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{{Expansion Nonblock |
|sub1 = Trivia
  Expansion Name    = '''''Arabian Nights''''' |
  Symbol  = arabian.jpg|
  Symbol Description = Scimitar |
  Design Team =[[Richard Garfield]]|
  Development Team = Richard Garfield<br>[[Joel Mick]]<br>[[Skaff Elias]]|
  Release Date      = December 1993 |
  Mechanics          = Non-mana producing lands,<br>meta-game effects,<br>coin-flip effects |
  Keywords          = None new |
  Size= 92 cards |
  Previous Set      = '''''[[Unlimited]]'''''|
  This Set          = '''''Arabian Nights''''' |
  Next Set          = '''''[[Antiquities]]''''' |
}}
}}
{{Infobox set
  |image = Arabian Nights logo.png
  |image_bgcolor = white
  |symbol_description = Scimitar
  |design = [[Richard Garfield]]
  |development = Richard Garfield<br/>[[Joel Mick]]<br/>[[Skaff Elias]]
  |art = [[Jesper Myrfors]]
  |release = December 17, 1993
  |plane = [[Rabiah]]<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> (originally Arabia, China, and other locations from "One Thousand and One Nights")
  |mechanics = [[Land]]s with abilities,<br/>meta-game effects,<br/>[[coin flip]] effects
  |size= 78 cards<br/>{{curmb|27|51}}
  |code_expansion = ARN
  |code_expansion_ref={{DailyRef|ask-wizards-august-2004-2004-08-02|Ask Wizards - August, 2004|[[Wizards of the Coast]]|August 02, 2004}}
  |series = Early non-[[block]] [[expansion]]s
  |first = Arabian Nights
  |second = Antiquities
  |third = Legends
  |previous = Unlimited Edition
  |next = Antiquities
}}
{{For|the comic|Arabian Nights (comic)}}
[[File:Arabian Nights booster.jpg|thumb|right|''Arabian Nights'' booster]]
'''''Arabian Nights''''' is the very first ''[[Magic]]'' [[expansion]] and was released in December 1993.<ref>{{DailyRef|making-magic/nights-round-table-2007-02-26|What If week: Nights of the Round Table|[[Mark Rosewater]]|December 06, 1993}}</ref> It is not part of any [[block]].


'''Arabian Nights''' is the first [[Magic]] expansion and was released in 1993. It was sold in [[Booster pack|booster packs]] of eight cards which included six commons and two uncommons.
==Set details==
''Arabian Nights'' was printed on [[print sheet|sheets]] of 121 cards. The set's [[rarity]] breakdown is: 27 commons (1@C1, 1@C11, 9@C5, 16@C4) and 51 uncommons (1@U4, 17@U3, 33@U2).<ref>{{DailyRef|arabian-rarities-2002-08-07|Arabian rarities|[[Magic Arcana]]|August 07, 2002}}</ref> Because of the relative number of uncommons to commons in a pack, C1 and U3 cards are of equal rarity, despite being printed on different sheets. Due to production difficulties,<ref name="Nightmare">[http://howell.seattle.wa.us/games/mtg/arabiannightmare.html David Howell: Arabian Nightmare]</ref> 15 common cards have light or dark variants (see Misprints section below).<ref name="1999 rulings summary">Stephen D'Angelo (February 2, 1999) "[[Card Rulings Summary (02/17/99)|Card Rulings Summary]]". Usenet.</ref> Most collectors consider these variants to be distinct cards, and therefore a full set to be 93 cards.  If the light and dark variants are treated as distinct, there are 42 commons (1@C11, 3@C5, 9@C4, 11@C3, 8@C2, 10@C1). The U2 are considered the "rares" of the set.<ref>{{DailyRef|versus-b-2002-08-08|(a) versus (b)|[[Magic Arcana]]|August 8, 2002}}</ref>  ''Arabian Nights'' was designed by [[Richard Garfield]] <ref>{{DailyRef|making-arabian-nights-2002-08-05|The Making of ''Arabian Nights''|[[Richard Garfield]]|August 05, 2002}}</ref> and co-developed by [[Joel Mick]] and [[Skaff Elias]].<ref>{{DailyRef|latest-developments/better-late-never-2002-08-09|Better Late Than Never|[[Skaff Elias]]|August 09, 2002}}</ref> ''Arabian Nights'' is the first set to use an [[expansion symbol]]: a scimitar, meant to evoke the Arabian setting of the expansion.<ref name="Nightmare"/><ref>{{DailyRef|ask-wizards-october-2006-2006-10-02|Ask Wizards|[[Brady Dommermuth]]|October 31, 2006}}</ref>


Cards were available from late December 1993 until late January 1994.  
The ''Arabian Nights'' lands have a sand-colored text box, which was reused in ''[[Fourth Edition]]'' and ''[[Chronicles]]''.


The print run was announced by Wizards to be 5 million cards.  
Multiple cards in this set use accent marks, or diacritics, in their names. These accents are not printed in the [[Name|card title]] because the card title font did not support them, but can be found in the [[text box]].
==Setting and storylines==
The storyline of Arabian Nights was unique in Magic (up to the release of [[Portal: Three Kingdoms]]) in being the only set to be based on a real-world setting instead of one of the planes in the Magic [[multiverse]]. Inspired by the comic <i>Sandman #50</i>, titled <i>Ramadan</i>, and based on <i>The Book of One Thousand and One Nights</i>, [[Richard Garfield]] created the set with not only a Arabian setting, but also added many characters, locations and events that came directly from the novel.


