Legends (Magic: The Gathering)
Encyclopedia
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 (previous expansions had been sold in packs of 8). The set was designed by Wizards of the Coast
co-founder Steve Conard and friend Robin Herbert in Canada before the game was initially released. Legends introduces several mechanics and keywords to the game, but the focus of the set lies clearly on the Legends themselves. These were the first mulitcolored cards in the game. They are also special in that they are all Legendary creatures, meaning that only one of each type can be in play. The expansion symbol for Legends is the capital
of a column.
, persisted, though. Each booster box contained only half of the uncommon cards in the set. This along with the limited number of cards available made collecting the entire 310-card set very difficult.
Legends is the oldest expansion to have been printed in a foreign language; the Italian Leggende was released in 1995, shortly after L'Oscurità (Italian The Dark). These two expansions were released in the opposite order in their original English printings. The first set to be released in a foreign language was the Revised Edition
which was not only printed in Italian, but also in German and French.
, and sometime before Weatherlight
as the first Airships are built by Johan who tried to conquer the entire continent. Many other legends of the set end up fighting Johan's army at the battle for Efrava.
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 third expansion set, released in June 1994. It was the first expansion set to be sold in packs of 15 (previous expansions had been sold in packs of 8). The set was designed by 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...
co-founder Steve Conard and friend Robin Herbert in Canada before the game was initially released. Legends introduces several mechanics and keywords to the game, but the focus of the set lies clearly on the Legends themselves. These were the first mulitcolored cards in the game. They are also special in that they are all Legendary creatures, meaning that only one of each type can be in play. The expansion symbol for Legends is the capital
Capital (architecture)
In architecture the capital forms the topmost member of a column . It mediates between the column and the load thrusting down upon it, broadening the area of the column's supporting surface...
of a column.
Set history
Legends had none of the errors that were common in the preceding Magic sets. The problem of poor collation, that had already plagued AntiquitiesAntiquities (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...
, persisted, though. Each booster box contained only half of the uncommon cards in the set. This along with the limited number of cards available made collecting the entire 310-card set very difficult.
Legends is the oldest expansion to have been printed in a foreign language; the Italian Leggende was released in 1995, shortly after L'Oscurità (Italian The Dark). These two expansions were released in the opposite order in their original English printings. The first set to be released in a foreign language was the Revised Edition
Revised (Magic: The Gathering)
The Revised Edition of Magic: The Gathering was the sixth set and third core set released for the game. Like previous core sets, it had no expansion symbol. Revised Edition cards are white-bordered and generally known for their washed-out look. The set was released in April 1994 and contained 306...
which was not only printed in Italian, but also in German and French.
Storyline
The story line of the Legends set was not formulated until the three Legends Cycle books by Clayton Emery were released in 2001 and 2002. It follows the adventures of Hazezon Tamar who teams up with many other legends from the set such as Jedit Ojanen. The story takes place in the southern regions of Terisiare well after the 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...
, and sometime before Weatherlight
Weatherlight (Magic: The Gathering)
Weatherlight is the nineteenth Magic: The Gathering set and eleventh expert level set, third and last in the Mirage Block. It was released in June 1997. Its expansion symbol is the Thran Tome...
as the first Airships are built by Johan who tried to conquer the entire continent. Many other legends of the set end up fighting Johan's army at the battle for Efrava.
Mechanics
Legends introduce several important mechanics to the game and each pack of cards contained a rules card explaining the new mechanics and keywords.- Legendary - The Legendary play mechanic, known as the "Legends Rule" was introduced in this set. Legends are powerful creatures that were allowed only once in a deck when Legends came out, but this restriction has been dropped since. As a further restriction only one copy of a Legend can be in play at a time. Legends provided both Legendary Creatures and Legendary Lands, while Legendary Enchantments would not arise until Champions of KamigawaChampions of KamigawaChampions of Kamigawa is the name of the Magic: The Gathering expansion set released October 1, 2004. The first set of the Kamigawa block, it set the stage for the block's story, which was inspired by Japanese myths and revolves around the battle between spirits and living beings.The set's...
