{"id":365,"date":"2026-06-10T11:32:47","date_gmt":"2026-06-10T11:32:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/phelddagrif.quest\/?p=365"},"modified":"2026-06-10T11:47:19","modified_gmt":"2026-06-10T11:47:19","slug":"30-years-of-phelddagrif","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/phelddagrif.quest\/?p=365","title":{"rendered":"30 years of Phelddagrif"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

June 10, 1996 saw the release of the second set in Magic: the Gathering<\/em>‘s Ice Age <\/em>block; Alliances<\/em>. The set is notable from a design perspective as it continues the use of the Ice Age mechanics of cumulative upkeep and cantrips, but does not add any new keywords and doesn\u2019t continue the previously setup snow theme. The set has some of the most notable cards in Magic, from Force of Will<\/a>, one of the strongest cards in the game, and other powerful cards like Helm of Obedience<\/a>, Lake of the Dead<\/a>, Thawing Glaciers<\/a>, and the perennial meme card Storm Crow<\/a>. It was also the set that introduced the card of monomaniacal obsession:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Phelddagrif<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today is June 10, 2026, and Phelddagrif turns 30 this year. This means that Phelddagrif has been able to vote in the past three presidential elections in the United States1<\/a><\/sup>, legally drink the past nine years2<\/a><\/sup> and is old enough that they won\u2019t have to pay more for car rentals (although they haven\u2019t been charged the \u201cyoung renters\u201d fee for more likely the past 6-7<\/a> years). Phelddagrif is also old enough to be a US Senator while remaining 34 years younger than the average senator this year<\/a>. It also means that Phelddagrif is not a young hippo anymore. They\u2019re no longer eligible for Forbes\u2019 \u201c30 under 30\u201d list.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yes, 30 is truly a wonderful age to be. So much happens in your 30s, so much Magic<\/em> is gathered. So, to celebrate Phelddagrif\u2019s 30th birthday I’ve gathered 30 Phelddagrif…vignettes we’ll call them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Think of them like candles on Phelddagrif\u2019s big purple birthday cake!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Like this one that I just grabbed off google images. Hope it’s not AI!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

1. Anagrams<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s well known that \u201cPhelddagrif\u201d is an anagram for \u201cGarfield Phd\u201d. The fun thing about Anagrams is that they work backwards too, meaning Richard Garfield Ph.D<\/a>. is an anagram for \u201cRichard Phelddagrif\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s go over some of the other Phelddagrif anagrams:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Silverglade Pathfinder<\/a> = Phelddagrif Tinsel Rave<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Guardian of the Guildpact<\/a>= Phelddagrif Cutout Again<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Spirit of the Aldergard<\/a> = Phelddagrif Rat Sortie<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Glissa, Herald of Predation<\/a> = Phelddagrif, loose Sinatra <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pippin, Guard of the Citadel<\/a> = Cut in a Phelddagrif Pot Pie<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. The Planeswalker that Wasn’t<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPhelddagrif\u201d was originally going to be the name of the nature goddess\/planeswalker that broke the world spell and ended the ice age on Dominaria. During Ice Age testing, the card “Freyalise’s Winds” was called “Phelddagrif Winds”<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
More like Freyalise’s Farts!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The name was ruled out as too outrageous sounding at the time, with the continuity director commenting that ‘Phelddagrif’ doesn’t sound like a nature goddess, it sounds like a purple flying hippo.<\/a> This story suggests that, at one point, they were going to name a nature goddess after Richard Garfield, a 33 year old PhD in combinatorial mathematics. I\u2019m interested in seeing the process of squaring that circle of comparison.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The story also suggests that the card was designed with the name first. And, at different points, the designers needed to think of what abilities a flying purple hippo would have and designed from there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. ONE-WUG vs. ONE-GWU<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When Phelddagrif was printed in alliances the mana symbols in casting cost were printed in the order that they appear on the mana circle on the back of the card. White is the first color, Blue is the second color, and Green the fifth, so it appears as WUG after the generic cost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Wizards changed how mana was ordered in casting cost in 2000 with Invasion, writing the mana cost to minimize \u201cjump distance\u201d between mana costs. This meant that Questing Phelddagrif\u2019s mana cost would start with the 5th color (green) then loop back to white then blue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The change had meaningful impact on gameplay, specifically the changes made again in Khan\u2019s of Tarkir which made it easier to recognize what color combinations one wants to be in when drafting, but I\u2019m not a fan of the change. \u201cOne GWU\u201d doesn\u2019t roll off the tongue the same way that \u201cOne WUG\u201d does.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Shared Costs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Phelddagrif is the only card printed with the One-WUG casting cost, but there are 23 other cards<\/a> with the same total casting cost. All of them are permanents, only two are non-creature permanents, both of those planeswalkers (Tamiyo, Field Researcher<\/a> and Estrid the Masked<\/a>). Three of them are non-legendary creatures (one of them being another Phelddagrif typed card with Questing Phelddagrif), and 18 of these cards can be your commander (Estrid making the counting a bit wonky because of the rules text that allows her to be your commander even though she is a planeswalker). Kind of wild that there are no non-permanent spells with this cost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of the 22 cards with Phelddagrif\u2019s exact casting cost, 13 of them have been printed in the last 5 years. Here\u2019s how it looks as a graph that doesn’t include current year:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
What does it mean that no cards with Phelddagrif’s casting cost were made between 9-11 and Barack Obama’s first presidential campaign?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

