Mercadian Masques

Mercadian Masques is the eighteenth Magic expansion and was released in October 1999 as the first set in the Masques block. It is notable for being the first set not protected by Wizards of the Coast's "Reprint Policy".

Set details
Mercadian Masques featured 350 cards (110 commons, 110 uncommons, 110 rares, and 20 basic lands). Mercadian Masques's expansion symbol is a stylized mask to evoke the intrigues, deceptions, and double dealings involved with the Mercadia storyline. This was the first large expansion to use the new 6th Edition rules.

Marketing
Mercadian Masques was sold in 75-card tournament decks, 15-card boosters and four preconstructed theme decks. For the first time ever, basic lands were among the randomly inserted foil-finished premium cards in the booster packs, enabling an all-premium deck. The packs featured artwork from Squee, Goblin Nabob, Cateran Slaver and Saprazzan Legate. This was the first set to have an accompanying fat pack, consisting of three boosters, a tournament pack, two premium cards, the Top Deck Magazine Mercadian Masques pullout section and the Mercadian Masques novel. For the first time since a long time, there was no Official Guide. The prerelease card was a foil Overtaker.

While the set was in design (at the time codenamed "Archimedes"), the book department named the book Mercadian Masques. Mark Rosewater mentioned at the time that it wasn’t particularly a good name, but as the name was for the book and not the expansion he felt it wasn’t really an issue. But then a number of months later, the Magic brand team decided that the expansion and the book should have the same name.

Storyline
The Weatherlight's troubles continue as it crash-lands on a strange new plane. The ship is attacked by the Cho-Arrim, who steal the ship. Finally, soldiers from Mercadia City arrive to arrest the crew. Meanwhile, Orim, who was captured with the ship, learns more about her captors. The Cho-Arrim are spiritual people who suffer greatly under the greedy Mercadians. Their leader Cho-Manno explains that he took the Weatherlight's arrival as a sign prophesying the return of the sky god Ramos and the end of Mercadian rule. Orim slowly becomes sympathetic to the Cho-Arrim's situation and attracted to their leader.

Mercadians are an evasive, aloof people: the nobles are hedonistic, apathetic, and lazy, while the commoners are selfish, grasping, and paranoid. Mercadian goblins are much larger and smarter than any the crew has encountered before, and they actually seem to be running the city despite their servile attitudes. Furthermore, a guild of professional assassins, thieves and horrors called Caterans roams the back alleys of the marketplace, ready to terrorize or murder anyone for the right price. The Mercadian magistrate unexpectedly offers Gerrard an unusual deal. A platoon of soldiers and Cateran mercenaries will be placed under his command to recover the Weatherlight. If the mission is successful, Gerrard may petition for both the return of his ship and safe passage out of Mercadia for himself and his crew. In the ensuing battle, the violent Caterans slaughter the Cho-Arrim indiscriminately.

Back in Mercadia City, Takara brokers a new deal with the magistrate: the crew will repair the damaged Weatherlight and restore its flying mechanisms for him in exchange for their freedom. Sisay, Hanna and Orim will travel to Saprazzo, a rival trade city inhabited by enlightened merfolk with the ability to switch between fish tails and human legs at will. There they will secure an Eye of Ramos required to fix the ship, while Takara and the male members of the crew remain in captivity.

Eventually, Takara engineers the crew's escape. Gerrard's band discovers the ruins of an ancient Thran site, encounters a race of powerful dryads, and battles Henge Guardian.

Tournament impact
Mercadian Masques is not considered to be as high caliber as compared to the powerful sets of the Urza's block. Reportedly, the designers were extremely gun-shy following the runaway power of the previous block and dialed back the power a tad too much; the same phenomenon would take place between the latter-day Mirrodin and Kamigawa blocks. However, the set did produce some tournament-quality cards. Gush; Rishadan Port; Squee, Goblin Nabob</c>; Waterfront Bouncer</c>; Hunted Wumpus</c>; and Food Chain</c> have all seen various degrees of tournament play.

Keywords and mechanics
Unusually, Masques introduced no new keyword abilities to the game, although it did have several themes that were continued throughout its block. These included:
 * Rebels and Mercenaries: creatures able to search through their controller's library and "recruit" creatures of a specific type into play.
 * Spellshapers: creatures that had repeatable activated abilities that mimicked various classic spells, potentially turning otherwise useless cards into powerful effects. All of Masques's spellshapers required paying mana, tapping the creature and discarding a card to use their ability.
 * Masques also reintroduced instants and sorceries with alternative casting costs, such as Invigorate</c>. This mechanic had not been used since Visions.
 * Creatures with abilities usable by any player, such as Squallmonger</c> and Flailing Manticore</c>.

