Urza's Destiny

Urza's Destiny is the seventeenth Magic expansion and was released in June 1999 as the third set and second small expansion in the Urza block.
==Set details==
Urza's Destiny contains 143 black-bordered cards (44 rare, 44 uncommon, and 55 commons). Its expansion symbol is an Erlenmeyer flask, meant to symbolize Urza's continued experiments in finding a means to defeat Phyrexia. Urza's Destiny was the first and only set after Arabian Nights which has a solo designer, Mark Rosewater. It was the first Expert-level, tournament legal set to be printed under the then-new 6th Edition rules changes; the most notable change seen on cards is the use of the word "Creature" on the type line as opposed to "Summon". In this the set was also following the footsteps of Portal Second Age.
Due to an error some boosters contain DCI and Arena promotional foils in the uncommon slot. The foil cards that appear this way are <c>Duress</c>, <c>Stroke of Genius</c>, <c>Gaea's Cradle</c>, <c>Thran Quarry</c>, <c>Rewind</c>, <c>Skittering Skirge</c>, <c>Pouncing Jaguar</c>, <c>Serra Avatar</c>, <c>Karn Silver Golem</c>, and <c>Lightning Bolt</c>.
Urza's Destiny was released on Magic Online on April 11, 2011. 
===Marketing===
The cards were sold in 15-card boosters which had artwork from <c>Emperor Crocodile</c> and in four preconstructed theme decks. The Official Urza's Destiny Game Guide is the guide to the cards in the set. It was written by Will McDermott, editor of The Duelist at the time. The set was also accompanied by Bloodlines, the final novel in the Artifacts Cycle. The prerelease card was a foil <c>False Prophet</c>.
===Storyline===
With the Weatherlight completed, Urza now works on a eugenics program to create a perfect crew for it, as well as engineering a race of soldiers to fight the Phyrexian invasion. One of his geneticists, Gatha, defects, and uses his knowledge to improve the Keldon race. Meanwhile, the Phyrexians create the plane of Rath as a staging ground for the invasion.
==Themes and mechanics==
The "reveal" cards come in two types: creatures (Seers) and spells (Scents). When you use a Seer ability or a Scent spell, you show your opponents any number of cards of the specified color that are currently in your hand. The number of cards revealed determines the power of the effect.
Urza's Destiny also has a strong theme of graveyard effects. Many creatures and a few enchantments have special abilities that trigger when the permanent is put into a graveyard (e.g. When <c>Aura Thief</c> goes to the graveyard, you gain control of all enchantments).
The set also further develops the cycling theme introduced in the previous two sets with "cycling from play" creatures. These creatures, such as <c>Brass Secretary</c> and <c>Yavimaya Elder</c>, do not have cycling as a keyword, but instead have the activated ability ", sacrifice this creature: Draw a card." This ability is similar to cycling, but is used while the creature is in play rather than in your hand.
==Creature types==
The following creature types are introduced in this expansion: Golem.
The following creature types are used in this expansion but also appear in previous sets: Angel, Ape, Barbarian, Beast, Beeble, Bird, Cleric, Crocodile, Dragon, Drake, Druid, Elemental, Elf, Giant, Goblin, Griffin, Horror, Hound, Illusion, Imp, Insect, Knight, Minion, Ogre, Rat, Skeleton, Soldier, Spider, Townsfolk (later changed to Human), Wall, Wizard.
==Cycles==
Urza's Destiny has four cycles and a vertical cycle:
Cycle name 	 	 	 	 	
Growing creature enchantments	 	 	 	 	
Growing creature enchantments	Each of these uncommon Aura enchantments gains a counter at the beginning of each of your upkeeps, making it more powerful the longer it stays in play. These cards were inspired by the Tempest card . 	Each of these uncommon Aura enchantments gains a counter at the beginning of each of your upkeeps, making it more powerful the longer it stays in play. These cards were inspired by the Tempest card . 	Each of these uncommon Aura enchantments gains a counter at the beginning of each of your upkeeps, making it more powerful the longer it stays in play. These cards were inspired by the Tempest card . 	Each of these uncommon Aura enchantments gains a counter at the beginning of each of your upkeeps, making it more powerful the longer it stays in play. These cards were inspired by the Tempest card . 	Each of these uncommon Aura enchantments gains a counter at the beginning of each of your upkeeps, making it more powerful the longer it stays in play. These cards were inspired by the Tempest card .
