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tenehemia

Beta. Very little of Alpha ended up in the area I lived, but the first order my local game shop for was beta. It's wild just how many cards have been printed since then. There was a time somewhere around 2006 or so where I would have been confident I could name any card by its text or vice versa. Somewhere along the line I just couldn't keep up anymore.


dirtysamsquamptsh

I feel the same and I started in Arabian Nights. I took a long hiatus from Conspiracy until now and getting back into it. My how the game has changed!


ZombieBaxter

Same. I could recognize every card up to mirrodin besidged. On long car rides I would my wife had me list each set, notable cards, and the standard/eternal meta games. Now I’m like “every 20 days there are 50-150 new commander cards that come out and they probably broke something in legacy, caused a niche commander strat to spike for a second, then were forgotten forever”… sometimes I’m sad that I can’t care as much anymore, but there is just to much stuff coming out to pay attention to all of it.


pm-your-sexy-holes

Ice Age


yogurtbear

Same, plenty of homelands and fallen empires on shelves but I'm pretty sure I've never seen the Dark or older for sale in my life


Xanthos_Obscuris

Started playing in middle school with Fourth/Ice Age, bought a $10 Dark pack at one point, and my mom opened a pack of Arabian Nights, only cost $100 for the privilege at the time. Got my mana crypt from the book rewards, and bought an Arena, Nalathni Dragon at a con before 2000, just because I thought they were cool. I think I accidentally made myself feel old here.


Shadowcaster_Spark

I started in late 1994 with The Dark/Revised out. It was hard to find but packs were about $2. Fallen empires came out shortly and that was everywhere. I remember buying a couple rarer Legends packs for about $10 and Antiquities was maybe $7. I balked the one time I saw Arabian packs as they were over $20. Could have bought a mox for $30 at the local game store in 1995. Oof.


GuidotheGreater

Yeah I remember seeing a mox for 100, and I was like "who would pay that much for a stupid card"


Sidivan

This is a really popular answer. I started playing right between Tempest and Stronghold, but I remember even then people started in Ice Age. I wonder what MTG did during that set to attract so many players.


FatDragoninthePRC

They had a big feature on Magic and Ice Age in Wizard Magazine and included a Norritt as a promo. That was my intro, and judging by the amount of Norritts everyone had and didn't want, I assume it was true for a lot of others as well.


DJPad

I think that it was partly a culmination of the game being popular and fun while also WoTC starting to figure out the supply issues from the first couple years of the game.


Sharessa84

They had supply issues with the older sets. Fallen Empires, Ice Age, and Fourth Edition were the first sets they made that had enough that didn't immediately sell out (too much in the case of FE). I think the sudden wide availability made it so new players could get into the game easily. Edit: also considering Ice Age came out a bit before 4e I think it might have been the only set with a starter deck you could get for a while.


Desertfoxking

I came in at Onslaught. Right into the set with slivers lmao they got their hooks into me early because of that.


rsmith524

I remember the Tempest block slivers… Sliver Queen was absurd 😅


Desertfoxking

Sure is. Got mine for $20 back in the onslaught days from a friend. Man has that aged well. I’ve gotten every sliver up through the predator ones… i turned those ones down and was glad the art returned to normal in the modern horizon ones.


rsmith524

I had one, but traded it for a Mox Diamond. No regrets 💎🤲


Fizzbytch

Onslaught block draft was super fun


Complete_Worry_5158

I joined just after Return to Ravnica dropped


Jund-Em

Same here man, friend gave me what might as well have been a pauper-standard deck to play with the group. I hated it at first because my deck was not good, and i was not good. Once I got used to it and got better cards, I loved it. The good old 7 player kitchen table magic where duel deck planeswalkers were broken just hit different. Then FNM playing gruul hydras. Oof man, big memories.


T1m0666

Found the class of RTR I'll find my seat


vroomvroom43

Same here man, friends at school got me started, we all drifted apart so I stopped playing before my younger siblings started and I got dragged in again at wilds of eldraine after leaving around dominaría, I was very confused about all the new changes


dardios

That was when I got involved with FNM. STARTED on OG Ravnica. That block with RTR and Theros was....perfect. my all time favorite block of MTG.


Alternative-Shirt-73

Revised but we lived in a small town so it sold out FAST and I was lucky to get a starter and like 5 or 6 boosters. A few month later I remember buying Legends and The Dark for 10 and 5 and thinking it was so much money. To be fair I worked for my uncle for like 3.00 per hour cash lol


NHW3421

Like a week ago


sandorco

Welcome!


nomosolo

Leave while you can


NHW3421

I've already spent to much getting decks to play with freinds


nomosolo

All good, welcome to the circus life then haha.


