Onslaught (Magic: The Gathering)

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Onslaught
"morphed" creature
Released	October 7, 2002
Size	350 cards (110 commons, 110 uncommons, 110 rares, 20 basic lands)
Keywords	Morph, Cycling
Mechanics	Creature types
Dev. code	Manny
Exp. code	ONS
	v · d · e
First set in the Onslaught block
Onslaught Legions Scourge

Onslaught is the 27th Magic: The Gathering expert-level expansion set. It was released in October 2002. The set's main theme is creature types (for example, Clerics and Goblins), and much of the game play concerns interactions between these "tribes". The story continues the saga of the Mirari from the previous block of expansion sets. The expansion symbol is an artist's rendition of a "morphed" creature (see Mechanics below).

Story setting

The story of Onslaught mainly concerns characters introduced in the Odyssey block. Kamahl the Barbarian has relocated to the Krosan Forest with the Mirari and becomes a druid of Krosa. The power of the Mirari begins to work on the forest, mutating its residents and growing some of them to gigantic proportions.

Meanwhile, Kamahl's sister Jeska is transformed by foul Cabal healing magic, into Phage, a pit fighter whose touch brings death. Phage then allies herself with the Cabal.

Ixidor, an illusionist, fights in the pits with his partner, a beautiful sorceress named Nivea, who ends up being killed off by Phage. Ixidor then wanders the desert in grief, and discovers his new powers of reality sculpting. Ixidor uses his new power to create a palace in the desert, where he creates an angel based on Nivea named Akroma, who is sworn to his service. He resolves to avenge Nivea's slaying by attacking the Cabal and Phage with Akroma. The escalating struggle between Phage and Akroma leads Kamahl into an uneasy alliance with the Cabal against the destructive power of Ixidor and Akroma.

Set history

Onslaught Block marked the end of many traditional elements of Magic: The Gathering. It was the last block to feature the old-style card faces or a storyline set in Dominaria until the release of the Time Spiral block. However, this was not apparent in October 2002 when the set was released.

Onslaught continued a recent trend of increasingly powerful creature based strategies. In particular, Onslaught saw the printing of many aggressively designed Goblin cards. Along with additions from the Legions and Scourge expansions, the speed and consistency of optimized Goblin decks reached a level unmatched by most other creature decks of the time. The archetype has contributed to the ban of several cards in specific formats, including the previously underpowered Goblin Lackey and Goblin Recruiter. It has typically been a competitive deck choice in every format where the Onslaught block is legal.^[1]

Mechanics

Onslaught introduced a number of major mechanics and featured the first return of a keyword from abeyance.

• Creature types - Many effects in Onslaught (Known as "Tribal" effects) depended on a creature's types, i.e. its species, role, etc. These included type-specific creature removal, power boosts, and abilities which grew stronger based on the number of creatures of a certain type which a player controlled.
• 'Mistform' Illusions - A race of creatures who could temporarily change their creature types to any type.
• Cycling - A repeat of the same mechanic from the Urza Block. It lets a player pay a mana cost and discard the Cycling card from his or her hand in order to draw a card. Onslaught expanded on the Cycling mechanic by using more varied mana costs than Urza's Block Cycling cards and by including abilities that are triggered by the use of Cycling cards.
• Morph - The most radical new mechanic in Onslaught, this allows players to play creatures as "face-down" creatures with no special abilities, except the ability to turn face-up for a cost. This added an element of guesswork to the game which was greater than any previously present. The mechanic would appear on new cards in the Timespiral expansion.

Notable cards

• Fetchlands - Flooded Strand, Wooded Foothills, Bloodstained Mire, Windswept Heath, and Polluted Delta. Fetchlands are highly playable in every two or more coloured deck in Vintage, Legacy and Extended format, by thinning a player's library and providing mana fixing. ^[2]
• Goblin Piledriver - A mainstay in competitive Goblin decks makes its only appearance in Onslaught.
• Goblin Sharpshooter - According to a 2002 Latest Developments column written by then lead developer Randy Buehler, Goblin Sharpshooter was originally designed by Magic: The Gathering creator Richard Garfield for release in the Odyssey expansion, but was pushed back due to the absence of Goblins in Otaria.^[3]
• Voidmage Prodigy - A wizard pit-fighter made in the guise of the 2001 Invitational Winner Kai Budde. The card was later given an alternate art, as the original art was rather poor and made Kai look extremely obese.^[4]
• Naturalize - Printing the white artifact/enchantment destruction spell Disenchant in green started a trend of set designers redistributing certain game mechanics from their traditional colors to others.^[5]

References

1. ^ http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=sideboard/worlds03/extgob
2. ^ Playing Fetchlands Properly, by Iain Telfer
3. ^ http://www.wizards.com/magic/magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtgcom/daily/rb41
4. ^ Magic Art Matters: Pregnant Pro Players, by Michael Jay LaRue - a Magic: the Gathering article
5. ^ http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtgcom/daily/bb40

External links

• Wizards' official Onslaught expansion page