We’ve only seen one in 2026 so far: Captain Kirk, Boldly Going<\/a>! There may be some in the Magic’s Marvel Superheroes set, but I don’t know as of writing this post because the set hasn’t been spoiled yet and I’m not bothering to edit this while it’s being spoiled. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. World of Phelddagrif<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While Phelddagrif was once the preeminent \u201cgroup hug\u201d commander (a title now held by Ms. Bumbleflower<\/a>, a precon will do that to you), Phelddagrif has had some competitive success. It appeared not once, but twice in Australia National\u2019s in 1997. The deck was a four color pile of control that used Phelddagrif\u2019s bounce ability to have a threat that can avoid removal and close out the game. It was piloted by Rod Ho and Lenny Colins, Rod winning the tournament and Lenny Colins placing 97th (better than I’ve ever done at Australian Nationals!).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

in the top 8 of 1999\u2019s World Championship in Tokyo during the extended portion in an Oath-Prison-Control style deck<\/a> piloted by Joao Isidro, a deck that utilized Phelddagrif to constantly trigger oath of druids to lock players out of the game while looping Triskelion to grind out the game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

6. Grand Prix Kobe 2001<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

1991 wasn\u2019t the end of Phelddagrif appearing in competitive Magic. Questing Phelddagrif was in the top 4 of 2001\u2019s Grand Prix Kobe in a deck called \u201cCounter Phelddagrif\u201d piloted by Takayuki Nagaoka<\/a>. The more I look into Phelddagrif in competitive magic, the more I see it appearing in tournaments. I\u2019m not saying the card was ever the best thing to do, but it\u2019s neat that it saw high level competitive play and put up results (I don\u2019t think it was a mere Poison Dart Frog).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, you can read more about this in my last blog post<\/a>. We’re six candles in and I’m already stretching Phelddagrif factoids.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

7. Phelddagrif’s Illustrious Artists<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Despite Phelddagrif being on the reserved list, there are five artists who have depicted Phelddagrif on cards: Amy Weber, Matt Cavotta, Dmitry Burmak and Mark Rosewater. I\u2019m keeping one of the artists secret and I\u2019ll never reveal who it is no matter how much you beg. Most of these are from Questing Phelddagrif being printed after the reserved list and getting several printings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

8. Art Stories for Phelddagrif<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When I met Matt Cavotta at MCAtlanta in 2025, he mentioned him getting the call for Questing Phelddagrif in Planeshift: He said that he received a call from the art director at the time. “We need to get art for some sort of winged thing, a beast, I think it’s called something like “hippogrif” but not quite\u2026” Cavotta recognized it in one: “A Phelddagrif, right?” He responded, rescuing the befuddled art director from further indexing the hybrid winged quadrupeds in their mental catalogue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mark Rosewater has a really interesting story on why he did the art for the secret lair Questing Phelddagrif:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey asked me to do it. I said yes. As is my artistic process, I drew a whole bunch until I found one I liked and turned in that one.\u201d<\/a> He also did not get paid <\/a>for that drawing, and he welcomes drawing<\/a> on the card.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

9. Collecting Phelddagrif<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A \u201cglobal series\u201d is a collection of a single card in every printing possible, meaning collecting it across editions and across languages. Phelddagrif, like all cards from Alliances<\/em>, was printed in 6 languages: English, Italian, German, French, Spanish, and Portuguese. To complete a global series collection of Phelddagrif you only need to collect these six cards,  which is pretty doable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

