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{{Expansion |
{{Infobox set
   Expansion Name    = '''''Limited Edition Beta''''' |
   |name = Limited Edition/Beta
   Symbol  = Beta.gif|
   |image = MTG.jpg
   Symbol Description =|
   |symbol_description = The letter “B” against a black box
   Design Team = [[Richard Garfield]],<br>with contributions from<br>[[Charlie Cateeno]],<br>[[Skaff Elias]],<br>[[Don Felice]],<br>[[Tom Fontaine]],<br>[[Jim Lin]],<br>[[Joel Mick]],<br>[[Chris Page]],<br>[[Dave Pettey]],<br>[[Barry "Bit" Reich]],<br>[[Bill Rose]]<br>and [[Elliott Segal]]|
   |design = <small>(See ''[[Alpha]]'')</small>
   Development Team = Same as Design Team|
  |development = <small>(See ''[[Alpha]]'')</small>
   Release Date      = Between July & December 1993 |
  |art = <small>(See ''[[Alpha]]'')</small>
  Mechanics          = The entire game |
  |release = October 4, 1993
  Keywords          = [[Banding]], [[First Strike]], [[Flying]], [[Landwalk]], [[Protection]], [[Regeneration]], [[Trample]]|
  |plane = [[Multiverse|Multiversal]]
   Size= 302 (75 Common 95 Uncommon 117 Rare 15 Land)|
  |mechanics = <small>(See ''[[Alpha]]'')</small>
   Expansion Code = LEB |
  |keywords = <small>(See ''[[Alpha]]'')</small>
  Block Name = [[Advanced level]]|
  |size = 302 cards<br/>{{curmb|75|95|117||15}}
   First Set = [[Alpha]]|
   |code_expansion = LEB
   Second Set = '''Limited Edition Beta'''|
   |code_expansion_ref={{DailyRef|ask-wizards-august-2004-2004-08-02|Ask Wizards - August, 2004|[[Wizards of the Coast]]|August 02, 2004}}
   Third Set = [[Unlimited]]|
   |code_development =  
   Previous Set      = '''''[[Alpha]]'''''|
   |series = [[Core set]]s
  This Set          = '''''Limited Edition Beta''''' |
   |first = Alpha{{!}}Limited Edition Alpha
   Next Set          = '''''[[Unlimited]]''''' |
   |second = Beta{{!}}Limited Edition Beta
   |third = Unlimited Edition
   |previous = Alpha{{!}}Limited Edition Alpha
   |next = Unlimited Edition
}}
}}
'''''Limited Edition Beta''''', commonly known as '''''Beta''''', is the second print run of ''[[Limited Edition]]'', which was the first [[core set]] of ''[[Magic: The Gathering]]''. It contains 302 [[border|black-bordered]] cards. It was released shortly after ''[[Alpha]]'', the first printing of the ''Limited Edition'', sold out.


'''Limited Edition Beta''', or more commonly '''Beta''', is the second printing of the first edition of Magic, includes 302 black-bordered cards, and was released shortly after ''[[Alpha]]'', the first printing of the first edition, sold out.
''Beta'' is actually a nickname, but widely accepted as the name for this print run.<ref>{{DailyRef|ask-wizards-june-2008-2008-06-02|Ask Wizards, June 2008|[[Wizards of the Coast]]|June 2, 2008}}</ref>


