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Line 4: See also [[Magic the Gathering Novels]]. ~~----~~ * [[Abnormal Ammo]]: [https://web.archive.org/web/20131105023902/http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=159328 Akki Coalflinger], [https://web.archive.org/web/20130510152521/http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=146447 Fodder Launch], [https://web.archive.org/web/20121108014947/http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=4618 Mogg Cannon]... the examples are endless (and mostly goblin-based). [http://magiccards.info/scans/en/ps/59.jpg Deadapult] is a zombie-based version that's no less hilarious. * [[Absurdly Spacious Sewer]]: Those in the city-world of Ravnica (they're Ravnica's swamps/black mana sources). They're so vast, they're called the "Undercity". * [[Actually a Doombot]]: Volrath's Shapeshifter in ''Stronghold'', as represented on the card [https://web.archive.org/web/20121118012820/http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=5138 Scapegoat]. In ''[[Magic: The Gathering/Test of Metal\|Test of Metal]]'', after Tezzeret {{spoiler\|curb-stomps Nicol Bolas}}, it's revealed that {{spoiler\|it was just a disposable simulacrum of Bolas the whole time}}--and that {{spoiler\|Tezzeret knew that all along. [[I Know You Know I Know\|And, possibly, that Bolas knew that Tezzeret knew]]}}. * [[After the End]]: Several times. There's the downfall of the Thran, the sylex blast that started the Ice Age, the ''Apocalypse'' set, the coming of Karona, and finally, ''Time Spiral'' block, which is the closest to the trope. (Of course, it's ''Time Spiral'', so it's before, after, and three seconds to the left of the end.) * [[A Glass of Chianti]]: [http://magiccards.info/isd/en/215.html Olivia] [http://magiccards.info/isd/en/155.html Voldaren] really loves her... "wine". * [[AIA.I. Is a Crapshoot]]: Memnarch, a golem left behind by the creator of Mirrodin to guard the plane, goes insane and tries to become a planeswalker itself. * [[Alien Invasion]]: Phyrexia is another plane rather than another planet, but [[Alien Invaders]] is a spot-on description of its role in the ''Invasion'' and ''Scars of Mirrodin'' blocks. They even have giant spaceships with laser beams and everything (seen fighting Urza's [[Powered Armor]] on [http://magiccards.info/in/en/165.html Searing Rays], for example). * [[Alien Sky]]: Mirrodin has <s>four</s> five moons -- which shine, and thus are also interchangably called suns. There's no indication that it has any ''normal'' suns, either... Also, Dominaria has two moons (although one of them got blown up), and Esper's night sky is covered in a grid, making it appear like a huge star chart. ** Esper gets even screwier when it rejoins the other 4 shards. Many cards from Alara Reborn feature skies with visible boundaries from what was once one plane and what was another. * [[Alternate Universe]]: ''Planar Chaos'', which shows a hundred alternate Dominarias, such as one where bad guy [https://web.archive.org/web/20090504151825/http://ww2.wizards.com/gatherer/CardDetails.aspx?&id=29947 Braids, Cabal Minion] becomes helpful [https://web.archive.org/web/20090504151643/http://ww2.wizards.com/gatherer/CardDetails.aspx?&id=124316 Braids, Conjurer Adept]. Some of these cards were genuine "What If?" questions, others were "[https://web.archive.org/web/20090504031527/http://ww2.wizards.com/gatherer/CardDetails.aspx?&id=122338 This card] is functionally identical to a [https://web.archive.org/web/20090504152041/http://ww2.wizards.com/gatherer/CardDetails.aspx?id=11458 classic of a different color], and given the colors' general traits should/could have been printed in this color from the start." (And in the case of the aforelinked Pyromancer, would eventually be printed in the new color.) * [[Alternative Calendar]]: Dominaria has one--denoted as AR, for "Agrivian Reckoning," with year 1 being the birth of Urza and Mishra. * [[Always Night]]: Shadowmoor and Grixis. Line 34: * [[Arc Welding]]: No matter how isolated a particular storyline may seem... it ''will'' be tied into all the rest. * [[Arrows on Fire]]: Occasionally seen in artwork, e.g. [http://magiccards.info/eve/en/140.html Fire at Will]. * [[Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking]]: [https://web.archive.org/web/20131105034654/http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=83471 Braids takes up petty extortion as a hobby.] * [[Artifact of Doom]]: The Mirari, an artifact of vast power that warps and mutates reality around itself and drives the wielder to insanity. * [[Artificial Human]]: The Metathran. Most were basically emotionless, loyal soldiers, but their commanders, Thaddeus and Agnate, were granted sentience to make them more effective planners and leaders. [https://web.archive.org/web/20130510041042/http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=129803 Phyrexian Newts] [[They Look Just Like Everyone Else\|as spies]]. * [[Artificial Limbs]]: Commonly seen in both Esper and Phyrexia. Notably, the planeswalker Tezzeret's right arm. * [[Art Initiates Life]]: They don't call [http://magiccards.info/on/en/89.html Ixidor] "Reality ''Sculptor''" for nothing. * [[Ascended Meme]]: The legend of a player who shredded their (expensive) Chaos Orb card to win a game (it destroys any card it touches when dropped onto the field) eventually got acknowledged in the [[A Day Atat the Bizarro\|Unglued]] set as Chaos Confetti, which instructs the player to shred the card for the same effect. * [[Ascend to a Higher Plane of Existence]]: