Magi-Nation Pop Culture References - Traitor's Reach and Promos

While Traitor's Reach was never released to the public, a leak has all the card images for the last 10 years!  Here it is, the final article in this series!  

by u/SomethingAboutCards

Traitor’s Reach

And here we are: Traitor’s Reach, the set that could have been. While this set was, sadly, never released, we still know what cards we would have gotten, and there are plenty of great references in there as well.

Bulomp: MC Hammer, “U Can’t Touch This

"Can't touch these." -- Bulomp's motto
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otCpCn0l4Wo

If you were born anywhere close to the 90’s, knowledge of this song is already ingrained in your DNA. You know the song, you caught the reference already, I don’t even need to say anything else.

 

Disc of Inferno: The Trammps, “Disco Inferno”

"Burn, baby, burn!" -- Inscription on Disc of Inferno
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5lSeYd_riw

Yes, this is a fun case where the name and flavor text both tie into the reference. “Disc of Inferno” sure sounds a lot like “Disco Inferno,” and the song calls out “burn, baby, burn” pretty frequently. Another self evident one.

 

Sand Sark: Saturday Night Live, “Land Shark”

"Knock, knock." "Who is it?" "Sandygram!" -- Old d'Reshi Joke

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_NS2H55dxI

The classic “Land Shark” sketch features a fierce, clever shark that can walk on land and trick people into opening doors for it. One of its most popular tricks is knocking and saying it’s delivering a candygram. So it’s got a little pun here, with “Sand Sark” and “Sandygram” instead of “Land Shark” and “Candygram,” but it’s still a fun reference.

Rolling Baldar: “A rolling stone gathers no moss.”

A rolling baldar gathers no Moss Trulbs.

This one’s another play on the saying "a rolling stone gathers no moss." Not a reference to a show or anything, but still counts.

 

N'ssah: “The Emperor’s New Groove”

"Don't listen to that guy, he's trying to lead you down the path of the Core. I'm gonna lead you down the path of rocks."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmOc4GLq8xM

In Disney’s underrated but incredibly meme-worthy “Emperor’s New Groove,” the character Kronk often has conversations with his shoulder angel and shoulder devil. When the shoulder devil first appears, he tells Kronk “Don’t listen to that guy, he’s trying to lead you down the path of righteousness. I’m gonna lead you down the path that rocks.” So that’s clearly where N’ssah’s flavor text comes from.

Harvest Feast: “Braveheart”

They may take our land, but they will never take my kitchen!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gr_OpFxCx-A

Yeah, it’s a play on the “Freedom” speech from “Braveheart,” where he says “they may take our lives, but they will never take our freedom.” Another one that you already knew, even if you never saw the film.  

Sphor Charm: Lucky Charms commercials

"They're always after my lucky Sphor Charm!" -- Quilla
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=foghWSflbIA

Here’s another one probably written during breakfast. The Lucky Charms cereal commercials always have the mascot, Lucky the leprechaun, getting chased by children “after me Lucky Charms.” And odds are you already knew that one, too.

Iain, Commando: “Commando”

Remember when I said I'd save you for last? I lied.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mYSE2xWjcI

The Paradwyn-Bograth War is clearly having its effect on Iain, who’s taken up full commando gear, knives and all. And his flavor text? A reference to the Arnod Schwarzenegger film, “Commando,” where he reveals his promise to kill Sully last was… less than truthful.

Nightmare Construct: “The Wizard of Oz”

"I've got something for that meddling Rayje, and his little apprentice too." -- Warrada
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQ_g6NOo7yo

So this isn’t a direct quote, but saying “and his little apprentice too” is enough like “and your little dog too” to draw the parallel. Could even include a “Scooby Doo” reference by calling him “meddling,” but that might be even more of a stretch.

Keru: “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory”

The Tuk Berries taste like Tuk Berries!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3pwvB4_Te8A

 

“Come with me, and you’ll be, in a world of pure Magi-Nation.” Yes, this flavor text is a reference to the line “The snozzberries taste like snozzberries.” Just do yourself a favor and don’t look up what a snozzberry is.

Marella, Savant: “The Emperor’s New Groove”

"Oh, right. The relic. The relic for Gia, the relic chosen specially to help Gia. Gia's relic. Uhh... that relic?" Kuzco's poison

 

That’s right, we’ve got another “Emperor’s New Groove” reference! And it’s another line from Kronk, at that, as he remembers the poison. The poison for Kuzco. The poison specially chosen to kill Kuzco. Kuzco’s poison. That poison.

