:Magic: The Gathering#Regenerate

{{Main|Magic: The Gathering rules}}

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{{excerpt|Magic: The Gathering rules|Overview|hat=no}}

Cards in Magic: The Gathering generally have a consistent format, with half of the face of the card showing the card's art, and the other half listing the card's mechanics, often relying on commonly-reused keywords to simplify the card's text.{{Cite web |last=Knutson |first=Ted |date=October 21, 2006 |title=Anatomy of a Magic Card |url=https://magic.wizards.com/en/news/feature/anatomy-magic-card-2006-10-21 |access-date=2025-03-03 |website=Magic: The Gathering |language=en-US}} Cards fall into two classes: lands and spells.{{Citation needed|date=August 2022}} Lands produce mana, or magical energy. Players usually can only play one land card per turn, with most land providing a specific color of mana when they are "tapped", usually by rotating the card 90 degrees to show it has been used that turn. Each land can be tapped for mana only once per turn.{{Cite web |date=October 1, 2021 |title=How to play Magic the Gathering Arena: getting started in MTG |url=https://www.pcgamesn.com/magic-the-gathering-arena/how-to-play-mtg |access-date=2021-10-16 |website=PCGamesN |language=en-GB |archive-date=September 1, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220901213713/https://www.pcgamesn.com/magic-the-gathering-arena/how-to-play-mtg |url-status=live }}

Meanwhile, spells consume mana, typically requiring at least one mana of a specific color. More powerful spells cost more, and more specifically colored, mana, so as the game progresses, more land will be in play, more mana will be available, and the quantity and relative power of the spells played tends to increase. Spells come in several varieties: non-permanents like "sorceries" and "instants" have a single, one-time effect before they go to the "graveyard" (discard pile); "enchantments" and "artifacts" that remain in play after being cast to provide a lasting magical effect; and "creature" spells summon creatures that can attack and damage an opponent as well as used to defend from the opponent's creature attacks; "planeswalker" spells that summon powerful allies that act similarly to other players. Land, enchantments, artifacts, creature, planeswalker, and battle cards are considered "permanents" as they remain in play until removed by other spells, ability, or combat effects.{{Cite web |last=Mitchell |first=Ferguson |date=2019-07-15 |title=MTG basics: Introduction to Magic: The Gathering |url=https://dotesports.com/news/mtg-basics-introduction-to-magic-the-gathering |access-date=2021-10-16 |website=Dot Esports |language=en-US |archive-date=August 8, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220808063838/https://dotesports.com/news/mtg-basics-introduction-to-magic-the-gathering |url-status=live }}

Players begin the game by shuffling their decks and then drawing seven cards.{{cite web| title = Magic: The Gathering Comprehensive Rules| page = 7| date = July 8, 2022| access-date = August 22, 2022| url = https://media.wizards.com/2022/downloads/MagicCompRules%2020220708.pdf| archive-date = August 9, 2022| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220809175643/https://media.wizards.com/2022/downloads/MagicCompRules%2020220708.pdf| url-status = live}} On each player's turn, following a set phase order, they draw a card, tap their lands and other permanents as necessary to gain mana as to cast spells, engage their creatures in a single attack round against their opponent who may use their own creatures to block the attack, and then complete other actions with any remaining mana.{{cite web|url=https://www.wargamer.com/magic-the-gathering/how-to-play|title=How to play Magic: The Gathering – your beginner's guide to mana, cards, and combat|website=Wargamer|first1=Matt|last1=Basil|date=May 26, 2022|access-date=August 30, 2022|archive-date=August 19, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220819012300/https://www.wargamer.com/magic-the-gathering/how-to-play|url-status=live}} Most actions that a player can perform enter the "Stack", a concept similar to the stack in computer programming, as either player can react to these actions with other actions, such as counter-spells; the stack provides a method of resolving complex interactions that may result in certain scenarios.{{cite web | url = https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/beyond-basics/stack-and-its-tricks-2017-11-30 | title = The Stack and Its Tricks | first = Gavin | last = Verhey | date = November 30, 2017 | access-date = February 28, 2020 | publisher = Wizards of the Coast | archive-date = November 25, 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20201125032215/https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/beyond-basics/stack-and-its-tricks-2017-11-30 | url-status = live }}{{cite web|url=https://www.wargamer.com/magic-the-gathering/mtg-the-stack|title=MTG: The Stack – what is it, and how does it work?|first1=Jason|last1=Coles|date=January 14, 2022|website=Wargamer|access-date=August 30, 2022|archive-date=August 19, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220819010914/https://www.wargamer.com/magic-the-gathering/mtg-the-stack|url-status=live}}

{{See also|Magic: The Gathering deck types|Magic: The Gathering formats}}

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{{Excerpt|Magic: The Gathering rules|Deck construction|hat=no}}

Most sanctioned games for Magic: The Gathering under the Wizards Play Network (WPN) use the based Constructed format that require players to create their decks from their own library of cards. In general, this requires a minimum of sixty cards in the deck, and, except for basic land cards, no more than four cards of the same named card.{{cite web| title = Magic: The Gathering Comprehensive Rules| page = 5| date = July 8, 2022| access-date = August 22, 2022| url = https://media.wizards.com/2022/downloads/MagicCompRules%2020220708.pdf| archive-date = August 9, 2022| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220809175643/https://media.wizards.com/2022/downloads/MagicCompRules%2020220708.pdf| url-status = live}}{{cite web|title=Standard Format Deck Construction|date=May 29, 2013|url=http://www.mtgoacademy.com/deckbuilding-rules-and-banned-restricted-lists/|publisher=mtgoacademy|access-date=July 25, 2013|archive-date=January 25, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210125025653/http://www.mtgoacademy.com/deckbuilding-rules-and-banned-restricted-lists/|url-status=live}} The pool of cards is also typically limited to the Standard rotation, which consists of only recently released cards.{{cite web|url=https://dotesports.com/news/mtg-basics-competitive-formats|title=MTG Basics: Competitive formats|first1=Ferguson|last1=Mitchell|date=October 17, 2019|website=Dot Esports|access-date=August 30, 2022|archive-date=August 30, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220830025744/https://dotesports.com/news/mtg-basics-competitive-formats|url-status=live}} The Standard format helps to prevent "power creep" that can be difficult to predict with the size of the Magic card library and help give newer players a fair advantage with long-term players. Other Constructed formats exist that allow for use of older expansions to give more variety for decks.{{cite web | url = https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/latest-developments/dealing-power-creep-2013-08-09 | title = Dealing with Power Creep | first = Sam | last = Stoddard | date = August 9, 2013 | access-date = February 28, 2020 | publisher = Wizards of the Coast | archive-date = December 22, 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20201222065821/https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/latest-developments/dealing-power-creep-2013-08-09 | url-status = live }} A large variety of formats have been defined by the WPN which allows different pools of expansions to be used or alter deck construction rules for special events.{{Cite web |title=Formats {{!}} WPN |url=https://wpn.wizards.com/en/formats |access-date=2025-02-19 |website=Wizards Play Network |language=en}}

Commander is a one hundred card constructed format that makes many changes to typical deck construction rules. In Commander, each of the one hundred cards must be uniquely named, excluding basic lands and cards that have text that supersede that rule. Additionally, Commander is also a historic format, denoting that any cards from any set release can be used, excluding any specific cards that have been banned from play. Commander as a format has a separate ban list than other Constructed formats.{{Cite web |title=MTG Commander Format |url=https://magic.wizards.com/en/formats/commander |access-date=2023-03-07 |website=MAGIC: THE GATHERING |language=en-US |archive-date=March 12, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230312134740/https://magic.wizards.com/en/formats/commander |url-status=live }}

In the Limited format, a small number of cards are opened for play from booster packs or tournament packs, and generally a minimum deck size of forty cards is enforced. One of the most popular limited formats is Booster Draft, in which players open a booster pack, choose a card from it, and pass it to the player seated next to them. This continues until all the cards have been picked, and then a new pack is opened. Three packs are opened in total, and the direction of passing alternates left-right-left.{{Cite news|url=https://magic.wizards.com/en/game-info/gameplay/formats/booster-draft|title=Booster Draft|work=Magic: The Gathering|access-date=October 8, 2017|language=en|archive-date=November 13, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201113053640/https://magic.wizards.com/en/game-info/gameplay/formats/booster-draft|url-status=live}} Once the draft is done, players create decks out of the cards they picked, basic land cards being provided for free, and play games with the players they drafted with.

{{excerpt|Magic: The Gathering rules|Banned and restricted cards}}

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Most cards in Magic are based on one of five colors that make up the game's "Color Wheel" or "Color Pie", shown on the back of each card, and each representing a school or realm of magic: white, blue, black, red, and green. The arrangement of these colors on the wheel describes relationships between the schools, which can broadly affect deck construction and game execution. For a given color such as white, the two colors immediately adjacent to it, green and blue, are considered complementary, while the two colors on the opposite side, black and red, are its opposing schools.{{cite web |url=https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/making-magic/value-pie-2003-08-18-0|title=The Value of Pie |access-date=September 30, 2006 |publisher=Wizards of the Coast |author=Mark Rosewater |author-link=Mark Rosewater |date=August 18, 2003 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080304223314/http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=mtgcom%2Fdaily%2Fmr85 |archive-date=March 4, 2008 |url-status=live }}

The Research and Development (R&D) team at Wizards of the Coast aimed to balance power and abilities among the five colors by using the Color Pie to differentiate the strengths and weaknesses of each. This guideline lays out the capabilities, themes, and mechanics of each color and allows for every color to have its own distinct attributes and gameplay. The Color Pie is used to ensure new cards are thematically in the correct color and do not infringe on the territory of other colors.

The concepts behind each of the colors on the Color Wheel, based on a series of articles written by Mark Rosewater, are as follows:As part of the Making Magic (2003-2005) article series on the game's official site, Mark Rosewater described each color in depth (as well as multicolor cards, artifact or colorless cards, and color-hybrid cards). [https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/making-magic/great-white-way-2003-02-03 The Great White Way] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220822160021/https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/making-magic/great-white-way-2003-02-03 |date=August 22, 2022 }}, [https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/making-magic/true-blue-2003-08-11 True Blue] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220822160104/https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/making-magic/true-blue-2003-08-11 |date=August 22, 2022 }}, [https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/making-magic/black-2004-02-02 In the Black] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220822160046/https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/making-magic/black-2004-02-02 |date=August 22, 2022 }}, [https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/making-magic/seeing-red-2004-07-19-0 Seeing Red], [https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/making-magic/its-not-easy-being-green-2002-10-21-0 It's Not Easy Being Green] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220822160049/https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/making-magic/its-not-easy-being-green-2002-10-21-0 |date=August 22, 2022 }}, [https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/making-magic/just-artifacts-ma%E2%80%99am-2005-02-28 Just the Artifacts, Ma'am] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220822160042/https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/making-magic/just-artifacts-ma%E2%80%99am-2005-02-28 |date=August 22, 2022 }}, and [https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/making-magic/midas-touch-2005-11-14 Midas Touch] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220822160027/https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/making-magic/midas-touch-2005-11-14 |date=August 22, 2022 }}.

These articles were updated and republished in 2015: [https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/making-magic/great-white-way-revisited-2015-07-13 The Great White Way Revisited] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210607084016/https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/making-magic/great-white-way-revisited-2015-07-13 |date=June 7, 2021 }}, [https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/making-magic/true-blue-revisited-2015-07-20 True Blue Revisited] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210606113020/https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/making-magic/true-blue-revisited-2015-07-20 |date=June 6, 2021 }}, [https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/making-magic/black-revisited-2015-07-27 In the Black Revisited] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210531043206/https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/making-magic/black-revisited-2015-07-27 |date=May 31, 2021 }}, [https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/making-magic/seeing-red-revisited-2015-08-03 Seeing Red Revisited] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210531043547/https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/making-magic/seeing-red-revisited-2015-08-03 |date=May 31, 2021 }}, [https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/making-magic/its-not-easy-being-green-revisited-2015-08-10 It's Not Easy Being Green Revisited] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210531043337/https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/making-magic/its-not-easy-being-green-revisited-2015-08-10 |date=May 31, 2021 }}.

• White represents order, peace, and light, and draws mana from plains. White planeswalkers can summon individually weak creatures that are collectively strong as a group such as soldiers, as well as powerful creatures and leaders that can strengthen all of the player's creatures with additional abilities or strength. Their spells tend to focus on healing or preventing damage, protecting their allies, and neutralizing an opponent's advantages on the battlefield.{{Cite web|date=2020-03-02|title=What do the different Magic: The Gathering mana colours mean?|url=https://www.dicebreaker.com/series/magic-the-gathering/how-to/what-do-the-different-magic-the-gathering-mana-colours-mean|access-date=2020-10-26|website=Dicebreaker|language=en|archive-date=October 31, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201031032403/https://www.dicebreaker.com/series/magic-the-gathering/how-to/what-do-the-different-magic-the-gathering-mana-colours-mean|url-status=live}}{{Cite news|date=2018-06-06|title=Getting into Magic: The Gathering – Color Profiles and Archetypes|url=https://nerdist.com/article/getting-into-magic-the-gathering-color-profiles-and-archetypes/|access-date=2020-10-26|website=Nerdist|language=en|archive-date=January 28, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220128122351/https://nerdist.com/article/getting-into-magic-the-gathering-color-profiles-and-archetypes/|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|last=Orf|first=Darren|date=2020-08-11|title=So You Want to Play 'Magic: The Gathering'|url=https://www.popularmechanics.com/culture/gaming/a26331076/how-to-play-magic-the-gathering/|access-date=2020-10-26|website=Popular Mechanics|language=en-US|archive-date=November 12, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201112022332/https://www.popularmechanics.com/culture/gaming/a26331076/how-to-play-magic-the-gathering/|url-status=live}}
• Blue represents intellect, logic, manipulation, and trickery, and pulls its mana from islands. Its magic is typically associated with the classical elements of air and water. Many of Blue's spells can interact or interfere with the opponent's spells as well as with the general flow of the game. Blue's magic is also associated with control, allowing the player to gain temporary or full control of the opponent's creatures. Blue creatures often tend to be weak but evasive and difficult to target.
• Black represents power, death, corruption, and sacrifice, drawing mana from swamps. Many of Black's creatures are undead, and several can be sacrificed to make other creatures more powerful, destroy opponent's creatures or permanents, or other effects. Black creatures may be able to draw the life taken in an attack back to their caster, or may even be able to kill creatures through a deathtouch effect. Black's spells similarly coerce sacrifice by the player or their opponent through cards or life.
• Red represents freedom, chaos, fury, and warfare, pulling its power from mountains. Its powers are associated with the classical fire and earth elements, and tends to have the strongest spells such as fireballs that can be powered-up by tapping additional mana when cast. Red is an offense-oriented class: in addition to powerful creatures like dragons, red planeswalkers can summon weak creatures that can strike quickly to gain the short-term edge.
• Green is the color of life, nature, evolution, and indulgence, drawing mana from forests. Green has the widest array of creatures to draw upon, ranging across all power levels, and generally is able to dominate the battlefield with many creatures in play at once. Green creatures and spells can generate life points and mana, and can also gain massive strength through spells.

Most cards in Magic: The Gathering are based on a single color, shown along the card's border. The cost to play them requires some mana of that color and potentially any amount of mana from any other color. Multicolored cards were introduced in the Legends expansion and typically use a gold border. Their casting cost includes mana from at least two colors plus additional mana from any color. Hybrid cards, included with Ravnica, use a two-color gradient border. These cards can be cast using mana from either color shown, in addition to other mana costs. Finally, colorless cards, such as some artifacts, do not have any colored mana requirements but still require a general amount of mana to be spent to play.

The color wheel can influence deck construction choices. Cards from colors that are aligned such as red and green often provide synergistic effects, either due to the core nature of the schools or through designs of cards, but may leave the deck vulnerable to the magic of the common color in conflict, blue in the case of red and green. Alternatively, decks constructed with opposing colors like green and blue may not have many favorable combinations but will be capable of dealing with decks based on any other colors. There are no limits to how many colors can be in a deck, but the more colors in a deck, the more difficult it may be to provide mana of the right color.{{cite web|last=Rosewater|first=Mark|date=November 14, 2016|title=Pie Fights|url=https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/making-magic/pie-fights-2016-11-14|access-date=February 28, 2020|publisher=Wizards of the Coast|archive-date=February 7, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210207114928/https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/making-magic/pie-fights-2016-11-14|url-status=live}}

Magic, like many other games, combines chance and skill. One frequent complaint about the game involves the notion that there is too much luck involved, especially concerning drawing too many or too few lands.{{cite web | title = Magic Jargon | publisher = Wizards of the Coast | last = Knutson | first = Ted | date = September 9, 2006 | access-date = July 24, 2009 | url = http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtgcom%2Facademy%2F9 | archive-date = July 3, 2013 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130703173311/http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtgcom%2Facademy%2F9 | url-status = dead }} Early in the game especially, too many or too few lands could ruin a player's chance at victory without the player having made a mistake. This in-game statistical variance can be minimized by proper deck construction, as an appropriate land count can reduce mana problems. In Duels of the Planeswalkers 2012, the land count is automatically adjusted to 40% of the total deck size.{{cite web | title = Mmmmmmmmmana...Five Rules For Avoiding Mana-Screw | publisher = starcitygames.com | last = Moldenhauer-Salazar | first = Jay | date = March 23, 2000 | access-date = July 24, 2009 | url = http://www.starcitygames.com/php/news/article/890.html | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090720032550/http://www.starcitygames.com/php/news/article/890.html | archive-date = July 20, 2009 | url-status = dead | df = mdy-all }}

A "mulligan" rule was introduced into the game, first informally in casual play and then in the official game rules.{{cite web |url=http://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/news/new-mulligan-rule-starting-battle-zendikar-prereleases-2015-08-20 |title=New Mulligan Rule Starting from Battle for Zendikar Prereleases |access-date=November 26, 2015 |date=August 20, 2015 |first=Aaron |last=Forsythe |publisher=Wizards of the Coast |archive-date=November 12, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201112031445/https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/news/new-mulligan-rule-starting-battle-zendikar-prereleases-2015-08-20 |url-status=dead }} In multiplayer, a player may take one mulligan without penalty, while subsequent mulligans will cost one card (a rule known as "Partial Paris mulligan").{{cite web |url=https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/making-magic/starting-over-2004-02-20 |title=Starting Over |access-date=February 11, 2007 |last=Rosewater |first=Mark |author-link=Mark Rosewater |publisher=Wizards of the Coast |date=February 23, 2004 |archive-date=August 15, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170815100922/http://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/making-magic/starting-over-2004-02-20 |url-status=live }} The original mulligan allowed a player a single redraw of seven new cards if that player's initial hand contained seven or zero lands. A variation of this rule called a "forced mulligan" is still used in some casual play circles and in multiplayer formats on Magic Online, and allows a single "free" redraw of seven new cards if a player's initial hand contains seven, six, one or zero lands.{{cite web |url=https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/nephilim-are-prismatastic-2006-04-27 |title=Nephilim Are Prismatastic! |access-date=February 11, 2007 |publisher=Wizards of the Coast |last=Smith |first=Bennie |date=April 27, 2006 |url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090104152413/http://boards1.wizards.com/archive/index.php/t-295147.html|archive-date=January 4, 2009}} This article explains this mulligan rule in the Prismatic format, where it is called a "big deck" mulligan. The rule was added to all multiplayer Magic Online later.