Planeswalkers start off mortal, and some traumatic or life-changing event causes them to ascend to planeswalkerdom. * [[Atlantis]]: The original Merfolk lord was [http://magiccards.info/al/en/63.html Lord of Atlantis]. * [[Attack! Attack! Retreat! Retreat!]]: Rather frequently used. [http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=97207\] * [[Attack of the 50 -Foot Whatever]]: Common result of green pump spells, e.g. [http://magiccards.info/ul/en/106.html Might of Oaks]'s giant squirrel. * [[Back-to-Back Badasses]]: [http://magiccards.info/scans/en/shm/152.jpg Thistledown Duo] and [http://magiccards.info/scans/en/shm/238.jpg Safehold Duo] from ''Shadowmoor''. [http://magiccards.info/scans/en/m11/24.jpg Palace Guard] [http://magiccards.info/scans/en/gp/135.jpg Tibor and Lumia] The two Brothers Yamazaki ([https://web.archive.org/web/20130909095300/http://magiccards.info/chk/en/160.html Left] and [https://web.archive.org/web/20111107194211/http://magiccards.info/chk/en/317.html right]) * [[Badass]]: ** Toshi Umezawa, of ''Kamigawa'' block; a rare black-aligned protagonist. (This block also featured a white-aligned antagonist; this is perhaps made more understandable still when you consider Kamigawa is based loosely on the Japanese Shinto religion, and East Asian cultures tend to view white as the color of death.) Line 56: * [[Badass Crew]]: The crew of the skyship ''Weatherlight''. * [[Badass Family]]: [http://magiccards.info/chk/en/241.html Seshiro] of Kamigawa and his legendary family, among which are [http://magiccards.info/chk/en/238.html Sashi] the shaman and [http://magiccards.info/chk/en/244.html Sosuke] the warrior. Also, the aforementioned Umezawas, Toshiro and his descendant, Tetsuo, one of the only, if not the only, person to defeat Magic's resident [[Big Bad]] Nicol Bolas one one one. Then again, Bolas only really became a [[God Mode Sue]] after he returned in Time Spiral. [http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=106398 Kamahl] and his sister [http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=36451 Jeska]. Line 70: [http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=23321 Tsabo Tavoc] represents an evil, insanely creepy one. * [[Baleful Polymorph]]: Seen on a variety of cards, typically blue. Examples include [http://magiccards.info/eve/en/161.html Snakeform], [http://magiccards.info/pc/en/44.html Pongify], [http://magiccards.info/pc/en/57.html Ovinize], and [http://magiccards.info/ug/en/24.html Fowl Play], among others. * [[Barbarian Tribe]]: The [http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=234709 Gathans] are the result of a super solder program gone awry upon the [[Proud Warrior Race Guy\|Keldon Barbarian tribes]], resulting in a group of [[~~Always Chaotic~~Exclusively Evil\|batshit barely sentient marauding murder machines]]. * [[Barrier Maiden]]: Ashling in the ''Lorwyn'' storyline was supposed to take this role and help the flamekin transition from Lorwyn to Shadowmoor. She didn't go along with it, though. Kyodai, the [[MacGuffin Girl]] you may know as [http://magiccards.info/bok/en/162.html That Which Was Taken], {{spoiler\|fused with her spirit-sister Michiko Konda}} to become the new protector and embodiment of the barrier between the mortal world and the spirit world. * [[Bash Brothers]]: The Shadowmoor set had a cycle of [http://magiccards.info/query?q=e%3Ashadowmoor+duo&v=scan&s=cname five pairs of Bash Brothers]. There's also [http://magiccards.info/m11/en/24.html Palace Guard], and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20130909095300/http://magiccards.info/chk/en/160.html Brothers Yamazaki] (who are literal brothers as well). Also [http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=198167 these channelers], who like the aforementioned Shadowmoor cycle, have two separate class types listed to reflect both participants. Ajani Goldmane's unique brand of magic is the ability to bring out and manifest the best and strongest aspects of another person in physical form. His preferred brother in arms? His elder brother, Jazal Goldmane. Together they were said to be unstoppable. [http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=97208 Tibor and Lumia] ** [http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=179585 These guys] Line 85: * [[Battering Ram]]: [http://magiccards.info/aq/en/6.html Battering Ram] * [[Battle Boomerang]]: Somewhat underwhelming unfortunately: [http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=198395\] * [[Battle Cry]]: Used by the Mirrans in ''Mirrodin Besieged''. They have a surprisingly deep variety of battle cries--[~~http~~https://web.archive.org/web/20130629095708/https://www.wizards.com/magic/magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtg~~/daily/stf/129~~%2Fdaily%2Fstf%2F129 Doug Beyer discusses it in great detail in his weekly column]. * [[Bazaar of the Bizarre]]: ** Mercadia's famous markets. Line 95: * [[Beauty Equals Goodness]]: [[A Nazi by Any Other Name\|If Lorwyn's elves are to be believed...]] * [[Be Careful What You Wish For]]: ''Judgment'''s [http://magiccards.info/query?q=wish+e%3Ajudgment&v=card&s=cname cycle of Wish cards], the flavour text of each of which is a variant on the following: "He wished for X, but not for the Y to [Verb that means use effectively] it." * [[Bee-Bee Gun]]: [~~http~~https://~~ww2~~gatherer.wizards.com/~~gatherer~~Pages/Card/~~CardDetails~~Details.aspx?