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The first Magic set
What this set is
Alpha is the first print run of Magic: The Gathering, and it is the core set every later core set descends from. Its 295 cards are 285 different spells and nonbasic lands plus two art versions of each basic land. It has black borders, and its corners are cut noticeably rounder than any later printing, which is the quickest way to tell an Alpha card from a Beta one.
Two cards that belonged in the set are missing from it: Volcanic Island and Circle of Protection: Black. Both were added in Beta, which is why Beta has 292 different cards to Alpha's 290.
This is where the Power Nine come from: Black Lotus, the five Moxen, Ancestral Recall, Time Walk and Timetwister. It also holds the first ten dual lands (nine in Alpha, since Volcanic Island was left out) and cards that are still everywhere in Commander, Sol Ring and Swords to Plowshares among them. 47 of its cards are on the Reserved List, so the most sought-after of them will never get a tournament-legal reprint.
Themes
Every mechanic in Alpha
Flying
A creature with flying can't be blocked except by creatures with flying or reach. Reach is the modern keyword for what Giant Spider's text spelled out in 1993.
First strike
It deals combat damage before creatures without first strike, so it can kill a blocker or attacker before that creature deals any damage back.
Trample
Once lethal damage is assigned to every blocker, the rest goes through to the player. Without it, a blocked creature's whole power is absorbed by the block.
Regenerate
The next time the creature would be destroyed this turn, it is tapped, all damage is removed from it and it is removed from combat instead. It doesn't stop exile or a sacrifice.
Banding
Creatures with banding, plus up to one without, can attack as a group that is blocked as one. When a creature with banding blocks or is blocked, its controller divides the combat damage dealt to their creatures. It is rarely printed, and is one of the harder rules from this era to apply at the table.
Protection and landwalk
Protection from a color means it can't be blocked, targeted, damaged or enchanted by anything of that color. Landwalk (swampwalk, forestwalk) makes a creature unblockable while the defending player controls that land type.
Where You Can Play It
Format legality
Alpha is one code and one card list. Every card in it is legal in the eternal formats except the ones a ban list names, and with this set that list is long.
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. 23 of these cards are banned in Legacy, including Black Lotus, the five Moxen, Ancestral Recall, Time Walk and Timetwister. Commander bans 17: the same Power cards except Timetwister, plus Balance, Channel, Fastbond, Time Vault, Chaos Orb, Crusade and the three ante cards (Contract from Below, Darkpact and Demonic Attorney). Vintage restricts 16 to one copy and bans only those three ante cards, Chaos Orb and Crusade. Commons from any set are Pauper-legal; that isn't listed per set here.
Boosters, precons and singles from Alpha are on TCGplayer.
FAQ
Common questions
Where can I play Alpha cards?
In Legacy, Vintage and Commander, minus the cards each format bans. Alpha 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.
How do I tell an Alpha card from a Beta card?
Look at the corners. Alpha's are cut noticeably rounder than Beta's or any later printing's. Both are black-bordered and share the same art, so the corners are the quickest check without a reference card.
Which cards are missing from Alpha?
Volcanic Island and Circle of Protection: Black. Both were meant to be in the first card list and were added in Beta, which is why Alpha has 290 different cards and Beta 292.
What are the Power Nine?
Black Lotus, Mox Pearl, Mox Sapphire, Mox Jet, Mox Ruby, Mox Emerald, Ancestral Recall, Time Walk and Timetwister. All nine are in Alpha, Beta and Unlimited and in no later paper set. They are restricted in Vintage and banned in Legacy, and every one but Timetwister is banned in Commander.
Is Sol Ring from Alpha?
Yes. Sol Ring was in Alpha, Beta, Unlimited and Revised, and it has been reprinted constantly since, mostly in Commander products. It is legal in Commander and Vintage (restricted) and banned in Legacy.
All card names, art, and mechanics belong to Wizards of the Coast. Limited Edition Alpha released on Aug 5, 1993; details reflect the set as published. Sources: Wizards of the Coast set pages and release notes, Draftsim, Untapped.gg.
Playing Alpha 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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