#xiangla

Hello, world! Chewing Sister reporting for duty! 🎀 I am officially opening my case files on this blog. As the fashion & food agent of the "Global Detective HQ", my mission is to search for the cutest and most delicious things on Earth.

ついにブログを始めました！私の任務は、世界中の「美味しい」を見つけることです。(Finally started the blog! My mission is to find "delicious" things around the world.)

For my very first case, I dragged my brother—the ever-hungry Chewing Brother—to the hottest spot in Taipei right now.

🚨 The Target: Xiang La (向辣) Spicy Hotpot

We infiltrated Ximending (西門町), often called the "Harajuku of Taipei." Our target? Xiang La (向辣). It's a super popular hotpot restaurant that is almost impossible to book!

Walking in, I was surprised by the international vibe. たくさんの日本人と韓国人の観光客がいました！ (There were so many Japanese and Korean tourists!) Everyone was sweating, smiling, and enjoying the heat. It’s definitely a tourist-friendly spot.

(Insert Video: Chewing-Brother-Food-Detective-Sizzling-Mala-Herbal-Hotpot-Soup-Base-Taipei-Loop.mp4) (Look at that bubbling soup! 🔥)

🥘 The Yin-Yang Pot: Spicy vs. Healing

We ordered the "Yuan Yang Pot" (鴛鴦鍋), which lets you enjoy two different soup bases at once.

Mala Spicy Soup (麻辣鍋) 🌶️: Made with Sichuan peppercorns and chilies. It’s spicy, numbing, and addictive! Inside, you’ll find the legendary "Duck Blood" (鴨血) and Tofu. Detective Note: Don't be scared of the duck blood! It tastes like spicy, savory jelly. 鴨血很好吃，口感像布丁一樣 Q 彈！(Duck blood is delicious, bouncy like pudding!)

Herbal Bone Broth (養生鍋) 🌿: A creamy white soup made with pork bones and Chinese herbs. It’s rich in collagen and perfect for balancing out the heat. 辛いのが苦手な人にもおすすめ (Recommended for those who don't like spicy food).

(Insert Image: Chewing-Brother-Food-Detective-Xiang-La-Hotpot-Juicy-Cooked-Wagyu-Beef-Meatball.jpg)

🥩 The Verdict: Unlimited Wagyu Heaven

The best part? It’s All-You-Can-Eat Wagyu Beef (和牛食べ放題)! Chewing Brother went crazy and ordered everything on the menu.

The beef is sliced fresh to order. You just need to "Shabu Shabu" it in the red soup for a few seconds. The fat melts in your mouth instantly. 真的是入口即化！(It literally melts in your mouth!)

👑 About the Boss: Wowprime Group (王品集團)

Just so you know, this restaurant is run by Wowprime (王品集團), the undisputed King of F&B in Taiwan.

They don't just rule Taiwan; they are a global powerhouse! 🌍

🇹🇼 Taiwan: They own countless famous brands like "Xiang La", "12MINI", and "Tasty".

🌍 Global Reach: You can find their high-end "Wang Steak" and hotpot brands in China, the USA, and Singapore.

So, if you see the Wowprime logo while traveling, trust me—it’s a badge of quality and service. 王品グループのレストランなら、味とサービスは間違いありません！(If it's a Wowprime restaurant, the taste and service are guaranteed!)

Whether you love spicy food or just want to try authentic Taiwanese hotpot, Xiang La in Ximending is a must-visit. Come challenge the "Meat Tower" just like we did!

See you on the next adventure! Case Closed! 🕵️‍♀️✨

🇹🇼 [中文] 台北西門町必吃！王品集團**「向辣」**和牛麻辣鍋吃到飽。湯頭香辣過癮，鴨血豆腐無限續加，Chewing Brother 強力推薦！

🇯🇵 [日本語] 台北・西門町のおすすめ！**『向辣（シャンラー）』**で和牛火鍋食べ放題。王品グループだから安心で美味しい！辛いもの好きは必見です。

🇹🇭 [ภาษาไทย] ต้องลอง! ชาบูหม่าล่า 'Xiang La' (向辣) ที่ซีเหมินติง ไทเป เนื้อวากิวไม่อั้นและซุปหม่าล่ารสเด็ด อร่อยมาก!

