Ghost Ship

Ghost Ship was originally released in the 1995 Fourth Edition core set for Magic: The Gathering. As a core set, Fourth Edition was intended to provide a stable, accessible pool of cards for the growing player base by reprinting staples from previous expansions. The artwork for this specific card, which depicts a haunting spectral galleon, was created by the artist Anson Maddocks, who was one of the original illustrators for the game and helped define its early, dark fantasy aesthetic.

The card was designed as a blue creature utilizing a 'flying' evasion mechanic, a common trait for spirits and nautical themes within the game's color pie. While Ghost Ship did not become a defining tournament staple, it remains a nostalgic piece for long-time players who remember the transition period of the mid-1990s when Wizards of the Coast consolidated the game's identity. Its design represents the standard mechanical template of the era, focusing on straightforward resource-to-power ratios that characterized early deck-building strategies.