Antiquities (Magic: The Gathering)
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| Antiquities | ||||
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| Released | March 1994 | |||
| Size | 100 cards (41 commons and 59 uncommons) | |||
| Print run | 15,000,000[1] | |||
| Keywords | None new | |||
| Mechanics | Artifacts, artifact effects |
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| Exp. code | ATQ (AQ) | |||
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Antiquities was the fifth Magic: The Gathering set and the second expansion set. It was the first set to have an original backstory and explore the mythos of the Magic universe (see Magic: The Gathering storylines). The set was created by the group of students at the University of Pennsylvania that had helped Richard Garfield design the original game. The expansion symbol for Antiquities was an anvil.
Antiquities managed to solve many of the printing errors that had plagued previous sets, although the expansion symbol was omitted from Reconstruction. The only major problem noticed by players was the poor collation of the set; many booster boxes contained several packs with exactly the same cards in each, making it next-to-impossible for players in many parts of the country to collect complete sets. To correct this, Wizards of the Coast introduced a "buyback" program, allowing players to trade in their excess cards for money. This backfired on many players who took early advantage of it as Antiquities cards soon began rising in price on the secondary-sales market. In the UK at least, the 'buyback' was limited to the uncommon cards; however, it was possible to exchange these for cards from the previous Arabian Nights expansion too.
[edit] Storyline
The story of Antiquities takes place on the plane of Dominaria and centers on the two brothers Urza and Mishra. Very old and incredibly powerful artifacts from the age of the Thran have been uncovered, and in a hidden cave, the two brothers find a magical stone. They battle for control of it, and their struggle, later renamed the Brothers' War, soon spans the continent of Terisiare. Both sides use the ancient artifacts of the Thran for their benefit and bring destruction to the world. The culmination of Urza's and Mishra's conflict was revealed in the 1998 expansion set Urza's Saga. [2]
[edit] References
- ^ "Antiquities". Crystal Keep. http://www.crystalkeep.com/magic/products/antiquities.php. Retrieved 2009-08-10.
- ^ "Antiquities". Wizards of the Coast. http://www.wizards.com/magic/tcg/productarticle.aspx?x=mtg_tcg_antiquities_productinfo. Retrieved 2009-08-01.