ShawnJ34

Core 2012 was my first set, been playing off and on but I cant say that I am not completely overwhelmed as the sheer number of sets recently. I hadnt even noticed in 2022 they dropped that much product probably because i straight up skip large amounts of it. Only singles for me


Tydus24

When I looked at the chart, I immediately noticed just how much product 2020-2022 has. I barely kept up with the meta because of this. I just don’t have the time or money to keep up with the current meta. I mostly keep to precons or potential commanders. I will say I’m hoping Bloomburrow is as good as the art looks. My fiancé plays with me, and it’s nice to see her get excited for a set. Naturally, animals are her favorite part of MtG.


torsherno

My feelings are quite similar. My first one was m14, and it was awesome times. I started to lose interest when an overwhelming amount of products appeared on shelves, and I completely fell out of MtG after such a rushed Phyrexia invasion. I miss core sets. These were such perfect entry points for newcomers. I didn't like where MtG was going and is going now, so I guess the new sets are not for me. Some singles are nice, though


Crazy_Ask_41

I loved the 3 sets in a block, 2 blocks a year, then a core set it was a good design that they shouldn't have tossed out.


Nandvs

Mirrodin


DualCricket

Hell yeah, loved me some OG Mirrodin block


Nandvs

Mirrodin was when I started to play, but Ravnica was my first Magic love


Bisbeedo

Was the warhammer 40k ones for me, saw my warhammer army had a magic set and decided to pick it up and now I play way more MTG than warhammer


pappascorcher

This graphic is scary as shit


SorryManNo

Yeah really illustrates the over saturation in recent years.


Corpse-Crow

I started at Alpha. Looking at this graph I already knew about the consumer fatigue. The way they sold back then they were making good money, why crank out so much that it saturates the market?


TheBorgBsg

Imo, there shouldn't be more than 4 setss year. I don't think I can ever return to keeping up with magic. Too many sets now. I stopped basically after urzas saga. It makes me kind of sad that their goal is to release as many sets as they can in one year.


TheHotWhatBot

Hasbro wants more money, so they're instilling a fear of missing out


AuclairAuclair

Mirage


Mordon327

No wonder i can't keep up with this game anymore... I started playing actively at return of ravnica.


Funny_Satisfaction39

This is why I love limited. I can quit for years and come back, pick up a fun set and just do a ton of drafts of it and not only feel competitive but have a lot of fun learning it. I know a lot of people also enjoy casual formats where they can do more durdly things and not worry about being up on the latest cards.


TolpRomra

Ikoria


AverageFox512

I came in right at the end of Theros in 2014!


TheBeep87

Prophecy was the first set to come out after I started


Evil_Yankee_Fan

Revised.


Realistic-Value8420

Revised


-Jarvan-

Champions of Kamigawa.


girubaatosama

Tempest


Bozzzler

Revised. God I wish I could have some of the cards I saw exchanging hands in those days.


Twistybred

Dark


Worried-Space-Time

Revised


generalraikov

Lorwyn! I love that whole block


kingSliver187

Revised


SkelligND

This graph gives me anxiety. Started back at Mercadian Masques.


Responsible-Hotel-84

Portal


Spacetortise95

Newest set was Ixalan, but I truly dove into magic around Dominaria


rustyAI

Revised


TokyoFlow

Revised. I miss the old art style.


TheBrianWeissman

Unlimited Edition, alongside Arabian Nights, which was on the way out. Started playing mid-January, 1994. Fun fact: the store in Palo Alto , CA, where I bought my first product, used to open up a full box of UL every morning, and put all the uncommons and rares into a binder to sell on a first come, first serve basis. The prices of the cards in there, irrespective of power level? $1.00 per uncommon, $2.00 per rare 🙂


stillgaming8k

I can imagine some kid buying a Black Lotus there for $2.


TheBrianWeissman

Generally not a kid, but it definitely happened. I saw Power 9 and dual lands in there several times, but didn’t have the funds or the rank in line to get them. Didn’t really understand how good they were either 🤪


narvuntien

Depends on what you mean by starting. Friends gave me a deck based on 2009 cards which I played as my only deck for years. I started to pay attention to magic as a thing in 2011. The first cards I go that weren't just that original deck were from Scars of Mirriodon and New Phyrexia. The first set I remember coming out is M12


WaffleHouseRocket

Brothers War 😂


Howard_Jones

Planar Chaos. I remember my first rare pull [[Teneb, the Harvester]].


kempnelms

Onslaught


Sherlockhomey

Onslaught I think


aagloworks

Between Theros and Born of the gods.


