Shadows over Innistrad

Shadows over Innistrad is the 70th Magic expansion, and the first in the Shadows over Innistrad block. It was released on April 8, 2016, and is a large expansion.

Set details
Unravel the Madness Shadows over Innistrad returns to the gothic horror themed plane of Innistrad, emphasising a sense of mystery and creeping dread. The expansion symbol of the set is an upside down reflection of Avacyn's symbol. The set features the same tribal components as the Innistrad block with the five main tribes each being split over an allied color pair. Spirits primarily in white and blue, Zombies in blue and black, Vampires in black and red, Werewolves in red and green, and Humans primarily in green and white. For the mechanics, R&D made a conscious decision to return more to Innistrad the set than Innistrad the block.

Shadows over Innistrad contains 297 cards (15 basic lands, 105 commons, 100 uncommons, 59 rares, 18 mythic rares), including randomly inserted premium versions of all cards in the set. This is about 25 cards more than other large expansions in recent history. This is because Shadows over Innistrad also sees the return of double-faced cards which have a card frame printed on each side. Two different checklist cards may be used to prevent decks from becoming marked by containing them. These checklist cards replace the basic land in some boosters. Additionally, the design team embraced the idea of having a "double-faced cards matter" theme. The as-fan of the double-faced cards is about 1.125, meaning you always get at least one and sometimes get two. A normal pack contains a common or uncommon double-faced card. Approximately one in every eight packs also contains a rare or mythic double-faced card in addition to a normal rare or mythic rare (the rare or mythic rare double-faced card replaces a common). These packs will have two double-faced cards, the common/uncommon and the rare/mythic rare.

Storyline
Innistrad is a world beset by terrible evils on all sides and betrayed by the hope it held most dear. Avacyn has finally returned, but what new evils have come with her? Madness is plaguing the inhabitants. Terror falls from the skies on blood-spattered wings and nameless horrors lurk in the shadows. Odd things are afoot: the forces that had protected the humans have been twisted into something dark and strange. Jace Beleren of the Gatewatch investigates its dark mysteries. Meanwhile, Sorin is in search of the whereabouts of Nahiri.

The cards that represent the pivotal moments in the storyline are: Descend Upon the Sinful, Declaration in Stone, Epiphany at the Drownyard, Avacyn's Judgment, Anguished Unmaking

Tamiyo's Journal puzzle
In the spoiler season, people noticed that the quotes from Tamiyo's Journal on the clue tokens differed for each language. This was eventually discovered to point to a code that produced a secret message. To find the message, write down the number of words in the flavor text of each of the six clue tokens. Then, look at the entry number in the flavor text of Tamiyo's Journal. Find the clue whose flavor text has a number of words equal to the first digit of the entry number. On that clue, find the word whose position in the flavor text corresponds to the second digit of the entry number. The third digit indicates where that word is positioned in the secret message. If you repeat this for each other language you get a word from each language and a position in the secret message (English and German have the same word in the same position). After you arrange the words in order, the secret message is: “Remember this they came as three”, referencing Ugin's insight and hinting at the presence of the surviving Eldrazi Emrakul.

Marketing
Shadows over Innistrad is sold in 16-card boosters (one card being a marketing card), five intro packs, one fat pack, a Deck Builder's Toolkit, Booster Battle Packs and a Gift Box. The boosters feature artwork from Falkenrath Gorger, Arlinn, Embraced by the Moon</c>, Avacyn, the Purifier</c>, Sorin, Grim Nemesis</c> and Jace, Unraveler of Secrets</c>. Due to the Two-Block Paradigm, the Deck Builder's Toolkit is the first of its kind to be released with an expansion instead of a core set. The Gift Box is the first of its kind to be released with a spring set.

Part of the marketing campaign for Shadows over Innistrad is the publication of The Hanweir Chronicle, an Innistrad newspaper providing clues for the storyline. On March 5–6, Wizards of the Coast hosted “escape rooms” in the form of Markov Manor, Thraben Cathedral and a Stitcher's Lab at various Grand Prix events around the world, while the online audience solved a variety of puzzles to unlock cards from the set.

Prerelease
Prerelease Events took place on April 2–3, 2016.

