Sagas are arguably one ofMagic: The Gathering’s most popular card types and have remained fun and flavorful since their inception in 2018’s Dominaria. They’re the ideal world-building tool used to depict historical events from Magic lore, and they’re perfect for bringing original stories and real-world tales to life through the cards.
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Sagas have been a major feature of multiple sets, especially top-down sets based on real-world mythologies (Theros Beyond Death and Kaldheim, for example), and they’ve made appearances inUniverses Beyond productslike the Warhammer 40k Commander decks and The Lord of the Rings, Tales of Middle-earth. Sagas showcase some of Magic’s best designs, finding clever ways to tell well-known stories through Magic’s game mechanics.
10There And Back Again
The Lord of the Ring’s Magic debut is brimming with flavorful recreations from Tolkein’s catalog. There and Back Again is a reference to The Hobbit. The three chapters tell the tale of Bilbo Baggins and his band of 13 dwarves traveling to Smaug’s domain to reclaim their home.
Chapter one hints at Bilbo’s temptation by The Ring, while chapter two references the Lonely Mountain where Smaug resides. And the 14 Treasures from chapter three? That’s the 14 members of Bilbo’s party, each reclaiming their treasure once Smaug’s been defeated.
9Kiora Bests The Sea God
Kiora has a long-running rivalry withthe Therosian godof the sea Thassa, essentially the Poseidon of Magic. This stems from the events of the Battle for Zendikar/Oath of the Gatewatch storyline, during which Kiora literally bests the Sea God and steals the signature Bident of Thassa.
Chapter one sees Kiora emerge from the ocean on an enormous Kraken, chapter two represents Kiora overpowering Thassa, and the final chapter illustrates Kiora’s acquisition of the Bident, which she’s claimed ownership over ever since.
8The Brothers' War
You know you’re in for a good story when you see a saga named after an entire set (see also: Urza’s Saga). The events of The Brothers' War revolve around a years-long rivalry between Urza and Mishra, who amass mech armies that clash at the expense of the Dominarian inhabitants.
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Chapter one is a nod to The Mightstone and The Meekstone, two halves of a powerful device that kick off the story’s events. Chapter two captures an all-out war between the two competing brothers, and the final chapter represents the residual damage caused by the war.
7Of Herbs And Stewed Rabbit
Of Herbs and Stewed Rabbit is a name lifted from a chapter of The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, and it’s a simple little tale about food.
Creating a Food token on chapters one and two is a simple way to show someone following a recipe to make a meal, with the +1/+1 counter and draw being tacked on gameplay benefits. Chapter three’s the feast, where the halflings are invited to eat the Food that’s been prepared, with precisely one serving per guest.
6The First Iroan Games
The Iroan Games are presumably Theros’s version of the Olympics, fitting given the Greek inspirations for the plane. It’s a fantastic representation of training for, competing in, and winning a large-scale athletic competition.
This saga follows an ordinary 1/1 Human token from chapter one all the way to chapter four, where they’ve won the games and literally take home the Gold ‘medal.’ The chapters in between show growth and commitment, but the use of a Gold token instead of themore commonly used Treasure tokenreally sells this story.
5The Fall Of Lord Konda
Takeshi Konda was a ruler of Kamigawa whose forbidden ritual caused the spirit realm to bleed over into the mortal world. It’s appropriate that The Fall of Lord Konda’s first chapter exiles since Konda, Lord of Eiganjo has indestructible.
Related:Magic: The Gathering: The Story of Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty
Chapter two depicts the division of the spirit and mortal realms returning to normal after Konda’s defeat, which resulted in Konda being turned to stone and smashed to pieces. Fragment of Konda is quite literally a piece of Konda’s remains, which flips the script by turning Konda’s original indestructibility into a death trigger.
4Long List Of The Ents
Long List of The Ents is as clever as it is flavorful. The “list” in question comes from Lord of the Rings and is actually a song that praises every species of creature known to the ents.
The saga’s interpretation of this song has the most chapters of any saga in Magic and requires the controller to name a different creature type for every chapter. Sadly this song ends after six chapters, which is somewhat appropriate given that Treebeard never actually finishes the song in the books.
3The First Eruption
The First Eruption technically depicts the creation of Shiv on Dominaria, but it’s also just a clever interpretation of the phases of a volcanic eruption.
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Chapter one starts off small, using a small sweeper effect to paint a picture of the initial flow of lava. Things heat up on chapter two, literally, by adding red mana. The finale shows a full-scale explosion with an even stronger sweeper effect. Sacrificing a Mountain might represent the volcano becoming dormant or uninhabitable after the eruption.
2Tale Of Tinuviel
This saga recounts the collection of Tolkien’s tales about the love between the mortal human Beren and the immortal elf Luthien, also known as Tinuviel. Indestructible from chapter one mimics Tinuviel’s immortality, but only while the saga is on the battlefield. Fitting, given that Tinuviel willfully gives up her own immortality by the tale’s end.
Beren dies during his adventures but is brought back to life, hencea reanimation effecton chapter two. And what better mechanic than lifelink on chapter three to represent their happily ever after?
1The Birth Of Meletis
The Birth of Meletis shows what building a city from the ground up would look like on a Magic card. Meletis is a bustling city in Theros, once ruled by a tyrant but now home to idealist philosophers and advanced architecture.
Chapter one uses a basic land to represent the clean sleight of the post-tyrannic city. The 0/4 Wall from chapter two is a placeholder for the architectural ingenuity of Meletis. Chapter three looks like a throwaway, but a little lifegain is a simple way to show that the city is thriving.
