The Witch's Broom: A Historical Perspective on Its Naming

A witches broom is a term used to refer to a specific plant growth pattern caused by the invasion or colonization of a plant by fungi, viruses, or other pathogens. This condition causes the branches or shoots of a plant to become massively elongated and dense, resembling the shape of a broom. The affected plant often exhibits an abnormal growth pattern with stunted or deformed leaves, resulting in a striking and abnormal appearance. The term "witches broom" is believed to have originated from the association of this abnormal plant growth with mythical folklore and legends surrounding witches. In these tales, witches were associated with riding brooms as a means of transportation. The resemblance of the plant growth to a broom, both in shape and density, may have led to the adoption of this term.

Unlike the brothers and their meld requirements, Titania’s conditions are the cheapest and can potentially happen fastest. By herself, Titania costs 3 mana, while Argoth enters play for free. Since Titania only melds during the upkeep step, one of the first phases in a player’s turn, this means she can’t meld until the turn after she comes into play at the earliest. But while Mishra and Urza require tons of mana and likely aren’t melding until turns five or six, if not later, Titania, Gaea Incarnate could hit the battlefield by turn four in a deck designed to funnel lands cards quickly into graveyard on the first one or two turns before the 3-mana creature is cast.

Titania detailed above features an unusual design that sidesteps the traditional ramp archetype that green decks support, since she primarily cares both about a deck s lands finding their way into the graveyard. Magic s artificers are a class of wizards who specialize in making machines and trinkets that often produce synergies or rewards for players who incorporate artifact cards in their decks.

The resemblance of the plant growth to a broom, both in shape and density, may have led to the adoption of this term. Witches brooms can occur in various plant species, including trees, shrubs, and herbaceous plants. They are often caused by fungi, such as rusts or phytoplasmas, but can also be the result of viral infections or genetic mutations.

Magic: The Gathering - The Brothers’ War mechanics and set details revealed

All the information you need to survive MTG’s return to the past.

Magic: The Gathering’s next set, The Brothers’ War, pauses the current march towards a grand clash between the forces of good and evil to revisit one of the most pivotal and beloved storylines in the trading card game’s history.

Publisher Wizards of the Coast recently dropped a ton of information regarding the upcoming card set’s mechanics, which include early versions, powerstones, the ability to slam two cards into something new and retro machines (not the Transformers cards - different retro machines).

Players will travel to Dominaria’s past and see the conflict between artificer brothers Urza and Mishra when The Brothers’ War officially releases on November 18th. This event set, designed around some major incident instead of a whole plane as setting, is appropriately focused on artefacts but manages to tinker with the colourless cards in some new and interesting ways.

Interested in all this talk of mechanics but extremely lost? Wheels happily guides MTG newcomers through the basics in this video.

Let’s start simple: that’s what the new Prototype mechanic is all about. Certain artefact creatures will have an alternate - and cheaper - casting cost printed below the art box, where rules text normally goes. Players can pay this smaller price in exchange for a construct, such as Phyrexian Fleshgorger, that isn’t quite as powerful as it might have been at full value. The card retains all abilities regardless of how it entered, making prototype creatures valuable draws at any stage of the game.

Powerstones are mana-producing engines that play a pivotal and recurring role in the brothers’ story, so it makes sense plenty of cards in The Borthers’ War creates these little artefacts. Players can tap a powerstone token for one colourless mana with the restriction that it can’t be spent on non-artifact spells. Everything else - activated abilities on creatures, extra costs, and of course more artefacts.

Unearth isn’t a new mechanic by any stretch - the keyword has popped up in numerous sets since its introduction as the signature Grixis mechanic in 2008’s Shards of Alara, but it makes perfect sense here. Both Urza and Mishra are pulling knowledge and artefacts - such as Ashnod's Harvester - out of the sands of the past, but the latter brother also ends falling prey to a dark power that allows him to reanimate the dead. That’s what Unearth does best - gives creatures in your graveyard one more turn and the haste to immediately attack before they’re exiled for the rest of the game.

