SO, I BREWED A WHOLE MTG SET | ZENDIKAR BESIEGED BLOCK | Part 1

A SEGWAY INTO MAGIC, RATHER THAN SCIENCE-FICTION

As of mid-2023, Zendikar has once again been invaded, this time by the machines and Elesh Norn in March of the Machines. Though I ain't as excited about any of the new sets since Kaldheim, yk because I have barely any money for selected cards, and none for boosters and expansions. But it was cool see one of my favorite planes featured in one of the cards of MOM.

When I was introduced to Magic: the Gathering in early 2019, we had just left War of the Spark and Guilds of Ravnica, so I have quite an emotional affinity with the plane of Ravnica, getting and playing with a simple Golgari zombies standard deck for a while because it was the colors my dad used to play with in the 90s and early 2000s. But I have since moved on from Golgari and into Gruul, that's when I started playing Commander circa 2021, with now a landfall deck, I figured over time that the plane of Zendikar and its expansions had many interesting things to offer, from my own landfall needs and plenty of Eldrazi for my cousin. I have now as of 2023 moved away from landfall (I still have that deck), venturing into the Jund shards with a bit of a cheap but scary commander, but nevertheless, the planes of Dominaria, Ravnica, and Zendikar have so far been my favorites, both for cards and land arts.

During that period of development, I tried joining some magic communities, making and losing friends along the way, and learning more about the game and its history. Though I must admit, I never read any of the books or comics about the original planes of the MTG multiverse, so here is where my experience diverges from some of you.

What I know from the lore of magic, comes in the form of a few promotional pamphlets, mtg story cards, their flavors, and of course the wiki. And it does surprise me that apparently, the original invasion of Zendikar by the Eldrazi has been left, nebulous and mysterious (I bet that is kind of the point), an ancient menace once imprisoned in the hedrons, now set free to consume the whole plane. Well, I'm now part of the Staff over that discord server, and I brew cards for fun as we usually do... Why not tackle that, with my own janky set with janky lore?

If you like what you're about to see, I invite you to our server, where we will be hosting a Modern game session with cards from this set over the weekend, days 2, 3, and 4 of June.

"May The Storm Begin!"

So we open Zendikar Besieged with the words of command of Iryzek, World Breaker. It brings the resurgence of mechanics like Landfall, Trap, and Intimidate, and the creature type Ally, borrowing many card effects, keywords, and strategies from the sets 'Battle for Zendikar', 'Zendikar Rising' and 'Rise of the Eldrazi'. But the heart of Zendikar Besieged lies in two aspects, Tribal Eldrazi spells, and the new mechanic Rift.

Rift (For each generic mana in this spell’s total cost, you may tap an untapped Eldrazi you control rather than pay that mana.)

So rift does drink in the same pool as Convoke and Improvise, it could be summed up as an Eldrazi convoke, big creatures and spells cheated for little to no mana for as long as you have many Eldrazi Scions.

We've decided to give it ward 2, for story flavor

Spells with rift are often colorless, although black, green or blue with devoid are also present, never appearing in red or white. There are quite a few multicolored cards in this set, and some cards even care if you rifted a spell to trigger abilities. The overall theme of Zendikar Besieged is to explore the precise time period when the Eldrazi first invaded Zendikar, as in previous real Zendikar expansions this is told as having happened in the deep past already. A time long before the hedrons were made and the Oath of the Gatewatch was formed. Engaging with the desperate struggle by the side of new ancient planeswalkers against the relentless onslaught of the Eldrazi titans as they threaten to consume the very fabric of the plane.

a demonstration of what creatures with rift are like

To better explore the rift mechanic and the storyline, the set includes new 162 cards (might sound small, but 150-ish per 300 cards in a set are reprints), with many Eldrazi creatures for the colors that have rift, while red and white focuses on countering the Eldrazi and creating either a strong defensive line or advancing against Eldrazi players, while also including some notable cards from my usual janky-ass brewing.

I have two planned expansions, which will receive the attention on cycles and set-building and balancing that the main one didn't get. After playtesting, I will post a follow-up post with highlights to broken, overplayed or underplayed cards from this set.

LAND CYCLES

SANCTUMS & NEXUS

Sanctums were sacred places either under siege or already corrupted by the shimmers of the Eldrazi invasion, its mana being partially shifted into colorless. In-game, they enter tapped and offer colored or colorless mana, however, each sanctum provides a color-flavored effect for (4). Each color but blue and colorless has a sanctum, having eldrazi nexuses instead, and black and green are eldrazi allies.

SKYCLAVE CYCLE

Zendikar's roils are very unstable, the constant and regular shifts in the landscape make it near impossible to build permanent settlements on the surface, societies however found out that buildin up floating islands (or mountains) were the better alternative, thus were born the Skyclaves. To represent Zendikar's resistance against the Eldrazi invasion and the fortress status of the Skyclaves, these fast lands enter the battlefield tapped unless you sacrifice a colorless non-land permanent, preferably an eldrazi or artifact, as if you were fighting them off your field. Perhaps a little too oppressive for players who do not play a lot of colorless permanents in their deck or do not make them, maybe a little more viable in commander.

