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{{Expansion|
{{SubTabs
  Expansion Name    = [[Image:Allianceslogo.gif|250px|Alliances]] |
|sub1 = Trivia
  Symbol  = Alliances.gif|
  Symbol Description = banner|
  Design Team = [[Skaff Elias]] (lead), [[Jim Lin]], [[Chris Page]], [[Dave Petty]]|
  Development Team = [[Charlie Catripino]] (lead), [[Skaff Elias]], [[William Jockusch]], [[Joel Mick]], [[Bill Rose]], [[Paul Peterson]], [[Mark Rosewater]]|
  Release Date      = June, 1996 |
  Mechanics          =  [[alternate cost|Alternate]] and [[additional cost]] cards, [[Cumulative Upkeep]], [[cantrip|cantrips]] and [[Snow]]|
  Keywords          = No new keywords|
  Size= 199 cards|
  Block Name = [[Ice Age (block)|Ice Age block]]|
  First Set = [[Ice Age (set)|Ice Age]]|
  Second Set = [[Alliances (set)|Alliances]]|
  Third Set = [[Coldsnap (set)|Coldsnap]]|
  Previous Set      = [[Homelands (set)|Homelands]]|
  This Set          = '''''Alliances'''''|
  Next Set          = '''''[[Mirage (set)|Mirage]]''''' |
}}
}}
{{Infobox set
  |image = ALL logo.png
  |symbol_description = Pennant
  |design = [[Skaff Elias]] (lead)<br/>[[Jim Lin]]<br/>[[Chris Page]]<br/>[[Dave Petty]]
  |development = [[Charlie Catino|Charlie Catripino]] (lead)<br/>Skaff Elias<br/>[[William Jockusch]]<br/>[[Joel Mick]]<br/>[[Bill Rose]]<br/>[[Paul Peterson]]<br/>[[Mark Rosewater]]
  |art = [[Sue-Ann Harkey]]
  |release = June 10, 1996<ref>[http://octgn.blogspot.de/2005/12/alpha-thru-ravnica-patch.html OCTGN Fansite]</ref>
  |plane = [[Dominaria (plane)|Dominaria]] ([[Terisiare]])<ref name="FAQ">{{WebRef|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030218051826/http://www.wizards.com:80/magic/generic/storyline/faq.asp|title=Dominian FAQ (archived)|author=[[Wizards of the Coast]]|publisher=wizards.com}}</ref>
  |mechanics = [[alternate cost|Alternate]] and [[cost|additional cost]], [[cantrip]]s and [[Snow]]
  |keywords = [[Cumulative upkeep]]
  |size = 144 cards<br/>{{curmb|55|43|46}}
  |code_expansion = ALL
  |code_expansion_ref= {{DailyRef|ask-wizards-august-2004-2004-08-02|Ask Wizards - August, 2004|[[Wizards of the Coast]]|August 02, 2004}}
  |code_development = Quack
  |series = [[Ice Age block]]<ref group="note">''[[Coldsnap]]'' replaced ''[[Homelands]]''.</ref>
  |first = Ice Age
  |second = Alliances
  |third = Coldsnap
  |previous = Homelands
  |next = Rivals Quick Start Set
}}
[[File:ALL booster.jpg|thumb|right|''Alliances'' booster]]
'''Alliances''' is the eighth ''[[Magic]]'' expansion and was released in June 1996 as the second set and first [[small expansion]] in the [[Ice Age block]].


'''Alliances''' is the eighth [[Magic]] expansion and was released in 1996 as the second set in the [[Ice Age (block)|Ice Age block]]. It was sold in packs of 12 cards and was the last expansion to feature regular multiple artworks on cards. This was discontinued to ease identification of cards by their artwork, which was important to the global community as '''Magic''' was beginning to see print in languages other than English.
==Set details==
 
''Alliances'' is black-bordered and was the first set to be printed on [[print sheet|sheets]] of 110 cards. The set's [[rarity]] breakdown is: 55 commons (40@[[C2]], 10@C3, 5@U6), 43 uncommons (40@U2, 3@[[R6]]), 46 rares (46@R2).<ref>[http://www.wizards.com/magic/generic/cardlists/Alliances_Checklist.txt ''Alliances'' Checklist]</ref> Each common card and the 5 uncommons cards @U6 have 2 pieces of art,<ref>{{DailyRef|arcana/two-adnates-2002-07-23|Two Adnates|[[Magic Arcana]]|July 23, 2002}}</ref><ref>{{DailyRef|arcana/double-boon-2007-03-28|Double Boon|[[Magic Arcana]]|March 28, 2007}}</ref> making collectors view this as a 199 card set. Since the ratio of uncommons to rare is 3:1 in a booster pack, the 3 rares @[[R6]] are considered as uncommon even if they could be found in the rare slot of an ''Alliances'' booster pack. A similar statement can be made about the 5 commons @U6. The [[expansion symbol]] of the set is a banner, or pennant, to reinforce the “alliance” concept.<ref>{{DailyRef|ask-wizards-october-2006-2006-10-02|Ask Wizards|[[Brady Dommermuth]]|October 31, 2006}}</ref>
'''Alliances''' is also the last standard '''Magic''' expansion that was underprinted, as supply did not meet demand in many areas. '''Alliances''' was highly anticipated after a nine-month wait from the release of the less-than-spectacular [[Homelands (set)|Homelands]] expansion.
 
