Official Walkthrough & Guide
Guide by VigilantSera, world co-designer.
Prefer Google Docs? Read it there.
Getting Started
You start in the map's center in the wastes biome. The game is very open-ended — you may run into tough enemies early. In the early game, avoid enemies in dungeons and take the loot they guard without fighting them whenever possible.
Your first priority should be collecting a full set of equipment. There are five equipment slots: head/necklace, torso, left arm, right arm, and boots. Equipment can be found in shops, dungeons, from bosses, and from mini-bosses.
Many wastes towns sell cheap defensive equipment that can bolster your low starting life total. Also keep an eye out for equipment that gives starting creatures.
Focusing on quests early is not recommended — the quests are randomized and may lead you to difficult encounters. Waiting until you've improved your deck and equipment is highly recommended.
The "main quest" is strictly optional and does not gate any content.
Visit each capitol city in the center of each colored biome for: life increases, teleport runes, unique card shops, and arenas with equipment rewards.
Most enemies and regions give cards of their color, so focus on one or two colors early (recommended) and head to that region first.
You begin with a gold coin for a free draft. One win = one pack. Two wins = two packs + coin. Three wins = two packs, coin, and the drafted deck.
Old school drafts can be tricky! Fliers and pingers are invaluable, as is removal. Don't underestimate mid-sized creatures.
Each color starts with a different pre-constructed deck — there are 113 in total across 27 editions, from Fourth Edition through Scourge. Green and White are generally more forgiving for beginners.
Standout Cards to Look Out For
Veterans of older magic may know most of these, but here are some recommended cards to look out for, split into common and uncommon ‘staples’ and broadly or especially powerful rares.
Also keep an eye open for color hate cards – the game doesn’t support side-boarding but since you will almost always know what kind of opponent you’re facing, putting appropriate color hate against a foe can often make a huge difference!
Insect Hordes. Exploit the starting fecundity enchantment to gain enough value to defeat her, and pack things to deal with lots of low-toughness creatures.
Drop: Hivecaller’s Helm; Life Heart
Bazaar Keeper [Five Color] [Hard] — Bazaar of Wonders
Monger cards that anyone can use, enemy tri-color cards
Drop: Crooked Scales, lots of cards and money. The bazaar has a unique shop with eight unique items for sale as well.
Go-wide goblin rush. Comes out fast and strong but if you can survive the initial onslaught long enough to sweep away the goblins, he has trouble rebuilding.
Blue/Green Ramp and theft with a focus on multicolor cards. Starts with a howling mine giving her and you card advantage.
Drop: Vodalian Shield; Life Heart
Colossus of Sardia [Colorless] [Hard] — The Library of Varsil (Main Quest Dungeon) (Optional to the Quest)
Big artifacts powered out by tons of starting mana
Drop: Disrupting Scepter
Teferi [Blue/White] [Hard] — Teferi’s Hideout
Lockdown control backed up by fliers and vigilance creatures.
Drop: Imp Tamer’s Glove; Life Heart
Arcanis the Omnipotent [Blue] [Hard] — Arcanis’s Hideout
Wizard kindred with lots of pingers and counterspells, backed up by card draw via multiple copies of arcanis. Vulnerability to low-damage sweepers, if you can get them to resolve. Watch out playing low toughness creatures.
Drop: Robes of Omniscience; Life Heart
Sliver Queen [Five Color] [Hard] — The Skep (After defeating the three lieutenant slivers: Spined, Hibernation, and Metallic)
Five color sliver swarm.
Drop: Slivercaller’s Gauntlet; Life Heart
Recaller of Ancestry [Blue/Green] [Very Hard] — Halls of Time
Hand size matters fueled by a playset of ancestral recalls.
Drop: Card: Ancestral Recall
Twister of Time [Blue/Black] [Very Hard] — Halls of Time
Draw punishment fueled by a playset of timetwister.
Drop: Card: Timetwister.
Time Walker [Blue] [Very Hard] — Halls of Time
Unblockable creatures and repeated bounce fueled by extra turns and a playset of time walk.
Drop: Card: Time Walk
Swamp (10 bosses)
Uncle Istvan [Black] [Low] — Neverglades National Park
Mercenary kindred. Watch out for repeated tutoring to battlefield and the starting cards which include larceny for discards and black market to ramp mana. Definitely bring starting card blockers.
Nightmare cards and reanimation. Packs lots of removal.
Drop: Dementia Mask
Thallid Lord [Green] [Medium] — Thallid Grove
Fungus/Thallids. Fairly weak creatures overall, but can swarm heavily with thallids and the starting sporogenesis. Keep in mind that removing sporogenesis removes its counters.
