Jay Annelli

@vorthosjay.bsky.social

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Magic: The Gathering Loremaster. Freelance Writer and Continuity Editor | He/Him | annelliconsulting@gmail.com | linktr.ee/jayannelli

Cover Art for King of Tokyo Godzilla
Zagorka, Mother of Sanctum {1}{G}{U}{R} Legendary Creature — Human Peasant Vigilance, trample At the beginning of your end step, each player may create a tapped land token named Sanctum with “{T}: Add one mana of any color.” Each opponent who does can’t attack you during their next turn. She had been the first to call the city home. Many more would follow and find its sanctuary. 4/2 Illustrated by Daren Bader
enser, Visionary Traveler {3}{W}{U} Legendary Planeswalker — Venser Each nontoken creature you control that wasn’t cast from your hand enters with two additional +1/+1 counters on it. +1: Exile up to one other target permanent you control. At the beginning of the next end step, return that card to the battlefield under its owner’s control. −2: For each opponent, return up to one target nonland permanent that player controls to its owner’s hand. Venser, Visionary Traveler can be your commander. Loyalty: 4 Illustrated by Cristi Balanescu
Tresserhorn's Lord, Returned {2}{U}{B}{R} Legendary Creature — Zombie Noble Trample, indestructible When Tresserhorn’s Lord enters, sacrifice him unless you sacrifice three creatures, pay 3 life, and have target opponent draw three cards. Whenever you sacrifice a creature, draw a card. In Lim-Dûl’s stead may he forever reign. 10/4 Illustrated by Helge C. Balzer
Selenia, Dark Angel {3}{W}{B} Legendary Creature — Phyrexian Angel Flying Pay 2 life: Return Selenia to its owner’s hand. “I am light. I am dark. I must give my life to serve; not even death can release me.” —Selenia, dark angel 3/3 Illustrated by Matthew D. Wilson
Olag and Miau, New Friends {W}{B}{G} Legendary Creature — Zombie Cat Whenever another Zombie you control enters, put a +1/+1 counter on target Cat you control. Whenever another Cat you control enters, put a +1/+1 counter on target Zombie you control. At the beginning of your end step, each opponent loses life equal to the number of tapped Cats and/or Zombies you control. 3/3 Illustrated by Steve Argyle
Ashaya's Enduring Bond {1}{R}{G} Legendary Sorcery (You may cast a legendary sorcery only if you control a legendary creature or planeswalker.) Discover X, where X is the amount of mana spent to cast this spell. (Exile cards from the top of your library until you exile a nonland card with that mana value or less. Cast it without paying its mana cost or put it into your hand. Put the rest on the bottom in a random order.) Ashaya’s Enduring Bond can be your commander. Illustrated by Anato Finnstark
Greensleeves {4}{G}{G} Legendary Planeswalker — Greensleeves +2: Create a Giant Badger token. (It’s a {1}{G}{G} 2/2 Badger creature with “Whenever this token blocks, it gets +2/+2 until end of turn.”) −3: Mill three cards. Put all permanent cards from among them into your hand. −8: Until end of turn, creatures you control have base power and toughness 8/8 and gain trample. Greensleeves can be your commander. Loyalty: 5 Illustrated by Yongjae Choi
Autumn Willow, Harmony {3}{G}{G} Legendary Creature — Avatar Hexproof When Autumn Willow enters, create a 1/1 green Forest Dryad land creature token. (It’s affected by summoning sickness.) Whenever you tap a land creature for mana, add an additional {G}. “The land lives and breathes, as we do. Nurture it, and it will respond in kind.” 3/3 Illustrated by Margaret Organ-Kean
Istvan, Butcher of Eln {1}{B}{B}{B} Legendary Creature — Human Istvan attacks each combat if able. Prevent all damage that would be dealt to Istvan by creatures. Whenever a creature an opponent controls dies, put two +1/+1 counters on Istvan. No beast in Terisiare is more frightening than the man who haunts its woods. 1/3 Illustrated by Marius Bota