==Mechanics & Themes==
 
'''Alliances''' didn't introduce any new [[keyword|keywords]], but it did introduce the popular [[alternate cost]] [[mechanic]], popularly referred to as "Pitch cards", that allowed a player to discard cards of specific colors (sometimes with an additional life payment) to play a spell instead of paying [[mana]]. This mechanic was also used on [[rare]] [[cycle|cycles]] in the [[Masques (block)|Masques block]], the [[Betrayers of Kamigawa]] expansion and the [[Coldsnap (set)|Coldsnap]] expansion.
 
'''Alliances''' builds on many of the themes of the [[Ice Age (block)|Ice Age block]]. [[Cumulative Upkeep]] and [[cantrip|cantrips]] return, as does the allied color theme and a few new [[legendary]] [[creature]]s. The [[Snow]] mechanic, considered a failure by the design team of '''Alliances''', was largely abandoned but appears on a few cards.
 
==Notable Cards==
 
*<c>Balduvian Horde</c> was initially heralded as the "new <c>Juzam Djinn</c>," then considered the best creature in '''Magic''', as a 5/5 for 2CC. It later proved to be only mediocre and has seen print in [[Sixth Edition (set)|Sixth Edition]].


*<c>Diminishing Returns</c> is the first attempt at creating a "fixed" version of <c>Timetwister</c>. Despite its decrease in power compared to Timetwister, Diminishing Returns sometimes still sees play in [[Vintage]] alongside Timetwister.
The Alliances lands have a unique violet-colored text box and Alliances is the last expansion set to have this feature. The Mirage and Visions sets share the same color scheme, and from Fifth Edition on, land text box color was standardized.


*<c>Force of Will</c> continues to be an important and potent card in every format it is legal in because it can [[counter]] any spell without the use of mana.
===Marketing===
''Alliances'' was released eight months after the less-than-spectacular ''[[Homelands]]'', which is the longest gap between expansion sets in the history of the game. Prior to the ''[[Coldsnap]]'' release it was the third and final set in the Ice Age block with ''Homelands'' being the second set.<ref>{{DailyRef|making-magic/third-times-charm-2013-04-29|Third Time's the Charm|[[Mark Rosewater]]|April 29, 2013}}</ref> It was sold in [[booster pack]]s of twelve cards which included eight [[common]]s, three [[uncommon]]s and one [[rare]].<ref>{{DailyRef|making-magic/how-trivial-2018-10-22|How Trivial|[[Mark Rosewater]]|October 22, 2018}}</ref> A booster box contained 45 booster packs. This was the last time that boosters contained twelve cards. All boosters feature the same artwork from <c>Benthic Explorers</c>.  


*<c>Ivory Gargoyle</c> was powerful because it was difficult to get rid of it permanently and was used in some [[control]] decks as a win condition.
This was the last expansion to feature regular multiple artworks on cards. The practice was discontinued to ease the identification of cards by their artwork, which was important to the global community as ''Magic'' was beginning to see print in languages other than English.  


*<c>Kjeldoran Outpost</c> was used as a win condition in [[Counterpost]]-style control decks.
''Alliances'' is also the last standard ''Magic'' expansion that was under-printed, as supply did not meet demand in many areas. ''Alliances'' was highly anticipated after the long wait from the release ''Homelands''.


*<c>Lake of the Dead</c> was used to speed up already-powerful <c>Necropotence</c> decks.
===Storyline===
After the [[planeswalker]] [[Freyalise]] cast her [[World Spell]], thereby ending the [[Ice Age (event)|Ice Age]], a population long adapted to the cold had to re-adjust to warm weather. With the new climate came devastating floods and plagues, and the [[necromancer]] [[Lim-Dûl]] has built an army of undead bent on world domination. An alliance is formed between races to defeat Lim-Dûl and his army.


*<c>Thawing Glaciers</c> was used in many different decks, especially after the [[Sixth Edition Rules]] came into effect, allowing players to use cards like this one with delayed triggered abilities twice thanks to the reconstruction of the new [[End of turn step]].
==Mechanics and themes==
''Alliances'' didn't introduce any new [[keyword]]s, but it did introduce the popular [[alternate cost]] [[mechanic]], popularly referred to as [[Pitch card|"pitch cards"]], that allowed a player to discard cards of specific colors (and in the case of two cards, with an additional life payment) to cast a spell instead of paying its printed [[mana cost]]. In Magic: The Gathering history, this mechanic, or a derivative or variant thereof, appears on [[rare]] [[cycle]]s in the [[Masques block]], the ''[[Betrayers of Kamigawa]]'' expansion, and the ''[[Coldsnap]]'' expansion. There are also a number of cards that exile the top of the library as a cost.


==Storyline==
''Alliances'' builds on many of the themes of the [[Ice Age block]]. [[Cumulative upkeep]] and [[cantrip]]s return, as does the [[allied color]] theme and a few new [[legendary]] [[creature]]s. The [[Snow]] mechanic appears on only a few cards.


After the [[planeswalker]] [[Freyalise]] cast her [[World-spell]], ending the [[Ice Age]], a population long adapted to the cold had to readjust to warm weather. With the new climate came devastating floods and plagues, and the [[necromancer]] [[Lim-Dûl]] has built an army of undead bent on world domination. An alliance is formed between races to defeat Lim-Dûl and his army.
===Design & Development===
''Alliances'' was the second expansion by the quartet known as the "[[East Coast playtesters]]",<ref>{{DailyRef|making-magic/ice-and-men-2006-07-03|Of ''Ice'' and Men|[[Mark Rosewater]]|July 6, 2003}}</ref> which also designed ''[[Ice Age]]''. While it was sold as an ''Ice Age'' expansion, design diverged from it. For example, the [[Snow]] mechanic was considered a failure, and it was completely ignored. The vast majority of the mechanical tie-ins were added in Development, including a few Snow-matters cards because the mechanic rated highly on flavor.<ref>{{DailyRef|making-magic/playing-blocks-2009-12-03|Playing With Blocks|[[Mark Rosewater]]|December 07, 2009}}</ref>


