Fallen Empires
Encyclopedia
Fallen Empires was the ninth Magic: The Gathering
set and the fifth expansion set, released in November 1994. Out of the set of 187 cards, 102 were functionally unique, with the remainder being variant illustrations of other cards in the set. The mechanics of Fallen Empires include a tribal subtheme and heavy use of counters and tokens. Thematically the set experiments with conflict within the colors. The expansion symbol for the set is a crown
.
in Antiquities
. Each of the major cultures on Sarpadia is confronted with internal threats caused by the cooling weather: the dwarves are attacked by orc
s and goblin
s; the Vodalian merfolk face the homarid menace; the elves of the forest struggle to contain the fungus
-like thallids; the proud soldiers of Icatia confront opposition from religious zealots; and the dark Order of the Ebon Hand fights a thrull revolt. The storyline of Fallen Empires is continued in the Ice Age
set.
even points out on the product page of Fallen Empires that the set "with mixed reviews from players, and controversy over the set's effectiveness still rages on." This along with the massive overprinting of the set make its cards next to worthless on the secondary market. Each card including the rares can usually be acquired for less than $2. After the set was released Richard Garfield
described it as
Because previous sets were underprinted, often making them unavailable very quickly after they went on sale, more Fallen Empires cards were printed than any previous set. Wizards of the Coast
announced the print run of Fallen Empires to be 350-375 million cards compared to 75 million for its predecessor, The Dark
. Booster packs were thus available until 1998 despite the fact that Wizards stopped shipping cards in January 1995.
Fallen Empires was the last set produced only in English although the two previous sets, Legends
and The Dark
had already been produced in Italian. Its successor, Ice Age
was available in six languages.
Due to a printing error a small number of cards from Fallen Empires were printed with Wyvern
backs when that game was manufactured at the same factory.
. Each color had two main creature types, as well as cards that benefit from controlling creatures of those types. Another theme introduced was color wars; specifically, each color making war on itself, with two major tribes for each color. A number of Fallen Empires cards also made heavy usage of counters and tokens.
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 the fifth expansion set, released in November 1994. Out of the set of 187 cards, 102 were functionally unique, with the remainder being variant illustrations of other cards in the set. The mechanics of Fallen Empires include a tribal subtheme and heavy use of counters and tokens. Thematically the set experiments with conflict within the colors. The expansion symbol for the set is a crown
Crown (headgear)
A crown is the traditional symbolic form of headgear worn by a monarch or by a deity, for whom the crown traditionally represents power, legitimacy, immortality, righteousness, victory, triumph, resurrection, honour and glory of life after death. In art, the crown may be shown being offered to...
.
Storyline
Fallen Empires takes place on the continent of Sarpadia after the Brothers' WarThe Brothers' War
The Brothers' War is a Magic: The Gathering novel written by Jeff Grubb, and published by Wizards of the Coast, Inc. It takes place on the fictional world of Dominaria, within the 'multiverse'. It tells the story of the origins of Urza, who plays a significant role in other Magic: The Gathering...
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...
. Each of the major cultures on Sarpadia is confronted with internal threats caused by the cooling weather: the dwarves are attacked by orc
Orc
An orc is one of a race of mythical human-like creatures, generally described as fierce and combative, with grotesque features and often black, grey or greenish skin. This mythology has its origins in the writings of J. R. R. Tolkien....
s and goblin
Goblin
A goblin is a legendary evil or mischievous illiterate creature, a grotesquely evil or evil-like phantom.They are attributed with various abilities, temperaments and appearances depending on the story and country of origin. In some cases, goblins have been classified as constantly annoying little...
s; the Vodalian merfolk face the homarid menace; the elves of the forest struggle to contain the fungus
Fungus
A fungus is a member of a large group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds , as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as a kingdom, Fungi, which is separate from plants, animals, and bacteria...
-like thallids; the proud soldiers of Icatia confront opposition from religious zealots; and the dark Order of the Ebon Hand fights a thrull revolt. The storyline of Fallen Empires is continued in the Ice Age
Ice 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...
set.
