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Arena League Promos (English)
Index | 1996 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006
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Arena League debuted at Origins on 4 July 1996. The league was introduced to close the gap between casual and professional play, offering a possibility to play competitively in public without the pressure of participation requirements or ranking issues. Arena League tournaments are organized by registered store owner all over the globe. The choice of formats is completely at their disposal to allow casual formats which will attract less competitive players. In order to increase the attractiveness of joining the league, promotional cards are given out. In 1996, participants received one of five alternate art basic lands per random at the beginning of each season. The best player of a season was additionally given an alternate art Disenchant, the second best player was awarded an alternate art Fireball. These prize cards were given out at the end of each season and those Promos were made in the United States by Shepard Poorman, a large commercial printer located in Indianapolis, Indiana, they do have a black core glue. Player ranks were determined by a complex ranking system similar to the DCI ranking. Players had to sign up and were assigned a member card with a membership number. All matches had to be reported to Wizards of the Coast by every store where they were analyzed and player ranks were calculated. This system prevailed for six seasons which were given names: Summer 96 starting at August the 2nd, Harvest 96 starting September the 20th, Autumn 96 starting November the 8th, Winter 97 starting January the 3rd, Tempest 97 starting February the 21st, and Spring 97 starting April the 11th. Uncut sheets depicting all cards were awarded to judges helping to organize the events. Starting with the Radiant 97 season, oversized cards replaced the alternate art cards, but the basics of the prize system did not change. During this period of the Arena League, four seasons spread over the years 1997, 1998, and 1999 were assigned to a special format named Vanguard which needed specially created character cards for play. With the successful introduction of foil cards into the world of Magic, the prize structure was changed again after the Radiant 99 season. At the end of each season, the two top-ranked players and a randomly chosen player with at least 30 points were rewarded with a promotional foil card. Furthermore, every player who managed to collect 15 or more points during the season received one foil basic land. Points were awarded for winning (2 points) and losing (1 point) matches. 2 different versions of the shooting star exist for the five Foil Urza Saga Basic lands, one being bigger than the other one. Over the years, some of the land cards were reissued. This first era of promotional foil cards ended in disarray in 2002 when a cycle of foil Limited Edition basic lands was aborted midway, already released promo cards were reissued and during the last season starting at October the 14th, Friday Night Magic promo cards Jackal Pup and Quirion Ranger were given out as prize cards instead of Arena League promo cards. Starting with 2003, the Arena League introduced yet another prize schedule. Seasons were now synchronized with the release of new expert level sets and could be held until the release of the next set. After each season, the 20 players with the most points were rewarded with a randomly chosen alternate art basic land out of a set of five issued for the whole year. Players with the 10 topmost scores were awarded with an Arena League foil prize card changing with each season. The two highest ranked players were presented a special Arena League life counter. Points were again collected by winning (2 points) and losing (1 point) matches. The prize system was slightly altered starting with the special Unhinged Arena League season at the end of 2004. Henceforth, prize cards are given