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"From the perilous domains of Phyrexia and Shiv to the splendor of Serra's Realm, Argoth, and Tolaria, he travels the planes seeking weapons to destroy the dark forces that stalk him. New magic discovered. New power revealed. Urza's Saga has begun."
Urza's Saga takes Magic players back 4,000 years into the history of Dominaria, long before the action depicted in Tempest, Stronghold, and Exodus, and into the heart of the struggle between the arcane brothers Urza and Mishra.
Each of the colors in Urza's Saga cards is tied to a distinct environment, and follows Urza in a journey of thousands of miles and several millennia, from the doomed forest of Argoth (green), to his refuge on the tiny isle of Tolaria (blue), into the blasted lava fields of Shiv (red), against the foul minions of damned Phyrexia (black), and to the magical realm of the planeswalker Serra (white). The 350 cards in the set represent the creatures, weapons, spells, events, and conditions encountered by the ageless wizard. Forgotten magicks, extinct races and beasts, and weird quasi-science predominate throughout the set.
Urza's Saga cards introduce several new rules and a few rules changes that can add some different spins to play. In addition, the set includes several creature enchantments that return to their owner's hand if the creature ends up in a graveyard. Examples include Diabolic Servitude (black) and Fiery Mantle (red).
New Rules
Cycling is an ability of some cards that allows a player to pay 2 mana, discard the card, and draw a new one. Five new non-basic lands, one in each color, come with this ability, which can allow them to be used if lands are needed or cycled to bring additional cards into a player's hand. Other cards with cycling include Lull (green) and Scrap (red).
Echo splits a creature's summoning cost between two turns, half the turn it comes into play and half during the following turn's upkeep. This can bring powerful cards into play much earlier than otherwise, but if the echo cost can't be paid the subsequent turn then the card must be sacrificed. Examples include Goblin Patrol (red) and Acridian (green).
"Sleeping" Enchantments begin as enchantments but "wake up" and become creatures when certain conditions are met. Examples include the Opal Gargoyle (white), an enchantment that becomes a 2/2 flying creature when an opponent casts a creature spell.
"Growing" Enchantments start out powerless but become stronger each turn they are in play. One fun example is Foul Requiem, an enchantment that acquires a "verse" counter each turn it is in play. If the enchantment sacrificed, one non-black creature can be destroyed for each verse counter on the card.
Changed Rules
Effect Duration is defined as permanent unless otherwise stated.
Trample has been changed to simplify its interactions with cards.
Urza's Saga cards are available in 75-card decks, 15-card booster packs, and in four very interesting, 60-card preconstructed decks. These are:
The Plague, a black-and-white deck that uses the power of Pestilence to decimate your opponent while leaving you unscathed.
Sleeper, an all-white deck that exploits the many sleeping enchantments in Urza's Saga, spells that will awaken and transform into powerful creatures.
Special Delivery, a red-and-green deck that makes effective use of cheap creatures with echo to deliver damage to your opponent early and often.
Tombstone,
a blue, black, and white reanimator deck that incorporates the new cycling
ability to get you the cards you need when you need them.
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