RUINS CYCLE

There are mentions to ancient ruins present across Zendikar as of 'Rise of the Eldrazi', ruins many wrongly believe were built by them. But since we are at the time of the first invasion, let's tackle the ruins! As the carnage against the Eldrazi rages on, many roils and places were brought down to crumbles, but that doesn't have to be a bad thing at all. In Zendikar Besieged, you can call for a Ruin and its features at the cost of no-land ramp for that turn.

MISC UTILITY LANDS

Zendikar Besieged also includes some mixed utility lands for colors other than blue and green.

NAMESAKE OF THE SET

I feel this set wouldn't be complete without a namesake card, and what better for a Land-focused plane than a namesake legendary land? For non-eldrazi combat it just buffs your basic lands (or better yet, roils), and it offers intense combat interactions against Eldrazi.

OTHER LEGENDARIES

Unfortunately, ZBS lacks a lot of legendary creatures or planeswalkers, as many figures that appear in the future Zendikar blocks weren't around or born yet. Instead I have brought six new legendaries, two creatures (Iryzek and Erevan) and four planeswalkers.

STORYLINE

In the last few years, several mana sources across the roils of Zendikar have been depleted of their energy by a mysterious shimmer. Over the course of months, the shimmers expanded draining the mana and life energy of creatures and landscapes alike, until finally bursting open with interplanar rifts, the Eldrazi have chosen Zendikar as their prime target. At first, the rifts brought small crawling and flying eldritch beasts, which devoured and conquered vast territories around the shimmer, when they started attacking the aerial Skyclaves was when the Eldrazi became not only a problem of the druids and vampires down on the surface. When the Eldrazi drones started bringing the shimmers to the Dimir Skyclave, bringing it down with the rifting of a giant Eldrazi, the Makindi Empire realized the true threat of the extraplanar invaders, but it would seem too late for an effective reaction.

After the Dimir Skyclave fell, and its mana source devoured, the eldrazi drones and scions all across Zendikar started creating more focal points of the shimmer, from where larger rifts would form, allowing flying skimmers and larger more deadly eldritch monstrosities to enter the plane, coming from the Blind Eternities.

EREVAN'S JOURNEY

Over the course of the Great Rift Storm, one notable wizard, Erevan Reth traveled non-stop across the plane to study the shimmers and find a way to use them against the Eldrazi, helping whoever stood in his way and did not have any tendrils. He stood upon the precipice of Akoum, his eyes fixed upon the swirling maelstrom of the Blind Eternities. With an arched brow and a sinister smile, he gazed into the chaotic abyss, a realm of raw potential and untamed energy. As Erevan prepared his arcane rituals, his eyes burned with a newfound intensity. He envisioned a future where he would not only fight against the Eldrazi but dominate them, turning their own otherworldly might against them, and the tapping of the Eternities always gave him visions of immense and unspoken horrors. Yet, he was undeterred, driven by an unyielding desire to free Zendikar, his home, from the clutches of the Eldrazi.

Erevan used his mastery of magic to try and sustain the rifts Eldrazi used to invade Zendikar, using them to access other roils and warn its inhabitants of the new menace. He eventually learned to open the rifts himself to draw upon the chaotic energy, augmenting his spells and wielding the eldritch forces against the Eldrazi horde.

But Erevan was only one, trying to organize a plane-wide resistance was nearly impossible with so much to risk and so many enemy nations and clans. And with the shimmers converging back in the roil of Akoum, it became even harder to convince the people that the Eldrazi menace had not been defeated yet.

The Eldrazi united to enchant a single gargantuan shimmer, which opened the rift that brought the horror self-introduced as Iryzek, World Breaker, pronouncing his thundering command "May the Storm Begin!".

Iryzek demonstrated itself to be a formidable foe and general to all forces that charged against the Eldrazi, the gargantuan tripod seemed almost omniscient of every move against it, rifting skimmers and scions around it like flies fly around a camel. It alone devastated huge areas of the roils across Zendikar, recklessly throwing his own brood against battalions of the conclave and fleets of kor like a giant beat stick, disappearing as fast as it appeared the first time. And wherever there was enough eldrazi losing a battle, Iryzek emerged to turn the tide in their favor.

During one fateful battle against Iryzek, as the Eldrazi unleashed their unholy might upon Zendikar, Erevan's connection to the Blind Eternities surged to unprecedented heights. A surge of raw energy coursed through him, threatening to consume him, yet he embraced it, his essence merging with the boundless planeswalker spark that had lain dormant within him.

In that moment, Erevan ascended, transcending the boundaries of Zendikar. He became a planeswalker, a being capable of traversing the vast planes of existence. With newfound power coursing through his veins, he emerged from the chaos, his form radiating with arcane energy. However that surge seemed to have banned him from Zendikar forever, Iryzek had banished the only one who had learned of its plans into the uncharted realms of Alara.

