Alpha - Magic: The Gathering
In August 1993, the release of Magic: The Gathering Alpha marked the beginning of a revolutionary card game that would soon capture the imagination of millions. Designed by the creative minds of Richard Garfield and published by Wizards of the Coast, Alpha introduced a unique blend of strategy, artistry, and fantasy, paving the way for the beloved collectible card game we know today.
This first set featured Alpha Magic cards that set the foundation for Magic’s intricate gameplay, including powerful rares, diverse creatures, and strategic spells. The launch quickly gained traction, captivating players with its deep mechanics and rich lore. While initially limited in print, the Alpha set became a highly sought-after collector’s item, shaping the early landscape of the game.
Throughout the years, Magic: The Gathering Alpha remains a cornerstone for collectors, embodying the roots of the franchise that has since expanded into countless expansions, tournaments, and gaming communities worldwide.
In the early 2000s, creators like Kurt Busiek and Paul Lee revisited Magic’s origins, crafting stories that paid homage to the set’s historic debut and the Alpha Magic cards that continue to capture players’ hearts.
Let your journey begin with Magic: The Gathering Alpha—where it all began!
Plains
| Set Name | Name | Type | Color | Number | Rarity | Pay up to... |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Alpha |
Plains |
Land |
White |
1 |
Common |
$25 |
Island
| Set Name | Name | Type | Color | Number | Rarity | Pay up to... |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Alpha |
Island |
Land |
Blue |
2 |
Common |
$25 |
Swamp
| Set Name | Name | Type | Color | Number | Rarity | Pay up to... |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Alpha |
Swamp |
Land |
Black |
3 |
Common |
$25 |
Mountain
| Set Name | Name | Type | Color | Number | Rarity | Pay up to... |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Alpha |
Mountain |
Land |
Red |
4 |
Common |
$25 |
Forest
| Set Name | Name | Type | Color | Number | Rarity | Pay up to... |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Alpha |
Forest |
Land |
Green |
5 |
Common |
$25 |
Mox Pearl
| Set Name | Name | Type | Color | Number | Rarity | Pay up to... |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Alpha |
Mox Pearl |
Artifact |
None |
6 |
Rare |
$6 000 |
Mox Sapphire
| Set Name | Name | Type | Color | Number | Rarity | Pay up to... |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Alpha |
Mox Sapphire |
Artifact |
Blue |
7 |
Rare |
$5 000 |
Mox Jet
| Set Name | Name | Type | Color | Number | Rarity | Pay up to... |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Alpha |
Mox Jet |
Artifact |
Black |
8 |
Rare |
$7 500 |
Mox Ruby
| Set Name | Name | Type | Color | Number | Rarity | Pay up to... |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Alpha |
Mox Ruby |
Artifact |
Red |
9 |
Rare |
$10 000 |
Mox Emerald
| Set Name | Name | Type | Color | Number | Rarity | Pay up to... |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Alpha |
Mox Emerald |
Artifact |
Green |
10 |
Rare |
$5 000 |
Black Lotus
| Set Name | Name | Type | Color | Number | Rarity | Pay up to... |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Alpha |
Black Lotus |
Artifact |
None |
11 |
Rare |
$75 000 |
Ancestral Recall
| Set Name | Name | Type | Color | Number | Rarity | Pay up to... |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Alpha |
Ancestral Recall |
Sorcery |
Blue |
12 |
Rare |
$15 000 |
Time Walk
| Set Name | Name | Type | Color | Number | Rarity | Pay up to... |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Alpha |
Time Walk |
Sorcery |
Blue |
13 |
Rare |
$15 000 |
Lightning Bolt
| Set Name | Name | Type | Color | Number | Rarity | Pay up to... |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Alpha |
Lightning Bolt |
Instant |
Red |
14 |
Uncommon |
$450 |
Swords to Plowshares
| Set Name | Name | Type | Color | Number | Rarity | Pay up to... |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Alpha |
Swords to Plowshares |
Instant |
White |
15 |
Uncommon |
$1 750 |
Counterspell
| Set Name | Name | Type | Color | Number | Rarity | Pay up to... |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Alpha |
Counterspell |
Instant |
Blue |
16 |
Uncommon |
$1 250 |
Dark Ritual
| Set Name | Name | Type | Color | Number | Rarity | Pay up to... |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Alpha |
Dark Ritual |
Instant |
Black |
17 |
Uncommon |
$200 |
Channel
| Set Name | Name | Type | Color | Number | Rarity | Pay up to... |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Alpha |
Channel |
Sorcery |
Green |
18 |
Rare |
$225 |
Fireball
| Set Name | Name | Type | Color | Number | Rarity | Pay up to... |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Alpha |
Fireball |
Sorcery |
Red |
19 |
Uncommon |
$140 |
Giant Growth
| Set Name | Name | Type | Color | Number | Rarity | Pay up to... |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Alpha |
Giant Growth |
Sorcery |
Green |
20 |
Common |
$80 |
Terror
| Set Name | Name | Type | Color | Number | Rarity | Pay up to... |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Alpha |
Terror |
Sorcery |
Black |
21 |
Uncommon |
$60 |
Disenchant
