Masters Edition
Encyclopedia
Masters Edition is a Magic: The Gathering
expansion, exclusive for Magic: The Gathering Online
, that was released on September 10, 2007. It is the sixth compilation set, and features 195 cards printed before Mirage
, 60 of each rarity and the 15 basic lands of Beta
. The first implement of Masters Edition has no clear focus on the mechanical side, thus keyworded abilities are all abilities that were part of the original Magic core sets.
but its popularity led Wizards to create Masters Edition-only drafts. The set was heavily focused on nostalgia and included some of the most popular casual cards from the early sets. Notably, it was missing powerful early cards like the original dual lands. This was done because at the time of the set's release the Magic Online client was in a transitional state from version 2.5 to version 3. Wizards knew that the updated client would be able to carry more player traffic and wanted to wait to release the dual lands to a larger audience. The set's one chase rare, Force of Will, has seen drastically short supply because of the timing of this release.
The set's popularity led to three follow up sets in the series, in 2008, 2009, and 2011.
The cards in Masters Edition are all available in regular and premium foil versions. As all of the cards were originally released before the foiling process was introduced to Magic and most have not been reprinted since, these cards are now available as premium foils for the first time and exclusively for Magic Online.
as an uncommon but is reprinted as a rare in Masters Edition. Force of Will is a staple in almost every competitive Legacy and Classic (the online almost-equivalent of Vintage) deck, that includes blue. It is thus highly sought after and has become the most expensive card on Magic Online with its foil version selling for more than $200.
— Originally released in Fallen Empires as a common, Hymn to Tourach is now an uncommon in Masters Edition. Despite coming from Fallen Empires, a set often shunned as one of the weakest ever, the card is one of the most efficient discard spells in Magic.
Magic: The Gathering
Magic: The Gathering , also known as Magic, is the first collectible trading card game created by mathematics professor Richard Garfield and introduced in 1993 by Wizards of the Coast. Magic continues to thrive, with approximately twelve million players as of 2011...
expansion, exclusive for Magic: The Gathering Online
Magic: The Gathering Online
Magic: The Gathering Online or Magic Online is a direct video game adaptation of Magic: The Gathering, utilizing the concept of a virtual economy in order to preserve the collectible aspect of the card game. It is played through an Internet service operated by Wizards of the Coast, which went...
, that was released on September 10, 2007. It is the sixth compilation set, and features 195 cards printed before Mirage
Mirage (Magic: The Gathering)
Mirage was the fifteenth Magic: The Gathering set and ninth expert level set, released in October 1996. This expansion began the first official block set with one large expansion being followed by two smaller expansions all tied together through card mechanics and setting. This expansion also...
, 60 of each rarity and the 15 basic lands of Beta
Beta (Magic: The Gathering)
Limited Edition Beta or just Beta for short was the second part, after revisions, of the first print run of the first Magic: The Gathering set. It was released only a few months after Limited Edition Alpha's publication to correct some minor problems in the rules and to make up for the fact that...
. The first implement of Masters Edition has no clear focus on the mechanical side, thus keyworded abilities are all abilities that were part of the original Magic core sets.
Set history
Invasion was the first expansion released on Magic Online. Since then, the older expansions from Mirage forward have been retroactively released with accompanying draft and sealed queues. The sets before Mirage, however, were not built for limited play and would not present a fun or balanced draft environment. Because of the nature of the online environment, most cards enter the system through drafting. The Masters Edition series is Wizards of the Coast's solution to bring the game's earliest cards online in draftable sets. Masters Edition was originally meant to be drafted with 10th Edition10th Edition (Magic: The Gathering)
Tenth Edition is a "Core Set" for the collectible trading card game Magic: The Gathering. It was released on July 13, 2007, replacing Ninth Edition as the core set of cards for standard tournament play...
but its popularity led Wizards to create Masters Edition-only drafts. The set was heavily focused on nostalgia and included some of the most popular casual cards from the early sets. Notably, it was missing powerful early cards like the original dual lands. This was done because at the time of the set's release the Magic Online client was in a transitional state from version 2.5 to version 3. Wizards knew that the updated client would be able to carry more player traffic and wanted to wait to release the dual lands to a larger audience. The set's one chase rare, Force of Will, has seen drastically short supply because of the timing of this release.
The set's popularity led to three follow up sets in the series, in 2008, 2009, and 2011.
The cards in Masters Edition are all available in regular and premium foil versions. As all of the cards were originally released before the foiling process was introduced to Magic and most have not been reprinted since, these cards are now available as premium foils for the first time and exclusively for Magic Online.
Notable cards
— This card was originally released in AlliancesAlliances (Magic: The Gathering)
Alliances is the fourteenth Magic: The Gathering set and eighth expansion set, released on 10 June 1996. It was released 8 months after Homelands, which is the longest gap between expansion sets in the history of the game. It is now the middle set in the Ice Age block since the July 2006 release of...
as an uncommon but is reprinted as a rare in Masters Edition. Force of Will is a staple in almost every competitive Legacy and Classic (the online almost-equivalent of Vintage) deck, that includes blue. It is thus highly sought after and has become the most expensive card on Magic Online with its foil version selling for more than $200.
— Originally released in Fallen Empires as a common, Hymn to Tourach is now an uncommon in Masters Edition. Despite coming from Fallen Empires, a set often shunned as one of the weakest ever, the card is one of the most efficient discard spells in Magic.