Drop: Thallid Farming Tools; Life Heart
The Lich Lord of Azar [Black] [Medium] — Grave of the Lich Lord
An original Shandalar 1997 Boss. Monoblack old school good stuff.
Drop: Amulet of Azar; Life Heart
Knight of Shadow [BlackLocation: Forgotten Cave (past the gate that needs five shards found throughout the sprawling caverns to unlock)] [Medium]
Hard to block shadow creatures protected by hard to kill blockers
Drop: Cave Diver’s Boots
The Grave Frog [Black/Green] [Hard] — Grave Frog Bog
Self-mill into creatures that care about the size of your graveyard and reanimation. Graveyard hate can be a big help against it as you might expect.
Drop: Worry Beads; Life Heart
Baron Sengir [Black] [Hard] — Castle Sengir
Vampire kindred with a life drain subtheme supported by a starting slow life drain enchantment. Make sure your life total is high enough to avoid instant death from big direct damage spells and large fliers.
Drop: Vampire Bite; Life Heart
Mountain (12 bosses)
Goblin King Phil [Red/Black/Blue] [Low] — King Phil’s Court
Phil Foglio artist theme deck with a goblin subtheme. Can swarm due to lots of starting cards and lands, but lacks strong finishers (unless you have mountains to mountainwalk over)
Drop: Tasty Tome
King Kane Ferguson [Five Color] [Low] — King Kane’s War Camp [can also be found in the plains]
Richard Kane Ferguson artist theme deck with lots of legends. Can be tough to overpower and has a lot of late game power, but without tons of starting lands and with the potential to be color screwed, fairly doable compared to many bosses.
Drop: Shield of Air
King Rohgahh [Red/Black] [Low] — Kobold Camp (Inside the Room in the back)
Swarms with kobolds. Fragile but can overwhelm if not dealt with.
Red/Black highly aggressive creatures and lots of removal. Can spit out lots of damage quickly backed up by a starting sulfuric vortex preventing life gain, making beating them without lots of starting life difficult.
Drop: Tome of the Gate
The Dragon Lord [Red] [Medium] — Temple of the Dragon Lord
An original Shandalar 1997 Boss. Old school dragon deck with lots of flying and firebreathing. Make sure you can block the dragons before they pour all their mana into killing you with firebreathing.
Drop: Goblin Trumpet
Homelands Chef [Red/Green/White] [Medium] — Mysterious City (Citadel Second Floor, fought first)
Homelands themed deck with tons of creatures, but mediocre removal.
Drop: Joven’s Tools
Three Kingdoms Commander [Red/White/Blue] [Medium] — Mysterious City (Citadel Basement, need key from Homelands chef to reach)
Portal Three Kingdoms theme deck with lots of horsemanship.
Drop: Yellow Scarves Horseshoe
Portal Master [Red/White/Blue] [Hard] — Mysterious City (Through the portal past the gate requiring the basement key)
Themed around the original portal which limits them to just creatures and sorceries, but a very high starting land count means huge threats will be coming fast and often. Watch out for big burn spells.
Discard deck with lots of specters and removal. Avoids some of the damage from pox by starting with artifact mana.
Drop: Crown of Madness; Life Heart
Forest (15 bosses)
The Hydra of Shandalar [Green/Red] [Low] — Lake of the Hydra
Ramp into big X-cost creatures and spells using a mana flare that starts in play. Exploit the mana doubling yourself or destroy it quick to leave its deck slow and inefficient.
Drop: Molten Mantle; Life Heart
The Great Druid [Green] [Low] — Grove of the Great Druid
An original Shandalar 1997 Boss. Ramps into threats that can scale. Limited card pool makes him predictable.
Drop: Faerie Dragon Egg; Life Heart
Chicken [Green/Blue/Red] [Low] — Scarecrow Farm
Unglued/chicken themed deck.
Drop: Chicken Egg (Not guaranteed)
Kid’s Pet Ladybug [Green/White] [Low] — Green Overworld
A deck built by mod designer Serafina as a child. A high life total but the deck is weak. As an overworld enemy, doesn’t have starting cards.
Drop: Water of Youth
Copper Host Brutalizer [Green/Black] [Low] — Copper Host Base
Ramp into big Phyrexian creatures and removal. Gives you some mana too with starting enchantment, which can be exploited.
Drop: War Beast Rider’s Boots
Werebear [Green] [Low] — Honey Cove
Lots of bears. Can’t be refought in the same location, so make the first fight count.