~~&id~~multiverseid=5173 Hornet Cannon]. * [[Bee People]]: Slivers behave like a hive species, led by the [http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=5233 Sliver Queen]. Line 123: Any of the brood lineage of Ulamog will have a pristine white skull-like plate over their faces. This is different from the other two eldrazi lineages because Ulamog's sires tend to have heads (whereas Kozilek's lineage have eyes, just elsewhere on the body, and Emrakul's Lineage all resemble sentient mushrooms). * [[Blinded by the Light]]: [http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=205219 Blinding Mage], [http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=83007 Blinding Angel], etc. * [[Blood Lust]]: Vampires, naturally. Also, [http://magiccards.info/le/en/61.html Blood Celebrant]. The Bloodthirst Mechanic. Line 149: ** Jodah was created for Jeff Grubb's novelizations of ''The Dark'' and ''Ice Age'' cycles. He'd eventually return for ''[[Magic: The Gathering/Time Spiral Cycle\|Time Spiral]]'' block and get [http://gatherer.wizards.com/pages/card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=124482 his own Avenger]. * [[The Captain]]: Gerrard Capashen; although Sisay was the actual skipper of the ''Weatherlight'', Gerrard filled the trope. * [[Catfolk]]: A number of cat races, including the [http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=16450 cat warriors] * [[Chain Lightning]]: [http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=201126 Is a card.] * [[Chainmail Bikini]]: Seen in some of the art. [http://magiccards.info/query?q=hero+of+bladehold&v=card&s=cname Hero of Bladehold] is the most recent example. Line 169: * [[Cosmic Horror]]: Yawgmoth is darn close. And of course, there's also a card actually named [https://web.archive.org/web/20090504031907/http://ww2.wizards.com/gatherer/CardDetails.aspx?name=Cosmic%20Horror Cosmic Horror]. There's also Dark Depths, which releases Marit Lage when the ice finally melts. The art is reminiscent of Cthulhu lurking underneath the sea. [http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=188962 Nemesis of Reason] fits perfectly. Line 189: Old school, demi-God Planeswalker examples: * Urza Planeswalker, at the climax of the Brothers War, sets off the [http://magiccards.info/aq/en/16.html Golgothian Sylex], which sends all of Dominaria into a centuries-long ice age. His latent spark activated, allowing him [[A God Am I\|to survive the blast]]. * Teferi of Zhalfir, while studying mind magic at the Tolarian academy, fell into a bubble of slow time that was filled with fire and [[And I Must Scream\|got trapped there.]] The intense damage activated his spark half-way, so that he was able to survive until another student could get him out with water from a different slow-time bubble. She became his favorite companion (in the [[Doctor Who]] sense) when they found out that, because of the two different slow-time bubbles, she aged at a dramatically slower rate than a normal human, causing her to fall under the rules of [[Really Seven Hundred Years Old]]. Post-mending ascensions: *** [[Playing with Fire\|Chandra Nalaar]]: Set fire to her village in a fit of rage after learning of her [[Arranged Marriage]], and ran and hid. {{spoiler\|A local [[Knight Templar]] organization noticed, and not believing the villager's claims that the destruction was caused by a single child, rounded up the villagers and sealed them into the burning huts, punishment for harboring pyromancers. Chandra returns just in time to hear her family dying, and is quickly subdued by the soldiers. Just as they are about to behead her,}} her Spark ignites at the last possible second. Line 236: * [[Evil Chancellor]]: In ''Time Streams'', Radiant's war minister turns out to be a Phyrexian spy, secretly working to subvert and corrupt Serra's Realm. * [[Evil Counterpart]]: All over the place; look at [https://web.archive.org/web/20090504031835/http://ww2.wizards.com/gatherer/CardDetails.aspx?id=274 White Knight] versus [https://web.archive.org/web/20081011225748/http://ww2.wizards.com/gatherer/CardDetails.aspx?&id=50 Black Knight], for example. The entire Shadowmoor set, as a dark mirror of the earlier Lorwyn set, features many opposite counterparts to specific cards from the Lorwyn block. To go with its theme of Mirrodin vs Phyrexia, Mirrodin Besieged has evil counterparts within the same set ([http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=213802 Mirran Crusader] and [http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=213724 Phyrexian Crusader], [http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=213781 Peace Strider] and [http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=221561 Pierce Strider]), and also evil counterparts to cards from the last time we went to Mirrodin ([http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=191312 Darksteel Colossus] to [http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=221563 Blightsteel Colossus]). The Northern Paladin has the Southern Paladin, and the Western Paladin has the Eastern Paladin. The [http://magiccards.info/ne/en/135.html Predator] can be considered this to the [https://web.archive.org/web/20111103190731/http://magiccards.info/ps/en/133.html Weatherlight]. ** One of the terminologies of the game is "Mirrored Pair". These tend to be two cards who are polar opposites of eachother. Generally they tend to be this trope (although certain examples, like Hero of the Bladehold and Hero of Oxidda Ridge who are both "good", are exceptions). * [[Evil-Detecting Dog]]: [http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=79217 Good dog.] Line 256: The [http://magiccards.info/aq/en/16.html Golgothian