Promotional Cards

 * Prerelease: a stamped card that can be any rare or mythic rare from the set.
 * Launch promo: Angel of Deliverance</c>
 * Game Day: full-art Incorrigible Youths</c>
 * Game Day (Top 8): full-art Anguished Unmaking</c>
 * Buy-a-Box: Elusive Tormentor</c>/Insidious Mist</c> (alternate art)

Tokens and emblems

 * 1)  4/4 Angel with Flying for Descend upon the Sinful</c> and Invocation of Saint Traft</c>
 * 2)  1/1 Human Soldier for Sigarda, Heron's Grace</c>, Strength of Arms</c> and Ulvenwald Mysteries</c>
 * 3)  1/1 Spirit with Flying for Dauntless Cathar</c>, Drogskol Cavalry</c>, <c>Emissary of the Sleepless</c>, <c>Not Forgotten</c>, <c>Nearheath Chaplain</c>, <c>Slayer's Plate</c> and <c>Vessel of Ephemera</c>
 * 4)  1/1 Vampire Knight with Lifelink for <c>Call the Bloodline</c> and <c>Sorin, Grim Nemesis</c>
 * 5)  2/2 Zombie for <c>Diregraf Colossus</c>, <c>Drunau Corpse Trawler</c>, <c>From Under the Floorboards</c>, <c>Ghoulcaller's Accomplice</c>, <c>Gisa's Bidding</c>, <c>Rise from the Tides</c> and <c>Shamble Back</c>
 * 6)  1/1 Devil with “When this creature dies, it deals 1 damage to target creature or player.” for <c>Dance with Devils</c> and <c>Devils' Playground</c>
 * 7)  1/1 Insect for <c>Crawling Sensation</c>
 * 8)  3/3 Ooze for <c>Inexorable Blob</c>
 * 9)  2/2 Wolf for <c>Arlinn Kord</c>, <c>Cult of the Waxing Moon</c>, <c>Pack Guardian</c> and <c>Silverfur Partisan</c>
 * 10)  1/1 Human Cleric for <c>Westvale Abbey</c> and <c>Westvale Cult Leader</c>
 * 11) Clue artifact with “, Sacrifice this artifact: Draw a card.” for Investigate  <c>Bearer of Overwhelming Truths</c>, <c>Briarbridge Patrol</c>, <c>Bygone Bishop</c>, <c>Byway Courier</c>, <c>Confirm Suspicions</c>, <c>Confront the Unknown</c>, <c>Declaration in Stone</c>, <c>Drownyard Explorers</c>, <c>Erdwal Illuminator</c>, <c>Expose Evil</c>, <c>Fleeting Memories</c>, <c>Gone Missing</c>, <c>Humble the Brute</c>, <c>Jace's Scrutiny</c>, <c>Magnifying Glass</c>, <c>Ongoing Investigation</c>, <c>Press for Answers</c>, <c>Root Out</c>, <c>Survive the Night</c>, <c>Tamiyo's Journal</c>, <c>Thraben Inspector</c>, <c>Tireless Tracker</c>, <c>Trail of Evidence</c>, <c>Ulvenwald Mysteries</c>, <c>Weirding Wood</c>
 * 12) Clue artifact with “, Sacrifice this artifact: Draw a card.”
 * 13) Clue artifact with “, Sacrifice this artifact: Draw a card.”
 * 14) Clue artifact with “, Sacrifice this artifact: Draw a card.”
 * 15) Clue artifact with “, Sacrifice this artifact: Draw a card.”
 * 16) Clue artifact with “, Sacrifice this artifact: Draw a card.”
 * 17) for

Welcome Deck 2016 and Booster Battle Packs
Shadows over Innistrad is accompanied with a 16-card reprint set named Welcome Deck 2016, which is Standard-legal as long as Shadows over Innistrad is legal. The cards from this expansion are not found in booster packs, but are in various supplemental products like the Deck Builder's Toolkit and the new Booster Battle Packs.

Booster Battle Packs contain two of five 30-card ready-to-play decks, and two Shadows over Innistrad booster packs. The five monocolored ready-to-play decks are available as free sample decks at Wizards Play Network locations around the world.

Themes and mechanics


Themes from the set are tribal and graveyard matters.

