
Eighth Edition Magic The Gathering Cards
Eighth Edition (8th Edition) or Core Set was the standard base set for
the collectible trading card game, Magic: The Gathering from its
release in 2003 until 9th Edition's release in 2005. Its expansion
symbol is the number 8 with 3 cards behind it.
Eighth Edition was set to be released to coincide with the 10th
Anniversary of Magic's original release, so the creators took a
different approach to the base set. Every previous expansion had at
least one card reprinted in Eighth that had not been reprinted in the
base set before, with a series of votes on the Wizards website deciding
what got reprinted. Eighth was also the first base set with a
prerelease card (though some claim it was a 10th Anniversary card, not
a prerelease). Eighth features many cards from older base sets and
expansions. While many of these cards were very powerful during their
original print run, some are not quite as powerful in newer tournament
settings.
Eighth Edition is the first set to feature the controversial
'new look' for Magic cards, which initially received mixed views. For
example, some players claimed the new look ruined the 'classical'
fantasy feel of the game. The most obvious changes were the card
borders, but the font was also changed (from Goudy Medieval to Matrix
Bold) and mana symbols in the text box were no longer colored (however
this latter change did not last long, and was changed in Kamigawa
Block).
With the transition to 8th edition, several 7th edition cards were
left behind. Tournament staples such as Opposition, Llanowar Elves,
Counterspell, and Duress, all fell by the wayside. Some of these cards
were very famous and had been with the game since its inception, and
their removal caused controversy among some players. (So far, the only
one of those cards to return to the Core Set was Llanowar Elves, in the
Ninth Edition.)
The Circle of Protection series, a perennial core set entity, was modified from common to uncommon status.
A number of cards, such as Vizzerdrix, got reprinted only for the
Core Game, a tool to teach Magic to new players, and didn't occur in
booster packs, a refreshing change to many players.
Eighth Edition, as with its predecessors, does not feature any
mechanics that were not present in previous versions of the base set,
despite the reprintings from other sets. However, some abilities from
previous versions of the base set were absent, including Banding.