Dark Ritual

Dark Ritual from the Summer Magic set, internally referred to as Edgar, was produced in 1994 as a replacement for the plagued Revised Edition. Wizards of the Coast intended to correct printing errors and color inconsistencies found in the earlier set; however, the Summer Magic print run itself suffered from severe production defects, leading the company to recall and destroy almost the entire inventory. Only a very small number of these cards escaped destruction, making them some of the rarest collectibles in Magic: The Gathering history.

The art for the card was originally commissioned from Christopher Rush, whose evocative, dark aesthetic helped define the visual identity of the game's early years. The design intended to represent the essence of black mana through stark, shadowy imagery that contrasted with the more traditional fantasy illustrations of the era. Upon its limited and accidental release, the set became a legendary pursuit for collectors, valued not only for its distinct print quality—which corrected several errors from the Revised edition—but for the narrative of its near-total disappearance.