Mercadian Masques

← Urza's Destiny Battle Royale →
'Mercadian Masques'
a Mask
Released	October 1999
Size	350 (110 Common 110 Uncommon 110 Rare 20 Land)
Keywords	None
Mechanics	Mercenaries, Rebels, Spellshapers, Alternate Casting Costs, Recruiters, depletion lands, storage lands
Designers	Mike Elliott (lead), Bill Rose, Mark Rosewater
Developers	Henry Stern (lead), Mike Elliott, Robert Gutschera, William Jockusch, Mark Rosewater with contributions from Charlie Tin Canno and Beth Moursund
Dev. code	Archimedes
Exp. code	MMQ
	v · d · e
Third set in the Masques block
Mercadian Masques Nemesis Prophecy

Mercadian Masques is the nineteenth Magic: The Gathering expansion and was released in October 1999 as the first set in the Masques block. It is notable for being the first set not protected by Wizards of the Coast's "Reprint Policy"^[1]. Mercadian Masques is set on the plane of Mercadia.^[2]

Set details

Mercadian Masques featured 350 cards and was the first large expansion to use the new 6th Edition rules. This was the first set to have an accompanying fat pack.

Keywords and mechanics

Unusually, Masques introduced no new keyword abilities to the game, although it did have several themes that were continued throughout its block. These included:

• Rebels and Mercenaries: creatures able to search through their controller's library and "recruit" creatures of a specific type directly into play.
• Spellshapers: creatures that had repeatable activated abilities that mimicked various classic spells, potentially turning otherwise useless cards into powerful effects. All of Masques's spellshapers required paying mana, tapping the creature and discarding a card to use their ability.
• Masques also reintroduced spells with alternative casting costs, such as Invigorate and Gush. This mechanic had not been used since Visions.

Cycles

Mercadian Masques has eight cycles:

• Depletion lands: Remote Farm, Saprazzan Skerry, Peat Bog, Sandstone Needle, and Hickory Woodlot. These common lands came into play tapped with two depletion counters. Whenever each land is tapped for mana, a depletion counter is removed and the controller adds two mana of the appropriate color to his/her mana pool; when there are no depletion counters left, the land is sacrificed.
• Storage lands: Fountain of Cho, Saprazzan Cove, Subterranean Hangar, Mercadian Bazaar, and Rushwood Grove. Each of these uncommon lands come into play tapped and can be tapped either to add one storage counter to it, or to remove any number of storage counters to add that amount of colored mana to its controller's mana pool. These lands are similar to another cycle of "storage lands" in the Fallen Empires expansion.
• Instantments: Cho-Manno's Blessing, Buoyancy, Maggot Therapy, Flaming Sword, and Tiger Claws. Each of these common Aura enchantments has flash.
• Mongers: Wishmonger, Sailmonger, Scandalmonger, Warmonger, and Squallmonger. Each of these uncommon 3/3 creatures has a cost of three colourless and one colored mana, depicted as strange-looking supernatural beings, have activated abilities costing 2 colourless mana that any player (not just the controller) can play.
• Rishadan pirates vertical cycle: Rishadan Cutpurse, Rishadan Footpad, and Rishadan Brigand. When each of these blue pirates creatures comes into play, each of the controller's opponents is required to pay a certain amount of mana or sacrifice a permanent.
• Flailing creatures vertical cycle: Flailing Soldier, Flailing Ogre, and Flailing Manticore. Each of these red creatures can be made either more or less powerful, by any player willing to pay the mana.
• Unwilling creatures: Charmed Griffin, Indentured Djinn, Enslaved Horror, Hired Giant, and Hunted Wumpus. Each of these uncommon creatures is undercosted for its color and power/toughness, but grants a boon to your opponent when it comes into play.
• Walls: Alabaster Wall, Stinging Barrier, Wall of Distortion, Battle Rampart, and Vine Trellis. Each of these common wall creatures has defender and a tap ability. "Vine Trellis" has seen the greatest amount of constructed play.