==Design & Development==
At some point, Continuity (the department responsible for the storyline) decided that ''Alliances'' would have a race of sentient gorillas. The design team thought this was a silly idea and protested by renaming all the cards in the set to have "Gorilla" in their names.<ref>{{DailyRef|ask-wizards-may-2002-2002-05-01|Ask Wizards|[[Skaff Elias]]|May 28, 2002}}</ref><ref>{{DailyRef|feature/know-your-gorillas-2012-12-28|Know Your Gorillas|[[Monty Ashley]]|July 30, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{YouTubeRef|jofyGSFDq8M|How Trivial with Mark Rosewater|channel=Magic: The Gathering|creator=[[Mark Rosewater]]|date=August 4, 2023}}</ref>


When designing '''Alliances''' the design team looked at the mechanics and themes of the [[Ice Age (set)|Ice Age]] expansion. Design considered the [[Snow]] mechanic to be a failure and was completely ignored, although Development added in a few Snow-matters cards before the release of the set as the mechanic has great flavor in the [[block]].
==Creature types==
The following [[creature type]]s are introduced in this expansion: Aesthir (later changed to Bird), [[Bird]], Gorilla (later changed to [[Ape]]), Harlequin (later changed to [[Human]]), Heretic (later changed to Human [[Cleric]]), Mosquito (later changed to [[Insect]]), Pigeon (later changed to Bird), Spy (later changed to Human [[Rogue]]), [[Starfish]], [[Swarm]], Tactician (later changed to Human [[Advisor]]), War-Rider (later changed to Human [[Warrior]]).


At some point, Continuity (the department responsible for the storyline) decided that '''Alliances''' would have a race of sentient gorillas. The design team thought this was a silly idea and protested by renaming all the cards in the set to have "Gorilla" in their names.
The following creature types are used in this expansion but also appear in previous sets: [[Barbarian]], [[Cleric]], [[Druid]], [[Elemental]], [[Elf]], [[Gargoyle]], [[Goblin]], [[Guardian]], [[Homarid]], Horror (later changed to [[Horror]] [[Spirit]]), [[Insect]], Keeper (later changed to [[Avatar]]), [[Knight]], [[Mercenary]], [[Merfolk]], Paladin (later changed to Human Knight), Phantasm (later changed to [[Illusion]]), [[Rat]], [[Skeleton]], [[Soldier]], [[Spirit]], [[Wall]], [[Wizard]] and [[Zombie]].


==Cycles==
==Cycles==
''Alliances'' has seven [[cycle]]s:
{| class="wikitable" 
! Cycle name
! {{W}}
! {{U}}
! {{B}}
! {{R}}
! {{G}}
|-
|rowspan="2"|'''Double [[hoser]]s'''
|{{card|Royal Decree||ALL}}
|{{card|Tidal Control||ALL}}
|{{card|Dystopia||ALL}}
|{{card|Omen of Fire||ALL}}
|{{card|Nature's Wrath||ALL}}
|-
|colspan="5"|Rare spells that have a negative effect on both of its enemy colors. This cycle was the first to attempt to hose both enemy colors at once and inspired the creation of similar cycles in the ''[[Mercadian Masques]]'' and ''[[Coldsnap]]'' expansions.
|-
|rowspan="2"|'''[[Pitch card]]s'''
|{{card|Scars of the Veteran||ALL}}
|{{card|Force of Will||ALL}}
|{{card|Contagion||ALL}}
|{{card|Pyrokinesis||ALL}}
|{{card|Bounty of the Hunt||ALL}}
|-
|colspan="5"|Uncommon [[instant]]s that have an alternate casting cost that includes exiling a card of its color.
|-
|rowspan="2"|'''Replacement lands'''
|{{card|Kjeldoran Outpost||ALL}}
|{{card|Soldevi Excavations||ALL}}
|{{card|Lake of the Dead||ALL}}
|{{card|Balduvian Trading Post||ALL}}
|{{card|Heart of Yavimaya||ALL}}
|-
|colspan="5"|Rare [[land]]s that are sacrificed when it enters the battlefield unless you sacrifice a [[basic]] land of a given type and have a mana ability that produces mana of that land's type and another activated ability.
|-
| rowspan="2" |'''Common allied-color ability spells'''
|{{card|Kjeldoran Pride||ALL}}
|{{card|Soldevi Heretic||ALL}}
|{{card|Phantasmal Fiend||ALL}}
|{{card|Agent of Stromgald||ALL}}
|{{card|Undergrowth||ALL}}
|-
| colspan="5" |Each of these common spells gives you a benefit for playing one of its allies. Except for Kjeldoran Pride, they all benefit the previous color in the color wheel.
|-
| rowspan="2" |'''Uncommon allied-color ability spells'''
|{{card|Juniper Order Advocate||ALL}}
|{{card|Viscerid Drone||ALL}}
|{{card|Balduvian Dead||ALL}}
|{{card|Primitive Justice||ALL}}
|{{card|Nature's Chosen||ALL}}
|-
| colspan="5" |Each of these uncommon spells gives you a benefit for playing one of its allies. Except for Juniper Order Advocate, they all benefit the next color in the color wheel.
|-
! Cycle name
!{{W}}{{U}}
!{{U}}{{B}}
!{{B}}{{R}}
!{{R}}{{G}}
!{{G}}{{W}}
|-
| rowspan="2" |'''Uncommon gold spells'''
|{{card|Energy Arc||ALL}}
|{{card|Lim-Dûl's Vault||ALL}}
|{{card|Lim-Dûl's Paladin||ALL}}
|{{card|Surge of Strength||ALL}}
|{{card|Nature's Blessing||ALL}}
|-
| colspan="5" |[[Uncommon]] [[multicolored]] spells that require two mana of allied colors to cast.
|-
! Cycle name
!{{G}}{{W}}{{U}}
!{{W}}{{U}}{{B}}
!{{U}}{{B}}{{R}}
!{{B}}{{R}}{{G}}
!{{R}}{{G}}{{W}}
|-
| rowspan="2" |'''Tricolor spells'''
|{{card|Phelddagrif||ALL}}
|{{card|Wandering Mage||ALL}}
|{{card|Lord of Tresserhorn||ALL}}
|{{card|Misfortune||ALL}}
|{{card|Winter's Night||ALL}}
|-
| colspan="5" |[[Rare]] multicolored spells that have a [[shard]] [[mana cost]].
|}