==Set details==
==Set details==
[[File:LEA and LEB Islands.jpg|right|thumb|Comparison between ''Alpha'' and ''Beta'' card corners.]]
''Beta'' included a few changes from ''Alpha'':
''Beta'' included a few changes from ''Alpha'':
*Its cards use a less rounded corner than ''Alpha'' cards, which has been used on all cards, a new 4MM corner diecut was purchased due to the increase in demand of millions of cards and also made distinction from a standard 1/2" corner found on playing cards. This allowed future sets to have larger artwork and smaller borders.
*Its cards use a less rounded corner than ''Alpha'' cards. A new 4mm corner diecut was purchased by [[Carta Mundi]] to facilitate the increase in demand for millions of cards. Due to this, there is a difference from the standard 1/2" corner found on playing cards. This change also allowed future cards to be printed with larger artwork and smaller borders.
*<c>Circle of Protection: Black</c> and <c>Volcanic Island</c>, which were accidentally left out of ''Alpha'', were added,
*<c>Circle of Protection: Black</c> and <c>Volcanic Island</c>, which were accidentally left out of ''Alpha'', were added.<ref>{{DailyRef|arcana/alpha-oops-iii-2002-04-10|Alpha "Oops…" III|[[Magic Arcana]]|April 10, 2002}}</ref><ref>{{DailyRef|arcana/alpha-oops-v-2002-07-12|Alpha "Oops…" V|[[Magic Arcana]]|July 12, 2002}}</ref><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>
*the misprinted <c>Cyclopean Tomb</c>, <c>Elvish Archers</c>, <c>Orcish Artillery</c>, <c>Orcish Oriflamme</c> and <c>Demonic Hordes</c> were fixed,
*The misprinted <c>Cyclopean Tomb</c>, <c>Force of Nature</c>, <c>Birds of Paradise</c>, <c>Demonic Hordes</c>, <c>Elvish Archers</c>, <c>Orcish Artillery</c>, <c>Orcish Oriflamme</c>, <c>Phantasmal Forces</c>, <c>Red Elemental Blast</c>, <c>Rock Hydra</c>, <c>Sedge Troll</c>, <c>Unsummon</c>, and <c>Tropical Island</c> were fixed.
*and a third version of each [[basic]] [[land]] with new artwork was added to bring the set's card count above 300, as the Limited Edition had been advertised (mistakenly for ''Alpha'') as having "more than 300 cards."
*A third version of each [[basic]] [[land]] with new artwork was added.<ref>{{DailyRef|arcana/land-latecomers-2002-11-08|Land latecomers|[[Magic Arcana]]|November 08, 2002}}</ref>


Among ''Alpha'', ''Beta'', and ''[[Unlimited]]'', cards from ''Beta'' are considered to be the most valuable because of the black border and the use of the 4MM rounded corner (''Alpha'' cards were originally shunned as [[marked card|marked cards]] in early tournament decks, which had to appear unmarked without sleeves under early tournament rules).
Between ''Alpha'', ''Beta'', and ''[[Unlimited]]'', cards from ''Beta'' were initially the most desirable due to the combination of black borders and the use of the 4mm rounded corner. Due to the different corner radius, ''Alpha'' cards were considered [[Marked card|marked]] unless a deck comprised only ''Alpha'' cards, but the advent of [[Set|expansion sets]] with the smaller corners made the use of all-Alpha decks suboptimal.


Due to the printing process, it is possible to get land cards in a rare (Islands, 4 are on the rare print sheet), uncommon, or common card slot. The chance is approximately 3.31% for rares, 21.5% for uncommons and 38.02% for commons. This is because they put lands on all three printed sheets.
''Beta'' cards were printed using three different [[Print sheet|print sheets]] - one for [[Rare|rares]], one for [[Uncommon|uncommons]], and one for [[Common|commons]].  As part of Richard Garfield's plan to keep players from guessing rarities, [[Basic land|basic lands]] were included on all three sheets. The chance is approximately 3.31% for rares, 21.5% for uncommons, and 38.02% for commons. The only lands on the rare sheets were four copies of {{Card|Island}}.


The starter deck rulebook had Bog Wraith on the cover and "Worzel's Story" was dropped to include a summary of play.
===Marketing===
''Beta'' was released on October 4, 1993. ''Limited Edition'' was advertised as having “more than 300 cards,” so a third version of each basic land was added in the ''Beta'' release in order to validate this claim. The print run was announced by Wizards to be 7.83 million cards.<ref>{{WebRef|url=https://www.facebook.com/peter.adkison/posts/pfbid02E7Vha1ZLWhtzAy2MiLioSi9kH1u2LfZ4KdYMLuWjymdsweGtLkyMrbPBPd7rPfZzl|title=Magic: The Gathering print runs from 1993|author=[[Peter Adkison]]|date=March 5, 2021|publisher=[[Wikipedia:Facebook|Facebook]]}}</ref> Cards were available from mid-October 1993 until mid-December 1993.<ref name="1999 rulings summary">Stephen D'Angelo (February 2, 1999) "[[Card Rulings Summary (02/17/99)|Card Rulings Summary]]". Usenet.</ref> The cards were evenly divided over 60-card [[starter deck]]s and 15-card [[boosters]]. UPC codes were now printed on the bottom of each starter deck (''Alpha'' had none).