As a result of the real-world references and stark difference from the world of [[Dominaria]], '''Arabian Nights''' was retconned to take place in the plane of [[Rabiah]], which once had been ruled by [[Djinn|Djinni]]. After the Djinni had weakened themselves in the Spirit War known as [[The Jihad]], humans became the main race of Rabiah. Characters like Aladdin, Ali Baba and King Suleiman had lived long ago. After that the plane was reproduced a thousand times in the [[Thousand-fold Refraction of Rabiah]] to keep the 1001 Nights parallel going.
===Marketing===
[[File:Magic card back 2.jpg|thumb|right|The rejected card back for ''Arabian Nights'']]
Wizards announced the print run to be 5 million cards.<ref>{{WebRef|url=https://archive.org/details/the-duelist-a-special-preview-edition/|title="An Expansion Timeline"|author=[[John Tynes]]|date=April 1995|work=The Duelist: A Special Preview Edition|publisher=[[Wizards of the Coast]]|}}</ref><ref>{{WebRef|url=https://archive.org/details/TheDuelistPresentstheCompleteMagicCardList/|title="The Duelist Presents: the Complete Magic Card List"|author=[[Wizards of the Coast]]|date=December 1995|work=The Duelist #8|publisher=[[Wizards of the Coast]]|}}</ref><ref name="Encyclopedia">[[Beth Moursund]] (2002). ''[[The Complete Encyclopedia of Magic: The Gathering]]'', Thunder's Mouth Press. ISBN-10 1-56025-443-2.</ref> Cards were available from late December 1993 until late January 1994. They were sold in [[booster pack]]s of eight cards which included six [[common]]s and two [[uncommon]]s. Booster boxes contained 60 booster packs.<ref name="Product">{{DailyRef|arcana/arabian-nights-product-images-2002-08-06|''Arabian Nights'' product images|[[Magic Arcana]]|August 06, 2002}}</ref> ''Arabian Nights'' booster boxes are now extremely rare and cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. The summer after the release, while ''[[The Dark]]'' debuted, ''Arabian Nights'' booster packs were already selling for five dollars compared to the original price of only $1.50.


Several stories have been released that took place on Rabiah. Foremost there is the story of the [[planeswalker]] [[Taysir]], which was chronicled in a [[Arabian Nights (comic)| comic]] released by [[ARMADA]]. There were also two short stories; one dealt with the history of the [[City of Brass]], the [[Brass Men]] and the planeswalker [[Fatima]], while the other told about [[Serendib Efreets]], [[Bird Maidens]] and [[Flying Men]].
As the first ''[[Magic]]'' expansion, ''Arabian Nights'' was originally intended to be released as a stand-alone product. As a result, the set was nearly printed with a yellow-on-pink [[card back]], instead of the blue-on-brown used in all cards known today, to distinguish it from "The Gathering", which was originally the name of ''[[Alpha]]''.<ref>{{DailyRef|arcana/almost-different-back-2002-08-05|The almost different back|[[Magic Arcana]]|August 05, 2002}}</ref> In addition, [[basic land]]s were to be included.  Although four of them were later removed, a lone [[Mountain]] was accidentally left on the common sheet.<ref name="Nightmare"/><ref>{{DailyRef|25-random-things-about-magic-2009-02-16|25 Random Things About Magic|[[Mark Rosewater]]|February 16, 2009}}</ref>


==Notable Cards==
Note that the proposed new card back appeared on the [[booster box]], indicating that it was indeed a last-minute decision to print the set using standard ''Magic'' backs.<ref name="Nightmare"/><ref name="Product"/> In December 2003, an unopened “case” of 10 booster boxes of ''Arabian Nights'' was auctioned for $95,000.<ref>{{DailyRef|latest-developments/classic-developments-2003-12-19|Classic Developments|[[Randy Buehler]]|December 19, 2003}}</ref>


*<c>Ali from Cairo</c> was once considered powerful enough to be on the [[Restricted List]], but has since been removed because there are many ways to deal with it.
==Setting and storylines==
*<c>Bazaar of Baghdad</c> is amongst the most powerful lands ever to be printed and one of the defining cards of the Vintage format.
The storyline of ''Arabian Nights'' was unique in ''Magic'' (up to the release of ''[[Portal: Three Kingdoms]]'') in being the only set to be based on a real-world setting instead of one of the planes in the ''Magic'' [[multiverse]]. Inspired by the comic ''Sandman #50'', titled ''Ramadan'', and based on ''The Book of One Thousand and One Nights'', [[Richard Garfield]] created the set with not only an Arabian setting but also added many characters, locations, and events that came directly from the novel.<ref>{{DailyRef|feature/magic-naming-arabian-nights-2002-08-09|Magic: The Naming -''Arabian Nights''|[[Michael G. Ryan]]|August 09, 2002}}</ref><ref>{{DailyRef|feature/expanding-worlds-magic-2009-08-17|The Expanding Worlds of Magic|[[Richard Garfield]]|August 17, 2009}}</ref> All of the [[flavor text]] for ''Arabian Nights'' was created in one night, by Beverly Marshall Saling (the original head editor at [[WotC]]).<ref>{{DailyRef|making-magic/25-more-random-things-about-magic-2016-06-20|25 More Random Things About Magic|[[Mark Rosewater]]|June 20, 2016}}</ref>
*<c>City of Brass</c> is the first card to produce any color of mana, and is still good enough to see use today.
*<c>Erhnam Djinn</c> was once a powerful green creature and was central to the "Erhnamgeddon" decks that used <c>Armageddon</c> to negate the drawback of the "Ernie" and leave an opponent helpless to its attack.
*<c>Juzam Djinn</c> was once considered the most powerful creature in the game.
*<c>Kird Ape</c> is a favorite card of many and is found in the tournament deck "The Zoo" that uses cheap but powerful creatures to win the game.
*<c>Library of Alexandria</c> is arguably one of the most powerful card drawing cards in the game.
*<c>Serendib Efreet</c> is the best purely aggressive monoblue creature ever printed.
*<c>Unstable Mutation</c> is amongst the best creature [[aura|auras]] in the game.


