25 years in the past, MTG's Seventh Version set quietly modified the sport eternally

I couldn’t presumably keep in mind precisely after I began enjoying Magic: The Gathering, however going via packing containers of my previous playing cards supplied some attention-grabbing hints at my historical past with the sport. I’ve a number of stray playing cards way back to 1994’s Antiquities, which got here out after I was solely 4 years previous. I additionally vividly keep in mind my hype for the Odyssey block that started in September 2001, notably the Judgment set with my beloved “Phantom” playing cards.

By far, nevertheless, I’ve the best variety of playing cards from Seventh Version, together with my childhood favourite: a foil Thorn Elemental. I keep in mind relishing the cool artwork, despite the fact that I used to be infrequently capable of get this large stompy risk onto the battlefield. Early Magic simply didn’t have sufficient ramp for me to get it out earlier than my erudite finest pal crushed me along with his annoying blue deck each single time we performed.

Picture: Wizards of the Coast

Trying again and studying extra in regards to the set a quarter-century after its April 2001 launch, I’ve realized that Seventh Version was quietly crucial to Magic for a variety of causes. It marked a big turning level when it comes to modernizing the sport that we all know at present.

Although Urza’s Legacy launched foil playing cards to the sport two years prior, Seventh Version was the primary core set ever to incorporate foil variations of each card within the set. Every card additionally featured new artwork, one thing that hadn’t been finished because the unique Restricted Version. It gave the whole set a extra cohesive artistic imaginative and prescient.

Seventh was additionally the final base set to have the unique card body — Eighth Version started the brand new “Core Set” mannequin of releases with a brand-new card body. From a visible standpoint, Seventh Version exists on this unusual center level. Playing cards positively look older than different more moderen units, however in addition they lack the archaic small print and basic artwork model seen in earlier units.

I despise blue for essentially the most half, however the picture of a blue wizard levitating whereas he meditates on the essential Counterspell card lives in my head rent-free. Llanowar Elves and Rampant Development have been staples in my decks. The latter depicts a knight getting strangled by vines with enormous sunflowers within the background. The previous reveals an elf with a shock of flowing pink hair, his face anguished. (I keep in mind wishing I knew what he was .) I additionally keep in mind ogling my pal’s lovely Birds of Paradise with its disordered rainbow coloration sample. Once we found Dingus Egg, we referred to as one another “dingus” for months. So far, no person actually is aware of what a dingus is.

Regardless of being a core set, Seventh got here with a easy storyline, one thing that Wizards of the Coast sometimes solely does with growth units. That story was additionally a bit unusual, and, based on Mark Rosewater, didn’t resonate with followers. Armies led by the white-aligned Northern Paladin and Southern Paladin have been at struggle with the Japanese Paladin and Western Paladin related to black. Each paladin trades one among their eyes for a magical gemstone that enhances their energy. Playing cards like Infernal Contract depict this in ugly vogue.

Northern and Southern appear like your typical holy paladins, whereas the Japanese and Western look extra like darkish knights, positioning this battle considerably too-neatly as a stereotypical “good versus evil” battle. Every of the paladins will get a two-cost faucet capacity that may destroy a creature of a selected coloration. They’re larger worth collectibles for essentially the most half, however even 25 years in the past, they weren’t notably robust.

Alongside Thorn Elemental, there have been two different “tremendous tramplers” within the set: Lone Wolf and Satisfaction of Lions. It’s been stated that Wizards of the Coast experimented with their capacity as an alternative choice to trample. As an alternative of additional harm spilling over to hit an opponent, these three inexperienced creatures as an alternative can bypass a blocking creature’s toughness to deal fight harm on to the defending participant. However they nonetheless take fight harm from a blocker. Satisfaction of Lions, by the way in which, has some hilarious artwork that appears like it will be on a foolish retro t-shirt you would possibly discover at a thrift retailer and factor, “How did this get made?”

Seventh Version additionally had some actually nice ache lands that faucet so as to add one among two mana colours by spending one life, or generate a colorless mana with out the life value. Based on knowledge from MTG Decks, that cycle of 5 twin lands is among the many hottest playing cards from the set utilized in Commander. There’s additionally Metropolis of Brass and the intensely dangerous pink immediate Closing Fortune that provides you an additional flip after the present flip — however you lose on the finish of that flip except you defeat your opponent first. The artwork there depicts a knight about to deal a killing blow in opposition to a Jeff Goldblum-looking man digging via a treasure chest filled with gold cash.

As an added bonus for digging via my previous bulk, I stumbled upon a gem: Spellbook. It’s a zero-cost artifact that makes it so you don’t have any most hand dimension. I slotted that instantly into my Jenova, Historic Calamity Commander deck. She makes it in order that at any time when one among my mutants dies, I draw playing cards equal to its energy. Up till now, my greatest downside has been beefing up my creatures a lot that I wind up drawing one thing like 10 playing cards after they die. Downside solved, all because of a visit down reminiscence lane with the Seventh Version.

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