Set history
Fallen Empires is widely regarded as one of the weakest sets in the game's history. Wizards of the CoastWizards 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...
even points out on the product page of Fallen Empires that the set "with mixed reviews from players, and controversy over the set's effectiveness still rages on." This along with the massive overprinting of the set make its cards next to worthless on the secondary market. Each card including the rares can usually be acquired for less than $2. After the set was released Richard Garfield
Richard Garfield
Richard Channing Garfield is a mathematics professor and game designer who created the card games Magic: The Gathering, Netrunner, BattleTech CCG, Vampire: The Eternal Struggle , The Great Dalmuti, Star Wars Trading Card Game, and the board game RoboRally...
described it as
Printing and distribution
Fallen Empires was released in November 1994. It was sold in boosters of eight cards with a box of boosters containing sixty booster packs. Each booster contained two cards from the uncommon and six from the common sheet. Of the cards from the uncommon sheet 36 were U1, meaning they appeared once on the uncommon sheet. They were thus three times as rare as most other uncommons and consequently dubbed the rare cards of the set. The remaining uncommons were 25 U3 and 5 U2 cards. Of the common cards each is equally common if each card with a unique artwork is counted as an individual card. Counting only functionally unique cards there were 15 common cards that appeared in four versions and 20 that appeared in three versions. There was also one common, Delif's Cone, that had only one version, making it just as rare as an U3 uncommon.Because previous sets were underprinted, often making them unavailable very quickly after they went on sale, more Fallen Empires cards were printed than any previous set. 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...
announced the print run of Fallen Empires to be 350-375 million cards compared to 75 million for its predecessor, The Dark
The Dark (Magic: The Gathering)
The Dark was the eighth Magic: The Gathering set and the fourth expansion to the game, released in August 1994. The set continued the story begun in Antiquities and recounted the aftermath of the events of that set. The 119-card set had a dark, sacrificial theme, though unlike its predecessor...
. Booster packs were thus available until 1998 despite the fact that Wizards stopped shipping cards in January 1995.
Fallen Empires was the last set produced only in English although the two previous sets, Legends
Legends (Magic: The Gathering)
Legends was the seventh Magic: The Gathering set and the third expansion set, released in June 1994. It was the first expansion set to be sold in packs of 15 . The set was designed by Wizards of the Coast co-founder Steve Conard and friend Robin Herbert in Canada before the game was initially...
and The Dark
The Dark (Magic: The Gathering)
The Dark was the eighth Magic: The Gathering set and the fourth expansion to the game, released in August 1994. The set continued the story begun in Antiquities and recounted the aftermath of the events of that set. The 119-card set had a dark, sacrificial theme, though unlike its predecessor...
had already been produced in Italian. Its successor, Ice Age
Ice 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...
was available in six languages.
Due to a printing error a small number of cards from Fallen Empires were printed with Wyvern
Wyvern (card game)
Wyvern is a two-player collectible card game featuring dragons and wyverns battling for treasure. The game was produced by U.S. Games Systems, Inc., with the original product launch in January 1994.-Game overview:...
backs when that game was manufactured at the same factory.
Mechanics
Fallen Empires introduced a tribal theme that would later be revisited in OnslaughtOnslaught (Magic: The Gathering)
Onslaught is the 27th Magic: The Gathering expert-level expansion set. It was released in October 2002. The set's main theme is creature types , and much of the game play concerns interactions between these "tribes". The story continues the saga of the Mirari from the previous block of expansion sets...
. Each color had two main creature types, as well as cards that benefit from controlling creatures of those types. Another theme introduced was color wars; specifically, each color making war on itself, with two major tribes for each color. A number of Fallen Empires cards also made heavy usage of counters and tokens.
| Color | Tribes |
|---|---|
| Black | Order of the Ebon Hand and Thrulls |
| Blue | (Vodalian) Merfolk and Homarid |
| Green | Elves and Thallid |
| Red | Dwarves and Goblins/Orcs |
| White | Icatia's Order of Leitbur and Farrelite Cult |
Notable cards
- — This powerful discard spell has never been reprinted. It has seen play in tournament level Vintage and Legacy decks. Although a common card it is also the most valuable card of the set.
- — A top-tier combo deck was built around the mana acceleration that this card provides at one point. That deck was also widely known as the "High Tide deck".
- — One of the earliest incentives to play a deck with many Goblin cards.