out immediately after a certain requirement is met. For collecting 8 tick marks, a player is given one randomly chosen non-foil alternate art basic land. For collecting 16 tick marks, he is given a promotional foil card. Further cards may be handed out for additional tick marks at the discretion of the tournament organizer. Tick marks can be collected by winning (you gain 2 tick marks) and by losing (you gain 1 tick mark) a match. Tick mark counters are reset with the beginning of a new season. The Unhinged season was special because alternate art Unhinged cards were given out instead of basic lands and because it partially overlapped with the Champions of Kamigawa season. For unknown reasons, during the Guildpact season in 2006, two prize cards, Castigate and Wee Dragonauts, were given out instead of one. The exact distribution of these cards was left to the tournament organizer. Due to a sorting error, the promotional cards Pouncing Jaguar, Rewind, Skittering Skirge, Duress, and Karn, Silver Golem were additionally distributed in English Urza's Destiny booster packs in place of uncommon cards. With the release of Time Spiral, Wizards of the Coast will be retiring the organized play program, Arena. Launched in 1996, Arena enjoyed many years of success across the globe. However, both the game of Magic and Magic players’ tastes have changed throughout the years. As a result, the company will be discontinuing the Arena program effective immediately. Time for Gateway program. ERRORS, MISPRINTS AND TYPOS: Granny's Payback 2004: Artist last name is Folio instead of Foglio. Ashnod's Coupon 2004: Missing the A04 in the copyright line. 14/8 different instead of 14/8 A04 different. TRIVIA The basic lands boosters from 1996 (Tony Roberts), 2003 (Rob Alexander), 2005 (Don Thompson), 2006 (John Avon) do exist in 5 different versions with a different Basic Land on top of the booster. At this point, the 2004 version (John Avon) only exists with Forest on top. NEED EVIDENCE FOR 2004 WITHOUT FOREST ON TOP MISSING PROMOS QUANTITY IN THE SEALED PACK: 1999 Pouncing Jaguar 1999 Skittering Skirge 1999 Rewind 1999 Karn, Silver Golem 2000 Duress 2005 Basic Lands. NEED PRECISED CONTENTS WITH THE 3 EXTRAS LANDS 2006 Basic Lands. NEED PRECISED CONTENTS WITH THE 3 EXTRAS LANDS Some Arena League Promos 1996 are NFC (Non Factory Cut) coming from multiples Uncut Sheets that went to the cutter. ADVERTISEMENT    Arena League Promos advertisement page 83 of The Duelist Issue #12 (September 1996), page 84 of The Duelist Issue #14 (December 1996) and Sideboard Issue #1 (July 1996).    Arena League Promos advertisement page 83 of The Duelist Issue #19 (October 1998), page 103 of The Duelist Issue #24 (April 1998) and page 83 of The Duelist Issue #30 (October 1998).    Arena League Promos Advertisement page 15 of The Duelist #33 (January 1999), page 84 of The Duelist #35 (March 1999), and page 135 of The Duelist Issue #37 (May 1999).  Arena League Promos Advertisement page 75 of The Duelist #39 (July 1999). ANNOUNCEMENT  Arena League Retailer Tournament Announcement in The Duelist Sideboard issue #1 from July 1996. ART  Basic land artworks (Arena 1996) were drawn by Tony Roberts, and form a quintych landscape.   Basic land artworks (Arena 2003) were drawn by Rob Alexander, and form a quintych landscape.   Basic land artworks (Arena 2004) were drawn by John Avon, and form a quintych landscape.  Concept Art for the Disenchant DCI Promo 1996 by Kevin McCann. BOXES  Arena League box Version 1. It measures approximately, 10 inches tall x 12 1/4 long x 5 1/4 wide.   Arena League box Version 2 front and back aimed to hold all the paperwork for the Arena league. These boxes were given to all the vendors running the Arena league in the early days. FOLDERS   Arena League Uktabi Orangutan folder front and back 2000.   Arena League Chill folder front and back 2000.   Arena League Pillage folder front and back 2000.   Arena League Enlightened Tutor folder front and back 2000. UNCUT SHEETS  Arena League Promos 1996 uncut sheet 10 x 10 printed by Shepard Poorman.  