Drop: Grizzly Glaive
Elf Queen Guay [Green/White/Blue] [Low] — Grove of Queen Guay
Artist-themed Rebecca Guay deck. No super coherent strategy but an elf sub-theme and lots of creatures. Main threat is aggression due to high starting land count, but creatures are overall fairly weak.
Aura deck with lots of enchantress draw pieces. Can make huge attackers but vulnerable to instant-speed removal in response to playing an aura and enchantment sweepers.
Drop: Wombat Tamer’s Whip; Life Heart
Kamahl, Fist of Krosa [Green] [Hard] — Kamahl’s Forest
Heavy ramp into large tokens and overrun effects as a finisher
Drop: Overwhelming Axe; Life Heart
Endgame: The Color Castles (5 bosses)
Each color castle has five ‘guard’ NPCs, you must defeat at least four to reach the boss. Defeating the boss grants a key. Once you have all five keys you may unlock one of the gates behind the boss (but just one) to get that color Mox plus the strange key that opens the temple of the false god.
White Castle All enemies here start with glorious anthem, giving their creatures +1/+1.
Akroma [White] [Very Hard] — White Castle
Big angels and lots of removal. Make sure you have an answer to her two copies of moat.
Drop: Serra’s Shield; Life Heart
Blue Castle All enemies here start with rhystic study: they draw when you cast a spell unless you pay 1.
Leviathan [Blue] [Very Hard] — Blue Castle
Huge blue sea creatures powered out by lots of starting lands and backed up by draw power and counter magic
Drop: Serpent Caller’s Staff; Life Heart
Black Castle All enemies here start with Phyrexian arena, giving them an extra draw each turn for 1 life.
Lord of the Pit [Black] [Very Hard] — Black Castle
Demon kindred backed up by lots of removal. Packs direct damage and the difficult for creature decks no mercy enchantment.
Drop: Symbol of the Pit; Life Heart
Red Castle All enemies here start with fervor, giving their creatures haste.
Rorix Bladewing [Red] [Very Hard] — Red Castle
Dragon kindred backed up by lots of mana acceleration and removal. Watch out for surprise burn and insurrection. Packs nevinyrral’s discs to out enchantments.
Drop: Dragon Egg; Life Heart
Green Castle All enemies here start with primal rage, giving their creatures trample, and rowen, letting them draw again if they draw a basic land for turn.
Queen of Beasts [Green] [Very Hard] — Green Castle
Heavy ramp into huge creatures. Begins with city of solitude to stop off-turn interaction and other dangerous support enchantments – removing these can be key to defeating her.
Drop: Explorer’s Boots; Life Heart
Endgame: Temple of the False God (26 bosses)
Once you have obtained the strange key from defeating all five color palaces, you are ready for the final challenges. This unlocks the gate into the temple of the false god (located in the wastes area and marked by a palace icon on the map).
Inside, there are five portals to five more palaces, even more challenging than the previous ones. Defeat all five to access Karona the False God herself. These palaces all have lots of starting cards, including color hate for the palace’s two enemy colors.
Serra’s Palace All enemies here start with Serra’s Sanctum, Serra’s Blessing, Serra Advocate, and Greater Realm of Preservation,
Selenia, Dark Angel [White/Black] [Very Hard] — Serra’s Palace
Angels and removal
Drop: Ankh of Purgatory
Serra the Benevolent [White] [Extremely Hard] — Serra’s Palace
For you to discover
Drop: Serra’s Prayer Book; Card: Mox Pearl
Urza’s Palace All enemies here start with Urza’s Tower, Urza’s Mine, Urza’s Power Plant, Urza’s Blueprints, Urza’s Engine, Ornithopter, Chill, and Insight.
Drop: Armor of Yawgmoth; Eye of Yawgmoth; Card: Mox Jet
Jaya’s Palace All enemies here start with Shivan Gorge, Dormant Volcano, Wall of Lava, Grim Lavamancer, Gorilla Shaman, Task Mage Assembly, Havoc, and Scald.
Eron the Relentless [Red/Black/Green] [Very Hard] — Jaya’s Palace
Gaea’s Palace All enemies here start with Gaea’s Cradle, Gaea’s Herald, Gaea’s Touch, Lifeforce, and Choke.