UPC codes were included on the bottom of each starter deck, Alpha starter decks do not have it.  
The 40-page ''Beta'' rulebook had <c>Bog Wraith</c> on the cover and “[[Roreca|Worzel's Story]]” was dropped to include a summary of play, an FAQ and an Index.<ref name="The Original Magic Rulebook">{{DailyRef|feature/original-magic-rulebook-2004-12-25|The Original ''Magic'' Rulebook|[[John Carter]]|December 25, 2004}}</ref>


The print run was announced by Wizards to be 7.3 million cards.
==== Collectors' Editions ====
[[File:LEB International Edition Air Elemental.jpg|thumb|right|An ''International Edition'' card is distinguished by its square corners and its gold card border as seen on the backside of a card.]]
{{main|Collectors' Edition|30th Anniversary Edition}}


==Cycles==
The ''Collectors' Edition'' was a special commemorative edition of ''Beta'' cards released on December 10, 1993.<ref>{{DailyRef|arcana/collectors-edition-2003-06-20|Collectors' Edition|[[Wizards of the Coast]]|June 20, 2003}}</ref> [[Wizards of the Coast]] produced about 13,500 copies of this set.<ref name="AdkisonNewsgroup">[[Peter Adkison]] (Dec 30, 1993) [https://groups.google.com/g/rec.games.board/c/t09zQbgHrDQ/m/TZJc6u_gUosJ?hl=en&pli=1 "MTG: International VS Collectors"]. Newsgroup: rec.games.board. Retrieved July 23, 2022.</ref><ref name="4thPPG">T. Brian Wagner & Victor K. Wertz (1995). "Magic: a collecting history". In Michael G. Ryan (Ed.), ''[[Fourth Edition/Pocket Players' Guide|The Pocket Players' Guide for Magic: The Gathering - Fourth Edition]]'' (pp. F-1 to F-4). [[Wizards of the Coast]]."...we released 13,500 ''Collectors' Edition'' sets of ''Magic: The Gathering''. These limited edition sets contained 363 cards, including one of each of the 302 different cards, with multiple land cards making up the difference. Ten thousand sets were sold in the U.S. and Canada, while 3,500 ''International Collectors' Edition'' sets were produced for sale overseas."</ref>{{efn|If 10,000 copies were ''sold'' in the US and Canada, 8500-9000 of which comprised the full print run of the ''Collectors' Edition'' and the remainder from the ''International Collectors' Edition'', leaving 3500-4000 of the ''ICE'' sets (5000 total) to actually be sold overseas, it is roughly consistent with both sources.}} These cards have square corners and a gold border on the back, and thus are not legal in [[DCI]]-sanctioned tournaments. <references group="lower-alpha"/>
''Beta'' has nine [[cycle]]s and 3 [[vertical cycle]]s.
*'''Basic lands''': The five [[basic]] [[land]]s were introduced in Limited Edition {{-}} <c>Plains</c>, <c>Island</c>, <c>Swamp</c>, <c>Mountain</c>, and <c>Forest</c>.
*'''[[Boons]]''': Each of these [[common]] [[instant]]s has a [[mana cost]] of C and an effect involving the number 3 {{-}} <c>Healing Salve</c>, <c>Ancestral Recall</c>, <c>Dark Ritual</c>, <c>Lightning Bolt</c>, and <c>Giant Growth</c>.
*'''Circles of protection''': Each of these common [[white]] [[enchantment]]s has a mana cost of {{1}}{{W}} and the ability to prevent the all [[damage]] from a [[source]] of a given color for {{1}} {{-}} <c>Circle of Protection: White</c>, <c>Circle of Protection: Blue</c>, <c>Circle of Protection: Black</c>, <c>Circle of Protection: Red</c>, and <c>Circle of Protection: Green</c>.
*'''[[Dual lands]]''': Each of these ten [[rare]] lands has two basic land types and can produce mana of two colors: <c>Tundra</c>, <c>Scrubland</c>, <c>Plateau</c>, <c>Savannah</c>, <c>Underground Sea</c>, <c>Volcanic Island</c>, <c>Tropical Island</c>, <c>Badlands</c>, <c>Bayou</c>, and <c>Taiga</c>.
*'''Laces''': Each of these rare instants permanently changes the color of a permanent {{-}} <c>Purelace</c>, <c>Thoughtlace</c>, <c>Deathlace</c>, <c>Chaoslace</c>, and <c>Lifelace</c>.
*'''[["Lucky charms"|Lucky charms]]''': Each of these [[uncommon]] [[artifact]]s has a [[triggered ability]] that allows the controller pay {{1}} to gain 1 life when a spell of a given color resolves {{-}} <c>Ivory Cup</c>, <c>Crystal Rod</c>, <c>Throne of Bone</c>, <c>Iron Star</c>, and <c>Wooden Sphere</c>.
*'''[[Moxen]]''': Each of these [[rare]] artifacts has a mana cost of {{0}} and "{{T}}: Add C to your mana pool" {{-}} <c>Mox Pearl</c>, <c>Mox Sapphire</c>, <c>Mox Jet</c>, <c>Mox Ruby</c>, and <c>Mox Emerald</c>.
*'''Top-down cycle''': Each of these rare cards was designed at the last minute before the release of Alpha. They were never playtested and were designed to fit pieces of unused artwork {{-}} <c>Island Sanctuary</c>, <c>Stasis</c>, <c>Word of Command</c>, <c>Sedge Troll</c>, and <c>Birds of Paradise</c>{{unref}}
*'''Wards''': Each of these uncommon [[white]] [[Aura]]s with [[enchant]] creature grants protection from a given color {{-}} <c>White Ward</c>, <c>Blue Ward</c>, <c>Black Ward</c>, <c>Red Ward</c>, and <c>Green Ward</c>.