Arena League Promos 1996 top of uncut sheet printed by Shepard Poorman.  Arena League Promos Urza Saga Island 1999/2000 with big shooting star on foil Urza's Legacy Italian Common/Uncommon uncut sheet.  Arena League Promos Urza Saga Forest 1999 with big shooting star on foil Urza's Legacy Italian Common/Uncommon uncut sheet close up.  Arena League Promos Urza Saga 1999 Island with big shooting star on foil Urza's Legacy Italian Common/Uncommon uncut sheet close up. EXTERNAL LINKS - ALL FIXED Arena Press Release; The MTG History Repository Arena Launch Press Release; The MTG History Repository Arena Launch 2 Press Release; The MTG History Repository Arena Lands; Magic Arcana Broken Link Arena Lands; Magic Arcana - September 18, 2002 - Wayback Machine Arena Fireball; Magic Arcana Broken Link Arena Fireball; Magic Arcana old link - December 13, 2002 - Wayback Machine 2003 Arena Lands; Magic Arcana Broken Link 2003 Arena Lands; Magic Arcana old link - February 18, 2003 - Wayback Machine Unhinged Arena Promos; Feature Article Broken Link Unhinged Arena Promos; Feature Article - December 8, 2005 - Wayback Machine Hidden Unhinged Jokes; Magic Arcana Broken Link Hidden Unhinged Jokes; Magic Arcana - February 11, 2008 - Wayback Machine INTERNAL LINKS Arena League Promos (Japanese) Arena League Life Counters Misprinted Non-Standard Arena League Promos 6 x 9 Cards Vanguard Cards Arena League Promos: two versions of Urza's foil lands?, Forum |
| SET | NUM | CARDNAME | ARTIST | SOURCE | DATE | INFO | ||
| 001 |  | Plains | Tony Roberts | Arena League participation bonus | 1996-08-02 | YES | ||
| 002 | | Island | Tony Roberts | Arena League participation bonus | 1996-08-02 | YES | ||
| 003 | | Swamp | Tony Roberts | Arena League participation bonus | 1996-08-02 | YES | ||
| 004 | | Mountain | Tony Roberts | Arena League participation bonus | 1996-08-02 | YES | ||
| 005 | | Forest | Tony Roberts | Arena League participation bonus | 1996-08-02 | YES | ||
| 006 | | Disenchant | Kevin McCann | Arena League first prize | 1996-08-02 | YES | ||
| 007 | | Fireball | Jock | Arena League second prize | 1996-08-02 | YES | ||
| SET | NUM | CARDNAME | ARTIST | SOURCE | DATE | INFO | ||
| 001 |  | 347/350 |  | Forest | Anthony S. Waters | Arena League prize Arena League prize | 1999-06-03 2000-03-30 | YES |
| 002 | | 347/350 | | Forest | Anthony S. Waters | Arena League prize Arena League prize | 1999-06-03 2000-03-30 | YES |
| 003 | | 269/350 | | Pouncing Jaguar | Daren Bader | Arena League prize English Urza's Destiny boosters in place of uncommon cards | 1999-06-03 1999-06-07 | YES |
| 004 | | 338/350 | | Island | Donato Giancola | Arena League prize Arena League prize | 1999-07-23 2000-06-01 | YES |
| 005 | | 338/350 | | Island | Donato Giancola | Arena League prize Arena League prize | 1999-07-23 2000-06-01 | YES |
| 006 | | 158/350 | | Skittering Skirge | Ron Spencer | English Urza's Destiny boosters in place of uncommon cards Arena League prize | 1999-06-07 1999-07-23 | YES |
| 007 | | 344/350 | | Mountain | John Avon | Arena League prize Arena League prize | 1999-09-30 2000-08-03 | YES |
| 008 | | 344/350 | | Mountain | John Avon | Arena League prize Arena League prize | 1999-09-30 2000-08-03 | YES |
| 009 | | 93/350 | | Rewind | Dermot Power | English Urza's Destiny boosters in place of uncommon cards Arena League prize | 1999-06-07 1999-09-30 | YES |
| 010 | | 334/350 | | Plains | Rob Alexander | Arena League prize Arena League prize | 1999-11-19 2000-09-28 | YES |
| 011 | | 334/350 | | Plains | Rob Alexander | Arena League prize Arena League prize | 1999-11-19 2000-09-28 | YES |
| 012 |  | 298/350 | | Karn, Silver Golem | Mark Zug | English Urza's Destiny boosters in place of uncommon cards Arena League prize | 1999-06-07 1999-11-19 | YES |
| SET | NUM | CARDNAME | ARTIST | SOURCE | DATE | INFO | ||
| 001 | | 341/350 | | Swamp | John Avon | Arena League prize Arena League prize | 2000-02-12 2000-11-30 | YES |
| 002 | | 341/350 | | Swamp | John Avon | Arena League prize Arena League prize | 2000-02-12 2000-11-30 | YES |