Jolrael, Empress of Beasts [Green] [Very Hard] — Gaea’s Palace
Land animation
Drop: Map to Paradise
Multani [Green] [Very Hard] — Gaea’s Palace
Hand Size Matters
Drop: Multani’s Boots
Rofellos [Green] [Very Hard] — Gaea’s Palace
Elves
Drop: Ivy Seer’s Amulet
Verdeloth the Ancient [Green] [Very Hard] — Gaea’s Palace
Tokens
Drop: Ring of Infestation
Gaea the Worldsoul [Green] [Extremely Hard] — Gaea’s Palace
For you to discover
Drop: Garments of Gaea; Card: Mox Emerald
The Final Boss: Karona the False God
The Final Boss
Karona the False God [Five Color] [Extremely Hard] — Temple of the False God
For you to discover
Drop: Crown of the False God; Card: Black Lotus
Equipment Guide (190 items)
Almost all equipment gives a card on the battlefield at the game's start. Slot themes:
• Necklace: Enchantments and passive effects
• Torso: Card advantage effects
• Right Hand: Creatures
• Left Hand: Defensive cards and token makers
• Boots: Combat tricks and buffing cards
Item
Slot
Effect
Source
Notes
Acidic Boot Dagger
Boots
Acidic Dagger
Arena Reward: Black
Aeolipile
Right Hand
Aeolipile
FEM
Shop: Wastes
Aladdin's Ring
Right Hand
Aladdin's Ring
Arena Reward: Red
Amulet of Kroog
Necklace
Amulet of Kroog, +2 Max Life
dungeon drop
blue tower with storm crow drop; from base game
Amulet of Telepathy
Necklace
Telepathy
Shop: Blue
Price: 3000
Ana Spellbook
Right Hand
Ana Disciple
APC
Shop: Bazaar
Armor of Madness
Torso
Anvil of Bogardan, -4 starting life.
boss drop
Specter King
Ashnod's Greaves
Boots
Ashnod's Battle Gear, +4 Max Life
end boss drop
Ashnod
Attendant's Prayerbook
Left Hand
Silent Attendant
boss drop
Elf Queen Guay
Barrin's Robes
Torso
Barrin's Codex
end boss drop
Barrin
Belbe's Boots
Boots
Belbe's Armor
Shop: White
Price: 3000
Belt of Worry Beads
Torso
Worry Beads
boss drop
The Grave Frog
Black Staff
Staff
[Normal black staff effect]
Shop: Black
Price: 1000
Bladed Boots
Boots
Zelyon Sword
Arena Reward: Red
Blessed Halo
Necklace
Serra’s Blessing
boss drop
Akroma
Blue Staff
Staff
[Normal blue staff effect]
Shop: Blue
Price: 1000
Bog Glider
Right Hand
Bog Glider, -2 Max Life
boss drop
Cateran Overlord
Braidwood Leathers
Torso
Braidwood Sextant
Shop: Wastes
Price: 3000
Breathstealer's Blade
Right Hand
Breathstealer, -3 Max Life
boss drop
Swamp Queen Tojira
Broodling Egg
Right Hand
Phyrexian Broodlings, -2 Max Life
boss drop
Phyrexian Dungeon: Black
Catalyst Stone
Necklace
Catalyst Stone
Shop: Blue
Cost: 2000
Celestial Prism
Necklace
Celestial Prism, +2 Max Life
enemy drop
Shandalar Dragons
Ceta Spellbook
Right Hand
Ceta Disciple
APC
Shop: Bazaar
Chariot Rider's Boots
Boots
War Chariot, Starting Life +1
Shop: Green
Price: 1000
Chicken Egg
Right Hand
Chicken Egg, +1 Max Life
enemy drop
Chicken
Chimeric Sphere
Right Hand
Chimeric Sphere
WTH
boss drop
Claws of Gix
Left Hand
Claws of Gix, +3 Max Life
end boss drop
Gix
Clockwork Lance
Right Hand
Clockwork Steed
HML
Shop: Capitol Colorless
Concordant Boots
Boots
Concordant Crossroads
Arena Reward: Green
Consumptive Vial
Right Hand
Consumptive Goo, -2 Max life
boss drop
Slime Mother
Copper Angel's Axe
Right Hand
Copper-Leaf Angel, -2 Max Life
end boss drop
Latulla, Keldon overseer
Crooked Scales
Right Hand
Crooked Scales
MMQ
boss drop
Crown of Gaea
Necklace
Pulse of Llanowar
end boss drop
Gaea, the Worldsoul
Crown of the Ages
Necklace
Crown of the Ages, +2 Max Life
Arena Reward: White
Crown of the Chosen
Necklace
Sword of the Chosen
