Darksteel

Darksteel
Expansion symbol	Shield of Kaldra
Release date	February 6, 2004
Mechanics	Indestructible
Keywords	Modular
Size	165 cards
Expansion code	DST
Development codename	Lettuce
Sets in Mirrodin Block
Mirrodin	Darksteel	Fifth Dawn
Magic: The Gathering Chronology
Mirrodin	Darksteel	Fifth Dawn

Darksteel is an expansion set for the game Magic: The Gathering, the second in the Mirrodin block of sets that also features Mirrodin and Fifth Dawn. It was released in February 2004, containing 165 cards. Darksteel continued the themes established in Mirrodin: Artifact cards, equipment and the mechanics that debuted. The expansion symbol for the set is the miniature version of the stylized Shield of Kaldra. Darksteel featured the powerful single card drawing engine masked as the infamous equipment Skullclamp. When it was eventually banned during block constructed a few months after Darksteel's release, Skullclamp was the first to have been banned in block constructed since Mercadian Masques' Rishadan Port.

Set history

Darksteel was the first "small" expansion to have 165 cards, where as previous small expansions had 143, (with the exception of Legions which had 145 as a balance among the five colors.)

Storyline

The Darksteel Eye is the second novel in the Mirrodin Cycle by Jess Lebow. It continues the journey Glissa, an elf, after the infiltration of the Synod and the recollection of all the golem Bosh's memories. They now must travel back across Mirrodin to seek the power that resides in the center of Mirrodin.

Mechanics

The following mechanics first appeared in Darksteel:

• Indestructible - Mechanic that made permanents indestructible. These permanents can't be destroyed by "destroy effects" or lethal damage. This mechanic, like double strike, was introduced in a small set but has become a common mechanic used in later sets as well; generally, small mechanics are used for a single set and then not used again. In the Darksteel card set, all indestructible cards are artifacts. In the story world, most of the indestructible artifacts are constructed of darksteel, a fictional material. This material appears in the cards' artwork as a dark gray metal with yellow motes of energy swirling around it. Indestructible cards in later sets do not conform to this pattern.
• Modular - An ability of artifact creatures, these creatures would come into play with a set number of counters and, upon the destruction of that creature, could transfer them to another artifact creature.

Notable cards/Tournament impact

• Skullclamp - An equipment that cost 1 to play and 1 to equip, it gave a creature +1/-1. When the equipped creature died, its controller would draw two cards. Skullclamp was found to be inherently broken, allowing decks with small creatures to draw absurd amounts of cards quickly. The Standard format degenerated into weenie decks that abused Skullclamp against control decks that were forced to splash Oxidize to answer Skullclamp. As a result, Skullclamp became the first card to be banned in Standard tournaments in four years. So great is Skullclamp's power level, it is currently banned in all formats except Vintage, where it remains unrestricted.^[1][2]
• Arcbound Ravager - 1/1 creature for 2 with Modular and the ability to sacrifice an artifact to add another counter, "Ravager" quickly found a home in Affinity decks, replacing Broodstar as the finisher creature of choice.^[3] Because when destroyed it transferred its counters to another it could almost always deliver massive damage whether by itself or by transferring the counters to an unblocked creature. Arcbound Ravager was banned from Standard tournaments on March 1, 2005.^[4]
• Trinisphere - An artifact that made spells less than 3 cost 3, Trinisphere was restricted in Vintage tournaments on March 1, 2005. While it kept combo decks in check, it also had an extremely powerful interaction with the card Mishra's Workshop.^[5][6], allowing it to be played on the first turn. Together, these two cards could often make it very difficult for opponents to play any cards at all, making games much less interactive and enjoyable for most players.^[7]
• Darksteel Colossus - An 11/11 trampling, indestructible artifact creature for 11 that when put in a graveyard returns to the library. The Darksteel Colossus is an iconic creature because of its sheer size and sturdiness. Its dual nature as a creature and an artifact allow it to be found by powerful searching cards (such as tournament staples Tooth and Nail and Tinker.)
• Oxidize - A Green instant that could destroy an artifact without hope of regeneration, Oxidize became a standard "playset" during the days of Ravager Affinity at Worlds 2004 Finalist.
• Juggernaut - An old favorite among older players, Juggernaut was reprinted after not seeing print for almost 8 years.
• Shield of Kaldra - The second piece of the Kaldra equipment, the Shield made the Sword, Shield and Helm of Kaldra, as well as the equipped creature, Indestructible. This was the first time a card had ever mentioned another card that was not yet released, as Helm of Kaldra would not be released until the next set, Fifth Dawn.
• Æther Vial - An artifact that can put creatures into play without casting them. Additionally, this card had the subtle effect of enabling creatures to be played at instant speed. It became a staple in Ravager Affinity decks after being introduced by Frank Karsten. Other creature decks in both Standard and Extended, like "Goblins", "Life", and "White Weenie", also adopted the Vial, eventually leading to its ban in Extended.

References

External links

• - Official Darksteel Page