Morningtide

Morningtide is the second set in the Lorwyn block. It is the 44th Magic expansion and was released on February 1, 2008.
==Set details==
Morningtide contains 150 cards (50 rare, 40 uncommon, and 60 commons). The theme of this expansion is tribal (now called typal by R&D), based on creature class rather than race. Its expansion symbol is a depiction of a sun rising in the morning, or a flame. Morningtide is the second and final set of Lorwyn block. The following set, Shadowmoor, would not be part of the Lorwyn block, as originally announced, but the first set of a new block, codenamed "Jelly" and "Doughnut". However, these two blocks would rotate into and out of official tournament formats as though they were a single block. Morningtide introduced Tribal Equipment, Prowl, Reinforce, and Kinship. The set was accompanied by the novel of the same name, written by Cory J. Herndon and Scott McGough.
===Flavor and Storyline===
The set continues the "celtic fairytale" setting of Lorwyn. Rhys, once a prominent hunter among the elves, has two big problems. He's being blamed for a cataclysmic event that killed many of his fellows. Even worse, his horns are broken, which makes him ugly. This makes him doubly damned in the eyes of his society. Knowing his skill and reputation, they are pulling out all the stops to bring him to their vicious brand of justice. As if he didn't have enough to worry about with his skin, he has to deal with the Aurora.
====Storyline sources====
Title 	Author 	Publishing date	Setting (plane)	Featuring
Morningtide	Cory J. Herndon & Scott McGough	January 2008 	Lorwyn 	Ashling, Rosheen Meanderer, Brion Stoutarm, Kiel, The Sapling, Maralen, Vendilion Clique, Sygg Gauhren Gyllalla Syllvar, Brigid Baeli, Gryffid, Eidren, Rhys
===Marketing===
Morningtide was sold in 16-card booster packs, four preconstructed theme decks and a fat pack. The decks and the fat pack contained a Pro Tour Player Card. The booster packs featured artwork from <c>Sigil Tracer</c>, <c>Pyroclast Consul</c> and <c>Earthbrawn</c>. The prerelease tournaments for this set were held on January 19–20, 2008. The promotional prerelease card for Morningtide was <c>Door of Destinies</c> with alternate art, a card that helps emphasize creature types, the theme of Morningtide. The promotional release card was <c>Earwig Squad</c> which shows the Prowl mechanic. The launch party was held on February 1–3, 2008.
Like Lorwyn boosters before them, boosters of Morningtide come with a bonus sixteenth card that is either a rules card or a creature token from Lorwyn or Morningtide. One face of the Morningtide bonus card has one of five different rules tips or is one of fourteen different creature tokens, meaning either one of the eleven tokens printed in Lorwyn or one of the three printed in Morningtide. The other face has one of six advertisements for organized play programs, magicthegathering.com, and Shadowmoor.
====Tips & Tricks====
The tips & tricks cards are:
# Rules Tip: Creature Types
# Rules Tip: Kinship
# Rules Tip: Prowl
# Rules Tip: Clash
# Rules Tip: Equipment
====Tokens====
The Morningtide tokens are:
# 1/1 Faerie Rogue creature with flying, produced by <c>Bitterblossom</c>, <c>Notorious Throng</c> and <c>Violet Pall</c>.
# 5/5 Giant Warrior creature, produced by <c>Feudkiller's Verdict</c>.
# 2/5 Treefolk Shaman creature, produced by <c>Reach of Branches</c>.
==Themes==
Morningtide expands upon Lorwyn's flavor and theme by shifting the tribal focus away from the eight races of Lorwyn (kithkin, merfolk, faeries, elementals (flamekin and greater), goblins, giants, treefolk, and elves) to the five classes of Morningtide (soldiers, shamans, wizards, warriors, and rogues).
===Clash spells===
Morningtide has several spells with clash that you return to your hand if you win the clash.
===Counter boosters===
A few Morningtide cards have abilities that say that certain other creatures you control come into play with additional +1/+1 counters on them.
===Choose a creature type===
Several Morningtide cards tell you to choose a creature type, then base their effect on how many permanents of the chosen type you control.
==Mechanics==
The new mechanics introduced in Morningtide are Prowl, Kinship, and Reinforce. Prowl and Kinship are class-specific keywords for Rogues and Shamans, respectively, and Reinforce appears on multiple non-class-related cards.
*Prowl is an alternate cost to play a spell, which may be used if you have dealt combat damage with a creature that shares a creature type with the card that has Prowl. For example, <c>Latchkey Faerie</c> costs normally, but if you have dealt combat damage with a Faerie or a Rogue this turn, you may play it for its Prowl cost, . Additionally, some cards with Prowl have abilities that only occur if they have been played for their Prowl cost.
*Kinship is an ability word that means, "At the beginning of your upkeep, you may look at the top card of your library. If it shares a creature type with ~, you may reveal it. If you do, [effect]."
