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Homelands (Magic: The Gathering)

Arabian Nights
expansion symbol
Released December 1993
Size 92 cards (78 unique: 27 commons and 51 uncommons)
Print run 5,000,000
Keywords None new
Mechanics Lands with abilities, djinns and efreets, metagame effects, coin-flip effects
Designers Richard Garfield
Developers Jim Lin, Chris Page, Dave Pettey, Skaff Elias
Development code Arabian Nights
Expansion code ARN (AN)
Unlimited Antiquities
Antiquities
Antiquities symbol
Released March 1994
Size 100 cards (41 commons and 59 uncommons)
Print run 15,000,000
Keywords None new
Mechanics Artifacts,
artifact effects
Designers Skaff Elias, Jim Lin, Dave Petty, Joe Mick, and Chris Page
Development code Antiquities
Expansion code ATQ (AQ)
Arabian Nights Revised
Legends
Legends set symbol
Released June 1994
Size 310 cards
Print run 35,000,000
Keywords Bands with other,
Rampage
Mechanics Legendary permanents,
Enchant Worlds,
Multicolor cards
Designers Steve Conard and Robin Herbert
Developers Skaff Elias, Jim Lin, Chris Page, Dave Pettey
Development code Legends
Expansion code LEG (LE)
Revised The Dark
The Dark
The Dark symbol
Eclipsed Moon
Released August 1994
Size 119 cards
Print run 63,000,000 or 75,000,000
Mechanics Sacrifice, Tribal, Poison
Designers

Jesper Myrfors

Previous Set = Legends
Development code The Dark
Expansion code DRK (DK)
Fallen Empires
Fallen Empires symbol
Released November 1994
Size 102 cards
(functionally different) /
187 cards
(counting distinct artwork)
Print run 350–375 million
Keywords None new
Mechanics Creature tokens,
"Tribal" creature types,
Counters
Designers Skaff Elias, Jim Lin, Dave Petty and Chris Page
Development code Fallen Empires
Expansion code FEM (FE)
The Dark 4th Edition
Chronicles
Released July 1995
Size 116 cards/
125 cards
(counting diff. artwork)
Expansion code CHR
Ice Age Homelands
Homelands
Homelands symbol
Globe of Ulgrotha
Released October 1995
Size 115 cards, 140 including different artwork
Keywords None new
Mechanics None new
Designers Scott Hungerford and Kyle Namvar
Developers Jim Lin, Chris Page, Dave Pettey, Skaff Elias
Expansion code HML (HL)
Chronicles Alliances

The collectible card game Magic: The Gathering published seven expansion sets from 1993–1995, and one compilation set. These sets contained new cards that "expanded" on the base sets of Magic with their own mechanical theme and setting; these new cards could be played on their own, or mixed in with decks created from cards in the base sets. With Magic's runaway success, many of the printings of these early sets were too small to satisfy the rapidly growing fanbase. Cards from them became rare, hard to find, and expensive. It was not until Fallen Empires and Homelands that Wizards of the Coast was able to print enough cards to meet demand; additionally, Wizards of the Coast published Chronicles, a reprint set that helped fix many of the scarcity issues with the earliest sets.

In 1995, Magic would adopt a new paradigm: "blocks" of expansion sets. Multiple expansions would all take place in the same setting, and progress a storyline. This was first seen with Ice Age into Alliances, and evolved into a form that would last for many years in 1996–1997 with Mirage, Visions, and Weatherlight.

Arabian Nights was the first Magic: The Gathering expansion set, published in 1993. The set is composed entirely of new cards. The expansion symbol of Arabian Nights is a scimitar.

The setting of Arabian Nights is inspired by the themes and characters of the Thousand and One Arabian Nights with some of the characters and places coming directly from these tales. The Arabian Nights also provides the flavor text for most of the cards in the set. Arabian Nights stands out as being one of the only two card sets primarily based on public domain real-world fiction (the other being Portal Three Kingdoms), as opposed to other card sets based on settings created exclusively for Magic.

Richard Garfield, Magic creator, acted as the sole designer for the set, and developed it in parallel with other teams working on what would become Ice Age and Mirage. The Ice Age design team, composed of Jim Lin, Chris Page, Dave Pettey, and Skaff Elias, was called upon to become the development team for Arabian Nights as well, but instead of playtesting the set they managed only to submit some comments because their schedule was so tight. At that point in Magic's development, the role of expansions was relatively undefined, and Garfield intended for Arabian Nights cards to bear a purple and gold back that would allow players to exclude Arabian Nights from their games. In his article, "The Making of Arabian Nights", Garfield cites this as his inspiration to "be more adventurous in creating mechanics and themes".


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Wikipedia

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