===Vertical cycles===
Out of those, 5000 were printed as the ''International Collectors' Edition'', some of which were sold in the US and Canada to make up a shortfall in the regular print run, and the remainder sold overseas. The difference between the international and domestic versions is that the international edition says “International Edition” on the back of the card.<ref name="AdkisonNewsgroup" />
*'''Goblins''': Each of these [[red]] [[Goblin]] creatures exists at a different level of rarity {{-}} <c>Mons's Goblin Raiders</c>, <c>Goblin Balloon Brigade</c>, <c>Goblin King</c>.
*'''Red three-drop humanoids''': Each of these 2/2 red creatures has a mana cost of {{2}}{{r}} and increasingly powerful abilities {{-}} <c>Gray Ogre</c>, <c>Uthden Troll</c>, and <c>Sedge Troll</c>. <c>Granite Gargoyle</c> might also be considered part of this group, though it doesn't fit the theme of monstrous human-like creatures.
*'''Pingers''' {{-}} Each of these permanents has "{{T}}: [This] deals 1 damage to target creature or player" {{-}} <c>Prodigal Sorcerer</c>, <c>Rod of Ruin</c>, and <c>Pirate Ship</c>.


==Mirrored pairs==
In November 2022, the ''[[30th Anniversary Edition]]'' was released, which is a commemorative, collectible, non-tournament-legal product celebrating 30 years of Magic, inspired by ''Beta''.<ref>{{DailyRef|news/kicking-magics-30th-anniversary-celebration-2022-10-04|Kicking Off ''Magic's'' 30th Anniversary|[[Blake Rasmussen]]|October 4, 2022}}</ref>
''Beta'' has 26 [[mirrored pair]]s.


*<c>Ankh of Mishra</c> and <c>Dingus Egg</c> are both rare artifacts that deal damage when a land enters or leaves play.
== Cards and cycles added to ''Beta''==
[[File:Uncut-LEB-R.jpg|thumb|right|Uncut ''Beta'' [[print sheet]]]]
The following cards from ''Beta'' were not printed in ''[[Alpha]]'':


*<c>Air Elemental</c> and <c>Earth Elemental</c> are both uncommon [[Elemental|Elementals]] with a mana cost of {{3}}CC and a [[power]] of 4.
*Third versions of the [[basic land]]s
 
*<c>Circle of Protection: Black</c>
*<c>Benalish Hero</c> and <c>Timber Wolves</c> are both 1/1 creatures with banding and a mana cost of C.
*<c>Volcanic Island</c>  
 
*<c>Castle</c> and <c>Orcish Oriflamme</c> are both uncommon [[enchantment|enchantments]] that conditionally affect a creature's power or toughness.
 
*<c>Crusade</c> and <c>Bad Moon</c> are both rare enchantments with a [[converted mana cost]] of 2 and an effect to give all creatures of its color +1/+1.
 
*<c>White Knight</c> and <c>Black Knight</c> are both uncommon [[Knight|Knights]] with a mana cost of CC, power/toughness of 2/2, first strike and protection from the other's color.
 
