Lordy!

When Alpha launched in 1993, it introduced the world to Magic and planted seeds that still grow today. Alpha gave us more than just the beginning of a game — it gave us lords! Lords are creatures that strengthen others of their kind (tribes) and opened the door for tribal decks:

These lords reveal how early Magic balanced flavor, mechanics, and art. In Old School they still define what Goblins, Merfolk, and Zombies can do. Today the creature type “Lord” has been retired, but the word “lord” remains shorthand for a creature that grants buffs or abilities to its tribe.

What’s makes a Lord?

Back in 1993, “Lord” was a printed creature type. Mechanically, it meant one thing: a creature that buffs its tribe. They all added a landwalk ability of the same color, most of them added +1/+1 counters, but not Zombie Master. Zombie Master granted regeneration. With the retirement of the creature type Lord during the 2007 update, these cards were folded into the very tribes they once led. Goblin King is now officially a Goblin, Lord of Atlantis a Merfolk, and Zombie Master — you guessed it — a Zombie.

Their text was updated too. Take Zombie Master: the Oracle wording now reads, “Other Zombie creatures have swampwalk. (They can’t be blocked as long as defending player controls a Swamp.) Other Zombies have ‘{B}: Regenerate this permanent.’” The key difference is that the Master himself now benefits from a second Zombie Master. With two on the battlefield, they buff each other — a neat twist the original printing didn’t cover.

In Old School, these three lords were the only tribal leaders around, but global enchantments helped fill the gaps. Key anthems included:

• Goblin Shrine (The Dark) — pumps goblins when standing over a Mountain.
• Gauntlet of Might (Alpha) — makes all red creatures +1/+1 (and doubles red mana).
• Orcish Oriflamme (Alpha) — global +1/+0 for attackers.
• Bad Moon (Alpha) — all black creatures +1/+1.
• Sunken City (The Dark) — all blue creatures +1/+1.

And to support the lords’ landwalk abilities, the early game provided:

• Phantasmal Terrain (Alpha) — makes any land an Island.
• Evil Presence (Alpha) — makes any land a Swamp.
• Blood Moon (The Dark) — makes nonbasic lands into Mountains.

With that in mind, let’s look at each lord in turn.

Goblin King — Rabble in the Mountains

Goblins have always been part of the red identity: small, scrappy creatures that swarm the battlefield in numbers. Here is a list of all the Goblins in Old School:

• Mons’s Goblin Raiders (Alpha)
• Goblin Balloon Brigade (Alpha)
• Goblin Artisans (Antiquities)
• Goblin Digging Team (The Dark)
• Goblin Hero (The Dark)
• Goblin Rock Sled (The Dark)
• Goblins of the Flarg (The Dark)
• Goblin Wizard (The Dark)
• Marsh Goblins (The Dark)
• Scarwood Goblins (The Dark)

That’s a lot of Goblins for early Magic! — and importantly, most are cheap 1–2 mana plays.

Jesper Myrfors’ artwork of Goblin King looks awkward, almost scary. Later Goblins (starting in Ice Age) looked more silly, but in Old School goblins are still nasty looking pests! And I love it!

Lord of Atlantis — Ruler of the Seas

Blue wasn’t known for raw aggression in Alpha, but with Lord of Atlantis, even the most unassuming Merfolk gained teeth. He gave the tribe both power and unblockability, letting blue players blend control elements with sudden, evasive strikes. The Lord gave Merfolk their first taste of rulership beneath the waves. Unfortunately, Merfolks are scarce in numbers. The creatures that benefits from the Lord of Atlantis are:

• Merfolk of the Pearl Trident (Alpha)
• Lord of Atlantis (Alpha)
• Merfolk Assassin (The Dark)

That’s it — only three cards, and one of them (Assassin) is an oddball that kills islandwalkers, ironically preying on the very ability Lord of Atlantis grants. Clone and Vesuvan Doppelganger are technically options but that’s not a great solutions. Still, the basics were there: a cheap 1-drops into the Lord is a strong tempo curve. If you include Fallen Empires in the cardpool, legal is some Old School variations, there are 6 addition Merfolks.

Merfolk are few in numbers, but more resilient than Goblins thanks to blue’s counterspells and tempo tools. Lord of Atlantis plus Phantasmal Terrain means your fish get through almost any defense. And Sunken City acts as a Crusade for all blue creatures, making the tribe hit hard. Card’s like Unstable Mutation can transform a Merfolk of the Pearl Trident into a 5/5 unblockable with the Lord out and a Phantasmal Terrain. That’s a big fish!

Melissa Benson’s Lord of Atlantis is striking, with its bold turquoise and reds making the figure pop. But the backdrop is flat — a gradient void, not an ocean kingdom. Still, the vivid colors give the card an unmistakable identity.

Zombie Master — Shepherd of the Dead

From the beginning, black’s creatures leaned toward the dark and the macabre. Zombie Master embodied that theme, standing in a bleak swamp and granting his kin both inevitability and resilience. Though his tribe was originally even sparser than Merfolk in the Old School pool, he offered regeneration and swampwalk — abilities that made the undead difficult to kill and impossible to ignore.

Pre-2007, there were only two creatures who had the Zombie type:

• Scathe Zombies (Alpha)
• Drowned (The Dark)

This made the Zombie Master perhaps the weakest of the Lords. After the 2007 Grand Creature Type Update, several older cards were errata’d into Zombies, massively expanding the tribe:

With these additions, Zombie Master finally had a true horde.

Zombies are the slowest but strongest tribe. Many are 3–4 mana, with bigger stats than Goblins or Merfolk. Without +1/+1 from the Master, they lean on Bad Moon for power. But regeneration makes them sticky, and Evil Presence can force swampwalk against any deck. Over time, Zombies become inevitable.

Jeff A. Menges absolutely nailed the artwork . Zombie Master stands in a bleak swamp, the sun dying in a winter sky, trees clawing the horizon. It’s gothic atmosphere at its best. Unlike the cartoonish Goblin King or the bright Lord of Atlantis, Zombie Master feels eerie, immersive, and timeless.

Final Thoughts

The three Alpha lords gave early Magic its first taste of tribal synergy. Together, they show the breadth of early Magic design — from goofy to regal to gothic. And in Old School today, they still define the archetypes of their tribes, both in strategy and in spirit.

Oh lord, indeed.