'''Alliances''' has five [[cycle|cycles]]:
===Pairs===
''Alliances'' has three [[mirrored pair]]s.


*Two-color multicolor cycle: <c>Energy Arc</c>, <c>Lim-Dul's Vault</c>, <c>Lim-Dul's Paladin</c>, <c>Surge of Strength</c>, and <c>Nature's Blessing</c> are each [[uncommon]] cards with CD as part of its [[mana cost]], where C and D are allied colors.
====Mirrored Pairs====
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! colspan="2" |Mirrored  Pairs
!Description
|-
|{{card|Suffocation||ALL}} {{nowrap|({{U}})}}
|{{card|Burnout||ALL}} {{nowrap|({{R}})}}
|Each of these uncommon instants uses an out-of-color-pie effect from the other's color and draws you a card at the beginning of the next turn's upkeep.
|-
|{{card|Library of Lat-Nam||ALL}} {{nowrap|({{U}})}}
|{{card|Fatal Lore||ALL}} {{nowrap|({{B}})}}
|Each of these rare sorceries has your opponent choose between letting you draw three cards or another effect.
|-
|{{card|Reinforcements||ALL}} {{nowrap|({{W}})}}
|{{card|Misinformation||ALL}} {{nowrap|({{B}})}}
|Each of these one-mana instants puts three cards from a graveyard to the top of a library.
|}


*Three-color multicolor cycle: <c>Wandering Mage</c>, <c>Lord of Tresserhorn</c>, <c>Misfortune</c>, <c>Winter's Night</c>, and <c>Phelddagrif</c> are each [[rare]] cards with CDE as part of its mana cost, where C and E are the allied colors of D.
==Strictly Better or Worse==


*Two enemy color hoser cycle: <c>Royal Decree</c>, <c>Tidal Control</c>, <c>Dystopia</c>, <c>Omen of Fire</c>, and <c>Nature's Wrath</c> are each rare cards that have a negative effect on both enemy colors of the card's color. This cycle was the first to attempt to hose both enemy colors at once and inspired the creation of a similar cycle in the [[Mercadian Masques (set)|Mercadian Masques]] expansion.
*<c>Storm Crow</c> is strictly better than <c>Vodalian Soldiers</c>.
*<c>Undergrowth</c> is strictly better than <c>Fog</c>.


*Replacement land cycle: <c>Kjeldoran Outpost</c>, <c>Soldevi Excavations</c>, <c>Lake of the Dead</c>, <c>Balduvian Trading Post</c>, and <c>Heart of Yavimaya</c> are each rare [[land|lands]] with "If [this] would come into play, sacrifice a (untapped) [basic land type] instead. If you do, put [this] into play. If you don't, put it into its owner's graveyard. T: add (1)C to your mana pool." and an activated ability. Words in parenthesis appear together on some of these cards. C is the same color of mana that the sacrificed basic land produced.
==Trivia==
{{Main|Alliances/Trivia}}
*Only ''Alliances'' and the ''[[Chronicles]]'' set were sold in packs of 12 cards.
*''Alliances'' was the only set to feature different tiers within its rare cards, until the introduction of [[mythic rare]] cards. A few rares appeared six times on each rare sheet while most appeared twice, making a few rares three times as common as others.


*[[Pitch cards|Pitch]]-card cycle: <c>Scars of the Veteran</c>, <c>Force of Will</c>, <c>Contagion</c>, <c>Pyrokinesis</c>, and <c>Bounty of the Hunt</c> are each uncommon [[instant|instants]] with "You may (pay 1 life and) remove a [same color] card in your hand from the game rather than pay [this card]'s mana cost." Words in parenthesis appear on Force of Will and Contagion in an attempt to balance them. This cycle inspired the creation of other Pitch-card cycles in the [[Mercadian Masques (set)|Mercadian Masques]], [[Betrayers of Kamigawa (set)|Betrayers of Kamigawa]], and [[Coldsnap (set)|Coldsnap]] expansions.
==Notable cards==
 
*<c>Balduvian Horde</c> was initially heralded as the "new <c>Juzám Djinn</c>," then considered the best creature in ''[[Magic]]'', as a 5/5 for {{2}}{{R}}{{R}}. It later proved to be only mediocre .
==Creature Types==
*<c>Death Spark</c> will later inspire the [[Recover]] keyword ability.
 
