Magic: The Gathering merchandise
In 1993, Richard Garfield started a revolution in the card game market when he released his creation Magic: The Gathering . Whether strategists or passionate collectors - the game (also known by the abbreviation MTG) is considered the origin of the modern card collecting game, which inspired many other famous successors. Even more than 25 years after its first release, Wizards of the Coast presents new editions of the long-running strategic hit several times a year.
The former mathematics student developed trading card games as early as the 1980s, and his big breakthrough came with Magic: The Gathering . The publication of the card collecting game is closely linked to the US company Wizard of the Coast. Today, the world-famous role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) is also published under the name Wizards of the Coast.
Whether creatures, lands, artifacts or enchantments - Magic: The Gathering gamers can play a wide variety of card variants to their advantage over the course of a game. Five different colors have been established over the years: white, black, red, blue and green. Each color represents its own style of play, but the colors can also be combined with one another in a deck for more complex synergies. So it's not surprising that multi-colored decks are now popular, whether in the double combinations Simic, Izzet, Golgari, Dimir or Orzhov or the three-color combinations such as Sultai, Jeskai or Esper.
Each color has its own theme, its own strength. Blue is the color of water and air, which stands for strong instant spells and control. White represents light, order and peace - and has strong protective spells and enchantments. Green is the color of nature and life - it relies on strong creatures. Death and sacrifice belong to the color black, which can interact with the card graveyard and sacrifice creatures for gameplay advantages. And red is the color of chaos, fire and rage, players of this color benefit from powerful attack spells and fast creatures with haste.
New cards in the Magic: The Gathering series are released several times a year and have been available internationally since 1993. In addition to main sets such as Alpha, Beta, Unlimited or the 5th or 10th (and comparable) editions, Magic: The Gathering offers fans and geeks expansions with a special theme focus every year. In 2021, for example, there were special sets such as Kaldheim or Strixhaven - School of Mages. While the former relied on Nordic flair and new snow lands with corresponding card functions, Strixhaven was considered a set with many spells - in the spirit of the magical school. In addition to the famous boosters with 15 cards, so-called theme decks, starter decks or event decks were also sometimes offered. Today, the Magic: The Gathering portfolio brings together a total of over 20,000 different cards that have been released over the years. A real paradise for card collectors.
As editions progressed, a complex narrative developed. Magic: The Gathering now consists of a rich fantasy lore - expanded by video games, books, etc. According to Richard Garfield, the card game takes place in a multiverse that is traveled by the so-called Planeswalkers. Each edition adds its own narrative facets to the now complex narrative universe. Sometimes there are also references to famous narrative templates; for example, the Arabian Nights edition is inspired by the famous stories from 1001 Nights.
A highlight in addition to the gameplay - and nerds, gamers and fans of the series know this best - are the stylish illustrations and flavor texts of the Magic cards. While the texts under the cards explain the lore of MTG in a vivid way, the paintings and drawings on each card focus on the unforgettable visual presentation of the fantasy world. Artists recognized in the scene have illustrated Magic cards - whether Christopher Rush, Johannes Voss or Seb McKinnon.
Magic: The Gathering has grown over the decades into more than just a card game. Rare cards have now developed such a value that they represent a valuable investment for some collectors. The so-called Power Nine from the early editions are famous and are considered the most valuable of the cards. These include the Black Lotus, the five Mox cards, Time Walk, Ancestral Recall and Timetwister. In 2021, an alpha version of the Black Lotus was auctioned for an incredible $511,100. Some fans of Magic: The Gathering are critical of this form of money-making - they are interested in the game, the cards and the exciting designs. If you don't find the financial aspect interesting, there are other ways to get new valuable cards: as with many trading card games, Magic cards are also a popular trading item among friends and acquaintances.
Magic: The Gathering has also transcended its function as a card game because there are now notable releases in other media. These include video games from the world of gaming such as the now popular Magic Arena, which transports the card game and its mechanics into the virtual space. Players can buy virtual boosters and put together a deck for various formats online. After games such as Magic Duels: Origins, Magic 2014 and Duels of the Planeswalkers, Arena is considered one of the most successful implementations of the virtual card game.
Novels by authors such as J. Robert King, Scott McGough and Cory J. Herndon have also been published for the various Magic: The Gathering story cycles. Passionate MTG fans can now fill entire shelves with the books that have been published. Comics have also been produced with reference to the lore of Magic: The Gathering . These explore various facets of the multiverse in narrative and visual terms. In fact, a feature film was once planned to be dedicated to the complex fantasy world of Magic: The Gathering , but this was never put into practice. However, there are still rumors of a series based on Magic: The Gathering .
But that's not all: Fan articles and merch are not to be forgotten, especially in an online shop like yvolve. Whether caps, figures, posters, notebooks or lamps - in the yvolve shop you have a large selection of merchandise and accessories. This also includes fan articles from the world of Magic: The Gathering . For example, bags with the MTG logo, mugs with images of Chandra, Ajani or Jace or T-shirts with the famous Magic lettering. Depending on the product, the variety of Magic articles is suitable as clothing for passionate nerds, as decoration or as gifts for best friends.
But you don't have to miss out on cards from Magic: The Gathering in our selection either. Whether special editions like Secret Lair or Commander Decks - or classic booster packs and core sets: everything that the heart of Magic fans desires is waiting here. The latest editions in particular can be discovered here - but also some historical Magic highlights. Just take a look at the Magic: The Gathering category in the yvolve shop.
