ShapesharerShapesharer | Art by Alan Pollack

We're going back to Lorwyn! Finally! I'm so excited to revisit the beloved plane and I know I'm not alone.

The Human-less plane with a creature type focus is the home of some of the most beautiful art in Magic and has given us a lot to revisit over the years. The first planeswalkers were printed here and before there was a mythic rarity!

With the return happening in Lorwyn Eclipsed next January, I wanted to discuss the things I hope to see again and the things I hope we skip this time around. Given the infrequency with which we revisit Lorwyn and we're not going back to a block of sets, I'll cover the things I love (and don't) from Lorwyn, Morningtide, Shadowmoor, and Eventide. 

Things I Love About Lorwyn and Shadowmoor Blocks

Hybrid Mana

One of my favorite pieces of technology that I very strongly associate with Lorwyn is hybrid mana. I know that it's from OG Ravnica: City of Guilds, but I've always really loved how well hybrid mana works in the Lorwyn/Shadowmoor blocks.

There are so many iconic hybrid cards that I love, like:

• Swans of Bryn ArgollSwans of Bryn Argoll
• Batwing BrumeBatwing Brume
• Dire UndercurrentsDire Undercurrents
• Memory PlunderMemory Plunder
• Murderous RedcapMurderous Redcap
• Kitchen FinksKitchen Finks
• Fulminator MageFulminator Mage
• Rhys the RedeemedRhys the Redeemed

My strong association of hybrid mana with this plane comes from all these cards, but more so from some incredible cycles featured across the blocks.

The Liege cycle in Shadowmoor is such an achievement. Interesting and powerful designs that reward you for leaning toward committing to multicolored creatures and spells. While some are much stronger than others, there's no doubt that there's a space for each of these in the right deck.

My personal favorite is Deathbringer LiegeDeathbringer Liege - a wonderful control piece that turns your Felisa, Fang of SilverquillFelisa, Fang of Silverquill Inklings and Teysa, Opulent OligarchTeysa, Opulent Oligarch Spirits into beefier flying threats that gum up the board or threaten to end things.

Next to the Lieges, the Demigods are phenomenal creatures that today's design team would pin the legendary supertype to without hesitation. A cycle of Avatars that demand payment in pips of two colors, no matter their combination, these creatures all have interesting abilities and need to be answered.

Finding a place for these is a little more difficult, but there are certainly Omnath, Locus of AllOmnath, Locus of All decks out there slamming the cycle in the 99 as a nostalgia pull.

Not to mention their accompanying Auras. I always keep an eye on these when new commanders get printed in case there's some synergy to exploit.

Set Mechanics

There are a number of mechanics that are quintessentially Lorwyn and Shadowmoor. With some of these mechanics making their way onto more modern cards - for instance, evoke on the Modern Horizons 2 Elementals that warped things in some formats - I expect them to make a return.

Similarly, changeling has been used a few times since. While in the past, it was used to be the glue between all the kindred strategies, I expect it to return as well, but be represented less. Also, shout out to Mistform UltimusMistform Ultimus.

So what mechanics do we need to touch on?

Clash is a mechanic I'm always excited to see pop up. Marvo, Deep OperativeMarvo, Deep Operative is a very cool commander and adds plenty to decks that can make good use of it. If Marvo is an indication of where WotC design is at with new clash cards, I'd be stoked to see more.

I love a little gamble off the top of people's decks. Keen DuelistKeen Duelist feels like an honorary clash card. While there aren't many great clash cards out there, a new batch of them would definitely mean eyes on Sylvan EchoesSylvan Echoes.

Could we see a clash legend? Potentially! I'm just hoping for more stuff like Spring CleaningSpring Cleaning that can turn a DisenchantDisenchant into an asymmetrical enchantment wipe. And Woodland GuidanceWoodland Guidance, which can be a RegrowthRegrowth with a little cheeky untap to it. Clash is fun! You're rewarded for playing cards with high mana values and the trend lately is that mana values have been going down. It's the perfect time to bring this mechanic back.