Meld is likely one returning mechanic that many players and fans didn’t see coming. It’s one of those abilities that feels more akin to Yu-Gi-Oh! than Magic: The Gathering, but the results are bombastic all the same. Specific pairs of cards, such as the legendary creature Urza, Lord Protector and legendary artefact The Mightstone and Weakstone, can be flipped and combined sideways to create a new permanent. In Urza’s case, the brother becomes Urza, Planeswalker. His brother, Mishra, has a grimmer fate in store and combines with Phyrexian Dragon Engine to become Mishra, Lost to Phyrexia.

Like other recent sets, The Brothers’ War’s 287 cards will come with special art treatments and unique printings. Artefacts retain the spotlight with retro and schematic artefact printings. Retro refers to 63 artefacts pulled from MTG's considerable history, such as Wurmcoil Engine, Howling Mine or Phyrexian Revoker, and reprinted in the retro brown frames. Schematic cards adds another twist by pairing the retro frame with sketched artwork reminiscent of an artificer’s journal and work-in-progress versions of classic cards.

Each set and draft booster will contain a retro or schematic artefact card, though they will of course appear more frequently in the expensive collectors booster packs. Set and collectors booster may also contain one of the 15 Transformers cards. These will all be legendary creatures with the humanoid form on one side and the incognito machine on the reverse.

Weekly MTG's livestream announcing The Brothers' War's mechanics.

Those more interested in MTG’s brand of high fantasy will likely enjoy the mech Basic Lands, a separate series of Basic Land cards whose full-length art features one of Urza’s or Mishra’s colossal creations as they roam the various landscapes of Dominaria.

Prerelease for The Brothers’ War begins on November 11th and runs through the 17th. The set will land on Magic Arena and MTG Online on November 15th, followed shortly by the full physical release on November 18th. This will be the last full set of cards from MTG for 2022.

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The pathogens disrupt the normal growth and development of the plant, leading to the growth of abnormal shoots that form a dense cluster resembling a broom. While witches brooms are generally considered harmful to the affected plants, they have also been utilized for ornamental purposes. Some gardeners intentionally cultivate plants with witches brooms to create unique and visually striking features in their landscapes. Additionally, witches brooms have been studied and used in scientific research and breeding programs to understand the mechanisms behind such abnormal growth patterns and to develop disease-resistant plant varieties. In conclusion, a witches broom is a term used to describe the abnormal growth pattern of a plant caused by the invasion of pathogens. This phenomenon results in the formation of dense, elongated shoots that resemble the shape of a broom. Despite being harmful to some plants, witches brooms can also be appreciated for their aesthetic qualities and have scientific significance in studying plant pathogens and breeding disease-resistant varieties..

Reviews for "The Witch's Broom in Folklore: Unveiling the Name's Lore and Legends"

- John Doe - 1 star

I found "What is a witches broom calld" to be incredibly dull and uninteresting. The author goes on and on about broomstick history, but fails to engage the reader with any compelling narrative or intriguing anecdotes. Additionally, the writing style is dry and tedious, making it a chore to get through. Overall, I do not recommend this book for anyone looking for an entertaining read.

- Jane Smith - 2 stars

As someone who has always been fascinated by witches and their lore, I was excited to dive into "What is a witches broom calld". However, I was quickly disappointed with the shallow content and lack of depth in this book. The author barely scratches the surface when it comes to exploring the history and significance of witches' brooms, leaving the reader with more questions than answers. Furthermore, the writing style is disjointed and lacks coherence, making it difficult to follow the author's train of thought. Overall, I was left unsatisfied and would not recommend this book to fellow enthusiasts in the subject.

- Emily Thompson - 2 stars

"What is a witches broom calld" promised to provide a comprehensive exploration of the topic, but instead left me feeling confused and underwhelmed. The author jumps from one aspect of broomsticks to another without any clear organization, making it hard to understand the main points being conveyed. Additionally, the writing lacks clarity and the frequent use of jargon and technical terms only added to the confusion. Overall, I found this book to be a frustrating and disappointing read.

The Name of the Broom: Insights into Witchcraft Traditions