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I have always liked the idea of designing a set from scratch as one can invent new mechanics, creature types and the like. Furthermore I believe that Ben’s set is very balanced and introduces several cards which could possibly be printed by Wizards in the future. EPIC introduces some new magic mechanics in the form of Evolution, Catalysts, Personifications and a lot of revealing (oo-er!).

Evolution is similar to Threshold and checks as a continuous effect when that player has 10 or more permanents in play. A good example of Evolution is Dispossess, a blue instant that counters a creature. If you have Evolution you gain control of that creature instead, making it a powerful spell for just 3 mana.

Catalysts are creatures that 'store' spells when they come into play and are 'released' when they leave play. For example the Null Catalyst is a 2/1 creature for BB that removes a card at random from your hand when it comes into play. When it leaves play, the spell is placed on the stack if it is a black card, otherwise it returns to your hand.

Personifications are the opposite of incarnations, as they help your opponent if they are in the graveyard. To compensate for this they are undercosted, have nifty abilities and can be removed from the game if you have Evolution. Cynicism is a 4/4 flyer for UU2, which gives your opponent’s creatures flying when it is in the graveyard, but it can be removed for UU if you have Evolution.

'Reveal' is a term used where you have to show an opponent card/s from your hand for an effect to happen. The green sorcery, Elephants Never Forget exploits this mechanism well as you have to choose a card type (from enchantment, creature, artifact, instant, sorcery and land) and your opponent reveals their hand. For each revealed card of the named type you put a 3/3 elephant token into play, making holding onto excess land very costly for your opponent!

Each colour has a dominant theme or creature type running through it with a few legends thrown in for good measure, whilst staying true to what that colour does best, so don’t expect any burn spells in green or enchantment removal in black.

Rogues are Reds’ specialty with an emphasis on circus performers. Trapeze Artists, Fire Jugglers, Fire Breathers, Strongmen and a Freak Show all make an appearance. The Ringmaster, Gavrol, leads this motley crue of rogues and has some very handy abilities, one of which is to exchange rogues for your opponent’s creatures! By far the most politically incorrect card in the set, Terrorism lets you turn your creatures into a miniature Taliban strike force until the end of turn to wreak havoc upon your opponent’s lands.

Blue has a varied mix of Wizards, Djinns, Illusions and Rogues with a focus on card manipulation, drawing and revealing. The Master of Espionage for instance is a 1/1 for UU1 that cannot be blocked or targeted with spells but if he is revealed by an opponent and you control an island you may discard him to gain control of a creature. Not bad eh? Blue receives a super pinger (i.e. it does 2 damage) in Freshwater Stingray whose ability can be countered if your opponent reveals 3 cards in their hand and Revolution, an enchantment, which when sacrificed enables you to gain control of all creatures in play (okay you have to reveal the 6 different card types to do this).

Black receives the usual suite of removal spells coupled with some nifty 'reveal' type cards such as Six Feet Under, that allows you to reveal X black cards to deal X damage to a creature or player and gain that much life. There are plenty of weird townsfolk and horrors for black in EPIC including a horror legend, Apocalyptic Hangman, a 5/5 for BBB3 who can strip your opponent’s hand to nothing if you name the right card. The real shiner for black though is Abyssal Portal, an enchantment for BBB1 that removes all cards in players’ hands when it comes into play and returns them when it leaves play. Also, if there are no creatures in play the portal is sacrificed. This has broken written all over it. The only card I had trouble with was Bad Bargain, an enchantment for B that lets you search your deck for a named card, which you then can’t play. Other than to achieve evolution (or thin you deck of cards you can’t play) I can’t think of any uses for this card, unless you can get rid of the Bad Bargain,

Green has a lot of cards that interact with Evolution such as Sasquatch, a 2/2 for GGG2 that gains +5/+5 and Trample at Evolution and the versatile Gaea’s Simplicity, a Sorcery for GG2 which destroys a permanent with Evolution. There are some interesting creature types alongside the usual complement of beasts, druids, hounds and cats including a Horticulturist (which gives all lands Evolution) and an Apprentice Botanist (similar to Werebear) that gives green an environmently friendly theme, but sadly no treefolk.

Reintegrate sounds broken to me, a sorcery for G that forces your opponent to shuffle back into their library all cards of the same type of a card you reveal from your hand. So for example you play this on the first turn, reveal a land from your hand and your opponent shuffles all land in their hand back into their library!

White has more Evolution cards than any of the other colours in addition to some really good legends. The main creature types are soldiers, townsfolk, clerics and the odd angel or two. The Magebane creatures are an interesting idea (they revolve around naming cards – a bit like Meddling Mage) but the Magebane Zealot seems out of place as it is basically a disenchant on a stick. Tria, Magebane Priestess looks especially powerful, a 2/4 legend for WWW that stops both players from playing a specific non land card type (i.e. creatures) when she comes into play. The fact she has to be sacrificed if you play a spell is a small price to pay. Zealous Inqusition is the sets’ new wrath and has the added bonus of destroying all creatures without Evolution at Evolution, if that makes sense.

EPIC is such a big set it is hard to cover all of the bases but I hope I have given you some idea of what it has to offer. A few old favourites have been reprinted, including Rukh egg (there is an egg for each colour) and there is an Arabian Nights feel with more Efreets and Djinns than you can poke a stick at.
Gold cards make a return appearance and there are a plethora of interesting artifacts and lands which overall make EPIC an innovative and well thought out set. I was surprised however that Ben hasn’t done a card for himself but maybe we will see it in a future expansion further down the track? (hint: it could be a sorcery that destroys creatures with fear... Secks’ Retribution perhaps?)

Until next time

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