*Reinforce is an activated ability which reads, "Reinforce N[mana]". You may pay a card's Reinforce cost and discard it from your hand whenever you can play an instant. If you do, put N +1/+1 counters on the target creature. Reinforce works well with the tribal counter creatures from Morningtide, allowing creatures that do not have the required class to receive +1/+1 counters and trigger these creatures' effects.
==Cycles==
Morningtide has eleven cycles:
Cycle name 	Rogues 	Wizards 	Warriors 	Shamans 	Soldiers
Tribal equipment 	 	 	 	 	
Tribal equipment 	Each of these uncommon equipment artifacts supports one of the five races of Morningtide and when an appropriate creature of that race comes into play, you may attach the equipment without paying its equip cost.	Each of these uncommon equipment artifacts supports one of the five races of Morningtide and when an appropriate creature of that race comes into play, you may attach the equipment without paying its equip cost.	Each of these uncommon equipment artifacts supports one of the five races of Morningtide and when an appropriate creature of that race comes into play, you may attach the equipment without paying its equip cost.	Each of these uncommon equipment artifacts supports one of the five races of Morningtide and when an appropriate creature of that race comes into play, you may attach the equipment without paying its equip cost.	Each of these uncommon equipment artifacts supports one of the five races of Morningtide and when an appropriate creature of that race comes into play, you may attach the equipment without paying its equip cost.
Cycle name 	 	 	 	 	
Bannerets 	(kithkin and soldiers) 	(merfolk and wizards) 	(goblins and rogues) 	(elementals and warriors) 	(treefolk and shamans)
Bannerets 	Each of these common creatures has a converted mana cost of M and reduces the casting cost of two creature types. 	Each of these common creatures has a converted mana cost of M and reduces the casting cost of two creature types. 	Each of these common creatures has a converted mana cost of M and reduces the casting cost of two creature types. 	Each of these common creatures has a converted mana cost of M and reduces the casting cost of two creature types. 	Each of these common creatures has a converted mana cost of M and reduces the casting cost of two creature types.
Chosen creature type 	 	 	 	 	
Chosen creature type 	Each of these common spells does something based on the number of creatures of the chosen creature type. 	Each of these common spells does something based on the number of creatures of the chosen creature type. 	Each of these common spells does something based on the number of creatures of the chosen creature type. 	Each of these common spells does something based on the number of creatures of the chosen creature type. 	Each of these common spells does something based on the number of creatures of the chosen creature type.
Common changelings 	 	 	 	 	
Common changelings 	Each of these common creatures has the shapeshifter creature type and the changeling ability. 	Each of these common creatures has the shapeshifter creature type and the changeling ability. 	Each of these common creatures has the shapeshifter creature type and the changeling ability. 	Each of these common creatures has the shapeshifter creature type and the changeling ability. 	Each of these common creatures has the shapeshifter creature type and the changeling ability.
Common elementals 	 	 	 	 	
Common elementals 	Each of these common Elemental creatures comes into play with +1/+1 counters on them. As part of an activated ability, the +1/+1 counters can be removed. 	Each of these common Elemental creatures comes into play with +1/+1 counters on them. As part of an activated ability, the +1/+1 counters can be removed. 	Each of these common Elemental creatures comes into play with +1/+1 counters on them. As part of an activated ability, the +1/+1 counters can be removed. 	Each of these common Elemental creatures comes into play with +1/+1 counters on them. As part of an activated ability, the +1/+1 counters can be removed. 	Each of these common Elemental creatures comes into play with +1/+1 counters on them. As part of an activated ability, the +1/+1 counters can be removed.
Common creatures with kinship 	 	 	 	 	
Common creatures with kinship 	Each of these common creatures has the kinship ability. 	Each of these common creatures has the kinship ability. 	Each of these common creatures has the kinship ability. 	Each of these common creatures has the kinship ability. 	Each of these common creatures has the kinship ability.
Lesser tribal lords 	(clerics) (knights) 	 	(assassins) 	 	(druids) (archers)
Lesser tribal lords 	Each of these rare creatures grants a bonus to or otherwise interacts with creatures of a specific class subtype, all of which are otherwise not strongly supported by the set. 	Each of these rare creatures grants a bonus to or otherwise interacts with creatures of a specific class subtype, all of which are otherwise not strongly supported by the set. 	Each of these rare creatures grants a bonus to or otherwise interacts with creatures of a specific class subtype, all of which are otherwise not strongly supported by the set. 	Each of these rare creatures grants a bonus to or otherwise interacts with creatures of a specific class subtype, all of which are otherwise not strongly supported by the set. 	Each of these rare creatures grants a bonus to or otherwise interacts with creatures of a specific class subtype, all of which are otherwise not strongly supported by the set.
