Pit Trap

Pit Trap was originally released in the 1996 expansion Mirage, designed to provide players with a colorless artifact that could remove an attacking creature from play. The card reflects the expansion's thematic emphasis on exploration and hazardous terrain, serving as a tactical tool that players could use regardless of their deck's color identity. By the time it was reprinted as card number 313 in the Seventh Edition core set, it had become a familiar utility piece often used in limited play environments where creature removal was at a premium.

The artwork for the Seventh Edition printing was illustrated by Nelson DeCastro, who rendered the scene with a gritty, visceral style that captured the immediate threat of a sudden ambush. DeCastro’s composition focuses on the sudden disappearance of a target into the earth, emphasizing the card's function as an unexpected defensive measure. While the card is a standard uncommon artifact, its design remains a quintessential example of the mechanical simplicity found in older core sets, valued by collectors for its straightforward utility and its role in the game’s formative era.