206. Parts of a Card : Expansion Symbol
206.1.
The expansion symbol indicates which Magic set a card is from. It‘s a small icon normally
printed below the right edge of the illustration.
206.2.
The color of the expansion symbol indicates the rarity of the card within its set. A red-orange
symbol indicates the card is mythic rare. A gold symbol indicates the card is rare. A silver symbol
indicates the card is uncommon. A black or white symbol indicates the card is common or is a basic
land. A purple symbol signifies a special rarity; to date, only the Time Spiral® «timeshifted» cards,
which were rarer than that set‘s rare cards, have had purple expansion symbols. (Prior to the
Exodus™ set, all expansion symbols were black, regardless of rarity. Also, prior to the Sixth Edition
core set, with the exception of the Simplified Chinese Fifth Edition core set, Magic core sets didn‘t
have expansion symbols at all.)
206.3.
A spell or ability that affects cards from a particular set checks only for that set‘s expansion
symbol. A card reprinted in the core set or another expansion receives that set‘s expansion symbol.
Any reprinted version of the card no longer counts as part of its original set unless it was reprinted
with that set‘s expansion symbol.
206.4.
Players may include cards from any printing in their constructed decks if those cards appear in
sets allowed in that format (or those cards are specifically allowed by the Magic Tournament
Rules). See the Magic Tournament Rules for the current definitions of the constructed formats
(www.wizards.com/wpn/Events/Rules.aspx).
206.5.
The full list of expansions and expansion symbols can be found in the Magic Products section of
the Wizards of the Coast website
(www.wizards.com/Magic/TCG/Article.aspx?x=mtg/tcg/products/allproducts).