Alpha

Alpha is the first release of Limited Edition, the first set of Magic. It includes 295 cards and was released at Origins in July 1993 with a small run of 2.6 million cards. It did not receive much exposure beyond the West Coast. Beta was released shortly after Alpha sold out.

Alpha contained a number of errors that were fixed in the second, or Beta release: Circle of Protection: Black and Volcanic Island were accidentally left out of the set entirely, Cyclopean Tomb was printed without a mana cost, Elvish Archers was printed with power/toughness 1/2 instead of 2/1, Orcish Artillery was printed with a mana cost of 1R instead of 1RR, and Orcish Oriflamme was printed with the mana cost 1R instead of 3R. Additionally, only two versions of each basic land with unique artwork were included. 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.

Alpha cards can easily be distinguished from Beta and all other cards by their more rounded corners. Early tournament rules required that all cards must appear unmarked without the use of protective sleeves, and the unique corners of Alpha cards originally made them marked cards in a deck not entirely coposed of Alpha cards. This initially made them less desirable and thus less valuable than Beta and even Unlimited cards.

Mechanics and Themes

As the first edition of Magic, Alpha introduced many mechanics and themes. Keyworded abilities introduced in this set include Banding, First Strike, Flying, Landwalk, Protection, Regeneration and Trample. The Defender, Fear, Haste and Vigilance mechanics were also introduced without keywords but later received them. Most other game mechanics were also introduced in this set but are too numerous to be listed here.

Notable Cards

• The Power Nine are some of the most valuable and powerful cards ever printed.

• The original ten Dual Lands (Underground Sea, etc.) are some of the most powerful and valuable lands ever printed.

• Armageddon forms the basis of the Erhnamgeddon control deck.

• Balance was initially understood, as were many symmetrical effects, but quickly proved to be a very powerful card and is now on the Restricted List.

• Berserk was once considered powerful enough to be added to the Restricted List.

• Birds of Paradise has proven itself to be one of the best mana fixers ever printed.

• Black Vise was far too powerful, especially when played on the first turn, and is also found on the Restricted List.

• Braingeyser was also once considered powerful enough to be added to the Restricted List.

• Channel was a key component of the fabled Channel-Fireball first-turn win in combination with Black Lotus and a source of red mana.

• Chaos Orb 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.

• Contract from Below 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.

• Dark Ritual enabled many black decks to accelerate powerful cards into play quickly, especially Hypnotic Specter.

• Demonic Tutor is another powerful effect with a small mana cost that has found its way onto the Restricted List.

• Fastbond, like many other cards on the Restricted List, allows a player to quickly access more mana.

• Hypnotic Specter 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.

• Icy Manipulator was used in many control decks to slow the opponent down.

• Illusionary Mask later gained fame for its ability to get Phyrexian Dreadnought into play quickly and cheaply.

• Lightning Bolt is a very powerful (and common!) direct damage spell that still sees play.

• Mind Twist 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.

• Nevinyrral's Disk was especially useful in monocolored black decks with no access to artifact and enchantment destruction.

• Red Elemental Blast is a common anti-blue card that still sees play today.

• Regrowth, 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.

• Savannah Lions is considered one of the best White Weenie cards.

• Serra Angel 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.

• Sinkhole, 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.

• Sol Ring is yet another card great at accelerating mana and is also found on the Restricted List.

• Swords to Plowshares is the iconic white creature removal card.

• Time Vault 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 Flame Fusillade.

• Wheel of Fortune is on the Restricted List for the power of drawing 7 cards.

• Wrath of God has been a tournament staple since players learned that powerful symmetrical effects can be good.

Storyline

Alpha did not have a specific storyline, although the cards had a lot of flavor built into them based on the premise that players took on the role of a planeswalker who summoned creatures and cast spells in a duel against another planeswalker.

Design & Development

Ante was an optional part of the original game of Magic.

Cycles

Alpha has many different relationships between its cards. These include typical cycles, vertical cycles and mirrored pairs.

Cycles:

• Mox cycle: Mox Pearl, Mox Sapphire, Mox Jet, Mox Ruby and Mox Emerald are each rare artifacts with a mana cost of 0 and an activated ability to tap for a color of mana.

• Boon cycle: Healing Salve, Ancestral Recall, Dark Ritual, Lightning Bolt and Giant Growth are all instants (although Dark Ritual was originally an interrupt) with a mana cost of C and an effect of three.

• Allied color dual land cycle: Tundra, Underground Sea, Badlands, Taiga and Savannah are each rare lands with two basic land types that each produce mana of an allied pair of colors.

• Enemy color dual land cycle: Scrubland, Volcanic Island, Bayou, Plateau and Tropical Island are each rare lands with two basic land types that each produce mana of an enemy pair of colors.

• Top-down cycle: Island Sanctuary, Stasis, Word of Command, Sedge Troll and Birds of Paradise are each rare cards that were designed at the last minute before the release of Alpha. They were never playtested and were designed to fit pieces of unused artwork.

• Lace cycle: Purelace, Thoughtlace, Deathlace, Chaoslace and Lifelace are each rare instants (formerly interrupts) that permanently change the color of a permanent to a color.

• First color hoser cycle: Karma, Blue Elemental Blast, Deathgrip, Flashfires and Tsunami each have a negative effect on one of its enemy colors.

• Second color hoser cycle: Conversion, Lifetap, Gloom, Red Elemental Blast and Lifeforce each have a negative effect on one of its enemy colors.

• Lucky charm cycle: Ivory Cup, Crystal Rod, Throne of Bone, Iron Star and Wooden Sphere are each uncommon artifacts with a triggered ability that allows the controller pay 1 mana to gain 1 life when a spell of a color resolves.

• Circle of protection cycle: Circle of Protection: White, Circle of Protection: Blue, Circle of Protection: Black, Circle of Protection: Red and Circle of Protection: Green are each common white enchantments with the ability to prevent the next damage from a source of a color for 1 mana.

• Ward cycle: White Ward, Blue Ward, Black Ward, Red Ward and Green Ward are each uncommon white Auras with enchant creature that grant protection from a color.

Vertical Cycles:

• Clone and Vesuvan Doppelganger are both blue creatures with the ability to copy another creature.

• Cockatrice and Thicket Basilisk are both green creatures with the Venom ability, a mana cost of 3GG and power/toughness 2/4.

• Mons's Goblin Raiders, Goblin Balloon Brigade and Goblin King are each red Goblin-related cards of increasing power with rarity.

• Gray Ogre, Uthden Troll and Granite Gargoyle or Sedge Troll are each red creatures with a mana cost of 2R, a power/toughness of 2/2 and increasingly powerful abilities with rarity.

• Prodigal Sorcerer, Rod of Ruin and Pirate Ship each have an activated ability that deals 1 damage to a creature or player.

Mirrored Pairs:

• Ankh of Mishra and Dingus Egg are both rare artifacts that deal damage when a land enters or leaves play.

• Air Elemental and Earth Elemental are both uncommon Elementals with a mana cost of 3CC and a power of 4.

• Benalish Hero and Timber Wolves are both 1/1 creatures with banding and a mana cost of C.

• Castle and Orcish Oriflamme are both uncommon enchantments that conditionally affect a creature's power or toughness.

• Control Magic and Steal Artifact are both uncommon blue Auras that grant control over a type of permanent.

• Crusade and Bad Moon are both rare enchantments with a converted mana cost of 2 and an effect to give all creatures of its color +1/+1.

• White Knight and Black Knight are both uncommon Knights with a mana cost of CC, power/toughness of 2/2, first strike and protection from the other's color.

• Blue Elemental Blast and Red Elemental Blast 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.

• Braingeyser and Mind Twist are both rare sorceries that cause target player to draw or discard cards.

• Gaea's Liege and Cyclopean Tomb are both rare cards with an activated ability that can permanently change a land's type.

