Boardgames

Magic: The Gathering – Fourth Edition Core Set

Explore the 1995 core set featuring 378 cards, a 60-card starter deck, and early Magic releases in Japanese, Chinese, Korean, and Portuguese.

90
minutes

2 - 2
player(s)

Medium

Magic: The Gathering – Fourth Edition Core Set board game cover

About this expansion

Magic: The Gathering – Fourth Edition Core Set is a two-player card game release with an approximately 90-minute play time, published in 1995. It was the tenth set released for Magic: The Gathering and the game’s fourth base set, also known as a core set.

Fourth Edition contains 378 cards and was the first set to reprint cards from the expansions Legends and The Dark with white borders. Fourth Edition cards have white borders, and the set has no expansion symbol, giving this release a clearly identifiable presentation.

The set also marks an important moment in Magic’s international history. It was the first Magic set printed in Asian languages, including Japanese, Chinese, and Korean, and it was also printed in Portuguese, primarily for the Brazilian market. The Japanese edition was particularly successful and contributed to Magic’s growing popularity in Japan.

  • Korean and Chinese Fourth Edition cards were produced only with black borders.
  • Japanese, Portuguese, and Spanish cards exist with both white and black borders.
  • The standard Fourth Edition cards have white borders and no expansion symbol.

The Magic: The Gathering Fourth Edition Starter Deck includes 60 cards and a rulebook. Its distribution is 3 rare cards, 9 uncommon cards, 26 common cards, and 22 land cards, providing a defined snapshot of the set’s card composition.

With its substantial card pool, notable reprints, and expanded language availability, Magic: The Gathering – Fourth Edition Core Set stands out as both a major core-set release and an important step in the game’s international development.