Limited Edition (Magic: The Gathering)

Limited Edition Alpha
ReleasedAugust 5, 1993
Size295 cards[1]
(74 common
95 uncommon
116 rare
10 basic land)
Print run2,600,000[1]
KeywordsBanding, First Strike, Flying, Landwalk, Trample, Protection
Expansion codeLEA (LA)
Limited Edition Beta
ReleasedOctober 1993
Size302 cards (75 common, 95 uncommon, 117 rare, 15 basic land)
Print run7,300,000[1] or 7,800,000[2]
KeywordsBanding, First Strike, Flying, Landwalk, Trample, Protection
Expansion codeLEB (LB)
← Alpha Unlimited →

Magic: The Gathering Limited Edition is the first Magic: The Gathering card set. It premiered in a limited release at Origins Game Fair in 1993, with a general release that August. The initial print run of 2.6 million cards sold out quickly, and a new printing run was released in October 1993. These two runs are known as Limited Edition Alpha and Limited Edition Beta, or just Alpha and Beta for short. Although Alpha and Beta are referred to as different sets by some, officially they are the same set; Wizards of the Coast had expected that people wouldn't necessarily be able to tell the two press runs apart. Beta fixed a number of misprints and errors on cards. The printer accidentally used different corner rounding dies for the second run, resulting in Alpha cards being noticeably distinct in shape and appearance from Beta cards and all subsequent cards.[3][4][5] The Beta printing also included a revised rulebook with a number of clarifications, although creator Richard Garfield's short fiction "Worzel's Tale" was removed to make room. The print run of Beta is given as 7.3 million[1] or 7.8 million[2][6] depending on the source. Despite the set's print run being about three times as big as Alpha's, Beta sold out as quickly as its predecessor.

Limited Edition cards have no expansion symbol, no copyright date, and no trademark symbols; the text on the bottom left consists only of an artist credit.[3][4]

  1. ^ a b c d "Alpha, Beta, Unlimited Editions". Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on September 4, 2008. Retrieved August 10, 2009.
  2. ^ a b "Limited Edition". Crystal Keep. Archived from the original on April 6, 2007. Retrieved November 1, 2012.
  3. ^ a b Miller, John Jackson (2001), Scrye Collectible Card Game Checklist & Price Guide, p. 520.
  4. ^ a b Moursund, Beth (2002), The Complete Encyclopedia of Magic The Gathering, p. 720.
  5. ^ Searle, Michael (March 1997), InQuest, The Ultimate Guide to Card Games, p. 136.
  6. ^ Burke, Scott M., "Magic: The Gathering", Scrye - The Game Card Collector's Guide, no. 2, p. 68.