Magic: The Gathering – Core Set 2014 (2013)

Overview

Magic 2014 was released on July 19, 2013. The tagline for the set is "Ignite your Spark." As Bolas was the mascot of M13, Chandra was the mascot of M14. The returning mechanic of Magic 2014 is Slivers, a series of creatures of which each grants an ability to each Sliver.

Magic 2014 marked a change to the Legend rule. It made the "Indestructible" effect a keyword, and changed the phrasing for unblockable creatures to "can't be blocked." Slivers in Magic 2014 also worked subtly differently from Slivers in earlier Magic; they now only affected Slivers owned by the same controller, rather than all Slivers in the game. Slivers also received an art redesign that de-emphasized their original beak-headed, one-clawed, one-tailed insect-like appearance, and instead became monstrous humanoids whose appearance varied heavily by card, but had "normal" features such as faces and eyes. This redesign proved controversial; one reviewer noted "slivers are one of the most iconic designs in all of Magic: The Gathering. To essentially muddle them down into just another humanoid monster thing is really disappointing." Wizards of the Coast acknowledged the negative feedback, noting that some players disliked the new art style, and included a card in Magic 2015 that used the original Sliver appearance in Sliver Hive