| 003 | | 132/350 | | Duress | Lawrence Snelly | English Urza's Destiny boosters in place of uncommon cards Arena League prize | 1999-06-07 2000-02-12 | YES |
| 004 |  | 260/350 | | Uktabi Orangutan | Una Fricker | Arena League prize | 2000-03-30 | YES |
| 005 | | 60/350 | | Chill Version 1 | Greg Simanson | Arena League prize | 2000-06-01 | YES |
| 006 | | 60/350 | | Chill Version 2 | Greg Simanson | Arena League prize | 2000-06-01 | YES |
| 007 | | 60/350 | | Chill Version 3 | Greg Simanson | Arena League prize | 2000-06-01 | YES |
| 008 | | 198/350 | | Pillage | Richard Kane Ferguson | Arena League prize | 2000-08-03 | YES |
| 009 | | 19/350 | | Enlightened Tutor | Dan Frazier | Arena League prize | 2000-09-28 | YES |
| 010 | | 158/350 | | Stupor | Mike Kimble | Arena League prize | 2000-11-30 | YES |
| 011 |  | 334/350 |  | Plains | Edward P. Beard, Jr. | Arena League prize | 2000-?-? | YES |
| 012 | | 338/350 | | Island | Tony Szczudlo | Arena League prize | 2000-?-? | YES |
| 013 | | 340/350 | | Swamp | Rob Alexander | Arena League prize | 2000-?-? | YES |
| 014 | | 346/350 | | Mountain | Rob Alexander | Arena League prize | 2000-?-? | YES |
| 015 | | 349/350 | | Forest | Rob Alexander | Arena League prize | 2000-?-? | YES |
| SET | NUM | CARDNAME | ARTIST | SOURCE | DATE | INFO | ||
| 001 |  | | Forest | Pat Morrissey | Arena League prize | 2001-02-05 | YES | |
| 002 | | | Creeping Mold | Dave Seeley | Arena League prize | 2001-02-05 | YES | |
| 003 | | | Island | Anson Maddocks | Arena League prize Arena League prize | 2001-04-02 2002-04-08 | YES | |
| 004 | | | Dismiss | Donato Giancola | Arena League prize | 2001-04-02 | YES | |
| 005 | | | Mountain | Tom Wänerstrand | Arena League prize Arena League prize | 2001-06-04 2002-06-03 | YES | |
| 006 | | | Fling | Paolo Parente | Arena League prize | 2001-06-04 | YES | |
| 007 | | | Plains | Christopher Rush | Arena League prize Arena League prize | 2001-07-30 2002-08-05 | YES | |
| 008 | | | Empyrial Armor | D. Alexander Gregory | Arena League prize | 2001-07-30 | YES | |
| 009 | | | Swamp | Douglas Shuler | Arena League prize | 2001-10-01 | YES | |
| 010 | | | Diabolic Edict | Ron Spencer | Arena League prize | 2001-10-01 | YES | |
| 011 | | | Forest | Christopher Rush | Arena League prize | 2001-12-03 | YES | |
| 012 | | | Gaea's Blessing | Rebecca Guay | Arena League prize | 2001-12-03 | YES | |
| SET | NUM | CARDNAME | ARTIST | SOURCE | DATE | INFO | ||
| 001 | | | Island | Mark Poole | Arena League prize | 2002-02-04 | YES | |
| 002 | | | Man-o'-War | Jon J Muth | Arena League prize | 2002-02-04 | YES | |
| 003 |  | | Arc Lightning | Andrew Goldhawk | Arena League prize | 2002-04-08 | YES | |
| 004 | | | Dauthi Slayer | Dermot Power | Arena League prize | 2002-06-03 | YES | |
| 005 | | | Mana Leak | Christopher Rush | Arena League prize | 2002-08-05 | YES | |
| SET | NUM | CARDNAME | ARTIST | SOURCE | DATE | INFO | ||
| 001 | | 1/8 A03 | Plains | Rob Alexander | Arena League prize for Onslaught block seasons | 2003-02-03 | YES | |
| 002 | | 2/8 A03 | Island | Rob Alexander | Arena League prize for Onslaught block seasons | 2003-02-03 | YES | |
| 003 | | 3/8 A03 | Swamp | Rob Alexander | Arena League prize for Onslaught block seasons | 2003-02-03 | YES | |
| 004 | | 4/8 A03 | Mountain | Rob Alexander | Arena League prize for Onslaught block seasons | 2003-02-03 | YES | |
| 005 | | 5/8 A03 | Forest | Rob Alexander | Arena League prize for Onslaught block seasons | 2003-02-03 | YES | |
| 006 | | 6/8 A03 | | Skirk Marauder | Pete Venters | Arena League Legions season prize | 2003-02-03 | YES |
| 007 | | 7/8 A03 |  | Elvish Aberration | Matt Cavotta | Arena League Scourge season prize | 2003-05-26 | YES |
| 008 | | 8/8 A03 | | Bonesplitter | Darrell Riche | Arena League Mirrodin season prize | 2003-10-06 | YES |
| SET | NUM | CARDNAME | ARTIST | SOURCE | DATE | INFO | ||
| 001 | | 1/8 A04 | Plains | John Avon | Arena League prize for Mirrodin block seasons | 2003-10-06 | YES | |