The Madness mechanic returns from Torment, having last been seen in Time Spiral. It allows you to pay an alternate cost to cast a spell if it is discarded. In the current set it is mostly associated with vampires.

Transform returns from the Innistrad block. To transform means to turn over a double-faced card, changing the card face that is visible. The front or "day" side of the card has a regular card frame, a mana cost, and the sun symbol. The reverse or "night" side has the moon symbol and a slightly altered frame.

There are three new named mechanics:


 * Delirium, an ability word that gives an advantageous effect whenever there are four or more card types among cards in your graveyard.
 * Investigate (Put a colorless Clue artifact token onto the battlefield with “, Sacrifice this artifact: Draw a card.”).
 * Skulk, a new evasion ability (This creature can't be blocked by creatures with greater power).

Card types
Shadows over Innistrad introduces the Clue artifact subtype, the Mole creature type, and the Arlinn planeswalker subtype.

Cycles
Shadows over Innistrad has eight cycles and a partial cycle:

Partial cycle

 * Madness Sorceries: three rare monocolored Sorceries, which have Madness and in their Madness Cost  <c>Welcome to the Fold</c>, <c>From Under the Floorboards</c>, <c>Avacyn's Judgment</c>

Reprinted cards

 * <c>Catalog</c>, first printed in Urza's Saga, last seen in 8th Edition.
 * <c>Dead Weight</c>, first printed in Innistrad.
 * <c>Fiery Temper</c>, first printed in Torment, last seen as a timeshifted card in Time Spiral.
 * <c>Ghostly Wings</c>, first printed in Torment.
 * <c>Gloomwidow</c>, first printed in Shadowmoor, last seen in Avacyn Restored.
 * <c>Groundskeeper</c>, first printed in Mercadian Masques, last seen in 9th Edition.
 * <c>Macabre Waltz</c>, first printed in Dissension, last seen in Magic Origins.
 * <c>Magmatic Chasm</c>, first printed in Dragons of Tarkir.
 * <c>Puncturing Light</c>, first printed in Rise of the Eldrazi.
 * <c>Throttle</c>, first printed in Khans of Tarkir.
 * <c>Tormenting Voice</c>, first printed in Khans of Tarkir, last seen in Dragons of Tarkir.
 * <c>Unruly Mob</c>, first printed in Innistrad.

Common to Uncommon

 * <c>Mad Prophet</c>, first printed in Avacyn Restored.
 * <c>Lightning Axe</c>, first printed in Time Spiral.
 * <c>Reckless Scholar</c>, first printed in Zendikar, last seen in Conspiracy.

Functional reprints

 * <c>Devilthorn Fox</c> is a functional reprint of <c>Blade of the Sixth Pride</c> from Future Sight, <c>Dromoka Warrior</c> from Dragons of Tarkir and <c>Oreskos Swiftclaw</c> from Journey into Nyx and Magic 2015, save for creature type.
 * <c>Hulking Devil</c> is a functional reprint of <c>Cobblebrute</c> from Return to Ravnica, save for creature type.
 * <c>Niblis of Dusk</c> is a functional reprint of <c>Jeskai Windscout</c> from Khans of Tarkir, save for creature type.
 * <c>Seagraf Skaab</c> is a functional reprint of <c>Maritime Guard</c> from Magic 2011 and <c>Lumengrid Warden</c> from Mirrodin, save for creature type.
 * <c>Thornhide Wolves</c> is a functional reprint of <c>Blanchwood Treefolk</c> from Urza's Saga, save for creature type.
 * <c>Vampire Noble</c> is a functional reprint of <c>Barony Vampire</c> from Magic 2011.
 * <c>Warped Landscape</c> is a functional reprint of <c>Terminal Moraine</c> from Planeshift.

Colorshifted

 * <c>Silent Observer</c> is a colorshifted <c>Tormented Angel</c> from Urza's Destiny (white to blue).
 * <c>Sanguinary Mage</c> is a colorshifted <c>Jeskai Student</c> fromKhans of Tarkir (white to red).

Notable cards

 * <c>Triskaidekaphobia</c> is an alternate loss card
 * <c>Falkenrath Gorger</c> is the first 2-power 1-drop in red with only upsides.

Preconstructed decks
Shadows over Innistrad has five intro packs: