Beta: Difference between revisions

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*<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,
*the misprinted <c>Cyclopean Tomb</c>, <c>Demonic Hordes</c>, <c>Elvish Archers</c>, <c>Orcish Artillery</c>, <c>Orcish Oriflamme</c> <c>Phantasmal Forces</c> and <c>Red Elemental Blast</c> were fixed,
*the misprinted <c>Cyclopean Tomb</c>, <c>Demonic Hordes</c>, <c>Elvish Archers</c>, <c>Orcish Artillery</c>, <c>Orcish Oriflamme</c> <c>Phantasmal Forces</c> and <c>Red Elemental Blast</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.


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).
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).
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==Cards added to ''Beta''==
==Cards added to ''Beta''==
The following cards from ''Beta'' were not printed in ''[[Alpha]]''.
The following cards from ''Beta'' were not printed in ''[[Alpha]]''.
* third versions of the [[basic lands]]
*<c>Circle of Protection: Black</c>
*<c>Circle of Protection: Black</c>
*<c>Volcanic Island</c>
*<c>Volcanic Island</c>
==Misprints==
==Misprints==
*<c>Contract From Below</c> and <c>Force of Nature</c> {{-}} The artist's name, [[Douglas Shuler|Shuler]], was misspelled.
* Every instant of the artist [[Douglas Shuler]]'s name was misspelled as "Schuler".


==References==
==References==

Revision as of 08:14, 23 November 2013

Beta
Set Information
Set symbol
Themes and mechanics (See Alpha.)
Keywords/​ability words (See Alpha.)
Set size 302
(15 basic lands, 75 commons, 95 uncommons, 117 rares)
Expansion code LEB

Limited Edition Beta, or more commonly Beta, is the second printing of the first edition of Magic, includes 302 black-bordered cards. It was released shortly after Alpha, the first printing of the first edition, sold out.

Set details

Beta included a few changes from Alpha:

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 cards in early tournament decks, which had to appear unmarked without sleeves under early tournament rules).

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.

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 7.3 million cards. 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. [1]

Collectors' Edition

The Collectors' Edition was a special commemorative edition of Beta cards released on December 10, 1993.[2] Wizards of the Coast produced 10,000 copies of this set. These cards have square corners and a gold border on the back and, thus, are not legal in DCI-sanctioned tournaments.

International Edition

An International Edition card is distinguished by its square corners and its gold card border as seen on the observe of a card.

The similar International Edition was also released in December 1993. Wizards of the Coast produced 5,000 copies of this set. The difference between the international and domestic versions is that the international edition says "International Edition" on the back of the card. These cards are not legal in any DCI-sanctioned tournaments.

Cycles

Beta has nine cycles and 3 vertical cycles.

Vertical cycles

Cards added to Beta

The following cards from Beta were not printed in Alpha.

Misprints

  • Every instant of the artist Douglas Shuler's name was misspelled as "Schuler".

References

  1. John Carter (Saturday, December 25, 2004). "The Original Magic Rulebook". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  2. Wizards of the Coast (June 20, 2003). "Collectors' Edition". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.

External links