Legions

Legions is the second set (and a small expansion) in the Onslaught block. It is the 28th, and first creature-only, Magic: The Gathering expansion, and was released on February 3, 2003.
==Set details==
Legions contains 145 black-bordered cards (45 rare, 45 uncommon, and 55 commons; 1 rare and 1 uncommon extra compared to earlier small sets). Its expansion symbol is a shield with two crossed spears, a sort of heraldic crest meant to evoke the themes of Legions. Like its preceding expansion, Onslaught, and following expansion, Scourge, the featured a theme that focused heavily on "tribal" cards, or cards that are concerned with creature types. Legions was notable for being the first creature-only set in Magic history and also marked the return of Slivers.
In addition to this, Legions featured a creature with all creature types, <c>Mistform Ultimus</c>. This ability was the inspiration for the Lorwyn block Changeling ability.
===Design and Development===
The concept of a creature-only set was conceived by Mike Elliott. He was inspired by the idea that creatures could mimic the effects of other card types like instants, sorceries, and enchantments. However, Legions' lead developer William Jockusch disagreed with this execution. Jockusch believed that a true creature-only set should be devoid of creatures that acted like other types of spells. After a long period of back-and-forth exchanges, Elliott’s vision for the set won out.Rosewater, Mark. “Drive to Work #181 - Legions”. https://youtu.be/aS4-DQdp7xA?si=hDzPYowbqvLLwyPO
The Double strike ability came from an email for the first “You Make the Card” event, which created the Scourge card <c>Forgotten Ancient</c>. The design team loved the idea, but the card had already been voted to be a green creature, and this ability would have been out of the color pie. So the keyword was added to several creatures in Legions instead.Rosewater, Mark. “Drive to Work #181 - Legions”. https://youtu.be/aS4-DQdp7xA?si=hDzPYowbqvLLwyPO
Slivers were added to the set to continue developing the typal theme of the block. Created by Mike Elliott for the unpublished set Astral Ways, they debuted in Tempest. Their return was hinted at in the art of the Onslaught card <c>Riptide Replicator</c>.Rosewater, Mark. “Drive to Work #181 - Legions”. https://youtu.be/aS4-DQdp7xA?si=hDzPYowbqvLLwyPO
A few dragons were added late in development as a lead-in to the final set of the block, Scourge.Rosewater, Mark. “Drive to Work #181 - Legions”. https://youtu.be/aS4-DQdp7xA?si=hDzPYowbqvLLwyPO
===Marketing===
Marketed as the "Creature Set", the cards were sold in 15-card boosters which for the first time featured three different artworks (<c>Riptide Mangler</c>, <c>Scion of Darkness</c> and <c>Phage the Untouchable</c>) in four preconstructed theme decks and a fat pack. At the Legions prerelease, January 25–26, 2003, a foil <c>Feral Throwback</c> was handed out. The set was accompanied by the novel of the same name.
===Flavor and storyline===
Kamahl and the Cabal, in an uneasy alliance, set out to defeat Akroma. Ixidor has been killed but Akroma nevertheless remains intent on destroying Phage. In the meantime, the slivers, last seen in the Weatherlight Saga, have been reintroduced as clones of the original slivers as part of the Riptide Project. 
After the novel and in a final battle between Phage and Akroma, the two beings and Zagorka merge to form Karona.
====Storyline sources====
Title 	Author 	Publishing date	Setting (plane)	Featuring
Legions	J. Robert King	January 2003 	Dominaria 	Phage, Virot Maglan, Kamahl, Akroma, Braids, Zagorka, Stonebrow, Sash and Waistcoat, Kuberr, Ixidor, Averru, Umbra, Karona
===Tokens===
A Sliver token for <c>Brood Sliver</c> and a Goblin token for <c>Warbreak Trumpeter</c> were featured as a Magic Player Reward.
==Themes and mechanics==
===Themes===
Tribal and creature types were a prominent theme in the Onslaught block.
