Desert appeared in Magic's first expansion, Arabian Nights. The card saw some play in tournaments, but was greatly hampered by the fact that so many of the early decks were completely (or almost completely) creatureless. We actually had Desert in early design files but it proved to be a little too powerful to bring back.
Desert also has the distinction of being one of the first lands to have a nonbasic land subtype on it. While we couldn't bring back Desert, the card, we definitely could bring back Desert, the subtype. The theme shows up lightly in Amonkhet, but will evolve quite a bit with Hour of Devastation.
Last week I talked about how some items were listed for both top-down Egypt and top-down Bolas. Desert was one of these items, as it was both very Egyptian and very harsh and punishing (aka very Bolas).
Chandra, Torch of Defiance - Oops! All Chandras. Prime Speaker Zegana - Draw for Power. Pir & Toothy - Counterpalooza. Arcades, the Strategist - Another Brick in the Wall. Zacama, Primal Calamity - Calamity of Double Mana. Edgar Markov - Vampires Don't Die. Child of Alara - Dreamcrusher.
Why do I feel like the hydra being rare is both appropriate and yet also not appropriate?
Never to Return. Sorcery speed is annoying, but I guess it's something to take a creature out. Return being Sorcery bugs the crap out of me and that it costs 4 mana for, what is basically, a Shamble Back/Vile Rebirth is incredibly over costed.
you know, the hydra doesn't seem terrible, but come on, if it isn't going to have something about growing new heads, just make it a Beast, I hate any time they don't do the head thing. change the iconic creature for green if you like, but that's what a hydra IS.
Private Mod Note
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Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Project Booster Fun makes it less fun to open a booster.
It's not that aftermath as a mechanic is bad, it's that none of the cards spoiled so far are even remotely exciting. I feel like development was really hard on the mechanic as too not make it too strong, look like it backfired.
Interesting note in Maro's article:
Never to Return. Sorcery speed is annoying, but I guess it's something to take a creature out. Return being Sorcery bugs the crap out of me and that it costs 4 mana for, what is basically, a Shamble Back/Vile Rebirth is incredibly over costed.
Edit - whoops, that's a sorcery
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SY8h2vp5Xis
Thanks to DNC from Heroes of the Plane Studios for the sig
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Storm Crow is strictly worse than Seacoast Drake.
And Never to Return is not the planeswalker removal we needed. Incoming gideon price spike.
UR Blue-Red Control
Modern:
UBR Grixis Control
UWR Jeskai Control
We won't be seeing those until the end of the year, at the earliest.
BChainer, Dementia Master(Big Mana/Reanimator)
BRRakdos, The Showstopper (Mass Life Loss/Ramp)
BUThe Scarab God (Zombie Tribal/Control)
BWKarlov of the Ghost Council (Life Gain)
BGJarad, Golgari Lich Lord (Stompy/Dredge)
BRGProssh, Skyraider of Kher (Tokens/Non-infinite Combo)
UR Melek, Izzet ParagonUR, B Shirei, Shizo's CaretakerB, R Jaya Ballard, Task MageR,RW Tajic, Blade of the LegionRW, UB Lazav, Dimir MastermindUB, UB Circu, Dimir LobotomistUB, RWU Zedruu the GreatheartedRWU, GUBThe MimeoplasmGUB, UGExperiment Kraj UG, WDarien, King of KjeldorW, BMarrow-GnawerB, WBGKarador, Ghost ChieftainWBG, UTeferi, Temporal ArchmageU, GWUDerevi, Empyrial TacticianGWU, RDaretti, Scrap SavantR, UTalrand, Sky SummonerU, GEzuri, Renegade LeaderG, WUBRGReaper KingWUBRG, RGXenagos, God of RevelsRG, CKozilek, Butcher of TruthC, WUBRGGeneral TazriWUBRG, GTitania, Protector of ArgothG
Second part feels overcosted, you can do the same for B and gain 2 life. But it's a part of split card, which is something.
I said it before. Everything is too strong for standard.
Never to return
You guys never do it right that's supose to be instant speed not sorrecy speed.