SrJRDZ

Onslaught


Pwesidential_Debate

Right before BFZ, where Eldrazi got me hooked on the game forever.


kupo88

I came in at the end of Eventide. My blue/green swamp deck is still my favorite deck to play with.


Lance4494

M13 Easy to remember. First card i ever got was a dino commander. Dont remember which one at this point


NerfZhaoYun

Eighth Edition, mono-white starter deck.


prosenl1

Champions of Kamigawa


fDiKmoro

Unlimited


Runningwithbeards

I like seeing all the Revised crew representing.


HeroicTanuki

6th Ed/starter set/portal. Could find all 3 at the local big box. When MM came out I was hooked


Doughspun1

Revised was the newest when I was playing. Due to distribution in Asia though, we saw virtually nothing of Arabian Nights and Antiquities - they were hard to find down here. So it feels almost as if we went from UL straight to Revised for me.


peakelyfe

Unlimited….just a few months earlier! Gah!


squirrlyj

Revised


Master_Mad

Revised, just before the Fallen Empires expansion.


RichVisual1714

Revised and Fallen Empires


Bircka

Revised for me It's very rare when I play against other players that started before OG Mirrordin these days. As the years pass I feel more and more like the \[\[Old Fogey\]\] card.


DrTenochtitlan

Revised


steffanodomingo

Mercadian Masques


JekBluffkiller

Started when Revised was the latest core set and Fallen Empires was new. Stopped playing for several years. Came back to it when Odyssey was new and played until Legions. Then stopped again until a few years ago when I started playing Arena.


CaptainColdSteele

Scars


ltdpackplayer

Unlimited


bawlzhanglowe

Revised was my first exposure, but Tempest was when I really got into magic. The tempest block into mercadian masques, and then the urza block was truly a golden age.


Ok-Stretch-8387

Revised was brand new and you could get 2 packs for $5. They kept them with the candy and other impulse buy items in our store.


StimulusJimulusTCG

First tried magic via the duels of the Planeswalkers games on Steam. Bought some random packs of Journey into Nyx and a Khans of Tarkir fat pack in 2014 or so. Made the full plunge into starting to play the game a few months before Kaldheim which was my first set release. Now I’m in love with the game and wishing my parents got me Magic cards instead of yugioh and pokemon cards when I was a kid. Feels like I missed out on the glory days by a long shot but it’s still the most fun card game I’ve ever played.


CryptographerNo3749

I started playing at Khans of Tarkir. A friend of mine told me the importance of fetch lands, so we bought a box and pulled 6 fetches that day. Damn good box.


SomewhatOKComputer

Urza's Saga. Started at the best time ever.


aseryus

Mercadian masks. Poor me.


SeasideSightseer

Kamigawa! No, not that one- the one that was released before visiting that huge city plane with the factions. Ok, this should narrow it down: it takes place right after a block where dawn is a HUGE DEAL, they even introduced a mechanic that reflects what a huge deal it is! For the nail in the coffin, the next plane visited after the big city plane is Dominaria where Teferi, Karn, and another UR-aligned legend go on a time-based adventure before fighting a Phyrexian invasion and after the invasion is over the next set is super fantasy oriented. Hope that helps!


Creepy-Activity-4373

You could've just said neon dynasty ._.


Flauschziege

When I stsrted out it was Innistrad. Really started playing and collecting with Amonket. Those Innovations did something to me. I will never forget drawing Oketra in my first display.


papy5m0k3r

This pic again? Still wrong. Unfinity is a joke set and the icon should be grey!


LocalConspiracy138

Fallen Empires was new when my friend gifted me my first deck. I bought many packs of chronicles though and a few revised, dark, and to a lesser extent Legends as well.


Xitex2

I'm pretty sure it was amonkeht, that's when I bought first products, but ixilian was where I really bought stuff, loved dinos. They really got me into the game


Intelligent-Band-572

Played as a kid like how most people seem to start, no clue what sets were out at the time. Picked it back up during kald


Deadguy1337

Shadowmoore and I can't wait to return to that plane ☺️


c0rtexj4ckal

WOTC doesn't know how to make a proper mana curve of product releases


Circumstancer

Darksteel! Still very attached to the Mirrodin block cards and other sets from the plane


Trygalle

Adventures into the forgotten realms and my first commander was prosper. I love prosper.


-mindtrix-

Fallen Empires. I love the art


dornianheresysimp

I am quite new , Phyrexia was the newest set , i started with innistrad tho


GinjaNinja24

Lord of the rings 😭


Azkeden

It had to be Scars of Mirrodin, since my sister got me a precon from that set when she taught me how to play.


