Masters Edition III
Encyclopedia
Masters Edition III is a Magic: The Gathering
expansion, exclusive for Magic: The Gathering Online
, that was released on September 7, 2009. It is the eighth compilation set, and consists of 230 cards, 70 rare, 70 uncommons, 75 commons, and 15 basic lands. The majority of the cards are originally either from Legends
, The Dark
, or Portal Three Kingdoms
.
. The set was designed to bring previously unreleased cards to Magic Online. Starting with Mirage
sets have been retroactively released, but many of the pre-Mirage cards were previously completely unavailable online. Its predecessors, Masters Edition
and Masters Edition II
, were released in 2007 and 2008. The fourth installment
of the series was released on January 10, 2011.
As Masters Edition II, Masters Edition III was designed to bring specific cards to the Magic Online environment. The third installment thus consists mainly of cards from The Dark
, Legends
, and Portal Three Kingdoms
. While The Dark and Legends reflect the era Masters Edition III cards should be mostly from, the Portal Three Kingdoms cards are arguably the most distinctive part of ME3 even though that set was released five years after Legends and The Dark. This is due to the fact that one of the most widely used creature abilities in Magic, "Flying", is almost completely replaced by its Portal Three Kingdoms counterpart, "Horsemanship". The other mechanics employed in Masters Editon III are multicolored cards and Legendary Creatures. Finally, all Masters Editions since Masters Edition II have a minor tribal theme. Faeries, Kobolds, and Minotaurs are the tribes used in Masters Edition III.
The cards in Masters Edition III are all available in regular and premium foil versions. As all of the cards were originally released before the foiling process was introduced to Magic and most have not been reprinted since, these cards are now available as premium foils for the first time and exclusively for Magic Online.
- Strictly better than the standard Counterspell, this card is one of the pillars that Vintage decks are based around.
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...
expansion, exclusive for Magic: The Gathering Online
Magic: The Gathering Online
Magic: The Gathering Online or Magic Online is a direct video game adaptation of Magic: The Gathering, utilizing the concept of a virtual economy in order to preserve the collectible aspect of the card game. It is played through an Internet service operated by Wizards of the Coast, which went...
, that was released on September 7, 2009. It is the eighth compilation set, and consists of 230 cards, 70 rare, 70 uncommons, 75 commons, and 15 basic lands. The majority of the cards are originally either from 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...
, 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...
, or Portal Three Kingdoms
Portal Three Kingdoms
Portal Three Kingdoms is the third Magic: The Gathering expansion of the Portal block, and the third starter level set. Like the other expansions in the Portal block, Portal: Three Kingdoms is designed for beginners to Magic. The setting is heavily based on the Chinese historical novel Romance of...
.
Set history
Masters Edition III was the third expansion exclusively released for Magic OnlineMagic: The Gathering Online
Magic: The Gathering Online or Magic Online is a direct video game adaptation of Magic: The Gathering, utilizing the concept of a virtual economy in order to preserve the collectible aspect of the card game. It is played through an Internet service operated by Wizards of the Coast, which went...
. The set was designed to bring previously unreleased cards to Magic Online. Starting with Mirage
Mirage (Magic: The Gathering)
Mirage was the fifteenth Magic: The Gathering set and ninth expert level set, released in October 1996. This expansion began the first official block set with one large expansion being followed by two smaller expansions all tied together through card mechanics and setting. This expansion also...
sets have been retroactively released, but many of the pre-Mirage cards were previously completely unavailable online. Its predecessors, Masters Edition
Masters Edition
Masters Edition is a Magic: The Gathering expansion, exclusive for Magic: The Gathering Online, that was released on September 10, 2007. It is the sixth compilation set, and features 195 cards printed before Mirage, 60 of each rarity and the 15 basic lands of Beta...
and Masters Edition II
Masters Edition II
Masters Edition II is a Magic: The Gathering expansion, exclusive for Magic: The Gathering Online, that was released on September 22, 2008. It is the seventh compilation set, and features 245 cards, 80 of each rarity and the 5 snow-covered basic lands of Ice Age...
