Introduction
Magic: The Gathering (MTG) is a trading card game (TCG) that has captured the imaginations of players worldwide since its inception in 1993. Created by Richard Garfield and published by Wizards of the Coast, MTG quickly became a cultural phenomenon, blending strategy, lore, and competition in a unique way. The game has since grown into one of the most influential and longest-running TCGs, generating over a billion dollars of revenue annually and boasting millions of players and collectors globally.
The Origins of Magic: The Gathering
MTG was born out of a desire to create a new type of game that combined the depth of a strategy game with the appeal of collectible cards. Richard Garfield, a mathematician and game designer, initially designed the game for a different publisher, but it was Wizards of the Coast that recognized the game’s potential and eventually produced the cards. The first set, Limited Edition Alpha (known colloquially as “Alpha”), was released in 1993, followed by Limited Edition Beta (“Beta”) and Unlimited soon after. These sets laid the foundation for Magic: The Gathering to become an unstoppable force in the TCG landscape, and include some of the most sought-after TCG cards on the market.
Early Sets and Their Impact
The earliest MTG sets, including Alpha, Beta, Unlimited, Arabian Nights, Antiquities, and Legends were pivotal in establishing both the gameplay mechanics and the collectible nature of the game.
Alpha (1993) was the first limited print run of MTG, featuring 295 cards in the set. Alpha cards feature black borders, and can be distinguished from Beta cards by the shape of the cards’ corners. Cards from the Alpha print run have more rounded corners than Beta; starting with Beta, MTG cards have had the same uniform corners for every subsequent set. Alpha, like the Beta & Unlimited sets, include “The Power Nine,” which are 9 extremely powerful cards which are among the most desirable in MTG.
Beta (1993) cards also have black borders and feature the same cards as Alpha. As previously mentioned, the corners of Beta cards are less rounded than those of Alpha cards. One can distinguish between an Alpha and Beta card by holding it up to a modern MTG card: if the corners of the card match up with the modern card, it’s Beta; if the corners don’t align, it’s likely an Alpha card. While not as limited as Alpha cards, cards from the Beta set are still extremely sought-after and difficult to find, especially in good condition.
Unlimited (1993) was similar to Beta, but it had white borders instead of the black borders of Alpha and Beta. This set had a higher print run than Alpha or Beta, but still includes versions of the most powerful and valuable cards in the game.
Arabian Nights (1993) was the first Magic: The Gathering expansion set, featuring 92 total cards which were not included in the Alpha/Beta/Unlimited base sets and greatly expanded the lore of Magic: The Gathering. Arabian Nights was released around the same time as Unlimited, and Arabian Nights cards in good condition can be similarly hard to find. Arabian Nights cards also have black borders, and can be identified by the scimitar set symbol on the card. Some notable cards from Arabian Nights include Shahrazad, Juzam Djinn, Bazaar of Baghdad, and Library of Alexandria.
Antiquities (1994) was the second MTG expansion set. This set, focused on artifact and land cards, features 100 total cards and is identifiable by the anvil symbol printed on the front of each card. While not typically as sought-after as the Arabian Nights and Legends expansion sets, there are still plenty of noteworthy cards in Antiquities including Mishra’s Factory, Mishra’s workshop, Urza’s Mine, Urza’s Workshop, & Urza’s Tower.
Revised Edition (1994) which followed Unlimited, was the 4th MTG core set. Revised was the first core set to remove several cards because they were too powerful or confusing, including the aforementioned “Power Nine.” Removed cards were replaced by cards from previously-released expansion sets. While some of the most powerful and iconic cards were removed from this set, Revised still includes some highly-coveted cards like the “dual lands” (Tundra, Underground Sea, Badlands, Taiga, Savannah, Scrubland, Volcanic Island, Bayou, Plateau, and Tropical Island), Wheel of Fortune, Mana Vault, Copy Artifact, and Demonic Tutor.
Legends (1994) was the third MTG expansion set, and like Arabian Nights, includes some of the most iconic MTG cards outside of Alpha/Beta/Unlimited. Legends introduced multicolor cards (cards that require more than one color of mana to play), as well as Legendary Creatures. Some of the most valuable and influential cards in the set include Mana Drain, The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale, Moat, Chain Lightning, and The Abyss.