• Deathgrip and Lifeforce are each uncommon enchantments with an activated ability to counter a spell of the other's color for CC.

• Disintegrate and Fireball are both common red sorceries that have a mana cost of XR and deal X damage to target creature or player.

• Earthquake and Hurricane are both sorceries that have a mana cost of XC and deal X damage to all non-flying or flying creatures and each player.

• Fear and Invisibility are both common Auras that make the enchanted creature more difficult to block.

• Feedback and Wanderlust are both uncommon Auras that deal 1 damage to the controller of the enchanted permanent during each of their upkeeps.

• Water Elemental and Fire Elemental are both uncommon Elementals with a mana cost of 3CC and a power/toughness of 5/4.

• Holy Strength and Unholy Strength are both common Auras with enchant creature that give a mirrored bonus to the enchanted creature's power/toughness.

• Living Lands and Kormus Bell are both rare cards that turned lands of a particular type into 1/1 creatures.

• Lord of Atlantis and Goblin King are both rare Lords that give +1/+1 and landwalk of its color to its creature type.

• Magical Hack and Sleight of Mind are both rare blue instants (formerly interrupts) that permanently change the text of a spell or permanent.

• Mana Flare and Mana Short are both rare cards that have an effect on the amount of mana a player can produce.

• Manabarbs and Power Surge 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.

• Mons's Goblin Raiders and Merfolk of the Pearl Trident are both 1/1 common creatures with creature types that are affected by Lord of Atlantis and Goblin King.

• Phantom Monster and Roc of Kher Ridges are both 3/3 creatures with flying.

• Power Sink and Spell Blast are both common blue instants (formerly interrupts) that have a mana cost of XU and can counter spells.

• Serra Angel and Sengir Vampire are both uncommon 4/4 flying creatures with a mana cost of 3CC and a combat-related ability.

• Smoke and Winter Orb both allow players to only untap one of a type of permanent each turn.

• Timetwister and Wheel of Fortune are both rare sorceries that cause all players to draw a new hand of 7 cards.

• Tsunami and Flashfires are both uncommon sorceries that have a mana cost of 3C and destroy lands of a particular enemy type.

• Wall of Bone and Wall of Brambles are both Walls with regeneration and a mana cost of 2C.

• Wall of Water and Wall of Fire 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."

Creature Types

Creature types were originally intended only to express flavor on creature cards, like flavor text. Thus, the intentional use of creature types to classify different races was not considered until around the design of the Fallen Empires expansion, despite cards like Lord of Atlantis that cared about a creature's race in this set.

The creature types introduced in this set are: Angel, Assassin (later changed to Human Assassin), Avatar, Basilisk, Bear, Bodyguard, Cleric, Clone (later changed to Shapeshifter), Cockatrice, Demon, Djinn, Doppelganger, Dragon, Dwarf, Elemental, Elf, Enchantress (later changed to Human Druid), Faerie, Force (later changed to Elemental), Fungusaur, Gaea's Liege (later changed to Avatar), Gargoyle, Ghoul, Giant, Goblin, Goblin King (later changed to Goblin Lord), Hero, Hydra, Imp, Knight, Lion (later changed to Cat), Lord, Lord of Atlantis (later changed to Merfolk Lord), Mammoth, Mana Bird (later changed to Bird), Merfolk, Minotaur, Nightmare, Nymph (later changed to Dryad), Ogre, Orc, Paladin (later changed to Knight), Pegasus, Phantasm, Rat, Roc, Serpent, Shade, Shadow (later changed to Spirit), Ship (later changed to Human Pirate), Skeleton, Specter, Spider, Treefolk, Troll, Unicorn, Vampire, Wall, Will-O'-the-Wisp (later changed to Spirit), Wizard (later changed to Human Wizard), Wolf, Wraith, Wurm and Zombie.

Points of Interest

Each color had one spell that destroys one or more lands: Armageddon, Volcanic Eruption, Sinkhole, Stone Rain and Ice Storm.

Outside Links

• Official product page