==Cycles==
As a result of the real-world references and stark difference from the world of [[Dominaria (plane)|Dominaria]], ''Arabian Nights'' takes place in the plane of [[Rabiah]], which once had been ruled by the [[Djinn]]i. After the Djinni had weakened themselves in the Spirit War known as ''The Jihad'', [[human]]s became the main race of Rabiah. Characters like [[Aladdin]], [[Ali Baba]] and [[King Suleiman]] had lived long ago. After that, the plane was reproduced a thousand times in the [[Thousand-fold Refraction of Rabiah]] to keep the 1001 Nights parallel going.
'''Arabian Nights''' has no true five-color [[cycle|cycles]]. There are four [[Efreet]] and four [[Djinn]] cards, however, with one for each color except White. According to [[Richard Garfield]], efreet and djinni "did not seem to belong in White — while not always evil, they were <i>never</i> good." (White, however, is never a "good" color.)


==Creature Types==
Several stories have been released that took place on Rabiah. Foremost is the story of the [[planeswalker]] [[Taysir]], chronicled in the [[Arabian Nights (comic)|comics]] released by [[List of storyline sources#ARMADA Comics|ARMADA]].<ref>[http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=33389 Some scans from the Arabian Nights comic]</ref> There were also two short stories; one dealing with the history of the [[City of Brass]], the [[Brass Men]] and the planeswalker [[Fatima]],<ref>[http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showpost.php?p=349767&postcount=12 “The City of Brass”, a story about the creation of the City of Brass]</ref> while the other told the origins of the [[Serendib Efreet]]s, [[Bird Maiden]]s and [[Flying Men]].<ref>[http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showpost.php?p=349777&postcount=14 “The Eater of the Infinite”, a story about a Serendib Efreet]</ref>
Most of the creature types used in '''Arabian Nights''' were new, and many are unique. Early expansions had creature types only for flavor reasons, resulting in many unusual types.


The following creature types are introduced in this expansion: [[Aladdin]], [[Ali Baba]], [[Ali from Cairo]], [[Ape]], [[Asp]], [[Camel]], [[Cavalry]], [[Dandân]], [[Devil]], [[Efreet]], [[Egg]], [[El Hajjâj]], [[Elephant]], Flying Men (later changed to [[Human]]), [[Guardian]], [[Island Fish]], [[Jackal]], [[King]] ([[Unlimited Edition]]'s <c>Goblin King</c> was a Goblin King), [[Leper]], Bird Maiden (later changed to [[Maiden]]), [[Marid]], [[Nomad]], [[Raider]], Sindbad (later changed to [[Human]]), [[Singing Tree]], [[Smith]], [[Sorceress]], [[Tortoise]], and [[Witch]].
==Themes and Mechanics==
''Arabian Nights'' introduced and broadened several concepts that would have long-lasting effects on the design of ''Magic'':<ref>{{DailyRef|making-magic/it-happened-one-nights-2002-08-05|It Happened One Nights|[[Mark Rosewater]]|August 05, 2002}}</ref>
* [[Stealing]]: <c>Aladdin</c> and <c>Old Man of the Sea</c> are the first cards that allowed tapping to gain "unmarked [[control]]" of another [[permanent]]. This particular mechanic spawned numerous copies.
* [[Abilities]] [[activate]]d by an [[opponent]]: <c>Ifh-Bíff Efreet</c> is the first card to allow players other than its controller to use its [[activated ability]]. This [[mechanic]] was later expanded upon in the ''[[Mercadian Masques]]'' expansion.
* [[Lands]] that could do things other than [[tap]] for [[mana]]: some of these lands also produce colorless mana (see <c>Desert</c>, <c>Elephant Graveyard</c>, and <c>Library of Alexandria</c>), while others do not (see <c>Bazaar of Baghdad</c>, <c>Diamond Valley</c>, <c>Island of Wak-Wak</c>, and <c>Oasis</c>).
* [[Coin flip]]ping: <c>Bottle of Suleiman</c>, <c>Mijae Djinn</c> and <c>Ydwen Efreet</c> are the first cards to use the coin flipping mechanic.
* <c>Cyclone</c> is the first card printed to use [[cumulative upkeep]], although it did not use this [[keyword]]. The use of cumulative upkeep here is not too surprising, as the team that was working on the ''[[Ice Age]]'' expansion, which introduced the cumulative upkeep keyword, also participated in the development of this set. The card was first given errata to use [[age counter]]s like others with cumulative upkeep but later given errata to use [[wind counter]]s.
*<c>Jeweled Bird</c> is considered by some to be the first [[cantrip]], as its activated ability has multiple effects, one of which is "[[Draw]] a card."
*<c>El-Hajjâj</c> was the first creature with the [[lifelink]] ability. It inspired the creation of <c>Spirit Link</c>, which in turn inspired many other cards and became a keyword ability.
*Introduction of  [[-1/-1 counter]]s: <c>Unstable Mutation</c>
*<c>City in a Bottle</c> is the first "[[expansion]] [[hosing]]" card, meaning that it has an overall negative effect on cards first printed in the ''Arabian Nights'' expansion.<ref>{{DailyRef|arcana/city-bottle-2014-05-13|City in a Bottle!|[[Trick Jarrett]]|May 13, 2014}}</ref>


The following creature types are used in this expansion but also appear in previous sets: [[Djinn]], [[Ghoul]], [[Ogre]], [[Ship]] and [[Wolf]].
===Creature types===
Most of the [[creature type]]s used in ''Arabian Nights'' were new, and many are unique. Early expansions had creature types only for flavor reasons, resulting in many unusual types.