*<c>Diminishing Returns</c> is the first attempt at creating a "fixed" version of <c>Timetwister</c>. Despite its decrease in power compared to Timetwister, Diminishing Returns sometimes still sees play in [[Vintage]] alongside Timetwister.
The following creature types are introduced in this expansion: Aesthir (later changed to Bird), [[Bird]], Gorilla (later changed to [[Ape]]), [[Harlequin]], [[Heretic]], Mosquito (later changed to [[Insect]]), Pigeon (later changed to Bird), [[Spy]], [[Starfish]], [[Swarm]], [[Tactician]], [[War-Rider]], and [[Worm]].
*<c>Elvish Spirit Guide</c> had a new unique feature: exile it from your hand to for a {{G}} mana. Alongside its [[timeshifted]] reprint <c>Simian Spirit Guide</c>, they see play various Eternal fast combo decks.
 
*<c>Force of Will</c> continues to be an important and potent card in every format it is legal in because it can [[counter]] any spell without the use of mana. Because it was one of the most powerful cards in the set and any blue card can be used to cast it, players joked that every blue card in ''Alliances'' is the most powerful, leading to the running joke that <c>Storm Crow</c> is one of the game's strongest cards.
The following creature types are used in this expansion but also appear in previous sets: [[Barbarian]], [[Cleric]], [[Druid]], [[Elemental]], [[Elf]], [[Gargoyle]], [[Goblin]], [[Guardian]], [[Homarid]], [[Horror]], [[Insect]], [[Keeper]], [[Knight]], [[Mercenary]], [[Merfolk]], [[Paladin]], [[Phantasm]], [[Rat]], [[Skeleton]], [[Soldier]], [[Spirit]], [[Wall]], [[Wizard]] and [[Zombie]].
*<c>Helm of Obedience</c>'s templating let <c>Leyline of the Void</c> and similar effects make it mill indefinitely. <c>Thought Dissector</c> was printed with the corrected version.
 
*<c>Ivory Gargoyle</c> was powerful because it was difficult to get rid of it permanently and was used in some [[control]] decks as a win condition.
==Points of Interest==
*<c>Kjeldoran Outpost</c> was used as a win condition in Counterpost-style control decks.
 
*<c>Lake of the Dead</c> was used to speed up already-powerful <c>Necropotence</c> decks.
*Only '''Alliances''' and the [[Chronicles (set)|Chronicles]] set were sold in packs of 12 cards.
*<c>Spiny Starfish</c> and <c>Soldevi Sentry</c> are the first of the only five cards that care about [[regenerate]].
 
*<c>Taste of Paradise</c> and <c>Primitive Justice</c> have functional [[multikicker]].
*'''Alliances''' was the first and only set to feature different tiers within its rare cards. A few rares appeared six times on each rare sheet while most appeared twice, making a few rares three times as common as others.
*<c>Thawing Glaciers</c> was used in many different decks, especially after the [[6th Edition#Rule changes|Sixth Edition Rules]] came into effect, allowing players to use cards like this one with delayed triggered abilities twice thanks to the reconstruction of the new [[End of turn step]].
 
<c>Viscerid Armor</c> and <c>Viscerid Drone</c> were intended to reference [[Homarid|Homarids]], but research showed that players did not like Homarids, so the names of these cards were changed to "Viscerid," which is supposed to be an advanced form of Homarid.
 
<c>Phelddagrif</c> and <c>Varchild's War-Riders</c> are the first cards that put a (token) creature into play under an opponent's control.
 
*<c>Dystopia</c>, <c>Justice</c> and <c>Surge of Strength</c> each depict the same [[Elf]] in the artwork and each share the same artist, [[Ruth Thompson]].
 
*<c>Fatal Lore</c>, <c>Library of Lat-Nam</c> and <c>Misfortune</c> are the first [[modal]] spells to give the choice to your [[opponent]].
 
*<c>Gargantuan Gorilla</c>, <c>Storm Elemental</c>, <c>Viscerid Drone</c> and <c>Winter's Night</c> are the only cards that refer to the Snow theme of the '''Ice Age''' block in the '''Alliances''' expansion. These were added by development.
 
*<c>Arcane Denial</c>, with a [[mana cost]] of 1U, was later considered a mistake for making a "hard [[counter]]" too easy to splash into a deck without much [[blue]] in it. The result was the creation of a Design rule that all hard counters must have UU in their mana cost.
 
*<c>Balduvian Horde</c> has the greatest combined [[power]] and [[toughness]] among monocolored [[red]] creatures in '''Alliances'''. It was also distributed as a foil promotional card at the [[World Championship]] held in [[Yokohama]], [[Japan]].
 
*<c>Bounty of the Hunt</c> used to distribute temporary counters because the rules at the time didn't allow for a spell to target the same [[object]] more than once.
 
*<c>Browse</c> has the only blue [[Goblin]] in [[Magic]] in its artwork.
 
*<c>Diminishing Returns</c> is the first attempt at creating a "fixed" version of <c>Timetwister</c> and is the second member of the [[Power Nine]] to see such revision. One of the reasons for Timetwister's power was its ability to reuse itself and other powerful cards repeatedly, so Diminishing Returns included a [[drawback]] to remove the top ten cards of the [[library]] from the game in order to limit its ability to reuse these cards.
 
*<c>Diseased Vermin</c> is the first card with a [[triggered ability]] that triggers on [[combat damage]], a trigger that is now common.
 
*<c>Elvish Bard</c> is the first creature to have the <c>Lure</c> ability.
 
*<c>Elvish Spirit Guide</c> inspired the creation of the [[Channel]] [[mechanic]].
 
*<c>Enslaved Scout</c> is the only [[Goblin]] in '''Alliances''' and is the first Goblin not to have "Goblin" in its name. It is strictly worse than <c>Goblin Spelunkers</c>.
 
