There are a couple of card games that have been around for a really long time, and they are definitely worthy of being in the hall of fame when it comes to both being games and internet popularity.
Magic The Gathering, a game that is known for having an incredibly loyal fanbase and systems that have been praised for years,. Due to game play, how cards are released, and how the game is monetized it’s been an eternal innovator in the TCG world. Today however, MTG seems to be going in a very bad direction.
More cards, less MTG events
When there is a product as successful as Magic the Gathering, it is not a surprise that people who enjoy the game are looking for new ways to experience it and with that, asking for new cards and expansions for the game. While Wizards of the Coast, the company in charge of making MTG, has done a fantastic job in the past, today, things are taking a direction towards something that many card game fans are familiar with.
The main issue is that the company is printing out more cards and coming out with more expansions than players can enjoy. In 2022 alone, there have been almost more expansions than in the previous three years alone, and as exciting as that might sound, it is just overwhelming. Players do not have to enjoy each set, and due to such a huge release, they cannot even remember which card is a part of which set, and the game’s meta is almost possible to establish.
Just yesterday, MTG released a preview of the next expansion “Phyrexia: All Will Be One“, coming February 2023. Most players are still working through The Brothers’ War that released on November 18th only a few weeks ago.
Even the picture above is dated with Phyrexia and everything else being announced.
Due to the saturation of the market with cards that players are honestly not asking for, especially with the reprints of older cards that are devaluing collections of many MTG players, Hasbro’s stock has tanked significantly. Even if the company is involved in selling all kinds of products, Magic is played by millions of people, so it does make sense that they are losing money because they are spending more than people are buying.
On top of all that, players are quite disappointed that there is no sign of an expansive MGT tournament circuit, which was one of the most popular tournaments that the card game had to offer. DreamHack and other 3rd party organizers are trying to cover the void but it’s simply not enough.
More versioned re-prints are needed for every new card – No one, Ever
None of this stayed unnoticed tho, even Bank of America took note and demoted Hasbro (the card publisher) to “underperform” status after finding that the publisher has been overprinting cards and destroying the long-term value of the business. Over the last month the stock has slowly tumbled down in value losing almost 40% over a one-year period.
Anniversary pack, local stores and milking the fan base
What made Magic the Gathering such an incredible game is that it was one of those games which allowed local stores to bloom out of nowhere. People could rent out small loans and set up a card shop that sold all kinds of card games and board games, but most importantly, MTG cards. While they can still do that today, the problem lies in the fact that Hasbro is putting those same cards on Amazon for lower prices than local stores could ever sell them for. Naturally, people will go to Amazon and purchase the new packs, which is slowly ruining the community and running local stores out of business. The beaty of local stores selling MTG cards was not the most convenient option for those who did not want to leave their house. However, those who wanted to get into the game could go to a local card store and learn the game from the vendors, who will gladly show them to ropes.
We have to talk about the 30th anniversary for MTG, and how the only thing they do is piss people off. Regardless of whatever we said about the anniversary pack, the most disgusting part is that it costs $999, which is just insane. Worry not however, All Will Be One will likely get it’s own 30th anniversary super re-print you can cough out hundreds on..
Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast really have to get down to earth and understand their community better. We are getting down to the point of no return, and no amount of foils and concept art can save us.
