Magic the Gathering

You are a Planeswalker: In Magic: The Gathering, a planeswalker is a powerful mage who is able to travel across the planes of existence. There are infinite worlds across the Multiverse, and planeswalkers are unique in their ability to move from one world to the next, expanding their knowledge and power through the experiences they collect there. One in a million sentient beings are born with “the spark,” the ineffable essence that makes an individual capable of becoming a planeswalker. Of those born with “the spark,” even fewer “ignite” their spark, enabling them to realize their potential and travel the planes. Most planeswalkers have their spark ignited as the result of a great crisis or trauma, but every awakening is different. A near-death experience might ignite a planeswalker’s spark, but so could a sudden, life-changing epiphany or a meditative trance that enables the mage’s grasp of some transcendent truth. There are as many such stories as there are planeswalkers.  The Magic game has five colours of spells and five types of basic lands. For example, red spells have in their costs, and tapping (turning) a Mountain gives you that you can spend to play spells. Each colour specializes in certain kinds of effects. It's up to you whether to master one colour or all five. These five colours are as follows...

Black: Death, ambition, and darkness are the stock and trade of black mages.  Black mana comes from dank swamps, where things fester and rot. Shadowy wastelands, haunted catacombs, and fetid bogs are all prime sources of black mana. Black is the colour of death, fear, and amorality, these are the twisted values of the darkness. Black magic is powerful and easy to wield, but it comes with a high price. Black mages are self-centred and self-serving. They will do anything to get power, no matter what the cost. Black mana offers a host of gruesome spells. Black magic can unearth the dead from their graves and make them walk again. It can spread a pestilence across the landscape and drain the life from all who live there. Black spells can curse victims in horrible and enduring ways. They can warp the mind, poison the land, and kill creatures instantly. But the price is high and the risks are many. At their best, black mages are ambitious and unashamed. At their worst, they are enslaving and devouring.  Undead skeletons and ghouls, unspeakable horrors, and diabolical demons are native to places of black mana, and they're as self-serving and treacherous as the mages who control them. Black magic isn't limited to these abominations, though, death-cultists and secret societies of assassins carry out black mages' nefarious plans under cover of darkness. Black mages control the most horrifying of creatures, but always at a price. Examples of black spells are tendrils of corrupting shadow, command over the undead, and projection of crippling nightmares into the minds of enemies.

Blue: Knowledge, manipulation, wind, and wave: These are the blue mage's tools.  Islands provide blue mana—the magic of the deep sea and the endless sky. Blue magic is about deceit, logic, and illusion. To a blue mage, information and knowledge are paramount. Blue mages want to know everything, and they'll go to any lengths to do so. When a blue mage fights, tidal waves crash against rocky cliffs, the wind whips out of stormy skies, and an enemy's spells fail as their creatures vanish into thin air. Blue magic is reactive, calculated, and methodical. Its strength lies in patience and intelligence. Blue mages work behind the scenes, scheming and stealing secrets. They control their environments completely before making a move. Blue spells and abilities focus on prediction and illusion. Blue is also the colour of technology and artifice. At their best, blue mages are inventive and progressive. At their worst, they are manipulative and treacherous. Blue-aligned creatures try to deceive their opponents or trick them into using magic in a way they didn't intend. Blue-aligned creatures often confuse, disguise themselves, or steal things from their enemies. Blue mages call wizards and weird beasts of the air and oceans to serve them. They summon crafty sphinxes, ferocious drakes, and elusive sprites. Titanic leviathans surface from the depths of the ocean to do their bidding. Examples of blue spells include crashing waves, whirlpools of Æther, and even manipulations of time itself.

Green: Strength, ferocity, and life: These are the values that sustain the green mage. The teeming forests overflow with green mana, the pulse of nature. Green magic is about growth, life, and brute force. When a green mage fights, massive creatures crash through the undergrowth, animals enlarge to gargantuan size, and wounds close before blood spills onto the ground.  Green mages understand that the world obeys the law of the jungle, everything is either predator or prey. Green mages do what they can to accelerate and protect nature: jungles expand, artifacts crumble, and creatures regenerate themselves. For green mages, even the plants become lethal weapons. At their best, green mages are instinctual and adaptive. At their worst, they are savage, unthinking, and predatory. Green mages summon a huge variety of creatures, from forest-dwelling animals to territorial elves and awe-inspiring behemoths. Some green creatures are living wellsprings of mana; others overrun their foes in a mighty rush of ferocious power. From towering nature elementals to carnivorous wurms, green creatures are the biggest and mightiest around. Examples of green spells include wild, lush growth, sudden predatory hunger, and the might of an entire stampede.

