Since then, the older expansions from Mirage forward have been retroactively released with accompanying draft and sealed queues.
The sets before Mirage, however, were not built for limited play and did not present a fun or balanced draft environment.
The Masters Edition series is Wizards of the Coast's solution to bring the game's earliest cards online in draftable sets.
Notably, it missed powerful early cards like the Alpha, Beta, Unlimited, and Revised dual lands.
However, as head designer Erik Lauer admits in an article, "Masters Edition II wasn't a fan favorite."
This is because one of the most widely used creature abilities in Magic, "Flying", is almost completely replaced by its Portal Three Kingdoms counterpart, "Horsemanship".
The fourth installment of the series consists mainly of cards from Beta, Arabian Nights, Antiquities, and the Portal sets.
[4] The most prominent exception to this are the original dual lands, which had been previously printed across two sets, but here are reprinted in their entirety.
Notable cards from Masters Edition III include the Vintage staple Bazaar of Baghdad, the counterspell Mana Drain and the enemy colored dual lands (Bayou, Plateau, Scrubland, Tropical Island, and Volcanic Island).
Finally Maze of Ith, Sinkhole, Swords to Plowshares, and the original dual lands are all powerful and iconic cards from the game's past.