Designers were puzzled and frustrated by the question "Why didn't Masques have any new mechanics?" They pointed to the Rebel/Mercenary "recruitment" mechanic of Ramosian Lieutenant</c> and friends as one of several new mechanics in the set, but without a keyword, it was dismissed by many players. If it were printed for the first time today, "Recruit" would likely be an ability word, and it—along with "Gating" creatures such as Marsh Crocodile</c> and "Spiritcraft" creatures such as Teller of Tales</c>—became one of the strong arguments in favor of ability words.

Cycles
Mercadian Masques has fifteen cycles and 4 vertical cycles:

Reprinted cards
The following 21 cards have been reprinted from previous sets and included in Mercadian Masques:


 * Afterlife</c> was last seen in Mirage.
 * Brainstorm</c> was last seen in 5th Edition.
 * Counterspell</c> was last seen in 6th Edition. This would be the last expansion to print the staple card Counterspell.
 * Dark Ritual</c> was last seen in Urza's Saga. This would be the last expansion to print the staple card Dark Ritual, though it would be reprinted with its Ice Age art and expansion symbol in one of Coldsnap 's theme decks.
 * Deadly Insect</c> was last seen in Alliances.
 * Desert Twister</c> was last seen in 5th Edition.
 * Disenchant</c> was last seen in 6th Edition.  This wouldn't be seen in another expansion until Time Spiral (Eight years later).
 * <c>Energy Flux</c> was last seen in 5th Edition.
 * <c>False Demise</c> was last seen in Alliances.
 * <c>Giant Caterpillar</c> was last seen in Visions.
 * <c>Lure</c> was last seen in 6th Edition.
 * <c>Ogre Taskmaster</c> was last seen in Portal Second Age.
 * <c>Rain of Tears</c> was last seen in Tempest.
 * <c>Righteous Aura</c> was last seen in Visions.
 * <c>Squall</c> was last seen in Starter 1999.
 * <c>Stone Rain</c> was last seen in Portal Three Kingdoms.
 * <c>Timid Drake</c> was last seen in Weatherlight.
 * <c>Tranquility</c> was last seen in 6th Edition.
 * <c>Tremor</c> was last seen in 6th Edition.
 * <c>Venomous Breath</c> was last seen in Ice Age.
 * <c>Word of Blasting</c> was last seen in 5th Edition.

Functional reprints
Mercadian Masques has 18 functional reprints:


 * <c>Cloud Sprite</c> is a functional reprint of <c>Cloud Pirates</c> from Portal, save for creature type.
 * <c>Deathgazer</c> is a functional reprint of <c>Dread Specter</c> from Mirage, save for creature type.
 * <c>Drake Hatchling</c> is a functional reprint of <c>Azimaet Drake</c> from Mirage.
 * <c>Fresh Volunteers</c> is a functional reprint of <c>Knight Errant</c> from Starter 1999, save for creature type.
 * <c>Henge Guardian</c> is a functional reprint of <c>Igneous Golem</c> from Mirage.
 * <c>Henge of Ramos</c> is a functional reprint of <c>School of the Unseen</c> from Alliances.
 * <c>Highway Robber</c> is a functional reprint of <c>Dakmor Ghoul</c> from Starter 1999, save for creature type.
 * <c>Iron Lance</c> is a functional reprint of <c>Fyndhorn Bow</c> from Ice Age.
 * <c>Jhovall Rider</c> is a functional reprint of <c>Iron Tusk Elephant</c> from Mirage, save for creature type.
 * <c>Kyren Glider</c> is a functional reprint of <c>Goblin Glider</c> from Portal Second Age.
 * <c>Misshapen Fiend</c> is a functional reprint of <c>Dakmor Bat</c> from Portal Second Age and <c>Bog Imp</c> from Starter 1999, save for creature type.
 * <c>Rampart Crawler</c> is a functional reprint of <c>Bog Rats</c> from 6th Edition, save for creature type.
 * <c>Rishadan Airship</c> is a functional reprint of <c>Cloud Spirit</c> from Stronghold, save for creature type.
 * <c>Rushwood Dryad</c> is a functional reprint of <c>Lynx</c> from Starter 1999 and <c>Zodiac Monkey</c> from Portal Three Kingdoms, save for creature type.
 * <c>Skulking Fugitive</c> is a functional reprint of <c>Tar Pit Warrior</c> from Visions, save for creature type.
 * <c>Snorting Gahr</c> is a functional reprint of <c>Slashing Tiger</c> from Portal Three Kingdoms and <c>Razorclaw Bear</c> from Portal Second Age, save for creature type.
 * <c>Steadfast Guard</c> is a functional reprint of <c>Veteran Cavalier</c> from Starter 1999 and <c>Alaborn Grenadier</c> from Portal Second Age.
 * <c>Wild Jhovall</c> is a functional reprint of <c>Hill Giant</c> from Portal, <c>Tor Giant</c> from Ice Age, <c>Ogre Warrior</c> from Starter 1999 and <c>Barbarian Horde</c> from Portal Three Kingdoms, save for creature type.