*<c>Blue Elemental Blast</c> and <c>Red Elemental Blast</c> are both common instants (formerly interrupts) with a mana cost of C and with a [[modal]] ability to either destroy a permanent of the other's color or counter a spell of the other's color.
 
*<c>Braingeyser</c> and <c>Mind Twist</c> are both rare [[sorcery|sorceries]] that cause [[target]] [[player]] to [[draw]] or [[discard]] cards.
 
*<c>Gaea's Liege</c> and <c>Cyclopean Tomb</c> are both rare cards with an [[activated ability]] that can permanently change a land's type.
 
*<c>Deathgrip</c> and <c>Lifeforce</c> are each uncommon enchantments with an activated ability to counter a spell of the other's color for CC.
 
*<c>Earthquake</c> and <c>Hurricane</c> are both sorceries that have a mana cost of {{X}}C and deal X damage to all non-flying or flying creatures and each player.
 
*<c>Fear</c> and <c>Invisibility</c> are both common [[Aura]]s that make the enchanted creature more difficult to block.
 
*<c>Feedback</c> and <c>Wanderlust</c> are both uncommon Auras that deal 1 damage to the controller of the enchanted permanent during each of their [[upkeep|upkeeps]].
 
*<c>Water Elemental</c> and <c>Fire Elemental</c> are both uncommon Elementals with a mana cost of {{3}}CC and a power/toughness of 5/4.
 
*<c>Holy Strength</c> and <c>Unholy Strength</c> are both common Auras with enchant creature that give a mirrored bonus to the enchanted creature's power/toughness.
 
*<c>Living Lands</c> and <c>Kormus Bell</c> are both rare cards that turned lands of a particular type into 1/1 creatures.
 
*<c>Lord of Atlantis</c> and <c>Goblin King</c> are both rare [[Lord|Lords]] that give +1/+1 and landwalk of its color to its creature type.
 
*<c>Manabarbs</c> and <c>Power Surge</c> are both rare red enchantments that deal damage to a player based on the number of lands he or she does or does not tap.
 
*<c>Mons's Goblin Raiders</c> and <c>Merfolk of the Pearl Trident</c> are both 1/1 common creatures with creature types that are affected by Lord of Atlantis and Goblin King.
 
*<c>Phantom Monster</c> and <c>Roc of Kher Ridges</c> are both 3/3 creatures with flying.
 
*<c>Serra Angel</c> and <c>Sengir Vampire</c> are both uncommon 4/4 flying creatures with a mana cost of {{3}}CC and a combat-related ability.
 
*<c>Smoke</c> and <c>Winter Orb</c> both allow players to only untap one of a type of permanent each turn.
 
*<c>Timetwister</c> and <c>Wheel of Fortune</c> are both rare sorceries that cause all players to draw a new hand of 7 cards.
 
*<c>Tsunami</c> and <c>Flashfires</c> are both uncommon sorceries that have a mana cost of 3C and destroy lands of a particular enemy type.
 
*<c>Wall of Bone</c> and <c>Wall of Brambles</c> are both Walls with regeneration and a mana cost of {{2}}C.
 
*<c>Wall of Water</c> and <c>Wall of Fire</c> are both 0/5 Walls illustrated by [[Richard Thomas]] with a silouetted figure behind a wall and the activated ability "C: [this] gets +1/+0 until end of turn."
 
==Hosers==
[[Hoser]]s were introduced, which are cards that affect one (or sometimes two) specific color(s): <c>Karma</c>, <c>Blue Elemental Blast</c>, <c>Deathgrip</c>, <c>Flashfires</c>, <c>Tsunami</c>, <c>Conversion</c>, <c>Lifetap</c>, <c>Gloom</c>, <c>Red Elemental Blast</c>, and <c>Lifeforce</c>.
 
==Notable cards==
*The [[Power Nine]] are some of the most valuable and powerful cards ever printed.
 
*The original ten [[Dual Lands]] are some of the most powerful and valuable lands ever printed.
 
*<c>Armageddon</c> forms the basis of the [[Erhnamgeddon]] [[control]] deck.
 
*<c>Balance</c> was initially understood, as were many symmetrical effects, but quickly proved to be a very powerful card and is now on the [[Restricted List]].
 
*<c>Berserk</c> was once considered powerful enough to be added to the Restricted List.
 
*<c>Birds of Paradise</c> has proven itself to be one of the best [[Mana fixing|mana fixers]] ever printed.
 