====Points of interest====
The following creature types are introduced in this expansion: Aladdin (later changed to Human [[Rogue]]), Ali Baba (later changed to Human Rogue), Ali from Cairo (later changed to [[Human]]), [[Ape]], Asp (later changed to [[Snake]]), Bird Maiden (later changed to Human [[Bird]]), [[Camel]], Cavalry (later changed to Human [[Knight]]), Dandân (later changed to [[Fish]]), [[Devil]], [[Efreet]], [[Egg]], El Hajjâj (later changed to Human [[Wizard]]), [[Elephant]], Flying Men (later changed to Human), Guardian (later changed to [[Beast]]), Island Fish (later changed to [[Fish]]), [[Jackal]], King (later changed to Human), [[Leper]] (later changed to Human), Marid (later changed to [[Djinn]]), [[Nomad]], Raider (later changed to [[Warrior]]), Sindbad (later changed to Human), Singing Tree (later changed to [[Plant]]), Smith (later changed to Human), Sorceress (later changed to Human [[Wizard]]), Tortoise (later changed to [[Turtle]]), and Witch (later changed to Human Wizard).
*'''Arabian Nights''' is the first set to use an [[expansion symbol]].


*Multiple cards in this set use accent marks, or diacritics, in their [[name|names]]. These accents are not printed in the [[card title]] but can be found in the [[text box]] because the respective fonts used to or do not support them.
The following creature types are used in this expansion but also appear in previous sets: [[Djinn]], Ghoul (later changed to [[Zombie]]), [[Ogre]], Ship (later changed to Human) and [[Wolf]].


*As the first [[Magic]] expansion, '''Arabian Nights''' was originally intended to be released as a stand-alone product. As a result, the set was nearly printed with a yellow-on-pink card back, instead of the blue-on-brown used in all cards known today, in order to distinguish it from "The Gathering", which was originally the name of [[Alpha]]. In addition, [[basic land|basic lands]] were to be included. In the first print run of the set, a leftover [[Mountain]] was included accidentally, and the commons were printed with a smaller, darker circle in the generic mana cost of the card. The corrected print run of the set did not inculde any basic lands and used the larger, lighter generic mana circle that is used for other sets. As a result of its inclusion in this set, <c>Mountain</c> is the most printed card in '''Magic'''.
===Counter types===
[[Wind counter]]s were introduced as a [[Counter (marker)|counter type]] in the set via [[errata]].


*'''Arabian Nights''' is the first set to introduce [[land|lands]] that had [[ability|abilities]] that don't produce [[mana]]. Some of these lands also produce colorless mana (see <c>Desert</c>, <c>Elephant Graveyard</c>, and <c>Library of Alexandria</c>), while others do not (see <c>Bazaar of Baghdad</c>, <c>Diamond Valley</c>, <c>Island of Wak-Wak</c>, and <c>Oasis</c>).
==Notable cards==
*<c>Ali from Cairo</c> was once considered powerful enough to be on the [[Restricted List]] but has since been removed because there are many ways to deal with it.
*<c>Bazaar of Baghdad</c> is among the most powerful lands ever to be printed and one of the defining cards of the [[Vintage]] format.
*<c>City of Brass</c> is the first land to produce any color of mana.  It was printed in ''[[Chronicles]]'' and every [[core set]] from ''[[5th Edition]]'' through ''[[Eighth Edition]]''.
*<c>Desert</c> is the first common [[nonbasic]] land.
*<c>Erhnam Djinn</c> was once a powerful green creature and was central to the "[[Erhnamgeddon]]" decks that used <c>Armageddon</c> to negate the drawback of the "Ernie" and leave an opponent helpless to its attack.
*<c>Juzám Djinn</c> was once considered the most powerful creature in the game.
*<c>Kird Ape</c> is still one of the most powerful "one-drop" creatures to date. Many ''[[Zoo]]'' decks still run it alongside <c>Tarmogoyf</c> and other under-costed large creatures.  Kird Ape was reprinted in ''[[Ninth Edition]]'', but was voted out of ''[[Tenth Edition]]'' in favor of <c>Mogg Fanatic</c>.
*<c>Library of Alexandria</c> is arguably one of the most powerful card-drawing cards in the game.
*<c>Serendib Efreet</c> is one of the best purely aggressive monoblue creatures ever printed. Used in the [[Legacy]] deck [[Faerie]] [[Stompy]].
*<c>Shahrazad</c> was the only non-Conspiracy card banned in [[Vintage]] that doesn't require ante ([[Amulet of Quoz]]) or manual card manipulation ([[Chaos Orb]]) prior to the [[companion]] mechanic and the printing of <c>Lurrus of the Dream-Den</c>. Shahrazad was banned in both Legacy and Vintage tournaments on September 20, 2008, due to time restrictions in tournaments.


*<c>Aladdin</c> and <c>Old Man of the Sea</c> are the first cards that allowed tapping to gain "unmarked [[control]]" of another [[permanent]].
==Cycles==
 
''Arabian Nights'' has no true five-color [[cycle]]s. There are four [[Efreet]] and four [[Djinn]] cards, however, with one for each color except White.<ref>{{DailyRef|suleiman-and-genies-2002-07-10|Suleiman and the genies|[[Magic Arcana]]|July 10, 2002}}</ref> According to [[Richard Garfield]], efreet and djinni "did not seem to belong in White — while not always evil, they were ''never'' good."
*<c>Bottle of Suleiman</c>, <c>Mijae Djinn</c> and <c>Ydwen Efreet</c> are the first cards to use the coin flipping mechanic. "Mijae" and "Ydwen" are [[anagram]]s of Jamie and Wendy, respectively. Richard Garfield was the best man at the wedding of Jamie and Wendy around the time of the creation of this set.
 