10. The Quest<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Did you know the first time \u201cQuest\u201d appeared on a Magic card name was with Questing Phelddagrif in 2001? All those Quest enchantments <\/a>from Zendikar? References to Questing Phelddagrif. Questing Beast and Questing Druid? Questing PHelddagrif reference. Quest counters on Ascensions? That\u2019s because of Questing Phelddagrif.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
None of this would have been possible without Phelddagrif.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Someday maybe we\u2019ll get a Phelddagrif Ascension enchantment. We got pretty close with Airbender Ascension:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
They could have put Phelddagrif there instead of Appa<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

11. Font Size<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I can\u2019t prove this, and I know I risk sounding like a nut, but I\u2019m pretty sure that the font for the textbox of the Mystery Booster printing of Questing Phelddagrif<\/a> is just slightly larger <\/em>than the original printing from Planeshift<\/a>. I don\u2019t think I can prove it because it\u2019s such a small increase, but if you stare at the cards side by side for about ten minutes I think you can begin to tell. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

User t4trees on bluesky helped create a gif <\/a>to demonstrate this change; perhaps the font is just bolded a bit more on the Mystery Booster<\/em> printing? It\u2019s difficult to tell if that\u2019s the case or if the Planeshift <\/em>printing is just faded a bit more over time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

12. Collecting Phelddagrif Part 2: The Quest for more Phelddagrifs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Collecting Questing Phelddagrif is a bit tricker. Planeshift had foil cards, so any number of different languages is doubled: one nonfoil and one foil. Planeshift was printed in 9 languages: English, Italian, German, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese, Traditional Chinese and Simplified Chinese. This would be a total of 18 cards, but Questing Phelddagrif was also the prerelease card for the set, so it was printed in Greek as well, but only in foil.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Great choice for prerelease card!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

You would need to collect these 19 cards to complete the Planeshift part of this global series.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Questing Phelddagrif was also printed in Mystery Booster 1<\/em>, which had no other printing other than English. The card also had an extra life secret lair printing in foil and non-foil with a \u201cchild\u201d drawn version (odd to call it that because it was drawn by a 53 and \u00bc year old Mark Rosewater) and the professional interpretation by Dmitry Burmak. This brings the total to 24 versions of Questing Phelddagrif for a Global Series.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I am constantly complaining to anyone who will listen about sellers not knowing or listing the difference between Simplified and Traditional Chinese, but CardMarket has a guide<\/a> explaining some easy ways to tell the difference that I\u2019m linking in the vain hope that a seller reads it so I can get that Simplified Chinese Questing Phelddagrif.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

13. The Color Green<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Portuguese printing of Phelddagrif has a color error with the Green mana symbol being shaded blue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
credit to Yeloti\u2019s Misprint Shop, this image is on eBay<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

While this is a zoomed in image, in person and with other green cards nearby it is easy to notice the difference. All Portuguese Phelddagrif\u2019s were printed with this color error, so an even more exciting misprint would be finding one without the blue shading.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you’re looking for a “misprint” for your Phelddagrif collection, this is a pretty easy get! Even if it is more of a “printer error”, I wouldn’t split hairs over this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

14. Hidden Phelddagrifs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Fine, I\u2019ll tell you who the mystery artist is. In 2017 Unstable was released, a set that takes place in the steampunk un-plane of Bablovia, the silver-bordered set was meant to be a stand-alone product played on its own and without other Magic sets. It featured the long anticipated explanation of contraptions<\/a>, but also had a sneaky return of Phelddagrif on the art for Hydradoodle<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Bodies can change a lot in 16 years! I love the aquatic theming on these Phelddagrifs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For all my bluster about Phelddagrif always imminent in the next set, this is how I would like to see Phelddagrif appear; on the periphery. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I asked Matthias Kollros if he had any stories about the Phelddagrifs on Hydradoodle and he was kind enough to share the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

“Hydradoodle remains one of the most unique cards I have done to this day, and a big part was designing the Hydradoodle as well as the Phelddagrif mutants. As reference, I used the Pygmy hippo due to their cuteness, especially the juveniles. :D”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The Unofficial-Official Token<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m always making a stink about Wizards not releasing an official 1\/1 hippo token in print for Phelddagrif. The 3\/3 Hippo token from Amonkhet feels like they\u2019re mocking Phelddagrif fans. But there IS a 1\/1 hippo token that has art commissioned by Wizards (even better that the art is by Jeff Laubenstein, beloved Magic artist). Originally, you could only see the hippo token art on Magic: the Gathering Online<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

