Remembering Fourth Edition

Today I reflect on Fourth Edition.

Fourth Edition was released in April 1995. It was the tenth set released for the game and the fifth core set.

The first three core sets (Alpha, Beta, Unlimited) were released in 1993, were extremely similar, and featured about 300 cards. Revised (1994) also had about 300 cards, but started to look a little different (89% were from prior core sets but it also reprinted cards from two expansions). Then came Fourth Edition.

Fourth Edition had 378 cards. The focus was still cards from prior core sets, but now only about 66% were from those; it drew more cards from more expansions:

- 258 were reprints from prior core sets (note: this counts the multiple printings of basic lands)

- 10 from Arabian Nights 

- 23 from Antiquities 

- 55 from Legends

- 32 from The Dark

Fifth Edition would be released two years later (1997). It was huge (460 cards) and had notable rules, wording, and artwork changes. I thus view Fourth Edition as the last "original" core set in the game—a turning point that signified changes on the horizon but still had the essence of the original release. (I analyze those early core sets in more detail here.)

The set hasn't maintained a lot of value . . . only eight cards clock in at over $10 today:

- Mana Vault ($89)

- Sylvan Library ($30)

- Land Tax ($26)

- Strip Mine ($21)

- Armageddon ($19)

- Birds of Paradise ($15)

- Winter Orb ($15)

- Stasis ($12)

My main memories of this set was . . . the game itself. The art, the rules, the world . . . this set was my entry into Magic. Below are a few cards that hold a special place in my heart, whether or not they are good (then or now).

Until next time, keep exploring.

Remembering Ice Age

Today I reflect on Ice Age.

Ice Age was released in June 1995—right around the time I started playing Magic. It was the eleventh set released for the game, but the first non-core set to have its own basic lands (and thus be "stand-alone playable"). 

There was a plan to give this set unique card backs (indeed, the plan was to do so every so often for certain Magic releases), but thankfully that idea was scrapped—in an era before players sleeved cards, taking that step would have minimized the ability to mix cards from different sets when constructing decks.

Ice Age was the first non-core set to have reprints. Of the set's 383 cards, 27 (22 non-basic-land) were reprints (26 of which appeared in the immediately-preceding core set, 4th Edition), giving people an idea that some cards were so basic to the game that they would be featured for years to come. (They got new art, though, in keeping with Ice Age's theme.)

Swords to Plowshares, a reprint with new art

Ice Age introduced basic snow lands. These were functionally identical to basic lands; their value came in being referenced/leveraged by other cards.

Ice Age's mechanics were underwhelming. Cumulative upkeep (making it increasingly expensive to keep such cards on the board), banding (which was never fun or intuitive), and abilities like "draw a card at the beginning of next turn's upkeep" were clunky and could be complicated. Other cards were overly wordy. 

Today, most cards are still affordable. The top in value (as of this writing):

- Necropotence ($49)

- Unique lands (Underground River, Karplusan Forest, Glacial Chasm, Adarkar Wastes, Sulfuous Springs, Brushland) ($18-33)

- Dance of the Dead ($17)

- Illusions of Grandeur ($16)

- Jester's Cap ($14)

My main memories of this set:

- The theme. I enjoyed the concept of a land experiencing an ice age; the theme and story helped lure me in to the game.

- The art. Tied to theme, the packaging and artwork were excellent and evoked a soft fantasy style I found (and find) highly appealing.

- Select cards. Some shown below. They may or may not have been powerful, but they were fun. Some still feature in my casual or Commander decks.

Today, Ice Age is still underwhelming . . . but nostalgic.

Until next time, keep exploring.

Remembering Chronicles

This month, as I did last year at this time, I will reflect back on Magic sets over the years. Today, Chronicles.

Chronicles (CHR) was released in July 1995. It had only 125 cards and was entirely reprints from earlier releases:

14 cards from Arabian Nights (1993),

21 cards from Antiquities (1994),

71 cards from Legends (1994), 

and 19 cards from  The Dark (1994). 

The first compilation/reprint set, the goal was to make cards from earlier (and small print run) releases available to newer players. The cards in Chronicles were all white bordered, but retained the set symbol from a card's original release.

I was unaware of this as a child, but apparently it caused a huge controversy at the time. Players who invested in those earlier [expensive] cards felt betrayed as the value of those plummeted by introducing more supply. This set made Wizards aware (if they weren't already) of the importance of the secondary market to the longevity of the game: keep your existing players happy, and keep them spending by promising a degree of scarcity (which would ultimately result in the Reserved List). Magic is not just a fun game: it's a good investment. But at the same time, it highlights a tension: to attract new players, you have to give them a reason. If Reserved List cards will never be reprinted, how can you get new people to invest? I believe that answer is 'power creep': print increasingly powerful cards as the years go on. And that is where we are today. But I digress.

Back to Chronicles. There wasn't a discernible theme in this set as it was meant to pair with Fourth Edition (a core set). It was released in 12-card booster packs (the standard was 15) and (to my knowledge) was never drafted nor intended to be. It was really all about getting cards to the players.

Today, most cards in this set are still affordable. The top five in value as of today:

- City of Brass ($31.97)

- Concordant Crossroads ($19.60)

- Ashnod's Altar ($16.38)

- Blood Moon ($8.58)

- Nicol Bolas ($4.65)

My main memories of this set:

- The Elder Dragon Legends. These five multi-colored dragons were amazing to a new player (and the basis of what has become known as the Commander format; it was originally called Elder Dragon Highlander). Here they are:

- The fun of getting "older" cards. Okay, they were reprints, but as a 15-year-old, I didn't care. "I got a card originally from Legends!" was a fun time. If my local store had any Chronicles packs, I generally opted for those (or Ice Age . . . or a core set).

Today, Chronicles is . . . disappointing. Don't get suckered into buying a booster pack; you won't get your money's worth out of it. But it remains a pleasant walk down memory lane.

Until next time, keep exploring.