Shop: White
Price: 4000
Crown of the False God
Necklace
Temple of the False God
end boss drop
Karona
Cursed Lamp
Right Hand
Fledgling Djinn
boss drop
Mighty Djinn
Defiant Bow
Right Hand
Defiant Elf
LGN
Shop: Green
Dega Spellbook
Right Hand
Dega Disciple
APC
Shop: Bazaar
Diamond Kaleidoscope
Left Hand
Diamond Kaleidoscope
enemy drop
Maelstrom Angels
Disruptor's Robes
Torso
Disrupting Scepter
boss drop
Colossus of Sardia
Distorting Lens
Necklace
Distorting Lens
Arena Reward: Blue
Djinn's Silks
Torso
Ring of Ma'rûf
boss drop
Pharaoh
Draconian Necklace
Necklace
Draconian Cylix, +2 Max Life
Arena Reward: Black
Dragon Blood Necklace
Necklace
Dragon Blood
boss drop
Ancient Silver Dragon
Dragon Egg
Right Hand
Fledgling Dragon, -2 Max Life
boss drop
Rorix Bladewing
Dragon Mask
Necklace
Dragon Mask
Shop: Red
Price: 3000
Dream Chisel
Left Hand
Dream Chisel, +2 Max Life
Shop: Blue
Price: 2000
Drudge Spellbook
Left Hand
Drudge Spell, -2 Max Life
dungeon drop
A few locations (vampire castles, mostly)
Dwarven Shield
Left Hand
Dwarven Armorer
Shop: Red
Price: 2000
Ebony Horseshoe
Boots
Ebony Horse
end boss drop
Márton Stromgald
Elixir of Vitality
Left Hand
Elixir of Vitality
MIR
Shop: Capitol Colorless
Explorer's Hat
Necklace
Exploration, -5 Max Life
boss drop
Queen of Beasts
Eye of Horror
Right Hand
Vebulid, +1 Max Life
boss drop
Specter's Horror
Faerie Dragon Egg
Right Hand
Faerie Dragon, -3 Max Life
boss drop
The Great Druid
Ferret Food
Left Hand
Joven's Ferrets
boss drop
Joven
Feverbringer's Blade
Right Hand
Fevered Convulsions
Shop: Black
Price: 3000
Flaming Skull
Right Hand
Deadapult
dungeon drop
One of the Cemetery Maps
Flowstone Boots
Boots
Flowstone Armor
Shop: Red
Price: 3000
Fool's Outfit
Torso
Fool's Tome
TMP
Shop: Bazaar
Fortified Shield
Left Hand
Fortified Area
LEG; +2 max life
Shop: White
Gauntlets of Chaos
Right Hand
Gauntlets of Chaos
LEG
boss drop
Gladiator's Gladius
Right Hand
Arena
Arena Reward: Red
Glider Gloves
Right Hand
Ornithopter
ATQ
Shop: Wastes
Goblin Trumpet
Left Hand
Goblin Polka Band
boss drop
The Dragon Lord
Gold Armor
Torso
Max Life +5
Arena Reward: White
Green Staff
Staff
[Normal green staff effect]
Shop: Green
Price: 1000
Grizzly Glaive
Right Hand
Grizzly Bears
boss drop
Werebear in Honey Cove
Groundbreaker Mace
Right Hand
Mishra's Groundbreaker
end boss drop
Mishra
Guard's Shield
Left Hand
Security Detail, +2 Max Life
boss drop
Baron Von Gant
Hallowed Sigil
Necklace
Peace of Mind
boss drop
Valyx (Good Choice)
Haunted Robes
Torso
Haunted Crossroads, +1 Max Life
Shop: Black
Price: 1500
Headdress of Paradise
Necklace
Undiscovered Paradise
end boss drop
Jolrael, Empress of Beasts
Helm of Chatzuk
Necklace
Helm of Chatzuk, +1 Max Life
Arena Reward: White
Hero's Sword
Right Hand
Benalish Hero
LEA
Shop: White
Hivecaller's Horn
Left Hand
The Hive
boss drop
Xira
Holy Symbol
Right Hand
Miracle Worker
boss drop
Dark Ages Preacher
Horrible Halberd
Right Hand
Horrible Hordes
MIR
Shop: Capitol Colorless
Hymnal Hood
Necklace
Serra's Hymn, +2 Max Life
end boss drop
Hazduhr the Abbot
Ichor Knife
Right Hand
Ichorid
boss drop
Chainer, Dementia Master
Immortal Anklet
Boots
Ring of Immortals
LEG
boss drop
Imp Tamer’s Glove
Right Hand
Teferi's Imp, +2 Max Life
boss drop
Teferi
Infiltrator's Knife
Right Hand
Phyrexian Infiltrator, -4 Max Life
boss drop
Phyrexian Dungeon: Blue
Istvan's Axe
Right Hand
Uncle Istvan, -6 Max Life
boss drop
Uncle Istvan
