Eventide

Eventide is the forty-sixth Magic: The Gathering expansion and was released July 25, 2008, as the second set, of two, in the Shadowmoor block. Prerelease Events were held July 12–13, 2008. Release events were held July 26–27, 2008.

Set details
Eventide contains 180 cards (60 rare, 60 uncommon, and 60 commons). Its expansion symbol is a reflection of the expansion symbol from Morningtide. It suggests a mostly eclipsed sun. Eventide continues with setting and themes already established in Shadowmoor except that the hybrid spells used in this set are enemy-colored as opposed to Shadowmoor's ally-colored. A large quantity of Mega Cycles are embedded in the two sets, with ten cards total, five allied-colored in Shadowmoor and five enemy-colored in Eventide. Eventide added the new creature type "Noggle" to the list. The set was accompanied by the novel of the same name, written by Cory J. Herndon and Scott McGough.

Flavor and storyline
As the gloom deepens over the world of Shadowmoor, the plane's eerie transformation is complete. Selkies, duergar, hobgoblins, and other creatures from the macabre fringes of folklore thrive in the permanent night. Their mix of mischief and malice drives the wholesome elves and the xenophobic kithkin back into their strongholds, opening the door for sinister forces to reign.

Marketing
Eventide was sold in 16-card boosters, four preconstructed theme decks and a fat pack. It was the last set that supplied a Pro Tour Player Card with the decks and the fat pack. The booster packs featured artwork from Archon of Justice, Cold-Eyed Selkie and Overbeing of Myth. The promotional prerelease card for Eventide was a foil Overbeing of Myth with alternate art, a card that emphasizes hybrid mana. The release card was Figure of Destiny.

Like Shadowmoor boosters before them, boosters of Eventide come with a bonus sixteenth card that is either a "rules card" or a creature token from Eventide. One face of the Eventide bonus card has one of eight different rules tips or is one of 9 different creature tokens. The other face has one of 12 advertisements for organized play programs, the Eventide novel, From the Vault: Dragons, Gleemax, fat packs and Shards of Alara.

Tips & Tricks
The tips & tricks cards are
 * Rules Tip: Retrace
 * Rules Tip: Hybrid mana Symbols
 * Rules Tip: Chroma
 * Rules Tip: is the Untap Symbol
 * Rules Tip: Persist
 * Rules Tip: Wither
 * Rules Tip: +1/+1 and -1/-1 counters
 * Fun Format: Two-Headed Giant

Tokens
The Eventide tokens are:
 * 1)  0/1 Goat produced by Springjack Pasture and Springjack Shepherd
 * 2)  1/1 Bird with flying produced by Fable of Wolf and Owl
 * 3)  3/3 Beast produced by Savage Conception</c>
 * 4)  1/1 Spirit with flying produced by Beckon Apparition</c>
 * 5)  5/5 Elemental with flying produced by Call the Skybreaker</c>
 * 6)  1/1 Worm produced by Creakwood Liege</c> and Worm Harvest</c>
 * 7)  1/1 Goblin Soldier produced by Rise of the Hobgoblins</c>

"Kithkin Soldier" produced by Cenn's Enlistment</c>, Gwyllion Hedge-Mage</c>, Patrol Signaler</c> and "Wolf" produced by Fable of Wolf and Owl</c> have been reprinted from Shadowmoor with their original art and expansion symbol.

Mechanics
Mechanically, Eventide continues what Shadowmoor began with the reuse of the heavy use of -1/-1 counters, Wither, Persist and the untap symbol.

Further, Eventide introduce the following keywords:
 * Chroma — an ability word associated with abilities that count mana symbols of a certain color.
 * Retrace — a keyword meaning "You may play this card from your graveyard by discarding a land card in addition to paying its other costs."

Different colors would count mana symbols in different areas of the game; in play, in hand, and in the graveyard. The zones were divvied up between the five colors. Green was given the hand because of Phosphorescent Feast and because it has had a few high-profile cards that count things in the hand (mainly cards in hand—cough, Maro, cough). The second color chosen for the hand was blue because it felt the most natural to be hand focused. Black was assigned the graveyard as no other color made sense. This left white and red to care about mana symbols in play.

Cycles
Eventide has 15 cycles. Seven of them are part of Shadowmoor block mega cycles. The remaining eight are:

Mega Cycles
Eventide has seven mega cycles as part of the Shadowmoor block mega cycles. The enemy colored set in Eventide are:

Reprinted cards

 * Phosphorescent Feast</c> was last seen in Future Sight as a futureshifted card. It is a chroma type card before the chroma word was introduced.

Notable Cards

 * Bloom Tender</c> a 1/1 elf for  which can potentially tap for.
 * Figure of Destiny</c> Saw plenty of competitive play as a 2/2 that could attack on turn 2 and grow beyond that. Also become the inspiration for the Level up mechanic.
 * Gilder Bairn</c> One of the cards that can double the counters on a permanent.
 * Glen Elendra Archmage</c> A strong control card which is both a threat and a means to stop opposing spells.
 * Helix Pinnacle</c> An alternate-win card.
 * <c>Nettle Sentinel</c> Rather than being used for it's cheap aggressive body, this creature was abused with <c>Heritage Druid</c> as a mana combo. Two Sentinels and Druid ensured that every elf played could become another three green mana to play more elves. Especially in conjunction with <c>Glimpse of Nature</c>, this could lead to a very explosive start and potentially turn two kills.
 * <c>Sanity Grinding</c> A very potent Chroma spell which saw constructed play with the blue Demigods which the deck played four of each. Since each of these creatures had five blue mana symbols in its casting cost, it would be possible to mill up to 50 cards with a single use of this card.
 * <c>Stigma Lasher</c> A single strike of this card would permanently shut down any and all lifegain effects for an opponent for the rest of the game.
 * <c>Stillmoon Cavalier</c> A card that references the Pump-Knights of Ice Age and the follow up Jump-Knights in Coldsnap is also notable for its unusual Protection ability which grants protection from two colors that are enemies of each other, and protection from both if its own colors.

Preconstructed decks
Eventide features five two-colored, enemy-colored theme decks.