Magic: The Gathering -- Official Encyclopedia, Volume 4: The Complete Card Guide Download Free (EPUB, PDF)
In association with Wizards of the Coast, the creators of Magic: The Gathering, and the Magic experts at The Duelist (Wizards' official trading-card game magazine), Thunder's Mouth Press presents the next book in this reference series: Magic: The Gathering - The Official Encyclopedia Volume 4. With full-color reproductions of over 1,700 new Magic cards, it includes the full Urza's Saga and its two expansions. The new basic set, Sixth Edition, and Wizards of the Coast's "broken" expansion, Unglued, are also featured.
Series: Magic the Gathering
Paperback: 192 pages
Publisher: Thunder's Mouth Press (November 11, 1999)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1560252111
ISBN-13: 978-1560252115
Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.6 x 0.6 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #768,276 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #48 in Books > Humor & Entertainment > Puzzles & Games > Card Games > Trading Card Games #53 in Books > Reference > Encyclopedias & Subject Guides > Science Fiction & Fantasy #309 in Books > Reference > Encyclopedias & Subject Guides > Literature
This is a graphic encyclopedia of Magic: The Gathering cards by Beth Moursund, of The Duelist fame. The Duelist was a gaming magazine that was run into the ground by the onset of the Internet and from people getting their news from online sources instead of magazines. I use these encylopaediae to build decks on Magic: The Gathering Online, for Commander/Elder Dragon Highlander decks. They're top-notch books, very colorful, and they come with a tiny bit of news about the best decks of the year at the end of every book. 5 stars.
Volume 4 contains Urza Saga, Legacy, Classic, Portal-3K, Unglued, Starter as well as Top 1998 World Championship Decks. Wizard of the Coast really should wait until at least Urza Destiny come out before relasing this volume. But this is again a great book with nice picture, information as well as the printing quality is great. Although it might not be the right time to issue it but as a M:tg collector, this is one of the book that should be on your bookshelf (Volume 4).
Volume 4 covers Urza's Saga, Urza's Legacy, Classic, Urza's Destiny, Portal: Three Kingdoms, Unglued, and Starter. As always, this volume covers ONLY those expansions released since the previous volume of the encyclopedia. After covering the individual sets, the book gives an overview of 1998 World Championship decks. The book concludes with a "Deckbuilders Indexes" section, as in the earlier volumes of the Magic encyclopedia, but this is now out of date (see Volume 6 or higher).The introductory material (i.e., the section before the expansions are presented) is a bare minimum in this volume: "How to Use this Guide" and "A Visual Guide to Magic Cards". Each expansion covered in Volume 4, as usual, is provided with an introduction, describing any new twists added for that set (including new types of decks that came about as a result), and any noteworthy cards in that set. The introductions provide an informative overview (including descriptions of storylines that were added or updated by the release being described). The entertainment value of the introductions is in inverse proportion to the number of broken cards in the expansion and the severity of the flaws, so with the exception of the deliberately broken Unglued expansion, the introductions in this volume are rather bland. The individual cards for each expansion are listed in alphabetical order; they're shown at about 3/4 actual size. The versions of Magic that included those cards (at the time of printing) are specified, as well as any errata. The card lists' images artwork and flavour text came out well.Having said all that, I would rate this as a mediocre, and even dull volume of the encyclopedia. Consider, if you will, that I have ranted about the encyclopedia's policy of dribbling out a few expansions at a time instead of waiting until they have a substantive amount of material built up. So why have I rated this volume as highly as I have?I'm very fond of the Unglued expansion: that deliberately broken expansion put in for fun, deliberately designed to wind up the rules lawyers, and stuffed with in-jokes about broken cards in previous expansions. "Blacker Lotus", for example, has artwork similar to Black Lotus, and it's even more powerful - but you have to tear up the card to play it, and it's rare. Lots of cards for summoning chickens, squirrels, and clams (Clam-I-Am, Clam Session, and Clambassadors are all cute). The introduction for Unglued points out lots of little things you might miss on your own (e.g., each card has a word down by the copyright; placed in numeric order, the cards spell out a hidden message from the designers).
This book contains everything you need to know about every Magic expansion from Unglued up. It is a must have for any serious Magic player. I also recommend that if you have been playing Magic for a while you get volumes 1, 2, and 3.
As is typical with this series, the books are great for collectors looking to complete sets. These books are also useful to anyone who plays regularly and is looking for information on cards that can help them beef up their decks.
Nice book if your looking for old cards or a fan of the game. Perfect for the collecter, buyer or seller.
This book is great 'cause it has pictures of all the magic cards you can think of!
Anyone who believes in magic in this enlightened era is pathetic. I only wish I could give it negative stars. Poorly written and edited, it is even more a waste of time than Rowling's drivel.
Magic Cards: Magic the Gathering - 33 Killer Tips from a Magic Master! (Magic Cards, Magic the Gathering, Magic Decks, Magic the Gathering Tips, Magic Card Tips, How to Play Magic, Magic) Magic: The Gathering -- Official Encyclopedia, Volume 4: The Complete Card Guide How to Play Magic the Gathering: Your Step-by-Step Guide to Playing Magic the Gathering Magic: The Gathering -- Official Encyclopedia Volume 4 Magic: The Gathering -- Advanced Strategy Guide: The Color-Illustrated Guide to Expert Magic Yu-Gi-Oh! Official Card Catalog (Prima Official Card Catalog) MAGIC TRICKS: How to do easy illusions and magic card tricks for kids (magic, tricks) Magic: The Gathering - Game Guide The Official Beckett Price Guide to Baseball Cards 2010, Edition #30 (Beckett Official Price Guide to Baseball Card) The Art of Magic: The Gathering - Innistrad The Art of Magic: The Gathering - Zendikar The Art of Magic: The Gathering - Kaladesh More Self-Working Card Tricks: 88 Foolproof Card Miracles for the Amateur Magician (Dover Magic Books) The Expert at the Card Table: The Classic Treatise on Card Manipulation (Dover Magic Books) Encyclopedia of Card Tricks (Dover Magic Books) Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Crystal, Gem & Metal Magic (Cunningham's Encyclopedia Series) The Official Guide for GMAT Review 2015 Bundle (Official Guide + Verbal Guide + Quantitative Guide) Magic Tricks from the Tree House: A Fun Companion to Magic Tree House #50: Hurry Up, Houdini! (Magic Tree House (R)) The Film Encyclopedia: The Most Comprehensive Encyclopedia of World Cinema in One Volume The Bushcraft Field Guide to Trapping, Gathering, and Cooking in the Wild
