Things Have Come A Long Way

I saw this picture at Reddit and wow, what a fascinating comparison, right?

First, just the basics of the card (name, mana cost, power/toughness, etc) are far, far more readable. The Dominaria version is still utterly recognizable as a blue card, though I think the set symbol for Antiquities stands out more. Papers could be written on how the visual language of the game has changed.

That all said; how about those text boxes?

The first thing I think of is; how far Magic has come in regards to codifying the language of the game. How do activated or triggered abilities work? What does sacrifice mean? The word 'tap' isn't even involved in the Dominaria card! There were so many language issues with the early years, as Wizards attempted to clarify a game that was clearly spiraling out of control with its rules minute.

Thinking back on it, the internet absolutely saved Magic. It was been pointed out by people smarter than I, that the Antiquities Sage is trying to answer all the rules questions someone might have about how it works. In 1994, there is no reference for Magic and everything it presents, much less a detailed rule book. So the card itself has to try and answer all the questions someone might have.

By the time Dominaria Sage comes to visit, not only has the rules language of Magic been set down so that words like 'sacrifice' mean specific things, but Gatherer exists and everyone has access to it. If there are rules questions, we can instantly look them up and that is huge when it comes to a game like Magic. If Magic was just 'rules lookup, the game' nobody would want to play.

But now; we have far more elegant systems and the works that Wizards did to improve the game really shows, when you compare the cards.