Ivory Cup

Ivory Cup was released in 1993 as part of the Unlimited Edition core set for Magic: The Gathering. As one of the original artifacts in the game, it was designed during a period when Wizards of the Coast was establishing the foundational mechanics of life-gain artifacts. The card was illustrated by Dan Frazier, whose distinctive fantasy art style helped define the aesthetic of the game's early sets, aiming for a look that felt both arcane and grounded in traditional high fantasy tropes.

The card was received primarily as a niche utility item within the early meta. Its design reflects the game's initial focus on incremental advantage, providing a minor health buffer whenever a white spell is cast. While not considered a powerhouse in competitive play due to its limited scope, it remains a nostalgic piece of the Unlimited set, representing the experimental and formative design philosophy of the collectible card game's infancy.