*<c>Aladdin's Lamp</c> had the most expensive [[casting cost]] of any card at the time of its printing. When it was printed, the icon of 10 in a gray circle (representing a cost of 10 generic mana, or [[image:Mana10.gif]]) did not exist, so the casting cost was instead represented as [[Image:Mana5.gif]][[Image:Mana5.gif]].
 
*<c>Ali from Cairo</c> was the first creature card added to the [[Restricted List]]. It was added in January of 1994 and removed in April of 1996.
 
*<c>Brass Man</c> inspired the creation of <c>Goblin Dirigible</c> and <c> Goblin War Wagon</c>.
 
*<c>City in a Bottle</c> is the only card in this set to reference the <i>Sandman</i> comic that inspired the set. It is the first "expansion hosing" card, meaning that it has an overall negative effect on cards with the Arabian Nights expansion symbol. Also, this card is the first to give the expansion symbol game relevance. There are two other "expansion hosing" cards: <c>Golgothian Sylex</c> and <c>Apocalypse Chime</c>.
 
*<c>City of Brass</c> is the most reprinted non-basic land.
 
*<c>Cuombajj Witches</c>: "Cuombajj" is translated from Arabic to mean "corrupt."
 
*<c>Cyclone</c> is the first card printed to use [[Cumulative Upkeep]], although it did not use this [[keyword]]. (<c>Stasis</c> is considered the first card with Cumulative Upkeep by some, altough its [[upkeep]] cost is only similar to, and not descriptive of, Cumulative Upkeep, and the card's [[Oracle]] text does not use the keyword). The use of Cumulative Upkeep here is not too surprising, as the team that was working on the [[Ice Age]] expansion, which introduced the Cumulative Upkeep keyword, also participated in development of this set.
 
*<c>Dancing Scimitar</c> has the greatest combined [[power]] and [[toughness]] among artifact creatures in '''Arabian Nights'''. It inspired the creation of <c>Ensouled Scimitar</c>.
 
*<c>Dandan</c> is mentioned in the [[flavor text]] of <c>Dauthi Trapper</c>.
 
*<c>Desert</c> is the first common non-basic land.
 
*<c>Desert Nomads</c> is the first card to have a non-basic [[landwalk]] ability.
 
*<c>Ebony Horse</c> is the first card to have the ability to remove a creature from [[combat]].
 
*<c>El-Hajjaj</c> was the first creature with its abilty, and also the only mono-black creature to have it. It inspired the creation of <c>Spirit Link</c>, which in turn inspired many other cards.
 
*<c>Erg Raiders</c>: "Erg" is translated from Arabic to mean "desert."
 
*<c>Erhnam Djinn</c> has the greatest combined [[power]] and [[toughness]] among [[green]] creatures in '''Arabian Nights'''. "Erhnam" is an anagram of "Herman," Richard Garfield's brother-in-law.
 
*<c>Flying Carpet</c> was functionally changed when it was reprinted in [[Sixth Edition]] so that it no longer requires the [[sacrifice]] of the creature it targets when it is [[destroyed]].
 
*<c>Ghazban Ogre</c> was the first card that changed control based on the state of the game. "Ghazban" is translated from Arabic to mean "treacherous."
 
*<c>Guardian Beast</c> is the only black [[Guardian]] and is the first card to grant [[indestructible|indestructibility]], although this [[mechanic]] was not yet created.
 
*<c>Hasran Ogress</c> is one of a few cards that refers to the gender of the creature in its name. Modern cards tend to have gender-neutral names. "Hasran" is translated from Arabic to mean "hideous."


*<c>Hurr Jackal</c>: "Hurr" is translated form Arabic to mean "gulch."
==Strictly better==
Cards from ''Arabian Nights'' as compared to cards from earlier sets.
* <c>Ali Baba</c>, <c>Hurr Jackal</c> and <c>Kird Ape</c> are strictly better than <c>Mons's Goblin Raiders</c>.
* <c>Desert Nomads</c> is strictly better than <c>Gray Ogre</c>.
* <c>Flying Men</c> is strictly better than <c>Merfolk of the Pearl Trident</c>.


*<c>Ifh-Biff Efreet</c> is the first card to allow players other than its controller to use its [[activated ability]]. This [[mechanic]] was later expanded upon in the [[Mercadian Masques]] expansion. The art from this card was mistakenly used for <c>Serendib Efreet</c> when it was reprinted in [[Revised Edition]]. "Ifh-Biff" is a childhood nickname for Richard Garfield's sister, Elizabeth, and was originally questioned by editor [[Beverly Marshall Sailing]] for not having an Arabian feel.
==Misprints==
[[File:Stone Throwing Devils light vs dark.jpg|right|thumb|120px|dark (upper) vs light (lower)]]
<c>Erg Raiders</c>, <c>Oubliette</c>, <c>Fishliver Oil</c>, <c>Giant Tortoise</c>, <c>Nafs Asp</c>, <c>Wyluli Wolf</c>, <c>Bird Maiden</c>, <c>Rukh Egg</c>, <c>Army of Allah</c>, <c>Moorish Cavalry</c>, <c>Piety</c>, <c>Hasran Ogress</c>, <c>Stone-Throwing Devils</c>, <c>War Elephant</c>, and {{Card|Camel|3=ARN}} each has two versions, commonly referred to as light and dark.  