🇧🇩 [বাংলা] তাইওয়ানের তাইপেতে 'Xiang La' হটপট অবশ্যই ট্রাই করবেন! এখানে আনলিমিটেড ওয়াগিউ বিফ (Wagyu Beef) এবং মশলাদার স্যুপ পাওয়া যায়।

🇻🇳 [Tiếng Việt] Nhất định phải thử lẩu cay 'Xiang La' ở Tây Môn Đình, Đài Bắc! Thịt bò Wagyu ăn thỏa thích, hương vị tuyệt vời!

🇮🇩 [Bahasa Indonesia] Wajib coba Hotpot Mala 'Xiang La' di Ximending, Taipei! Wagyu beef sepuasnya dan kuah pedasnya mantap!

🇧🇷 [Português] Tem que provar o Hotpot 'Xiang La' em Taipei! Carne Wagyu à vontade e sopa picante incrível. Recomendado pelo Chewing Brother!

🇪🇸 [Español] ¡Tienes que probar el Hotpot 'Xiang La' en Taipéi! Carne Wagyu ilimitada y sabor picante auténtico. ¡Muy recomendado!

👇 Follow our Global Adventures!

By Chewing Sister

Guest Adventurer & Lifestyle Creator | Digital Storyteller | Anime Culture Explorer Partnering with Chewing Brother to uncover global flavors and “pretty” cultural moments while chasing the bright lights of Broadway. © 2026 Chewing Sister. Exploring the World with Chewing Brother: From Performance Beasts to Urban Dreams and Global Culture.

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If you want to see more of our joint adventures—from my guest appearances in the “performance beast” reviews to our full travel vlogs—make sure to visit our official platforms:

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Vocus

Let’s explore the world, one bite and one “One Punch” at a time!

I decided that if I’m going to start posting new content about Xiangla (my custom Magic set) then I’m going to need some kind of master post where people can find all of the separate spread out posts. 

For those of you unfamiliar with Xiangla, these posts will be a good place to get a an idea of the set. For those of you who were following me months ago when I started posting about the set, be aware that I’ve edited some of the posts for updated content. 

As always feedback, questions, suggestions, (and the occasional gushing compliment) are of course welcome! 

Pre-Introduction 

Introduction 

Early Card Mock-Ups 

Legendary Creatures 

Story/Setting 

Ral Zarek is still holding a grudge against Jace after the events of the Dragon’s Maze, but he’s realized that he’s no match for Jace’s powerful mental magic on his own. To level the playing field, Ral creates a device he can wear that generates an artificial version of the Firemind, which Niv Mizzet has used for centuries to enhance the mental abilities of the Izzet guild.

After a hasty trial run, Ral declares the device not only a success, but even more powerful than the influence of the original Firemind. He then straps the device to his back, hooks it up to his brain, and sets up an ambush to attack Jace with his new magically augmented mental powers. At first, Jace is thrown off by the surprise attack and the sheer force of the Firemind generator, and Ral seems to have the upper hand. Jace is forced to planeswalk away in a desperate retreat, but Ral Zarek is close behind.

Without time to weigh his options, Jace planeswalks to the plane of Xiangla. Jace had previously discovered Xiangla when searching for a place where he could quiet his thoughts away from all the noisy minds of Ravnica. Though more wild than Jace generally preferred, he found the plane provided adequate solitude since the only inhabitants were the primitive anthropomorphic animal tribes that lived there.

As the less experienced planeswalker, it takes Ral longer to arrive on Xiangla, and Jace is granted the precious moments he needs to prepare for a real duel of mental magic. When Ral does arrive, Jace is finally able to fight back against his foe, and the fight begins to turn in Jace’s favor. The duel is cut short however, because Ral’s Firemind generator is pushed beyond its limits, and the faulty device begins a massive cascading failure.

