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January has been a big month for Magic the Gathering as its latest in-universe set, Lorwyn Eclipsed, released on the 23rd with its pre-release the week before. What’s Lorwyn you ask? Lorwyn-Shadowmoor is a plane with a duel nature that’s often at odds with itself, as plants, animals and even the inhabitants themselves change drastically between the daytime of Lorwyn and the nighttime of Shadowmoor. Originally visited in the original Lorwyn-Shadowmoor block almost 20 years ago, the time has come to return to the iconic setting in this highly anticipated expansion.
Last Time On MtG…
Without spoiling a series of novels, the story of the original Lorwyn-Shadowmoor block follows the enigmatic elf Maralen, later revealed to be a clone of Oona, Queen of the Fae. With help from her friends, Maralen was able to depose Oona and become the new Fae Queen, restoring the normal day/night cycle of the plane in the process. Lorwyn Eclipsed follows a new cast of characters from the school of Strixhaven on the plane Arcavios. These students, which consist of the bird Abigale, the monkey like goblin Sanar, the vampire Kirol and the Gorgon Tam, end up on an unexpected field trip. They then get caught in the machinations of mischievous trickster Oko and the sinister elf Morcant. Fortunately they have help from everyone's favorite cat person, the returning Ajani Goldmane. I suggest actually checking out the story itself on the website or MtG’s YT channel if you want to find out more.
Return of the Tribes
It’s not a new set without new synergies and mechanics, and Lorwyn is very noteworthy in that regard. The original Lorwyn set had a significant focus on tribal strategies while the Shadowmoor introduced hybrid mana costs. Naturally, Lorwyn Eclipsed returns both while paying homage to the original block in its own way. Stubby Kithkin return alongside others such as Merfolk, Elves and of course Fae. Each tribe is centered in two colors and has different strategies. Kithkin(Green/White) like to swarm the field with numbers, many of their effects being ETB(Enters The Battlefield) triggers. Elves(Green/Black) meanwhile focus on graveyard synergies. The blazing elementals(Red/Blue) are focused on casting higher cost spells for more value and goblins(Red/Black) just want to have a good time. Of particular interest are the changelings, which are every creature type at once. Allowing for tribal synergies even outside this set. Need a land search that can work in Otters or Bats? No problem! Want a mana producing artifact that would fit right in into a frog or wolf themed build? Got you covered! The changeling cards aren’t too powerful, but the sheer versatility makes them well worth it.
Nature Knows No Bounds
Outside of the tribal elements, the Strixhaven students bring their own tricks to the table. Abigale can replace a creatures abilities with simple keywords. Sanar and Tam have effects that synergize with multi-color based strategies while Kirol lends himself to combo plays with his ability to copy triggered abilities. One of the sets bigger cycles comes in the form of beastial looking elementals with Vivid abilities that depend on the number of colors present on the players board. These abilities grant the player an advantage. Shimmercreep drains life while Prismabasher buffs creatures. 5 color strategies aren’t usually the most consistent but these cards have their place in certain decks. In addition to the elementals, hybrid mana incarnations make an impact when played depending on the color used and can even be evoked for an immediate splash. The axolotl like Wistfullness is Blue/Green and can exile an artifact/enchantment and/or draw cards for card advantage, while the Red/White snail like Catharsis can create tokens or give your creatures haste and a small boost. Finally, the White elemental god Eirdu, Carrier of Dawn gives creature spells convoke, making it easier to cast bigger creatures with a full board. For one black mana at the start of a main phase, it turns into Isilu, Carrier of Twilight, which grants creatures persist, a mechanic that lets them return from the grave with a -1/-1 counter. There’s no shortage of combo potential in this set.
Final Thoughts
Lorwyn Eclipsed is one of the most hyped in-universe sets Wizards has released in a while. The pre-release I attended was absolutely packed, far more than Spider-Man had been and probably on par with Final Fantasy. This set definitely has cards that will see play for some time to come. The classic elves had a very strong showing, with cards like Trystan and Lluwen setting up the graveyard and High Perfect Morcant synergizing with token strategies to weaken an opponent's board. Merfolk meanwhile, rely on tapping/untapping strategies to generate advantage and control the flow of the game. Elementals seemed geared toward playing a longer game and casting higher cost spells, an interesting take on the Izzet color pair. Speaking of elementals, Eirdu/Isilu has become a new favorite commander for me, becoming the face of a new bat themed deck I recently built. There’s a lot of fun cards here and plenty of interesting tech options for most builds. I know I’ve added a few new cards to some decks recently.
If you enjoy tribal strategies or just want to kick butt with elves, this set is for you. And if you have played with it, what were some of your favorite Lorwyn Eclipsed cards? Let us know in the comments and thanks for reading!