*<c>Exile</c> was originally called "Marriage of Convenience" and was designed as a flavorful way for white to remove a creature from the game, in that it "got married", a reference to how a creature removed from the game by <c>Swords to Plowshares</c> "went farming." However, when the commissioned artwork came in from [[Phil Foglio]] it was deemed too silly for a card that was to be a powerful tournament card. Some artwork swapping followed, and the original "Marriage of Convenience" artwork ended up on <c>Unlikely Alliance</c>. Much brainstorming eventually led to the matching of the card with its artwork and its name was changed to "Exile," suggesting that the removed creature was exiled to the castle in the artwork.
 
*<c>Feast or Famine</c> is the first card to create [[Zombie]] [[token|tokens]]. R&D considers this to be one of the most influential cards from the first years of [[Magic]], as it influenced mechanics such as [[Entwine]] and the [[split card|split cards]].
 
*<c>Force of Will</c>'s playtest name was "Gorilla, Gorilla, Gorilla, Gorilla, Gorilla, Stop That!" (the number of "Gorillas" used in the name is not clear) and later "Stop Spell." Although an [[uncommon]], Force of Will is the most valuable card in the expansion.
 
*<c>Fyndhorn Druid</c> is the first creature to trigger life gain from being blocked.
 
*<c>Gorilla Shaman</c> is nicknamed the "Mox Monkey" for its ability to cheaply and repeatedly destroy inexpensive artifacts (like the Moxen such as <c>Mox Sapphire</c>), as it was designed to do. It was the only creature played in competitive [[Vintage]] decks for some time.
 
*<c>Gorilla War Cry</c> is a [[cantrip]] version of <c>Goblin War Drums</c>.
 
*<c>Guerrilla Tactics</c> was designed, like <c>Gorilla Shaman</c>, to solve a particular problem in the [[Vintage]] format. Powerful [[discard]] cards, like <c>Mind Twist</c>, <c>Hymn to Tourach</c> and <c>Hypnotic Specter</c>, all saw regular play. Guerrilla Tactics increased the danger of using these cards.
 
*<c>Gustha's Scepter</c> was the earliest card designed by [[Mark Rosewater]] to be printed. It was included in '''Alliances''' because another [[artifact]] that was to be included in the expansion proved to be far too powerful and a replacement was needed.
 
*<c>Helm of Obedience</c> was designed to be the impressive "marquee" artifact of the expansion.
 
*<c>Kaysa</c> (and to a lesser extent <c>Juniper Order Advocate</c>) was celebrated by some because [[Green]], the "[[creature]] [[color]]," finally had a card to give its creatures +1/+1. All the other colors already had cards to give +1/+1 to its creatures, making it the last in an odd sort of [[cycle]] (along with <c>Crusade</c>, <c>Sunken City</c>, <c>Bad Moon</c> and <c>Gauntlet of Might</c>).
 
*<c>Kjeldoran Outpost</c> is the first land capable of producing token creatures.
 
*<c>Library of Lat-Nam</c> is one of three cards to appear in '''Alliances''' that were designed by [[Mark Rosewater]], then a new hire at [[Wizards of the Coast]].
 
*<c>Lim-Dul's Paladin</c> is the first creature printed with [[trample]] and a power of 0.
 
*<c>Lord of Tresserhorn</c> has the greatest power among creatures in '''Alliances''' and among all [[legendary]] creatures. Development changed his power from 9 to 10 to fit the nickname "Good Buddy," as in "10-4 good buddy."
 
*<c>Omen of Fire</c> is the only member of the Two enemy color hoser cycle to be an [[instant]] and to have a non-symmetrical effect on its enemy colors (the other cards of the cycle are enchantments and have a symmetrical effect on their enemy colors).
 
*<c>Phelddagrif</c> is an anagram of "Garfield PhD," meaning [[Richard Garfield]]. This card was born when the [[Continuity]] department denied the name "Phelddagrif's Winds" for the card that became <c>Freyalise's Winds</c> because Phelddagrif didn't "sound like the name of a Goddess of Spring." When asked what Phelddagrif did sound like, Continuity reportedly replied, "Umm, I don't know. A flying purple hippo?" which is of course depicted in the artwork of this card.
 
*<c>Phyrexian Portal</c> inspired the creation of the [[Divvy]] spells in the [[Invasion (set)|Invasion]] expansion.
 
*<c>Phyrexian War Beast</c> has the greatest combined [[power]] and [[toughness]] among artifact creatures in '''Alliances'''.
 
*<c>Pillage</c> taught R&D that having multiple cheap land destruction spells without drawbacks gives this unfun mechanic too much power.
 
*<c>Primative Justice</c> inspired the creation of the [[Kicker]] and [[Replicate]] mechanics.
 
*<c>Sol Grail</c> is an anagram of "gorillas" in homage to the protest of the designers against the use of a race of sentient Gorillas in '''Alliances'''.
 
*<c>Soldevi Adnate</c>, like most of the rest of the commons in '''Alliances''', has two versions with different artwork and [[flavor text]]. Unlike the rest, Soldevi Adnate's two pieces of artwork are from the same painting.
 
*<c>Soldier of Fortune</c> is one of three cards to appear in '''Alliances''' that were designed by [[Mark Rosewater]], then a new hire at [[Wizards of the Coast]]. Also, at the time official tournament rules stipulated that cards used in a tournament must not be visibly marked (often from extensive play resulting in excessive wear). To validate this rule, a player had the right to request that an opponent remove the sleeves from his or her cards. This card was unfortunately used by some specifically to damage an opponent's cards in this way. Soldier of Fortune is the first creature with the [[Mercenary]] creature type, a creature type that received mechanical attention in the [[Masques (block)|Masques block]].
 