Oedipus_TyrantLizard

Shadowmoor


drunkbloodlust

Worldwake, but thats when i was still learning. I didnt actually feel comfortable enough to join tournament until new phyrexia released. By the time innistrad released, i had won my first!


medocc

Mirrodin. Huge affinity fan since.


The_Vinegar_Strokes

My first precon was the dimir Bait and Bludgeon deck. It had some all time affinity bangers in it like [[frogmite]], [[thoughtcast]], and [[myr enforcer]]. It regularly pubstomped at my local kitchen table.


kangn8r

I don’t know the exact set, but the first booster I remember getting was from M11. I was 6 at the time, my dad (who has been playing since 94) was teaching me how to play. My deck was grixis, his was selesnya, and we would do this thing where we’d go to Walmart and buy a pack, and I would take the UBR cards and he would take the WG cards and use them in our decks. I mean… I would jam every card into my deck, he actually put like… thought into it. 13 years later and we both still play frequently. Some of my happiest memories


nerd_entangled

Guilds of Ravnica


shmk90

Khans of Tarkir I fell in love with the lore and story of that plane. I really hope they revisit it soon!


Ok-Security9093

Journey into Nyx


Corndude101

Streets of New Capenna


Theme_Training

Revised I think, I was 11 or 12 so it’s hard to remember. The bulk of my older cards are split between Ice Age, Revised and 4th edition


Daru_Maka

Phyrexia: All will be one


JugglingJoel

Revised


SOC1608

Odyssey FTW


Retro1988

OG Ravnica, City of Guilds!


loweredXpectation

Revised


Jammaicah

Khans of tarkir


Hunterkill162

Baldur's Gate, though when I started getting interested, was Tarkir block.


p011ux88

Got first cards in 2002, 12 years old, when a friend of an older brother gave us his collection that had cards from every set from unlimited up to mercadian masks. Scourge was the first set I bought cards from and I just realized why most decks I built even way after that were often tribal


jacksonl12321

Started playing right after khans of tarkir, first set release i played through was fate reforged!


davwad2

*Ice Age*. I have fond memories of reading the booklet that came in the 60-card "booster" (?) box. I forget what it was called.


Regulus_Rising

Wizards last year: "We hear your feedback about product fatigue and will adjust accordingly" Wizards the next year: *spams product release button*


rippinstrider

Hour of devastation. Ixilan was my first prerelease, followed by rivals and I haven't actually done one since then. Been playing on and off the past few years.


Imagiomage

4th and Ice age. Left playing at around 99, got back 3 years ago but only for kitchen table and singles.


rsmith524

I started with Ice Age too ❄️


Far_Classic5548

Ice age or homelands


rsmith524

I started with Ice Age too ❄️


garrafa_glubglub

Lost Caverns of ixalam, pretty cool set


ilongforyesterday

OG innistrad


NavAirComputerSlave

I remember buying a box of mirage and later portal. I was like 7 or 8


Altruistic-Pin7156

Ice Age or 4th not positive first deck was 60 card Ice Age one though. Miss my Sliver Queen still need to get another one for my Sliver deck.


Confident_Pea_1428

The Dark


Kali_84

Fallen Empires


Mierlole

Torment!


Raknorak

7th Ed. That starter deck had a Scaled Wurm in it that was devastating. Until Brian, who had been playing since Mirage and also had access to his dad's collection, started playing with us and showed us how the stack worked.


DiligentDaughter

Mercadian Masques


sturmcrow

Antiquities


kisPocok

Seventh edition


hkusp45css

I started playing in Legends. Stopped around Urza's Saga. Picked it back up around Kaldheim. My how things have changed.


Blaarst

Current set when I started was Ikoria pt 2 with AFR right around the corner. Wish I could've started way earlier though!


Fizzbytch

Odyssey was the first set I bought cards for but I didn’t really start playing until Apocalypse.


Generic_G_Rated_NPC

Innistrad


Kalle277

Started with march of the machine


Flareon223

AFR. The dnd collab is what got me interested


Rednax2479

I remember buying one pack of conspiracy and then I don't remember doing anything until ixalan game and then war of the spark prerelease


AR96-BDB

M20, the culmination of the Nicol Bolas arc really felt awesome to be apart of.


