"The addition of the MIRAGE set to MAGIC Online is a great opportunity for us to create excitement with new and old players alike," said Justin Ziran, brand manager for Magic Online, Wizards of the Coast.  "MAGIC Online players who have never played with MIRAGE, will now have the opportunity to experience the classic set, and seasoned fans, will have an even more compelling reason to give the online version of their favorite trading card game a try."

MIRAGE, the first base set featuring the card abilities "phasing" and "flanking", and designed with both limited and constructed game play strategies in mind, was originally released in Fall 1996.  It was the second stand-alone MAGIC: The Gathering expansion and the largest set produced up to that time. 

The Mirage set offers a good number of recognizable cards including:

• Celestial Dawn : Nicknamed "Bleach" by some players, this enchantment turns the Magic world on its head by making a multicolor deck into monochrome white.
• Hammer of Bogardan :An infinitely reusable damage spell, the Hammer was once known as the most sought-after card for sealed-deck play.
• Maro: Maro quickly became a favorite for green creature-based decks.  Once Maro is in play, each card drawn makes him more dangerous.

One of the top revenue-producing online games, Magic Online currently hosts more than 200,000 registered accounts, daily events and more than two million matches hosted monthly.   Magic Online is the first online game to introduce innovative "digital objects" that offer players the opportunity to redeem full sets of digital Magic cards for paper Magic cards.

Magic: The Gathering Online Mirage expansion will be released in 75-card Tournament Packs (MSRP $11.29) and 15-card boosters (MSRP $3.69) in December 2005.