Ivy Seer's Tome
Right Hand
Ivy Seer
end boss drop
Rofellos
Jalum Robes
Torso
Jalum Tome
7ED
Shop: Bazaar
Jandor's Horseshoes
Boots
Jandor's Saddlebags
Arena Reward: Green
Jayemdae Robes
Torso
Jayemdae Tome
4ED
Shop: Bazaar
Jester's Cap
Necklace
Jester's Cap
Arena Reward: Blue
Jeweled Amulet
Necklace
Jeweled Amulet
Arena Reward: Green
Joven's Boots
Boots
Joven's Tools
boss drop
Homelands Chef
Kobold King's Blade
Right Hand
-1 Starting/Max Hand Size; Crimson Kobolds
LEG; Crookshank Kobolds
LEG; Kobolds of Kher Keep
Krampus's Horns
Necklace
Charcoal Diamond
MIR; -1 Hand Size
boss drop
Kry Greaves
Boots
Kry Shield
LEG
boss drop
Lance of Lurking Evil
Right Hand
Lurking Evil
boss drop
Lord of the Pit
Ley Line Walker Boots
Boots
Ley Line
boss drop
Hidden Wumpus
Life Chisel
Left Hand
Life Chisel
Shop: Black
Price: 3000
Life Matrix
Necklace
Life Matrix
LEG
boss drop
Lotus Petal
Necklace
Lotus Petal
TMP
Shop: Green
Lucky Clover
Necklace
Chance Encounter
boss drop
Specter's Cyclops
Mad Staff
Right Hand
Power Struggle
boss drop
The Astral Visionary
Marble Mace
Right Hand
Marble Priest
LEG; -5 Max Life
boss drop
Memory Crystal
Necklace
Memory Crystal
Arena Reward: Blue
Miller's Shoes
Boots
Millstone, +2 Max Life
boss drop
Baron Levilain
Molten Gauntlet
Right Hand
Molten Hydra, -3 Max Life
boss drop
Hydra of Shandalar
Multani's Laurels
Necklace
Multani's Presence, -5 Max Life
end boss drop
Multani
Narcissist's Mask
Necklace
Narcissism
end boss drop
Jeska, Warrior Adept
Necra Spellbook
Right Hand
Necra Disciple
APC
Shop: Bazaar
Noble's Silks
Torso
Credit Voucher
Shop: Capitol Colorless
Price: 6000
Onulet Shield
Left Hand
Onulet
ATQ
Shop: Capitol Colorless
Overwhelming Armor
Torso
Overwhelming Instinct, -3 Max Life
boss drop
Kamahl
Paladin's Shield
Left Hand
Serra Paladin
end boss drop
Archangel Radiant
Pandora's Box
Left Hand
Pandora's Box, +5 Max Life
boss drop
Arzakon
Phyrexian Implant
Torso
Phyrexian Grimoire, -3 Max Life
boss drop
Phyrexian Dungeon: White
Pied Pipe
Right Hand
Plague Rats, +1 Max Life
Arena Reward: Black
Pirate's Hook
Right Hand
Cloud Pirates, -1 Max Life
boss drop
Pirate Captain in cydril shard mines
Power Armor Greaves
Boots
Power Armor
enemy drop
Domain Keeper of Cromat
Prismatic Egg
Right Hand
Prismatic Dragon
PAST; -4 Max Life
enemy drop
Purgatory Priest's Robes
Torso
Purgatory
end boss drop
Selenia, Dark Angel
Pyromaniac's Mask
Necklace
Pyromania
Arena Reward: Red
Raging Dagger
Right Hand
Raging Goblin
POR
Shop: Red
Rainbow Headdress
Necklace
Rainbow Vale
boss drop
Sorceress Queen Kaja
Rainbow Spear
Right Hand
Rainbow Knights
PAST, -2 Max Life
boss drop
Raka Spellbook
Right Hand
Raka Disciple
APC
Shop: Bazaar
Rayne's Writ
Right Hand
Rayne, Academy Chancellor, -3 Max Life
end boss drop
Rayne, Academy Chancellor
Rebel Falconer's Glove
Right Hand
Defiant Falcon
boss drop
Lin Sivvi
Red Staff
Staff
[Normal red staff effect]
Shop: Red
Price: 1000
Rhystic Amulet
Necklace
Rhystic Cave, -3 Max Life
boss drop
Unholy Knight at end of forgotten cave
Riding Boots
Boots
Noble Steeds, +1 Max Life
Shop: White
Price: 3000
Ring of Infestation
Left Hand
Saproling Infestation
end boss drop
Verdeloth the Ancient
Ring of Unmaking
Right Hand
Amulet of Unmaking
MIR
Shop: Capitol Colorless
River Waders
Boots
Raging River
end boss drop
Tsabo Tavoc
Robes of Omniscience
Torso
Starting/max hand size +2, -6 Max Life
boss drop
Arcanis
Robes of Renewal
Torso
Angelic Renewal
end boss drop