Lobotomy spells 	 	 	 	 	
Lobotomy spells 	Each of these uncommon instants or sorceries removes a permanent of a certain type from the game, then also removes all other copies of the card in its controller's graveyard, hand, and library from the game. This cycle was based on the Tempest card . Each of these cards were reprinted in Betrayers of Kamigawa.	Each of these uncommon instants or sorceries removes a permanent of a certain type from the game, then also removes all other copies of the card in its controller's graveyard, hand, and library from the game. This cycle was based on the Tempest card . Each of these cards were reprinted in Betrayers of Kamigawa.	Each of these uncommon instants or sorceries removes a permanent of a certain type from the game, then also removes all other copies of the card in its controller's graveyard, hand, and library from the game. This cycle was based on the Tempest card . Each of these cards were reprinted in Betrayers of Kamigawa.	Each of these uncommon instants or sorceries removes a permanent of a certain type from the game, then also removes all other copies of the card in its controller's graveyard, hand, and library from the game. This cycle was based on the Tempest card . Each of these cards were reprinted in Betrayers of Kamigawa.	Each of these uncommon instants or sorceries removes a permanent of a certain type from the game, then also removes all other copies of the card in its controller's graveyard, hand, and library from the game. This cycle was based on the Tempest card . Each of these cards were reprinted in Betrayers of Kamigawa.
Scents 	 	 	 	 	
Scents 	Each of these common instants or sorceries have effects that are proportional to the number of cards of their color you reveal from your hand. 	Each of these common instants or sorceries have effects that are proportional to the number of cards of their color you reveal from your hand. 	Each of these common instants or sorceries have effects that are proportional to the number of cards of their color you reveal from your hand. 	Each of these common instants or sorceries have effects that are proportional to the number of cards of their color you reveal from your hand. 	Each of these common instants or sorceries have effects that are proportional to the number of cards of their color you reveal from your hand.
Seers 	 	 	 	 	
Seers 	Each of these uncommon 1/1 Wizard creatures have an activated ability costing M that mimics the Scent cycle. 	Each of these uncommon 1/1 Wizard creatures have an activated ability costing M that mimics the Scent cycle. 	Each of these uncommon 1/1 Wizard creatures have an activated ability costing M that mimics the Scent cycle. 	Each of these uncommon 1/1 Wizard creatures have an activated ability costing M that mimics the Scent cycle. 	Each of these uncommon 1/1 Wizard creatures have an activated ability costing M that mimics the Scent cycle.
===Vertical cycle===
Cycle name 	 	 	 	
Enchanted bonus creatures	 	 	 	
Enchanted bonus creatures	These blue creatures gain an ability as long as they are enchanted: (in order of rarity). is similar to this cycle, but is an artifact.	These blue creatures gain an ability as long as they are enchanted: (in order of rarity). is similar to this cycle, but is an artifact.	These blue creatures gain an ability as long as they are enchanted: (in order of rarity). is similar to this cycle, but is an artifact.	These blue creatures gain an ability as long as they are enchanted: (in order of rarity). is similar to this cycle, but is an artifact.
===Mega-mega cycles===
Cycle name 	 	 	 	 	
Legendary lands	 	 	 	 	
Legendary lands	is the third card in this mega-mega cycle of lands representing notable locations from the Weatherlight Saga storyline. 	is the third card in this mega-mega cycle of lands representing notable locations from the Weatherlight Saga storyline. 	is the third card in this mega-mega cycle of lands representing notable locations from the Weatherlight Saga storyline. 	is the third card in this mega-mega cycle of lands representing notable locations from the Weatherlight Saga storyline. 	is the third card in this mega-mega cycle of lands representing notable locations from the Weatherlight Saga storyline.
