Weatherlight Saga

Beginning with the Weatherlight expansion in 1997 and lasting through Apocalypse in 2001, the Weatherlight Saga was a storyline that incorporated or overrode much of the then-existing continuity, which came to be known as prerevisionist. During its run, characters and plot events were featured prominently on the cards themselves, such that the basics of the story could be gleaned from them. Fan response to this was mixed at best and Wizards of the Coast has since abandoned this method of storytelling.

Note that the events surrounding Urza and the story of the prequel The Thran are usually seen as a part of the Weatherlight Saga. Although they predate the Skyship Weatherlight by millennia they start a chain of events that ultimately lead to its creation. The storylines of expansions before Weatherlight are also still considered canon.

The Weatherlight Saga was plotted by Magic author and editor Michael G. Ryan and Mark Rosewater, with additional help from Bob Kruger, Kij Johnson, and Pete Venters. Plot lines were based on universal themes as recognized by the famed scholar Joseph Campbell. Ryan and Rosewater were removed as the people in charge of the story during the end of Tempest block (during Exodus) and that event created a schism between R&D and the creative team for a number of years.