. - Enchant World - Enchantments that enchanted the entire "world." These enchantments would have an effect that affected all players at the same time and were limited to only one in play at a time.
- Multicolor - Legends was the first set to include cards that required more than one color of mana to play. These cards were distinguished by a gold background and have become much more commonplace (The last expansion of the Alara block, Alara RebornAlara RebornAlara Reborn is a Magic: The Gathering expansion set which was released on April 30, 2009. It includes 145 cards. To take advantage of International Workers' Day/Labor Day in Europe, it was released on a Thursday instead of the traditional Friday...
, is composed of entirely multicolor cards). - Rampage - An ability that took effect whenever said creature became blocked by more than one creature. Creatures with Rampage would get a bonus to their power and toughness for each creature blocking it beyond the first.
- Banding - A very complex game mechanic that was eventually dropped from the game after WeatherlightWeatherlight (Magic: The Gathering)Weatherlight is the nineteenth Magic: The Gathering set and eleventh expert level set, third and last in the Mirage Block. It was released in June 1997. Its expansion symbol is the Thran Tome...
, Legends further complicated matters by creating creatures that banded only with creatures of a certain type. In essence, banding allowed multiple creatures to attack as a single unit, allowing the attacking player to decide how damage was distributed to his or her creatures, if the defending player blocked. Legends is the only set to feature the "bands with other" mechanic, with the exception of the Unhinged card Old Fogey.
Card Count
| Colour/Type of Card | Number |
|---|---|
| Artifact | 29 |
| Black | 43 |
| Blue | 43 |
| Green | 43 |
| Land | 11 |
| Multi-color | 55 |
| Red | 43 |
| White | 43 |
Rarity breakdown
Legends is the first Magic expansion to have cards of three rarities: commons, uncommons, and rares. There are 75 common cards in Legends. Of these 46 are C2, meaning that they appear two times on the print sheet and are thus twice as common as the other 29 C1 commons. 7 of the 114 uncommons are U2 and all other 107 uncommons are U1. Of the 121 rares each is R1, making them all equally rare.Notable cards
- — Strictly better than the original from Alpha, this powerful card is a staple of Vintage decks and banned in Legacy for power level reasons. Even though it was an uncommon, it can sell for over $100 on the secondary market.
- — This land is highly sought after for the "lands" archetype deck in Legacy. When it was originally printed, it was not particularly useful due to the state of the game. This meant that players did not save the card or treat it as valuable. As new cards were printed over time, Tabernacle became more useful, but copies of it are now difficult to find and the card has become by far the most valuable card of Legends.
- — Moat is a very powerful enchantment that stops all non-Flying creatures from attacking. This effect has been very powerful throughout the history of the game and Moat was featured in one of the first true "control" decks of the game alongside . As the game grows, Moat becomes increasingly more powerful and is now used in the Enchantress deck in Legacy. On the second hand market, Moat is equally as valuable as Tabernacle.
- — This card is less powerful than the original but it is still sought after due to its utility in many decks. Its secondary market price can be fairly expensive considering it was printed as a common.
- — Originally a 50-cent uncommon that nobody cared about, Karakas came to the spotlight as the Legacy format became increasingly popular. Karakas is almost strictly better than a basic since it can return such powerful Legendary creatures as and to its owner's hands. Because of its utility and power, Karakas is banned in the Elder Dragon Highlander (Also known as Commander) format. Right now, Karakas can sell for over $50 on the secondary market.
- — Considered by many to be the worst creature of all time and one of the worst Magic cards ever printed. The restrictions on this creature make it unfeasible in almost every situation.
- — Although at one point considered the best reusable creature kill spell ever, the card has weakened somewhat due to factors such as rulings, the advent of Indestructibility cards, and an increased population of playable artifact creatures since Legends. Nonetheless, on the secondary market it still commands the highest price among black cards of the set.