Creature subtype	Tribe name 	Primary color 	Secondary color(s)
Beast 	Beast 	Red ()Green () 	Blue ()Black ()
Birds 	Aven (in white and blue only)Birds 	White ()Blue () 	Black ()Red ()
Clerics 	Clerics 	White ()Black ()	
Dragons 	Dragons 	Red () 	
Elves 	Elves 	Green () 	
Goblins 	Goblins 	Red () 	Black ()
Illusions 	Mistform (or Mimics)Mistform creatures all can change their creature type.	Blue () 	
Soldiers 	Soldiers 	White () 	Blue ()Green ()
Slivers 	Slivers 	All colors () 	
Wizards 	Wizards 	Blue () 	All other colors ()
Zombies 	Zombies 	Black () 	
Numerous cards with creature classes, as opposed to species or race ones, such as the Cleric, Soldier, and Wizards creature types, were retroactively given additional (species or race) creature types during the Grand Creature Type Update to be more consistent with the "race-class model". In most of these cases, the additional creature type was Human. This, by and large, did not cause significant changes to this expansion or block; one notable exception to this, however, was <c>Daru Stinger</c>, a creature with amplify, from this expansion.
===Mechanics===
Legions featured several mechanics, some of which were novel, including:
*Amplify: a keyword ability triggered when a creature with the ability enters the battlefield, it allows the controller of a creature with the ability to reveal creature cards from their hand that share a creature type with it to add several +1/+1 proportional to the number of creature cards revealed this way.
*Double strike: a keyword static ability inspired by a suggestion during a "You Make the Card" promotion, double strike allows a creature to deal both first-strike and regular combat damage.
*Morph triggers: any triggered ability featured on several creature cards with morph. These abilities were triggered when the face-down morphed creature was turned face-up and was designed, in part, to fill the void by the absence of non-creature spells in the expansion.
*Provoke: a keyword static ability inspired by <c>Provoke</c> from the Stronghold expansion, provoke allowed a creature with the ability, when attacking, to untap a creature that the defending player controls and force that creature to block it.
*Saboteurs: any creature card with a "Whenever this creature deals combat damage to a player" triggered ability.
===Creature types===
No new creature types were introduced in Legions.
==Cycles==
Legions features six cycles.
Cycle name 	 	 	 	 	
Gempalm cyclers 	 	 	 	 	
Gempalm cyclers 	Each of these creature cards has cycling and a tribal cycling-triggered ability. 	Each of these creature cards has cycling and a tribal cycling-triggered ability. 	Each of these creature cards has cycling and a tribal cycling-triggered ability. 	Each of these creature cards has cycling and a tribal cycling-triggered ability. 	Each of these creature cards has cycling and a tribal cycling-triggered ability.
Invokers 	 	 	 	 	
Invokers 	Each of these common Mutant creatures has a powerful activated ability costing M.These creature cards inspired a cycle of similar creature cards in Rise of the Eldrazi expansion.	Each of these common Mutant creatures has a powerful activated ability costing M.These creature cards inspired a cycle of similar creature cards in Rise of the Eldrazi expansion.	Each of these common Mutant creatures has a powerful activated ability costing M.These creature cards inspired a cycle of similar creature cards in Rise of the Eldrazi expansion.	Each of these common Mutant creatures has a powerful activated ability costing M.These creature cards inspired a cycle of similar creature cards in Rise of the Eldrazi expansion.	Each of these common Mutant creatures has a powerful activated ability costing M.These creature cards inspired a cycle of similar creature cards in Rise of the Eldrazi expansion.
Muses 	 	 	 	 	
Muses 	Each of these rare Spirit creature cards has a powerful but unusual ability. 	Each of these rare Spirit creature cards has a powerful but unusual ability. 	Each of these rare Spirit creature cards has a powerful but unusual ability. 	Each of these rare Spirit creature cards has a powerful but unusual ability. 	Each of these rare Spirit creature cards has a powerful but unusual ability.
Slivers (common) 	 	 	 	 	
Slivers (common) 	Each of these common 1/1 Sliver creature cards has an ability that confers to all Slivers. 	Each of these common 1/1 Sliver creature cards has an ability that confers to all Slivers. 	Each of these common 1/1 Sliver creature cards has an ability that confers to all Slivers. 	Each of these common 1/1 Sliver creature cards has an ability that confers to all Slivers. 	Each of these common 1/1 Sliver creature cards has an ability that confers to all Slivers.
Sliver (uncommon)	 	 	 	 	
Sliver (uncommon)	Each of these uncommon 2/2 Sliver creature cards has an ability that confers to all Slivers. 	Each of these uncommon 2/2 Sliver creature cards has an ability that confers to all Slivers. 	Each of these uncommon 2/2 Sliver creature cards has an ability that confers to all Slivers. 	Each of these uncommon 2/2 Sliver creature cards has an ability that confers to all Slivers. 	Each of these uncommon 2/2 Sliver creature cards has an ability that confers to all Slivers.