Sylex] was, functionally, a nuclear weapon. Its detonation ended the Brothers' War, vaporized Argoth, caused the Ice Age, and tore a ''literal'' hole in reality. Yawgmoth repeatedly dropped "stonecharger" bombs on his enemies in ''The Thran'' which not only resembled nuclear weapons in their destruction, but also caused the same sort of horror real nukes inspire in at least one of the characters. * [[Fantasy Counterpart Culture]]: Kamigawa is [[Wutai\|feudal Japan]]. Naya is [[Mayincatec]]. The Ice Age block is [[Horny Vikings\|Vikings]]. Jamuraa is Africa. Rabiah is [[Arabian Nights Days\|Arabia]]. Innistrad is [[~~Uberwald~~Überwald\|Renaissance Germany and Eastern Europe]]. * [[Fantasy Kitchen Sink]]: With some 11,000 different cards, it's hard to think of any fantasy concepts that aren't represented. * [[Female Angel, Male Demon]]: Nearly all of Magic's angels are visibly female. The overwhelming majority of Magic's demons are so freakish looking that the idea of having a gender seems a moot point. Though the gender of either is largely a moot point, as, being magically created avatars of their respective colors, neither reproduce in the traditional manner. * [[A Fete Worse Than Death]]: The signature of the Rakdos Cultists of Ravnica, as seen in the [[Flavor Text]] of [http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=97073 Slaughterhouse Bouncer]. * [[Fiery Redhead]]: [https://web.archive.org/web/20140612053318/http://www.wizards.com/~~Magic~~magic/Multiverse/planeswalkers.aspx?x=mtg~~/multiverse/planeswalkers/chandra~~%2Fmultiverse%2Fplaneswalkers%2Fchandra Chandra Nalaar]. Literally. * [[Flaming Sword]]: ** The card [http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=19613 Flaming Sword]. [[Exactly What It Says on the Tin]]. Line 268: * [[Fog of Doom]]: In the ''Apocalypse'' novel, when Yawgmoth himself appears on Dominaria, he takes the form of a giant black cloud that kills anything it touches. Yawgmoth has a habit of making killer fog; in ''The Thran'', his stonecharger bombs leave behind clouds of mist that that kill anything they touch. * [[Foregone Conclusion]]: The storyline of ''Coldsnap'', released years after ''Ice Age'' and ''Alliances'' to give that block a "proper" block format (and conclusion). The [[Lampshade Hanging\|press release teaser info explicitly said]], "We know the Ice Age ended... but ''how''?" * [[Forgotten Friend, New Foe]]: Volrath, villain of the ''Tempest'' block, was once Gerrard's adoptive brother before they bitterly parted ways in their youth. Line 277: ** ''Innistrad'' has the skaab, which are stitched-together zombies. * [[From a Single Cell]]: Phyrexia is able to rebuild itself from just a single drop of oil, as seen in the tragic fate of Mirrodin. This is [[Lampshade Hanging\|Lampshaded]] with [http://magiccards.info/query?q=phyrexian+rebirth&v=card&s=cname Phyrexian Rebirth]. {{quote\| As long as [[From a Single Cell\|one drop]] of [[The Virus\|the oil]] exists, [[The Corruption\|the joyous work continues.]]}} * [[Funny Animal]]/[[Petting Zoo People]]: From the more conventional Nacatl ([[Catfolk\|cat people]]) and Leonin ([[Catfolk\|lion people]]) to the somewhat more creative Loxodon (elephant people) and Rhox (rhino people). So, in other words, Magic has them in droves. * [[Fur Bikini]]: Line 287: ** [http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=4912 Dracoplasm] fuses multiple creatures together to form a giant dragon. * [[Gadgeteer Genius]]: Magic has had its share of artificers. [http://www.magicdeckvortex.com/ART3/future_sight/jhoira_of_the_ghitu_art_by_kev_walker.jpg Jhoira]{{Dead link}}, depicted [http://www.magiccards.info/ul/en/45.html here] in all her Tinkering glory. [http://media.wizards.com/images/magic/daily/td/td112_venser.jpg Venser], although best-known now for his teleportation abilities, was originally an artificer, salvaging scrap from the swamps of Urborg and building machines. Urza, the [[Chessmaster]] himself, was famous for his gadgets. Line 308: ''Nemesis'' introduced a new ability out of nowhere (Fading) and focused on Rath. Actually, every ''Masques'' block set focused on a different set. Mercadia seemed to come out of nowhere too. ** ''Apocalypse'' is the only set in the ''Invasion'' block to focus entirely on ''enemy'' colors (white/black, white/red, blue/red, blue/green, black/green). * [[Giant Spider]]: The ''[http://magiccards.info/m10/en/175.html smallest]'' spiders tend to be large enough to win a fight with an average goblin. [http://magiccards.info/dpa/en/67.html Medium-sized] spiders can tangle with elephants. [http://magiccards.info/rav/en/168.html The biggest ones] can eat dragons for breakfast. * [[A God Am I]]: Several of them. Some are just delusional about their supposed godhood, and some are very much ''not'' delusional about their ''actual'' godhood...and are total jerks about it. * [[A God Is You]]: Flavor-wise, the players take the roles of planeswalkers. Line 314: * [[Good Colors, Evil Colors]]: Averted; all five colors of mana have had heroes and villains. * [[Gothic Horror]]: Innistrad, ''and how''. * [[Got the Whole World In My Hand]]: [https://web.archive.org/web/20120320032701/http://wiki.mtgsalvation.com/article/File:NewPhyrexiaPreview.jpg This artwork] for ''New Phyrexia'' shows Mirrodin in the clutches of Phyrexia. * [[Got Volunteered]]: [[Played for Laughs]] when groups of goblins need a volunteer, as seen in the flavor text of [http://magiccards.info/st/en/103.html Goblin Hero] and [http://magiccards.info/evg/en/49.html Skirk Drill Sergeant]. * [[Great Wall]]: