Lorwyn Eclipsed Mechanics Explained!

Hello, everyone!

Soon we'll have a highly anticipated set, especially for those who follow and know the lore of our beloved Magic: the Gathering. We'll be returning to the plane of Lorwyn for the first time!

Lorwyn was a plane first visited in 2007, almost 20 years ago! The set is fondly remembered for very popular cards and mechanics – some of which are even returning in the new set.

So, today we'll get to know and familiarize ourselves with the mechanics – old and new – that will come with the new set, and celebrate our return to the plane: Lorwyn Eclipsed!

As has become somewhat regular for Wizards in each new set, there are some returning mechanics that blend and develop alongside new mechanics. This combination, in fact, has led to the Limited formats being highly praised by players, from casuals to pros.

It's also important to highlight that Wizards itself differentiates between when a mechanic is used recurrently in a set and when a mechanic appears occasionally on one or two cards in the set. When we talk about set mechanics, we'll use the same meaning Wizards uses: these are effects/abilities/keywords that you'll find repeatedly on several cards in the set, especially when playing Limited - draft, sealed deck, prerelease, etc.

For Lorwyn Eclipsed, we'll have two new mechanics and two existing ones as the focus. Let's talk about the existing ones, and then the new ones.

Kindred

The first time we visited Lorwyn, a new card type was introduced, which at the time was called tribal. It indicated cards linked to a specific creature type, such as goblins, elves, etc. – something very mechanically relevant in the set.

In Modern Horizons 3, the term tribal was renamed to Kindred, but the mechanics itself didn't change, only the name. In this article I explained more about the change and the mechanics, if you want to check it out.

So, regarding Kindred, it basically indicates that a certain card is linked to a certain creature type – but it is not necessarily a creature card itself.

As we can see in our example above, Ashling’s Command is an instant spell, but because it also has the Kindred type, it also receives an Elemental type in its text box. So, for example, if you have a card that says: search your deck for an Elemental card and put it into your hand, you can use it to get an Ashling’s Command. However, if the card said: search your deck for an Elemental Creature card and put it into your hand, then you couldn't, since the Command is not a creature.

Changeling

Another mechanic intrinsically linked to creature types, Changeling is an ability that grants the card all creature types!

It may seem strange at first, but you'll gradually realize how many cards in the game look for specific creature types to grant bonuses, such as Goblin King, or cards that look for different types to interact with, such as Of One Mind.

It's very important to remember that the Changeling ability works in any game zone! That is, cards with Changeling that are in your deck, graveyard, exile, hand, and of course, on the battlefield, will always have the ability active, and therefore are always of all creature types.

Ok, now let's talk about the new mechanics!

Blight

Blight is an ability that always has a number next to it. Blight X means: put X -1/-1 counters on a creature you control. Basically, it's a mechanic that usually involves some kind of bonus in exchange for weakening your creature.

It's important to remember that there are many cards in the game that also put +1/+1 counters, and there's an interaction between the +1 and -1 counters: basically, they'll cancel each other out and be removed. So, if a permanent for some reason has counters of one type, and receives counters of the other, next time SBAs are checked (which happens before a player receives priority), the counters will be removed.

Let's take an example: Say you used the card above, Dose of Dawnglow, to return a creature at the end of your opponent's turn. You return a Bygone Colossus to the battlefield, and since it's not your turn, Blight 2 puts two -1/-1 counters on the Colossus, which is now a 7/7. Your opponent casts a Shoot the Sheriff, trying to eliminate your Colossus, and you respond with Snakeskin Veil, protecting it and putting a +1/+1 counter on it. When the Snakeskin Veil resolves and protects your Colossus, it will also put a +1/+1 counter on it, but since it already had two -1/-1 counters, you will remove the +1/+1 counter and one of the -1/-1 counters.

Vivid

Vivid is an ability word that indicates an effect that looks for how many different colors exist between permanents you control.

Two important reminders: first, it's not the quantity of cards of each color you control, but rather how many different colors are present. So, if you have 50 blue creatures and 1 red creature, or 2 blue and 2 red, the Vivid ability will see two different colors in both cases.

Second reminder: multicolored cards will count all their colors! Including hybrid cards, for example, Monastery Messenger, which alone will count as 3 colors for Vivid, even if you're using it in a Mono White deck.

Also, while we're at it, a third reminder: lands, as a rule, don't have color! The fact that a land adds mana of a certain color doesn't mean that it counts as a colored permanent - your Overgrown Tomb, even if it's both a Swamp and a Forest, is still a colorless permanent, therefore it doesn't contribute to Vivid.

And those were the set's main mechanics!

I hope everyone enjoys this return to Lorwyn, or if you've not been there yet, that you really enjoy getting to know the plane of Lorwyn!

In March, we'll be back to talk about the mechanics of the next set: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles! Until then, best regards!