Agent Palmer

Released in March of 1998, Stronghold was many things; the beginning of the standard for 143 card small expansion sets, down from the old standard of Weatherlight and Visions of 167 cards and it was the first expansion and second set of Tempest: The Rath Cycle.

Tempest was released in October of 1997 and it changed the game, or at least deck building and strategy in innumerable ways. It was the first set of the Rath Block, the name given to the Tempest block. Shadow and Buyback were two new rules added to the landscape of Magic: The Gathering from the set, while Phasing and Flanking were not present having, as it seemed, been contained to just the Mirage block.

Weatherlight was released on June 6th, 1997 and introduced many new and reinvented uses for the graveyard. It was the last set of the Mirage Block and still expanded upon the themes of Mirage. Phasing and Flanking were expanded and many tribes grew as well; Djinns, Efreets, Elves, Goblins, Dwarves, Dragons, Clerics and Knights.

Magic: The Gathering’s Fifth Edition was released March 31, 1997, with 429 cards, not including Basic Land and at its heart, Fifth Edition was very much an amalgamation of many different sets.

On February 3rd, 1997, Wizards of the Coast released Visions, an expansion set for Mirage, which was very much like Alliances was the expansion for Ice Age. It expanded upon the new rules from Mirage of Phasing and Flanking, as well as the charms and Enchant Creature or Instant cards.