Gavin Verhey used today’s episode of Good Morning Magic to give the more-than-20-year history of Annul in Magic: The Gathering.
Annul, a simple common, was first printed in Urza’s Saga in 1998 as a way to combat the enchantments and artifacts from the set, of which there were many, for a single mana. Of course, it couldn’t keep the block in check by itself as the formats that followed the sets in the block were incredibly broken, but it tried.
In 2003, in Mirrodin, the design team had planned on an instant for one blue that would counter an artifact spell, which would be called Malfunction, but it was swapped for Annul when Astral Slide was dominating. The reprint used the art that was made for the card that was scrapped, and it depicts Chromatic Sphere malfunctioning. Despite the format being completely warped with the powerful artifacts and affinity cards, Annul still did what it could to keep the format in check.
Annul came back in 2013 for Theros, in an enchantment-based block for once, particularly focused at stopping the Gods. While Urza’s Saga was originally meant to be an enchantment set, most of them got overshadowed by the artifacts and free spells that came from the block.
The latest appearance for Annul is in Kaldheim. While there are plenty of artifacts and enchantments running around in the latest set, it’s primary focus is for Sagas. It also comes as a late safety valve for the Gods from Theros Beyond Death.
The little common that could continues to see play in sideboards more than 23 years later after its original printing. It’s safe to assume this won’t be the last time we see it.