The Dominara setting in ''Legends'' has the Great Wall, an ancient stone structure that's 200 foot tall and separates geographical areas. What does it do as a ''card''? [https://gatherer.wizards.com/pages/card/details.aspx?multiverseid=1615 Be a very strong contender] for worst card of all time! Great Wall the card does nothing but make the Plainswalk ability non-functional, with the ''slight'' problem that even if shutting down Plainswalk was useful (it isn't) ''[[Useless Item\|nothing in the game]]'' had the Plainswalk ability before Great Wall was released. Even today, with well over 20,000 cards in the game, there's ''six'' cards with Plainswalk<ref>Plus two that can turn the somewhat more common relatives Islandwalk, Forestwalk, Mountainwalk, and Swampwalk into Plainswalk or vice versa</ref>, one of which is an unplayable joke card that has it purely because of the ability's infamy, and another (which also happens to be the only one anyone would ever remotely try to use seriously) was only released in Asia and Oceania with English copies being ''extremely'' rare. * [[I Got Bigger]]: Garruk Wildspeaker [http://www.wizards.com/mtg/images/daily/webcomics/EN_MTG_Comic9_WildSon_Part1_5.jpg then]. Garruk Wildspeaker [http://ertaislament.files.wordpress.com/2010/06/garruk1.jpg now]. * [[Improbable Weapon User]]: For most equipment cards the weapon is quite probable. The ''user'' on the other hand isn't restricted. How does a dog use a sword? * [[Inhumanly Beautiful Race]]: The elves from the Lorwyn set. Their caste system runs on how beautiful they are and they will often hunt other species that they deem uglier than they. * [[Hair-Raising Hare]]: the [http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=94911 Vizzerdrix] card. Probably related to [http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=4667 Kezzerdrix]. * [[Hammerspace]]: Sash and Waistcoat, the two un-men and [[Those Two Guys]] from the ''Onslaught'' storyline, were designed by Ixidor to be living embodiments of [[Hammerspace]]. They're essentially living portals. There's several gags where they store things like pianos inside themselves. * [[A Handful for Anan Eye]]: [http://magiccards.info/bok/en/153.html Blinding Powder]. * [[I Have Your Wife]]: Volrath kidnaps Starke's daughter. * [[Headless Horseman]]: Line 370 ⟶ 372: * [[The Igor]]: Seen in ''Innistrad'' with Oglor (a mad scientist's assistant represented on [http://magiccards.info/isd/en/81.html Stitcher's Apprentice] and in the flavor text of [http://magiccards.info/isd/en/71.html Rooftop Storm]) and Garl (the [http://magiccards.info/isd/en/52.html Deranged Assistant]). * [[Incendiary Exponent]]: Things on fire are often stronger or faster than things not-on-fire. For example, [http://magiccards.info/us/en/186.html Fiery Mantle]. * [[Involuntary Shapeshifting]]: The Changelings from ''Lorwyn'' block reflexively take the form of whatever else is nearby. * [[It Got Worse]]: Zendikar is a [[Death World]] in ''Zendikar''. Then it ramps up in ''Worldwake''. By ''Rise of the Eldrazi'', the whole plane is under attack by [[Planet Eater]] [[Eldritch Abomination\|Eldritch Abominations]]. Line 382 ⟶ 384: [[Catfolk\|Mirri]] made a [[Heroic Sacrifice]] to save Gerrard from Crovax. Belbe, despite ultimately turning good, was killed by Eladamri for being made of parts of his daughter. [[Love Martyr\|Crovax]] and [[~~Ted~~Small ~~Baxter~~Name, Big Ego\|Ertai]] both fell to Phyrexia and died in its service. [[Reliable Traitor\|Starke]] was killed by Volrath. [[Wrench Wench\|Hanna]] contracted the Phyrexian plague and died during the invasion proper. Line 415 ⟶ 417: * [[Loads and Loads of Characters]]: Literally thousands, made more confusing by the fact that many of them have the same or similar names. * [[Long Game]]: Nicol Bolas works this way all the time. * [[Looks Like Orlok]]: [https://web.archive.org/web/20190928204937/http://www.teamwingman.net/uploads/bu/sengir_vampire.jpg The original Sengir Vampire art draws from this.] [http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=244253 The current depiction] even more so, aside from the fact that he has hair. * [[Loose Canon]]: The game's original dozen [[Tie-in Novel\|spin-off novels]] were published by HarperPrism. When the Weatherlight saga began and [[Wizards of the Coast]] started its own novel line, the continuity was revised (This is commonly referred to as [[Exactly What It Says on the Tin\|"The Revision"]]). Any material in the old novels is considered [[Canon]] unless new material directly contradicts it. * [[Losing Your Head]]: Urza in ''Apocalypse''. His severed head was last seen [http://magiccards.info/uh/en/131.html relaxing in a hot tub] with the missing creature from [http://magiccards.info/uh/en/2.html AWOL]. Line 470 ⟶ 472: * [[Names to Run Away From Really Fast]]: Nicol Bolas, [[Meaningful Name\|once you take apart where the parts of his name come from]]. "Nicol" is derived from the German "nickel", meaning "devil". "Bolas" seems to come from [[Ars Goetia\|the Goetic demon Glasya-Labolas]], whose name is occasionally rendered as "Glasya La Bolas". In other words, "Bolas" is some sort of demonic epithet. Yawgmoth [[Names to Run Away From Really Fast/Adjectives\|the Ineffable]] has a [[Names to Run Away From Really Fast/Names Ending In Th\|name ending in Th]] and almost containing [[Names to Run Away From Really Fast/Mor\|Mor]]. Also, many non-English players find its name [[Names to Run Away From Really Fast/Unpronouncable Names\|quite difficult to pronounce]]. [http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=74016 