Slivers (rare) 	 	 	 	 	
Slivers (rare) 	Each of these rare 3/3 Sliver creature cards has an ability that confers to all Slivers. 	Each of these rare 3/3 Sliver creature cards has an ability that confers to all Slivers. 	Each of these rare 3/3 Sliver creature cards has an ability that confers to all Slivers. 	Each of these rare 3/3 Sliver creature cards has an ability that confers to all Slivers. 	Each of these rare 3/3 Sliver creature cards has an ability that confers to all Slivers.
==Reprinted cards==
* <c>White Knight</c>, first printed in Alpha, last seen in 5th Edition
===Functional reprints===
* <c>Fugitive Wizard</c>, functional reprint of except for creature type
* <c>Keeneye Aven</c>, functional reprint of except for creature type
* <c>Merchant of Secrets</c>, functional reprint of except for creature type
===Strictly better===
<c>Gempalm Strider</c> and <c>Stonewood Invoker</c>, upgrades from , , , , and 
==Notable cards and tournament impact==
*<c>Akroma, Angel of Wrath</c> A 6/6 legendary Angel with seven keyword abilities, the most abilities of any creature in Magic, Akroma saw a fair amount of tournament play for her imperviousness against most red and black spells and her all-round durability, granted by her protection abilities and first strike. It has been reprinted as a timeshifted card in Time Spiral.
*<c>Caller of the Claw</c> A 2/2 elf with flash, when Caller of the Claw comes into play, its controller puts a green 2/2 Bear creature token for every non-token creature put into its owner's graveyard that turn; used as an alternate-win card for Worldgorger decks, and a sideboard card against <c>Wrath of God</c>.
*<c>Goblin Goon</c> An overused yet essential addition to the Goblin deck. His drawback is negated by his 6/6 frame and the fact that red is about quickly casting creature swarms, as well as slinging "burn" spells.
*<c>White Knight</c> A creature first appearing in Alpha, White Knight made a triumphant return in "White Weenie" decks.
===Other notable cards===
*<c>Krosan Cloudscraper</c> At 13/13, the Krosan Cloudscraper was considered the largest tournament legal non-token creature in Magic until Rise of the Eldrazi and <c>Emrakul, the Aeons Torn</c>. <c>Autochthon Wurm</c>, printed in Ravnica once held the title of the largest-toughness creature, while Krosan Cloudscraper had the largest power and largest sum of power and toughness. <c>Marit Lage</c>, a token creature generated by the land <c>Dark Depths</c> of Coldsnap, is still the most powerful creature in the game, with 20 power and toughness.
*<c>Mistform Ultimus</c> An enigmatic Mistform creature. It is of every creature type (even when it isn't in play). This characteristic leads to many devastating combos. In an average deck, it is just a legendary Giant Squid. WoTC often updates its creature types and has jokingly commented that the Ultimus is a mutant ninja turtle. According to the Card of the Day feature on Magic's online site, if all the creature types were listed on Mistform Ultimus, the text would be .40 point. It is one of the cards that got reprinted in Time Spiral, and is now a legendary creature (due to Legend being a creature type before Kamigawa legend rules change). This card was also the basis of the Changeling mechanic from Lorwyn.
*<c>Phage the Untouchable</c> Jeska (Kamahl's sister) healed and corrupted with Cabal magic. She has developed a power almost similar to the First's: a touch so strong it can rapidly rot flesh of those living and those which lived (even planeswalker flesh, as is reflected with her ability). Oddly enough, in the context of a game of Magic, Phage can't kill indestructible creatures like <c>Darksteel Colossus</c> and the Myojin (if they have a divinity counter on them); however, from a flavor perspective, it makes sense that Phage can't destroy creatures made of Darksteel, because her rotting touch only affects organic material, except silk. Due to Phage's cost and drawback, she doesn't see much tournament play (though, she does make for devastating casual games), and has gained the nickname "Phage the Unplayable."
*<c>Timberwatch Elf</c> A common elf creature that, when tapped for its ability, gives a creature a power/toughness boost equal to the number of elves in play. It is a staple of both competitive and casual elves decks, and its ability reflects the strong "linear" theme of the Onslaught block.
== Preconstructed decks ==
Legions has two monocolored and two multicolored theme decks.
==Notes==
==References==
==External links==
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