Reya Dawnbringer
Rod of Ruin
Right Hand
Rod of Ruin
Arena Reward: Black
Rootwater Trident
Right Hand
Rootwater Mystic
EXO
Shop: Blue
Sage's Robes
Torso
Spellbook; Starting Hand +1
Shop: Capitol Colorless
Price: 7000
Sandals of Speed
Boots
Need for Speed, Starting Life +1
Shop: Red
Price: 1500
Santa's Hat
Necklace
Jack-in-the-mox
UGL; -1 Hand Size
boss drop
Scathe Scythe
Right Hand
Scathe Zombies, -2 Max Life
Shop: Black
Price: 2000
Scythe of Yawgmoth
Right Hand
Order of Yawgmoth
USG
end boss drop
Sentry's Shield
Left Hand
Soldevi Sentry
ALL
1
Serpent Caller’ Staff
Left Hand
Dreamwinder
boss drop
Leviathan
Serpent Ring
Left Hand
Serpent Generator
end boss drop
Tawnos
Serra's Prayer Book
Right Hand
Serra's Liturgy
end boss drop
Serra the Benevolent
Serrated Quiver
Right Hand
Serrated Arrows, -4 Max Life
boss drop
Eron the Relentless
Shaman's Staff
Right Hand
Gorilla Shaman
boss drop
Gargantuan Gorilla
Shield of Air
Left Hand
Wall of Air
5ED; -6 Max Life
boss drop
Shield of Tears
Left Hand
Wall of Tears
end boss drop
Karn
Shield of the Hivelord
Left Hand
Plated Sliver
dungeon drop
Reward for clearing skep
Shoes of Safety
Boots
Safe Haven
Arena Reward: White
Shoes of Sorrow
Boots
Sorrow's Path, +2 Max Life
dungeon drop
False Treasure Room End
Slivercaller’s Gauntlet
Right Hand
Metallic Sliver
boss drop
Sliver Queen
Slung Medicine Bag
Necklace
Medicine Bag
Shop: Green
Price: 1000
Soulcatcher Cloak
Torso
Soul Net
LEA; Starting Life +2
Shop: Capitol Colorless
Spawning Staff
Left Hand
Homarid Spawning Bed
boss drop
Homarid Island Cave Chest
Spine Whip
Right Hand
Skeletal Snake, -1 Max life
dungeon drop
illusionist's tower basement and one of the vampire crypts; from base game
Splicer's Charm
Necklace
Phyrexian Splicer
Shop: Black
Price: 1500
Spyglass
Right Hand
Orcish Spy, -1 Max Life
boss drop
Chandler
Staff of Azar
Left Hand
Necropolis of Azar
boss drop
Lich Lord of Azar
Staff of the Ages
Left Hand
Staff of the Ages, +3 Max Life
boss drop
Lim-Dûl, the Necromancer
Steel Armor
Torso
[Max Life +3]
Shop: Wastes
Price: 1500
Steel Boots
Boots
[Max Life +2]
Shop: Wastes
Price: 1000
Steel Helm
Necklace
[Max Life +2]
Shop: Wastes
Price: 1000
Steel Shield
Left Hand
[Max Life +2]
Shop: Wastes
Price: 1000
Storm Gauntlet
Right Hand
Storm Crow
POR
boss drop
Sulfuric Amulet
Necklace
Sulfuric Vapors
end boss drop
Jaya Ballard
Tasty Tome
Left Hand
Orcish Librarian
ICE
boss drop
Tawnos's Hat
Necklace
Tawnos's Wand
Arena Reward: Blue
Thallid Farming Tools
Right Hand
Thallid
boss drop
Thallid Lord
Thran Lens
Necklace
Thran Lens
dungeon drop
Archaeological Dig Site
Tome of the Gate
Right Hand
Gate to Phyrexia, -2 Max Life
boss drop
Phyrexian Dungeon: Red
Torturer’s Hood
Necklace
Wheel of Torture, -3 Max Life
boss drop
Specter's Torturer
Triangle of War
Right Hand
Triangle of War
Arena Reward: Green
Triassic Amulet
Necklace
Triassic Egg; -3 Max Life
dungeon drop
Dinosaur Crater (also in dinosaur cave ATM)
Unerring Sling
Right Hand
Unerring Sling
Arena Reward: Green
Unhallowed Sigil
Necklace
Unspeakable Symbol
boss drop
Valyx (Evil Choice)
Urza’s Armor
Torso
Urza's Armor
end boss drop
Urza
Vampire's Dagger
Right Hand
Treacherous Vampire, -5 Max Life
boss drop
Baron Sengir
Vodalian Shield
Left Hand
Vodalian War Machine
boss drop
Empress Gallina
War Beast Reins
Right Hand
Phyrexian War Beast
boss drop
Phyrexian Dungeon: Green
Warren Tender's Baton
Left Hand
Goblin Warrens, +3 max life