Tournament impact

For years after its release Mercadian Masques was considered to be an underpowered set. Reportedly, the designers were extremely gun-shy following the runaway power of the previous block and dialed back the power a tad too much; the same phenomenon would take place between the latter-day Mirrodin block and Kamigawa blocks. However, the set did produce a respectable amount tournament-quality cards, some of which are:

• Gush
• Rishadan Port
• Squee, Goblin Nabob
• Waterfront Bouncer
• Ramosian Sergeant
• Land Grant
• Misdirection
• Food Chain
• Unmask

Reprinted cards

The following cards have been reprinted from previous sets and included in Mercadian Masques:

• Afterlife - was last seen in Mirage.
• Brainstorm - was last seen in 5th Edition.
• Counterspell - was last seen in 6th Edition. This would be the last expansion to print the staple card Counterspell.
• Dark Ritual - was last seen in Urza's Saga. This would be the last expansion to print the staple card Dark Ritual, though it would be reprinted with its Ice Age art and expansion symbol in one of Coldsnap 's theme decks.
• Deadly Insect - was last seen in Alliances.
• Desert Twister - was last seen in 5th Edition.
• Disenchant - was last seen in 6th Edition. This wouldn't be seen in another expansion until Time Spiral (Eight years later).
• Energy Flux - was last seen in 5th Edition.
• False Demise - was last seen in Alliances.
• Giant Caterpillar - was last seen in Visions.
• Lure - was last seen in 6th Edition.
• Ogre Taskmaster - was last seen in Portal Second Age.
• Rain of Tears - was last seen in Tempest.
• Righteous Aura - was last seen in Visions.
• Squall - was last seen in Starter 1999.
• Stone Rain - was last seen in Portal Three Kingdoms.
• Timid Drake - was last seen in Weatherlight.
• Tranquility - was last seen in 6th Edition.
• Tremor - was last seen in 6th Edition.
• Venomous Breath - was last seen in Ice Age.
• Word of Blasting - was last seen in 5th Edition.

Functional reprints

Mercadian Masques has 17 functional reprints:

• Cloud Sprite of "Cloud Pirates from Portal (save for creature type).
• Drake Hatchling of "Azimaet Drake" from Mirage.
• Fresh Volunteers of "Knight Errant" from Starter 1999 (save for creature type).
• Henge Guardian of "Igneous Golem" from Mirage.
• Henge of Ramos of "School of the Unseen" from Alliances.
• Highway Robber of "Dakmor Ghoul" from Starter 1999 (save for creature type).
• Iron Lance of "Fyndhorn Bow" from Ice Age.
• Jhovall Rider of "Iron Tusk Elephant" from Mirage (save for creature type).
• Kyren Glider of "Goblin Glider" from Portal Second Age.
• Misshapen Fiend of "Dakmor Bat" from Portal Second Age and "Bog Imp" from Starter 1999 (save for creature type).
• Rampart Crawler of "Bog Rats" from 6th Edition (save for creature type).
• Rishadan Airship of "Cloud Spirit" from Stronghold (save for creature type).
• Rushwood Dryad is a functional reprint of "Lynx" from Starter 1999 and Zodiac Monkey from Portal Three Kingdoms (save for creature type).
• Skulking Fugitive is a functional reprint of "Tar Pit Warrior" from Visions (save for creature type).
• Snorting Gahr is a functional reprint of "Slashing Tiger" from Portal Three Kingdoms and "Razorclaw Bear" from Portal Second Age}} (save for creature type).
• Steadfast Guard is a functional reprint of "Veteran Cavalier" from Starter 1999 and "Alaborn Grenadier" from Portal Second Age.
• Wild Jhovall of "Hill Giant" from Portal, "Tor Giant" from Ice Age, "Ogre Warrior" from Starter 1999 and Barbarian Horde from Portal Three Kingdoms (save for creature type).

Theme decks

Each of the Mercadian Masques theme decks has at least one spellshaper, a theme of the set. The pre-constructed theme decks are:

• Deepwood Menace
• Disrupter
• Rebel's Call
• Tidal Mastery

References

1. ^ "Official Reprint Policy". Wizards of the Coast. March 2010. http://www.wizards.com/magic/tcg/article.aspx?x=magic/products/reprintpolicy. Retrieved 28 February 2011. 
2. ^ Forsythe, Aaron (17 November 2010). "Aaron’s Random Card Comment of the Day #38, 11/17/11". Wizards of the Coast. http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Discussion.aspx?multiverseid=19850. Retrieved 28 February 2011. 

External links