Legions is the second set in the Onslaught block of cards of Magic: The Gathering

Magic: The Gathering

Magic: The Gathering , also known as Magic, is the first collectible trading card game created by mathematics professor Richard Garfield and introduced in 1993 by Wizards of the Coast. Magic continues to thrive, with approximately twelve million players as of 2011...

, along with the expansions Onslaught

Onslaught (Magic: The Gathering)

Onslaught is the 27th Magic: The Gathering expert-level expansion set. It was released in October 2002. The set's main theme is creature types , and much of the game play concerns interactions between these "tribes". The story continues the saga of the Mirari from the previous block of expansion sets...

 and Scourge

Scourge (Magic: The Gathering)

Scourge is a Magic: The Gathering expansion set. It is the third set of the Onslaught block. There are 143 cards overall. The expansion symbol is a dragon's skull.-Mechanics:...

. It contained 145 cards which continued on the themes started in Onslaught. Its expansion symbol is two spear

Spear

A spear is a pole weapon consisting of a shaft, usually of wood, with a pointed head.The head may be simply the sharpened end of the shaft itself, as is the case with bamboo spears, or it may be made of a more durable material fastened to the shaft, such as flint, obsidian, iron, steel or...

s behind a shield

Shield

A shield is a type of personal armor, meant to intercept attacks, either by stopping projectiles such as arrows or redirecting a hit from a sword, mace or battle axe to the side of the shield-bearer....

.

Set history

Legions is the only expansion in Magic to be 100% creature cards. This was done to help amplify the creature-based mechanics of the block such as Morph and Tribal. Due to the complete absence of non-creature cards and a limited number of tournament staples, Legions is one of the most controversial set releases by Wizards of the Coast among many players. The set does feature the return of a fan favorite creature type, Sliver.

Storyline

Kamahl and the Cabal, in their uneasy alliance, set out to defeat the threat of Akroma. Ixidor was killed, but Akroma continues her mission to destroy Phage. Meanwhile, the slivers (last spotted in Tempest and its era) have been reintroduced as clones of the originals. In a final battle, Phage and Akroma merge into one being, Karona, the false god.

Mechanics

The following mechanics first appeared in Legions:

• Amplify - As a creature with Amplify came into play, its controller could reveal creature cards from their hand that shared a type with it to add +1/+1 counters. Creatures with Amplify were generally costly.
• Provoke - Based on a card from Stronghold
  Stronghold (Magic: The Gathering)
  Stronghold was the 21st Magic: The Gathering set and thirteenth expert level set, and the second set in the Rath Block, released in March 1998. The block includes Tempest and Exodus. Stronghold contains 143 cards...
  
  , when a creature with provoke attacked, it could untap an opponent's creature and force that creature to block it.
• Double Strike - A mechanic suggested by a fan during the Magic Website's You Make the Card Promo and was officially turned into a mechanic. A creature with Double Strike would deal both First Strike and regular combat damage.
• Cycling Triggered Abilities - Some creatures had an ability that would trigger when the card was cycled, such as .
• Morph Triggered Abilities - Some creatures had an ability that would trigger upon turning face up. This too helped prevent one-dimensional gameplay
  Gameplay
  Gameplay is the specific way in which players interact with a game, and in particular with video games. Gameplay is the pattern defined through the game rules, connection between player and the game, challenges and overcoming them, plot and player's connection with it...
  
  due to lack of Instant and Sorcery cards.

External links

• Wizards' official Legions expansion page