With the release of the Core Set 2020, a new mulligan system was introduced for competitive play known as the London Mulligan. Under this rule, after taking a mulligan, the player redraws 7 new cards, and then chooses 1 card to place on the bottom of their library for each mulligan they have taken (or chooses to mulligan again, drawing another 7 cards.) This mulligan rule is generally considered less punishing to mulligans than the prior mulligan rule, in which a player would simply draw one less card each time they mulliganed, rather than drawing 7 new cards after each mulligan, and subsequently choosing to "bottom" one card per mulligan taken.{{Cite web|url=https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/news/london-mulligan-2019-06-03|title=The London Mulligan|website=MAGIC: THE GATHERING|language=en|access-date=July 30, 2019|archive-date=February 7, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210207121509/https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/news/london-mulligan-2019-06-03|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|date=2020-07-10|title=Magic: The Gathering - When & Why to Mulligan Your Hand|url=https://www.cbr.com/magic-the-gathering-when-why-mulligan-hand/|access-date=2021-10-16|website=CBR|language=en-US|archive-date=October 19, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211019204134/https://www.cbr.com/magic-the-gathering-when-why-mulligan-hand/|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|last=Forster|first=Danny|date=2019-06-03|title=Magic: The Gathering will implement London Mulligan rule across all formats|url=https://dotesports.com/mtg/news/mtg-implement-london-mulligan-rule-across-all-formats|access-date=2021-10-16|website=Dot Esports|language=en-US|archive-date=October 19, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211019184910/https://dotesports.com/mtg/news/mtg-implement-london-mulligan-rule-across-all-formats|url-status=live}}

Confessing his love for games combining both luck and skill, Magic creator Richard Garfield admitted its influence in his design of Magic. In addressing the complaint about luck influencing a game, Garfield states that new and casual players tend to appreciate luck as a leveling effect, since randomness can increase their chances of winning against a more skilled player. Meanwhile, a player with higher skills appreciates a game with less chance, as the higher degree of control increases their chances of winning. According to Garfield, Magic has and would likely continue decreasing its degree of luck as the game matured.{{cite video

| people = Garfield, Richard

| year = 2012

| title = Magic TV: Extra – Dr. Richard Garfield on "Luck Versus Skill" (Magic Cruise 2012)

| url = http://www.channelfireball.com/home/magic-tv-extra-dr-richard-garfield-on-luck-versus-skill-magic-cruise-2012/

| format = Video

| medium = Lecture

| publisher = channelfireball.com

| location = Seattle to Alaska cruise

| access-date = July 14, 2012

| time = July 10, 2012

| archive-date = April 24, 2020

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200424104955/https://www.channelfireball.com/home/magic-tv-extra-dr-richard-garfield-on-luck-versus-skill-magic-cruise-2012/

| url-status = live

}} The "Mulligan rule", as well as card design, past vs. present, are good examples of this trend. He feels that this is a universal trend for maturing games. Garfield explained using chess as an example, that unlike modern chess, in predecessors, players would use dice to determine which chess piece to move.

The original set of rules prescribed that all games were to be played for ante. Garfield was partly inspired by the game of marbles and added this rule because he wanted the players to play with the cards rather than simply collect them.{{Citation| last1 =Owens| first1 =Thomas S.| title =What did you eat for breakfast | first2 =Diana | last2 =Star| journal =Inside Collectible Card Games| year =1996| page =142}} The ante rule stated that each player must remove a card at random from the deck they wished to play with before the game began, and the two cards would be set aside together as the ante. At the end of the match, the winner would take and keep both cards. Early sets included a few cards with rules designed to interact with this gambling aspect, allowing replacements of cards up for ante, adding more cards to the ante, or even permanently trading ownership of cards in play. The ante concept became controversial because many regions had restrictions on games of chance. The ante rule was soon made optional because of these restrictions and because of players' reluctance to possibly lose a card that they owned. The gambling rule was also forbidden at sanctioned events. The last card to mention ante was printed in the 1995 expansion set Homelands.{{Cite web|title=Ante? You Can Bet on It! {{!}} Cardmarket Insight|url=https://www.cardmarket.com/en/Magic/Insight/Articles/Ante-You-Can-Bet-on-It|access-date=2021-10-16|website=www.cardmarket.com|archive-date=October 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211016114919/https://www.cardmarket.com/en/Magic/Insight/Articles/Ante-You-Can-Bet-on-It|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|date=2020-12-05|title=Magic: The Gathering - Early on, the Game Was Just Plain WEIRD|url=https://www.cbr.com/magic-the-gathering-weird-early-game/|access-date=2021-10-16|website=CBR|language=en-US|archive-date=October 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211016114917/https://www.cbr.com/magic-the-gathering-weird-early-game/|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|last=Symon|first=Evan|title=Magic Untapped - Upping the Ante: Remembering when your opponent's Magic cards were the prize|url=https://magicuntapped.com/index.php/articles/item/389-upping-the-ante-remembering-when-your-opponent-s-magic-cards-were-the-prize|access-date=2021-10-16|website=magicuntapped.com|language=en-gb|archive-date=October 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211016114918/https://magicuntapped.com/index.php/articles/item/389-upping-the-ante-remembering-when-your-opponent-s-magic-cards-were-the-prize|url-status=live}}

{{Main|Magic: The Gathering Organized Play|Wizards Play Network|Friday Night Magic|l2 = }}

File:Magic Players.jpg, Germany, competed for an invitation to a professional tournament in Nagoya, Japan.]]

The Wizards Play Network (WPN), formerly the Duelists' Convocation International (DCI), is the organizing body for sanctioned Magic events; it is owned and operated by Wizards of the Coast. The WPN establishes the set allowances and card restrictions for the Constructed and Limited formats for regulation play for tournaments as well as for other events.{{cite web |last=Rosenberg |first=Mike |title=Friday Night Magic changes |url=http://magic.wizards.com/en/events/coverage/ptktk/friday-night-magic-changes-2014-10-14 |access-date=23 May 2015 |publisher=Wizards of the Coast |archive-date=January 18, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220118141614/https://magic.wizards.com/en/events/coverage/ptktk/friday-night-magic-changes-2014-10-14 |url-status=dead }}

"Thousands of games shops" participate in Friday Night Magic (FNM), an event sponsored by the WPN; it is advertised as "the event where new players can approach the game, and start building their community".{{Cite book |last=Troilo |first=Gabriele |title=Marketing In Creative Industries : Value, Experience and Creativity.|date=2015|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan|isbn=978-0-230-38023-3|location=Basingstoke, UK |pages=110–112|oclc=966560595}} FNM offers both sanctioned tournament formats and all casual formats.{{Cite web|last=Smith|first=Kendra|date=May 1, 2019|title=It's Time to Sanction Pauper|url=https://www.coolstuffinc.com/a/kendrasmith-05012019-its-time-to-sanction-pauper|access-date=2021-09-15|website=www.coolstuffinc.com|language=en|archive-date=September 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210915184755/https://www.coolstuffinc.com/a/kendrasmith-05012019-its-time-to-sanction-pauper|url-status=live}} In 2018, The New Yorker reported that "even as it has grown in popularity and size, Magic flies low to the ground. It thrives on the people who gather at lunch tables, in apartments, or in one of the six thousand stores worldwide that Wizards has licensed to put on weekly tournaments dubbed Friday Night Magic". FNM tournaments can act as a stepping-stone to more competitive play.{{cite web | title = Friday Night Magic | publisher = Wizards of the Coast | date = June 2009 | access-date = June 14, 2009 | url = http://www.wizards.com/Magic/TCG/Events.aspx?x=events%2Fmagic%2Ffnm&dcmp=ILC-MTGNTOP | archive-date = June 6, 2013 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130606041446/http://www.wizards.com/Magic/TCG/Events.aspx?x=events%2Fmagic%2Ffnm&dcmp=ILC-MTGNTOP | url-status = dead }}

Magic tournaments regularly occur in gaming stores and other venues. Larger tournaments with hundreds of competitors from around the globe sponsored by Wizards of the Coast are arranged many times every year, with substantial cash prizes for the top finishers. A number of websites report on tournament news, give complete lists for the most currently popular decks, and feature articles on current issues of debate about the game.{{citation needed|date=October 2021}} Additionally, the WPN maintains a set of rules for being able to sanction tournaments, as well as runs its own circuit.

File:shadowmage infiltrator.jpg won the right for this card to feature his design and likeness.{{cite news |last=Barth |first=Chris |date=September 21, 2011 |title=A Magic The Gathering World Champion And Blackjack Pro Tries His Hand At A Hedge Fund |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/chrisbarth/2011/09/21/a-magic-the-gathering-world-champion-and-blackjack-pro-tries-his-hand-at-a-hedge-fund/?sh=7af0868a7445 |work=Forbes |location= |access-date=January 1, 2024 |archive-date=January 1, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240101215330/https://www.forbes.com/sites/chrisbarth/2011/09/21/a-magic-the-gathering-world-champion-and-blackjack-pro-tries-his-hand-at-a-hedge-fund/?sh=7af0868a7445 |url-status=live }}]]

The WPN ran the Pro Tour as a series of major tournaments to attract interest.{{Cite web|last=Davis|first=Noah|date=2012-09-20|title=Do you believe in Magic... the Gathering?|url=https://www.theverge.com/2012/9/20/3326708/magic-the-gathering-players-championship|access-date=2021-09-15|website=The Verge|language=en-US|archive-date=September 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210915200728/https://www.theverge.com/2012/9/20/3326708/magic-the-gathering-players-championship|url-status=live}} The right to compete in a Pro Tour had to be earned by either winning a Pro Tour Qualifier Tournament or being successful in a previous tournament on a similar level. The Pro Tour would take place over the course of three days. The first two days were usually structured in a Swiss format. On the final day, the top eight players would compete with each other in a single-elimination format to select the winner.{{cite web | title = Pro Tour | publisher = Wizards of the Coast | year = 2009 | access-date = June 14, 2009 | url = http://www.wizards.com/Magic/TCG/Events.aspx?x=mtgcom%2Fevents%2Fprotour | archive-date = May 18, 2014 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140518133711/http://www.wizards.com/Magic/TCG/Events.aspx?x=mtgcom%2Fevents%2Fprotour | url-status = dead }} At the end of the competition in a Pro Tour, players were awarded Pro Points depending on their finishing place. If the player finished high enough, they would also be awarded prize money. Frequent winners of these events made names for themselves in the Magic community, such as Luis Scott-Vargas, Gabriel Nassif, Kai Budde and Jon Finkel. As a promotional tool, the DCI launched the Hall of Fame in 2005 to honor selected players.

At the end of the year the Magic World Championship would be held. The World Championship functioned like a Pro Tour, except that competitors had to present their skill in three different formats (usually Standard, booster draft, and a second constructed format) rather than one. Another difference was that invitations to the World Championship could not be gained through Pro Tour Qualifiers. They could only be earned via the national championship of a country. Most countries sent their top four players of the tournament as representatives, though nations with minor Magic playing communities would sometimes only send one player. The World Championship also has a team-based competition, where the national teams compete with each other.{{cite web | title = 2009 Magic: The Gathering Worlds Championships | publisher = Wizards of the Coast | year = 2009 | access-date = June 14, 2009 | url = http://www.wizards.com/Magic/TCG/Events.aspx?x=events%2Fmagic%2Fworlds | archive-date = March 29, 2014 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140329155235/https://wizards.com/Magic/TCG/Events.aspx?x=events%2Fmagic%2Fworlds | url-status = dead }}

At the beginning of the World Championship, new members were inducted into the Hall of Fame. The tournament also concluded the current season of tournament play and at the end of the event, the player who earned the most Pro Points during the year was awarded the title "Pro Player of the Year". The player who earned the most Pro Points and did not compete in any previous season was awarded the title "Rookie of the Year".

Invitation to a Pro Tour, Pro Points, and prize money could also be earned in lesser tournaments called Grand Prix that were open to the general public and held more frequently throughout the year.{{cite web | title = Grand Prix | publisher = Wizards of the Coast | year = 2009 | access-date = June 14, 2009 | url = http://www.wizards.com/Magic/TCG/Events.aspx?x=grandprix%2Fwelcome | archive-date = April 7, 2014 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140407000158/http://www.wizards.com/Magic/TCG/Events.aspx?x=grandprix%2Fwelcome | url-status = dead }} Grand Prix events were usually the largest Magic tournaments, sometimes drawing more than 2,000 players. The largest Magic tournament ever held was Grand Prix: Las Vegas in June 2013 with a total of 4,500 players.{{cite web | title = Oliver is the Modern Master in Las Vegas | publisher = Wizards of the Coast | date = June 23, 2013 | access-date = July 9, 2013 | url = https://magic.wizards.com/en/events/coverage/gplv13 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160125152929/http://magic.wizards.com/en/events/coverage/gplv13 | url-status = dead | archive-date = January 25, 2016 }}

In 2018, Wizards of the Coast announced that 2019 would be the last season for The Pro Tour and the Pro Club.{{Cite web |title=The Next Chapter for Magic: Esports |url=https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/news/next-chapter-magic-esports-2018-12-06 |access-date=2022-09-17 |website=MAGIC: THE GATHERING |language=en |archive-date=September 20, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220920163727/https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/news/next-chapter-magic-esports-2018-12-06 |url-status=live }} With these changes, the system eliminated Nationals, the World Magic Cup, and the Team Series.

Starting with a partial season in 2019, the new organized play structure for Magic: The Gathering split into digital and tabletop play with separate Mythic Championships for Magic: The Gathering Arena and tabletop play.{{Cite web |title=The Future of Magic Esports |url=http://magic.gg/news/the-future-of-magic-esports |access-date=2022-09-17 |website=MAGIC: THE GATHERING {{!}} ESPORT |language=en |archive-date=April 29, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240429035012/https://magic.gg/news/the-future-of-magic-esports |url-status=live }} The Magic Pro League (MPL) included the top 32 players from the previous season, although two players turned down their spots.{{Cite web |date=2018-12-14 |title=Magic Pro League aims to establish MTG: Arena as the premier digital card game |url=https://www.espn.com/esports/story/_/id/25534030/arena-premier-digital-card-game |access-date=2022-09-17 |website=ESPN.com |language=en |archive-date=September 20, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220920171452/https://www.espn.com/esports/story/_/id/25534030/arena-premier-digital-card-game |url-status=live }} The players were notably given a $75,000/year salary and the opportunity to win much more money in exclusive tournaments. The new system consisted of several interconnected circuits: The Player's Tour, The Magic Pro League, Challengers/Rivals, Tabletop Mythic Championships, and Arena Mythic Championships. The new organized play system did maintain the yearly World Championship, but it was made a more exclusive 16 player tournament. In order to compete in the World Championship in this structure you must have placed top four in MPL, placed top four in the Challengers/Rivals League, won one of the seven tabletop or arena Mythic Championships, or won of the previous year's World Championship.

While the Mythic Championships and Magic Pro League catered to the highest level of competitive play, the Player's Tour system was meant to give a path for average players to go from their local game store to the World Championship. There were three regional Player's Tours for Europe, Asia-Pacific, and the Americas. There were several ways to qualify for a regional Player's Tour, including local store events, accumulating points at Gran Prix/MagicFests, and winning on Magic: The Gathering Online.

In 2021, it was announced that the competitive play system would undergo another shift. Wizards of the Coast stressed a return to in-person play and the disbandment of The Magic Pro League after the 2021–2022 season.{{Cite web |title=Esports: Transitions and Getting Back to Gathering |url=http://magic.gg/news/esports-transitions-and-getting-back-to-gathering |access-date=2022-09-17 |website=MAGIC: THE GATHERING {{!}} ESPORT |language=en |archive-date=September 22, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220922005754/https://magic.gg/news/esports-transitions-and-getting-back-to-gathering |url-status=live }} According to several players from the MPL, the messaging they received was that competitive Magic would no longer be supported as a full-time, high-paid esports profession.{{Cite web |last=Miller |first=Nick |date=2021-05-13 |title=2021-2022 Will Be Last Season For Pro Magic Play |url=https://articles.starcitygames.com/news/2021-2022-will-be-last-season-for-pro-magic-play/ |access-date=2022-09-17 |website=Star City Games |language=en-US |archive-date=September 20, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220920171409/https://articles.starcitygames.com/news/2021-2022-will-be-last-season-for-pro-magic-play/ |url-status=live }}

After announcing that The Magic Pro League would no longer be supported, Wizards of the Coast announced a return to the branding of The Pro Tour.{{Cite web |title=Return of the Pro Tour: Your Path to Playing Magic at the Highest Level |url=http://magic.gg/news/return-of-the-pro-tour-your-path-to-playing-magic-at-the-highest-level |access-date=2022-09-17 |website=MAGIC: THE GATHERING {{!}} ESPORT |language=en |archive-date=September 22, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220922001516/https://magic.gg/news/return-of-the-pro-tour-your-path-to-playing-magic-at-the-highest-level |url-status=live }} With a simplified structure, the new Pro Tour system kept some of the original aspects from the system introduced in 2005, like a point system and the World Championship tournament each year. The new system starts players at Regional Championship qualifiers, which are exclusively held by local game shops. Winners of local qualifiers advance to Regional Championships which would be comparable to a Grand Prix in the previous systems. If a player performs well enough at their Regional Championship, they can qualify for a Pro Tour tournament. Players who earned 10 wins in the previous pro tour or have enough Adjusted Match Win (AMW) points from the previous season also earn a Pro Tour Qualification. The World Championship under the new system will have around 128 players who will compete for a $1,000,000 prize pool.

