Tempest continues where the Weatherlight story left off. The crew of the Weatherlight has now entered the plane of Rath in search of their captain, Sisay. This story and this set begin the Rath Cycle.

There's definitely one thing you're certain to notice when you go to your local card store to buy some Tempest packs. Not only can you buy traditional boosters and random decks, but there are four preconstructed decks as well. These decks were built by the Wizards design team using only cards from Tempest. They come with instructions on how to play them as well as suggestions on how to improve them. Be sure to check them out.

Tempest also adds a couple new mechanics to the game of Magic. Buyback allows you to pay a little extra when you play a spell; and, in return, you get to put the spell back into your hand when it resolves. Shadow is a new creature ability that makes the creature unblockable except by other shadow creatures... but shadow creatures also have the drawback that they can only block other shadow creatures.

Two new themes are also introduced with this set. There is a Licid in each color. These creatures have the ability to turn into creature enchantments and then back into creatures. There is also a new creature type called "Slivers". These hive dwelling beasts have many different abilities, and they share their ability with each other Sliver in play.