Alliances (Magic: The Gathering)

Alliances

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Released	10 June 1996
Size	199 cards (144 functionally different)
Keywords	Cumulative Upkeep
Mechanics	Allied color, cantrips, pitch spells, snow lands
Designers	Skaff Elias, Jim Lin, Dave Petty and Chris Page
Development code	Quack
Expansion code	ALL
Second set in the Ice Age block
Ice Age Alliances Coldsnap
← Homelands Mirage →

Alliances is the second set in the Ice Age block. It was originally the third set but it became the second when Homelands was removed from the block to make place for Coldsnap.

Storyline

The story follows the events of Ice Age, after the so-called goddess (actually a planeswalker) Freyalise had used her magic to end the Ice Age. As the lands grew warmer, conflicts began to erupt. The Balduvian Barbarians were under constant attacks from a vigilante group headed by a former Kjeldoran knight, General Varchild, and needed to turn to their former foes for help. The Soldevi alliance was breaking down amid fears that their unearthing of artifacts of the Brothers' War (as described in Antiquities) could restart that destructive conflict. And all the while, the wicked necromancer known as Lim-Dûl gathered forces to conquer the entire world.

Set history

Alliances experimented with different levels of rarities of cards. There are 49 rares in the set, three of these being artifacts that are actually three times as common as the other rares, thus making them just as common as most uncommons. Alliances was the last set to have multiple cards (other than basic lands) with more than one artistic conception.

Alliances was the only set besides Chronicles to be sold in 12 card packs. Each pack included one rare card, three uncommon, and eight common cards.

Notable cards

• Balduvian Horde
• Force of Will - Because of it's ability to counter any spell for free, this is a staple in eternal formats.
• Lake of the Dead
• Pillage
• Thawing Glaciers

External links

• Wizards' Official page for Alliances
• MTG Salvation article on Alliances