File:Richard Garfield (Spiel 2014 cropped).jpg

Richard Garfield had an early attachment to games during his youth: before settling down in Oregon, his father, an architect, had taken his family to Bangladesh and Nepal during his work projects. Garfield did not speak the native languages, but was able to make friends with the local youth through playing cards or marbles. Once back in the United States, he had heard of Dungeons & Dragons but neither his local game store nor his friends had a copy, so he developed his own version of what he thought the game would be based on the descriptions he had read, which considered closer to Clue, with players moving from room to room fighting monsters with a fixed end-goal. When Garfield eventually got copies of the Dungeons & Dragons rulesets, he was surprised that it was a more open-ended game but was "dreadfully written". Dungeons & Dragons{{'}}s open-endedness inspired him, like many others, to develop their own game ideas from it. For Garfield, this was a game he called Five Magics, based on five elemental magics that were drawn from geographically diverse areas. While this remained the core concept of Five Magics, Garfield continued to refine the game while growing up, often drastically changing the base type of game, though never planned to publish this game.{{cite magazine | url = https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/the-twenty-five-year-journey-of-magic-the-gathering | title = The Twenty-five-year Journey Of Magic: The Gathering | first = Neima | last = Jahromi | date = August 28, 2018 | access-date = February 27, 2020 | magazine = The New Yorker | archive-date = November 1, 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20201101003740/https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/the-twenty-five-year-journey-of-magic-the-gathering | url-status = live }}

In 1991, Garfield was a doctoral candidate in combinatorial mathematics at University of Pennsylvania and had been brought on as an adjunct professor at Whitman College. During his candidacy, he developed his ideas and had playtested RoboRally, a board game based on moving robots through a factory filled with hazards. Garfield had been seeking publishers for the title, and his colleague, Mike Davis, suggested the newly formed Wizards of the Coast, a small outfit established by Peter Adkison, a systems analyst for Boeing in Seattle. In mid-1991, the three arranged to meet in Oregon near Garfield's parents' home. Adkison was impressed by RoboRally but considered that it had too many logistics and would be too risky for him to publish. He told Garfield and Davis that he liked Garfield's ideas and that he was looking for a portable game that could be played in the downtime that frequently occurs at gaming conventions.{{cite web | url = https://www.seattlemet.com/arts-and-culture/2017/12/spell-casters-a-magic-the-gathering-origin-story | title = Spell Casters, a 'Magic: The Gathering' Origin Story | first = Darrin | last = Davis | date = December 18, 2017 | access-date = February 27, 2020 | work = Seattle Metropolitan | archive-date = November 9, 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20201109032057/https://www.seattlemet.com/arts-and-culture/2017/12/spell-casters-a-magic-the-gathering-origin-story | url-status = live }}

After the meeting, Garfield remained in Oregon to contemplate Adkison's advice. While hiking near Multnomah Falls, he was inspired to take his Five Magics concept but apply it to collectible color-themed cards, so that each player could make a customizable deck, something each player could consider part of their identity. Garfield arranged to meet with Adkison back in Seattle within the week,{{Cite book| last =Tumbusch| first =T. M.| title =Tomart's Photo Checklist & Price Guide to Collectible Card Games, Volume One| year =1995| pages =88}} and when Adkison heard the idea, he recognized the potential that this would be a game that could be expanded on indefinitely with new cards in contrast to most typical tabletop games; Adkison later wrote on the idea on a USENET post "If executed properly, [the cards] would make us millions." Adkison immediately agreed to produce it.{{cite web|url=http://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/feature/beginning-2009-06-01|title=In The Beginning|last=Adkison|first=Peter|author-link=Peter Adkison|date=June 1, 2009|publisher=Wizards of the Coast|access-date=March 10, 2017|archive-date=April 29, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210429022009/https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/feature/beginning-2009-06-01|url-status=live}}

Garfield returned to Pennsylvania and set out to design the game's core rules and initial cards, with about 150 completed in the few months after his return. The type of gameplay centered on each color remained consistent with how Five Magics had been and with how Magic: The Gathering would stay in the future, such as red representing aggressive attacks. Other games also influenced the design at this point, with Garfield citing games like Cosmic Encounter and Strat-o-matic Baseball as games that differ each time they are played because of different sets of cards being in play.{{cite web | url = https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/making-magic/creation-magic-gathering-2013-03-12 | title = The Creation Of Magic: The Gathering | first = Richard | last = Garfield | date = March 12, 2013 | access-date = February 27, 2020 | publisher = Wizards of the Coast | archive-date = December 2, 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20201202160155/https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/making-magic/creation-magic-gathering-2013-03-12 | url-status = live }}

Initial "cards" were based on using available copyrighted art, and copied to paper to be tested by groups of volunteers at the university. About six months after the meeting with Adkison, Garfield had refined the first complete version of his game. Garfield also began to set the narrative of the game in "Dominia", a multiverse of infinite "planes" from which players, as wizards, can draw power from, which would allow for the vast array of creatures and magics that he was planning for the cards.

Garfield has stated that two major influences in his creation of Magic: the Gathering were the games Cosmic Encounter,{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OjIYWtqWxtAC&q=%22most+influential+ancestor+is+a+game+for+which+I+have+no+end+of+respect%22&pg=PA191|title=Game design workshop: a playcentric approach to creating innovative games|date=February 8, 2008|access-date=January 8, 2012|isbn=9780240809748|last1=Fullerton|first1=Tracy|publisher=CRC Press|archive-date=April 29, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240429034954/https://books.google.com/books?id=OjIYWtqWxtAC&q=%22most+influential+ancestor+is+a+game+for+which+I+have+no+end+of+respect%22&pg=PA191#v=snippet&q=%22most%20influential%20ancestor%20is%20a%20game%20for%20which%20I%20have%20no%20end%20of%20respect%22&f=false|url-status=live}} which first used the concept that normal rules could sometimes be overridden, and Dungeons & Dragons. One of the "Magic Golden Rules" states that "Whenever a card's text directly contradicts these rules, the card takes precedence."{{cite web| title = Magic: The Gathering Comprehensive Rules| pages = 6–10| date = July 8, 2022| access-date = August 22, 2022| url = https://media.wizards.com/2022/downloads/MagicCompRules%2020220708.pdf| archive-date = August 9, 2022| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220809175643/https://media.wizards.com/2022/downloads/MagicCompRules%2020220708.pdf| url-status = live}} The Comprehensive Rules, a detailed rulebook, exists to clarify conflicts.{{cite web | url =https://magic.wizards.com/en/rules | title =Magic: The Gathering Rules | access-date =August 22, 2022 | archive-date =August 14, 2022 | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20220814184203/https://magic.wizards.com/EN/Rules | url-status =live }} This website contains a link to the most up-to-date version of the Comprehensive Rules.

Simultaneously, Adkison sought investment into Wizards of the Coast to prepare to publish the game. The company had already committed to completing The Primal Order rulebook, aimed to be compatible with most other role-playing systems on the market, which most investment was drawn to. He had to bring in a number of local Cornish artists to create the fantasy art for Garfield's cards, offering them shares in Wizards of the Coast in payment. After The Primal Order was published in 1992, Wizards of the Coast was sued by Palladium for copyright infringement, a case that was settled out of court and with the result that a second printing of The Primal Order removed the rules relevant to Palladium's system, but this case also financially harmed Wizards of the Coast. Adkison decided to create a separate company, Garfield Games, for publishing the card game.

While the game was simply called Magic through most of playtesting, when the game had to be officially named a lawyer informed them that the name Magic was too generic to be trademarked. Mana Clash was instead chosen to be the name used in the first solicitation of the game. However, everybody involved with the game continued to refer to it simply as Magic. After further legal consultation, it was decided to rename the game Magic: The Gathering, thus enabling the name to be trademarked.{{cite web | title = 25 Random Things about Magic | last = Rosewater | first = Mark | author-link = Mark Rosewater | publisher = Wizards of the Coast | date = February 16, 2009 | access-date = August 5, 2009 | url = https://magic.wizards.com/en/news/making-magic/25-random-things-about-magic-2009-02-16 | archive-date = February 1, 2023 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230201221421/https://magic.wizards.com/en/news/making-magic/25-random-things-about-magic-2009-02-16 | url-status = live }}

By 1993, Garfield and Adkison had gotten everything ready to debut Magic: The Gathering at that year's Gen Con in Milwaukee that August, but did not have the funds for production to have cards shipped to game stores in time. Adkison took a single box of cards with a handful of complete decks to the Wizards booth at Origins Game Fair hoping to secure the funds by demonstrating the game. Among those he demonstrated to were representatives of Wargames West, manufacturers of historical tactics games; the representatives eventually brought their CEO over, and after seeing the game, took Adkison to dinner and negotiated funding terms. Adkison returned with {{USD|40,000}}, enough to make the necessary orders.

Magic: The Gathering underwent a general release on August 5, 1993.{{cite web |url=http://www.wizards.com/magic/tcg/productarticle.aspx?x=mtg_tcg_abu_productinfo |title=Alpha, Beta, and Unlimited Editions |year=2008 |access-date=April 18, 2009 |publisher=Wizards of the Coast |archive-date=November 13, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131113112051/http://www.wizards.com/magic/tcg/productarticle.aspx?x=mtg_tcg_abu_productinfo |url-status=dead }} After shipping the orders, Adkison and his wife drove towards Milwaukee while making stops at game stores to demonstrate the game and drum up support for Gen Con. Their initial stops were quiet, but word of mouth from previous stops spread, and as they traveled south and west, they found larger and larger crowds anxiously awaiting their arrival. Garfield met up with Adkison at Gen Con, where their shipment of 2.5 million cards had been delayed a day. Despite this, by the end of the convention, they had completely sold out.

Magic was an immediate success for Wizards of the Coast.{{cite news|last1=Zane|first1=J. Pederb|title=Trumps, Shmumps: I'll Play My Unicorn|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/08/14/weekinreview/trumps-shmumps-i-ll-play-my-unicorn.html|access-date=September 22, 2016|work=The New York Times|date=August 14, 1994|archive-date=July 24, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200724024343/https://www.nytimes.com/1994/08/14/weekinreview/trumps-shmumps-i-ll-play-my-unicorn.html|url-status=live}} By October 1993, they had sold out their supply of 10 million cards.{{cite web | url = https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/?date=19931118&slug=1732576 | title = Professor's Game Casts Magic Spell On Players | first = Lily | last = Eng | date = November 18, 1993 | access-date = February 27, 2020 | work = The Seattle Times | archive-date = May 31, 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210531055840/https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/?date=19931118&slug=1732576 | url-status = live }} Wizards was even reluctant to advertise the game because they were unable to keep pace with existing demand.{{Cite news|first=Charley |last=Hannagan |title=Magic Playing Cards Conjure Up Big Business – The Cards Turn Player Into Sorcerers Who Cast Spells And Control Creatures |work=The Post-Standard (Syracuse) |page=A1 |date=March 31, 1994 }} Initially Magic attracted many Dungeons & Dragons players, but the following included all types of other people as well.{{Cite news|first=Glenn |last=Gaslin |title=Magic: The Gathering |work=Newport News |page=G1 |date=October 23, 1994 }}

The success of the initial edition prompted a reissue later in 1993, along with expansions to the game. Arabian Nights was released as the first expansion in December 1993. New expansions and revisions of the base game ("Core Sets") have since been released on a regular basis, amounting to four releases a year. By the end of 1994, the game had printed over a billion cards.{{Citation| last =Chalk| first =Titus| title =20 Years Of Magic: The Gathering, A Game That Changed The World| date =July 31, 2013| url =http://sabotagetimes.com/life/20-years-of-magic-the-gathering-a-game-that-changed-the-world/| access-date =August 11, 2013| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20140522124157/http://sabotagetimes.com/life/20-years-of-magic-the-gathering-a-game-that-changed-the-world/| archive-date =May 22, 2014| url-status =usurped}} Until the release of Mirage in 1996, expansions were released on an irregular basis. Beginning in 2009 one revision of the core set and a set of three related expansions called a "block" were released every year.

This system was revised in 2015, with the Core Set being eliminated and blocks now consisting of two sets, released semiannually. A further revision occurred in 2018, reversing the elimination of the core sets and no longer constraining sets to blocks. While the essence of the game has always stayed the same, the rules of Magic have undergone three major revisions with the release of the Revised Edition in 1994, Classic Edition in 1999, and Magic 2010 in July 2009.{{cite web | title = Magic 2010 Rules Changes | publisher = Wizards of the Coast | date = June 10, 2009 | access-date = March 18, 2022 | url = https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/magic-2010-rules-change-2009-06-10 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150214064536/http://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/magic-2010-rules-change-2009-06-10 | url-status = dead | archive-date = February 14, 2015 }} With the release of the Eighth Edition in 2003, Magic received a major visual redesign.

In 1996, Wizards of the Coast established the "Pro Tour",{{cite web | url = https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/magic-pro-tour-hall-fame-2005-06-06 | title = The Magic Pro Tour Hall of Fame | access-date = September 30, 2006 | last = Galvin | first = Chris | publisher = Wizards of the Coast | date = June 6, 2005 | archive-date = April 9, 2018 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180409163113/https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/magic-pro-tour-hall-fame-2005-06-06 | url-status = live }} a circuit of tournaments where players can compete for sizeable cash prizes over the course of a single weekend-long tournament. In 2009 the top prize at a single tournament was US$40,000.{{cite web | url = http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=protour%2Fdefault%2Fprizes | title = 2009 Pro Tour Prize Structures | year = 2009 | access-date = April 18, 2009 | publisher = The DCI | archive-date = June 11, 2008 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080611003501/http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=protour%2Fdefault%2Fprizes | url-status = dead }} Sanctioned through the DCI, the tournaments added an element of prestige to the game by virtue of the cash payouts and media coverage from within the community. For a brief period of time, ESPN2 televised the tournaments.{{cite web | url = http://www.hardballtimes.com/main/article/neglect-and-reversion/ | title = Neglect and Reversion | year = 2009 | access-date = August 12, 2013 | work = The Hardball Times | archive-date = August 31, 2013 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130831131027/http://www.hardballtimes.com/main/article/neglect-and-reversion/ | url-status = live }}

By April 1997, {{formatnum:2}} billion cards had been sold.{{cite magazine |title=Disaffected Fans Cheer D&D Buyout |url=https://www.wired.com/1997/04/disaffected-fans-cheer-dd-buyout/ |magazine=Wired |date=April 10, 1997 |access-date=June 23, 2018 |archive-date=November 29, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201129131844/https://www.wired.com/1997/04/disaffected-fans-cheer-dd-buyout/ |url-status=live }} In 1999, Wizards of The Coast was acquired by Hasbro for $325 million, making Magic a Hasbro game.

A patent was granted to Wizards of the Coast in 1997 for "a novel method of game play and game components that in one embodiment are in the form of trading cards" that includes claims covering games whose rules include many of Magic's elements in combination, including concepts such as changing orientation of a game component to indicate use (referred to in the rules of Magic and later of Garfield's games such as Vampire: The Eternal Struggle as "tapping") and constructing a deck by selecting cards from a larger pool.{{cite patent|country=US|number=5662332|title=Trading Card Game Method Of Play|gdate=September 2, 1997 | fdate=October 17, 1995|inventor=Richard Garfield |assign1=Wizards of the Coast}} The patent has aroused criticism from some observers, who believe some of its claims to be invalid.{{cite news | url = http://www.austinchronicle.com/screens/1998-01-09/519374/ | title = The Year in Gaming | access-date = August 27, 2014 | last = Varney | first = Allen | newspaper = The Austin Chronicle | date = January 9, 1998 | archive-date = April 25, 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200425075500/https://www.austinchronicle.com/screens/1998-01-09/519374/ | url-status = live }} In 2003, the patent was an element of a larger legal dispute between Wizards of the Coast and Nintendo, regarding trade secrets related to Nintendo's Pokémon Trading Card Game. The legal action was settled out of court, and its terms were not disclosed.{{cite web | url = http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20031229005065/en/Pokemon-USA-Wizards-Coast-Resolve-Dispute | title = Pokemon USA, Inc. and Wizards of the Coast, Inc. Resolve Dispute | access-date = September 21, 2007 | publisher = Businesswire | date = December 29, 2003 | archive-date = March 19, 2013 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130319163917/http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20031229005065/en/Pokemon-USA-Wizards-Coast-Resolve-Dispute | url-status = live }}

While unofficial methods of online play existed previously,Notably, the Apprentice program. See Magic: The Gathering video games. Magic Online (often shortened to "MTGO" or "Modo", the latter name being used due to the game's original title of Magic Online with Digital Objects), an official online version of the game, was released in 2002. A new, updated version of Magic Online was released in April 2008.{{cite web | title = Magic Online III Launch Blog | publisher = Wizards of the Coast | date = April 16, 2008 | access-date = June 14, 2009 | url = http://www.wizards.com/Magic/TCG/Article.aspx?x=magic%2Fmagiconline%2Fiiilaunchblog0408 | archive-date = March 8, 2013 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130308184940/http://www.wizards.com/Magic/TCG/Article.aspx?x=magic%2Fmagiconline%2Fiiilaunchblog0408 | url-status = dead }}

In February 2018, Wizards noted that between the years of 2008 and 2016 they had printed over 20 billion Magic: the Gathering cards.{{cite web|url=https://magic.wizards.com/en/content/magic-25th-anniversary-page-facts-and-figures|title=Magic: the Gathering 25th anniversary Facts & Figures|website=Magic.Wizards.com|access-date=February 9, 2018|archive-date=June 4, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200604033745/https://magic.wizards.com/en/content/magic-25th-anniversary-page-facts-and-figures|url-status=dead}} In 2022, CBR reported that "over 20,000 unique MTG cards have been created" since the game's release.{{Cite web |last=Pilon |first=Zachary |date=2022-06-30 |title=Wizards Is Releasing More Magic: The Gathering Sets Than Players Can Keep Up With |url=https://www.cbr.com/mtg-releasing-too-many-sets-wotc/ |access-date=2022-06-30 |website=CBR |language=en-US |archive-date=June 30, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220630172041/https://www.cbr.com/mtg-releasing-too-many-sets-wotc/ |url-status=live }}

Wizards of the Coast has continued to release expansions and sets through 2023, though the number of such expansions released per year began to increase, leading to concerns from investors and analysis that the accelerated release may create market fatigue.

{{See also|List of Magic: The Gathering sets}}

Magic: The Gathering cards are produced in much the same way as normal playing cards. Each Magic card, approximately 63 × 88 mm in size (2.5 by 3.5 inches), has a face which displays the card's name and rules text as well as an illustration appropriate to the card's concept. 23,318 unique cards have been produced for the game {{As of|2016|09|lc=yes}},{{cite web | url = https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Search/Default.aspx?action=advanced&cmc=+%3E=%5b0%5d | title = Gatherer | access-date = January 22, 2019 | publisher = Wizards of the Coast | archive-date = August 5, 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210805101611/https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Search/Default.aspx?action=advanced&cmc=+%3E=%5B0%5D | url-status = live }}, the official Magic card database.

many of them with variant editions, artwork, or layouts, and 600–1000 new ones are added each year. The first Magic cards were printed exclusively in English, but current sets are also printed in Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish.{{cite web | url = https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/arcana/magic-korean-2011-08-23 | title = Magic in Korean | access-date = October 25, 2011 | publisher = Wizards of the Coast | date = July 23, 2011 | archive-date = July 7, 2017 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170707062951/http://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/arcana/magic-korean-2011-08-23 | url-status = live }} shows the return to 11 languages as of the late release of Magic 2011 in Korean.

The overwhelming majority of Magic cards are issued and marketed in the form of sets. For the majority of its history there were two types: the Core Set and the themed expansion sets. Under Wizards of the Coast's current production and marketing scheme, a new set is released quarterly. Various products are released with each set to appeal to different segments of the Magic playing community:

• The majority of cards are sold in booster packs, which contain fifteen cards normally divided into four rarities, which can be differentiated by the color of the expansion symbol.For cards released prior to Exodus, rarities must be checked against an external cardlist or database, as all expansion symbols were black. A fifteen-card Booster Pack will typically contain one rare (gold), three uncommons (silver), ten commons (black), and one basic land (colored black, as commons). Sets prior to Shards of Alara contained eleven commons instead of a basic land.

