Champions of Kamigawa begins a brand new block, complete with a storyline that takes us to a brand new plane in the multiverse. We finally say goodbye to the metal world of Mirrodin and say hello to the rich, elaborate world of Kamigawa. The entire Kamigawa block is based on traditional Japanese culture, specifically on the Shinto philosophy, which suggests that every object in our world contains a spirit inside. The basic premise of the Kamigawa storyline is that these spirits (called "Kamis") begin manifesting themselves into the physical world and attacking physical beings for no apparent reason. The story follows many legendary characters as they embark on quests to find out what started this "Kami War"... and how it can be stopped.

In much the same way that Onslaught block was focused on tribes, and Mirrodin block was focused on artifacts, Kamigawa block is focused on legends. In fact, every rare in the set is legendary. In order to accomplish this, Wizards R&D had to revisit the "legend rule" and give it a couple tweaks. See the Prerelease FAQ for more details.

Champions of Kamigawa introduces several new mechanics, including the new "flip" cards, such as Jushi Apprentice Buy which "flips" to become Tomoya the Revealer Buy. These cards have a very unique layout, with half the card printed upside down. If nothing else, they should provide something interesting to look at. Champions also introduces a new keyworded ability called "Splice", which literally allows you to splice the text of one spell onto another. For example, spells such as Glacial Ray Buy and Kodama's Might Buy allow you to reuse their effect every time you play an arcane spell. Other new abilities in the set include Bushido, which makes creatures bigger in combat, and Soulshift, which allows you to bring spirits back from the graveyard when bigger spirits die.