- For the accompanying novel to Saviors of Kamigawa, see Guardian: Saviors of Kamigawa (book).
Template:Expansion Saviors of Kamigawa is the thirty-sixth Magic expansion and was released in 2005 as the third set in the Kamigawa Block.
Set details
Saviors of Kamigawa expands on the Kamigawa block themes, featuring cards with spiritcraft, Soulshift, Spirits, Arcane instants and sorceries, cards with Splice onto Arcane, and a high number of legendary creatures. It introduced flip cards that change their permanent type when flipped.
Mechanics
Saviors of Kamigawa introduced the abilty words Sweep and Channel, the keyword Epic, and the wisdom mechanic, cards that get better depending on your and sometimes your opponents' hand size.
Cycles
- Ascendants - Legendary monks that flip to legendary enchantments: Rune-Tail, Kitsune Ascendant, Sasaya, Orochi Ascendant, Homura, Human Ascendant, Erayo, Soratami Ascendant, and Kuon, Ogre Ascendant.
- Each of these uncommon creatures require another creature of that color to be returned to your hand during each of your following upkeeps which fits with the wisdom mechanic — Eiganjo Free-Riders, Oni of Wild Places, Skull Collector, Stampeding Serow, and Trusted Advisor.
- Epic - Game changing spells that once played restrict the player who played it from playing anymore spells for the rest of that game. The epic spell was copied during each of the caster's following upkeeps — Enduring Ideal (white), Eternal Dominion (blue), Neverending Torment (black) and Undying Flames (red), Endless Swarm (green).
- Maros - Legendary spirits each fashioned after the card Maro from Mirage — Kiyomaro, First to Stand, Soramaro, First to Dream, Kagemaro, First to Suffer, Adamaro, First to Desire, and Masumaro, First to Live.
Mirrored pair
Saviors of Kamigawa has one mirrored pair.
- Hand of Cruelty (black) and Hand of Honor (black) are both 2/2 Human Samurai for CC, both with protection from the opposing color and Bushido 1.
Functional reprints
- Molting Skin is a functional reprint of Broken Fall from Tempest.
- Presence of the Wise is a functional reprint of Gerrard's Wisdom from 7th Edition.
- Stampeding Serow is a functional reprint of Stampeding Wildebeests from Visions.
Theme decks
The preconstructed theme decks are: Template:Theme decks
Notable cards
Following the steps of the rest of the block, Saviors of Kamigawa contributed to the tournament scene with strong finishers and "fatties" like Kagemaro, First to Suffer, Maga, Traitor to Mortals and Arashi, the Sky Asunder, as well as strong sideboard cards, like Pithing Needle, Manriki-Gusari and Kataki, War's Wage. It also featured a good amount of quality weenies like Hand of Honor, Hand of Cruelty that helped aggro decks battle the mostly control environment of Kamigawa Block Constructed.