Shards of Alara also debuted mythic rares (red-orange), which replace one in eight rare cards on average. There are also premium versions of every card with holographic foil, randomly inserted into some boosters in place of a common, which replace about one in seventy cards.

• Each standard-legal set since Ikoria (except Core 2021) features 2-5 Commander decks, as the Commander format has become one of the most popular ways to play Magic, releasing preconstructed commander decks with every set allows for the creation of cards unique to the format that are thematically tied to the setting of their respective expansion, as well as giving more options to new players who want to try Commander.{{Cite web |date=2019-10-30 |title=Big Things Are Coming for Commander in 2020 {{!}} MAGIC: THE GATHERING |url=https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/news/big-things-are-coming-commander-2020-2019-10-30 |access-date=2024-11-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191030202334/https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/news/big-things-are-coming-commander-2020-2019-10-30 |archive-date=October 30, 2019 }}
• Each set from Kaladesh to Core 2021 (except Ikoria) featured two Planeswalker decks, which were meant to help new players learn the game. They contained a 60-card pre-constructed deck with an exclusive Planeswalker, as well as several exclusive cards, two booster packs from the set they accompanied, as well as a rule guide and a card board box with an image of the included Planeswalker.
• Each set from Shards of Alara to Eldritch Moon featured five Intro Packs, which fulfilled the same function as planeswalker decks. They contained a 60-card pre-constructed deck, as well as two booster packs from the set they accompany and a rule guide.
• Each set from Mirrodin Besieged to Gatecrash featured two Event Decks, which were pre-constructed decks designed as an introduction to tournament play. Beginning with Dragon's Maze, each set featured only one Event Deck. However, event decks were discontinued after the set "Battle for Zendikar".
• Previously, cards were also sold in Tournament Packs typically containing three rares, ten uncommons, thirty-two commons, and thirty basic lands.{{efn|group=note|"Typically" is used due to a change in card distribution in Time Spiral which allows premium cards of any rarity to replace Common cards instead of cards of their own rarity.{{Cite web|title=Purple Reign|url=https://magic.wizards.com/en/news/making-magic/purple-reign-2006-09-25-0|first=Mark|last=Rosewater|publisher=Wizards of the Coast|date=September 25, 2006|access-date=December 16, 2023|language=en-US|archive-date=September 21, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230921113123/https://magic.wizards.com/en/news/making-magic/purple-reign-2006-09-25-0|url-status=live}}}} Tournament Packs were discontinued after Shards of Alara.

As of 2018, the number of consecutive sets set on the same world varies.{{Cite web|date=2021-01-26|title=Magic: The Gathering - Why Block Design Is COMPLETELY Different Now|url=https://www.cbr.com/magic-gathering-block-design-changes/|access-date=2021-10-17|website=CBR|language=en-US|archive-date=October 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211017041808/https://www.cbr.com/magic-gathering-block-design-changes/|url-status=live}} For example, although Dominaria takes place in one set, the Guilds of Ravnica block takes place over three sets. In addition, small sets have been removed due to developmental problems and all sets are now large. Prior to this change, sets were put into two-set blocks, starting with a large set and ending with a smaller one three months later.{{cite web |url=http://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/mm/metamorphosis |title=Metamorphosis |author=Mark Rosewater |date=August 25, 2014 |publisher=Wizards of the Coast |access-date=June 20, 2016 |archive-date=February 5, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210205013503/https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/mm/metamorphosis |url-status=live }} Prior to 2016, expansion sets were released in a three-set block (again, beginning with a larger set followed by two smaller sets). These sets consist almost exclusively of newly designed cards. In contrast with the wide-ranging Core Set, each expansion focuses on a subset of mechanics and ties into a set storyline. Expansions also dedicate several cards to a handful of particular, often newly introduced, game mechanics.

The Core Sets began to be released annually (previously biennially) in July 2009 coinciding with the name change from 10th Edition to Magic 2010. This shift also introduced new, never before printed cards into the core set, something that previously had never been done.{{cite web |url=http://www.wizards.com/magic/magazine/article.aspx?x=mtg%2Fdaily%2Ffeature%2F27a |title=Recapturing the Magic with Magic 2010 |author=Aaron Forsythe |date=February 23, 2009 |publisher=Wizards of the Coast |access-date=October 28, 2011 |archive-date=September 7, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130907071637/https://www.wizards.com/magic/magazine/article.aspx?x=mtg%2Fdaily%2Ffeature%2F27a |url-status=dead }} However, core sets were discontinued following the release of Magic Origins, on July 17, 2015, at the same time that two-set blocks were introduced. Wizards of Coast announced on June 12, 2017, that they planned on revamping and reintroducing a revamped core set,{{cite web|url=https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/making-magic/metamorphosis-2-0-2017-06-12|title=Metamorphosis 2.0 Decks|author=Mark Rosewater|publisher=Wizards of the Coast|access-date=September 20, 2017|archive-date=February 7, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210207100806/https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/making-magic/metamorphosis-2-0-2017-06-12|url-status=live}} and Core Set 2019 was released on July 13, 2018.

In addition to the quarterly set releases, Magic cards are released in other products as well, such as the Planechase and Archenemy spin-off games. These combine reprinted Magic cards with new, oversized cards with new functionality. Magic cards are also printed specifically for collectors, such as the From the Vault and Premium Deck Series sets, which contain exclusively premium foil cards.

In 2003, starting with the Eighth Edition Core Set, the game went through its biggest visual change since its creation—a new card frame layout was developed to allow more rules text and larger art on the cards, while reducing the thick, colored border to a minimum.{{cite web | url = https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/feature/card-face-redesign-faq-2003-01-20 | title = Card Face Redesign FAQ | access-date = September 30, 2006 | date = January 20, 2003 | publisher = Wizards of the Coast | archive-date = March 29, 2017 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170329154945/http://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/feature/card-face-redesign-faq-2003-01-20 | url-status = live }} The new frame design aimed to improve contrast and readability using black type instead of the previous white, a new font, and partitioned areas for the name, card type, and power and toughness. The card frame was changed once again in Core Set 2015, which maintained the same templating, but made the card sleeker and added a holo-foil stamp to every rare and mythic card to curtail counterfeiting.

For the first few years of its production, Magic: The Gathering featured a small number of cards with names or artwork with demonic or occultist themes, in 1995 the company elected to remove such references from the game. In 2002, believing that the depiction of demons was becoming less controversial and that the game had established itself sufficiently, Wizards of the Coast reversed this policy and resumed printing cards with "demon" in their names.{{cite web | url = https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/making-magic/where-have-all-demons-gone-2004-07-05 | title = Where Have All The Demons Gone Today | last = Rosewater | first = Mark | author-link = Mark Rosewater | publisher = Wizards of the Coast | date = July 5, 2004 | access-date = April 18, 2009 | archive-date = March 22, 2016 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160322064907/http://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/making-magic/where-have-all-demons-gone-2004-07-05 | url-status = live }}

In 2019, starting with Throne of Eldraine, booster packs have a chance of containing an alternate art "showcase card". This is to increase the reward of buying boosters and make opening packs more exciting.{{Cite web|url=https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/making-magic/project-booster-fun-2019-07-20|title=Project Booster Fun|website=MAGIC: THE GATHERING|language=en|access-date=September 25, 2019|archive-date=February 7, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210207095705/https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/making-magic/project-booster-fun-2019-07-20|url-status=live}}

A new format, "Jumpstart", was introduced in July 2020 alongside the Core 2021 set. These are special themed 20-card booster packs, based on nearly 500 cards, several being reprints of cards from previous sets, with 121 possible packs available. Each is a curated set rather than random selection of cards, built around a theme, such as "Pirates" or "Unicorns". Each theme has a small number of possible card sets on that theme, distributed on a rarity basis, such that the specific booster that a player purchases will still be a random selection. Because many are reprints, not all Jumpstart cards are available to be used in the various Constructed formats but can be used in other modes of play.{{cite web | url = https://www.polygon.com/2020/2/21/21147560/magic-the-gathering-new-format-jumpstart-boosters | title = Magic: The Gathering introduces a new format with its own 20-card booster packs | first = Charlie | last = Hall | date = February 21, 2020 | access-date = July 17, 2020 | work = Polygon | archive-date = January 15, 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210115130157/https://www.polygon.com/2020/2/21/21147560/magic-the-gathering-new-format-jumpstart-boosters | url-status = live }} Jumpstart was designed to make it much easier to get into Magic by eliminating the deck-building but still providing some customization and randomness that comes with card acquisition and deck building. A special Jumpstart format was introduced for these boosters, where players select two desired themes, and are given a random booster from those themes and sufficient land cards to make a 60-card deck.{{cite web | url = https://www.polygon.com/2020/7/17/21328327/magic-the-gathering-arena-jumpstart-new-format-new-cards | title = A new format of Magic launches online, with hundreds of new cards | first = Nicole | last = Carpenter | date = July 17, 2020 | access-date = July 17, 2020 | work = Polygon | archive-date = January 13, 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210113105618/https://www.polygon.com/2020/7/17/21328327/magic-the-gathering-arena-jumpstart-new-format-new-cards | url-status = live }}

With the release of the Murders At Karlov Manor set in February 2024, Wizards have introduced a new booster set called "Play boosters", which replace Draft and Set booster packs in the future. Play boosters contain 14 cards with a set distribution of common, uncommon, and rare/mythic cards, along with land and wildcards; however, within each of these, there is a chance for special "booster fun" variant. There is also a chance at a card from "The List", a limited number of cards from MTG{{'s}} history. These boosters are intended to be usable for draft gameplay modes as well as for normal library expansion, as in years since the Set booster introduction, Wizards had found that stores favors those sales over Draft boosters.{{cite web | url = https://www.gamespot.com/articles/magic-the-gathering-is-totally-upending-how-you-buy-cards-this-february/1100-6518409/?ftag=CAD-01-10abi2f | title = Magic: The Gathering Is Totally Upending How You Buy Cards This February | first = Jason | last = Fanelli | date = October 16, 2023 | accessdate = October 21, 2023 | work = GameSpot | archive-date = October 22, 2023 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20231022050052/https://www.gamespot.com/articles/magic-the-gathering-is-totally-upending-how-you-buy-cards-this-february/1100-6518409/?ftag=CAD-01-10abi2f | url-status = live }}

{{Main|Multiverse (Magic: The Gathering)}}

Garfield had established that Magic: The Gathering took place in a Multiverse with countless possible worlds (planes), the game's primary events taking place on the planes of Dominaria, Ravnica, Zendikar, and Innistrad. Only extremely rare beings called Planeswalkers are capable of traversing the Multiverse. This allows the game to frequently change worlds so as to renew its mechanical inspiration, while maintaining planeswalkers as recurrent, common elements across worlds. Players represent planeswalkers able to draw on the magics and entities of these planes to do battle with others. Story elements were told through the cards' flavor text, and a driving narrative.{{cite web | url = https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/feature/story-story-2003-05-27 | title = The Story of the Story | first = Brady | last = Dommermuth | date = May 27, 2003 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20051127073716/http://wizards.com/default.asp?x=mtgcom%2Ffeature%2F156 | archive-date = November 27, 2005 | access-date = March 1, 2020 | url-status = live }} The first expansion Arabian Nights designed by Garfield was based on One Thousand and One Nights folklore and include figures from that like Aladdin.{{cite book | title = Urza-Mishra War | publisher = Armada | date = September 1996 | first = Jerry | last = Prosser | volume = 1 }}

Early expansions were designed separately, each with their own internal narrative to establish concepts, keywords, and flavoring. With Weatherlight, the team wanted to start a longer arc that would cover multiple expansions over five years that would also extend into comics, magazines, and other media.{{cite web | url = https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/fortune-favors-bold-2007-12-03 | title = Fortune Favors The Bold | first = Michael G. | last = Ryan | date = December 3, 2007 | access-date = February 28, 2020 | publisher = Wizards of the Coast | archive-date = September 20, 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200920211206/https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/fortune-favors-bold-2007-12-03 | url-status = dead }}{{cite web | title = Weather(light) Report | publisher = Wizards of the Coast | author = Mark Rosewater | date = March 3, 2007 | access-date = January 8, 2012 | url = https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/making-magic/weatherlight-report-2007-12-03 | author-link = Mark Rosewater | archive-date = March 4, 2017 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170304175927/http://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/making-magic/weatherlight-report-2007-12-03 | url-status = live }} However, with a change in oversight of the Magic: The Gathering team, player fatigue, and a disconnect between the novels and cards, this plan was scrapped. returning to the general approach of designing a narrative specific to one expansion.

Wizards, which had regained the license from Harper Prism and Armada (an imprint of Acclaim Entertainment) to write novels for Magic: The Gathering, still worked to integrate the novel writing staff with the game designers so that there was some cohesion between the game and books, but did not seek to make this a key priority as the Weatherlight goal had been.{{cite web | title=July 01, 2005 | work=Ask Wizards | url=https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/ask-wizards-july-2005-2005-07-01 | first=Brady | last=Dommermuth | publisher=Wizards of the Coast | date=2005-07-01 | access-date=2007-12-30 | archive-date=August 22, 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220822160026/https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/ask-wizards-july-2005-2005-07-01 | url-status=live }} Novels soon gave way to eBooks and later to shorter stories posted on the Wizards' website which fared better in terms of popularity.{{cite web|last1=Beyer|first1=Doug|title=eBooks And The Accessibility Of Magic's Story|url=http://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/feature/ebooks-and-accessibility-magics-story|date=October 8, 2014|publisher=Wizards of the Coast|access-date=February 28, 2020|archive-date=November 12, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201112014902/https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/feature/ebooks-and-accessibility-magics-story|url-status=dead}}

In 2017, Wizards hired novelist and scriptwriter Nic Kelman as their Head of Story and Entertainment. Kelman became responsible for crafting the Magic: The Gathering story bible from all established lore as reference for further expansions and for the external media.{{cite magazine | url = https://www.wired.com/story/comic-con-2019-magic-the-gathering/ | title = The Story Universe of Magic: The Gathering Is Expanding | first = Adam | last = Rogers | date = July 21, 2019 | access-date = February 27, 2020 | magazine = Wired | archive-date = November 7, 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20201107233936/https://www.wired.com/story/comic-con-2019-magic-the-gathering/ | url-status = live }} This task helped Kelmen to prepare the novel War of the Spark: Ravnica that was published just prior to the new set War of the Spark, with cards retaining continuity with the novel and past events.{{cite web | url = https://www.polygon.com/2019/4/18/18412105/magic-the-gathering-war-of-the-spark-planeswalker-death | title = Magic: The Gathering kills off a major character, creates a new Signature Spellbook | first = Charlie | last = Hall | date = April 18, 2019 | access-date = February 27, 2020 | work = Polygon | archive-date = November 8, 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20201108000125/https://www.polygon.com/2019/4/18/18412105/magic-the-gathering-war-of-the-spark-planeswalker-death | url-status = live }}

{{See also|List of Magic: The Gathering artists}}

Each card has an illustration to represent the flavor of the card, often reflecting the setting of the expansion for which it was designed. Much of Magic's early artwork was commissioned with little specific direction or concern for visual cohesion.{{cite web |url=https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/ask-wizards-january-2007-2007-01-01 |title=Ask Wizards |access-date=April 21, 2007 |last=Jarvis |first=Jeremy |publisher=Wizards of the Coast |date=January 1, 2007 |quote=In the 'old days', art descriptions were vague suggestions of images... Neither continuity nor the idea of worldbuilding (creating distinctive and unique worlds and settings) would become issues until some time later. |archive-date=June 11, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170611114058/http://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/ask-wizards-january-2007-2007-01-01 |url-status=live }} One infamous example was the printing of the creature Whippoorwill without the "flying" ability even though its art showed a bird in flight.{{cite web |url=https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/flight-fancy-2003-11-21 |title=Flight of Fancy |access-date=April 21, 2007 |last=Buehler |first=Randy |author-link=Randy Buehler |publisher=Wizards of the Coast |date=November 21, 2003 |archive-date=November 3, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151103135302/http://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/flight-fancy-2003-11-21 |url-status=live }} The art direction team later decided to impose a few constraints so that the artistic vision more closely aligned with the design and development of the cards. Each block of cards now has its own style guide with sketches and descriptions of the various races and places featured in the setting.{{cite web |url=https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/magic-style-guide-part-1-2005-09-07 |title=The Magic Style Guide |access-date=April 21, 2007 |publisher=Wizards of the Coast |last=Cavotta |first=Matt |date=September 7, 2005 |archive-date=July 23, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160723133031/http://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/magic-style-guide-part-1-2005-09-07 |url-status=live }}

A few early sets experimented with alternate art for cards. However, Wizards came to believe that this impeded easy recognition of a card and that having multiple versions caused confusion when identifying a card at a glance.{{cite web |url=https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/ask-wizards-june-2002-2002-06-03 |title=Ask Wizards |access-date=February 15, 2007 |last=Chase |first=Elaine |date=June 17, 2002 |publisher=Wizards of the Coast |quote=While we don't like to completely rule anything out, there currently are not any plans to repeat the alternate art within a set model. The main reason is that most players recognize cards through the artwork. |archive-date=August 22, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220822160055/https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/ask-wizards-june-2002-2002-06-03 |url-status=live }} Consequently, alternate art is now only used sparingly and mostly for promotional cards.A notable exception are Basic Land cards, but those are easily identifiable due to the oversized mana symbol in their text boxes. When older cards are reprinted in new sets, however, Wizards of the Coast usually prints them with new art to make the older cards more collectible,{{cite web|url=https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/making-magic/collecting-my-thoughts-2004-04-26|title=Collecting My Thoughts|last=Rosewater|first=Mark|author-link=Mark Rosewater|date=April 26, 2004|publisher=Wizards of the Coast|access-date=June 30, 2006|archive-date=August 5, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160805041115/http://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/making-magic/collecting-my-thoughts-2004-04-26|url-status=live}} though they sometimes reuse well-received artwork if it makes sense thematically.

