Return to Tarkir: The art and craftsmanship of the MTG recall set

2014, Magic: The assembly Had an irrefutable hit. Khans von TarkirThe 65th expansion of the card game introduced the players to war in the war when five different clans fought for power and fame. In less than a year, a cosmic intervention by the traveler deformed the world of Tarkir completely and canonically extinguished what that is magic The players loved it the most – the clans.

In a decade and 39 other extensions, players are finally invited to the war aircraft magic'S last set, Tarkir: Dragonstorm. And according to members of magicThe Wizards of the Coast spent this 10 years of finding out how to recapture the lightning in a bottle that accidentally released it when Tarkir's original history played in 2014.

“It was not our intention to do this, but we landed by the way [Tarkir] Block went and destroyed the thing that the players loved the most ” Magic.

“We [originally] wanted to tell a time travel story, and when we came to Tarkir for the first time, the dragons [were] long dead, ”he continued.“ And we thought, [with Tarkir: Dragonstorm] we have [finally been able to] Find the basics for this astonishing third sentence on which the dragons are brought back by time travel, and that is what the players would be very enthusiastic about and celebrate. “

As opposed to magicThe current release structure, in 2014 the game created extensions in a so-called block-three successive and narratively linked sets, which told the story of a single world. As part of this structure, Khans von Tarkir Was the first sentence in a successive trilogy, which was known as a Khans block, which told the story of how Tarkir's past and future were rewritten, and replaced the once showing clans with the return of tyrannical dragons.

In retrospect, there are many defining properties in the entire Khans block. His second and third sentences, Fate reflection And Dragons from TarkirIt certainly led too much excitement for some players when they opened Booster Packs in search of epic new dragons that were not present in the first set of the block. But in the years since then it was Khans von Tarkir This seemed to stay the longest in the imagination and nostalgia of occasional and competitive players-especially thanks to the unique skills and identities of the now iconic clans such as Abusan, Sultai and Temur, which were defined by three color combinations that did not even have an official name before the set was released.

“They fell in love with Khans von Tarkir“Forsythe remembered.” And now we stuck with a world that was not the best version of what this world was. And we took a few years until we thought about this problem to find out how exactly we could solve this without returning. “

Although the persistent legacy of the set may have been unpredictable at that time, as Forsythe puts it, Tarkir's trajectory was not even as unique as magic Stories go.

“We were there for a while in a phase where we destroyed our worlds at the end of the blocks,” he said. “It turned out to be very unclear, since every world is a favorite and the players always hopes to return somewhere where they liked.”

With all the luggage behind them it is easy to see magicDesigned team. But Galavanting by Tarkir is far from returning to a once beloved world. In the more than 30-year history of the game, most of his worlds were revised at least once. And with every return to places such as Ravnica, Mirrodin, Eldraine, etc., the designers face new creative challenges that should keep the game fresh and at the same time recognize the expectations of the players to a certain place.

“Every return, they try to beat this balance between something that people are really familiar with. Tarkir: Dragonstorm Preview panel at Magiccon in February in Chicago. “The trick we have learned … Repeat the stuff that worked great and do new things to replace the stuff that it didn't do. And that is the recipe for a return.”

Although the recipe is happily easier according to Mark Rosewater, they simply sound the recipe. magicThe head designer, returning reports offer inherent links that would otherwise have to be made from scratch when designing a brand new world.

“If you make a brand new set and there are no rules, it is much more difficult because you have to find out what you do,” said Rosewater at the same press event. “One of the things about a return is, I have a lot of things I know. [In Tarkir: Dragonstorm] We make clans, we do dragons. That speaks a lot about a lot. A large part of the structure of the set is: How do we let clans and dragons get running? We have to solve this problem, but at least it is a defined, known problem. “

According to Forsythe, the time of a return sentence can also contribute to the ease or difficulty in executing the expectations of the players and the overall success of a set.

“Ten years are the kind of sweet spot how we can return somewhere and mostly perform how we did it the first time,” said Forsythe. “Ten years are like a generation of players, a generation of improved design work, and we can deliver a similar thematic sentence in a way that feels current and modern and meet the right nostalgia notes for people who were there for the first time.”

While the game designers have too much insight into the success of a set, including sales, playing mood and competition prices, magicThe world builders and storytellers also use these entries to inform the narrative direction, which serves as a backbone of an expansion.

Just like the cards in a return set are trying to create a fresh gameplay and a nostalgic experience for the most invested players, the experience experience must also scenade this needle. The retelling of the same stories does not open up a convincing backdrop magic Cards. For the world builders of the game, return set like Tarkir: Dragonstorm Offer a new way to modernize previous story decisions, if not.

“We definitely saw the possibility of a more modern version of Tarkir […] With a more experienced World Building team with a greater feeling for the effects of our creative decisions, ”said Doug Beyer, Creative Director for World Building on Magic. “We knew that there would be a revolutionary feeling Tarkir: DragonstormBecause part of the premise is to drop the Dragon Lord oppressors and a revival of these old clans. Of course, this pointed to a version of Tarkir, which was stronger in the identities of these clans. Not necessarily in every detail of the way the clans were before. “

Where before magic Stories may have used narrative devices to inform gameplay mechanics.

The result is a story that is told by gameplay and feels organic and richer. One of the most striking updates will see players among the old clans who see the treatment of zombies through the clever and decadent members of the Sultai brood.

“The undead within the Sultai have changed massively since the last time. The undead was nothing but servant in previous continuity. Now the undead have a much more revered role,” said Beyer. “Your bodies rotted, but you have identity, you have personalities, your rotting meat is patched with gold and jade.

“We have heard from consultants that rituals who worship the dead are actually an important part of a cultural practice for the inspiration cultures for the Sultai,” he added. “We still want the undead a large part of the Sultai who is part of their core identity that we do not want to lose. So what is a new way to present this […] And give them a fresh new uneven in the revised version of Tarkir? “

With the full Card image gallery for Tarkir: Dragonstorm Now the players can finally see the full selection of newly designed representations in Tarkir's well -known characters, clans and cultures. The full gaming experience of this set remains to be seen, although the expectations after the commercial success of the original Tarkir Block and the number of cards that have been defined.

Tarkir: Dragonstorm Officially, shops worldwide will be available on April 11th.