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The Ice Age thaws
What this set is
Alliances is the second set of the Ice Age block, set on Dominaria as the ice age ends and its nations form alliances against what is left of the threat. It has 144 different cards, and all 55 of its commons were printed with two arts, which makes 199.
Its best-known cards are a cycle of five spells you can cast by exiling a card of the same color from your hand instead of paying mana: Force of Will, Pyrokinesis, Contagion, Bounty of the Hunt and Scars of the Veteran. Force of Will became the defining free counterspell of Legacy and Vintage. Pyrokinesis, which divides 4 damage among creatures, is the other one still played regularly.
Commander players know it for Arcane Denial, one of the most played counterspells in the format, and Elvish Spirit Guide. Phelddagrif, the purple hippo, is its best-known legend. 41 cards are on the Reserved List, Force of Will not among them.
Themes
Every mechanic in Alliances
Pitch spells
Not a keyword, but the idea the set is known for: you may exile a card of the spell's color from your hand instead of paying its mana cost (Force of Will also costs 1 life). Five cards, one per color.
Cumulative upkeep
Back from Ice Age on eight cards. Add an age counter each upkeep and pay the cost once per counter, or sacrifice the permanent.
Where You Can Play It
Format legality
Alliances is a single code, and nothing from it is banned in Legacy, Vintage or Commander.
Not Standard-legal, and not Modern-legal as a set: Modern starts at Eighth Edition (July 2003). A card from here that was reprinted in a later Modern-legal set is Modern-legal in this printing too, because legality follows the card, not the printing. No card here is banned or restricted in Legacy, Vintage or Commander. Premodern, the community format built on Fourth Edition through Scourge, bans Force of Will. Commons from any set are Pauper-legal; that isn't listed per set here.
Commanders
The most played commanders from Alliances
The legends this set is best known for. Tap one for its printings and what it costs.
Boosters, precons and singles from Alliances are on TCGplayer.
FAQ
Common questions
Where can I play Alliances cards?
In Legacy, Vintage and Commander, minus the cards each format bans. Alliances is too old for Standard, Pioneer or Modern as a set, though any card that was later reprinted in a Modern-legal set is Modern-legal in every printing.
Is Force of Will from Alliances?
Yes. It was first printed in Alliances as one of five spells you can cast by exiling a card of the same color from your hand.
Is Force of Will on the Reserved List?
No. It was printed at uncommon and has been reprinted since, in Eternal Masters, Double Masters and Dominaria Remastered among others. Alliances has 41 Reserved List cards, and it isn't one of them.
Why does Alliances have two versions of each common?
All 55 commons were printed with two different arts, so its 144 different cards come to 199.
All card names, art, and mechanics belong to Wizards of the Coast. Alliances released on Jun 10, 1996; details reflect the set as published. Sources: Wizards of the Coast set pages and release notes, Draftsim, Untapped.gg.
Playing Alliances in Commander?
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