At the back of each card, at the end of the word "Deckmaster", a pen stroke is visible. According to Wizards of the Coast, this is a printing error which was never corrected, as all card backs have to look the same.{{cite web|url=https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/ask-wizards-may-2004-2004-05-03-0|title=Ask Wizards - May, 2004|date=May 22, 2004|publisher=Wizards of the Coast|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210429164236/https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/ask-wizards-may-2004-2004-05-03-0 |access-date=February 6, 2023|archive-date=April 29, 2021 }}

As Magic has expanded across the globe, its artwork has had to change for its international audience. Artwork has been edited or given alternate art to comply with the governmental standards. For example, the portrayal of skeletons and most undead in artwork was prohibited by the Chinese government until 2008.{{cite web | title = Chinese Skeleton | publisher = Wizards of the Coast | date = March 13, 2002 | access-date = April 18, 2009 | url = https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/arcana/chinese-skeletons-2002-03-13 | archive-date = July 14, 2016 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160714122732/http://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/arcana/chinese-skeletons-2002-03-13 | url-status = live }}{{cite web | title = Alternate Chinese Art in Ravnica Part 1 | publisher = Wizards of the Coast | date = November 14, 2005 | access-date = April 18, 2009 | url = https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/arcana/alternate-chinese-art-ravnica-part-1-2005-11-14 | archive-date = July 12, 2016 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160712003137/http://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/arcana/alternate-chinese-art-ravnica-part-1-2005-11-14 | url-status = live }}

Wizards of the Coast has introduced special cards and sets that include cross-promotional elements with other brands typically as promotional cards, not legal for Standard play and may not be playable even in eternal formats. Four promotional cards were sold at HasCon 2017, featuring three other Hasbro brands, Transformers, Nerf, and Dungeons & Dragons.{{cite web | url = https://io9.gizmodo.com/hasbros-own-convention-will-sell-you-a-giant-transforme-1797331311 | title = Hasbro's Own Convention Will Sell You a Giant Transformer That Actually Charges Your Phone | first = James | last = Whitbrook | date = July 28, 2017 | access-date = September 9, 2020 | work = Gizmodo | archive-date = November 9, 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20201109025608/http://io9.gizmodo.com/hasbros-own-convention-will-sell-you-a-giant-transforme-1797331311 | url-status = live }} A special three-card set based on characters from My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic (another Hasbro brand) was sold as both physical product and digital items within MTG Arena to support the Extra Life charity.{{cite web | url = https://www.theverge.com/tldr/2019/10/3/20897496/my-little-pony-magic-the-gathering-crossover-cards-extra-life-charity | title = My Little Pony invades the world of Magic: The Gathering | first = Andrew | last = Webster | date = October 3, 2019 | access-date = April 2, 2020 | work = The Verge | archive-date = February 1, 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210201002146/https://www.theverge.com/tldr/2019/10/3/20897496/my-little-pony-magic-the-gathering-crossover-cards-extra-life-charity | url-status = live }} The "Ikoria, Lair of Behemoths" set released in April 2020 included 16 kaiju monsters from Toho as promotional cards, such as Godzilla.{{cite web | url = https://www.polygon.com/2020/4/2/21204339/magic-the-gathering-ikoria-cricket-godzilla-crossover | title = Magic: The Gathering's next set includes a Godzilla crossover, check out the first card | first = Charlie | last = Hall | date = April 2, 2020 | access-date = April 2, 2020 | work = Polygon | archive-date = February 5, 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210205055139/https://www.polygon.com/2020/4/2/21204339/magic-the-gathering-ikoria-cricket-godzilla-crossover | url-status = live }}{{cite web | url = https://www.destructoid.com/oh-my-godzilla-the-king-of-monsters-is-invading-magic-the-gathering-585592.phtml | title = Oh my Godzilla...the King of Monsters is invading Magic: The Gathering | first = Chris | last = Carter | date = April 2, 2020 | access-date = April 2, 2020 | work = Destructoid | archive-date = October 27, 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20201027035109/https://www.destructoid.com/oh-my-godzilla-the-king-of-monsters-is-invading-magic-the-gathering-585592.phtml | url-status = live }}

The Secret Lair promotional series has also been used to introduce crossover cards from other brands (as well as special artists through Special Guest cards); these cards are generally legal for play and use existing cards with new art, names, and flavor to fit the theme. As part of the Secret Lair set in 2020, a number of cards were made that featured crossovers with AMC's television show The Walking Dead, which the development team felt was a natural fit since zombies were already part of the Magic game.{{cite web | url = https://www.gamespot.com/articles/magic-the-gathering-the-walking-deads-negan-is-now-a-magic-card/1100-6482651/ | title = Magic The Gathering: The Walking Dead's Negan Is Now A Magic Card | first = Mat | last = Elfring | date = September 28, 2020 | access-date = September 28, 2020 | work = GameSpot | archive-date = February 7, 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210207120628/https://www.gamespot.com/articles/check-out-these-negan-and-zombie-magic-the-gathering-cards-from-upcoming-secret-lair-drop/1100-6482651/ | url-status = live }} A limited set of land cards in the Secret Lair featured paintings from Bob Ross, licensed through his estate.{{cite web | url = https://www.vice.com/en/article/bob-ross-is-coming-to-magic-the-gathering/ | title = Bob Ross Is Coming to Magic: The Gathering | first = Matthew | last = Gault | date = November 24, 2020 | access-date = November 24, 2020 | work = Vice | archive-date = January 27, 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210127064420/https://www.vice.com/en/article/93wag8/bob-ross-is-coming-to-magic-the-gathering | url-status = live }}

In June 2021, Wizards of the Coast announced a Secret Lair based on Dungeons and Dragons cartoon.{{Cite web |title=Dungeons & Dragons Cartoon Resurrected as Magic: The Gathering Secret Lair Cards |url=https://comicbook.com/gaming/news/dungeons-dragons-cartoon-magic-the-gathering-secret-lair/ |access-date=2021-07-03 |website=GAMING |date=June 17, 2021 |language=en |archive-date=June 30, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210630070654/https://comicbook.com/gaming/news/dungeons-dragons-cartoon-magic-the-gathering-secret-lair/ |url-status=live }} Secret Lair drops in 2021 featured cards based on Stranger Things,{{cite web | url = https://www.theverge.com/2021/6/9/22526144/stanger-things-4-magic-the-gathering-podcast-netflix-geeked-week | title = Stranger Things is getting a companion podcast and Magic: The Gathering cards | first = Andrew | last = Webster | date = June 9, 2021 | access-date = June 9, 2021 | work = The Verge | archive-date = June 10, 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210610084443/https://www.theverge.com/2021/6/9/22526144/stanger-things-4-magic-the-gathering-podcast-netflix-geeked-week | url-status = live }} while Fortnite and Street Fighter were featured in 2022.{{Cite web | url = https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2021-08-24-magic-the-gathering-gets-fortnite-and-street-fighter-expansions-in-2022 | title = Magic the Gathering gets Fortnite and Street Fighter cards in 2022 | first = Wesley | last = Yin-Poole | date = August 24, 2021 | access-date = August 24, 2021 | work = Eurogamer | archive-date = August 24, 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210824163731/https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2021-08-24-magic-the-gathering-gets-fortnite-and-street-fighter-expansions-in-2022 | url-status = live }}{{Cite web|last=Hall|first=Charlie|date=2021-08-24|title=Magic: The Gathering is doing Fortnite and Street Fighter crossover sets|url=https://www.polygon.com/22639854/magic-the-gathering-fortnite-street-fighter-secret-lair-release-date-price|access-date=2021-08-25|website=Polygon|language=en|archive-date=August 25, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210825001005/https://www.polygon.com/22639854/magic-the-gathering-fortnite-street-fighter-secret-lair-release-date-price|url-status=live}} In 2022, cards illustrated by mangaka Junji Ito were released as Special Guest cards.{{Cite web |title=Special Guest: Junji Ito (English) {{!}} Secret Lair |url=https://secretlair.wizards.com/us/en/product/772012/special-guest-junji-ito-english |access-date=2024-10-29 |website=Secret Lair store |language=en}}

The 2024 Secret Lair release featured cards based on Monty Python and the Holy Grail, including a Tim the Enchanter card based on the standard Prodigal Sorceror card which has been nicknamed Tim in honor of the film character by the Magic community.{{Cite web |last=Marks |first=Tom |date=2024-07-23 |title=Exclusive: Monty Python and the Holy Grail Gets a Magic: The Gathering Crossover |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/magic-the-gathering-monty-python-and-the-holy-grail-secret-lair-spoilers |access-date=2024-09-14 |website=IGN |language=en}} There are also Secret Lair cards based on musicians, mainly Post Malone (an avid fan of the card game),{{Cite magazine |last=Anderson |first=Sage |date=2022-10-10 |title=Post the Gathering: Post Malone Teams Up With Magic: The Gathering To Release New Card Packs |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/product-recommendations/lifestyle/post-malone-magic-the-gathering-secret-lair-card-packs-1234608197/ |access-date=2024-10-28 |magazine=Rolling Stone |language=en-US}} and multiple drops featuring Hatsune Miku and various Vocaloid characters.{{Cite web |last=Diaz |first=Ana |date=2024-04-30 |title=Vocaloid queen Hatsune Miku is coming to Magic: The Gathering |url=https://www.polygon.com/24144527/magic-the-gathering-secret-lair-hatsune-miku-mtg-preorder-price-fan-art |access-date=2024-10-28 |website=Polygon |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Miller |first=Nick |date=2024-09-17 |title=Third Hatsune Miku Secret Lair Drop Revealed |url=https://articles.starcitygames.com/magic-the-gathering/third-hatsune-miku-secret-lair-drop-revealed/ |access-date=2024-10-28 |website=Star City Games |language=en-US}}

A Marvel Secret Lair release was released in November 2024,{{Cite web |last=Myers |first=Maddy |date=2024-10-18 |title=First Marvel characters in Magic are Captain America, Iron Man, Black Panther, Wolverine, and Storm |url=https://www.polygon.com/mtg-magic-the-gathering/467652/mtg-marvel-secret-lair-drop-preview-cards-cap-iron-man-black-panther-wolverine-storm-spider-man-release-date-price |access-date=2024-10-28 |website=Polygon |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |author1=Benjamin Abbott |date=2024-10-21 |title=MTG Marvel explained, from release date to pricing |url=https://www.gamesradar.com/tabletop-gaming/mtg-marvel-explained-from-release-date-to-pricing/#section-mtg-marvel-release-date |access-date=2024-10-28 |website=gamesradar |language=en}} while a SpongeBob SquarePants set was released 2025.{{Cite web |title=Magic: The Gathering's 2025 Lineup Features Final Fantasy, Spider-Man, And SpongeBob |url=https://www.gamespot.com/gallery/magic-the-gatherings-2025-lineup-features-final-fantasy-spider-man-and-spongebob/2900-5889/ |access-date=2024-10-28 |website=GameSpot |language=en-US}}

The Universes Beyond series has been used to bring more crossover properties into Magic such as Warhammer 40,000 and The Lord of the Rings.{{cite web | url = https://www.pcgamer.com/magic-the-gathering-is-adding-warhammer-40k-and-the-lord-of-the-rings-to-its-deck/ | title = Magic: The Gathering is adding Warhammer 40K and The Lord Of The Rings to its deck | first = Natalie | last = Clayton | date = February 25, 2021 | access-date = February 25, 2021 | work = PC Gamer | archive-date = March 2, 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210302140858/https://www.pcgamer.com/magic-the-gathering-is-adding-warhammer-40k-and-the-lord-of-the-rings-to-its-deck/ | url-status = live }} Whereas Secret Lair sets may only consist of a few cards that may be unplayable under normal rules, Universes Beyond sets include dozens of cards, including Commander decks and booster packs, and their cards are play-legal and usable in most Magic gameplay formats.{{Cite web|last=Hall|first=Charlie|date=August 24, 2021|title=Magic: The Gathering's Lord of the Rings crossover will be a complete, draftable set|url=https://www.polygon.com/22639970/magic-the-gatherings-lord-of-the-rings-crossover-modern-legal-draft-commander-secret-lair|access-date=August 24, 2021|website=Polygon|archive-date=August 24, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210824215032/https://www.polygon.com/22639970/magic-the-gatherings-lord-of-the-rings-crossover-modern-legal-draft-commander-secret-lair|url-status=live}} Universes Beyond sets for Doctor Who, and Jurassic Park were released in 2024.{{cite web | url = https://www.thegamer.com/magic-the-gathering-mtg-every-upcoming-universes-beyond-crossover/ | title = Magic: The Gathering – Every Upcoming Universes Beyond Crossover | first = Ryan | last = Hay | date = August 25, 2023 | accessdate = October 28, 2023 | work = TheGamer | archive-date = August 5, 2023 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230805203104/https://www.thegamer.com/magic-the-gathering-mtg-every-upcoming-universes-beyond-crossover/ | url-status = live }} In 2025, in addition to sets based on Final Fantasy and Spider-Man, all future Universes Beyond sets will be made legal to play in all formats.{{cite web | url = https://www.polygon.com/mtg-magic-the-gathering/470491/final-fantasy-art-reveal-universes-beyond-standard-legal-announcement | title = Magic: The Gathering's Final Fantasy reveal arrives with big changes for the beloved TCG | first = Charlie | last = Hall | date = October 25, 2024 | accessdate = October 25, 2024 | work = Polygon }} Sets based on video games Fallout and Assassin's Creed, were released as well.{{cite web | url = https://www.polygon.com/23820428/magic-the-gathering-universes-beyond-fallout-assassins-creed-final-fantasy | title = Fallout, Final Fantasy, and Assassin's Creed are coming to Magic: The Gathering | first = Cass | last = Marshall | date = August 3, 2023 | accessdate = October 28, 2023 | work = Polygon | archive-date = October 28, 2023 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20231028161411/https://www.polygon.com/23820428/magic-the-gathering-universes-beyond-fallout-assassins-creed-final-fantasy | url-status = live }} Wizards has also partnered with Marvel Entertainment to bring several "tentpole" sets featuring Marvel characters to the game, starting with a Spider-Man themed set in 2025.{{cite web | url = https://www.polygon.com/23925728/magic-the-gathering-marvel-crossover | title = Marvel characters join Magic: The Gathering in 2025 | first = Joshua | last = Riveria | date = October 23, 2023 | accessdate = October 28, 2023 | work = Polygon | archive-date = October 27, 2023 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20231027230325/https://www.polygon.com/23925728/magic-the-gathering-marvel-crossover | url-status = live }}

Wizards has continued to develop a strong connection between the Magic and the Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) universes, also owned by Wizards of the Coast. Greg Tito, Wizards of the Coast Senior Communications Manager, said that "there is a huge crossover between Magic players and D&D players".{{Cite web|last=Baird|first=Scott|date=2020-06-08|title=D&D Live Is Combining Reality TV & Mafia/Werewolf In Reality RP [EXCLUSIVE]|url=https://screenrant.com/dungeons-dragons-dd-live-reality-rp-tv-mafia-werewolf-in-reality/|access-date=2020-08-19|website=ScreenRant|language=en-US|archive-date=October 1, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201001224937/https://screenrant.com/dungeons-dragons-dd-live-reality-rp-tv-mafia-werewolf-in-reality/|url-status=live}} In July 2021, a D&D themed set expansion, Adventures in the Forgotten Realms, was released; it is based on the Forgotten Realms campaign setting.{{cite web | url = https://www.ign.com/articles/dungeons-and-dragons-magic-the-gathering-dd-adventures-in-the-forgotten-realms | title = Dungeons & Dragons Becoming a Magic: The Gathering Set Next Year | first = Joe | last = Skrebels | date = September 1, 2020 | access-date = September 1, 2020 | work = IGN | archive-date = September 1, 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200901182017/https://www.ign.com/articles/dungeons-and-dragons-magic-the-gathering-dd-adventures-in-the-forgotten-realms | url-status = live }}{{cite web | url = https://www.polygon.com/22424684/dungeons-dragons-magic-the-gathering-crossover-set-preview-cards | title = Your first look at the Dungeons & Dragons Magic: The Gathering crossover set | first = Charlie | last = Hall | date = May 7, 2021 | access-date = May 7, 2021 | work = Polygon | archive-date = May 20, 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210520210728/https://www.polygon.com/22424684/dungeons-dragons-magic-the-gathering-crossover-set-preview-cards | url-status = live }} Separately, elements of Magic have been brought into the role-playing game. The first such official crossover was a D&D campaign setting book for the plane of Ravnica, a Magic expansion introduced in 2005 and 2006 and later revisited in the 2018 expansion Guilds of Ravnica.{{Cite web|date=2020-02-28|title=Dungeons and Dragons is Set to Crossover with Magic the Gathering|url=https://screenrant.com/dungeons-and-dragons-magic-the-gathering-crossover-2/|access-date=2020-08-19|website=ScreenRant|language=en-US|archive-date=November 1, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201101122825/https://screenrant.com/dungeons-and-dragons-magic-the-gathering-crossover-2/|url-status=live}}

Guildmasters' Guide to Ravnica was also published in 2018 to correspond with the newer Magic expansion's release.{{cite web | url = https://www.polygon.com/2018/7/23/17603740/dungeons-dragons-magic-the-gathering-crossover-book-ravnica-dnd-mtg | title = Dungeons & Dragons gets a major crossover with Magic: The Gathering this fall | first = Charlie | last = Hall | date = July 23, 2018 | access-date = April 2, 2020 | work = Polygon | archive-date = November 9, 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20201109031236/https://www.polygon.com/2018/7/23/17603740/dungeons-dragons-magic-the-gathering-crossover-book-ravnica-dnd-mtg | url-status = live }} A second campaign setting book, Mythic Odysseys of Theros (2020), introduced the plane of Theros to D&D and corresponded with the 2020 Theros Beyond Death expansion.{{Cite web|last=Baird|first=Scott|date=2020-07-28|title=James Wyatt & F. Wesley Schneider Interview: D&D's Mythic Odysseys Of Theros|url=https://screenrant.com/dungeons-dragons-mtg-james-wyatt-f-wesley-schneider/|access-date=2020-08-19|website=ScreenRant|language=en-US|archive-date=November 22, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201122174527/https://screenrant.com/dungeons-dragons-mtg-james-wyatt-f-wesley-schneider/|url-status=live}} Strixhaven: A Curriculum of Chaos (2021) introduces the 2021 Magic expansion as a D&D campaign setting;{{cite web | url = https://www.polygon.com/22522569/dungeons-dragons-magic-the-gathering-crossover-strixhaven-curriculum-of-chaos-release-date-price | title = Magic: The Gathering's Strixhaven setting comes to D&D in a new campaign book | first = Charlie | last = Hall | date = June 7, 2021 | access-date = June 7, 2021 | work = Polygon | archive-date = June 8, 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210608152044/https://www.polygon.com/22522569/dungeons-dragons-magic-the-gathering-crossover-strixhaven-curriculum-of-chaos-release-date-price | url-status = live }} it was released in December 2021.{{Cite web|last=Nelson|first=Samantha|date=December 6, 2021|title=D&D's Strixhaven: A Curriculum of Chaos understands what makes college memorable|url=https://www.polygon.com/reviews/22821170/dungeons-dragons-strixhaven-curriculum-of-chaos-review|access-date=December 7, 2021|website=Polygon|language=en-US|archive-date=December 7, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211207015002/https://www.polygon.com/reviews/22821170/dungeons-dragons-strixhaven-curriculum-of-chaos-review|url-status=live}}

Greg Gorden reviewed Magic: The Gathering in White Wolf #38 (1993), rating it a 4 out of 5 and stated that "Small game companies struggle along until they get their breakout product. West End Games had Star Wars. White Wolf had Vampire. I feel Magic is Wizards of the Coast's breakout game... if their cards fall right."{{Cite magazine |last=Gorden |first=Greg |authorlink=Greg Gorden |date=1993|title=Feature Review, Magic: The Gathering |magazine= White Wolf Magazine |number=38 |pages=38–42}}

Scott Haring reviewed Magic: The Gathering in Pyramid #4 (Nov./Dec., 1993), and stated that "Not only is Magic the best gaming bargain to come down the pike in memory; not only is it the most original idea in years; it's also a delightfully addictive game that you and your friends will find impossible to put down."{{Cite web | url=http://www.sjgames.com/pyramid/sample.html?id=477 | title=Pyramid: Pyramid Pick: Magic: The Gathering | access-date=December 5, 2019 | archive-date=September 27, 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200927132016/http://www.sjgames.com/pyramid/sample.html?id=477 | url-status=live }} Marcelo A. Figueroa reviewed the game in a 1993 issue of Space Gamer/Fantasy Gamer, noting both positives and negatives, stating that, "despite all of its flaws, it's as endearing as Star Fleet Battles".{{cite magazine |last= Figueroa |first= Marcelo A.|date= 1993|title= Magic: The Gathering|magazine= Space Gamer/Fantasy Gamer|number=7|page=5}} Overall, Figueroa rated the game a 7 out of 10.