*<c>Island Fish Jasconius</c> has the greatest combined [[power]] and [[toughness]] among all creatures in '''Arabian Nights'''.
Light versions have lighter colorless and colored mana symbols and larger text in the colorless mana symbols. They look similar to mana symbols in other sets. Dark versions have darker colorless and colored mana symbols, and smaller text in the colorless mana symbols.


*<c>Jeweled Bird</c> is considered by some to be the first [[cantrip]], as its activated ability has multiple effects, one of which is "[[Draw]] a [[card]]."
<c>Stone-Throwing Devils</c> has no generic mana symbols on the card, but light and dark versions can be differentiated by the [[black]] mana symbols in the [[casting cost]], which appear either light grey (light version) or pinkish-grey (dark version).  The black mana symbols on light/dark versions of other black ''Arabian Nights'' cards also differ in this manner.


*<c>Junun Efreet</c>: "Junun" is translated from Arabic to mean "nasty."
{{Card|Camel|3=ARN}} has no generic mana symbols on the card, but light and dark versions can be differentiated by the area inside the circle surrounding the white mana symbol, which either has black print dots (light version) or does not (dark version).  The white mana symbols on light/dark versions of other white ''Arabian Nights'' cards also differ in this manner.


*<c>Juzam Djinn</c> has the greatest combined [[power]] and [[toughness]] among [[black]] creatures in '''Arabian Nights'''. It was initially reguarded as a bad card, as players did not immediately understand why one would want to play a card that damages its controller. "Juzam" is translated from Arabic to mean "evil." It has since inspired the creation of multiple cost-effective cards, including <c>Balduvian Hordes</c>, <c>Yukora the Prisoner</c> and <c>Plague Sliver</c>.
All uncommons in the set have dark versions of mana symbols.


*<c>Khabal Ghoul</c>: "Khabal" is translated from Arabic to mean "night."
==Trivia==
{{Main|Arabian Nights/Trivia}}


*<c>Kird Ape</c> was banned in the [[Extended]] format when it was first created. "Kird" is translated from Arabic to mean "jungle."
==References==
 
{{reflist}}
*<c>Library of Alexandria</c> was supposedly made less powerful in development. It inspired the creation of <c>Scroll of Origins</c>.
 
*<c>Magnetic Mountain</c> has the five common vowel letters (A, E, I, O, and U), in order, in its name.
 
*<c>Mijae Djinn</c> shares the greatest combined [[power]] and [[toughness]] among [[red]] creatures in '''Arabian Nights''' with <c>Ydwen Efreet</c>. "Mijae" is an anagram of "Jamie," a friend of Richard Garfield's for whom he was the best man at his wedding to Wendy.
 
*<c>Moorish Cavalry</c> has the greatest combined [[power]] and [[toughness]] among [[white]] creatures in '''Arabian Nights'''.
 
*<c>Nafs Asp</c>: "Nafs" is translated from Arabic to mean "hidden."
 
*<c>Oubliette</c> is the first card with [[Phasing]], although it originally used the [[removed from the game]] [[zone]]. After the creation of the Phasing mechanic in the [[Mirage]] expansion, it was realized that Oubliette is actually using Phasing, since the affected [[creature]] retains all counters, [[Aura]]s, and later [[Equipment]] on it. An oubliette is a dungeon with an entrance only from above. Richard Garfield designed this card in part because of the movie <i>Labyrinth</i>, which used the term and stuck with him when he later found the term in "1001 Nights."
 
*<c>Old Man of the Sea</c>'s creature type is [[Marid]], which is an Arabic word meaning "rebel" and is related to the fact that in some versions of the "1001 Nights," this character is a djinn. It has inspired the creation of many creatures with a similar tap to gain control ability, including <c>Coffin Queen</c>.
 
*<c>Repentant Blacksmith</c> is the first creature printed with [[protection]] from red, which was considered a powerful enough ability that the card was made uncommon.
 
*<c>Ring of Ma'ruf</c> is the first card to allow interaction with the removed from the game zone. Its ability to retrieve a card from outside the game was unique until it inspired the creation of the cycle of Wishes in the [[Judgment]] expansion.
 
*<c>Rukh Egg</c> was reprinted in [[8th Edition]], nearly ten years after its original printing, but was almost not included in the set because of its complexity for beginners. It received errata early on to put a Rukh token into play only when it goes to the graveyard from play, not from anywhere as printed. The egg in the '''Arabian Nights''' art appears in the artwork of <c>Dwarven Shrine</c>. A "rukh" is also called a "roc."
 
*<c>Sandals of Abdallah</c> inspired the creation of <c>Lightning Greaves</c>, as footwear was discovered to be a class of armor and weapons that had not been explored much in '''Magic''' when equipment was first being created.
 
*<c>Serendib Djinn</c> and <c>Serendib Efreet</c>: Serendib is another name for the island Ceylon (now known as Sri Lanka), which has significance in both the <i>Bible</i> and "The Sixth Voyage of Sindbad." The English word "serendipity" was derived from the name Serendib.
 
*<c>Stone-Throwing Devils</c> upset some people, as "stone-throwing devils" is sometimes used as a derogatory term for Palestinian protesters in Israel.
 
*<c>Unstable Mutation</c> is the first card to use -1/-1 [[counter|counters]].
 
*<c>Wyluli Wolf</c>: "Wyluli" is an anagram of "Lily Wu," the maiden name of Richard Garfield's wife.
 
*<c>Ydwen Efreet</c> shares the greatest combined [[power]] and [[toughness]] among [[red]] creatures in '''Arabian Nights''' with <c>Mijae Djinn</c>. "Ydwen" is an anagram of "Wendy," the wife of Richard Garfield's friend Jamie for whom he was best man at his wedding.