Clashback spells 	 	 	 	 	
Clashback spells 	Each of these uncommon spells comes back to your hand if you win the clash. 	Each of these uncommon spells comes back to your hand if you win the clash. 	Each of these uncommon spells comes back to your hand if you win the clash. 	Each of these uncommon spells comes back to your hand if you win the clash. 	Each of these uncommon spells comes back to your hand if you win the clash.
Tribal counter lords 	(soldiers) 	(wizards) 	(rogues) 	(shamans) 	(warriors)
Tribal counter lords 	Each of these uncommon creatures, one for each color, uses +1/+1 counters in a way that benefits creatures of its type. 	Each of these uncommon creatures, one for each color, uses +1/+1 counters in a way that benefits creatures of its type. 	Each of these uncommon creatures, one for each color, uses +1/+1 counters in a way that benefits creatures of its type. 	Each of these uncommon creatures, one for each color, uses +1/+1 counters in a way that benefits creatures of its type. 	Each of these uncommon creatures, one for each color, uses +1/+1 counters in a way that benefits creatures of its type.
Uncommon Elementals with evoke 	 	 	 	 	
Uncommon Elementals with evoke 	Each of these uncommon Elemental creatures has the evoke ability. 	Each of these uncommon Elemental creatures has the evoke ability. 	Each of these uncommon Elemental creatures has the evoke ability. 	Each of these uncommon Elemental creatures has the evoke ability. 	Each of these uncommon Elemental creatures has the evoke ability.
Uncommon creatures with kinship	 	 	 	 	
Uncommon creatures with kinship	Each of these uncommon creatures has the kinship ability. 	Each of these uncommon creatures has the kinship ability. 	Each of these uncommon creatures has the kinship ability. 	Each of these uncommon creatures has the kinship ability. 	Each of these uncommon creatures has the kinship ability.
===Pairs===
Morningtide has one mirrored pair.
Mirrored Pairs	Mirrored Pairs	Description
 	 	XMM cost and result in drawing or force discarding X cards. They are also callbacks to Revised's <c>Mind Twist</c> and <c>Braingeyser</c>.
==Reprinted cards==
The following cards have been reprinted from previous sets and included in Morningtide:
*<c>Boldwyr Intimidator</c> was last seen in Future Sight as a futureshifted card. It was included in Morningtide for its class-changing abilities on other creatures.
*<c>Elvish Warrior</c> was last seen in 9th Edition and was first printed in Onslaught. It was included in Morningtide as it is one of the five classes (warrior) featured in Morningtide.
===Functional reprints===
Morningtide has one functional reprint:
*<c>Fencer Clique</c> is a functional reprint of <c>Wayward Soul</c> from Exodus, save for creature type.
==Notable cards==
*<c>Bitterblossom</c> was one of the main reasons Faeries dominated Standard, Block Constructed, and some points of Extended, to the point that it was on the earliest Modern banlist; it was unbanned to nearly no impact in February 2014.
*<c>Mutavault</c> is praised as the best manland since <c>Mishra's Factory</c>, and still holds up in Pioneer.
*<c>Reveillark</c> became the backbone of the Standard "Boat Brew" deck, as well as having a potent combo deck with <c>Mirror Entity</c> and <c>Body Double</c> from Time Spiral/Lorwyn Standard. Its interaction with the 0-power clones makes it part of many loops.
*<c>Boldwyr Heavyweights</c> uniquely and specifically gives the opponent the ability to tutor a nonland card, namely a creature. Other similar effects either are symmetrical or targeted.
*<c>Negate</c>'s simplicity of design, strangely, is only strictly better than two spells, and has been a yearly-reprinted, high-impact sideboard card for fifteen years. 
*<c>Disperse</c> returns a nonland permanent to its owner hand for . In contrast to the above, due to most bounce spells including lands, it is strictly better than no spells and would later become obsolete with many future cards.
*<c>Recross the Paths</c> is used in "Oops, All Spells" decks (i.e. <c>Goblin Charbelcher</c> or <c>Balustrade Spy</c> decks) to rearrange one's entire library. Such exploits were part of the reason putting seen cards on the bottom of the library are now random.
*<c>Vendilion Clique</c> is one of the most iconic control creatures in Magic's history, as it combines an aggressive clock, flash speed, and the ability to disrupt the opponent's hand
*<c>Scapeshift</c> is a crucial part of the eponymous Modern deck that can tutor out combinations of lands to instantly win the game
*<c>Idyllic Tutor</c> is the only card in the game to tutor any enchantment directly to hand
*<c>Murmuring Bosk</c> is the only land in the game to have a basic land type while also having an explicitly written ability to produce other colors of mana.
*<c>Heritage Druid</c>'s ability to produce mana from creatures with summoning sickness has made it an important piece of both Modern and Legacy Elves decks.
==Preconstructed decks==
Morningtide features four class tribal theme decks.
==References==
==External links==
*
Category:Lorwyn–Shadowmoor sets