Empyrial Armor

Empyrial Armor was originally released as a rare card in the 1997 Urza's Saga expansion for Magic: The Gathering. This specific version, labeled with the collector number bh13, originates from the 1998 World Championship Decks product, which meticulously recreated the sixty-card decks used by the top eight finishers at that year's world tournament. This card was included in the deck piloted by Brian Hacker, who utilized the enchantment to bolster his creatures based on the number of cards in his hand, a signature strategy of the era's aggressive white-aligned decks.

The card’s artwork was provided by Jerry Tiritilli, whose illustration depicts a glowing, ethereal suit of plate armor floating in an abstract space, perfectly capturing the high-fantasy aesthetic of the game’s late nineties design period. Within the context of the World Championship series, this print is distinguished by a gold-bordered face and a unique back design, features intended to ensure the cards could not be used in sanctioned tournament play, thereby preserving the collectibility of the original expansions while offering players a chance to experience the strategies of professional competitors.