Why is this your method for deterring intruders, green? Who hurt you? 8. Then there’s the green Glyph of Reincarnation, which… destroys attackers en masse, then reanimates any creatures of your choice from their controller’s graveyard as “reincarnations”? It’s a strikingly over-the-top effect, even if there are a few other green cards which do similar things. Most seem reasonable - the red Glyph buffs the Wall’s power, the blue one puts creatures in “stasis”, the black destroys them outright, while the white Glyph channels attacks against the wall into healing. The entire Legends set was inspired by a developer’s D&D game, so it made sense to try and add some Glyphs to Magic there. This obsession with summoning Walls was another concept inspired by D&D, where mages would also frequently enhance their barriers with Glyph spells, a form of magical booby-trap.

A special type of creature which could only block, creative wizards could summon Walls not only of Stone, but also Swords, Dust, Heat, Bone, Brambles, Living OR Putrid Flesh, and even walls made of abstract concepts like Wonder or Opposition! Creatures and damage dealing effects were usually weaker, there were fewer infinite combos, and Walls were a really big deal. Early MTG was played at a very different pace to today, and generally a much slower one.

List of mtg card sets