The Dark (Magic: The Gathering)

For other uses, see The Dark.

The Dark

File:Exp sym dark.gif Crescent Moon
Released	August 1994
Size	119 cards
Mechanics	Sacrifice, Tribal
← Legends Fallen Empires →

The Dark was the eighth Magic: The Gathering set and the fourth expansion set, 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 it did not add any new keywords.

Set history

This set, as well as the next set Fallen Empires and Homelands, are widely considered by players to be among the weakest Magic sets. Unlike all the previous sets, The Dark was created with an overall decrease in the power level and the speed of the game. Initial problems with the Power Nine in Alpha/Beta/Unlimited, the Library of Alexandria and Ali from Cairo Arabian Nights, as well as Mana Drain and The Abyss in Legends had led Magic designers to more closely consider all the possibilities when creating an individual card. This led to an underpowered set and this trend continued with the rare exception of a few cards until the Tempest expansion in 1997.

The Dark is also the oldest set released to not have a card retail over $100 USD on the secondary market. In fact so few of the cards are "worthwhile" in this set that almost all of them can be bought for less than $1 and all the rest usually under $11.

Storyline

In the aftermath of the Brother's War, a series of conflicts ends up causing most of Dominaria's inhabitants to revert to a more primitive state. During this time, several leaders and notable heroes rise up, such as Vervamon the Elder (who was later burned at the stake), Maeveen O'Donahough, Barl the Artificer, Lord Ith (who was held captive by Mairsil), and Mairsil the Pretender.

After the destruction of large amounts of the continent Terisiare during the Brother's War, most nations turn heavily to religion and magic to help them cope with the coming ice age caused by the "nuclear" winter. Mairsil the Pretender, the advisor to an unnamed king, imprisons Lord Ith in the device called "Barl's Cage" (a mage-prison built by his chief artificer, Barl) and wages war in the "Dark Lands", areas of Terisiare overcome with black mana influence. Lord Ith summons a rag man to find someone to free him. Mairsil is obsessed with finding a gateway to Phyrexia, and when a young mage named Jodah arrives, he tries to manipulate the boy to take him there.

During these times, he employs Maveen O'Donahough and his troop of mercenaries, who go out and do scout, search and destroy, and other various missions. They are accompanied by Vervamon the Elder, an elderly sage who records parts of their travel and takes down bits of important lore. However, when he returns, he is branded a heretic and burned at the stake as a martyr.

Eventually, Jodah frees Lord Ith as Mairsil begins to lose his power (caused by the weakening of the land by the coming ice age). After this, there is no continuation of the storyline until Ice Age.

Mechanics

The Dark introduced no new mechanics. However, it did utilize several themes that would be used later on in Magic sets.

• "Sacrifice", where a player has to sacrifice something to gain the upper hand against an opponent, usually life or creatures. A good example of this is Blood of the Martyr.
• "Tribal", an archetype which would later be more prominent in Magic, established its roots here. Specifically, Goblins received boosts such as Goblin Caves and Goblin Shrine.

Notable Cards

• Sorrow's Path: This card is widely regarded as being the worst land ever printed, along with the Legends banding lands[1][2]

External links

• Wizards' official page on The Dark
• Updated Official The Dark page
• CrystalKeep The Dark section