*<c>Black Vise</c> was far too powerful, especially when played on the first turn, and is also found on the Restricted List.
 
*<c>Braingeyser</c> was also once considered powerful enough to be added to the Restricted List.
 
*<c>Channel</c> was a key component of the fabled Channel-<c>Fireball</c> first-turn win in combination with <c>Black Lotus</c> and a source of red mana.
 
*<c>Chaos Orb</c> is the first of a class of "dexterity" cards that required some physical skill to achieve maximum effect, and like all dexterity cards and ante cards, is now on the [[Banned List]].
 
*<c>Contract from Below</c> is an insanely powerful card that allows its caster to draw 7 cards at the price of adding to the [[ante]], but the effect is powerful enough to make the added risk very acceptable. Some even consider this the most powerful card ever printed.
 
*<c>Dark Ritual</c> enabled many black decks to accelerate powerful cards into play quickly, especially <c>Hypnotic Specter</c>.
 
*<c>Demonic Tutor</c> is another powerful effect with a small mana cost that has found its way onto the Restricted List.
 
*<c>Fastbond</c>, like many other cards on the Restricted List, allows a player to quickly access more mana.
 
*<c>Hypnotic Specter</c> was originally thought to be too powerful, and indeed it is powerful, but the real problem was eventually revealed to be its combination with Dark Ritual.
 
*<c>Icy Manipulator</c> was used in many control decks to slow the opponent down.
 
*<c>Illusionary Mask</c> later gained fame for its ability to get <c>Phyrexian Dreadnought</c> into play quickly and cheaply.
 
*<c>Lightning Bolt</c> is a very powerful (and common) direct damage spell that still sees play.
 
*<c>Mind Twist</c> proved to be very powerful, especially with all the mana acceleration available in Alpha. Like Black Vise, it quickly put an opponent at a great disadvantage and was added to the Restricted List.
 
*<c>Nevinyrral's Disk</c> was especially useful in monocolored black decks with no access to artifact and enchantment destruction.
 
*<c>Red Elemental Blast</c> is a common anti-blue card that still sees play today.
 
*<c>Regrowth</c>, like Demonic Tutor, is a powerful effect with a small mana cost, especially when combined with any number of other powerful cards and is now found on the Restricted List.
 
*<c>Savannah Lions</c> is considered one of the best [[White Weenie]] cards.
 
*<c>Serra Angel</c> was used to finish many games in control decks and is one of the iconic creatures of the game. It was once considered too powerful and left the [[Core Set]] for a time.
 
*<c>Sinkhole</c>, with a converted mana cost of 2, is considered to be far too cheap for the damaging effect of [[land destruction]], especially as a common card.


*<c>Sol Ring</c> is yet another card great at accelerating mana and is also found on the Restricted List.
''Beta'' therefore adds the following cycles to those present in ''Alpha'':
*'''Circles of protection''': Five common [[white]] [[enchantment]]s has a mana cost of {{1}}{{W}} and the ability to prevent the all [[damage]] from a [[source]] of a given color for {{1}} {{-}} <c>Circle of Protection: White</c>, <c>Circle of Protection: Blue</c>, <c>Circle of Protection: Black</c>, <c>Circle of Protection: Red</c>, and <c>Circle of Protection: Green</c>.
*'''[[Dual land]]s''': Ten [[rare]] lands with two [[basic land type]]s.
**'''Allied colors''' {{-}} <c>Tundra</c>, <c>Underground Sea</c>, <c>Badlands</c>, <c>Taiga</c>, and <c>Savannah</c>.
**'''Enemy colors''' {{-}} <c>Scrubland</c>, <c>Volcanic Island</c>, <c>Bayou</c>, <c>Plateau</c>, and <c>Tropical Island</c>.