*<c>Storm Shaman</c> is the first non-[[Wall]] creature with a power of 0 and the <c>Firebreathing</c> ability.
 
*<c>Surge of Strength</c> was designed as a "fixed" <c>Berserk</c>. It was one of five uncommon former [[Ice Age (block)|Ice Age block]] Japanese language cards offered as a promotion in Japan. The Ice Age block was not released in Japan.
 
*<c>Taste of Paradise</c> inspired the creation of the [[Kicker]] and [[Replicate]] mechanics.
 
*<c>Thought Lash</c> inspired some tournament players to use a deck of more than 100 cards.
 
*<c>Undergrowth</c> inspired the creation of the [[Kicker]] mechanic.


*<c>Unlikely Alliance</c> was created to make use of the artwork that was originally intended for the card "Marriage of Convenience," which became <c>Exile</c>.
==Notes==
{{Reflist|group=note}}


*<c>Wandering Mage</c> is the first card to reference either [[Cleric|Clerics]] or [[Wizard|Wizards]].
==References==
{{reflist}}


*<c>Yavimaya Ants</c> is sometimes called "the [[green]] <c>Ball Lightning</c>" and was the first green creature with [[Haste]]. It was one of five uncommon former [[Ice Age (block)|Ice Age block]] Japanese language cards offered as a promotion in Japan. The Ice Age block was not released in Japan.
==External links==


==External Links==
*{{Oldprodpage|Alliances|Alliances|Alliances}} (old)
*[http://www.wizards.com/magic/expert/Alliances/Alliances.asp Official product page]
*[http://magic.wizards.com/en/game-info/products/card-set-archive/alliances Official Alliances Information Product Page] (new)


{{Set-stub}}[[Category:Sets and Expansions]]
{{Sets|state=collapsed}}
{{Dominaria|name=Ice Age|block}}

Latest revision as of 10:16, 17 May 2024

Alliances
 
Trivia
 
Alliances
[[File:{{#setmainimage:ALL logo.png}}|250px]]
Set Information
Set symbol
Symbol description Pennant
Design Skaff Elias (lead)
Jim Lin
Chris Page
Dave Petty
Development Charlie Catripino (lead)
Skaff Elias
William Jockusch
Joel Mick
Bill Rose
Paul Peterson
Mark Rosewater
Art direction Sue-Ann Harkey
Release date June 10, 1996[1]
Plane Dominaria (Terisiare)[2]
Themes and mechanics Alternate and additional cost, cantrips and Snow
Keywords/​ability words Cumulative upkeep
Set size 144 cards
(55 commons, 43 uncommons, 46 rares)
Expansion code ALL[3]
Development codename Quack
Ice Age block[note 1]
Ice Age Alliances Coldsnap
Magic: The Gathering Chronology
Homelands Alliances Rivals Quick Start Set
Alliances booster

Alliances is the eighth Magic expansion and was released in June 1996 as the second set and first small expansion in the Ice Age block.

Set details

Alliances is black-bordered and was the first set to be printed on sheets of 110 cards. The set's rarity breakdown is: 55 commons (40@C2, 10@C3, 5@U6), 43 uncommons (40@U2, 3@R6), 46 rares (46@R2).[4] Each common card and the 5 uncommons cards @U6 have 2 pieces of art,[5][6] making collectors view this as a 199 card set. Since the ratio of uncommons to rare is 3:1 in a booster pack, the 3 rares @R6 are considered as uncommon even if they could be found in the rare slot of an Alliances booster pack. A similar statement can be made about the 5 commons @U6. The expansion symbol of the set is a banner, or pennant, to reinforce the “alliance” concept.[7]

The Alliances lands have a unique violet-colored text box and Alliances is the last expansion set to have this feature. The Mirage and Visions sets share the same color scheme, and from Fifth Edition on, land text box color was standardized.

Marketing

Alliances was released eight months after the less-than-spectacular Homelands, which is the longest gap between expansion sets in the history of the game. Prior to the Coldsnap release it was the third and final set in the Ice Age block with Homelands being the second set.[8] It was sold in booster packs of twelve cards which included eight commons, three uncommons and one rare.[9] A booster box contained 45 booster packs. This was the last time that boosters contained twelve cards. All boosters feature the same artwork from Benthic Explorers.

This was the last expansion to feature regular multiple artworks on cards. The practice was discontinued to ease the identification of cards by their artwork, which was important to the global community as Magic was beginning to see print in languages other than English.

Alliances is also the last standard Magic expansion that was under-printed, as supply did not meet demand in many areas. Alliances was highly anticipated after the long wait from the release Homelands.

Storyline

After the planeswalker Freyalise cast her World Spell, thereby ending the Ice Age, a population long adapted to the cold had to re-adjust to warm weather. With the new climate came devastating floods and plagues, and the necromancer Lim-Dûl has built an army of undead bent on world domination. An alliance is formed between races to defeat Lim-Dûl and his army.

Mechanics and themes

Alliances didn't introduce any new keywords, but it did introduce the popular alternate cost mechanic, popularly referred to as "pitch cards", that allowed a player to discard cards of specific colors (and in the case of two cards, with an additional life payment) to cast a spell instead of paying its printed mana cost. In Magic: The Gathering history, this mechanic, or a derivative or variant thereof, appears on rare cycles in the Masques block, the Betrayers of Kamigawa expansion, and the Coldsnap expansion. There are also a number of cards that exile the top of the library as a cost.

Alliances builds on many of the themes of the Ice Age block. Cumulative upkeep and cantrips return, as does the allied color theme and a few new legendary creatures. The Snow mechanic appears on only a few cards.