 

Promos (LIMITED)

The promos of Magi-Nation Duel were all marked "Limited" at the bottom, and released throughout the game's history.  Here are the references on them! 

 

Orlon's Ring: “Spaceballs”

"The ring is worthless! I found it in a box of jellybeans. The power is in YOU, Orlon."
https://youtu.be/RI0i_tL-8aU?t=226 

 

In Mel Brooks’ “Spaceballs,” characters channel the power of the Schwartz through mystical rings. But when Lone Starr loses his ring in a battle with Dark Helmet, the voice of Yogurt reaches out to tell him “the ring is bupkis, I found it in a Cracker Jack box!”

Chogus Little: Chicken Little  

"Is the sky falling?"    

The children’s story “Chicken Little” (which was adapted into an animated Disney film barely anyone saw) features the titular chicken freaking out over the sky falling. Of course, it’s not, but it did give us this nice little reference.

Furlosk: Bill Withers, “Lean on Me”

"We all need somebody to lean on."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nHSOVEqqm44

 

Another musical reference. It’s a clear reference to the lyrics, so I’ll just leave it at that as you listen to the song.

Thunderquake: Professional wrestling

"Are you rrrrready to rrrrrumble?" -- Gogor, Celebrated Hero of the Underneath
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xoSJCzLlgk0

 

Even if you don’t watch professional wrestling, you’ve probably heard someone shout “are you ready to ruuumble!” or the variation, “Let’s get ready to ruuumble!” So this is another pretty clear-cut one, I don’t think I need to explain any more.

Warrior's Boots: Nancy Sinatra, “These Boots are Made for Walkin’”

"These boots were made for stompin'."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TDmidrIDB4o

Stompin’, walkin’, either way, you get the reference. And yes, these boots will walk all over you, thanks to their ability to let players summon a creature before the attack step.

 

And that's all, folks!  This concludes all the pop culture references used on flavor text or art in Magi-Nation Duel!  With luck, perhaps, we'll see the release of both unreleased sets, Traitor's Reach and Daybreak, and we can get our hands on these cards, and new jokes and references for the 2020s! 

This article was written by user SomethingAboutCards, you can find them on Twitter: https://twitter.com/EliteslayerX.  Also written with support from user ZucriyAmsuna. 

Want to find more pop culture references from Base Set and Awakening?  Check out the First Article 

Or more from Dream's End and Nightmare's Dawn? Read it here!

The most recent article was on Voice of the Storms

 

Magi Nation Duel - Traitor's Reach story through flavor

Traitor's reach was a set of Magi-Nation Duel cards that were never printed in paper, but we have the whole set released.  Magi-Nation was a game heavily influenced by story, and often, story elements (untold anywhere else, as there wasn't web-fiction for it) appeared on cards.  Traitor's Reach was the set with the most such flavor text, so we've compiled all of the relevant storyline flavor text below.  A synopsis of what we can tell from it: 

 The dark twins had created the Nightmare construct from Kybar's Fang and the knowledge found in the Great Library, and gotten access from T'lok, who was turned by Warrada, and became a traitor.  

The coalition of magi from many regions assembled in Naroom, with Nar magi heading out first.  They had a meal together, then hiked to the Teeth.  

Groll discovered T'lok's treachery, and the Twins amassed an army in the mountains, gathering Jalex, Yayek, Togoth among other unnamed shadow magi. 

The battle was large - there's many instances of Magi and Shadow Magi battling - the most explicit is that between Xandia, T'lok, and Vorga.  You can read the flavor text on: Flame Jakla, Gorath Cub, Molten Gauntlets, and Xandia.  

What else did you get from the story?  We'd love to hear in the comments below!  

Cards:

Barrelling Vemment
A flight of Vemments charged Togoth, pummeling his nightmare creatures into animite dust

Bone Cragnoc
"The creatures in the Teeth are beginning to take a slightly more malevolent look.  Perhaps we should investigate."

Bria, Relic Hunter
"Qwade, it's perfect!  How do I use it?"

Brog, Swamp Thug
"Olabra's in charge now! You answer to her or you find yourself in exile. Got it?"

Caldera Aq
The Cald Magi charged up the slopes of Kybar's Teeth, hurling fire as they went.  Before them loomed the forces of the Dark Twins.

Carillion Titan
As Yaki's creatures charged the foul minions of the Core, the carillion titan continued to grow, moving slowly but surely toward the Great Library.

Circling Darbok
As the collected forces of the Moonlands converged on the slopes of Kybar's Teeth, darboks began to circle, looking for weak creatures to take advantage of.

Crystal Saris
The Shadow Magi were too busy fending off Gogor's assult to notice that the saris had doubled in size.