==External links==
==External links==
*[http://magic.wizards.com/en/game-info/products/card-set-archive/arabian-nights ''Arabian Nights'' product information page]


*[http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=magic/expansion/arabiannights Arabian Nights Product Page]
{{Sets|classic}}
*[http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=mtgcom/feature/78 Richard Garfield's article on the making of '''Arabian Nights''']
[[Category:Magic sets]]
*[http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=mtgcom/daily/rb32 Skaff Elias' article on development of '''Arabian Nights''']
*[http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=mtgcom/daily/mr32 Mark Rosewater's article on '''Arabian Nights''']
*[http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=mtgcom/feature/80 Mike Ryan's article on card names in '''Arabian Nights''']
*[http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=mtgcom/arcana/256 Proposed card back for '''Arabian Nights''' stand-alone expansion]
*[http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showpost.php?p=349777&postcount=14 Some scans from the Arabian Nights comic]
*[http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showpost.php?p=349767&postcount=12 “The City of Brass”, a story about the creation of the City of Brass]
*[http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showpost.php?p=349777&postcount=14 “The Eater of the Infinite”, a story about a Serendib Efreet]
 
{{sets}}
[[Category:Expansions and sets]]

Latest revision as of 20:27, 8 February 2024

Arabian Nights
 
Trivia
 
Arabian Nights
[[File:{{#setmainimage:Arabian Nights logo.png}}|250px]]
Set Information
Set symbol
Symbol description Scimitar
Design Richard Garfield
Development Richard Garfield
Joel Mick
Skaff Elias
Art direction Jesper Myrfors
Release date December 17, 1993
Plane Rabiah[1] (originally Arabia, China, and other locations from "One Thousand and One Nights")
Themes and mechanics Lands with abilities,
meta-game effects,
coin flip effects
Set size 78 cards
(27 commons, 51 uncommons)
Expansion code ARN[2]
Early non-block expansions
Arabian Nights Antiquities Legends
Magic: The Gathering Chronology
Unlimited Edition Arabian Nights Antiquities
For the comic, see Arabian Nights (comic).
Arabian Nights booster

Arabian Nights is the very first Magic expansion and was released in December 1993.[3] It is not part of any block.

Set details

Arabian Nights was printed on sheets of 121 cards. The set's rarity breakdown is: 27 commons (1@C1, 1@C11, 9@C5, 16@C4) and 51 uncommons (1@U4, 17@U3, 33@U2).[4] Because of the relative number of uncommons to commons in a pack, C1 and U3 cards are of equal rarity, despite being printed on different sheets. Due to production difficulties,[5] 15 common cards have light or dark variants (see Misprints section below).[6] Most collectors consider these variants to be distinct cards, and therefore a full set to be 93 cards. If the light and dark variants are treated as distinct, there are 42 commons (1@C11, 3@C5, 9@C4, 11@C3, 8@C2, 10@C1). The U2 are considered the "rares" of the set.[7] Arabian Nights was designed by Richard Garfield [8] and co-developed by Joel Mick and Skaff Elias.[9] Arabian Nights is the first set to use an expansion symbol: a scimitar, meant to evoke the Arabian setting of the expansion.[5][10]

The Arabian Nights lands have a sand-colored text box, which was reused in Fourth Edition and Chronicles.

Multiple cards in this set use accent marks, or diacritics, in their names. These accents are not printed in the card title because the card title font did not support them, but can be found in the text box.

Marketing

The rejected card back for Arabian Nights

Wizards announced the print run to be 5 million cards.[11][12][13] Cards were available from late December 1993 until late January 1994. They were sold in booster packs of eight cards which included six commons and two uncommons. Booster boxes contained 60 booster packs.[14] Arabian Nights booster boxes are now extremely rare and cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. The summer after the release, while The Dark debuted, Arabian Nights booster packs were already selling for five dollars compared to the original price of only $1.50.

As the first Magic expansion, Arabian Nights was originally intended to be released as a stand-alone product. As a result, the set was nearly printed with a yellow-on-pink card back, instead of the blue-on-brown used in all cards known today, to distinguish it from "The Gathering", which was originally the name of Alpha.[15] In addition, basic lands were to be included. Although four of them were later removed, a lone Mountain was accidentally left on the common sheet.[5][16]

Note that the proposed new card back appeared on the booster box, indicating that it was indeed a last-minute decision to print the set using standard Magic backs.[5][14] In December 2003, an unopened “case” of 10 booster boxes of Arabian Nights was auctioned for $95,000.[17]

Setting and storylines

The storyline of Arabian Nights was unique in Magic (up to the release of Portal: Three Kingdoms) in being the only set to be based on a real-world setting instead of one of the planes in the Magic multiverse. Inspired by the comic Sandman #50, titled Ramadan, and based on The Book of One Thousand and One Nights, Richard Garfield created the set with not only an Arabian setting but also added many characters, locations, and events that came directly from the novel.[18][19] All of the flavor text for Arabian Nights was created in one night, by Beverly Marshall Saling (the original head editor at WotC).[20]

As a result of the real-world references and stark difference from the world of Dominaria, Arabian Nights takes place in the plane of Rabiah, which once had been ruled by the Djinni. After the Djinni had weakened themselves in the Spirit War known as The Jihad, humans became the main race of Rabiah. Characters like Aladdin, Ali Baba and King Suleiman had lived long ago. After that, the plane was reproduced a thousand times in the Thousand-fold Refraction of Rabiah to keep the 1001 Nights parallel going.