Ral manages to eject the device from his back, and both Ral and Jace planeswalk away just in time to escape a catastrophic explosion that leaves a massive crater where the duel took place. Having each escaped to different planes, the conflict is put on hold and both planeswalkers go off to recuperate. Neither one is aware however, that deep below the rubble of the crater, Ral’s Nizzium-built generator remains intact, and continues to radiate its artificial Firemind magic in all directions.

What effect does the influence of the alien Firemind have on the native inhabitants of the plane? How are the ten primitive tribes transformed and shaped by the influx of mental magic? And what does it mean for the entire plane of Xiangla?

That is the central conflict for the Xiangla block. In the first set we see the tribes in their more primitive state, very soon after the Firemind was introduced. In the second set of the block, we see the ten tribes after a few generations have been affected by the Firemind, and how their world has changed.

OK, this was a long post today, so I’ll only include one card for your consideration. Let me know what you think!

Ral, Firemind Thief

(1)(U)(U)(R)(R)

Planeswalker – Ral (5)

+2: Your maximum hand size increases by 1. Deal 1 damage to target creature for each card in your hand above seven.

+1: Creatures you control gain curiosity until end of turn.

-5: Deal damage to target player equal to the number of cards in your hand.

In my next post I’ll be talking about each of the ten animal tribes, what their roles were before the Firemind was introduced, and how each of them adapts and changes with the magic. Stay tuned!

As always, I’d love to hear any thoughts or feedback.

My favorite format of Magic is EDH, so it was important to me that each tribe had a three-color legendary creature. Let’s take a look at them.

My goals with the legendary creatures were to keep them true to the design space within their three-color identities, as well as make them highly relevant to their respective tribes and themes, without actually tying them down to specific creature types or set keywords. I’d love to know if you think I’ve accomplished those goals.

Bau-ling, Keeper of Borders (2)(W)(G)(U) Legendary Creature - Cat Knight  4/4   Other green creatures you control have Vigilance. Other white creatures you control have First Strike. Other blue creatures you control have Hexproof.  The strength of my arm, the strength of my tribe, and the strength of my armor. That is what will restore order to our land.

Nuhua, Seedbringer  (2)(W)(G)(R )  Legendary Creature - Boar Druid  4/2 As long as you control a Mountain, a Forest, and a Plains, Nuhua, Seedbringer has Indestructible. [T], Sacrifice a Mountain, Forest, or Plains: Search your library for up to two basic lands and reveal them. Put one land on the battlefield tapped and the other in your hand. Then shuffle your library.  Nuhua is always hungry and leaves a trail of flattened earth wherever he goes, yet he is welcome in every village.

Xuatl, Tribute Priest  (G)(R )(B) Legendary Creature - Insect Cleric 1/1 Sacrifice a creature: Add mana to your mana pool equal to the casting cost of creature sacrificed this way. Use this mana only to cast creature spells.  “Worshipping Nishmitt carries a great cost… but greater rewards.”

Blithix Burntmind  (B)(R )(U) Legendary Creature - Rat Wizard 2/2 (5)(B): Name a nonland card. All players must reveal their hand and discard the named card if able to do so.  Overexposure to the Firemind drove Blithix mad. It also made her the ideal leader for her tribe.

Eneki, Gazer of Horizons  (1)(W)(U)(B) Legendary Creature - Bird Scout 1/4  Flying Protection from green and from red. Whenever a land enters the battlefield, Scry 3.  For her, exploration isn’t about finding new territory. It’s about finding new possibilities.

Verkyat of the Hoof Crusade  (2)(W)(R )(B) Legendary Creature - Horse Cleric 3/2 Haste Whenever a noncreature permanent is put in the graveyard from the battlefield, its controller loses loses life equal to its converted mana cost.  “Those who practice witchcraft and heresy shall burn as surely as the abominations they cling to.”