A 2004 article in USA Today suggested that playing Magic might help improve the social and mental skills of some of the players. The article interviewed players' parents who believe that the game, similar to sports, teaches children how to more gracefully win and lose. Magic also contains a great amount of strategy and vocabulary that children may not be exposed to on a regular basis. Parents also claimed that playing Magic helped keep their children out of trouble, such as using illegal drugs or joining criminal gangs. On the other hand, the article also briefly mentions that Magic can be highly addictive, leading to parents worried about their children's Magic obsession.{{cite news |url=https://www.usatoday.com/life/lifestyle/2004-06-20-magic_x.htm |title=Magic the Gathering casts its spell |author=Slavin, Barbara |newspaper=USA Today |date=June 20, 2004 |access-date=January 8, 2012 |archive-date=May 31, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080531043831/http://www.usatoday.com/life/lifestyle/2004-06-20-magic_x.htm |url-status=live }} In addition, until 2007, some of the better players had opportunities to compete for a small number of scholarships.{{cite web |url=http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtgcom%2Fevents%2Fmss |title=Magic Scholarship Series : Daily MTG : Magic: The Gathering |publisher=Wizards.com |access-date=June 22, 2010 |archive-date=March 8, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130308185000/http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtgcom%2Fevents%2Fmss |url-status=dead }}

Jordan Weisman, an American game designer and entrepreneur, commented

I love games that challenge and change our definition of adventure gaming, and Magic: The Gathering is definitely one of a very short list of titles that has accomplished that elusive goal. By combining the collecting and trading elements of baseball cards with the fantasy play dynamics of role-playing games, Magic created a whole new genre of product that changed our industry forever.{{Cite book | contribution=Magic: The Gathering | title=Hobby Games: The 100 Best | last=Weisman | first=Jordan | author-link=Jordan Weisman | editor-last=Lowder | editor-first=James | editor-link=James Lowder | publisher=Green Ronin Publishing | year=2007 | pages=192–195 | isbn=978-1-932442-96-0}}

In 2015, The Guardian reported that an estimated 20 million people played Magic around the world and that the game had a thriving tournament scene, a professional league and a weekly organized game program called Friday Night Magic.{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/jul/10/magic-the-gathering-pop-culture-hit-where-next|title=How Magic: the Gathering became a pop-culture hit – and where it goes next|last=Duffy|first=Owen|date=July 10, 2015|work=The Guardian|access-date=July 9, 2019|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077|archive-date=February 4, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210204180206/https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/jul/10/magic-the-gathering-pop-culture-hit-where-next|url-status=live}}

A July 2019 article in Bloomberg reported that "Magic is part of the [Hasbro's] 'franchise brands,' a segment that accounted for $2.45 billion in net revenue for the company last year, bigger than its emerging, partner and gaming brand units combined. [Chris] Cocks said Magic accounts for a 'meaningful portion' of that, with KeyBanc estimating the game's contribution is already more than $500 million—including both the physical cards and the nascent digital version. Of the franchise brands, only Magic and Monopoly logged revenue gains last year".{{Cite news|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-07-07/hasbro-s-free-magic-the-gathering-arena-official-launch-is-2019|title=Move Over Monopoly: Hasbro's Next Big Growth Engine Is Magic|last=Deaux|first=Joe|date=July 7, 2019|publisher=Bloomberg L.P.|access-date=July 9, 2019|archive-date=November 8, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201108015604/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-07-07/hasbro-s-free-magic-the-gathering-arena-official-launch-is-2019|url-status=live}} Magic: The Gathering Arena, in open beta testing since September 2018, is a free-to-play digital collectible card game with microtransaction purchases based on Magic.{{Cite web|url=https://venturebeat.com/2018/09/19/magic-the-gathering-arena-open-beta-test-september-27/|title=Magic: The Gathering — Arena launches open beta test September 27|date=September 19, 2018|website=VentureBeat|language=en-US|access-date=July 9, 2019|archive-date=September 24, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200924213630/https://venturebeat.com/2018/09/19/magic-the-gathering-arena-open-beta-test-september-27/|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.destructoid.com/magic-arena-adds-a-battle-season-pass-gets-it-all-wrong-with-daily-xp-caps-559855.phtml|title=Magic: Arena adds a battle/season pass, gets it all wrong with daily XP caps|website=Destructoid|date=July 6, 2019|language=en|access-date=July 9, 2019|archive-date=November 8, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201108002350/https://www.destructoid.com/magic-arena-adds-a-battle-season-pass-gets-it-all-wrong-with-daily-xp-caps-559855.phtml|url-status=live}}

Brett Andress, an analyst at KeyBanc Capital Markets, predicts Magic: The Gathering Arena adding as much as 98 cents a share in incremental earnings to results by 2021 (which is at least a 20% boost). Joe Deaux, for Bloomberg, wrote that "nearly 3 million active users will be playing Arena by the end of this year, KeyBanc estimates, and that could swell to nearly 11 million by 2021 according to its bull case scenario—especially if it expands from PCs to mobile. That's just active users, and registered users could be higher by the millions. Already, according to Hasbro, a billion games have been played online".

In 2022, The Gamer and Kotaku reported on the increased product release schedule for Magic: The Gathering{{Cite web |date=November 14, 2022 |title=Toy Company Slammed For Getting Greedy With Magic: The Gathering |url=https://kotaku.com/mtg-30th-anniversary-black-lotus-transformers-warhammer-1849779811 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230128195518/https://kotaku.com/mtg-30th-anniversary-black-lotus-transformers-warhammer-1849779811 |archive-date=January 28, 2023 |access-date=January 28, 2023 |website=Kotaku |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Parlock |first=Joe |date=2022-05-02 |title=Help, There's Too Much Magic: The Gathering Stuff Launching In The Rest Of 2022 |url=https://www.thegamer.com/magic-the-gathering-mtg-2022-busy-too-much-hype/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230128201924/https://www.thegamer.com/magic-the-gathering-mtg-2022-busy-too-much-hype/ |archive-date=January 28, 2023 |access-date=2023-01-28 |website=TheGamer |language=en}} with The Gamer opining that the increased number of preview seasons for the game was leading to exhaustion within the community and had "drained the well of enthusiasm dry".{{Cite web |last=Parlock |first=Joe |date=2022-10-11 |title=Magic: The Gathering Content Creators Are Exhausted |url=https://www.thegamer.com/magic-the-gathering-content-creators-are-exhausted/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230128201925/https://www.thegamer.com/magic-the-gathering-content-creators-are-exhausted/ |archive-date=January 28, 2023 |access-date=2023-01-28 |website=TheGamer |language=en}} Wizards released a commemorative product, Magic: The Gathering 30th Anniversary Edition, for $999; this product rereleased cards which were not sanctioned for tournament play.{{Cite web |last1=Diaz |first1=Ana |last2=Hall |first2=Charlie |date=October 4, 2022 |title=Magic: The Gathering 30th Anniversary includes 60 random cards for $999 |url=https://www.polygon.com/23387739/mtg-magic-the-gather-30-anniversary-box-price-collectible |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230128195512/https://www.polygon.com/23387739/mtg-magic-the-gather-30-anniversary-box-price-collectible |archive-date=January 28, 2023 |access-date=January 28, 2023 |website=Polygon |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Bricknell |first=James |date=December 1, 2022 |title=Magic: The Gathering 30th Anniversary Set Is a Decadent $1,000 Splurge |url=https://www.cnet.com/culture/magic-the-gathering-30th-anniversary-set-is-a-decadent-1000-splurge/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230128195515/https://www.cnet.com/culture/magic-the-gathering-30th-anniversary-set-is-a-decadent-1000-splurge/ |archive-date=January 28, 2023 |access-date=January 28, 2023 |website=CNET |language=en}} CNET stated that "it's not a practical purchase, it's a piece of art". Both WBUR and Vice reported that many fans were unhappy with the price point of the product.{{Cite web |date=November 16, 2022 |title='Magic: The Gathering' angers fans with 30th anniversary collectible cards |url=https://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2022/11/16/magic-the-gathering-prices |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230127074437/https://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2022/11/16/magic-the-gathering-prices |archive-date=January 27, 2023 |access-date=January 28, 2023 |website=WBUR |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=October 6, 2022 |title=Magic: The Gathering Celebrates 30 Year Anniversary by Selling $1,000 Boosters |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/magic-the-gathering-celebrates-30-year-anniversary-by-selling-dollar1000-boosters/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230128195512/https://www.vice.com/en/article/n7zqnw/magic-the-gathering-celebrates-30-year-anniversary-by-selling-dollar1000-boosters |archive-date=January 28, 2023 |access-date=January 28, 2023 |website=Vice |language=en}} Vice commented that there is "a growing divide in the Magic: The Gathering community between the casual players and the collectors" as "some rich collectors have turned the cards into a kind of commodities market [...]. Wizards of the Coast has increasingly catered to this kind of consumer" leading to products that are too expensive for many casual players. CNBC reported that "Bank of America downgraded the stock of Wizard of the Coast's owner, Hasbro" in November 2022 with analyst Jason Haas stating that changes to the Magic: The Gathering "brand amount to Hasbro 'killing its golden goose{{'"}} and highlighting that the "primary concern" is the overproduction of "Magic cards which has propped up Hasbro's recent results but is destroying the long-term value of the brand".{{Cite web |last=Harring |first=Alex |date=November 14, 2022 |title=Bank of America says Hasbro could fall 34% due to company ruining 'Magic: The Gathering' card game |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2022/11/14/bank-of-america-says-hasbro-could-fall-34percent-as-company-kills-magic-the-gathering-card-game.html |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230128195518/https://www.cnbc.com/2022/11/14/bank-of-america-says-hasbro-could-fall-34percent-as-company-kills-magic-the-gathering-card-game.html |archive-date=January 28, 2023 |access-date=January 28, 2023 |website=CNBC |language=en}}

• 1994: Mensa Select Award winner{{cite web | title = Awards | publisher = Wizards of the Coast | year = 2006 | access-date = August 5, 2009 | url = http://ww2.wizards.com/Company/Awards/default.aspx | archive-date = December 13, 2007 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071213092246/http://ww2.wizards.com/Company/Awards/default.aspx | url-status = dead }}
• 1994: Origins Awards for Best Fantasy or Science Fiction Board game of 1993 and Best Graphic Presentation of a Board game of 1993{{cite web| url = http://www.originsgamefair.com/awards/1993 | title=Origins Award Winners (1993)| publisher=Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts & Design| access-date=April 18, 2009 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080507063628/http://www.originsgamefair.com/awards/1993 |archive-date = May 7, 2008}}
• 1994: Origins Award for the Legends expansion as Best Game Accessory
• 1995: Deutscher Spiele Preis special award for new game mechanics{{cite web|title=Preisträger |publisher=Friedhelm Merz Verlag |access-date=March 26, 2012 |url=http://www.deutscherspielepreis.de/p060.php4 |language=de |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101009010736/http://www.deutscherspielepreis.de/p060.php4 |archive-date=October 9, 2010 }}
• 1995: Italian Gaming Society Gioco dell'Anno award winner
• 1996: Super As d'Or award for "Best New Game Concept and Genre Introduced in France"
• 1997: InQuest Fan Award for Best CCG Expansion for the Weatherlight expansion
• 1998: Origins Award for the Urza's Saga expansion as Collectible Card Game Expansion of the Year{{cite web|url=http://www.originsgamefair.com/awards/1998/list-of-winners| title=Origins Award Winners (1998)| publisher=Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts & Design| access-date=November 1, 2007 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071031072248/http://www.originsgamefair.com/awards/1998/list-of-winners |archive-date = October 31, 2007}}
• 1999: Inducted alongside Richard Garfield into the Origins Hall of Fame
• 2003: Games Magazine selected Magic for its Games Hall of Fame{{cite web| url=http://www.gamesmagazine-online.com/gameslinks/hallofame.html| title=GAMES Hall of Fame| publisher=GAMES Magazine| access-date=April 9, 2010| url-status=dead| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100417062722/http://www.gamesmagazine-online.com/gameslinks/hallofame.html| archive-date=April 17, 2010| df=mdy-all}}
• 2005: Origins Award for the Ravnica: City of Guilds expansion as Collectible Card Game Expansion of the Year{{cite web| url = http://www.originsgamefair.com/awards/2005 | title=Origins Award Winners (2005)| publisher=Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts & Design| access-date=March 26, 2012 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080516075856/http://www.originsgamefair.com/awards/2005 |archive-date=May 16, 2008 }}
• 2009: Origins Award for the Shards of Alara expansion as Collectible Card Game Expansion of the Year{{cite web| url=http://critical-hits.com/2009/06/27/origins-awards-2009| title=Origins Awards 2009| last=Chalker| first=Dave| publisher=critical-hits.com| access-date=June 14, 2010| date=June 27, 2009| archive-date=June 29, 2009| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090629222441/http://www.critical-hits.com/2009/06/27/origins-awards-2009/| url-status=live}}
• 2012: Origins Award for the Innistrad expansion as Collectible Card Game Expansion of the Year{{cite web|url=http://gama.org/OriginsAwards/tabid/2720/Default.aspx |title=The 38th Annual Origins Awards Winners |publisher=The Game Manufacturers Association |access-date=February 10, 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130127025141/http://gama.org/OriginsAwards/tabid/2720/Default.aspx |archive-date=January 27, 2013 }}
• 2015: Origins Award for the Khans of Tarkir expansion as Best Collectible Card Game of the Year{{cite web | url = http://www.originsawards.net/177-2/ | title = Origins Award Winners 2015 | publisher = The Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts & Design | access-date = February 10, 2016 | year = 2015 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160221132820/http://www.originsawards.net/177-2/ | archive-date = February 21, 2016 | df = mdy-all }}
• 2019: Inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame{{cite web | url = https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2019/11/08/Matchbox-Cars-Magic-The-Gathering-coloring-books-make-Toy-Hall-of-Fame/6541573229760/ | title = Matchbox Cars, Magic: The Gathering, coloring books make Toy Hall of Fame | first = Ben | last = Hooper | date = November 8, 2019 | access-date = November 8, 2019 | work = United Press International | archive-date = May 31, 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210531043421/https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2019/11/08/Matchbox-Cars-Magic-The-Gathering-coloring-books-make-Toy-Hall-of-Fame/6541573229760/ | url-status = live }}

In addition, several individuals including Richard Garfield and Donato Giancola won personal awards for their contributions to Magic.

The success of Magic: The Gathering led to the creation of similar games by other companies as well as Wizards of the Coast themselves. Companion Games produced the Galactic Empires CCG (the first science fiction trading card game), which allowed players to pay for and design their own promotional cards, while TSR created the Spellfire game, which eventually included five editions in six languages, plus twelve expansion sets. Wizards of the Coast produced Jyhad (now called Vampire: The Eternal Struggle), a game about modern-day vampires. Other similar games included trading card games based on Star Trek and Star Wars. Magic is often cited as an example of a 1990s collecting fad, though the game's makers were able to overcome the bubble traditionally associated with collecting fads.{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2015/03/11/392381112/episode-609-the-curse-of-the-black-lotus|title=Episode 609: The Curse Of The Black Lotus|date=March 11, 2015|work=Planet Money|publisher=NPR|access-date=March 9, 2016|archive-date=May 31, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210531043501/https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2015/03/11/392381112/episode-609-the-curse-of-the-black-lotus|url-status=live}} Its popularity often was associated with addictive behavior similar to gambling through the allure of gaining new cards in booster packs and expansions, and due to this, Magic: The Gathering has been sometimes called "cardboard crack" by both fans and critics.{{cite web | url = https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/jun/25/hearthstone-blizzard-strategy-trading-cards-greg-austin | title = Hearthstone: how a game developer turned 30m people into card geeks | first = Keith | last = Stuart | date = June 25, 2015 | access-date = November 6, 2021 | work = The Guardian | archive-date = June 3, 2016 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160603015931/https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/jun/25/hearthstone-blizzard-strategy-trading-cards-greg-austin | url-status = live }}{{cite web | url = https://www.cnet.com/tech/gaming/magic-the-gathering-design-the-most-popular-card-game-in-the-world/ | title = How to design the most popular card game in the world | first = Luke | last = Lancaster | date = April 12, 2016 | access-date = November 6, 2021 | work = CNet | archive-date = November 6, 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20211106214613/https://www.cnet.com/tech/gaming/magic-the-gathering-design-the-most-popular-card-game-in-the-world/ | url-status = live }}

There was a brief resurgence of a satanic panic over Magic: The Gathering in the mid-1990s, following a similar panic over Dungeons and Dragons, though it did not persist for long.{{cite web | url = https://www.nytimes.com/1995/05/07/nyregion/fantasy-game-tangles-with-reality.html | title = Fantasy Game Tangles With Reality | first = Kate Stone | last = Lombardi | date = May 7, 1995 | accessdate = June 4, 2022 | work = The New York Times | archive-date = June 4, 2022 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220604192341/https://www.nytimes.com/1995/05/07/nyregion/fantasy-game-tangles-with-reality.html | url-status = live }}{{cite web | url = https://www.escapistmagazine.com/days-of-high-adventure-satanic-panic/ | title = Days of High Adventure: Satanic Panic | first = Allen | last = Varney | date = April 29, 2010 | accessdate = June 4, 2022 | work = Escapist Magazine | archive-date = June 4, 2022 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220604192341/https://www.escapistmagazine.com/days-of-high-adventure-satanic-panic/ | url-status = live }}

There is an active secondary market in individual cards among players and game shops. This market arose from two different facets: players seeking specific cards to help complete or enhance their existing decks and thus were less concerned on the value of the cards themselves, and from collectors seeking the rarer cards for their monetary value to complete collections.{{cite magazine | url = https://www.wired.com/story/the-stockbrokers-of-magic-the-gathering-play-for-keeps/ | title = The Stockbrokers Of Magic: The Gathering Play for Keeps | first = Cecilia | last = D'Anastasio | date = April 23, 2020 | access-date = April 23, 2020 | magazine = Wired | archive-date = January 23, 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210123003139/https://www.wired.com/story/the-stockbrokers-of-magic-the-gathering-play-for-keeps/ | url-status = live }} Many physical and online stores sell single cards or "playsets" of four of a card. Common cards rarely sell for more than a few cents and are usually sold in bulk. Uncommon cards and weak rare cards typically sell from 10¢ up to US$1.{{cite web|title=Price Change List - Recent Magic The Gathering / MTG Card Price Changes|url=http://mtgpeertrader.com/trade/pricechangelist|website=MTG PeerTrader|access-date=January 18, 2016|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160211055853/http://mtgpeertrader.com/trade/pricechangelist|archive-date=February 11, 2016}}

The more expensive cards in Standard tournament play—a rotating format featuring the newest cards designed to be fairer and more accessible to newer players—are typically priced between $1 and $25. A second format, Modern, comprising an intermediate level of power and allowing most cards released since roughly 2003, has staple cards that often value between $5 and $100, with higher rarity and demand but reprints every few years intended to keep the format affordable. Foil versions of rare and mythic rare cards are typically priced at about twice as much as the regular versions. Some of the more sought-after rare and mythic rare cards can have foil versions that cost up to three or four times more than the non-foil versions.