Notable Cards

 * <c>Arrest</c> became a staple of many white Magic decks, either alongside <c>Pacifism</c> or in place of it, for its similar effect in disabling the creature it enchants from attacking or blocking, but going one step beyond Pacifism for an extra in its casting cost by disabling the creature from being able to employ its activated abilities. Since its release, players have more frequently used Arrest in Legacy and Vintage formats than its somewhat functional predecessor <c>Serra Bestiary</c>, which while costing  instead of Arrest's  has the drawback of having to pay  at the beginning of each upkeep or sacrificing it.
 * <c>Bribery</c> has been a popular choice in Legacy, Vintage, and Elder Dragon Highlander decks that emphasize taking control of opponents' creatures as a key deck component.
 * <c>Cateran Overlord</c> has the strongest "recruit" ability for mercenaries in the game, serving as one of the two pinnacle cards to emphasize the utility of the mechanic, which was principally used for rebels and mercenaries. It is currently able to search for every single other mercenary card in the game and put that card into play, since each other mercenary card has a converted mana cost of 6 or less. Cateran Overlord also has the highest combined power and toughness of any mercenary in the game, at 12. It partially serves as a mirrored pair to <c>Ramosian Sky Marshal</c> as each card searches for a creature of converted mana cost 6 or less of its "class" creature type, and as they are the only two cards in the game with this specific ability.
 * <c>Cho-Manno, Revolutionary</c> was the first creature card to have the static ability "Prevent all damage that would be dealt to (this creature)" [from any source]. Some previous creature cards, such as <c>Uncle Istvan</c>, have a similar static ability, "Prevent all damage that would be dealt to (this creature) by creatures," although Cho-Manno, Revolutionary's ability differs in that it also prevents damage to Cho-Manno from non-creature permanents, instants, and sorceries.
 * <c>Collective Unconscious</c> has been used in many aggro decks to augment card advantage.
 * <c>Diplomatic Immunity</c> is widely considered to be one of the most effective means in the game of granting a single creature shroud. It shares the distinction with <c>Fountain Watch</c> of being the first cards to give shroud to enchantments at all.
 * <c>Fountain Watch</c> was the first card to give all of a player's artifacts shroud without also doing so for opponents' artifacts, and it was the first card to give all of a player's enchantments shroud without also doing so for opponents' enchantments. It was also the first card to give shroud to multiple enchantments at once, and it shares the distinction with <c>Diplomatic Immunity</c> of being the first cards to give shroud to enchantments at all. While two precedent cards, <c>Spectral Guardian</c> and <c>Hanna's Custody</c>, were similar in that the former, (from the Mirage expansion), gave shroud to all noncreature artifacts and the latter, (from the Tempest expansion), gave shroud to all artifacts, both of these cards had the functional drawback of also granting shroud to opponents' artifacts. Fountain Watch remains the only card in the game with a static ability that specifically gives shroud to all artifacts and enchantments its controller controls.
 * <c>Ivory Mask</c> was the first card to give players the ability to grant themselves shroud. As the shroud ability was not keyworded until May 2007 with the release of Future Sight, and as Mercadian Masques was released almost eight years earlier in October 1999, the original printing of Ivory Mask says "You can't be the target of spells or abilities." Ivory Mask remained the only card that enabled players to grant themselves shroud for almost three years, until the printing of <c>Solitary Confinement</c> in the Judgment expansion in May 2002.
 * <c>Magistrate's Scepter</c> has been used in various combo decks since it utilizes the acquisition of charge counters to enable its controller to take an extra turn, and since numerous cards, especially from the two Mirrodin blocks, combo well with Magistrate's Scepter, even in some cases enabling the player to take infinite turns. Notable cards that combo well with Magistrate's Scepter are <c>Energy Chamber</c> and <c>Coretapper</c> from the first Mirrodin block, <c>Doubling Season</c> from the Ravnica: City of Guilds expansion, and cards with the proliferate ability from the Scars of Mirrodin block.
 * <c>Misdirection</c> has seen use in Legacy, Vintage, and Elder Dragon Highlander for its enabling its controller to cast the significant effect of changing the target of a target spell with a single target without having to pay Misdirection's mana cost. Misdirection's functional mechanics are quite similar to those of the very popular <c>Force of Will</c>, as they are both instants that have casting costs of, both enable a blue card to be exiled from its controller's hand rather than playing the casting cost, and both serve to defeat the intentions of what an opponent had intended by casting a target spell.