| Set Name | Name | Type | Color | Number | Rarity | Pay up to... |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Alpha |
Disenchant |
Sorcery |
White |
22 |
Uncommon |
$70 |
Regrowth
| Set Name | Name | Type | Color | Number | Rarity | Pay up to... |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Alpha |
Regrowth |
Sorcery |
Green |
23 |
Uncommon |
$350 |
Healing Salve
| Set Name | Name | Type | Color | Number | Rarity | Pay up to... |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Alpha |
Healing Salve |
Sorcery |
White |
24 |
Common |
$25 |
Clone
| Set Name | Name | Type | Color | Number | Rarity | Pay up to... |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Alpha |
Clone |
Creature |
Blue |
25 |
Rare |
$200 |
Shivan Dragon
| Set Name | Name | Type | Color | Number | Rarity | Pay up to... |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Alpha |
Shivan Dragon |
Creature |
Red |
26 |
Rare |
$4 500 |
Ironclaw Orcs
| Set Name | Name | Type | Color | Number | Rarity | Pay up to... |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Alpha |
Ironclaw Orcs |
Creature |
Black |
28 |
Uncommon |
$15 |
Hill Giant
| Set Name | Name | Type | Color | Number | Rarity | Pay up to... |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Alpha |
Hill Giant |
Creature |
Green |
29 |
Common |
$15 |
White Knight
| Set Name | Name | Type | Color | Number | Rarity | Pay up to... |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Alpha |
White Knight |
Creature |
White |
31 |
Uncommon |
$200 |
Black Knight
| Set Name | Name | Type | Color | Number | Rarity | Pay up to... |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Alpha |
Black Knight |
Creature |
Black |
32 |
Uncommon |
$400 |
Giant Spider
| Set Name | Name | Type | Color | Number | Rarity | Pay up to... |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Alpha |
Giant Spider |
Creature |
Green |
35 |
Common |
$30 |
Hypnotic Specter
| Set Name | Name | Type | Color | Number | Rarity | Pay up to... |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Alpha |
Hypnotic Specter |
Creature |
Black |
37 |
Uncommon |
$600 |
War Mammoth
| Set Name | Name | Type | Color | Number | Rarity | Pay up to... |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Alpha |
War Mammoth |
Creature |
Green |
40 |
Uncommon |
$15 |
Sea Serpent
| Set Name | Name | Type | Color | Number | Rarity | Pay up to... |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Alpha |
Sea Serpent |
Creature |
Blue |
41 |
Uncommon |
$15 |
Wall of Fire
| Set Name | Name | Type | Color | Number | Rarity | Pay up to... |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Alpha |
Wall of Fire |
Creature |
Red |
44 |
Uncommon |
$35 |
Wall of Air
| Set Name | Name | Type | Color | Number | Rarity | Pay up to... |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Alpha |
Wall of Air |
Creature |
Blue |
45 |
Uncommon |
$25 |
Wall of Water
| Set Name | Name | Type | Color | Number | Rarity | Pay up to... |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Alpha |
Wall of Water |
Creature |
Blue |
46 |
Uncommon |
$25 |
Wall of Stone
| Set Name | Name | Type | Color | Number | Rarity | Pay up to... |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Alpha |
Wall of Stone |
Creature |
White |
47 |
Uncommon |
$40 |
Wall of Ice
| Set Name | Name | Type | Color | Number | Rarity | Pay up to... |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Alpha |
Wall of Ice |
Creature |
Blue |
48 |
Uncommon |
$20 |
Sedge Troll
| Set Name | Name | Type | Color | Number | Rarity | Pay up to... |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Alpha |
Sedge Troll |
Creature |
Red |
49 |
Rare |
$150 |
Common questions about Alpha Magic Cards
How to identify Alpha Magic cards?
Alpha Magic cards are recognizable by their slightly more rounded corners compared to later printings like Beta and Unlimited. Additionally, Alpha cards have black borders and a distinct font style on the card text. Checking the card's dimensions and comparing them to Beta cards can also confirm whether it's from the Alpha set.
What year did Alpha Magic: The Gathering come out?
The Alpha set of Magic: The Gathering was released in August 1993, marking the official debut of the game.
What makes Alpha Magic cards valuable?
Alpha Magic cards are highly sought after because they were the first cards ever printed for Magic: The Gathering. Their limited print run (only about 2.6 million cards) and iconic cards like Black Lotus, Mox Pearl, and Ancestral Recall make them incredibly valuable to collectors and players.
Where can I sell Alpha Magic cards?
You can sell your Alpha Magic cards at Comic Buying Center, where we specialize in providing fair appraisals and a hassle-free selling process. Our team of experts has extensive knowledge of Alpha Magic cards and their value, ensuring you get the best offer for your collection. Whether you’re selling a single card or an entire set, we make it easy and convenient. Contact us today to get started!
Are damaged Alpha Magic cards still valuable?
Yes, even damaged Alpha Magic cards can hold significant value, especially if they’re rare or iconic. Their worth will depend on the severity of the damage, but collectors often still value them for their historical importance.
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