In a move that surprised nobody, Wizards of the Coast has recently let slip that, in a reaction to the inflated power level of the cards in the most recent block of cards, comprising the Mirrodin, Darksteel and Fifth Dawn sets, the next block will contain cards that have been drastically reduced in effectiveness.

"I mean, it's just weird, man," lead designer Mark Rosewater complained when asked for a reaction, "every time we make some interesting cards, the players start complaining and before you know it, we're back to square one and have to gut the game."

'Square one," our sources tell us, was the codename of the Homelands set while it was in development.

The next block, nicknamed the CoK block by english-speaking players around the world despite protestations of Wizards' representathives that it is the ChK (prononounced 'check') block, will bring some exciting new aspects to the game of Magic, such as asian-themed art, as well as revisiting muhc-beloved themes from yesteryear.

One example of such a theme is the new creature type that plays a big role in Kamigawa. The new creature type is 'terrorist,' and the terrorists will all have the ability to search out others of the same type in order to swell their numbers. They are opposed by another group, whose creature type is 'Independent Contractor'. Our source within Wizards of the Coast tells us these creature types are meant to reflect a return to more real-world influences on the game of Magic, such as was seen within the Arabian Nights expansion.

The terrorists will be led by a legendary leader, named 'Hosannah', who will be untargetable to opponents and will be able to tap to seek out any terrorist and put it directly into play. The Hosannah card will be pre-emptively be banned in both the block and standard formats.

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In a move that surprised nobody, Wizards of the Coast has recently let slip that, in a reaction to the inflated power level of the cards in the most recent block of cards, comprising the Mirrodin, Darksteel and Fifth Dawn sets, the next block will contain cards that have been drastically reduced in effectiveness.

"I mean, it's just weird, man," lead designer Mark Rosewater complained when asked for a reaction, "every time we make some interesting cards, the players start complaining and before you know it, we're back to square one and have to gut the game."

'Square one," our sources tell us, was the codename of the Homelands set while it was in development.

The next block, nicknamed the CoK block by english-speaking players around the world despite protestations of Wizards' representathives that it is the ChK (prononounced 'check') block, will bring some exciting new aspects to the game of Magic, such as asian-themed art, as well as revisiting muhc-beloved themes from yesteryear.

One example of such a theme is the new creature type that plays a big role in Kamigawa. The new creature type is 'terrorist,' and the terrorists will all have the ability to search out others of the same type in order to swell their numbers. They are opposed by another group, whose creature type is 'Independent Contractor'. Our source within Wizards of the Coast tells us these creature types are meant to reflect a return to more real-world influences on the game of Magic, such as was seen within the Arabian Nights expansion.

The terrorists will be led by a legendary leader, named 'Hosannah', who will be untargetable to opponents and will be able to tap to seek out any terrorist and put it directly into play. The Hosannah card will be pre-emptively be banned in both the block and standard formats.

Discuss this article in the Magic: the Gathering Forums!

Related Stories

• Unhinged To Close Door On Unhappy Fall Set, Says Wizards
• Green Will Have a Fog Effect in "Ctrl"
• Onslaught Block Already Stagnant