Red: Freedom, fire, and impulse are the lifeblood of every red mage.  Red mana flows from rugged mountain ranges, rocky crags, and the fiery heart of volcanoes. Red magic is about fury and passion. When a red mage fights, lightning arcs across the blood-red sky, lava erupts from the earth, and flash fires consume the land. Red mages can channel their wild emotions to raze a city or to harness flames into deadly weapons. Red mages have no patience for talk or subtlety. They act quickly and recklessly. With red mana, a mage controls the power of fire and earth. Red mages scorch their enemies with fireballs or call down electricity from the sky. They can rattle the foundations of civilizations and destroy the land itself. At their best, red mages are dynamic, passionate, and unbound. At their worst, they are short sighted, temperamental, and destructive. Red-aligned creatures are warlike, frenzied, and dangerous. Red mages summon mighty dragons to dominate the skies. They send hordes of bloodthirsty barbarians or rampaging goblins to lay waste to their enemies. They also channel mystical energy and summon fire elementals of merciless power and destruction. Red creatures rage across the landscape cutting down anything that stands in their way. Examples of red spells include rains of meteors, searing bolts of lightning, and huge gouts of flame.

White: Order, protection, light, law: These are white magic's values. White mana comes from sprawling plains, sunlit savannahs, and windswept meadows. In Magic, white is the colour of law, order, and structure. White magic heals and protects and is often a force for justice and honour. When a white mage fights, legions of troops thunder across the battlefield with their banners held high. Enemy hordes are routed outside the gates of a castle. When white unleashes its wrath, the battlefield is cleansed of all life. White mages achieve balance through strategy and organization. For white mages, society is more important than the individual. They build strong defences, rally the troops, and protect their allies. White magic heals injured soldiers so they can answer the call of battle again and again. White mages amass enormous armies, but sometimes a single, awesome champion is necessary to teach the enemy a lesson. At their best, white mages are self-sacrificing and moral. At their worst, they are uncreative and even authoritarian. Examples of white spells include cleansing and healing magic, blinding light, and devastating waves of purifying energy.

Magic: The Gathering Merchandise

Dark Ascension - Innistrad has been overrun by creatures of the night. Vampires, werewolves, and zombies run wild across the land. While the forces of good struggle to hold back the threat, villagers cower behind walls and pray for the morning light. In this nightmare world of monsters and dark magic, only the most powerful Planeswalkers will survive. Dark Ascension features 158 black-bordered cards, including randomly inserted premium versions of all cards in the set. It is available in booster packs, intro packs, and fat packs. And as with Innistrad, Dark Ascension brings double-faced cards to Magic. Booster packs $5.50 each, 60 card intro packs featuring Swift Justice (White/Red), Relentless Dead (Blue/Black), Dark Sacrifice (Black/White), Monstrous Surprise (Red/Green) and Grave Power (Green/Blue) $18.00 each.  Fatpacks  $55.00 each. All available 3rd February 2012.

Premium Deck Series: Graveborn - Legions of corpses await your sinister commands. This 60-card, all-foil deck entombs, exhumes, and reanimates some of the most powerful Magic creatures from all five colors of mana. Harvest your graveyard for an assortment of these face-beaters as you walk over a field of bones to claim your victory. Premium Deck Series: Graveborn will be available world-wide in English only, and will have a limited print run. Each card will be a black bordered foil and tournament legal. This means that these cards are legal for use in any tournaments where the original printings are still legal. $50.00 each.

Innistrad - Horror Lurks Within Innistrad is a plane of menace and dread where every creature hides a darker aspect. Here, hedonistic vampires stalk the shadows to quench their thirst, and the full moon can transform a simple villager into a savage werewolf. Best to huddle inside, Planeswalker, lest the horrors of this world rend you limb from limb. Innistrad includes 264 black-bordered cards, including randomly inserted premium versions of all cards in the set. It is available in booster packs $5.50 each, 60 card intro packs featuring Spectral Legions (White/Blue), Eldritch Onslaught (Blue/Red), Deathly Dominion (Black/Green), and Repel the Dark (Green/White) $18.00 each. Whilst Carnival of Blood (Red/Black) are $25.00 each. Event Decks $35.00 each.

The leonin Ajani Goldmane scours the shards of Alara with a single thought in mind: revenge. Filled with rage at the murder of his brother, Jazal, Ajani searches for his killer. Leaving no stone unturned, his wrath grows along with his power as a Planeswalker, leading him to an ultimate showdown with the Multiverse's master manipulator. Nicol Bolas is beginning to feel effects of the eons of time and knows it will take the mana of an entire plane to rejuvenate his ancient power and set his new schemes in motion. As he expertly maneuvers the pieces of his interplanar game into place, he encounters an indomitable will bent on retribution. The battle of Alara's Maelstrom is in your hands. Determine the fate of an entire plane and the outcome of an epic conflict between two rival Planeswalkers. Each of the cards in the two 60-card decks will be black-bordered and tournament legal. This means that these cards are legal for use in any tournaments where the original printings are still legal. $30.00 each.

