Fourth Edition
From M:TG Archive, a library of Magic: The Gathering information
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| Expansion symbol | 
|
|---|---|
| Product code | 4ED |
| Number of cards | 378 |
| Release date | April 1995 |
| Design team | |
| Development team | {{{developers}}} |
The Fourth Edition of Magic: The Gathering was the ninth set released for the game, and the fourth base set (or "core set"). The set was released in April, 1995 and contained 378 cards. It was the first set to reprint cards from the expansions Legends and The Dark with white borders.
Fourth Edition was also the first Magic set to be printed in Asian languages, including Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Portuguese, which was printed primarily for the Brazilian market. The Japanese edition was particularly successful and contributed to the burgeoning of Magic's popularity in Japan.
Contents |
[edit] Cards removed
For the second basic set in a row (Revised Edition had set a precedent for all core sets that followed), several cards were removed and new ones were added.
Among those cards removed were those that had attracted controversy from those outside the game. Most of the cards whose art depicted nude or near-nude humanoid forms (including 'Earthbind' and 'Guardian Angel') were excised, as were many that had overtly religious themes (including 'Resurrection' and 'Demonic Hordes'), though one demon, 'Lord of the Pit', remained. One card, 'Unholy Strength', had its artwork altered to remove a flaming inverted pentagram from the background.
Also removed were the original ten "dual lands" (one for each pair of Magic's five colors). With the ability to tap for one mana of either of two colors, they were deemed too powerful. Other cards pruned from the set for being too potent included 'Fork', 'Regrowth', and 'Sol Ring', while a few, such as 'Vesuvan Doppelganger' or 'Kudzu', were considered too complicated (and the cause of too many headaches) to warrant their inclusion. One card dropped for being too complex, 'Clone', would return to the core set in Ninth Edition after the rules dealing with cards of its kind had been streamlined.
[edit] Famous Cards
Like other basic sets, Fourth Edition introduced no cards that had not yet been printed. However, it did make some older cards newly available, which was a concern in those days, when expansion sets were printed in limited editions (today they are printed to meet demand). Cards appearing in the basic set for the first time included:
- Strip Mine: For more than a year after Fourth Edition came out, the Mine (a land that can be used either for mana or to destroy an opposing land) was automatically included in almost every deck in the Standard (then called "Type II") tournament format. The omnipresence of Strip Mine led to its being restricted by the DCI in mid-1996 to one per deck, and its removal from Fifth Edition.
- Mishra's Factory: Another land that was used in a broad range of Standard tournament decks, this one for its ability to turn into a creature for a turn at a time.
- Sylvan Library: Being able to look at the top three cards of one's library each turn, and select the best to draw (or pay life to draw multiples) made this a powerful addition to many control decks.
- Ball Lightning: Aggressive red decks loved to play this creature, a very efficient (though always short-lived) source of damage.
- Land Tax: Though all it essentially does is let its controller get land cards from his deck into his hand, a seemingly harmless ability, Land Tax was so efficient and powerful at what it did that it was included in almost every deck playing with white. It formed the basis for many powerful combinations with other cards, and so was restricted to one per deck along with Strip Mine (see above).
[edit] Products
| Language | name | 60-card starter deck | 10-deck display box | 15-card booster pack | 36-pack display box | Gift box |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| English | Fourth Edition | WOC6100 ISBN 1-880992-25-6 UPC 7-42818-16100-1 | WOC16100 ISBN 1-880992-25-6 UPC 7-42818-16100-8 | WOC6700 ISBN 1-880992-26-4 UPC 7-42818-16700-3 | WOC16700 ISBN 1-880992-26-4 UPC 7-42818-16700-0 | WOC6550 ISBN 1-880992-52-3 UPC 7-42818-06550-4 |
| Italian | Quarta Edizione | WOC25000 SL9002 UPC 8-018527-09002-4 | WOC25001 SL9002 UPC 8-018527-19002-1 | WOC25002 SL9105 UPC 8-018527-09105-2 | Unknown | Unconfirmed |
| French | Quatrième Édition | WOC20004 ISBN 1-880992-77-9 UPC 9-788809-92779-7 | WOC20005 ISBN 1-880992-78-7 UPC 9-788809-92787-2 | Unknown | ??? ISBN 1-880992-79-5 UPC 9-788809-92795-7 | Unconfirmed |
- The Pocket Players' Guide, WOC6200, ISBN 1-57530-089-3, UPC 7-42818-06200-8
- The Pocket Players' Guide (re-labeled), ISBN 0-06-105623-5, UPC 7-80061-05623-9