Several stories have been released that took place on Rabiah. Foremost is the story of the planeswalker Taysir, chronicled in the comics released by ARMADA.[21] There were also two short stories; one dealing with the history of the City of Brass, the Brass Men and the planeswalker Fatima,[22] while the other told the origins of the Serendib Efreets, Bird Maidens and Flying Men.[23]

Themes and Mechanics

Arabian Nights introduced and broadened several concepts that would have long-lasting effects on the design of Magic:[24]

Creature types

Most of the creature types used in Arabian Nights were new, and many are unique. Early expansions had creature types only for flavor reasons, resulting in many unusual types.

The following creature types are introduced in this expansion: Aladdin (later changed to Human Rogue), Ali Baba (later changed to Human Rogue), Ali from Cairo (later changed to Human), Ape, Asp (later changed to Snake), Bird Maiden (later changed to Human Bird), Camel, Cavalry (later changed to Human Knight), Dandân (later changed to Fish), Devil, Efreet, Egg, El Hajjâj (later changed to Human Wizard), Elephant, Flying Men (later changed to Human), Guardian (later changed to Beast), Island Fish (later changed to Fish), Jackal, King (later changed to Human), Leper (later changed to Human), Marid (later changed to Djinn), Nomad, Raider (later changed to Warrior), Sindbad (later changed to Human), Singing Tree (later changed to Plant), Smith (later changed to Human), Sorceress (later changed to Human Wizard), Tortoise (later changed to Turtle), and Witch (later changed to Human Wizard).

The following creature types are used in this expansion but also appear in previous sets: Djinn, Ghoul (later changed to Zombie), Ogre, Ship (later changed to Human) and Wolf.

Counter types

Wind counters were introduced as a counter type in the set via errata.

Notable cards

Cycles

Arabian Nights has no true five-color cycles. There are four Efreet and four Djinn cards, however, with one for each color except White.[26] According to Richard Garfield, efreet and djinni "did not seem to belong in White — while not always evil, they were never good."

Strictly better

Cards from Arabian Nights as compared to cards from earlier sets.

Misprints

dark (upper) vs light (lower)

Erg Raiders, Oubliette, Fishliver Oil, Giant Tortoise, Nafs Asp, Wyluli Wolf, Bird Maiden, Rukh Egg, Army of Allah, Moorish Cavalry, Piety, Hasran Ogress, Stone-Throwing Devils, War Elephant, and Camel (Arabian Nights) each has two versions, commonly referred to as light and dark.

Light versions have lighter colorless and colored mana symbols and larger text in the colorless mana symbols. They look similar to mana symbols in other sets. Dark versions have darker colorless and colored mana symbols, and smaller text in the colorless mana symbols.

Stone-Throwing Devils has no generic mana symbols on the card, but light and dark versions can be differentiated by the black mana symbols in the casting cost, which appear either light grey (light version) or pinkish-grey (dark version). The black mana symbols on light/dark versions of other black Arabian Nights cards also differ in this manner.

Camel (Arabian Nights) has no generic mana symbols on the card, but light and dark versions can be differentiated by the area inside the circle surrounding the white mana symbol, which either has black print dots (light version) or does not (dark version). The white mana symbols on light/dark versions of other white Arabian Nights cards also differ in this manner.

All uncommons in the set have dark versions of mana symbols.

Trivia

Main article: Arabian Nights/Trivia

References

  1. ↑ Wizards of the Coast. "Dominian FAQ (archived)". wizards.com.
  2. ↑ Wizards of the Coast (August 02, 2004). "Ask Wizards - August, 2004". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  3. ↑ Mark Rosewater (December 06, 1993). "What If week: Nights of the Round Table". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  4. ↑ Magic Arcana (August 07, 2002). "Arabian rarities". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  5. ↑ a b c d David Howell: Arabian Nightmare
  6. ↑ Stephen D'Angelo (February 2, 1999) "Card Rulings Summary". Usenet.
  7. ↑ Magic Arcana (August 8, 2002). "(a) versus (b)". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  8. ↑ Richard Garfield (August 05, 2002). "The Making of Arabian Nights". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  9. ↑ Skaff Elias (August 09, 2002). "Better Late Than Never". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  10. ↑ Brady Dommermuth (October 31, 2006). "Ask Wizards". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  11. ↑ John Tynes (April 1995). ""An Expansion Timeline"". The Duelist: A Special Preview Edition. Wizards of the Coast.
  12. ↑ Wizards of the Coast (December 1995). ""The Duelist Presents: the Complete Magic Card List"". The Duelist #8. Wizards of the Coast.
  13. ↑ Beth Moursund (2002). The Complete Encyclopedia of Magic: The Gathering, Thunder's Mouth Press. ISBN-10 1-56025-443-2.
  14. ↑ a b Magic Arcana (August 06, 2002). "Arabian Nights product images". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  15. ↑ Magic Arcana (August 05, 2002). "The almost different back". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  16. ↑ Mark Rosewater (February 16, 2009). "25 Random Things About Magic". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  17. ↑ Randy Buehler (December 19, 2003). "Classic Developments". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  18. ↑ Michael G. Ryan (August 09, 2002). "Magic: The Naming -Arabian Nights". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  19. ↑ Richard Garfield (August 17, 2009). "The Expanding Worlds of Magic". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  20. ↑ Mark Rosewater (June 20, 2016). "25 More Random Things About Magic". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  21. ↑ Some scans from the Arabian Nights comic
  22. ↑ “The City of Brass”, a story about the creation of the City of Brass
  23. ↑ “The Eater of the Infinite”, a story about a Serendib Efreet
  24. ↑ Mark Rosewater (August 05, 2002). "It Happened One Nights". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  25. ↑ Trick Jarrett (May 13, 2014). "City in a Bottle!". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  26. ↑ Magic Arcana (July 10, 2002). "Suleiman and the genies". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.

External links

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Special sets
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