Magic 2012 (M12) - The Magic: The Gathering game expands every year, introducing new worlds filled with deadly perils, ancient adversaries, and fantastic new adventures. At its center is the Magic core set, the game in its purest form: evocative spells, menacing creatures, and infinite possibilities. But even at its core, the experience is ever-changing. The Magic 2012 core set boldly continues this tradition. Magic: The Gathering 2012 Core Set features 249 black-bordered cards, including randomly inserted premium versions of all cards in the set. It is available in booster packs $5.50 each, 60 card intro packs featuring Sacred Assasult (Green/White), Grab for Power (Black/Blue), Mystical Might (Blue/White), Entangling Webs (Green/Red), and Blood and Fire (Red/Black) $18.00 each. Event Decks: Illusionary Might (Blue) $35.00 each.

New Phyrexia - It came not in the form of a noble struggle, a fair contest of warriors clashing will against will, but as a wave of unstoppable slaughter. Mirran partisans resisted bravely, using their wits and magic to fend off the onslaught that originated from inside their own world.But their efforts were for naught. Phyrexia is victorious. Mirrodin now goes by a different name: New Phyrexia. Available in booster packs $5.50 each, 60 card Intro Packs: Featuring Artful Destruction (Green/White), Devouring Skies (Blue/Black), Ravaging Swarm (Green/Blue), Feast of Flesh (Black/Red) and Life for Death (White/Red) $18.00 each. Event Decks: Rot From Within and War of Attrition $35.00 each.

Mirrodin Besieged - In the Mirrodin Besieged set, the Phyrexian assault on the metallic plane of Mirrodin intensifies. The Mirran resistance rallies to survive and overcome. Both sides bring the full might of their arsenals to bear. Not only does this set have more of what made the Scars of Mirrodin set great: incredible artifacts, poison, Equipment, Myr: but it also has some innovative and deadly new tricks. And again, nearly every card in the set has a symbol of its allegiance in its text box. As the fate of one world hangs in the balance, Magic players in our world get to enjoy all the wicked weapons this war has to offer. Which side has earned your allegiance? Available in booster packs $5.50 each, 60 card Intro Packs: Featuring Path of Blight (Green/White), Doom Machine (Blue/Black), Mirromancy (Red/Blue), and Battle Cries (White/Red) $18.00 each.

Scars of Mirrodin - The Corrosion Begins The metal plane of Mirrodin shines under the light of five suns ... but it’s now tarnished by the deadly scourge known as Phyrexia. As you travel this threatened land, you know a conflict is brewing. Dark forces have begun to assemble. Which side will you command? Available in booster packs $5.50 each, 60 card Intro Packs with booster Featuring Phyrexian Poison, Myr of Mirrodin, Metalcraft, Deadspread, and Relic Breaker $18.00 each.

Commander - Magic: The Gathering Commander will consist of five different 100-card singleton decks. To continue the tradition of oversized cards associated with our multiplayer releases, each deck will also include three premium oversized legendary commander cards that can be used in lieu of the normal versions of the cards (which are also in the deck). The 51 new cards will be legal in Eternal formats (that's Vintage and Legacy), but they will not be legal in Standard, Extended, or Block Constructed. The Magic: The Gathering Commander decks will each be three "wedge" colors with corresponding new commanders. "Wedge" is a term we use for three-color combinations consisting of an allied pair and their shared enemy. Examples of famous "wedge" cards are Lightning Angel () and Doran, the Siege Tower (). These combinations have been woefully short-supplied on legendary creatures, so each deck contains the corresponding Planar Chaos Dragon (such as Intet, the Dreamer) as well as two new legendary commanders in those colors, plus oversized foil versions of all three. Named as follows Heavenly Inferno / Mirror Mastery / Counterpunch / Political Puppets / Devour For Power. $45.00 to $50.00 each.

Deck Builder's Toolkit - Jump-start your collection with 285 battle-tested cards, perfect for building several different decks! This box also includes a guide containing dueling tips and expert advice on how to custom-build the deadliest and most effective decks possible! And since no two Toolkits are the same, you and an opponent can each pick one up and then duel for the right to say, "Here I Rule!" Each box contains:  125 semi-randomized cards suitable for building several different Magic decks, Four 15-card booster packs from a variety of recent Magic: The Gathering sets, 100 basic land cards to help you cast your spells, a Deck builder’s guide with tips about building the best Magic decks, a Magic "learn to play" guide, and Full-art reusable card storage box $30.00 each.