| 002 | | 2/8 A04 | Island | John Avon | Arena League prize for Mirrodin block seasons | 2003-10-06 | YES | |
| 003 | | 3/8 A04 | Swamp | John Avon | Arena League prize for Mirrodin block seasons | 2003-10-06 | YES | |
| 004 | | 4/8 A04 | Mountain | John Avon | Arena League prize for Mirrodin block seasons | 2003-10-06 | YES | |
| 005 | | 5/8 A04 | Forest | John Avon | Arena League prize for Mirrodin block seasons | 2003-10-06 | YES | |
| 006 | | 6/8 A04 | | Darksteel Ingot | Martina Pilcerova | Arena League Darksteel season prize | 2004-02-06 | YES |
| 007 | | 7/8 A04 | | Serum Visions | Ben Thompson | Arena League Fifth Dawn season prize | 2004-06-04 | YES |
| 008 | | 8/8 A04 | | Glacial Ray | Jim Murray | Arena League Champions of Kamigawa season prize | 2004-10-01 | YES |
| 009 | | 9/8 A04 is | Circle of Protection: Art | Mark Tedin | Arena League Unhinged season prize | 2004-11-20 | YES | |
| 010 | | 10/8 A04 This | Mise | Mark Zug | Arena League Unhinged season prize | 2004-11-20 | YES | |
| 011 | | 11/8 A04 completely | Booster Tutor | Heather Hudson | Arena League Unhinged season prize | 2004-11-20 | YES | |
| 012 | | 12/8 A04 message | Goblin Mime | Dan Frazier | Arena League Unhinged season prize | 2004-11-20 | YES | |
| 013 | | 13/8 A04 secret | Granny's Payback | Kaja Foglio | Arena League Unhinged season prize | 2004-11-20 | YES | |
| 014 | | 14/8 different. | | Ashnod's Coupon | Edward P. Beard, Jr. | Arena League Unhinged season prize | 2004-11-20 | YES |
| SET | NUM | CARDNAME | ARTIST | SOURCE | DATE | INFO | ||
| 001 | | 1/8 A05 | Plains | Don Thompson | Arena League prize for Champions of Kamigawa block seasons Grand Prix Birmingham (U.K.) Judges participation bonus for helping | 2004-11-20 2008-05-30 | YES | |
| 002 | | 2/8 A05 | Island | Don Thompson | Arena League prize for Champions of Kamigawa block seasons Grand Prix Birmingham (U.K.) Judges participation bonus for helping | 2004-11-20 2008-05-30 | YES | |
| 003 | | 3/8 A05 | Swamp | Don Thompson | Arena League prize for Champions of Kamigawa block seasons Grand Prix Birmingham (U.K.) Judges participation bonus for helping | 2004-11-20 2008-05-30 | YES | |
| 004 | | 4/8 A05 | Mountain | Don Thompson | Arena League prize for Champions of Kamigawa block seasons Grand Prix Birmingham (U.K.) Judges participation bonus for helping | 2004-11-20 2008-05-30 | YES | |
| 005 | | 5/8 A05 | Forest | Don Thompson | Arena League prize for Champions of Kamigawa block seasons Grand Prix Birmingham (U.K.) Judges participation bonus for helping | 2004-11-20 2008-05-30 | YES | |
| 006 | | 6/8 A05 | | Genju of the Spires | Joel Thomas | Arena League Betrayers of Kamigawa season prize | 2005-02-04 | YES |
| 007 | | 7/8 A05 | | Okina Nightwatch | Heather Hudson | Arena League Saviors of Kamigawa season prize | 2005-06-03 | YES |
| 008 | | 8/8 A05 | | Skyknight Legionnaire | Jim Murray | Arena League Ravnica: City of Guilds season prize | 2005-10-07 | YES |
| SET | NUM | CARDNAME | ARTIST | SOURCE | DATE | INFO | ||
| 001 | | 1/8 A06 | Plains | John Avon | Arena League prize for Ravnica: City of Guilds block seasons | 2005-10-07 | YES | |
| 002 | | 2/8 A06 | Island | John Avon | Arena League prize for Ravnica: City of Guilds block seasons | 2005-10-07 | YES | |
| 003 | | 3/8 A06 | Swamp | John Avon | Arena League prize for Ravnica: City of Guilds block seasons | 2005-10-07 | YES | |
| 004 | | 4/8 A06 | Mountain | John Avon | Arena League prize for Ravnica: City of Guilds block seasons | 2005-10-07 | YES | |
| 005 | | 5/8 A06 | Forest | John Avon | Arena League prize for Ravnica: City of Guilds block seasons | 2005-10-07 | YES | |
| 006 | | 6/11 A06 | | Castigate | Darrell Riche | Arena League Guildpact season prize | 2006-02-03 | YES |
| 007 | | 7/11 A06 | | Wee Dragonauts | Greg Staples | Arena League Guildpact season prize | 2006-02-03 | YES |
| 008 | | 8/11 A06 | | Coiling Oracle | Mark Zug | Arena League Dissension season prize | 2006-05-05 | YES |
| 009 | | 9/11 A06 | | Surging Flame | Ron Spencer | Arena League Coldsnap season prize | 2006-07-? | YES |