Sythra, Whisperer of Woe  (1)(G)(B)(U) Legendary Creature - Snake Shaman 3/1 Swampwalk Islandwalk Forestwalk Whenever Sythra, Whisperer of Woe would deal combat damage to a player, prevent that damage and instead that player discards that many cards and puts that many -1/-1 counters divided among creatures he or she controls.  “Speak of betrayal to the chief. Speak of madness to his followers.”

Kagotsai, Master of Measures  (1)(R )(W)(U) Legendary Creature - Fox Merchant 2/2 Whenever an opponent draws cards outside of their draw step, you draw that many cards plus one. Whenever an opponent gains life, you gain that much life plus one. Whenever a spell or ability an opponent controls deals noncombat damage to a creature you control, Kagotsai, Master of Measures deals that much damage plus one to target creature.  “Trading insults is the only kind of trade where the foxes give more than they get.”

Sasanni, Grandmother of Webs  (3)(W)(B)(G) Legendary Creature - Spider Druid 2/5 Reach Deathtouch Sasanni gets +2/+0 until end of turn for each creature with flying it blocks. Sasanni may block any number of creatures.  Grandmother is very much like her own webs. Thin, strong, and easily underestimated.

Ohnbo, Curious Chief  (2)(R)(U)(G) Legendary Creature - Ape Shaman 3/3 [T]: Reveal the top card of your library. You may choose to put that card on the bottom of your library. Whenever you reveal an Artifact, target creature gets +1/+1 and Hexproof until end of turn Whenever you reveal an Enchantment, target creature gets +1/+1 and Trample until end of turn Whenever you reveal a Sorcery, target creature gets +1/+1 and First Strike until end of turn  “We’ve learned to think and build. That doesn’t mean we’ve forgotten how to smash.”

Temple of Nishmit  Legendary Land (3)(Tap): Produce three mana in any combination of colors. (3)(Tap): Draw two cards.  Built atop a mysterious crater, it was the insects who operated the temple, but all the tribes knew the name of the dragon god whose spirit is said to dwell within.

Essence of Mediocrity  (W)(B) Legendary Artifact - Potion [T], Sacrifice Essence of Mediocrity: Target legendary creature loses all creature types and abilities until its controller’s next upkeep.  “To spin a web, you must understand the mind of what you’re trying to catch. The great do not fear death, they fear being normal.” - Sisanna, Grandmother of Webs

I should point out that I am aware that some of these creatures have too much rules text to allow for any flavor text on a real card. But I love writing flavor text, so I’m including it here anyway.

Let me know what you think of the legendary creatures. Overpowered? Too weak? Something you’d like to play? I’m all ears! 

Back in March 2012, a buddy and I worked on an idea for an animal tribal block for Magic: the Gathering. I mentioned this a couple days ago in a response to Mark Rosewater, and several people said they wanted to hear more about it. So, here we go.

The central theme of the block is that it takes place on a plane with anthropomorphic animal tribes and no humans. There is a cataclysmic event at the beginning of the set caused by two visiting planeswalkers (more on that in another post) and it speeds up the technological and cultural changes on the plane. So the block has two sets. One set we get to see the inhabitants in their more “primitive” roles, and the second set we see them in more “advanced” roles.

There are ten animal tribes on the plane, with three colors each.

Cat (GWU) - Hunters to Knights

Boar (RGW) - Gatherers to Farmers

Insect (BRG) - Headhunters to Slavers

Rat (UBR) - Scavengers to Assassins

Bird (WUB) - Fishers to Explorers

Horse (BWR) - Raiders to Zealots

Snake (UGB) - Soothsayers to Advisors

Fox (WRU) - Traders to Merchants

Spider (GBW) - Shamans to Apothecaries

Ape (RUG) - Inventors to Artificers

I’ll go into more detail about the tribes in a future post, but for now, let’s take a look at some cards…

Longclaw Hunter

(1)(W)

Creature - Cat Warrior

2/2 

Vigilance

(1)(G): Longclaw Hunter fights target creature you don’t control.