A few of the oldest cards, due to smaller printings and limited distribution, are highly valued and rare. This is partly due to the Reserved List, a list of cards from the sets Alpha to Urza's Destiny (1994–1999) that Wizards has promised never to reprint.{{cite web | title = Official Reprint Policy | year = 2016 | access-date = June 26, 2020 | publisher = Wizards of the Coast | url = https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/official-reprint-policy-2010-03-10 | archive-date = February 7, 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210207141301/https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/official-reprint-policy-2010-03-10 | url-status = live }} Legacy-only cards on the Reserved List, which are barred from reprint under a voluntary but genuine legal obligation, are in short supply due to smaller print runs of the game in its oldest days, and may be worth $200 to $1,000 or higher. And certain Vintage cards—the oldest cards in Magic, with most on the Reserved List, such as the so-called "Power Nine"—can easily cost more than $1,000 apiece.{{cite web|url=https://www.msn.com/en-us/entertainment/gaming/magic-the-gathering%E2%80%99s-black-lotus-sells-for-166k-at-auction-doubling-its-value/ar-BBUoTb8|title=Magic: The Gathering's Black Lotus sells for $166K at auction, doubling its value|author=Charlie Hall|work=Polygon|publisher=MSN|access-date=April 26, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190427041747/https://www.msn.com/en-us/entertainment/gaming/magic-the-gathering%25E2%2580%2599s-black-lotus-sells-for-166k-at-auction-doubling-its-value/ar-BBUoTb8|archive-date=April 27, 2019|url-status=dead}}

The most expensive card that was in regular print, versus a promotional or special printing, is the Black Lotus, which are currently worth thousands of dollars. In 2019, an anonymous buyer purchased an unsigned "Pristine 9.5 grade" Beckett Grading Services-graded Alpha Black Lotus for a record $166,100. A PSA "Gem Mint 10" graded Alpha Black Lotus, framed in a case signed by its artist Christopher Rush, sold at auction for $511,100 in January 2021,{{cite web | url = https://www.polygon.com/2021/1/27/22253079/magic-the-gathering-black-lotus-auction-price-2021 | title = Magic: The Gathering Black Lotus card sells for $511,100 at auction | first = Charlie | last = Hall | date = January 27, 2021 | access-date = January 27, 2021 | work = Polygon | archive-date = February 6, 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210206194350/https://www.polygon.com/2021/1/27/22253079/magic-the-gathering-black-lotus-auction-price-2021 | url-status = live }} while a similar Black Lotus of the same quality sold for $540,000 in March 2023.{{cite web | url = https://www.polygon.com/23644519/magic-the-gathering-black-lotus-auction-price-2023 | title = Magic: The Gathering Black Lotus card sells for a record $540,000 | first = Oli | last = Welsh | date = March 17, 2023 | accessdate = March 17, 2023 | work = Polygon | archive-date = March 17, 2023 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230317123918/https://www.polygon.com/23644519/magic-the-gathering-black-lotus-auction-price-2023 | url-status = live }} In July 2023, the singleton "One Ring" card printed as part of The Lord of the Rings crossover set was found by a retail worker in Toronto, who later sold it to rapper Post Malone for {{USD|2 million|long=no}}.{{cite web| url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/one-ring-card-found-1.6895945| title='My hands were literally shaking': Ultra-rare 'One Ring' game card found by Toronto collector| website=cbc.ca| date=3 July 2023| first1=Lane| last1=Harrison| first2=Derick| last2=Deonarain| archive-date=4 July 2023| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230704124249/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/one-ring-card-found-1.6895945| url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/post-malone-one-ring-canada-1.6925849|website=cbc.ca|date=2 August 2023|title=Toronto man sells ultra-rare 'One Ring' card to rapper Post Malone for $2.64M|access-date=August 2, 2023|archive-date=August 2, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230802225756/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/post-malone-one-ring-canada-1.6925849|url-status=live}} A mint-condition Alpha Black Lotus sold for $3 million in April 2024.{{Cite web |url=https://kotaku.com/magic-gathering-mtg-black-lotus-mint-1851448690 |title=Magic: The Gathering Card Sells for Record-Breaking $3 Million and Fans Don't Believe It |date=May 2024 |access-date=May 1, 2024 |archive-date=May 1, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240501153008/https://kotaku.com/magic-gathering-mtg-black-lotus-mint-1851448690 |url-status=live }}

The secondary market started with comic book stores, and hobby shops displaying and selling cards, with the cards' values determined somewhat arbitrarily by the employees of the store. Hobbyist magazines, already tracking prices of sports trading cards, engaged with the Magic secondary market by surveying the stores to inquire on current prices to cards, which they then published. With the expansion of the Internet, prices of cards were determined by the number of tournament deck lists a given card would appear in. If a card was played in a tournament more frequently, the cost of the card would be higher, in addition to the market availability of the card.{{cite journal|jstor=3217179|title=Economic Insights from Internet Auctions|first1=Patrick|last1=Bajari|first2=Ali|last2=Hortaçsu|date=January 1, 2004|journal=Journal of Economic Literature|volume=42|issue=2|pages=457–486|doi=10.1257/0022051041409075 | issn = 0022-0515 }}

When eBay, Amazon, and other large online markets started to gain popularity, the Magic secondary market evolved substantially, with the site TCGPlayer.com launched in 2008 being the first that not only compiled the pricing data but allowed for players to buy and sell cards for Magic and other CCGs directly via the site. TCGPlayer developed a metric called the TCG Market Price for each card that was based on the most recent sales, allowing for near real-time valuation of a card in the same manner as a stock market. Buying and selling Magic cards online became a source of income for people who learned how to manipulate the market.{{Cite journal | doi = 10.2307/2687095| jstor = 2687095| title = Optimal Card-Collecting Strategies for Magic: The Gathering| journal = The College Mathematics Journal| volume = 31| issue = 1| pages = 15–21| year = 2000| last1 = Bosch | first1 = R. A. }}

Today, the secondary market is so large and complex, it has become an area of study for consumer research called Magic: The Gathering finance,{{Cite journal | title=Auctions on the Internet: What's Being Auctioned, and How? | author=David Lucking-Reiley |journal=The Journal of Industrial Economics |volume=48 |number=3 |date=September 2000 |pages=227–252 | jstor = 117554|trans-title=January 1, 2017 | doi=10.1111/1467-6451.00122 }} and the most expensive Magic: The Gathering cards are among the most expensive CCG cards. Some people make a career out of market manipulation, creating mathematical models to analyze the growth of cards' worth, and predict the market value of both individual cards, and entire sets of cards.{{Cite journal | title = Economic Insights from Internet Auctions | author1 = Patrick Bajari |author2=Ali Hortaçsu |journal=Journal of Economic Literature |volume=42 |number=2 |date=June 2004 |pages=457–486 | jstor = 3217179|trans-title=January 1, 2017 | doi = 10.1257/0022051041409075 }}{{Cite journal| doi = 10.1086/383430| title = Using the Imagination: Consumer Evoking and Thematizing of the Fantastic Imaginary| journal = Journal of Consumer Research| volume = 31| pages = 136–149| year = 2004| last1 = Martin| first1 = B. A. S.| citeseerx = 10.1.1.583.8014}} Magic{{'}}s economy has also been tied to the introduction of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, as Magic cards represent a physical asset that can be converted back and forth into the virtual currency. Nearly all of Magic{{'}}s trading market is unregulated, and issues related to insider trading based on planned changes to the game have occurred. Active Magic financial traders have gained a sour reputation with more casual Magic players due to the lack of regulations, and that the market manipulations makes it costly for casual players to buy single cards simply for purposes for improving decks.

As of late 2013, Wizards of the Coast has expressed concern over the increasing number of counterfeit cards in the secondary market.{{cite web|url=http://www.starcitygames.com/article/27693_Counterfeit-Cards.html|title=StarCityGames.com - Counterfeit Cards|work=StarCityGames.com|access-date=May 9, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150502211806/http://www.starcitygames.com/article/27693_Counterfeit-Cards.html|archive-date=May 2, 2015|url-status=dead}} Wizards of the Coast has since made an effort to counteract the rise of counterfeits by introducing a new holo-foil stamp on all rare and mythic rare cards as of Magic 2015.{{Cite web|url=https://magic.wizards.com/en|title=Magic: The Gathering | Official site for MTG news, sets, and events|website=MAGIC: THE GATHERING|access-date=September 21, 2017|archive-date=September 21, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170921071824/https://magic.wizards.com/en|url-status=live}}

Proxy cards (or proxies) are cards typically created by players as stand ins for rare cards they either already own and don't want to ruin or cards they don't yet own. These are primarily for casual play, as they aren't allowed in competitive play.{{Cite web |last=Ball |first=Nathan |date=2024-08-27 |title=Should Proxies Be Allowed In MTG Commander? |url=https://mtgrocks.com/proxies-mtg-commander/ |access-date=2024-10-28 |website=MTG Rocks |language=en-US}} Proxies are usually presented as either cards printed by a dedicated proxy printing company (or printed at home using DIY methods) or as land cards with the name and ability written on the card.

These are not to be confused with counterfeits, as proxy cards usually have some indication that they are not official products, and some have art that is vastly different from the original, either created by a different artist than the original or by artificial intelligence software.{{Cite web |last=Parrish |first=Ash |date=2022-07-01 |title=Artists are helping to make Magic: The Gathering more expressive — and fun |url=https://www.theverge.com/23190322/magic-the-gathering-custom-commander-art-proxies-alter-sleeves |access-date=2024-11-01 |website=The Verge |language=en}} This has also led to a secondary market of proxy cards and preconstructed proxy decks on sites like Etsy, where artists and Midjourney users sell custom printed cards for casual play. Some of these cards are based on anime and other media similar to Universes Beyond, while others are moreso artistic reinterpretations of existing cards.

There are several examples of academic, peer-reviewed research concerning different aspects of Magic: The Gathering. One study examined how players use their imaginations when playing. This research studied hobby players and showed how players sought to create and participate in an epic fantasy narrative.Martin, Brett A. S. (2004), [http://www.basmartin.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/Martin-2004-JCR.pdf "Using the Imagination: Consumer Evoking and Thematizing of the Fantastic Imaginary"], {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120906225502/http://www.basmartin.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/Martin-2004-JCR.pdf |date=September 6, 2012 }}, Journal of Consumer Research, 31 (June), 136-149. Another example used online auctions for Magic cards to test revenue outcomes for various auction types.{{cite journal | last1 = Lucking-Reiley | first1 = D | year = 1999 | title = Using Field Experiments to Test Equivalence between Auction Formats: Magic on the Internet | journal = American Economic Review | volume = 89 | issue = 5 | pages = 1063–1080 | jstor = 117047 | doi = 10.1257/aer.89.5.1063 | url = http://eller.arizona.edu/~reiley/papers/RevenueEquivalence.pdf | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20030424213723/http://eller.arizona.edu/~reiley/papers/RevenueEquivalence.pdf | archive-date = April 24, 2003 | df = mdy-all | citeseerx = 10.1.1.8.8301 }} A third example uses probability to examine Magic card-collecting strategies.{{cite journal | last1 = Bosch | first1 = R.A. | year = 2000 | title = Optimal Card-Collecting Strategies for Magic: The Gathering | journal = College Mathematics Journal | volume = 31 | issue = 1| pages = 15–21 | jstor=2687095 | doi=10.2307/2687095}}

Using a specific set of cards in a specialized manner has shown Magic: The Gathering to be Turing complete.{{cite news | title = Magic: The Gathering is Turing Complete | first1 = Alex | last1= Churchill | first2 = Stella | last2= Biderman | first3= Austin | last3= Herrick | date = March 24, 2019 | arxiv=1904.09828 }}{{Explain|date=June 2021}} By proving this, the researchers assert that Magic: The Gathering is so complex as to be Turing complete and capable of being "programmed" to perform any task, that in terms of playing an actual game of Magic, "the winning strategy is non-computable", making it an improbable challenge to devise computer opponents that can play Magic in a mathematically optimal manner.{{cite web | url = https://arstechnica.com/science/2019/06/its-possible-to-build-a-turing-machine-within-magic-the-gathering/ | title = It's possible to build a Turing machine within Magic: The Gathering | first = Jennifer | last = Ouellette | date = June 23, 2019 | access-date = February 28, 2020 | work = Ars Technica | archive-date = November 30, 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20201130112858/https://arstechnica.com/science/2019/06/its-possible-to-build-a-turing-machine-within-magic-the-gathering/ | url-status = live }}

Magic: The Gathering video games, comics, and books have been produced under licensing or directly by Wizards of the Coast.

In 2015 Wizards of the Coast and Hasbro published Magic: The Gathering – Arena of the Planeswalkers. Arena of the Planeswalkers is a tactical board game where the players maneuver miniatures over a customizable board game, and the ruleset and terrain is based on Heroscape, but with an addition of spell cards and summoning. The original master set includes miniatures that represent the five Planeswalkers Gideon, Jace, Liliana, Chandra, and Nissa as well as select creatures from the Magic: The Gathering universe.{{cite web | url = https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/167698/magic-gathering-arena-planeswalkers | title = Magic: The Gathering – Arena of the Planeswalkers | year = 2015 | access-date = July 13, 2015 | publisher = boardgamegeek | archive-date = May 31, 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210531055849/https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/167698/magic-gathering-arena-planeswalkers | url-status = live }} They later released an expansion Battle for Zendikar featuring multi-color Planeswalkers Kiora and Ob Nixilis and a colorless Eldrazi Ruiner, and a second master set Shadows Over Innistrad which has 4 new Planeswalkers and also includes the addition of cryptoliths.

{{See also|Magic: The Gathering video games}}

There are currently two official video game adaptions of Magic: The Gathering for online play. Magic: The Gathering Online, first introduced in 2002, allows for players to buy cards and boosters and play against others including in officially-sanctioned tournaments for prize money. Magic: The Gathering Arena, introduced in 2019, is fashioned after the free-to-play Hearthstone, with players able to acquire new cards for free or through spending real-world funds. Arena is currently limited to online events with in-game prizes, but is currently being positioned by Wizards of the Coast to also serve as a means for official tournament play, particularly after the COVID-19 pandemic. Both Online and Arena are regularly updated with new Core and Expansion cards as well as all rule changes made by Wizards.{{cite web | url = https://venturebeat.com/2020/06/28/magic-the-gatherings-digital-history-from-first-build-to-end-step/view-all/ | title = Magic: The Gathering's digital history, from first build to end step | first = Aidan | last = Moher | date = June 28, 2020 | access-date = June 29, 2020 | work = Venture Beat | archive-date = June 30, 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200630175319/https://venturebeat.com/2020/06/28/magic-the-gatherings-digital-history-from-first-build-to-end-step/view-all/ | url-status = live }}

In addition, Wizards of the Coast has worked with other developers for various iterations of Magic: The Gathering as a card game in a single-player game format. Microprose developed 1997 Magic: The Gathering and its expansions, which had the player travel the world of Shandalar to challenge computer opponents, earn cards to customize their decks, improve their own Planeswalker attributes and ultimately defeat a powerful Planeswalker. Stainless Games developed a series of titles starting with 2009's Magic: The Gathering – Duels of the Planeswalkers and culminating with 2015's Magic Duels, a free-to-play title. The Duels series did not feature full sets of Magic cards but selected subsets, and were initially designed to couple a challenging single-player experience with an advanced artificial-intelligence computer opponent. Later games in the series added in more deck-building options and multiplayer support.{{cite web | url = http://www.gamerbytes.com/2009/07/magic_the_gathering_sells_1700.php | title = XBLA: Magic: The Gathering Sells 170,000 in 5 Weeks | publisher = Gamer Bytes | first = Ryan | last = Langley | date = July 23, 2009 | access-date = August 10, 2009 | archive-date = November 10, 2010 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20101110055030/http://www.gamerbytes.com/2009/07/magic_the_gathering_sells_1700.php | url-status = dead }}

Additional games have tried other variations of the Magic: The Gathering gameplay in other genres. Acclaim developed a real-time strategy game Magic: The Gathering: BattleMage in 2003, in which the player's abilities were inspired by the various cards.{{Cite news|first=Dennis |last=Lynch |title=Two companies offer The Gathering, but only one is spellbinding |work=Chicago Tribune |page=8 |date=March 20, 1997 }} Acclaim also had made a 1997 arcade game Magic: The Gathering – Armageddon, a Breakout-style trackball-based game, but only as many as six cabinets were known to have been made. Hiberium and D3 Publisher developed Magic: The Gathering – Puzzle Quest, combining deck building with match-3-style casual gaming. This was released in December 2015 as a freemium game and continues to be updated with new card sets from the physical game.{{cite web | url = https://kotaku.com/magic-the-gathering-and-puzzle-quest-go-great-together-1748056275 | title = Magic: The Gathering And Puzzle Quest Go Great Together | first = Mike | last = Fahey | date = December 15, 2015 | access-date = June 29, 2020 | work = Kotaku | archive-date = September 21, 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200921133820/https://kotaku.com/magic-the-gathering-and-puzzle-quest-go-great-together-1748056275 | url-status = live }} Cryptic Studios and Perfect World Entertainment have started beta tests for Magic: Legends, a massively multiplayer online action role-playing game for personal computers and consoles.{{cite web | url = https://venturebeat.com/2017/06/07/magic-the-gathering-is-becoming-an-mmo/ | title = Magic: The Gathering is becoming an MMO | first = Mike | last = Minotti | date = June 7, 2017 | access-date = June 7, 2017 | work = Venture Beat | archive-date = November 12, 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20201112000806/https://venturebeat.com/2017/06/07/magic-the-gathering-is-becoming-an-mmo/ | url-status = live }} The title was cancelled ahead of its full release in 2021; executive producer Stephen Ricossa explained that the game's creative vision had "missed the mark".{{Cite web|last=Carpenter|first=Nicole|date=2021-06-29|title=Magic: Legends will shut down in October, before game's full release|url=https://www.polygon.com/22555993/magic-legends-october-shut-down-no-console-release-date-beta|access-date=2021-06-29|website=Polygon|language=en|archive-date=July 2, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210702194944/https://www.polygon.com/22555993/magic-legends-october-shut-down-no-console-release-date-beta|url-status=live}}

In addition to official programs, a number of unofficial programs were developed to help users track their Magic: The Gathering collection and allow for rudimentary play between online players. Examples of such programs included Apprentice, Magic Workstation, Deck Daemon, CardMaster,{{cite web | url=https://archive.org/details/Duelist6-1995/page/n51/mode/2up | title=Duelist issue 6 - 1995 | date=1995 }} XMage, and Cockatrice. These programs are not endorsed by Wizards of the Coast.