Nivea, Beloved Battlemage {2}{W} Legendary Creature — Human Wizard Warrior Whenever a creature you control becomes blocked, you may untap it and remove it from combat. {5}{W}{W}{W}, Sacrifice Nivea: Create an Akroma, Angel of Wrath token. (She’s a {5}{W}{W}{W} legendary 6/6 Angel creature with flying, first strike, vigilance, trample, haste, and protection from black and from red.) 3/1 Illustrated by Winona Nelson
Jester's Cap {4} Artifact {2}, {T}, Sacrifice this artifact: Search target player’s library for three cards and exile them. Then that player shuffles. “They say the last owner cut out his own tongue, laughing the whole time. Superstitious drivel, but amusing, isn’t it?” —Hilde the Collector, last known words Illustrated by Matt Cavotta
Ashaya's Enduring Bond {1}{R}{G} Legendary Sorcery (You may cast a legendary sorcery only if you control a legendary creature or planeswalker.) Discover X, where X is the amount of mana spent to cast this spell. (Exile cards from the top of your library until you exile a nonland card with that mana value or less. Cast it without paying its mana cost or put it into your hand. Put the rest on the bottom in a random order.) Ashaya’s Enduring Bond can be your commander. Illustrated by Anato Finnstark
Feroz, Ulgrotha's Warden
Bofur, Reliable Guardian {W} Legendary Creature — Dwarf Scout Lifelink Bofur and Bombur were left behind to guard the ponies and such stores as they had. 1/1 Concerted Care {1}{W} Instant — Adventure Target artifact or creature you control gains hexproof and indestructible until end of turn. (Then exile this card. You may cast the creature later from exile.) Illustrated by Kieran Yanner
Jadzi, Steward of Fate {2}{U} Legendary Creature — Human Wizard Jadzi enters prepared. (While it’s prepared, you may cast a copy of its spell. Doing so unprepares it.) When Jadzi enters, draw two cards, then discard two cards. 2/4 Oracle's Gift {X}{X}{U} Sorcery Create X 0/0 green and blue Fractal creature tokens, then put X +1/+1 counters on each Fractal you control. Illustrated by Martina Fačková
Ragost, Deft Gastronaut {R}{W} Legendary Creature — Lobster Citizen Artifacts you control are Foods in addition to their other types and have “{2}, {T}, Sacrifice this artifact: You gain 3 life.” {1}, {T}, Sacrifice a Food: Ragost deals 3 damage to each opponent. At the beginning of each end step, if you gained life this turn, untap Ragost. 2/2 Illustrated by Zack Stella
Death Stroke {B}{B} Sorcery Destroy target tapped creature. For a sharp second, Selenia froze, and Crovax’s blade found home. As the angel shattered like glass, Crovax felt his mind collapse—the curse had been fulfilled. Illustrated by Colin MacNeil
Grizzlegom, Hurloon Hero
Pacifism {1}{W} Enchantment — Aura Enchant creature Enchanted creature can’t attack or block. For the first time in his life, Grakk felt a little warm and fuzzy inside.
Jester's Cap {4} Artifact {2}, {T}, Sacrifice this artifact: Search target player’s library for three cards and exile them. Then that player shuffles. The crowd laughed heartily at the fool’s performance, until his hat laughed back. Illustrated by Jesper Ejsing
Bolg's Company {B}{R} Creature — Goblin Soldier This creature has haste as long as you control another Goblin. {T}, Sacrifice another Goblin: Add {B}{R}. Tidings they had gathered in secret ways; and in all the mountains there was a forging and an arming. 2/2 Illustrated by Michele Giorgi
Great Ugly-Looking Goblin {5}{B} Creature — Goblin Soldier Each creature you control with a +1/+1 counter on it has menace. (It can’t be blocked except by two or more creatures.) 4/4 Clap! Snap! {1}{B} Sorcery — Adventure Amass Goblins 2. (Then exile this card. You may cast the creature later from exile.) Illustrated by Jason Kang
Kaervek, the Punisher {1}{B}{B} Legendary Creature — Human Warlock Whenever you commit a crime, exile up to one target black card from your graveyard and copy it. You may cast the copy. If you do, you lose 2 life. (Targeting opponents, anything they control, and/or cards in their graveyards is a crime. Copies of permanent spells become tokens.) 3/3 Illustrated by Cristi Balanescu
Examples of cultures of the new Zhalfir.
