Card of the Week: Savannah

Uh, I think there's some trees out there. Maybe if I squint real hard...

A New Home

Though I was born in Alsoor and still use it to name myself, in truth I did not stay in that doomed city for long. Even had it not fallen to the Diabolical Machines, I likely would have left—the Church of Tal held the city firmly in its iron-fisted grip, and they did not suffer sorcerers to live. To practice my magic I had to flee, both to escape persecution and to find ley lines suitable to my preferences. To that end, I crossed the oceans to the Domains. Ironically, I found aid, comfort, and new home in Parma—a land named in the scripture of the very same Church of Tal that I fled.

Parma is famous, of course, as the home of the Northern Paladins. It is a vast land of grassy prairie, great winding rivers, and some ten thousand lakes; rich in the white ley lines that empower its virtuous warriors. But to the north, far from the towns and farms of the Paladins, there are also thick forests of spruce and pine. I made my home where the prairie and the forest met—and it was the very boundary between the two that drew me to settle there.

In this liminal place, the prairies and the forests blend together. Here, the grasses are interspersed with great oak trees. The spring brings great blooms of flowers, and the high summer is golden and warm. The winters are harsh, but the trees cut the worst of the wind that howls off of the plains. It is a place of great beauty.

But it was not the beauty of the oak Savannah that interested me the most, nor was it the distance from the more populous parts of Parma. (Admittedly, I soon learned that the Northern Paladins are not the murderous fanatics that the inquisitors of Alsoor were, though they share the same faith in Tal. I need not have worried about living near them.) As with all wizards, it was the ley lines that were most important to me. For in addition to the white lines of the nearby plains and the green lines of the neighboring forests, the ley lines of the oak Savannah proved versatile in providing both white and green mana depending on my needs! I have since discovered many other lands in Dominaria that provide similar versatility, but those of Parma’s oak Savannah taught me of the possibilities first.

More than Just Lions

A savannah right here in Minnesota.

To most people, Savannahs bring to mind hot plains of tall grass and acacia trees, havens for zebras and warthogs and (of course) Lions. But while this is perhaps the most famous type of savannah, the term refers more generally to any place where woodlands and grasslands coexist; where the trees are not so dense as to form a closed canopy. These types of places exist throughout the world and are called by many different names: chaparrals, shrublands, pine barrens, cerrados, montados—these, too, are all savannahs.

Regardless of what they are called, savannahs maintain a balance between the grasslands and the forests. This is often through the actions of fires that burn away all but the most fire-resistant trees; smaller trees are burned while the grasses and forbs quickly regrow from seed or surviving root systems. These fires, in turn, require a dry-season long enough to create favorable conditions. However, the balance can be disturbed by many things. Fire may be vital for the savannah itself, but most people who live on one fear it and may suppress its natural cycle. A reduced likelihood of wildfire may prompt a change to the forest. Alternately, deforestation for farming and pasture can push the balance towards the grasslands. Destruction of groundcover can lead to the erosion of the topsoil, and in extreme cases can cause desertification.

Paws down, the most famous of all savannah dwellers.

The rich plant life of savannahs supports a large amount of animal life. Tropical savannahs are well known for gazelles and giraffes, and the lions and hyenas that prey upon them. Likewise, temperate savannahs may support the likes of deer and bison, which in turn are hunted by wolves and bears. Some agriculturists also find the bounty of savannahs beneficial—when properly managed, the grasses provide ample forage for livestock while the trees can bear additional fodder, nuts, fruits, and timber. Such agricultural methods are among the oldest in use.

Drawing on the Savannahs

The versatility of a Savannah’s ley lines is obviously valued by any mage that dabbles in both green and white magic, but especially so to a true devotee of both. In the ancient ways, most such devotees find the strategy of summoning powerful entities such as Djinn or Angels as quickly as possible and then cutting access to all ley lines in the area before a rival can use them with a timely Armageddon, to be most effective. I myself employ this method in many of my battles, and find it both efficient and satisfying.

My pride (pun intended!) and joy. I'm running it for the Northern Paladins Fall League. Someday, I'll get the other two Savannahs I need.

Even so, those who dabble in green magic often seek out the Savannahs as well. White magic seems to be used far more often in battle than green, yet the controlling white mages often find one green spell in particular—Regrowth—to be of great value. By binding a Savannah or four to themselves in place of more Plains, they gain the ability to cast Regrowth at need without disrupting their access to white mana for Disenchanting and beating Swords into Plowshares.

Danatoth of Alsoor


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