My wish list is getting a little long, but it would bring me so much joy to see more wither and persist in Magic. My world for a Jund commander that would make running Hapatra, Vizier of PoisonsHapatra, Vizier of Poisons and The Scorpion GodThe Scorpion God in the same deck worth it!

The polar opposite to the ever-present +1/+1 counters, -1/-1 counters might mean you need a different set of dice to track things, but they are so fun. As an Aristocrats lover, persist is definitely something I'd love to see come back.

There are only 13 cards in Magic with conspire. Only two of those are recent; the rest all come from these sets.

Wort, the RaidmotherWort, the Raidmother isn't as popular as she once was, but you haven't lived until you've conspired Battle HymnBattle Hymn with a Twinning StaffTwinning Staff out to get a conspired BanefireBanefire, ending the game.

I've got a Rassilon, the War PresidentRassilon, the War President deck that has been really fun. I believe a new conspire legend in a different set of colors would go hard. Would putting conspire on new spells be any fun? Probably! But at this point, I think we're at the point where a legend granting conspire is likely where things are headed.

Reprint the Filter Lands

Look, I'm not going to spend much time here. Bring back the filter lands, WotC! Get 'em in Standard, why not!

Can't Forget About the Art

Some of the coolest art in the game comes from these blocks. The beautifully painted pieces that flesh out the environment and the world, the flowing fantasy, the use of color, shadows and light - ugh! I missed this period of Magic and the thought of opening a box of these cards would make me weep from the art alone. I mean, just singling out Rebecca Guay's 15 cards from these sets would get me there.

The world is so rich and evocative and even the teaser images for the upcoming return to Lorwyn assure me that the art department is ready to revisit just as much as we are.

Things I Could Leave Behind

While this plane has given us many cool mechanics and important firsts, it's also given us some mechanics I'd rather let go. Not to mention, the kindred/typal focus isn't my favorite way to go. I think prowl might be the exception for me, but otherwise, I don't really feel a pull from kindred strategies.

Kinship

With that in mind, kinship is a mechanic that feels like it's been reworked on Herald's HornHerald's Horn. It feels like a little bit too much of a box, and while I appreciate some restrictions on cards to see how I can make them work, the coolest cards require you to jam them only in the typal decks they belong to and that doesn't scratch an itch for me.

I like Faeries plenty, but I don't feel the urge to put together a Faerie deck. I know that's what people like about this set, and Bloomburrow was popular thanks to its focus on critters' creature types, but...eh.

Champion

There's a good reason we haven't seen champion come back. It's narrow, it's confusing, and the payoffs are either awful or abusable. Mistbind CliqueMistbind Clique and Wanderwine ProphetsWanderwine Prophets are infamous for infinites in Inalla, Archmage RitualistInalla, Archmage Ritualist decks.

It would take a really cool design for me to be happy to see this mechanic again and even then, please don't be a cycle, dear lord, please.

Hideaway

Probably my most controversial inclusion on the list. I think hideaway just isn't it. We've seen it return already; it's a mini game that's interesting to some players, which is why some of these hideaway lands are included in precons, like Mosswort BridgeMosswort Bridge or Spinerock KnollSpinerock Knoll.

I don't need it back in the set so desperately. Maybe it'd be nice to have playable blue and black lands out of the cycle, but truly, it's not something I'm particularly interested in. I know people like it plenty and we've even seen Collector's CageCollector's Cage do work in 60-card formats, but to me, it's not a marker of what makes Lorwyn feel like the beloved plane it is.

Lorwyn Eclipsed

Lorwyn Eclipsed is the first set slated for 2026, and I am thrilled to be back. What stuff from the Lorwyn/Shadowmoor plane are you most excited to see again? Are there any particular characters you hope to see reimagined? Let us know in the comments.