Digging up Old History

Magic is a game that has managed to remain popular for a very long time. It has been around for 17 years, and in that time a significant amount of stuff has happened. One thing that I think is funny is how magic relates to itself.

I have only been playing magic alot for the past 10 months, so the only block i have a thorough knowledge of is Zendikar block. However, by passing time clicking the "Random Card" button on Gatherer for seemlingly endless periods of time, talking to friends who know older cards, and by simply crossing paths with them I have developed a large familiarity with older cards. There are a significant amount of cards in Zendikar block that are a mini time capsule.

First, there are the reprints. In every set there are cards that are reprinted (besides basic lands) to bring them back into standard. One example from Alara Reborn is Terminate, which was originally printed in planeshift. With reprints, any printing of the card may be used in a tournament. In Zendikar block, there are 16 reprints (other printings in parenthesis):

Zendikar:

-Cancel (Time Spiral, 10th Edition, Shards of Alara, M10)
-Demolish (Odyssey, 8th Edition, 9th Edition, 10th Edition) [Common now, but was uncommon from Odyssey through 9th Edition]
-Harrow (Tempest, Invasion) [Was originally uncommon in Tempest, moved to common in Invasion]
-Mind Sludge (Torment, 8th Edition)
-River Boa (Visions, 6th Edition) [Was originally common in Visions, got moved to uncommon in 6th Edition]

Worldwake:

-Quicksand (Visions, 9th Edition, 10th Edition) [Was originally uncommon, printed as common first in Worldwake]
-Smother (Onslaught)
-Twitch (Tempest, 10th Edition)

Rise of the Eldrazi:

-Battle Rampart (Mercadian Masques)
-Demystify (Onslaught, 8th Edtion, 9th Edition, 10th Edition)
-Glory Seeker (Onslaught, 8th Edition, 9th Edition)
-Heat Ray (Urza's Saga)
-Naturalize (Onslaught, 8th Edtion, 9th Edition, 10th Edition, Shards of Alara, M10)
-Regress (Mirroden)
-Smite (Stronghold)
-Vendetta (Mercadian Masques)


There are probably more reprints in Zendikar and ROE than Worldwake because of their larger set size. In addition to the reprints, there are also tons of cards that seem to be reprints of older cards. Sometimes it is, but just with a different name (Grizzley Bear --> Runeclaw Bear I'm looking at you) but usually there is either a little bonus attached or something added to balance the card.

Zendikar:

-Refuge Cycle: basically a reprint of the Invasion uncommon land cycle with extra life as a kicker
-Enemy Colored Fetch Land Cycle: Very similar to the cycle of ally colored fetch lands in Onslaught, which conveniently rotated out of extended when we planeswalked to Zendikar
-Burst Lightning: Shock with a kicker
-Day of Judgement: Wrath of God has been printed in every core set since Magic's birth except M10. Then here comes Day of Judgement. Even the name is similar, because the wrath of god will come down on the day of judgement
-Into the Roil: Basically a Boomerang that can't target lands, is easier to cast, and can draw you cards
-Lotus Cobra: Black Lotus is a card they are always trying to get back into play (Lotus Petal, Lotus Bloom, Lotus Vale) and this time its attached to a creature
-Shieldmate's Blessing: simply a really bad Healing Salve
-Slaughter Cry: Instant version of Lightning Talons
-Steppe Lynx: very similar to Kird Ape


Worldwake:

-Abyssal Persecutor: This is basically the anti-Platinum Angel
-Aether Tradewinds: Peel From Reality that can target any permanent, not just creatures
-Arbor Elf: Hello Llanowar Elves! (If you really want to get into it, they each have significant advantages over eachother, but for basic purposes they are the same)
-Bestial Menace: In playtesting this card was called Cone of Creatures. Compare this to Cone of Flame
-Man-Land Cycle: A dual colored version of the Man-Lands from Urza's Legacy
-Cunning Sparkmage: Prodigal Pyromancer with haste. But Prodigal Pyromancer is Prodigal Sorcerer in red....
-Everflowing Chalice: Mind Stone whose size you can pick
-Explore: Hello watered down, much less broken Exploration
-Jwari Shapeshifter: If you are playing Allies, this guy is Clone on clearance prices
-Leatherback Baloth: Woolly Thoctar for mono-green
-Loam Lion: It's a white Kird Ape! (Kird Ape, by the way started as a common before getting moved to uncommon, then to mythic rare)
-Omnath, Locus of Mana: The mono-green creature version of Upwelling
-Pilgrim's Eye: colorless version of Borderland Ranger
-Pulse Tracker: Infectious Horror's mini-me


Rise of the Eldrazi:

-Akoum Boulderfoor: A really big Sparkmage Apprentice
-Invoker Cycle: This is the second Invoker cycle in Magic's history, with the first coming from Legions (and being much weaker)
-Deprive: Counterspell is too powerful, so Cancel was made. But we love Counterspell, so we will reprint it with a small restriction (although i usually find it to be a good thing because I can play Halimar Depths again)
-Dreamstone Hedron: Mind Stone was cool, so 3x Mindstones is just sick
-Enatu Golem:http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/arcana/449
-Evolving Wilds: Terramorphic Expanse with a new name and a new artwork
-Forked Bolt: Shock, but only better
-Goblin Arsonist: Now that you can't use your Mogg Fanatic to do some combat-damage-on-the-stack-so-I-sacrifice-for-bonus-effects-type shenanegans, you have this guy
-Kiln Fiend: Wee Dragonauts without the requirement to be in blue, although his deck is currently of the Izzet variety anyways
-Last Kiss: this reminds me of another Guildpact card; Douse In Gloom
-Leaf Arrow: Pseudo Lightning Bolt for green
-Lone Missionary: Venerable Monk that exchanges one toughness for one less mana to cast
-Lust for War: This card reminds me alot of Nettling Curse
-Mnemonic Wall: The wall version of Izzet Chronarch
-Overgrown Battlement: A strictly better version of Vine Trellis
-Pestilence Demon: It's Pestilence on a demon!
-Prophetic Prism: Mana Cylix that draws you a card
-Realms Uncharted: even the artwork screams "I'm the green lands version of Gifts Ungiven!!" [http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/arcana/443]
-Shared Discovery: Heres another version of Ancestral Recall (previous version: Ancestral Vision)
-Shrivel: The sorcery version of the currently essential extended card Night of Soul's Betrayal
-Soul's Attendant: Soul Warden gave some souls over for this human cleric to attend to


I was thinking about ^^this^^ for a long time, so i finally brought myself to make a blog about it, but i was suprised by how many results i actually wound up with. Anyways, this is just for fun. Now I am going to peace out, like a Boy Scout (wait.....)