, were released in 2007 and 2008. The fourth installment
Masters Edition IV
Masters Edition IV is a Magic: The Gathering expansion, exclusive for Magic: The Gathering Online, that was released on January 10, 2011. It is the ninth compilation set, and consists of 269 cards: 105 rares, 72 uncommons, 80 commons, and 12 special lands. Like all Masters Editions sets, the cards...
of the series was released on January 10, 2011.
As Masters Edition II, Masters Edition III was designed to bring specific cards to the Magic Online environment. The third installment thus consists mainly of cards from 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...
, 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 Portal Three Kingdoms
Portal Three Kingdoms
Portal Three Kingdoms is the third Magic: The Gathering expansion of the Portal block, and the third starter level set. Like the other expansions in the Portal block, Portal: Three Kingdoms is designed for beginners to Magic. The setting is heavily based on the Chinese historical novel Romance of...
. While The Dark and Legends reflect the era Masters Edition III cards should be mostly from, the Portal Three Kingdoms cards are arguably the most distinctive part of ME3 even though that set was released five years after Legends and The Dark. This is due to the fact that one of the most widely used creature abilities in Magic, "Flying", is almost completely replaced by its Portal Three Kingdoms counterpart, "Horsemanship". The other mechanics employed in Masters Editon III are multicolored cards and Legendary Creatures. Finally, all Masters Editions since Masters Edition II have a minor tribal theme. Faeries, Kobolds, and Minotaurs are the tribes used in Masters Edition III.
The cards in Masters Edition III are all available in regular and premium foil versions. As all of the cards were originally released before the foiling process was introduced to Magic and most have not been reprinted since, these cards are now available as premium foils for the first time and exclusively for Magic Online.
Mechanics and themes
- Horsemanship — This is the only keyword widely used in Masters Edition III. Horsemanship is an evasion ability that works like flying; creatures with horsemanship can be blocked only by creatures with horsemanship, but creatures with horsemanship can block creatures without horsemanship. In most Magic play environments this makes creatures with horsemanship almost unblockable as creatures with this ability are scarce, having been printed only in Portal Three KingdomsPortal Three KingdomsPortal Three Kingdoms is the third Magic: The Gathering expansion of the Portal block, and the third starter level set. Like the other expansions in the Portal block, Portal: Three Kingdoms is designed for beginners to Magic. The setting is heavily based on the Chinese historical novel Romance of...
. However, in Masters Edition III there are many creatures with horsemanship and the ability is thus very similar to flying in any regular Magic set. Masters Edition III also includes a few creatures with flying, making it the only set to have both abilities.
- Legendary creatures — In Masters Edition III most of the original Legendary creatures from the LegendsLegends (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...
expansion are reprinted, ten of them even as commons.
- Tribal — The set has a minor tribal theme. Minotaurs, Kobolds, and the green Faeries, mostly from the HomelandsHomelands (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 :...
expansion appear in limited quantities. While most of the creatures in the set are Humans, the aforementioned tribes are helped by a few cards that encourage a player to play many cards of the tribe. For example a deck including many Minotaurs will profit more from the presence of than a deck with few Minotaurs.
- World Enchantments — Six of the World Enchantments from Legends are reprinted in Masters Edition III constituting a minor theme at rare only.
Notable cards
- This card, originally printed in Magic's first expansion Arabian Nights, is a staple of Vintage and Classic format "dredge" decks. In paper, it was considered a junk rare for many years. Copies of the card were not saved or cared for and it therefore sells for over $100. Online it sells for under $10.- Strictly better than the standard Counterspell, this card is one of the pillars that Vintage decks are based around.
- Enemy colored dual lands — , , , , and . These lands provide two colors of mana with no additional drawback.