Magical Thinking: Weatherlight

Welcome back to Magical Thinking, the series where we look at the art and cards of Magic: the Gathering, set by set, from the beginning. Today is a pretty big deal because we’re exploring Magic’s first really big meta plot: the Weatherlight saga. The big battle between Dominaria and the forces of Phyrexia.

The main players are the intrepid crew of the Weatherlight, the plane-jumping ship piloted by the dashing Gerrard Capashen and his fellow crew: Mirri, Squee the Goblin, Tahngarth, and most famous of all, Karn the Silver Golem. Most people nowadays know Karn as a Planeswalker, but back in the day he was a normal silver golem.

Yep, Weatherlight is pretty much the Star Wars of Magic: the Gathering. This was about the time I started learning about Magic: the Gathering through Inquest (Although technically I come in later during Tempest and Stronghold, but more on that later). So you better believe this is nostalgic for me.

We begin the Weatherlight saga with the final set of the Mirage block: Weatherlight, released in June of 1997. The plot is that Sisay, captain of the Weatherlight, has been kidnapped by the villain Volrath. Now the Weatherlight gang have to free her.

But we’re not here for the story, exciting as it is. We’re here for the cards. So show us what you got, Weatherlight!

Wow really?

Yep. It’s 1997 and for some reason Banding is still a thing in Magic. I hear you, Gerrard. Get me out of this hell call Banding.

And here’s the man himself. Yes, this is actually meant to be Gerrard. I’m not entirely sure why they didn’t make him a legendary. It’s kind of weird. I don’t think any legendary figure has gotten this treatment in Magic since Arabian Nights.

Lest we forget, White is the color of healing, chivalry, and paying your taxes on time. You fight a White mage, you better bring your w-2 and three forms of ID.

Wow, Banding AND Cumulative upkeep? It’s two terrible tastes that taste even worse together. It’s like the turd sandwich was missing something, so let’s mash some dog vomit in there for texture. Don’t worry, this is the last set Banding shows up in. The evil has been defeated after this.

I believe this is what the young people would call a “big mood”. I know the feeling buddy, happens to the best of us.

See these are the kind of monsters I want to see in a fantasy setting: Flying jellyfish. That’s a fresh monster idea, isn’t it?

I know he’s supposed to be a Djinn, but he looks an awful lot like Zeus, or maybe Santa Claus. Yeah one of those two.

Another iconic character from the Weatherlight saga, the wizard Ertai. And his familiar, which is an illusory lizard frog monkey thing. I love the implication that Ertai couldn’t find a familiar that suited him so he just magic-ed up an illusion of one that he could customize.

As a kid with anxiety having to grow up in the American public school, I feel this guy’s pain. The struggle is real my friends. Also standardized testing is BS.

The winner of the Tolarian academy staring contest three years running. Gotta say that’s a powerful effect. You just need to combine it with a lure effect and some way to keep it alive and you can steal every opponent’s minion.

I thought it was Wights who lived in Barrows. Does Magic even have Wights? Huh. Anyway I love the art here. It reminds me of old school DnD module art.

I absolutely love the flavor of these “End of the world” style cards. Like, half your life, and you get five cards. That’s it. You better be confident those cards and your current hand are enough to win the game for you (And your opponent isn’t playing Mill).

Once again, I am a huge fan of DiTerlizzi’s art, and he’s in top form on this card with the almost goofy looking ghost here. Stat-wise Poltergeist is a pretty good blocker since you can almost always regenerate them for 1 health.

Yep, the next in the line of Atog monsters. I’m not sure if graveyard order matters so much anymore, but apparently it was a big deal back in the day. I love all Atogs, but this one has trouble standing out since there are already plenty of monsters that eat through your graveyard.

Wicket, look out! WICKET NO! OH GOD HE HAS HIS AIRPODS ON. WICKET! WICKEEEEEEET!

I actually like the flavor on this wall that it’s so fragile that one hit can destroy it. Also here we get introduced to Squee the goblin cabin boy. He is hilarious and you will quote everything he says.

Now I just wanted a punk rock remix of “Heigh Ho” from Snow White, and to have the dwarves all slam dancing. Dwarves with beards are out, Dwarves with Mohawks are in.

You know, when you have Goblin anything in Magic, odds are it’s gonna be something goofy and wonderfully janky. I imagine this was just a weird novelty back in the day, but now that Proliferate is a thing you can probably get one fuse counter on this thing, then just proliferate your way to victory.

HOLY SHIT IT’S BANE! LOOK OUT GERRARD! HE’S GONNA BREAK YOUR BACK!

Well that’s who it is. Come on! I mean, I’m never not gonna imagine him talking like Dark Knight Rises Bane now (And neither will you for that matter).

Although, it occurs to me you can never play this guy in tempo to an empty board or he just dies. I wonder how many people did that by accident back in the day.

….You know I’d say something, but I feel like anything I say would just detract from this one.

Not gonna lie, I really dig this elf’s hairstyle. It’s very punk rock (I think that’s the term).

Hey look at all the lime gelatin, just laying there and free for the taking. Let me just get in real close and OHGODNO.

I actually dig the mechanic here. It feels like a good use for cumulative upkeep since it makes the monster stronger as you have to pay more on it. Also you never play this on curve. It comes in when you have enough mana to pay its upkeep over multiple turns.

And another famous character from the Weatherlight Saga: Mirri the cat warrior. Man, between this, Gadget and Princess Sally we were spoiled for attractive animal people in the 90s. Artists and writers back then must have had a type.

I one day aspire to be as laid back and chill as this tree is. Now that is a tree who is soaking in the green mana, if you get my meaning.

I like this one because I have a soft spot for genies and efreet, but also because this guy, from the looks of it, is made out of tree sap. Now that is a fresh take on Genies.

What do you think of when you think of artifacts in Magic? The powerful Mox Gems? The destructive orb of Chaos? Terferi’s mysterious puzzle box? How about bubbles? How about the machine that makes BUBBLES?

Honestly though, this seems useful, since it can protect your vital minions from being blasted and gives you eternal blockers. In the right deck this could be massively useful, especially against decks which use damage-based removal like Green and Red.

As I understand it this guy was kind of the mascot for this set, appearing on the card packs. He looks cool, but what’s with the smoking little antenna all over him? Are they vents? Lights? Between this and the Tree guy earlier now I kind of want to make a Stoner themed magic deck.

The shadow of the Black Lotus looms long on Magic: the Gathering. There are imitator cards to it in standard right now. You will never own an original one unless you have enough money to buy a small country, but these knock-offs will be just as good.

And that’s it for our start of the Weatherlight arc. Tune in next week when we continue the Weatherlight saga with a new block, and its titular set: Tempest. So until next time, stay magical.