Dark Vellup
Harror ambushed Dey in the vast expanses of d'Resh.  "Time to pay, fool," she hissed, between clenched teeth.

Flame Jakla
T'lok sood over Vorga, ready to drop a massive boulder on the prone Magi.  Just then, Xandia's Jakla appeared and blasted T'lok off the edge of the cliff.

Flashfreeze
Velouria's creatures surrounded the twisted furok. A blue flash of energy flowed from creature to creature, sucking the energy from it.

Gorath Cub
Chains wrapped tightly around Xandia, forcing a scream of rage from her lips. T'lok stepped from behind a boulder. "You didn't think I'd be that easy to get rid of, did you?"

Grapple Tooth
Hrada's spell barely missed Hok as he rolled off the cliff.  His trusty hook saved him from a long, painful fall.

Groll the Fallen
"Tlok! What have you done?"

Grotto Phrup
Bria's phrup nullified the magic of the relics guarding Evu's study. A brief search of the premises revealed exactly what she had been looking for.

Harvest Feast
"They make take our land, but they'll never take MY KITCHEN!" yelled Poad.  With that, the coalition forces ate what might be their last meal before the assault on the Dark Twins.

Korremar, Avatar
Korremar met Rayje and Sinder on their way out of Paradwyn.  It was easy to convince the legend and his apprentice that their goals were the same.

Lanyx, Reaper
"It's time to repay some people for their treacheries.  Korremar, Barak, Harror..."

Lightning Braggle
Lightning rained from the skies onto the heads of the Shadow Magi.  Whenever it touched the ground, the electricity took the form of a braggle.

Molten Gauntlets
"No one hurts my little sister! Especially not some two-bit Shadow Magi!" Xandia looked over the cliff to see what had become of T'lok, but he was gone.

Muck Shovel
"Hah! Your Pyder is mine now! "Arosa boasted.  "Not for long," Blygt said, a sneer on his face.

Nightmare Construct
"I've got something for that meddling Rayje, and his little apprentice too." - Warrada

Polar Eebit
Laranel and her people arrived too late to help Yaki free Naroom but they were among the first to head for Kybar's Teeth to fight the Twins.

Pruitt, Ringsmith
"Yaki, why won't you look at me? What have they done to you?"

Ripcurl
Togoth laughed. "You old fool! You may have defeated my drush but you've made my dryte stronger!" "Don't worry, I've got plans for your dryte." Mobis said.

Salara
With a swish of her wrist, Salara's orshaa grew in size.  Warrada's ball of purple energy bounced harmlessly off it.

Shadow Fird
Flocks of these foul beasts now follow Sperri wherever she roams.

Shock Ring
"Alright, Jalex, it's go time. Show me what you've got." -Ora, Defender of the Sky

Shroud of the Master
"You're not worthy to bear such a noble burden, Hrada. Take it off at once!" -Morag

Sinder, Apprentice
"Sinder, go help the others.  Warrada is mine." -Rayje

Slinking Greal
"Who cares where these things came from? All that matters is that they seem to want to help." -Yaki, Core Stalker

Snag Arboll
The new tricks that Yaki had learned in his solitude took Hrada by surprise. Dream creatures appeard from teh surrounding underbrush, leeching the energy from Hrada's dark furoks.

Sneaky Weebo
"Yes,brother, they do seem to be taking a liking to you." -Warrada

Speag Sprouts
At a gesture from Iyori, the speag sprouts swarmed as the core hyren dove in for an attack. Weaving energy between themselves, the sprouts began to grow in size.

Stagadan Charger
"CHAAAAAAAARGE!!!" - Poad, Innkeeper

Stubborn Chogus
The ferocity with which the Chogus covered Groll's escae amazed him. "I must report T'lok's betrayal to Targ'n before it's too late," thought the battered Keeper.

Tal'ik
"Don't bother, T'lok.  I'm prepared for your tricks."

T'lok, Traitor
"Of Course I'll show you how to use Kybar's Fang."

Topple
The cragnoc began to collapse under the barrage of Core creatures. Hrada's laugh of triumph turned to a groan of despair as he realized that all his Dream Creatures were in the shadow of the falling beast.

Twisted Dreams
Togoth snapped his fingers.  The approaching ormagon let out a bellow of pain, then vanished in a flash of light.

Vine Bhatar
With a powerful lash, the vine bhatar ripped energy from the gorath, leaving it dazed and breathless.

Xandia
"I'm very protective of my little sister.  Mess with her, and you mess with me."

Yayek
With Nagsis missing, Yayek has made his way to Hrada's side.