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The biggest core set yet
What this set is
Fifth Edition is the largest core set Magic had printed: 434 different cards, 460 with the basic land arts. It replaced 128 of Fourth Edition's cards with 194 others, most of them from Ice Age (89), Chronicles (37), Fallen Empires (29) and Homelands (29).
The cuts included Swords to Plowshares, Balance, Channel, Control Magic and Hypnotic Specter. The additions brought Brainstorm, Necropotence, the Ice Age painlands and City of Brass into the core set, alongside Birds of Paradise, Llanowar Elves, Counterspell and Fellwar Stone.
None of its cards is on the Reserved List, so it is a common source of white-bordered copies of older cards.
Where You Can Play It
Format legality
Fifth Edition is a single code. It released before Modern's starting point, so its cards are eternal-format cards unless a later printing says otherwise.
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. Legacy bans Mana Vault, Necropotence, Crusade and Pradesh Gypsies, and Vintage restricts Brainstorm, Mana Vault and Necropotence. Commander bans only Crusade and Pradesh Gypsies. It is also legal in Premodern, the community format built on Fourth Edition through Scourge. Commons from any set are Pauper-legal; that isn't listed per set here.
Boosters, precons and singles from Fifth Edition are on TCGplayer.
FAQ
Common questions
Where can I play Fifth Edition cards?
In Legacy, Vintage and Commander, minus the cards each format bans. Fifth Edition 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. It is also legal in Premodern, a community format built on Fourth Edition through Scourge.
Is Swords to Plowshares in Fifth Edition?
No. Fifth Edition cut it, along with Balance, Channel, Control Magic and Hypnotic Specter.
How many cards are in Fifth Edition?
434 different cards, 460 with the basic land arts.
All card names, art, and mechanics belong to Wizards of the Coast. Fifth Edition released on Mar 24, 1997; details reflect the set as published. Sources: Wizards of the Coast set pages and release notes, Draftsim, Untapped.gg.
Playing Fifth Edition in Commander?
TurnZero HQ keeps deck records, MMR, and moments for every Commander night, so you can see which new cards are actually earning their slot.
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