Many] [http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=74552 of] [http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=78965 Kamigawa's] [http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=50318 demons]. The lead demon goes one further: The All-Consuming Oni of Chaos. [http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=193632 Kozilek]. [http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=194911 Ulamog]. [http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=193452 Emrakul]. [http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=107438 Rakdos the Defiler] [http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=180595 Thraximundar]: ''His name means "he who paints the earth red."'' * [[Nature Hero]]: Various green-aligned characters, but especially [https://web.archive.org/web/20090504151851/http://ww2.wizards.com/gatherer/CardDetails.aspx?&id=40538 Kamahl post-transformation]. * [[A Nazi by Any Other Name]]: Lorwyn's Elves believe that anything that is ugly is an affront to nature. [[Our Elves Are Better\|Naturally]], they believe this gives them the right to systematically hunt down and murder ugly lesser races. * [[Negative Space Wedgie\|Negative Planar Wedgie]]: Either the cause of, or caused by, a large amount of the plot. Line 484 ⟶ 486: Earlier, in another example, {{spoiler\|Jace's, Chandra's and Sarkhan's shenanigans some time prior weakens the rest of the locks keeping the Eldrazi imprisoned, just as [[Big Bad\|Nicol Bolas]] wanted.}} Memnarch might not have been a nice guy, but {{spoiler\|he was fighting back the mycosynth corruption in Mirrodin's Core and preventing Phyrexia from taking hold there}}. When Glissa and her friends defeated him, {{spoiler\|the mycosynth grew unchecked and Phyrexia could grow unimpeded}}, dooming the plane. * [[Ninja Pirate Zombie Robot]]: [https://web.archive.org/web/20090504031505/http://ww2.wizards.com/Gatherer/CardDetails.aspx?name=mistform%20ultimus Mistform Ultimus] which has every creature type, such as Ninja, Pirate, Zombie, Construct, [[Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles\|Mutant, Ninja, and Turtle]]. Years later, ''Lorwyn'' block introduced ''nineteen'' more creatures like this, as well as several non-creature cards. * [[Not So Different]]: Urza and Mishra. * [[Obake]]: Kamigawa has ''oni'' and ''kitsune''; indeed, the entire ''Kamigawa'' block is one big Obake-fest, its setting heavily inspired by Japanese folklore and mythology. Line 512 ⟶ 514: ** A major plot point in the ''Zendikar'' block novel ''[[Magic: The Gathering/Zendikar In The Teeth of Akoum\|In the Teeth of Akoum]]''. The elf protagonist, [[Our Elves Are Better\|Nissa Revane]], doesn't realize one of her traveling companions, Sorin Markov, is a vampire until very late in the novel. This is due to the fact that since he's from Innistrad and not Zendikar, he has none of the staple characteristics of her world's vampires. This is unintentionally hilarious, as when the character was first teased by Wizards of the Coast, quite literally, [[Late Arrival Spoiler\|the first thing the fan base learned about him was that he was a vampire]]. * [[Our Werebeasts Are Different]]: Includes werebears, wererats, and [[Werewolves]]. * [[Our Werewolves Are Different]]: The pre-Innistrad ones are black. [http://magiccards.info/5e/en/28.html All] [http://magiccards.info/lg/en/24.html three] [http://magiccards.info/ju/en/76.html of them]. The werewolves of Innistrad are red or green. They are so different that their cards have two faces, and they can flip over to transform. See the [https://web.archive.org/web/20130921170458/http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtg~~/daily/stf/163~~%2Fdaily%2Fstf%2F163 Planeswalker's Guide to Innistrad] for details and concept art. Also, [http://magiccards.info/isd/en/152a.html Kruin Outlaw], [http://magiccards.info/isd/en/159a.html Reckless Waif], [http://magiccards.info/isd/en/176a.html Daybreak Ranger], one of [http://magiccards.info/isd/en/185a.html Grizzled Outcasts] and one of [http://magiccards.info/isd/en/208a.html Ulvenwald Mystics] are female. * [[Our Zombies Are Different]]: There's pretty much every single kind but Type R zombies. Innistrad even combines two different kinds, as it has mad science monsters in blue coexisting with [[Dawn of the Dead (film)\|Romero-style]] hordes of the flesh eating dead in black. * [[Outside Context Villain]]: Line 524 ⟶ 526: * [[Parental Bonus]]: For a very brief time, Goblin Piker was going to be reprinted with the following flavor text: "Pike her? I barely even know her!" * [[Perpetual Motion Monster]]: Golems and undead. * [[Pipe Maze]]: The third sphere of Phyrexia is described as an [https://web.archive.org/web/20130502094350/http://www.phyrexia.com/images/continuity/maps/Phyrexia.bmp "impenetrable tangle of metal pipes".] * [[Playing with Fire]]: [http://jakekessler.