*<c>Swords to Plowshares</c> is the iconic white creature removal card.
==Misprints==
*Almost every instance of the artist [[Douglas Shuler]]'s name was misspelled as “Schuler”.  (These include: {{card|Animate Artifact||LEB}}, {{card|Benalish Hero||LEB}}, {{card|Circle of Protection: White||LEB}}, {{card|Contract from Below||LEB}}, {{card|Demonic Tutor||LEB}}, {{card|Drain Life||LEB}}, {{card|Drain Power||LEB}}, {{card|Dwarven Warriors||LEB}}, {{card|Force of Nature||LEB}}, {{card|Frozen Shade||LEB}}, {{card|Glasses of Urza||LEB}}, {{card|Hypnotic Specter||LEB}}, {{card|Mountain||LEB|#=298}} (#298) {{card|Mountain||LEB|#=299}} (#299), {{card|Northern Paladin||LEB}}, {{card|Power Surge||LEB}}, {{card|Prodigal Sorcerer||LEB}}, {{card|Psionic Blast||LEB}}, {{card|Righteousness||LEB}}, {{card|Serra Angel||LEB}}, {{card|Tranquility||LEB}}, {{card|Unholy Strength||LEB}}, {{card|Unsummon||LEB}}, {{card|Uthden Troll||LEB}}, {{card|Veteran Bodyguard||LEB}}, {{card|Volcanic Explosion||LEB}}, and {{card|Weakness||LEB}}.) The only two cards in Beta that have [[Douglas Shuler]]'s name spelled correctly are {{card|Icy Manipulator||LEB}} and the third (new) version of {{card|Mountain||LEB|#=297}} (#297).
*{{card|Goblin Balloon Brigade||LEB}} {{-}} the wording for the activated ability could be interpreted to give all [[Goblin]]s [[Flying]] instead of only itself, which was the original intent. The wording was changed to reflect the original intent beginning with ''[[Revised Edition]]''.<ref name="Alpha Revised">{{DailyRef|arcana/alpha-typos-2009-09-22|''Alpha'' Typos|[[Magic Arcana]]|September 22, 2009}}</ref>
*{{card|Goblin King||LEB}} {{-}} the wording gave all [[Goblin]]s +1/+1 and [[mountainwalk]], but the original intent was that this would not apply to the Goblin King itself. Beginning with [[Revised Edition]] this problem was solved by listing the Goblin King's type as “Lord”; beginning with Ninth Edition the word “Goblin” returned to the type and the wording for the ability was changed to “Other Goblins get +1/+1 and have mountainwalk.”<ref name="Alpha Revised" />


*<c>Time Vault</c> has had numerous changes to its function in order to make it work as intended. In 2006 the function at the time led to an infinite damage combo with <c>Flame Fusillade</c>.
==References==
 
{{reflist}}
*<c>Wheel of Fortune</c> is on the Restricted List for the power of drawing 7 cards.
 
*<c>Wrath of God</c> has been a tournament staple since players learned that powerful symmetrical effects can be good.
 
==Cards added to ''Beta''==
The following cards from ''Beta'' were not printed in ''[[Alpha]]''.
*<c>Circle of Protection: Black</c>
*<c>Volcanic Island</c>


==External links==
==External links==
*[http://www.wizards.com/magic/advanced/1_2_3e/ABUnlim.asp Official product page] (old)
*[http://www.wizards.com/magic/advanced/1_2_3e/ABUnlim.asp Official product page] (old)
*{{Prodpage|abu|Limited Edition Beta}} (new)
*[http://magic.wizards.com/en/game-info/products/card-set-archive/alpha-beta-and-unlimited ''Limited Edition Beta'' product information page] (new)


{{sets}}
{{Sets|classic}}
[[Category:Expansions and sets]]
[[Category:Magic core sets|1B]]

Latest revision as of 05:48, 26 June 2024

Limited Edition
Beta
[[File:{{#setmainimage:MTG.jpg}}|250px]]
Set Information
Set symbol
Symbol description The letter “B” against a black box
Design (See Alpha)
Development (See Alpha)
Art direction (See Alpha)
Release date October 4, 1993
Plane Multiversal
Themes and mechanics (See Alpha)
Keywords/​ability words (See Alpha)
Set size 302 cards
(75 commons, 95 uncommons, 117 rares, 15 basic lands)
Expansion code LEB[1]
Core sets
Limited Edition Alpha Limited Edition Beta Unlimited Edition
Magic: The Gathering Chronology
Limited Edition Alpha Limited Edition
Beta		 Unlimited Edition

Limited Edition Beta, commonly known as Beta, is the second print run of Limited Edition, which was the first core set of Magic: The Gathering. It contains 302 black-bordered cards. It was released shortly after Alpha, the first printing of the Limited Edition, sold out.

Beta is actually a nickname, but widely accepted as the name for this print run.[2]

Set details

Comparison between Alpha and Beta card corners.

