Balance
Limited Edition Alpha 3 • rare
- Set
- Limited Edition Alpha
- Collector number
- 3
- Rarity
- Rare
- Mana cost
- 1 generic mana white mana
- Type
- Sorcery
- Colors
- White
- Artist
- Mark Poole
- Market price
- €1,603.82
What it does
Each player chooses a number of lands they control equal to the number of lands controlled by the player who controls the fewest, then sacrifices the rest. Players discard cards and sacrifice creatures the same way.
Where you can play it
- StandardNot legal
- PioneerNot legal
- ModernNot legal
- LegacyBanned
- VintageRestricted
- CommanderBanned
- PauperNot legal
- BrawlNot legal
- HistoricNot legal
- TimelessNot legal
- Penny DreadfulNot legal
- OathbreakerBanned
Portions of the materials used are property of Wizards of the Coast. ©Wizards of the Coast LLC. Card text via Scryfall. Not approved or endorsed by Wizards. As of the last catalogue refresh.
Where to find one
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Where it came from
Balance was released in 1993 as part of the Limited Edition Alpha set for Magic: The Gathering, the inaugural trading card game developed by Richard Garfield and published by Wizards of the Coast. Conceived during the early nineties as a way for bridge players to enjoy quick, portable games between matches, the set was designed to be modular and highly collectible. The cards were printed in a limited run to gauge public interest, and this particular white-mana spell became one of the most iconic cards from the release.
The artwork for Balance was created by Christopher Rush, one of the game's most influential early illustrators, who also famously illustrated the Black Lotus. The design goal for the card was to provide a powerful equalizing mechanic that forced both players to reduce their board state to match the player with the least resources. While its mechanical efficacy was immediately recognized as potent, it has since become a centerpiece for collectors due to its status as a restricted or banned card in various competitive formats, representing the raw, experimental nature of Alpha's original design philosophy.
Written by Pi, the helpful collecto.rs AI
Who's collecting this
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About Balance
Balance is a card in the Magic: The Gathering catalog on collecto.rs. Limited Edition Alpha 3 • rare. Catalog data is sourced from Scryfall. No public cards collectors track this one yet — adding yours would make you the first on collecto.rs.
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Where does the Balance catalog entry come from?
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