Portal (Magic: The Gathering)

Portal is the eighteenth Magic: The Gathering

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 first starter level set, released on May 1, 1997. Depending on the language, the set contains between 221 and 228 cards.

Set history

Portal was 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...

's first major attempt at a set that new players could come into the game and understand. Back before the major rules changes brought forth by 6th Edition

6th Edition (Magic: The Gathering)

The Sixth Edition core set of Magic: The Gathering, also known as Classic, was released on April 27, 1999. It contains 350 cards, with reprints of cards from previous core sets, as well as some new reprints from expansion sets through the Weatherlight expansion.-Rule changes:The release of Sixth...

, 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...

 rules were more complicated; today, they are simplified with the addition of the stack.

, all cards in the Portal block are legal in Vintage and Legacy tournaments.

Mechanics

No new mechanics were introduced with Portal, but there were several "simplifications" made to the game through things left out of the set.

Instants

Instants did not exist within the set (instead, every "one-shot" spell was a sorcery; however, some sorceries could be played at particular times uncommon to sorceries but normal for instants). Most of these cards have since received errata making them Instants. For example, the card Assassin's Blade has the following text: Play Assassin's Blade only during the declare attackers step and only if you are the defending player.

Rules Text

All rules text was in boldface. All flavor text and reminder (italicized) text was not boldface. To separate rules text and flavor text, the cards utilized a line with a slight bulge on both top and bottom; this makes the line look like a very elongated diamond.

Creature Types

Although they do now via errata text, in their original printings Portal cards had no creature type.

Changes in Wordings

Replaced	Replacer	Example
Intercept	block	Cloud Dragon can intercept only creatures with flying.
Discard Pile	graveyard
Deck	library

Notations

• Wizards' official page on Portal and Portal Second Age