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.