And you can still see it on MTGO! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

16. Shine-dagrif<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Psst! Want to know a secret? Huddle in close.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There exist foil Phelddagrifs. They\u2019re out there right now, and, no, they aren\u2019t fake. In 2007, Masters Edition<\/em> was released on Magic: the Gathering Online<\/em>, which included all pre-mirage printed cards, including Phelddagrif. It was possible, allegedly, to get foil versions of the cards in Masters Edition, which means that there is an official \u201cfoil\u201d Phelddagrif made by Wizards, you just can\u2019t hold it and it\u2019s basically a gif you can look at only through Magic: the Gathering Online<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
It’s supposed to look like this and maybe sparkles sometimes<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

17. The Modern Phelddagrif<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Both printings of Phelddagrif are not legal in Modern. Phelddagrif was originally printed in 1996 (happy birthday!), and Questing Phelddagrif <\/a>in 2001, slightly missing the 2003 cutoff date. And, while Questing Phelddagrif<\/a> has been printed with the modern card frame, it was for Secret Lair and not in a Modern legal set. And, despite 23 years of opportunities, there has been no Phelddagrif printed that can appear in a modern legal deck. Not even Hydradoodle is legal (although it\u2019s a perfectly cromulent card3<\/a><\/sup> for the format)!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

18. The Phelddagrif that Once Was(n’t)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In my Lorwyn Eclipsed Emergency Blog Post<\/a>, I mention the origins of the Phelddagrif creature type didn\u2019t start with Phelddagrif, but actually started with Questing Phelddagrif. Original Phelddagrif was a \u201cSummon Legend\u201d, the subtype being retired for a supertype and older legends receiving new creature types in 2004. This means that for 3 years between 2001 and 2004 there were only 2 creatures with the creature type Phelddagrif: Questing Phelddagrif and, not Phelddagrif but Mistform Ultimus<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
M.U. better wash my face before returning it<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

19. $Phelddagrif$<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While not the most absurd card on the reserved list, Phelddagrif made the cut. Unfortunately established in March of 1996, mere months before the printing of Alliances<\/em>, Phelddagrif was marked to never be reprinted again. Sharing company with cards like Volcanic Island<\/a> and Wood Elemental<\/a> has made Phelddagrif the target of buyouts. There was one such buyout in April of 2021<\/a>, and, according to MTGstocks<\/a>, was nearly $70. Luckily the card is more reasonable now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Magic: the Gathering <\/em>is a wonderful game for children<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

20. Test Print-agrif<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Playtest cards, normally kept under lock and key, are a fun look into the gestation period of a card. It\u2019s interesting to see, especially with older cards, how things might have been different if the card was printed as it was once tested. How would things turned out if skullclamp gave +1\/+1 instead of +1\/-1, or if Oko\u2019s second ability cost loyalty instead of added?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some test cards can show what changes the card went through, and some of Phelddagrif\u2019s are pretty drastic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The extra generic mana is such a killer for this card: 5 mana for a 4\/4 that doesn\u2019t get flying unless you give your opponent 2 life. Imagine bouncing this version of Phelddagrif and trying to replay it, what tempo loss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The biggest thing is Phelddagrif not being a legend, which may have made the card slightly better for the early years of Magic<\/em>, but it would not have a renaissance with Commander\u2019s popularity. Heck, I\u2019m sure the card would have been relegated to the bulk-box of Magic <\/em>history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s another playtest card that mentions Phelddagrif, sold by the same vendor on eBay:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
I lost the auction while playing pauper. Real case of chasing two rabbits and catching neither.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Looks like a playtest version of Altar of Bone<\/a>. No clue what this is all about, seems like a reference to “Phelddagrif” once being the name for the nature goddess “Freyalise” if I had to guess.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

21. Correcting the Record-agrif<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I may have mentioned that one of the things that is stopping a new Phelddagrif card from being printed because it was a \u201cvanity card\u201d. I had no clue what I was talking about here. It turns out that Mark Rosewater is a pretty smart person and had a specific definition of what a vanity card is, which means people who work at Wizards. But he also believes that vanity cards of previous employees are grandfathered in<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

22. While I’m on Blogatog<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I really like this response:<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

23. Questioning Phelddagrif <\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A once perennial Phelddagrif question concerns Phelddagrif having the Legendary Supertype. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

But when Questing Phelddagrif shows up in Planeshift it loses the Legendary Supertype.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