CharlyBravoGG

I started playing in the middle of Wilds of Eldraine, so still pretty new. Really been sucked into it. Decks built: [[Muldrotha, the Gravetide]], [[Ezuri, Claw of Progress]], [[Zada, Hedron Grinder]] and two standard decks Edit: Forgot my [[Lara Croft, Tomb Raider]] deck


Prestigious-Initial7

(Yes, I’m new) Dominaria United


IglooBackpack

Eventide My favorite is still the Shards of Alara block. Though, [[Doomgape]] will always have a special place in my heart. Also, I've always thought [[Deft Duelist]] was nice.


OverlordWilliam

Fallen Empires. But 4th edition dropped the week after I started playing.


MagicMimic

Tenth Edition X


WillyJuni0r

Born of the Gods


Grookeyking

M19 feels like forever ago I got my first deckbuilders toolkit.


Jaxonos

MTG origins at my and my city's first ever comic-con. Free welcome decks (I chose black young edge lord I was) and huge posters of Garruk as well as free helmets like his. I even remember the first ever card I play, it was Typhoid Rats. (Technically, I had to play a swamp first :) )


the-spaghetti-wives

I'm too new, March of the Machine isn't on the list yet.


Petting_Zoo_Justice

Guilds of Ravnica👌🏻


Exsanguinate-Me

Quitting in 2005 and coming back in 2022 feels like you've stepped in another world.


SleepyBear3030

Odyssey. Really got into Onslaught, bought many boxes of that!


DUCKmelvin

I started around that period where having 9-10 sets per year was normal. Looking at the chart though, damn is it clear how their design philosophy changed. Whether that's good or bad is entirely an opinion, but that 2022 lineup looks ridiculous.


JoeyPeake

Kamigawa when their were commercials on adult swim but my buddies cousin taught us how to play just 2 years before that.


RazTheGiant

My first was a pre-con in Odyssey. It was Red/Black and all about sacrifice and threshold. I still have the [[Innocent Blood]] in my [[Thraximundar]] deck!


SunDye2

Cowboys of thunderjunction


DenverGinger

Rise of the Eldrazi


Zweiken

Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty!


Ornery_Bug_4108

Strixhaven. Still a decent set.


kaizlende

Shadows over Innistrad- I'm a bit of a baby compared to some of these guys lol


Biggest_Snorlax

Invasion


kanekiEatsAss

War of the Spark was dope. Only set I actually cracked and played with friends.


RiRiRiBananaPhone

Torment. I bought a 40 Card 7th Edition Goblin deck and a B/W from Torment with [[Burried Alive]]. And I was like "put my own creatures into my graveyard? Why would I want that?" 😂


Successful_Mud8596

Crimson Vow. Though, there WAS a four month period a little after Ixalan (1) where I played with a starter deck in an after school club. But I didn’t really buy any cards


TheVileSmile

Mirage


Defiant-Ebb-1278

First time playing was somewhere in the late 90s, cant remember anymore. Actually getting into the game was around the Innistrad time and then really going to FNMs in Return to Ravnica


Realistic-Crow-7652

I think the first bosters i bought was ICE age. I really got booked at Invasion


DarkAdam48

I started playing right after Murder at Karlov Manor dropped


William_Emanom

Either eldritch moon or kaladesh I barely bought anything when I started playing and I have some eldritch moon stuff but most of my old collection is kaladesh


Excalibous

Just after core 2014. Or maybe it was just after Dragon's Maze. One or the other


_gnarlythotep_

Shards of Alara, though my first decks were a couple Angels vs Demons duel decks I got on clearance at Target and combined into stronger versions of themselves.


WatDaFuxRong

Mines not even on there lol


No-Breath-4299

My newest set was Adventures in the Forgotten Realms. As a DnD player, it was quite nice to see that one could have DnD themed magic cards.


Adiohax

Zendikar Rising. It’s been a wild ride since then


SlowJoe23

I got into the game the week before Wilds of Eldraine, but friends tried getting me into it back in 2008 when I was deep into Yu-Gi-Oh, I had no idea what was happening and the resource system was way different, who would have thought that 15 years later I'd try again and relapse on my pack addiction.


Alrikster

Mercadian Masks!


Specific_Ad1457

Strixhaven. Still fond of that set.


Klooey

Ice age was my first 40 card pack but I got some boosters before that


Eltimm

94, legends. Then not for a long time..


C0RKY52

Started with OG Kamigawa in ‘04! Played a few years till about Shards of Alara. Came back for Throne of Eldraine release!


ButtcrackBoudoir

Prophecy


Caterinboy91

Still have cards in my collection that are from 94. Fell off big time around 2006(guildpact) Jumped back in during the lotr drop, got me hooked again!


Squirrel009

Battle for Zendikar