Ruins of Trokair

Ruins of Trokair first appeared in the 1994 Fallen Empires expansion for Magic: The Gathering, designed as part of a cycle of legendary lands that represented fallen cities from the game's lore. It was later included in the 1997 Pro Tour Collector Set, a box set intended to showcase tournament-viable cards from the era, specifically featuring the gold-border styling that distinguished these reprints from standard playable cards.

The card's evocative illustration was provided by Mark Poole, a prolific artist who defined the aesthetic of early Magic sets with his watercolor style. In this piece, Poole aimed to capture the melancholy of a decaying civilization, using muted earth tones and weathered stonework to visually communicate the card’s function as a land that sacrifices itself for utility. The piece was well-regarded for its atmospheric world-building, cementing its status as a memorable inclusion in the Pro Tour collection.