The tribe is as efficient as it is ferocious. The hunts serve to both provide food and secure their territory.

Thick-Skinned Chief

(1)(W)(W)

Creature - Boar Elder

3/3 

Other boars you control get +1/+1 and Absorb 1.

"Let your nose be keen enough to find the choicest morsels. Let your hides be thick enough to ignore all else." - Nuhua, Bringer of Seeds

Nishmiti Guard

(G)(R)(B)

Creature - Insect Soldier

2/3 

Defender

When Nishmiti Guard deals combat damage to a creature, gain control of that creature until end of the turn.

"Sneaking into Nishmit’s temple is nothing to brag about. The guards are there to keep you in, not keep you out."

Blackmail Carrier

(B)(R)

Creature - Rat Rogue

1/1 

Discard a card: Target player discards a card. Activate this ability only any time you could cast a sorcery.

"The snakes are always wagging their tongues, thinking to rule by selling the other clans’ secrets. They haven’t figured out how much more you can charge for silence."

Falconeye Sentry

(2)(U)

Creature - Bird Soldier

Flying

(W)(Tap): Target creature may block creatures with landwalk abilities until the end of the turn.

1/4 

"If the Falconeyes are looking for you, hiding under a bush is as useless as hiding under your own hat."

Zealous Purifier

(1)(W)(R)

Creature - Horse Cleric

2/2 

Haste

When Zealous Purifier enters the battlefield, target player sacrifices an artifact or enchantment.

It’s hard to say when his hooves are faster. When he’s running, or when he’s trampling something he doesn’t understand.

Unscrupulous Snitch

(1)(B)(U)

Creature - Snake Rogue

2/1 

(Tap): Target player gains control of Unscrupulous Snitch. That player reveals his or her hand.

At the beginning of its owner’s upkeep, return Unscrupulous Snitch to its owner’s control.

"Trust me."

Tribal Flatterer

(3)(W)(U)

Creature - Fox Merchant

2/4 

When Tribal Flatterer enters the battlefield, choose a creature type. Whenever another player plays a spell of the chosen creature type, they gain one life and draw one card, and you gain two life and draw two cards.

"Of course it takes a tribe with brains to see the value of a deal like this. That’s why I came to you."

Keeper of the Old Ways

(1)(W)(G)

Creature - Spider Elder

1/4 

Reach

Players cannot draw more than one card each turn. If a spell or ability would cause a player to draw more cards, they gain that much life instead.

"It is good for knowledge to grow, as long as it does not outgrow wisdom." - Sisanna, Grandmother of Webs

Reckless Tinkerer

(R)(U)

Creature - Ape Shaman

2/2 

When Reckless Tinkerer enters the battlefield, you may sacrifice an Equipment. If you do, reveal cards from the top of your library until you reveal an Equipment card. Put that card on the battlefield equipped to target creature you control, and the rest on the bottom of your library.

"Yesterday it had two handles. Today it has three. Must be an upgrade."

Jagged Rock

(0)

Artifact - Equipment

Equip (1)

Equipped creature gets +1/+0 and gains “(Tap), Unequip Jagged Rock: Deal 1 damage to target creature. That creature’s controller gains control of Jagged Rock.”

Simple, yet effective.

Beggar’s Draught

(W/B)

Artifact - Potion

(Tap), Sacrifice Beggar’s Draught: Target creature gets +1/+1 until end of turn. During the next player’s upkeep, that creature gets -1/-1 until end of turn.

"The days of our lives are like figs in a bowl. If you eat two at a time, that means one less fig for later." - Sisanna, Grandmother of Webs

OK, so here’s the first round of cards. There’s still plenty more for future posts, but I figure that’s a good place to start. What are your first impressions? Any changes you would make? Let me know!!