 * <c>Ramosian Sky Marshal</c> has the strongest "recruit" ability for rebels in the game, serving as one of the two pinnacle cards to emphasize the utility of the mechanic, which was principally used for rebels and mercenaries. It is currently able to search for every single other rebel card in the game and put that card into play, since each other rebel card has a converted mana cost of 6 or less. It partially serves as a mirrored pair to <c>Cateran Overlord</c> as each card searches for a creature of converted mana cost 6 or less of its "class" creature type, and as they are the only two cards in the game with this specific ability.
 * <c>Rishadan Port</c> saw very frequent use in aggro deck, control deck, and/or combo deck configurations at the time of its release for its ability to prevent opponents from having access to certain key land cards. It continues to be a rather popular addition to these deck types in Legacy and Vintage. The card's prominence in the gameplay of its era was highlighted by the fact that three of the four decks included as part of the World Championship Decks 2000 set, which was based on decks used in the World Championship series that took place August 2000 in Brussels, Belgium, each contained four copies of Rishadan Port.
 * <c>Security Detail</c> continues to be regarded by many players as one of the least effective enchantments ever printed, due not only to the extremely limited circumstances in which its sole ability would be able to be activated, but also because of that ability's effect once the conditions to activate the ability have been achieved. After it has been cast for the casting cost of, Security Detail has no static or triggered abilities and has a single activated ability in which, for , and only if its controller controls no creatures, the card enables its controller to put a 1/1 white soldier creature token into play. If that creature token is somehow destroyed, sacrificed, phased out, or exiled in the turn in which it comes into play, and the player no longer has any creatures, Security Detail cannot generate another 1/1 soldier token that turn because it additionally has the restriction that the activated ability may be played only once each turn.
 * <c>Soothsaying</c> is the only card in the game that, by itself and without having to be casted again or its ability duplicated or made playable again by another card, enables a library to be shuffled multiple times in one turn without this being the result of another effect or necessitating another effect.
 * <c>Squee, Goblin Nabob</c> saw much use when the Masques block was part of Standard and Extended with decks that require creature sacrifices to function to the player's intent, as Squee's static ability enables his owner to return him from the graveyard to his owner's hand at the beginning of that player's upkeep.
 * <c>Story Circle</c> has been included in many decks by players who desire versatility in their ability to protect themselves from damage from colored sources.
 * <c>Waterfront Bouncer</c> was included in many Standard and Extended decks when the Masques block was applicable to these formats due to the card's potential for creature removal and, in some ways, augmenting card advantage. The Grand Creature Type Update in September 2007 that occurred in conjunction with the Lorwyn expansion's release in October 2007 has caused some minor controversy with regards to Waterfront Bouncer, as the card's printed creature type of spellshaper, which became regarded as its "class" type for the purpose of creature types, was then modified to also include the "race" creature type of merfolk, while the art for Waterfront Bouncer depicts a humanoid with legs, and not fins or a tail. As of the Oracle update in January 2008 that took place in anticipation of the release of the Morningtide expansion in February 2008, which was an update that revised 90 creatures' creature types following the Grand Creature Type Update's 1197 revisions, Waterfront Bouncer is still regarded as a merfolk as befit the Saprazzan merfolk, who were able to bisect their fins to function as legs.

Creature types
The following creature types are introduced in this expansion: Mercenary, Monger, Rebel, Spellshaper.

The following creature types are used in this expansion but also appear in previous sets: Beast, Cat, Cleric, Djinn, Dragon, Drake, Druid, Dryad, Elemental, Faerie, Fish, Giant, Goblin, Griffin, Horror, Hound, Illusion, Insect, Lord (later changed to Human), Lizard, Manticore, Merfolk, Minion, Monster, Ogre, Pirate, Shade, Ship (later changed to Goblin and Merfolk), Snake, Soldier, Spirit, Townsfolk (later changed to Human), Troll, Wall, Wolf, Wolverine, Zombie.

Theme decks
Each of the Mercadian Masques theme decks has at least one spellshaper, a theme of the set. The pre-constructed theme decks are: