Starter 1999
From MTG Salvation Wiki
| ||
|---|---|---|
| Symbol | 
| |
| Design Team | ||
| Development Team | ||
| Release Date | July 1999 | |
| Mechanics | None new | |
| Keywords | None new | |
| Size | 173 (63 Common 55 Uncommon 35 Rare 20 Lands) | |
| Expansion Code | S99 | |
| Magic: The Gathering Chronology | ||
| Starter 1999 | Starter 2000 | |
The Starter set is a starter-level that came out in July 1999. It was legalized for Legacy and Vintage on October 20, 2005.[1]
Contents |
[edit] Set details
Starter 1999 was sold in 15-card booster packs (containing 1 rare, 3 uncommon, 9 common and 2 basic lands), five different 40 card theme decks and a 2 Player Starter Set.
Starter was the next attempt, after the Portal series, to ease new players into the game. Just like these sets it leaves out elements unneccessary for basic game play, such as artifacts, enchantments and complicated abilities. Rules text are also written in bold type and separated from the flavor text with a thick line.
Unlike the Portal series Starter does contain instants. These are: Counterspell, Extinguish and Remove Soul (some sorceries from the Portal series were later changed to instants by errata).
Unlike the Portal series Starter does not have any creatures with a 
ability.
The Starter set is only slightly larger than a standard smaller expansion and most of its cards are reprints of cards already available, mostly from the Portal series. The Starter set does contain twenty-six new cards created just for this release. Starter cards are available in a fixed-deck game, boosters and preconstructed decks (one for each color).
The 2 Player Starter Set comes with two decks, two playmats, a step-by-step play guide, and a simplified version of the rulebook. This game contains eight cards not available in boosters, four of which haven't been printed anywhere else (Eager Cadet, Royal Falcon, Sea Eagle, and Willow Elf).
[edit] Cycles
Starter has two cycles:
- Super Tramplers: A vertical cycle of creatures that deal their combat damage to the defending player as though they weren't blocked — Lone Wolf, Pride of Lions, Thorn Elemental. It is said that this ability was created because Wizards thought trample was too confusing, yet this new ability wasn't taken too well in its place. This cycle is represented in the Impaler theme deck.
- Vanilla one-drops: Each of these 1/1 creatures costs C and has no abilities — Eager Cadet, Merfolk of the Pearl Trident, Muck Rats, Mons's Goblin Raiders and Willow Elf.
[edit] Functional reprints
Starter has three functional reprints:
- Goblin Chariot is a functional reprint of Raging Cougar from Portal and Wild Colos from Urza's Destiny.
- Loyal Sentry is a functional reprint of Alaborn Zealot from Portal Second Age.
- Veteran Cavalier is a functional reprint of Alaborn Grenadier from Portal Second Age.
[edit] Notable Cards
- Grim Tutor — one of the few notable cards this set has introduced, Grim Tutor is still one of the best black Tutors.
[edit] Theme decks
The preconstructed theme decks are:
| Theme deck name | |||||
| White | Blue | Black | Red | Green | |
| Blinding Fury | □ | ||||
| Deadly Instinct | ■ | ||||
| Goblin Assault | ■ | ||||
| Impaler | ■ | ||||
| Time Curse | ■ | ||||
For the content of the decks in the 2 Player Starter Set see Starter 1999 2 Player Starter Set.
[edit] Misprints
- Goblin Hero was printed with a gold expansion symbols, the card is common not rare.
- Mons's Goblin Raiders was printed with a gold expansion symbols, the card is common not rare.
[edit] References
- ↑ "More About March 1st", by Aaron Forsythe, DailyMTG.com, Friday, March 11, 2005
[edit] External links
- Starter 1999 Product Page (old)
- Official Starter 1999 Information Product Page — Magic: The Gathering (new)
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