Shu Cavalry

The Shu Cavalry card was released in 1999 as part of the Portal Three Kingdoms expansion for the Magic: The Gathering trading card game. This set was unique in its thematic focus, drawing direct inspiration from the 14th-century Chinese historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms, which chronicles the political and military conflicts during the collapse of the Han Dynasty. Wizards of the Coast designed the set with simplified mechanics intended to introduce new players to the game, primarily distributing it within Asian markets to capitalize on the region's cultural familiarity with the source material.

The artwork for this card was created by Li Xiaohua, an artist who contributed several pieces to the set, capturing the martial aesthetic associated with the Shu Han state. The design aesthetic emphasized traditional historical portrayals rather than the high-fantasy tropes common in the core game sets of the era. While the card itself is mechanically straightforward, serving as a common creature, it remains a notable example of the game's mid-period attempts to integrate specific historical and literary narratives into its card-based lore.