boss drop
Squee
Water of Youth
Left Hand
Fountain of Youth
CHR; +2 Max Life
enemy drop
Whalebone Glider
Boots
Whalebone Glider, +1 Max Life
Shop: Blue
Price: 3000
White Staff
Staff
[Normal white staff effect]
Shop: White
Price: 1000
Winter Cap
Necklace
Winter's Night
boss drop
Ice Wizard
Wombat Tamer’s Whip
Right Hand
Rabid Wombat
boss drop
Scarecrow Captain
Wooden Shield
Left Hand
Wall of Wood
Shop: Green
Price: 2000
Yawgmoth's Armor
Torso
Eye of Yawgmoth
end boss drop
Yawgmoth
Yellow Scarves Spear
Right Hand
Yellow Scarves Cavalry, -2 Max Life
boss drop
Three Kingdoms Commander
Loot System
How card rewards work in Old Border Shandalar
★ Card Tiers
Every card in the game is ranked into one of six quality tiers. Browse the full tier lists in this Google Sheet.
Tier
Cards
Examples
S
50
Mox Diamond, Sol Ring, Necropotence, Yawgmoth's Will, Channel, Contract from Below
A
246
Force of Will, Demonic Tutor, Tolarian Academy, Library of Alexandria, Survival of the Fittest
B
948
Counterspell, Lightning Bolt, Swords to Plowshares, Brainstorm, Natural Order
C
1,843
Wrath of God, Dark Ritual, Birds of Paradise, Reanimate, Rhystic Study
D
2,395
Duress, Price of Progress, Careful Study, Moment's Peace
E
760
Gray Ogre, Storm Crow, Goblin Piker, Carnival of Souls
The tier pool contains 6,242 unique cards across the entire old-border era (1993–2003).
Note: The Power 9 are not part of the regular drop system, but can still be obtained through other means.
★ Enemy Drops
Stronger enemies have better odds of dropping high-tier cards. The system works like a Diablo-style loot curve.
Enemy Tier
Avg Cards
What to Expect
Elite Boss
~10
Guaranteed S-tier, excellent A-tier odds
Major Boss
~10
High S-tier chance, reliable A and B drops
Boss
~8
Decent S-tier chance, mostly A and B drops
Mini-Boss
~7
Small S-tier chance, mostly B and C drops
Hard
~5
Rare high-tier drops, mostly C and D
Medium
~3
Mostly D and E tier
Easy
~3
Almost always bulk (D and E)
What can drop:
• Tiered reward cards — drawn from the tier pool, weighted by enemy strength
• Deck cards — cards from the enemy's own deck
• Hand-picked cards — specific cards placed by the designers
Color matching: Tiered drops are weighted toward the enemy's colors.
Boss rewards: Bosses are best-of-3. Many bosses split hand-picked rewards with a nearby treasure chest.
Difficulty scaling: Higher difficulty = fewer bonus cards. Insane = base amount only. Easy = up to 50% extra.
★ Treasure Chests
Chests use the same tier system. Drop quality is based on the strongest nearby enemy.
Chests are not color-filtered — great for off-color staples.
Many contain hand-picked items and cards in addition to tiered rewards.
552 treasure chests across 274 dungeon maps.
★ Shops
Shops stock cards using the tier system with lower rare odds. Inventory rerolls each visit.
Mostly C and D tier, with a 1-in-25 chance of S-tier per page.
Shops respect their theme. Broad shops like "Random" have the best odds of rare finds.
★ Gold & Shards
Enemies drop gold and mana shards scaled to their strength:
Enemy Tier
Gold
Shards
Elite Boss
10,000–15,000
300–400
Major Boss
3,000–5,000
80–120
Boss
800–1,200
20–30
Mini-Boss
150–300
5–10
Hard
50–150
2–5
Medium
20–80
1–3
Easy
5–30
0–1
Bosses always pay out. Lower enemies may drop nothing.
Last updated: March 21, 2026
This mod was built with <3 on the shoulders of giants (the Forge contributors) and by VigilantSera & RemusLord