Urza's Saga
Two gears
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| Released | October 1998 29 March 2010 (MTGO) |
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| Size | 350 cards (110 commons, 110 uncommons, 110 rares, 20 basic lands) | |||
| Keywords | Echo, Cycling | |||
| Mechanics | "Free" spells, Sleeping and Growing Enchantments | |||
| Designers | Mike Elliot (lead), Richard Garfield, Bill Rose, Mark Rosewater | |||
| Developers | Mike Elliot (lead), William Jockusch, Bill Rose, Mark Rosewater, Henry Stern, Beth Moursund | |||
| Development code | Armadillo | |||
| Expansion code | USG | |||
| First set in the Urza block | ||||
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| Released | February 1999 21 June 2010 (MTGO) |
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| Size | 143 cards (55 common, 44 uncommon, 44 rare) |
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| Keywords | Echo, Cycling | |||
| Mechanics | "Free" spells, Sleeping and Growing Enchantments | |||
| Designers | Henry Stern (lead) | |||
| Developers | Mike Elliott William Jockusch Bill Rose Mark Rosewater |
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| Development code | Guacamole | |||
| Expansion code | ULG | |||
| Second set in the Urza block | ||||
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| Released | June 23, 1999 | |||
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| Size | 143 cards (55 commons, 44 uncommons, 44 rares) | |||
| Keywords | Echo, Cycling | |||
| Mechanics | "Cycling from play" creatures, "Reveal" mechanic, "Lobotomy" cards | |||
| Designers | Mark Rosewater | |||
| Development code | Chimichanga | |||
| Expansion code | UDS | |||
| Third set in the Urza block | ||||
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The Urza Block is a Magic: The Gathering block centered on the exploits of Urza Argive. It consists of the expansions Urza's Saga (October 1998, pair of gears), Urza's Legacy (February 1999, hammer) and Urza's Destiny (June 1999, Erlenmeyer Flask).
Urza's Saga has a storyline and thematic feel that suggest an artifact-based set, although the set was originally designed to be an enchantment-themed block. According to Mark Rosewater the decision to make the storyline of the set a story about Urza was made only when the design of the set had advanced beyond the point where the mechanical focus of the set could be shifted. Rosewater considers it to contain some of the most powerful artifacts (and artifact-related cards) ever released, with many cards now banned in tournament formats.
The story of Urza's Saga and the later sets in the block are prequels to the former Tempest, Stronghold, and Exodus sets, explaining the aftermath of the Brothers' War as seen in the Antiquities expansion.
Whereas other sets have all five colors of cards referencing the same story, Urza's Saga has each of the five colors showing a different part of the storyline. Green cards detail the conflict on Argoth, which would lead to the events of the Ice Age expansion. Black cards reveal Urza's failed attack on the plane Phyrexia. White cards document Urza's period of recuperation in Serra's Realm. Blue cards explain Urza's founding of an academy on Tolaria and his temporal experiments. Red cards show Urza's alliance with Shiv.
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Wikipedia