Portal (Magic: The Gathering)
portal
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| Released | May 1, 1997 | |||
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| Size | between 221–228 cards, depending on language | |||
| Expansion code | POR | |||
| Third set in the Portal block | ||||
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| Released | June 24, 1998 | |||
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| Size | 165 cards | |||
| Keywords | none | |||
| Mechanics | none | |||
| Development code | None | |||
| Expansion code | PO2 | |||
| Third set in the Portal block | ||||
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Chinese character for the number 3
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| Released | July 6, 1999 | |||
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| Size | 180 cards | |||
| Keywords | Horsemanship | |||
| Mechanics | "Zodiac" cycle | |||
| Designers | Henry Stern (lead) | |||
| Development code | None | |||
| Expansion code | PTK | |||
| Third set in the Portal block | ||||
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Portal is the name given to the three Magic: The Gathering starter level sets. The original Portal. was released on May 1, 1997, followed by Portal Second Age on June 24, 1998 and Portal Three Kingdoms on July 6, 1999. The Portal set was inspired by Chinese mythology; Three Kingdoms in particular by Chinese historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms by Luo Guanzhong.
Portal was Wizards of the Coast's first major attempt at a set that new players could come into the game and understand. Back before the major rules changes brought forth by 6th Edition, Magic rules were more complicated; today, they are simplified with the addition of the stack. The three Portal sets attempted to mitigate the complexity.
As of October 2005[update], all cards Portal, Portal Second Age, and Portal Three Kingdoms are legal in Vintage and Legacy tournaments.
On October 20, 2005, the DCI legalized cards from the Portal expansions. Now, almost all cards in the Portal block are legal in Vintage and Legacy tournaments. Allowing this set to be played in tournaments had the effect of making many cards from this set very expensive, such as Zodiac Dragon, Capture of Jingzhou, Loyal Retainers and Ravages of War. The value of those cards now often exceeds 250USD a piece, with its most sought-after card, Imperial Seal commanding well over 600USD. Many cards from this set are now worth more than 5USD, making the sealed booster box from this set one of the most expensive along with Alpha, Beta and Unlimited. In a tournament context, Three Kingdoms, like all other Portal sets, can only be used in Vintage and Legacy formats where many decks function with limited or no creature base. Three Kingdoms is also legal in the Commander format.
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Wikipedia