Zhalfir concept art
Invasion of New Phyrexia by Chris Rallis
Teferi art from Zhalfir
Invasion of New Phyrexia {X}{W}{U} Battle — Siege (As a Siege enters, choose an opponent to protect it. You and others can attack it. When it’s defeated, exile it, then cast it transformed.) When this Siege enters, create X 2/2 white and blue Knight creature tokens with vigilance. Defense: 6
Teferi's Protection {2}{W} Instant Until your next turn, your life total can’t change and you gain protection from everything. All permanents you control phase out. (While they’re phased out, they’re treated as though they don’t exist. They phase in before you untap during your untap step.) Exile Teferi’s Protection. Illustrated by Chase Stone
Sisay, Weatherlight Captain {2}{W} Legendary Creature — Human Soldier Sisay gets +1/+1 for each color among other legendary permanents you control. {W}{U}{B}{R}{G}: Search your library for a legendary permanent card with mana value less than Sisay’s power, put that card onto the battlefield, then shuffle. 2/2 Illustrated by Anna Steinbauer
Jolrael, Voice of Zhalfir {2}{G}{U} Legendary Creature — Human Druid At the beginning of combat on your turn, up to one target land you control becomes an X/X green and blue Bird creature with flying and haste until end of turn, where X is the number of cards in your hand. It’s still a land. Whenever a land creature you control deals combat damage to a player, draw a card. 3/3 Illustrated by Lorenzo Mastroianni
The Zhalfir logo
Shark folk concept art
A middle aged man holds an out of print book that has survived on a store shelf
Klingon Strike Force {3}{R}{R} Creature — Klingon Warrior Trample (This creature can deal excess combat damage to the player it’s attacking.) Haste (This creature can attack and {T} as soon as it comes under your control.) When this creature dies, it deals 2 damage to each opponent. 5/5 Illustrated by Fahmi Fauzi
Munitions Enthusiast {1}{R} Creature — Klingon Warrior Trample When this creature dies, it deals 1 damage to any target. “There is nothing shameful about falling before a superior enemy, human!” 3/2 Illustrated by Rémi Jacquot
Brad Boimler, Eager Ensign {1}{W} Legendary Creature — Human Officer Lifelink Whenever Brad Boimler becomes tapped, until end of turn, if one or more counters would be put on a permanent you control, that many plus one of each of those kinds of counters are put on that permanent instead. “We all joined Starfleet to dive headfirst into the unknown.” 2/2 Illustrated by Andreas Zafiratos
A middle aged man in swim goggles
Huatli, Warrior Poet {3}{R}{W} Legendary Planeswalker — Huatli +2: You gain life equal to the greatest power among creatures you control. 0: Create a 3/3 green Dinosaur creature token with trample. −X: Huatli deals X damage divided as you choose among any number of target creatures. Creatures dealt damage this way can’t block this turn. Loyalty: 3 Illustrated by Tyler Jacobson
The Watcher's Warning by Rafater, the Watcher appears before the Fantastic Four to warn them about Galactus.
Blex, Vexing Pest {2}{G} Legendary Creature — Pest Other Pests, Bats, Insects, Snakes, and Spiders you control get +1/+1. When Blex dies, you gain 4 life. Pests are typically harvested before they outgrow their enclosures. Blex is far from typical. 3/2
Brion Stoutarm {2}{R}{W} Legendary Creature — Giant Warrior Lifelink {R}, {T}, Sacrifice another creature: Brion Stoutarm deals damage equal to the sacrificed creature’s power to target player or planeswalker. Boggarts and disturbing bits of boggarts flew through the air with alarming and untidy regularity. 4/4 Illustrated by Zoltan Boros & Gabor Szikszai
An old bay can and a crab made out of hundreds of stacked food donation cans.
Magic: The Gathering - Untold Stories: Jace