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/mc-mag-jaya-ballard.jpg Jaya Ballard]{{Dead link}}, [http://fc01.deviantart.net/fs48/f/2009/203/1/0/Chandra_Nalaar_by_SteveArgyle.jpg Chandra Nalaar] * [[Plucky Comic Relief]]: The goblins almost always fill this role--though they're also usually [[Screaming Warrior\|Screaming Warriors]]. * [[Pooled Funds]]: [http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=1441 Greed] (all versions). Line 581 ⟶ 583: * [[Sealed Evil in a Can]]: The main motivation behind Yawgmoth's [[Roaring Rampage of Revenge]]. The card "Dark Depths" is your own personal can. If you can unseal it (either by pumping 30 mana into it in increments of 3, or by [http://magiccards.info/zen/en/114.html getting] [http://magiccards.info/ds/en/37.html creative]), you get a 20/20 indestructible flying monstrosity. ** The Eldrazi are Sealed Evil In The [http://magiccards.info/wwk/en/136.html Eye of Ugin]. [~~http~~https://web.archive.org/web/20140528170423/https://www.wizards.com/Magic/Multiverse/Article.aspx?x=mtgcom~~/feature2/85a~~%2Ffeature2%2F85a Yes, they get loose.] * [[Sealed Good in a Can]]: The [[Big Good\|angel Avacyn]] was dragged into the Helvault she made to seal away unkillable demons. Based on the mechanics of the Helvault card {{spoiler\|getting her out means freeing everything else inside}}. * [[Selkies and Wereseals]]: There are three different selkie cards; all of them are green/blue merfolk. Line 591 ⟶ 593: * [[Slave Brand]]: The Orzhov Syndicate from Ravnica; slaves (debtors to Orzhov's higher-ups) bear the guild seal as tattoos. * [[Slouch of Villainy]]: [http://media.wizards.com/images/magic/daily/arcana/666_heu2s44j9q.jpg Yep] * [[~~Ted~~Small ~~Baxter~~Name, Big Ego]]: Ertai's entire schtick. Even after his transformation:▼ {{quote\| ''Altered by Phyrexian science, corrupted by black mana, and twisted by rage, Ertai still looked in the mirror and saw only glory.''}}▼ * [[Smash the Symbol]]: From the [[Flavor Text]] of [http://magiccards.info/nph/en/99.html Victorious Destruction]: Line 608 ⟶ 612: Venser and Koth, when they're captured by Phyrexians in the "Scarred" comic. (They get away.) ** The ''Innistrad'' version of [http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=230767 Curiosity] features a werewolf strapped to an operating table as a human sorcerer prepares to do magical research on it. * [[Squee]]: But [https://web.archive.org/web/20090504151630/http://ww2.wizards.com/gatherer/CardDetails.aspx?&id=106473 not that kind]. * [[Sugar Apocalypse]]: Arguably the Great Aurora that changed the fairy-tale land of Lorwyn into the dark, bleak Shadowmoor. * [[Sugar Bowl]]: Lorwyn, except for the [[Our Elves Are Better\|arrogant, beautiful,]] [[Deconstructed Trope\|evil]] [[Master Race\|elves]] and arguably the [[We Are as Mayflies\|short-lived,]] insectoid, [[Trickster\|tricksy]] [[Our Fairies Are Different\|fae]]. ▲* [[Ted Baxter]]: Ertai's entire schtick. Even after his transformation: ▲{{quote\| ''Altered by Phyrexian science, corrupted by black mana, and twisted by rage, Ertai still looked in the mirror and saw only glory.''}} * [[Telepathy]]: A standard blue ability. Cards that invoke it typically involve revealing hidden information, such as the aptly-named [http://magiccards.info/m10/en/74.html Telepathy] card. * [[Temporal Paradox]]: Line 619 ⟶ 621: ** It's also possible to send mana into the past to play certain spells from the ''Future Sight'' expansion. If you fail to send mana into the past on your next turn, [[Nonstandard Game Over\|you cease to exist]]. [[Clock Roaches]] indeed. * [[That Satisfying Crunch]]: Frequently mentioned on cards that destroy artifacts. * [[Things That Go Bump in the Night]]: [http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=222203 Bump in the night] and [http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Mindslicer Mindslicer] * [[Tiger Versus Dragon]]: The ending of Alara block's storyline is this. Ajani Goldmane (a lionman, yes, but possessing tiger stripes) driven by rage and revenge, fights against Nicol Bolas, a time-tempered Dragon of renowned patience and planning. * [[Time Travel]]: How Vodalia wound up surviving at least to the time of the Phyrexian invasion, when every other Sarpadian empire got obliterated by this or that crisis. * [[To Be Lawful or Good]]: Gideon has a [[Heroic BSOD]] over this when [[Playing with Fire\|Chandra]] reveals that the supposedly good organization he was a part of {{spoiler\|executed her entire village for harboring a pyromancer when she was a child.}} * [[Too Many Mouths]]: The All-Devouring Oni in the Kamigawa storyline was this taken to its logical extreme: a swarming cloud of mouths with dagger-like teeth. * [[Torches and Pitchforks]]: ** ''Innistrad'' has [http://magiccards.info/isd/en/216.html torches] and [http://magiccards.info/isd/en/232.html pitchforks], inspired by this trope. Line 632 ⟶ 635: * [[Traumatic Superpower Awakening]]: Typical for Planeswalkers. * [[Treasure Room]]: [http://magiccards.info/som/en/93.html Hoard-Smelter Dragon], [http://magiccards.info/7e/en/140.html Greed], etc. * [[~~Uberwald~~Überwald]]: Innistrad, the [[Gothic Horror]]-themed plane, home of vampires, werewolves, ghosts, zombies, mad scientists, demons, and all kinds of traditional horror tropes. * [[Unwanted Spouse]]: Urza's wife, Kayla. He won her hand in marriage by winning a contest of strength with an automaton he built. He was more interested in the relics in her father's vault than her. * [[Villain Forgot to Level Grind]]: The skyships ''[https://web.archive.org/web/20111103190731/http://magiccards.info/ps/en/133.html Weatherlight]'' (the heroes) and ''[http://magiccards.info/ne/en/135.html Predator]'' (the villains). When the two battle in Rath, the ''Weatherlight'' is outgunned and the heroes only escape through dumb luck. By the time of the Rathi Overlay in the ''Planeshift'' storyline, however, the ''Weatherlight'' had a more experienced crew and upgraded weaponry, and when the two skyships battled again, the ''Predator'' was thoroughly trounced. * [[Villainous Rescue]]: Geth rescues Glissa and Slobad in the first Mirrodin Cycle by dropping a huge swarm of nim zombies on Memnarch's head. Literally. * [[Violence Really Is the Answer]]: Karn was an actual pacifist for most of the time he spent with the ''Weatherlight'' and its crew, to such a point that the way Volrath tortured him was by locking him in a flowstone prison cell with a few dozen goblinoids and shifting the ground to make him kill them with nothing but his bulk. The trope appears in ''Invasion'' when Karn realizes that he remaining pacifist in the face of the Phyrexian invasion could cost him everyone he cares about, resulting in a [[Roaring Rampage of Revenge]]. {{quote\| "Enough! If I must kill the guilty to save the innocent, then I will kill!"