Despair and desperation consumed Everan, his once keen eyes now burned by the searing glimpses into the blind eternities. Through tear-filled eyes, he watched as Iryzek, his greatest adversary, shrunk to insignificance amidst the swirling mists. But then, a revelation struck like lightning in his mind. "No! It can't be true! THEY ARE THREE MORE!" Everan's anguished cry echoed through the empty void. The realization hit him like a thunderclap—the World Breaker, Iryzek, was merely a pawn, a servant to the unfathomable power of the three Eldrazi titans.

At that moment, his despair transformed into a fervent resolve. The fate of Zendikar now intertwined with the destiny of countless worlds. Everan Reth, with renewed determination burning within him, vowed to find a way back, to rally the forces of good and defy the unthinkable might of the three Eldrazi titans.

THE ELDRAZI CONVERGENCE

Meanwhile, the Makindi Empire forces rallied under the banner of resilience and unwavering determination. Led by the skilled planeswalkers, Iwyss and Nyxara, they embarked on a perilous quest to confront and defeat Iryzek, the imposing World Breaker, who threatened to bring Zendikar to its knees. With Iwyss's ability to commune with the wild and summon mighty beasts, and Nyxara's mastery of deceit and manipulation, they formed an unlikely but formidable alliance.

The battle against Iryzek was fierce and unforgiving. Iwyss's summoned beasts tore through the Eldrazi minions, rending them limb from limb, while Nyxara employed her cunning tactics, weaving illusions and traps to ensnare the enemy. The Makindi Empire forces fought with unparalleled valor, their collective will focused on one goal — to entomb Iryzek and halt the Eldrazi invasion.

Iwyss called upon the very essence of Zendikar itself. The land responded, its ancient power surging through her, charging her final strike. Evoking the aura of a Craterhoof and with a thunderous roar, she delivered a devastating blow, causing Iryzek to stagger and finally crumble.

But even as Iryzek crumbled and the Makindi Empire forces rejoiced, a strange unease washed over them. The victory tasted bittersweet. Whispers lingered in the air, faint echoes of the Eldrazi's warnings. The shimmers of doubt and uncertainty danced at the edge of their perception. Though Iryzek had been defeated and entombed deep within the roiling depths of Zendikar, a lingering question gnawed at their souls. Something was not right. The lingering shadows of the Eldrazi's cryptic words haunted their thoughts, casting doubt on the true nature of the threat they faced.

Years stretched across Zendikar as Iwyss and Nyxara traversed its treacherous landscapes, battling relentlessly against the seemingly endless hordes of Eldrazi drones. Their efforts, valiant as they were, felt futile against the overwhelming numbers and spread of the Eldrazi corruption.

In the midst of their ongoing struggle, two formidable planeswalkers, Nahiri and Sorin Markov, arrived upon Zendikar, each with their own motivations and hidden agendas. However, as Iwyss and Nyxara shared the harrowing tale of Zendikar's plight, the urgency of the situation compelled Nahiri and Sorin to set aside their differences and join forces in an alliance.

But the immense power wielded by Nahiri and Sorin acted as a beacon, drawing the attention of all three Eldrazi titans simultaneously. The unthinkable had occurred — their combined presence had provoked the full might of the ancient horrors that sought to devour Zendikar.

With the stakes at their highest, Iwyss, Nyxara, Nahiri, and Sorin realized they needed assistance beyond their own capabilities. They turned to the elder spirit dragon, Ugin, a being of immense wisdom and understanding. Ugin's arrival heralded a glimmer of hope, as his ancient knowledge of the Eldrazi offered a new path forward.

Together, Ugin, Nahiri, and Sorin devised a daring plan to deceive the Eldrazi Titans. They harnessed the inherent nature of the blind eternities, weaving a complex illusion that would entice the Titans to fully traverse into Zendikar, where their physical forms could be fought. This convergence would be the key to their entrapment. Nahiri, the Lithomancer, crafted the Hedrons, powerful artifacts capable of trapping the Titans and their minions. As the Eldrazi titans fully manifested within Zendikar, their hunger for the plane intensified, blinding them to the trap that awaited them.

The conflict raged on, a cataclysmic clash between the combined might of Ugin, Nahiri, Sorin, and the Eldrazi titans. The land trembled, the sky cracked, and the very fabric of Zendikar strained under the weight of the battle. Yet, the planeswalkers fought on, their determination unwavering. The Eldrazi titans, lured by the bait, unknowingly walked into the waiting jaws of Nahiri's Hedrons. The very essence of the Titans was bound within the unyielding stone, their minions stripped of their purpose and left powerless.

The Eldrazi threat was far from extinguished. The Titans may have been ensnared, but the insidious tendrils of their presence remained, and the struggle to cleanse Zendikar from their influence was far from over, and eras would pass before the Eldrazi menace would be again, freed.

- M.O. Valent, 31/05/2023
- M.O. Valent, edited 02/06/2023