Eightfold Maze

Eightfold Maze was released in 1999 as part of the Portal Three Kingdoms set, an expansion for the Magic: The Gathering card game designed specifically for the Asian market. The set was inspired by the 14th-century Chinese historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms, aiming to introduce players to the game through themes and characters familiar to players in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Japan. The set featured a unique simplified rule set designed to lower the barrier to entry for new players, departing from the standard complexity of the base game.

The card was illustrated by David Seeley, a prolific fantasy artist known for his work across the Magic: The Gathering franchise throughout the late 1990s and early 2000s. His illustration for Eightfold Maze captures the aesthetic of the era's card design, leaning into the period-specific depictions of Chinese folklore and military history. While the card saw limited competitive play compared to other staples of the game, it remains a notable example of Wizards of the Coast's effort to regionalize their intellectual property through historical narrative integration.