}} * [[The Virus]]: Phyrexia in ''Scars of Mirrodin''. * [[Volcanic Veins]]: Koth of the Hammer, and the Vulshok in general. Line 648 ⟶ 651: * [[Wham! Episode]]: Oh no, the Phyrexians are back and they're attacking Mirrodin! Surely this invasion will be fought off - there's no way the story team would allow the good guys to make such a catastrophic failure! Right? '''Right?''' * [[Wham! Line]]: {{quote\| '''Sorin Markov:''' Avacyn, my angel...what has befallen you?}} * [[What Could Have Been]]: The Planar Chaos expansion is an in-story example. * [[Whatevermancy]]: Magic has more than its share of -mancers, both of the classical divination kind and the modern "control whatever it is" kind (some, like Retromancer, are a bit shaky on what their name actually is supposed to mean). Matt Cavotta [[Discussed Trope\|Discusses]] Magic's -mancers [http://www.wizards.com/magic/magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtgcom/daily/mc63 here]. Line 656 ⟶ 659: ** Urza started slipping into this in his plans to defeat Phyrexia. * [[The World Is Always Doomed]]: Not ''always'', but surprisingly often, and more so since the story got into the habit of moving on to a new world as soon as the current one stops being doomed. ** In the Time Spiral block, the near-apocalypse that was the main storyline of the block was caused by ''so many near-apocalypses on the same world'' that time, space and magic were unraveling. When a [[A God Am I\|planeswalker]] who sat out part of a previous interdimensional war returns to Dominaria, he tries to bring with him two continents that he had taken to another dimension with him. [[It Got Worse\|This doesn't help]]. * [[World Half Empty]]: Shadowmoor. It's the [[Mirror Universe]] of Lorwyn, and where that world represented a fairytale land, Shadowmoor represents the dark side of those tales. The fiery Flamekin have guttered into Cinders, the helpful Merfolk have become cruel pirates, and the tight-knit families of the Kithkin have become insular and xenophobic. Line 662 ⟶ 665: Rath, a plane created by Phyrexia to eventually be superimposed on Dominaria. The [[World Half Empty]] aspect was highlighted in ''Nemesis''. ** There's also an obscure factoid that one of [[Arabian Nights Days\|the 1001 Rabiahs]] is just as bad as Phyrexia. * [[World of Badass]]: Zendikar. See [[Everything Trying to Kill You]], above. Wimpy planeswalkers strongly advised to keep out. * [[World Sundering]]: ** Zendikar's [[Planet of Hats\|Hat]] is that of adventure, this is caused in large part by 'The Roil' which reshapes the landscape of even entire continents on a regular, though unpredictable basis. Making maps nigh useless, and permanent settlements few and far between. Line 674 ⟶ 677: * [[Wrench Wench]]: [http://magiccards.info/in/en/249.html Hanna] * [[Xanatos Roulette]]: Nicol Bolas' ploy to [[Sealed Evil in a Can\|free]] the [[Eldritch Abomination\|Eldrazi]] certainly counts. To release the Eldrazi, he required the presence of three different planeswalkers at the Eye of Ugin, as well as having one of them use [[Non-Elemental\|Ghostfire]] to trigger the failsafe mechanism. He could only be certain that his own minion (Vol) would be there, but to lure the other two, he combined elements of his own meticulous planning, as well as a simple stroke of luck. He even said so himself! {{quote\| '''Bolas:''' I didn't send you to ensure no one entered the Eye. I sent you to ensure they did. Do you think it a coincidence that two planeswalkers arrived there when they did?~~<br />~~ '''Vol:''' You sent me to fester? As a helpless proxy? You knew they would come?~~<br />~~ '''Bolas:''' I knew the girl would come. The other-[[Lampshade Hanging\|I had to play the odds]]. }} * [[Yin-Yang Bomb]]: ''Ravnica's'' [[Church Militant\|Boros Legion (red/white)]], [[Night of the Living Mooks\|Golgari Swarm (black/green)]], [[The Mafia\|Orzhov]] [[Our Ghosts Are Different\|Syndicate (white/black)]], [[Mad Scientist\|Izzet League (blue/red)]] and [[Genetic Engineering Is the New Nuke\|Simic Combine (green/blue)]]. Line 683 ⟶ 686: * [[Zombie Apocalypse]]: Grixis. Given that there are a good chunk of zombies on the plane, and everything is going to hell, it certainly fits the end trope. A bit more Romero in that the zombies aren't the source of the plane being messed up, but that magic is out of balance so that [[Black Magic]] overtakes everything and regrowth is no longer an option. [[Invoked]] in the ''Archenemy'' deck [https://web.archive.org/web/20100606090546/http://www.wizards.com/~~magic~~Magic/~~magazine~~Magazine/~~article~~Article.aspx?x=mtg~~/daily/arcana/464~~%2Fdaily%2Farcana%2F464 Bring About the Undead Apocalypse] ** [http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=262669 Zombie Apocalypse] is a card in ''Dark Ascension''. {{reflist}} [[Category:~~Flavor And Story Tropes~~{{TOPLEVELPAGE}}]] [[Category:~~Magic:~~Split ~~The~~Trope ~~Gathering~~Lists]]