What happened? It seems weird that the generic sounding \u201cPhelddagrif\u201d is a legend while \u201cQuesting Phelddagrif\u201d is not. There\u2019s joke answers, like Questing Phelddagrif is on a quest to get their legend status. Or that \u201cthere must be many of them.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most of us were ok with this answer, it\u2019s the flying purple hippo card afterall, don\u2019t need to be too serious about it. At least until 2019 when Questing Beast was printed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

You see it too, right? That typeline: “Legendary”. No article in the card name, it doesn\u2019t sound like a very \u201clegendary\u201d name. So why is this one legendary? And why isn\u2019t Questing Druid legendary?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

All of this could be avoided by putting \u201cThe\u201d in front of all of these cards (including Questing Phelddagrif) I\u2019m sure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

24. Collector Numbers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Planeshift<\/em>\u2019s Questing Phelddagrif has collector number 119\/143. Both the prerelease promo and Mystery Booster<\/em> printing of Questing Phelddagrif have this same collector number. The Secret Lair<\/em> printings of Questing Phelddagrif have collector numbers 671 (Dmitry Burmak) and 672 (Mark Rosewater).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alliances<\/em> didn\u2019t have collector numbers. If it did, Phelddagrif would have collector number 165\/199 (being the 165th card in the set organized by color and then alphabetically).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, this isn\u2019t printed on the card, but there is a version of Phelddagrif that has a collector number: The MtG:O<\/em> Masters Edition<\/em> with collector number 150\/195.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The sum of those collector numbers is 1777. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Someone tell me if there\u2019s anything special about that number and you get to know what’s special about that number!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

25. Death of Commander<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Do you know Commander<\/a>? The largest format (as of 2026) that brings new players into game stores and makes Wizards a lot of money? That thing that\u2019s killing the game? Did you know that the first ice cube on the slippery slope of Commander\u2019s descent upon the game and into its infernal plunge towards the Magic<\/em> hellscape we currently live in is Phelddagrif\u2019s fault?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Back when Commander was still called Elder Dragon Highlander, the only commanders could be the original Elder Dragons<\/a> from the Legends<\/em> cycle. One of the first legends allowed to be your commander, or “general<\/a>” back then, outside of these dragons was Phelddagrif <\/a>(which is not an elder dragon). This opened the floodgate to all legendaries, eventually leading to Wizards<\/em> designing for Commander, leading to Nadu, Winged Wisdom<\/a> and destroying Magic<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thanks Phelddagrif! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
This thing ruined commander!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

26. Cycle-agrif<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Alliances<\/em> Phelddagrif was part of a cycle of tri-color cards. Phelddagrif was in Bant, but the other cards are: Wandering Mage<\/a>, Lord of Tresserhorn<\/a>, Misfortune<\/a>, and Winter\u2019s Night<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Planeshift\u2019s<\/em> Questing Phelddagrif was also part of a tri-color cycle of rares: the other cards are: Ertai, the Corrupted<\/a>, Phyrexian Tyranny<\/a>, Destructive Flow<\/a>,and Radiant Kavu<\/a>. This cycle loses a legend, shifting the Grixis legend to Esper with Ertai. It also continues the cycle of three creatures and two noncreatures. And they\u2019re all rares. But other than all those things there\u2019s really not much connection between these cycles, or the cards in each cycle and what they do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Since the seemingly only thing that makes this a cycle is that they are all 3 color cards we can do the same with Secret Lair<\/em>: Questing Phelddagrif<\/a>, Post, the Enchanter<\/a>, Prince of Thralls<\/a>, Lord Windgrace<\/a>, and Titanic Ultimatum<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Finally, the Phelddagrif Mega-cycle is complete!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

27. Phelddagrif in Other Media<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Phelddagrif, in all their might, couldn\u2019t be contained by the four walls of the card frame and has made home in universes beyond Magic. In the game Age of Mythology<\/em> the flying purple hippo was a \u201ccheat unit\u201d created with the code \u201cWUV WOO\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Ignore the rest of the picture, I don’t know what’s happening there<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

This one has a tophat, and Phelddagrif has never worn a tophat (a cape though, yes).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

28. Pheldda-target<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Looking at gatherer, there\u2019s only one ruling on Phelddagrif:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The wording makes this sound like all three abilities were updated, but it only changed the last and most famous ability of Phelddagrif:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The ruling is a bit puzzling. There\u2019s not much reason for the card to target, other than to mirror Questing Phelddagrif\u2019s<\/a> version of this ability which does<\/em> target an opponent. But the cards are already pretty different, +1\/+1 instead of trample, flying from blue mana instead of white mana, different artists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But it also provided a sneaky buff to two cards: Ivory Mask<\/a> from Mercadian Masques (printed in 1999) and True Believer<\/a> from Onslaught (printed in 2002). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Phelddagrif\u2019s six year reign of terror sneaking hippos under Mask, and three years past the believers,was finally over.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

