Magic: the GatheringMagic: The Gathering Ante Cards

In the earliest days of Magic: The Gathering (1993–1996), some cards referenced the concept of playing for ante. At the start of a match, players would put a card from their decks into the ante zone, and the winner would take those cards as part of the prize. This mechanic was meant to mirror gambling-style stakes, but it quickly became controversial and was banned from all official formats by 1996. Cards like **Contract from Below**, **Darkpact**, and **Demonic Attorney** are the most famous examples of ante cards. Beyond the official history, ante defined how many kids experienced Magic in the 1990s. I remember playing at a local coin shop called *Wexler’s* in Seekonk, Massachusetts. Back then, we would actually play for ante, and I often won cards that way. I piloted a blue-white deck built with **Twiddles**, **Counterspells**, **Tundras**, and **Serra Angels**. Winning an opponent’s prized card straight from a match felt thrilling, though it sometimes caused heartbreak. These memories show how ante made Magic feel risky, personal, and unforgettable, even though the mechanic was eventually abandoned. Today, ante cards remain banned in Commander, Vintage, Legacy, and all other formats. They’re a piece of Magic’s history—relics of an era when the game was still defining itself.