Voices 	 	 	 	 	
Voices 	and is the third and fourth card in this mega-mega cycle. These are uncommon white 2/2 Angels that has a mana cost of and have protection from a different color. , who has protection from a color chosen as it enters the battlefield, would be released in Planeshift as an homage to the mega-mega cycle.	and is the third and fourth card in this mega-mega cycle. These are uncommon white 2/2 Angels that has a mana cost of and have protection from a different color. , who has protection from a color chosen as it enters the battlefield, would be released in Planeshift as an homage to the mega-mega cycle.	and is the third and fourth card in this mega-mega cycle. These are uncommon white 2/2 Angels that has a mana cost of and have protection from a different color. , who has protection from a color chosen as it enters the battlefield, would be released in Planeshift as an homage to the mega-mega cycle.	and is the third and fourth card in this mega-mega cycle. These are uncommon white 2/2 Angels that has a mana cost of and have protection from a different color. , who has protection from a color chosen as it enters the battlefield, would be released in Planeshift as an homage to the mega-mega cycle.	and is the third and fourth card in this mega-mega cycle. These are uncommon white 2/2 Angels that has a mana cost of and have protection from a different color. , who has protection from a color chosen as it enters the battlefield, would be released in Planeshift as an homage to the mega-mega cycle.
==Notable cards==
*<c>Carnival of Souls</c> looks like a combo engine but has a difficult-to-exploit payoff and plays badly during the era of mana burn. It is notable as being one of the worst cards ever.
*<c>Donate</c> and <c>Illusions of Grandeur</c> were integral pieces of the Trix decks.
*<c>Elvish Piper</c> became one of the games most well-known "Timmy"-cards.
*<c>Flicker</c> spawned Flicker, a mechanic and its associated archetype of deck.
*<c>Magnify</c> is one of four cards that are global pump effects and one of two (with <c>Thran weaponry</c>) to increase toughness.
*<c>Mask of Law and Grace</c> is reference to <c>Voice of Law</c> and <c>Voice of Grace</c> from Urza's Saga. It would go on to form a parallel pair with <c>Shield of Duty and Reason</c> from Apocalypse, referring to the two Voices in this set.
*<c>Masticore</c> was resistant to multiple forms of removal and punishing to the small creatures of the time. It was renowned for its powerful, inspired a creature archetype (Masticore) and was later referred to on <c>Deep Analysis</c>.
*<c>Opposition</c> spawned multiple prison-decks most notably "Squirrel-prison", locking out the opponent's lands with enough creatures. It remains a Vintage Cube build-around to this day.
*<c>Phyrexian Negator</c> was powered out with <c>Dark Ritual </c> and an essential part to many suicide-black decks.
*<c>Powder Keg</c> became the board-sweeper of choice with <c>Nevinyrral's Disk</c> leaving Standard after 5th Edition.
*<c>Storage Matrix</c> was the last reference to the "Mono-Artifact" rule seen on things like <c>Winter Orb</c> until Mirrodin made a few more call-backs.
*<c>Treachery</c> was used in many blue control decks like Draw-Go.
*<c>Replenish</c>, <c>Opalescence</c> and <c>Academy Rector</c> formed a combo deck based on discarding and milling many enchantments. 
**<c>Replenish</c> was banned from Extended, and Legacy when the format started, but was unbanned in June 2007.
**<c>Opalescence</c> was infamous for being in Standard with <c>Humility</c>, a layering rules headache.
**<c>Academy Rector</c> still forms the backbone of multiple combos, especially with <c>Omniscience</c>, and even <c>Yawgmoth's Bargain</c> in the same set.
===Banned and Restricted cards===
*<c>Rofellos, Llanowar Emissary</c> can generate an absurd amount of mana. It rotated in and out of the Commander banlist as they moved around the banned-as-commander rule.
*<c>Yawgmoth's Bargain</c> is a strong variation on <c>Necropotence</c>, as the cards are drawn immediately. It was banned throughout all of Legacy's lifetime and was only unrestricted in Vintage in 2018.
*<c>Metalworker</c> can produce tons of mana in the many artifact-decks of the day. It was banned in Legacy from inception until June 2009, and banned in Commander until September 2014.
==Reprinted cards==
The following cards have been reprinted from previous sets and included in Urza's Destiny.
*<c>Ravenous Rats</c> was last seen in Portal Second Age.
==Functional reprints==
Urza's Destiny has one functional reprint:
*<c>Wild Colos</c> is a functional reprint of <c>Raging Cougar</c> from Portal, save for creature type.
==Preconstructed decks==
==References==
==External links==
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