29. Birthday Suit<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Here is some art I found by “Brizycomics” of Phelddagrif in their birthday suit!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a>
Mammoth Phelddagrif by Brizy Comics<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Phelddagrif is normally not wearing any clothes, but ever since they put on the cape for Secret Lair<\/em>, one is left to wonder about their nudest proclivities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

30. Digital ‘Grif<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Speaking of NFTs, did you know that there is a “Phelddagrif” avatar in Arena? Yes, the mobile way to play Magic <\/em>has “Phelddagrif as one of the avatars that you can represent yourself with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
For 49.99 this deal is a steal…from your wallet!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

This is clearly Questing Phelddagrif labeled as “Phelddagrif” in Arena, but I guess we’ll take it. This was initially leaked on the \/r\/MagicArena subreddit<\/a>, which was paired with “Chatterfang sleeves”, giving the impression that Phelddagrif may have some connection with the upcoming Bloomburrow<\/em> (it didn’t, see my upcoming “Pheldda-gripes” post for more about this).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Did you also<\/em> know that the Arena team, the people who make that game work is currently forming a union despite Wizards<\/em>‘ efforts <\/a>at preventing the union <\/a>instead of working with their employees who have delivered them the most successful digital Magic<\/em> product ever? You should let Wizards<\/em> know you want them to recognize the United Wizards of the Coast – CWA<\/a>.4<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Happy Birthday, Phelddagrif<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Well, that’s a listicle alright! Some of this was fun to figure out and write down, and I’m really happy I got some stories from Matt Cavotta and Mathias Kollros (who you should follow on Instagram<\/a>, they’ve done some other really killer art too! Armaggon, Future Shark<\/em> is stunning!). This was a lot of work though, and kind of hard to put together and come up with 30 different things. For Phelddagrif’s 31th birthday, I’ll probably do something easier instead, like a multi-part part podcast series or a song.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n

  1. I checked Phelddagrif’s voting record. It’s not good. \u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li>
  2. Might explain their voting record. \u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li>
  3. Wait, the Simpson\u2019s references were in Unfinity<\/em>, not Unstable! D\u2019oh! \u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li>
  4. I understand the old refrain of “There is no ethical consumption under capitalism” but it’s just a bit embarrassing for a toy company to hire the Pinkertons and Fisher Philips and to treat their employees with hostility instead of attempting some compassion. \u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n

    <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Wow, Phelddagrif turns 30 today. I wonder what wild things I’ll say about that!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":451,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"[{\"content\":\"I checked Phelddagrif's voting record. It's not good.\",\"id\":\"20260cc9-df9e-4194-b32d-fbc95f28bb58\"},{\"content\":\"Might explain their voting record. \",\"id\":\"5e419fe5-ead8-4cb9-bb6f-f864d797a239\"},{\"content\":\" Wait, the Simpson\u2019s references were in Unfinity<\/em>, not Unstable! D\u2019oh!\",\"id\":\"9ef68e61-2e7d-46f8-baff-17f535f0c94b\"},{\"content\":\"I understand the old refrain of \\\"There is no ethical consumption under capitalism\\\" but it's just a bit embarrassing for a toy company to hire the Pinkertons and Fisher Philips and to treat their employees with hostility instead of attempting some compassion.\",\"id\":\"a66a651b-c6ce-4e49-87dd-74497b34e555\"}]","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[12,6],"tags":[11,10,9],"class_list":["post-365","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-phelddagrif-birthday","category-phelddagrif-musings","tag-magic-the-gathering","tag-phelddagrif","tag-phelddagrif-birthday"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/phelddagrif.quest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Phelddagrif-30-under-30-birthday-banner-1.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/phelddagrif.quest\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/365","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/phelddagrif.quest\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/phelddagrif.quest\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/phelddagrif.quest\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/phelddagrif.quest\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=365"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/phelddagrif.quest\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/365\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":450,"href":"https:\/\/phelddagrif.quest\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/365\/revisions\/450"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/phelddagrif.quest\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/451"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/phelddagrif.quest\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=365"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/phelddagrif.quest\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=365"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/phelddagrif.quest\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=365"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}