW Guide 2

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Happy Wednesday MTG peeps,

Today marks the second of three installments of the Planeswalker's Guide to Theros on the mothersite.  If you are a Magic: the Gathering fan looking for some storyline / flavor from this fall's upcoming set Theros, you gotta get in here - once again, the Magic Creative Team has done a great job in providing a background canvas to this wondrous environment.   Due to be released on 27 September 2013, this large MTG set has an ancient Greek theme full of gods, heroes, and mythological monsters.

With today's second of three installments of 'Planeswalker's Guide to Theros', the MTG creative team provided some brief descriptions of the major poleis or cities of Theros — that of Meletis, Akros and Setessa.  Previously, the guide addressed the Plane of Theros, the land of Nyx, Enchantments, and Gods.  Look for the third and last installment of the PW guide next week which will look at the monsters and non-human inhabitants of Theros.  

Anywhoos - let's have a look at some select pieces of amazing art posted today -
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Finally, a note about the new 'Devotion' ability word in Theros, somewhat similar to the old Eventide 'Chroma' ability.  All we can say is you might want to drop over to MTG Mint Card and pick up some Return to Ravnica cards like Boros Reckoner which will help you make the new tech shine.
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Theros PW Guide 1

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Happy Wednesday MTG peeps,

Very exciting stuff over on the mothersite today if you are a Magic: the Gathering fan looking for some storyline / flavor from this fall's upcoming set Theros.  Due to be released on 27 September 2013, this large MTG set has an ancient Greek theme full of gods, heroes, and mythological monsters.

With today's first of three installments of 'Planeswalker's Guide to Theros', the MTG creative team provided some brief descriptions of the Plane of Theros, the land of Nyx, Enchantments, and Gods.  The second PW guide is to describe the major poleis or cities of Theros — that of Meletis, Akros and Setessa.  A very intriguing note about how these new 'god' cards may manifest themselves within game play - today's article describes the gods as living enchantments. With today's PW Guide installment, Wizards also provided artwork of possible legendary artifacts associated with each of the five gods of Theros.  Without speculating too much, we might suggest that you not trade away any Artificer's Hex from the Magic 2014 core set - in fact you may just want to pick us some extra singles from MTG Mint Card.

Anywhoos - let's have a look at some of the new Theros arts now . . .
Heliod, white-algined god of the sun with his spear Krushor.
Art by Jamie Jones / Yeong-Hao Han


Thessa, blue-aligned god of the sea with her spear Dekella.
Art by Jason Chan / Yeong-Hao Han


Erebos, black-aligned god of the underworld with his Whip Mastix.
Art by Peter Mohrbacher / Yeong-Hao Han


Purphoros, red-aligned god of fire / forge with his hammer Akmon.
Art by Eric Deschamps / Yeong-Hao Han


Nylea, green-aligned god of nature / hunt with her Bow Ephixis.
Art by Chris Rahn / Yeong-Hao Han

 
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PW Guide to Gatecrash

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Happy Wednesday MTG peeps,

Over on the mothersite today, Magic: the Gathering fans were treated to another installment of the Planeswalker's Guide to Gatecrash.  The brilliant minds on the Wizards of the Coast's Creative Team are adept are world-building and weaving intricate story lines.  Today's article 'Planeswalker's Guide to Gatecrash: Part 2' provides updates to the stories of Orzhov, Simic and Gruul guilds from Ravnica and adds a wonderful layer of flavour to the game.  Look for some new, not seen before art previews which will likely see card print in the upcoming Gatecrash set in this, the Return to Ravnica block. 

Check out previous installements by the Creative crew here:
• Planeswalker's Guide to Gatecrash: Part 2 
• Planeswalker's Guide to Gatecrash: Part 1
• Planeswalker's Guide to Return to Ravnica: Part 3
• Planeswalker's Guide to Return to Ravnica: Part 2
• Planeswalker's Guide to Return to Ravnica: Part 1 
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 Arts by Ryan Barger / Jason Chan

The Orzhov guild was founded on the belief that wealth is power, that structure breeds wealth, and that guilt creates structure. The guild is run like a combination religion, credit-lending agency, and crime syndicate, with an ostentatious hierarchy of priests, enforcers, and ghostly councilors ruling over a congregation of guiltbound servants, indebted ghosts, and thrulls. Many Orzhov guild members truly believe that their rule is necessary for making Ravnica the best it can be, and they are unscrupulous in their methods of making sure they seize power. Most Ravnicans see the Orzhov for the corrupt organization they are, but many are lured in by their promises of wealth, prestige, and longevity.
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 Arts by Maciej Kuciara / Willian Murrai

The Simic Combine is Ravnica's steward of nature and the wild; its mission is to preserve the natural world even as Ravnica's cities continue to grow. The guild seeks to protect the elements of the plane that are incompatible or mutually exclusive with its overpopulated, urban conditions. This is not easy, of course, because the forces of civilization are so prevalent on Ravnica that they threaten to subsume anything that runs counter to them. But the Simic practice a strange combination of detachment and holism that provide a kind of separation from the larger urban systems—a separation on which their conservation mission depends.
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 Arts by Kev Walker / Raymond Swanland

The Gruul are a loose affiliation of savage clans that squat in Ravnica's alleyways, abandoned zones, and ruins. Many of the Gruul clans have come to occupy the Rubblebelt, a broken thread of war-ruined land and settlements that begins near the outskirts of Ravnica's Tenth District. Warfare among the Gruul is constant and almost ritualistic; the Gruul believe that only the strong should survive and rule. The Gruul are the most disenfranchised and hold the most anti-civilization views of all of Ravnica's guilds, and as such are the most ill at ease in a world covered by city.
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