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Magic: The Gathering: Shadowmoor Set Review

Reviewed by on May 21, 2008
Rating: 4 Star Rating

Something freaky is on the loose and it’s bringing a bunch of new powers to the Magic card game. Get the 411 on the new set with our card game review.

Something turned down the lights and turned up the goth in the new Shadowmoor set for the Magic the Gathering card game of dueling wizards. The Aurora has made things all spooky in Lorwyn and a bunch of twisted new powers have popped up. This new set lets you unleash cards with abilities like Wither, Persist, Conspire and even cards that activate powers by untapping! Plus, this set is heavy on teamwork and combining cards to build awesome decks. Get the scoop with our Magic: The Gathering card game review.

Meet the New Neighbors

This 301-card set is really packed with new stuff. It's full of the freaky-eyed kithkin, giants, elves, elementals and more from Lorwyn, but it's the new powers that'll really shock you. Here's the 411 on what's new.

  • Wither - Turn a creature's damage into -1/-1 counters. Ouch!
  • Conspire - Tap two creatures as you play a card to clone the effect.
  • Persist - Creatures with this come back from the dead once with a -1/-1 counter on.
  • Teamwork - Tons of cards in this set power-up when they're around cards or spells of matching colors.
  • Hybrid - Split mana costs let you pay for cards with either color, or even with colorless mana!
  • Untap - The new untap symbol lets you untap your cards to activate certain abilities.

Theme Deck Rampage!

If you're new to the game, Theme Decks are ready-to-play decks that'll get you started in a snap. They come with 60 cards in a box plus strategy tips and there are five in Shadowmoor. Here's the scoop on each deck and click the name for a full review.

  • Army of Entropy - Blow stuff up and destroy the rest!
  • Aura Mastery - Control auras and control the duel.
  • Mortal Coil - Bring your creatures back from the grave over and over.
  • Overkill - Build up your forces and unleash massive destruction!
  • Turnabout - Tap, untap and swarm your opponent with elves.

Gothic Faeries FTW?

The dark and gloomy new Shadowmoor set is a real explosion of new cards and abilities to play with. Lots of cards, like the sweet Demigod of Revenge and low-cost 7/7 Deep-Slumber Titan, are a blast. Wither is savage too, really changing the way battles work. Persist is cool too, but these two powers use a lot of counters so you can lose track of what's going on easily! Conspire and the teamwork abilities really add strategy to playing and designing decks. This set is very cool and fantastic for players with mad skills, but all the new powers can overload new players, especially if you have to keep track of dozens of counters!

Set Rating: 4

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