The “Power Nine”
The most famous cards from these early sets are collectively known as the Power Nine — nine iconic and incredibly powerful cards that are considered to be some of the best cards ever printed in Magic. The Power Nine consists of the following cards (card text included after the card’s name).
Black Lotus - Adds 3 mana of any single color of your choice to your mana pool, then is discarded. Tapping this artifact can be played as an interrupt.
Ancestral Recall - Draw three cards or force opponent to draw 3 cards.
Time Walk - Take an extra turn after this one.
Mox Pearl - Add 1 white mana to your mana pool. Tapping this artifact can be played as an interrupt.
Mox Sapphire - Add 1 blue mana to your mana pool. Tapping this artifact can be played as an interrupt.
Mox Jet - Add 1 black mana to your mana pool. Tapping this artifact can be played as an interrupt.
Mox Ruby - Add 1 red mana to your mana pool. Tapping this artifact can be played as an interrupt.
Mox Emerald - Add 1 green mana to your mana pool. Tapping this artifact can be played as an interrupt.
Timetwister - Set Timetwister aside in a new graveyard pile. Shuffle your hand, library, and graveyard together into a new library and draw a new hand of seven cards, leaving all cards in play where they are; opponent must do the same.
These cards are highly coveted due to their rarity and immense power in the game, especially the Black Lotus, perhaps the most iconic Magic: The Gathering card ever made. Over time, these nine cards were deemed too powerful for tournament play and were subsequently banned from most tournament formats. Unsurprisingly, these nine overly powerful cards were never printed again after the Unlimited set, which makes them even more rare and desirable among MTG collectors (despite the fact that they can’t be used in most tournament settings).
Rarity and Collectability
In Magic: The Gathering, the rarity of cards plays a central role in both gameplay and collectability. Cards are classified into three primary rarities: Common, Uncommon, and Rare. The earliest MTG sets (Alpha, Beta, Unlimited) and expansions (Arabian Nights, Antiquities, Legends) were packaged in 8-card booster packs that usually contain 6 commons and 2 uncommons (there were no rares back then). However, some of the uncommon cards were more rare than others (as there were fewer of these on an uncut sheet of MTG cards before they were added to packs by the manufacturer), and are sometimes referred to as “U1” (compared to the more common “U2”). The creators of MTG were secretive about the rarity of cards in the early sets, and there was no indication of a card’s rarity on the card itself.
Eventually, MTG settled on the common/uncommon/rare designations for cards, with the Exodus expansion in 1998 being the first set to indicate a card’s rarity on the card itself. Exodus, the 14th MTG expansion, was also the first set in which the rarity of a card was indicated by the color of the expansion symbol: commons have a black-filled expansion symbol, uncommons have a silver-filled symbol, and rares have a gold-filled symbol. This is the same rarity designation that is used on MTG cards in the current era.
Over time, the rarity structure evolved, especially with the introduction of Mythic Rare cards in the Shards of Alara set (2008). Mythic Rares are even rarer than regular Rares, usually accounting for about one in eight rares found in booster packs. This shift added an additional layer of excitement for players and collectors seeking out specific, powerful cards.
In 2021, MTG introduced the first serial-numbered MTG cards (often referred to as “serialized”), further enhancing the collectability factor. These cards, which are marked with unique serial numbers, often appear in special expansion sets and are very sought-after by collectors and players alike. In 2023, a 1 of 1 serialized version of The One Ring card was inserted into The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth collector booster packs, prompting a frantic chase for the card among MTG collectors. The card eventually surfaced, and was sold to musician Post Malone for reportedly over 2 million dollars.
Conclusion
Magic: The Gathering has evolved from a niche card game into a global phenomenon, with a rich history of lore, gameplay mechanics, and a thriving collectible market. The early sets discussed above laid the foundation for what would become one of the most successful TCGs in history. If you have any questions about Magic: The Gathering or are looking to sell some of your MTG cards, please contact us today!
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