Beta included a few changes from Alpha:

Between Alpha, Beta, and Unlimited, cards from Beta were initially the most desirable due to the combination of black borders and the use of the 4mm rounded corner. Due to the different corner radius, Alpha cards were considered marked unless a deck comprised only Alpha cards, but the advent of expansion sets with the smaller corners made the use of all-Alpha decks suboptimal.

Beta cards were printed using three different print sheets - one for rares, one for uncommons, and one for commons. As part of Richard Garfield's plan to keep players from guessing rarities, basic lands were included on all three sheets. The chance is approximately 3.31% for rares, 21.5% for uncommons, and 38.02% for commons. The only lands on the rare sheets were four copies of Island.

Marketing

Beta was released on October 4, 1993. Limited Edition was advertised as having “more than 300 cards,” so a third version of each basic land was added in the Beta release in order to validate this claim. The print run was announced by Wizards to be 7.83 million cards.[7] Cards were available from mid-October 1993 until mid-December 1993.[8] The cards were evenly divided over 60-card starter decks and 15-card boosters. UPC codes were now printed on the bottom of each starter deck (Alpha had none).

The 40-page Beta rulebook had Bog Wraith on the cover and “Worzel's Story” was dropped to include a summary of play, an FAQ and an Index.[9]

Collectors' Editions

An International Edition card is distinguished by its square corners and its gold card border as seen on the backside of a card.
Main articles: Collectors' Edition and 30th Anniversary Edition

The Collectors' Edition was a special commemorative edition of Beta cards released on December 10, 1993.[10] Wizards of the Coast produced about 13,500 copies of this set.[11][12][a] These cards have square corners and a gold border on the back, and thus are not legal in DCI-sanctioned tournaments.

  1. ↑ If 10,000 copies were sold in the US and Canada, 8500-9000 of which comprised the full print run of the Collectors' Edition and the remainder from the International Collectors' Edition, leaving 3500-4000 of the ICE sets (5000 total) to actually be sold overseas, it is roughly consistent with both sources.

Out of those, 5000 were printed as the International Collectors' Edition, some of which were sold in the US and Canada to make up a shortfall in the regular print run, and the remainder sold overseas. The difference between the international and domestic versions is that the international edition says “International Edition” on the back of the card.[11]

In November 2022, the 30th Anniversary Edition was released, which is a commemorative, collectible, non-tournament-legal product celebrating 30 years of Magic, inspired by Beta.[13]

Cards and cycles added to Beta

Uncut Beta print sheet

The following cards from Beta were not printed in Alpha:

Beta therefore adds the following cycles to those present in Alpha:

Misprints

References

  1. ↑ Wizards of the Coast (August 02, 2004). "Ask Wizards - August, 2004". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  2. ↑ Wizards of the Coast (June 2, 2008). "Ask Wizards, June 2008". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  3. ↑ Magic Arcana (April 10, 2002). "Alpha "Oops…" III". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  4. ↑ Magic Arcana (July 12, 2002). "Alpha "Oops…" V". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  5. ↑ Mark Rosewater (June 20, 2016). "25 More Random Things About Magic". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  6. ↑ Magic Arcana (November 08, 2002). "Land latecomers". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  7. ↑ Peter Adkison (March 5, 2021). "Magic: The Gathering print runs from 1993". Facebook.
  8. ↑ Stephen D'Angelo (February 2, 1999) "Card Rulings Summary". Usenet.
  9. ↑ John Carter (December 25, 2004). "The Original Magic Rulebook". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  10. ↑ Wizards of the Coast (June 20, 2003). "Collectors' Edition". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  11. ↑ a b Peter Adkison (Dec 30, 1993) "MTG: International VS Collectors". Newsgroup: rec.games.board. Retrieved July 23, 2022.
  12. ↑ T. Brian Wagner & Victor K. Wertz (1995). "Magic: a collecting history". In Michael G. Ryan (Ed.), The Pocket Players' Guide for Magic: The Gathering - Fourth Edition (pp. F-1 to F-4). Wizards of the Coast."...we released 13,500 Collectors' Edition sets of Magic: The Gathering. These limited edition sets contained 363 cards, including one of each of the 302 different cards, with multiple land cards making up the difference. Ten thousand sets were sold in the U.S. and Canada, while 3,500 International Collectors' Edition sets were produced for sale overseas."
  13. ↑ Blake Rasmussen (October 4, 2022). "Kicking Off Magic's 30th Anniversary". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  14. ↑ a b Magic Arcana (September 22, 2009). "Alpha Typos". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.

External links

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