Alliances (Magic: The Gathering)
Encyclopedia
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 Coldsnap
. Prior to the Coldsnap release it was the third and final set in the Ice Age block with Homelands
being the second set then.
, after the so-called goddess (actually a planeswalker
) Freyalise had used her magic to end the Ice Age. As the lands grew warmer, conflicts began to erupt. The Balduvian Barbarians were under constant attacks from a vigilante group headed by a former Kjeldoran knight, General Varchild, and needed to turn to their former foes for help. The Soldevi alliance was breaking down amid fears that their unearthing of artifacts of the Brothers' War (as described in Antiquities
) could restart that destructive conflict. And all the while, the wicked necromancer known as Lim-Dûl gathered forces to conquer the entire world.
Alliances was the only set besides Chronicles
to be sold in 12 card packs. Each pack included one rare card, three uncommon, and eight common cards. Chronicles in comparison had no genuine rare cards, but included an additional common in each pack.
Alliances was the last set to have multiple cards (other than basic lands) with more than one artistic conception, a feature begun in Antiquities
, but most prominently used in Fallen Empires, Homelands
, and Alliances. This was done to add variety to the multiple copies of common cards that a typical player would collect, but many players complained that they were unable to identify certain cards by a single distinctive artwork. Wizards of the Coast
rethought their policy and have since limited cards (other than basic lands) within a set to a single artist's representation.
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...
set and eighth expansion set, released on 10 June 1996. It was released 8 months after Homelands
Homelands (Magic: The Gathering)
Homelands was the thirteenth Magic: The Gathering set and seventh expert level set, released in October 1995. It was considered to be part of the Ice Age block until the announcement of Coldsnap in October 2005.- Storyline :...
, 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 Coldsnap
Coldsnap
For other uses of this term, see Cold snap.Coldsnap is the third set in the Ice Age block for the Magic:The Gathering collectible card game. It was released on July 21, 2006 by Wizards of the Coast. The set came out over ten years after Ice Age was released in June 1995, the longest period of time...
. Prior to the Coldsnap release it was the third and final set in the Ice Age block with Homelands
Homelands (Magic: The Gathering)
Homelands was the thirteenth Magic: The Gathering set and seventh expert level set, released in October 1995. It was considered to be part of the Ice Age block until the announcement of Coldsnap in October 2005.- Storyline :...
being the second set then.
Storyline
The story follows the events of Ice AgeIce Age (Magic: The Gathering)
Ice Age is the eleventh Magic: The Gathering set and the sixth expansion set, released in June 1995. Set in the years from 450 to 2934 AR, the set describes a world set in perpetual winter due to the events in Antiquities...
, after the so-called goddess (actually a planeswalker
Planeswalker
In the collectible card game Magic: The Gathering, a planeswalker is a mage with the ability to travel to different planes of existence.-Magic: The Gathering:...
) Freyalise had used her magic to end the Ice Age. As the lands grew warmer, conflicts began to erupt. The Balduvian Barbarians were under constant attacks from a vigilante group headed by a former Kjeldoran knight, General Varchild, and needed to turn to their former foes for help. The Soldevi alliance was breaking down amid fears that their unearthing of artifacts of the Brothers' War (as described in Antiquities
Antiquities (Magic: The Gathering)
Antiquities was the fifth Magic: The Gathering set and the second expansion set. It was the first set to have an original backstory that explores the mythos of the Magic universe . The story is primarily about the brothers Urza and Mishra who are inseparable at first, but become sworn enemies over...
) could restart that destructive conflict. And all the while, the wicked necromancer known as Lim-Dûl gathered forces to conquer the entire world.
Mechanics
Although Alliances did not feature new keywords, it did introduce a cycle of cards with an alternate casting cost, known as "pitch spells" . Cards with this mechanic allowed the player exile another card in their hand instead of paying its mana cost. The most influential card of this type is the counter spell Force of Will. It is one of the most played cards in the eternal formats, Legacy and Vintage, commonly referred to as "the glue that holds (the format) together". This is largely because Force of Will is one of the very few cards that can prevent a first turn win.Other features
Alliances experimented with different levels of rarities of cards. There are 49 rares in the set, three of these being artifacts that are actually three times as common as the other rares, thus making them just as common as most uncommons. Of the 45 different uncommons there are five which come in two alternatively illustrated versions. With both versions combined these are three times as common the other uncommons in Alliances and thus just as common as most commons. The remaining 100 cards are 50 commons that each come in two versions, and in ten cases one of the two versions is twice as common as the other. Including alternate art, there are 31 cards of each color, 10 multicolor cards, 26 Artifacts, and 8 Lands.Alliances was the only set besides Chronicles
Chronicles (Magic: The Gathering)
Chronicles was the twelfth Magic: The Gathering set, and the first compilation set, released in July 1995 by Wizards of the Coast. The set is one of two sets that have been sold in twelve-card booster packs, the other having been Alliances....
to be sold in 12 card packs. Each pack included one rare card, three uncommon, and eight common cards. Chronicles in comparison had no genuine rare cards, but included an additional common in each pack.
Alliances was the last set to have multiple cards (other than basic lands) with more than one artistic conception, a feature begun in Antiquities
Antiquities (Magic: The Gathering)
Antiquities was the fifth Magic: The Gathering set and the second expansion set. It was the first set to have an original backstory that explores the mythos of the Magic universe . The story is primarily about the brothers Urza and Mishra who are inseparable at first, but become sworn enemies over...
, but most prominently used in Fallen Empires, Homelands
Homelands (Magic: The Gathering)
Homelands was the thirteenth Magic: The Gathering set and seventh expert level set, released in October 1995. It was considered to be part of the Ice Age block until the announcement of Coldsnap in October 2005.- Storyline :...
, and Alliances. This was done to add variety to the multiple copies of common cards that a typical player would collect, but many players complained that they were unable to identify certain cards by a single distinctive artwork. Wizards of the Coast
Wizards of the Coast
Wizards of the Coast is an American publisher of games, primarily based on fantasy and science fiction themes, and formerly an operator of retail stores for games...
rethought their policy and have since limited cards (other than basic lands) within a set to a single artist's representation.