Design & Development

Alliances was the second expansion by the quartet known as the "East Coast playtesters",[10] which also designed Ice Age. While it was sold as an Ice Age expansion, design diverged from it. For example, the Snow mechanic was considered a failure, and it was completely ignored. The vast majority of the mechanical tie-ins were added in Development, including a few Snow-matters cards because the mechanic rated highly on flavor.[11]

At some point, Continuity (the department responsible for the storyline) decided that Alliances would have a race of sentient gorillas. The design team thought this was a silly idea and protested by renaming all the cards in the set to have "Gorilla" in their names.[12][13][14]

Creature types

The following creature types are introduced in this expansion: Aesthir (later changed to Bird), Bird, Gorilla (later changed to Ape), Harlequin (later changed to Human), Heretic (later changed to Human Cleric), Mosquito (later changed to Insect), Pigeon (later changed to Bird), Spy (later changed to Human Rogue), Starfish, Swarm, Tactician (later changed to Human Advisor), War-Rider (later changed to Human Warrior).

The following creature types are used in this expansion but also appear in previous sets: Barbarian, Cleric, Druid, Elemental, Elf, Gargoyle, Goblin, Guardian, Homarid, Horror (later changed to Horror Spirit), Insect, Keeper (later changed to Avatar), Knight, Mercenary, Merfolk, Paladin (later changed to Human Knight), Phantasm (later changed to Illusion), Rat, Skeleton, Soldier, Spirit, Wall, Wizard and Zombie.

Cycles

Alliances has seven cycles:

Cycle name {W} {U} {B} {R} {G}
Double hosers Royal Decree Tidal Control Dystopia Omen of Fire Nature's Wrath
Rare spells that have a negative effect on both of its enemy colors. This cycle was the first to attempt to hose both enemy colors at once and inspired the creation of similar cycles in the Mercadian Masques and Coldsnap expansions.
Pitch cards Scars of the Veteran Force of Will Contagion Pyrokinesis Bounty of the Hunt
Uncommon instants that have an alternate casting cost that includes exiling a card of its color.
Replacement lands Kjeldoran Outpost Soldevi Excavations Lake of the Dead Balduvian Trading Post Heart of Yavimaya
Rare lands that are sacrificed when it enters the battlefield unless you sacrifice a basic land of a given type and have a mana ability that produces mana of that land's type and another activated ability.
Common allied-color ability spells Kjeldoran Pride Soldevi Heretic Phantasmal Fiend Agent of Stromgald Undergrowth
Each of these common spells gives you a benefit for playing one of its allies. Except for Kjeldoran Pride, they all benefit the previous color in the color wheel.
Uncommon allied-color ability spells Juniper Order Advocate Viscerid Drone Balduvian Dead Primitive Justice Nature's Chosen
Each of these uncommon spells gives you a benefit for playing one of its allies. Except for Juniper Order Advocate, they all benefit the next color in the color wheel.
Cycle name {W}{U} {U}{B} {B}{R} {R}{G} {G}{W}
Uncommon gold spells Energy Arc Lim-Dûl's Vault Lim-Dûl's Paladin Surge of Strength Nature's Blessing
Uncommon multicolored spells that require two mana of allied colors to cast.
Cycle name {G}{W}{U} {W}{U}{B} {U}{B}{R} {B}{R}{G} {R}{G}{W}
Tricolor spells Phelddagrif Wandering Mage Lord of Tresserhorn Misfortune Winter's Night
Rare multicolored spells that have a shard mana cost.

Pairs

Alliances has three mirrored pairs.

Mirrored Pairs

Mirrored Pairs Description
Suffocation ({U}) Burnout ({R}) Each of these uncommon instants uses an out-of-color-pie effect from the other's color and draws you a card at the beginning of the next turn's upkeep.
Library of Lat-Nam ({U}) Fatal Lore ({B}) Each of these rare sorceries has your opponent choose between letting you draw three cards or another effect.
Reinforcements ({W}) Misinformation ({B}) Each of these one-mana instants puts three cards from a graveyard to the top of a library.

Strictly Better or Worse

Trivia

Main article: Alliances/Trivia
  • Only Alliances and the Chronicles set were sold in packs of 12 cards.
  • Alliances was the only set to feature different tiers within its rare cards, until the introduction of mythic rare cards. A few rares appeared six times on each rare sheet while most appeared twice, making a few rares three times as common as others.

Notable cards

Notes

  1. ↑ Coldsnap replaced Homelands.

References

  1. ↑ OCTGN Fansite
  2. ↑ Wizards of the Coast. "Dominian FAQ (archived)". wizards.com.
  3. ↑ Wizards of the Coast (August 02, 2004). "Ask Wizards - August, 2004". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  4. ↑ Alliances Checklist
  5. ↑ Magic Arcana (July 23, 2002). "Two Adnates". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  6. ↑ Magic Arcana (March 28, 2007). "Double Boon". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  7. ↑ Brady Dommermuth (October 31, 2006). "Ask Wizards". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  8. ↑ Mark Rosewater (April 29, 2013). "Third Time's the Charm". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  9. ↑ Mark Rosewater (October 22, 2018). "How Trivial". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  10. ↑ Mark Rosewater (July 6, 2003). "Of Ice and Men". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  11. ↑ Mark Rosewater (December 07, 2009). "Playing With Blocks". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  12. ↑ Skaff Elias (May 28, 2002). "Ask Wizards". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  13. ↑ Monty Ashley (July 30, 2012). "Know Your Gorillas". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  14. ↑ Mark Rosewater (August 4, 2023). "How Trivial with Mark Rosewater (Video)". Magic: The Gathering. YouTube.

External links

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