{{See also|List of Magic: The Gathering novels}}

Harper Prism originally had an exclusive license to produce novels for Magic: The Gathering, and published ten books between 1994 and 1996. Around 1997, the license reverted to Wizards, and the company published its own novels to better tie these works to the expansion sets from 1998 to about 2011.

{{See also|Multiverse (Magic: The Gathering)#Comics titles}}

In 1994, Wizards of the Coast gave an exclusive license to Armada Comics, an imprint of Acclaim Entertainment, to publish comic books. The comics were not developed in concert with the game and were created with divergent ideas to the game.{{Cite web|last=Annelli|first=Jay|date=July 24, 2018|title=Magic Story 100: Where to Start|url=https://www.coolstuffinc.com/a/jayannelli-07242018-magic-story-100-where-to-start|access-date=2020-08-20|website=CoolStuffInc.com|language=en|archive-date=January 29, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210129093626/https://www.coolstuffinc.com/a/jayannelli-07242018-magic-story-100-where-to-start|url-status=live}} However, "much of the lore established" by Armada Comics was "the foundation from which the rest of continuity was built. [...] Some of the details changed (or were 'retconned', in popular fan speak), but for the most part the core of these stories stayed the same". The comics came to a sudden end in 1996 when Acclaim started to run into financial trouble.{{Cite web|last=Wilde|first=Thomas|date=2018-08-10|title='Magic: The Gathering' returns with a new comic book in celebration of 25th anniversary|url=https://www.geekwire.com/2018/magic-gathering-returns-new-comic-book-celebration-25th-anniversary/|access-date=2020-08-20|website=GeekWire|language=en-US|archive-date=January 28, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210128114920/https://www.geekwire.com/2018/magic-gathering-returns-new-comic-book-celebration-25th-anniversary/|url-status=live}} In 1998, a new four-issue limited comic series was published by Dark Horse.{{Cite web|title=Magic: The Gathering: Gerrard's Quest (Volume)|url=https://comicvine.gamespot.com/magic-the-gathering-gerrards-quest/4050-34897/|access-date=2020-08-20|website=Comic Vine|language=en|archive-date=January 29, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210129065522/https://comicvine.gamespot.com/magic-the-gathering-gerrards-quest/4050-34897/|url-status=live}}

In September 2011, Hasbro and IDW Publishing accorded to make a four-issue mini-series about Magic: The Gathering{{cite web | url = http://idwpublishing.com/news/article/1938 | title = Hasbro, Inc., and IDW Publishing to launch Magic: The Gathering Comic Books | date = September 1, 2011 | access-date = May 2, 2012 | publisher = IDW Publishing | url-status = dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120421100936/http://idwpublishing.com/news/article/1938 | archive-date = April 21, 2012 | df = mdy-all }} with a new story but heavily based on MTG elements and with a new Planeswalker called Dack Fayden, the story of which mainly developed in the planes of Ravnica and Innistrad. The series started in February 2012.{{cite web | url = http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=preview&id=11304 | title = Preview: Magic: The Gathering #1 | date = February 1, 2012 | access-date = May 2, 2012 | website = Comic Book Resources | archive-date = March 4, 2016 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160304063056/http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=preview&id=11304 | url-status = live }} In 2018, a four-issue mini-series on the Planeswalker Chandra Nalaar was released.{{Cite web|last=Spry|first=Jeff|date=2018-11-30|title=IDW casts a potent spell in our exclusive look at new Magic: The Gathering comic series|url=https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/idw-casts-a-potent-spell-in-our-exclusive-look-at-new-magic-the-gathering-comic-series|access-date=2020-08-20|website=SYFY WIRE|language=en|archive-date=November 8, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201108121644/https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/idw-casts-a-potent-spell-in-our-exclusive-look-at-new-magic-the-gathering-comic-series|url-status=dead}} A sequel mini-series was announced in 2019,{{Cite web|last=Arrant|first=Chris|date=May 22, 2019|title=MAGIC: THE GATHERING Summoned Back to Comic Books with TRIALS OF ALARA|url=https://www.newsarama.com/45280-magic-the-gathering-summoned-back-to-comic-books-with-trials-of-alara.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190522211937/https://www.newsarama.com/45280-magic-the-gathering-summoned-back-to-comic-books-with-trials-of-alara.html|archive-date=2019-05-22|access-date=2020-08-20|website=gamesradar.com|language=en}} however, it was cancelled before publication.{{Cite web|last=Johnston|first=Rich|date=September 21, 2019|title=IDW Cancels "Magic The Gathering: Chandra: The Trials Of Alara" Comic Before Publication|url=https://bleedingcool.com/comics/idw-cancels-magic-the-gathering-chandra-the-trials-of-alara-comic-before-publication/|access-date=2020-08-20|website=bleedingcool.com|archive-date=November 11, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201111204059/https://bleedingcool.com/comics/idw-cancels-magic-the-gathering-chandra-the-trials-of-alara-comic-before-publication/|url-status=live}}

In January 2021, Boom! Studios acquired the comic license of Magic: The Gathering and announced for a new Magic series for April 2021.{{Citation|title=Magic: The Gathering Returns to Comics in April 2021 - IGN|date=January 21, 2021|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/magic-the-gathering-comic-boom-studios-ravnica-zendikar|language=en|access-date=2021-01-23|archive-date=January 28, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210128153934/https://www.ign.com/articles/magic-the-gathering-comic-boom-studios-ravnica-zendikar|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|last=Spry|first=Jeff|date=2021-03-12|title=Assassins target mystical Planeswalkers in Boom's new Magic: the Gathering comic series|url=https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/boom-studios-new-magic-the-gathering-series-magic|access-date=2021-03-14|website=SYFY WIRE|language=en|archive-date=March 19, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210319042624/https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/boom-studios-new-magic-the-gathering-series-magic|url-status=live}}

In January 2014, 20th Century Fox acquired the rights to produce a Magic: The Gathering film with Simon Kinberg as producer and TSG Entertainment (its co-financing partner), and Allspark Pictures as co-financers, after Universal Pictures allegedly dropped the film from their schedule (both Universal and Hasbro had been developing the original Magic: The Gathering film since 2009).{{cite web|last=Kit|first=Borys|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/fox-bring-magic-gathering-big-670529|title=Fox to Bring 'Magic: The Gathering' to the Big Screen (Exclusive)|website=The Hollywood Reporter|date=January 13, 2014|access-date=February 2, 2016|archive-date=February 7, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210207140754/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/fox-bring-magic-gathering-big-670529|url-status=live}} In June 2014, Fox hired screenwriter Bryan Cogman to write the script for the film.{{cite news|title='Game Of Thrones' Scribe Bryan Cogman Takes On 'Magic The Gathering' For Fox|url=https://deadline.com/2014/06/game-of-thrones-scribe-bryan-cogman-takes-on-magic-the-gathering-for-fox-787900/|access-date=June 18, 2014|work=Deadline Hollywood|date=June 12, 2014|archive-date=July 14, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714214114/http://www.deadline.com/2014/06/game-of-thrones-scribe-bryan-cogman-takes-on-magic-the-gathering-for-fox/|url-status=live}} In 2019 following Disney's acquisition of 21st Century Fox's assets, the film along with numerous other properties in development at Fox were cancelled.{{cite web|url=https://www.thegamer.com/disney-cancels-mega-man-magic-the-gathering-fox-merger/|title=Disney Just Scrapped Mega Man, Magic: The Gathering, And Sims Movies|last=Switzer|first=Eric|date=August 8, 2019|access-date=August 10, 2019|archive-date=November 7, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201107234920/https://www.thegamer.com/disney-cancels-mega-man-magic-the-gathering-fox-merger/|url-status=live}}

In April 2016, Enter the Battlefield, a documentary about life on the Magic Pro Tour was released. The film was written by Greg Collins, Nathan Holt, and Shawn Kornhauser.{{cite web|title=Enter the Battlefield: Life on the Magic - The Gathering Pro Tour (2016)|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5628044/fullcredits|publisher=IMDb|access-date=6 April 2020|archive-date=January 11, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230111122759/https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5628044/fullcredits|url-status=live}}

The production team behind The Toys That Made Us will produce a documentary Igniting the Spark, The Story of Magic: The Gathering.{{cite web | url = https://www.polygon.com/2020/2/14/21138231/magic-the-gathering-documentary-igniting-the-spark-toys-that-made-us | title = Magic: The Gathering documentary on the way from the team behind The Toys That Made Us | first = Julia | last = Lee | date = February 14, 2020 | access-date = February 14, 2020 | work = Polygon | archive-date = May 31, 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210531043341/https://www.polygon.com/2020/2/14/21138231/magic-the-gathering-documentary-igniting-the-spark-toys-that-made-us | url-status = live }}

Hasbro and Legendary Entertainment announced a partnership in February 2025 for a live action film and television franchise based on MTG, starting with a feature film.{{Cite web|url=https://www.polygon.com/mtg-magic-the-gathering/520568/mtg-movie-announcement-legendary-dune-dark-knight|title=Magic: The Gathering movie greenlit from Dune and Dark Knight studio Legendary|first=Tasha|last=Robinson|website=Polygon |date=February 6, 2025}}

In June 2019, Variety reported that Joe and Anthony Russo, Wizards of the Coast, and Entertainment One (then-owned by Hasbro) had teamed with Netflix for an animated Magic: The Gathering television series.{{cite web|last=Otterson|first=Joe|url=https://variety.com/2019/tv/news/magic-the-gathering-animated-series-netflix-russo-brothers-1203230595/|title=Magic: The Gathering Animated Series From Russo Brothers Set at Netflix|website=Variety|date=June 3, 2019|access-date=June 3, 2019|archive-date=November 7, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201107233248/https://variety.com/2019/tv/news/magic-the-gathering-animated-series-netflix-russo-brothers-1203230595/|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|url=https://techcrunch.com/2019/06/03/netflix-magic-the-gathering/|title=Netflix is making an animated series based on Magic: The Gathering – TechCrunch|website=techcrunch.com|date=June 3, 2019|access-date=June 25, 2019|archive-date=October 25, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201025040636/https://techcrunch.com/2019/06/03/netflix-magic-the-gathering/amp/|url-status=live}} In July 2019 at San Diego Comic-Con, the Russos revealed the logo of the animated series and spoke about doing a live-action series.{{cite web|last=Ramos|first=Dino-Ray|url=https://deadline.com/2019/07/the-russo-brothers-magic-the-gathering-netflix-comic-con-anthony-russo-joe-russo-1202649299/|title=Russo Brothers Say Animated 'Magic: The Gathering' Might Spinoff Into Live Action Series – Comic-Con|work=Deadline Hollywood|date=July 19, 2019|access-date=July 19, 2019|archive-date=November 7, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201107225528/https://deadline.com/2019/07/the-russo-brothers-magic-the-gathering-netflix-comic-con-anthony-russo-joe-russo-1202649299/|url-status=live}}{{cite web| url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZkD4j3R-F0| title = Battle of the Planets, Magic: The Gathering, and Grimjack Updates from Joe Russo| website = YouTube| date = April 22, 2020| access-date = May 7, 2020| archive-date = November 22, 2020| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20201122074437/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZkD4j3R-F0| url-status = live}} During the Magic Showcase virtual event in August 2021, they revealed that Brandon Routh would be the voice of Gideon Jura, and that the series was slated to premiere sometime in 2023.{{cite web|last=Maas|first=Jennifer|url=https://www.thewrap.com/magic-the-gathering-netflix-series-premiere-date-2022-brandon-routh-gideon-first-look/|title=Netflix's 'Magic: The Gathering' Series to Launch in 2022, Brandon Routh to Voice Gideon (Photo)|website=The Wrap|date=August 24, 2021|access-date=August 21, 2021|archive-date=May 31, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220531162709/https://www.thewrap.com/magic-the-gathering-netflix-series-premiere-date-2022-brandon-routh-gideon-first-look/|url-status=live}} The Russo brothers, along with Henry Gilroy and Jose Molina, have since separated from the project, and production has been entrusted to Jeff Kline.{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2021/08/magic-the-gathering-jeff-kline-new-creative-team-netflix-animated-series-russo-brothers-exit-1234818588/|title='Magic the Gathering': Jeff Kline Leads Creative Team Of Netflix Animated Series After Russo Brothers Depart|date=August 20, 2021|access-date=March 22, 2022|archive-date=March 22, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220322111519/https://deadline.com/2021/08/magic-the-gathering-jeff-kline-new-creative-team-netflix-animated-series-russo-brothers-exit-1234818588/|url-status=live}} In October 2023, the series was briefly mentioned in a Hasbro investors meeting.{{cite web | url=https://www.dicebreaker.com/games/magic-the-gathering-game/news/magic-the-gathering-netflix-series-isnt-dead-2023 | title=Magic: The Gathering's animated Netflix show still lives - if barely | date=October 31, 2023 }} In December 2023, Entertainment One was sold off to Lionsgate.{{cite news|url=https://deadline.com/2023/08/lionsgate-eone-hasbro-acquisition-confirmed-1235453869/|title=Hasbro Confirms Sale Of eOne To Lionsgate For $500M|first=Max|last=Goldbart|date=August 3, 2023|work=Deadline Hollywood}}{{Cite web |last=Spangler |first=Todd |date=December 22, 2023 |title=Lionsgate Studios Deal to Spin Off From Starz Values Business at $4.6 Billion |url=https://variety.com/2023/film/news/lionsgate-studios-spinoff-spac-deal-starz-1235849347/ |access-date=December 27, 2023 |website=Variety |language=en-US}} In September 2024, Netflix announced the series has restarted development with Terry Matalas as showrunner and Hasbro Entertainment as production studio.{{Cite web |last=White |first=Peter |date=September 19, 2024 |title='Magic: The Gathering': Netflix Starts Animated Adaptation From Scratch With Terry Matalas As New Showrunner|url=https://deadline.com/2024/09/magic-the-gathering-netflix-animated-adaptation-terry-matalas-1236094965/ |access-date=September 19, 2024 |website=Deadline |language=en-US}}

In 1998, PGI Limited created Havic: The Bothering, which was a parody of Magic: The Gathering. Wizards of the Coast, which owned the rights to Magic: The Gathering, took active steps to hinder the distribution of the game and successfully shut out PGI Limited from attending GenCon in July 1998.{{cite web|url=http://oracle.wizards.com/scripts/wa.exe?A2=ind9808a&L=spellfire-l&D=1&O=D&P=9286|title=Home - company.wizards.com|access-date=January 18, 2010|archive-date=February 17, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120217091952/http://oracle.wizards.com/scripts/wa.exe?A2=ind9808a&L=spellfire-l&D=1&O=D&P=9286|url-status=dead}} In an attempt to avoid breaching copyright and Richard Garfield's patent, each starter deck of Havic had printed on the back side, "This is a Parody", and on the bottom of the rule card was printed, "Do not have each player: construct their own library of predetermined number of game components by examining and selecting [the] game components from [a] reservoir of game components or you may infringe on U.S. Patent No. 5,662,332 to Garfield."Havic: The Bothering Skool Daze by Peter L. Gray, Sist-Airs, Vinyl Vineshtein Cards, 60 Pages, Published 1998, 1st Edition, starter decks rule card printed by PGI Limited, 30 Shorhaven Rd., Norwalk, CT 06855, {{ISBN|0966700503}}

Five official parody expansions of Magic exist: Unglued, Unhinged, Unstable, Unsanctioned,{{cite web|url=https://magic.wizards.com/de/products/Unsanctioned|title=Unsanctioned – An Unruly Head-to-Head Fight Club|publisher=Wizards of the Coast|access-date=April 1, 2020|archive-date=May 31, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210531043350/https://magic.wizards.com/de/products/Unsanctioned|url-status=live}} and Unfinity.{{Cite web |last=Rosewater |first=Mark |date=2021-11-29 |title=To Unfinity and Beyond |url=https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/making-magic/unfinity-and-beyond-2021-11-29 |access-date=2022-01-06 |website=MAGIC: THE GATHERING |language=en |archive-date=January 6, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220106121701/https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/making-magic/unfinity-and-beyond-2021-11-29 |url-status=live }} Most of the cards in these sets feature silver borders and humorous themes. The silver-bordered cards are not legal for play in WPN-sanctioned tournaments. In Unfinity, the silver border was replaced by a holo-foil acorn stamp (in place of the standard rare holo-foil stamp) to denote the same unplayable restriction. Unlike the previous parody sets, however, some Unfinity cards were not printed with an acorn stamp, and are thus legal for 'eternal' formats such as Commander and Legacy.{{Cite web |last=Partlow |first=Emma |date=February 7, 2023 |title=What is an Acorn Card in MTG's Unfinity? |url=https://infinite.tcgplayer.com/article/What-is-an-Acorn-Card-in-MTG-s-Unfinity/2eac9119-d752-492e-a539-610df6489cfd/ |access-date=April 23, 2024 |website=TCGPlayer |archive-date=October 11, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221011152421/https://infinite.tcgplayer.com/article/What-is-an-Acorn-Card-in-MTG-s-Unfinity/2eac9119-d752-492e-a539-610df6489cfd/ |url-status=live }}

{{Reflist|group="note"|30em}}

{{Reflist|30em}}

• {{Cite book |last=Flores |first=Michael J. |year=2006 |title=Deckade: 10 Years of Decks, Thoughts and Theory |location=New York |publisher=top8magic.com |isbn=978-0-9778395-0-6}}
• {{Cite book |last=Moursund |first=Beth |year=2002 |title=The Complete Encyclopedia of Magic: The Gathering |location=New York |publisher=Thunder's Mouth Press |isbn=978-1-56025-443-0}}
• {{Cite book |last=Waters |first=Anthony |year=1998 |title=The Art of Magic: A Fantasy of World Building and the Art of the Rath Cycle |location=Renton, WA |publisher=Wizards of the Coast |isbn=978-0-7869-1178-3}}

• {{cite magazine|title=How Magic was born|last=Adkinson|first=Peter D.|authorlink=Peter Adkison|magazine=The Duelist|issue=6|publisher=Wizards of the Coast|pages=8–9}}
• {{Cite magazine |author= ((Editor))|date=May–June 1994 |title= Magic: The Fix; A Compilation of Articles and Collector's Checklists for Magic: The Gathering Addicts|magazine= Shadis |issue=13|publisher=The Alderac Group|pages= 33–38 }}
• {{Cite magazine |last= Emrich|first= Alan|date= November–December 1993 |title= Magic: The Gathering, From Game to Obsession in 0.4 Hours, A Review & Compendium|magazine= Shadis |issue=10|publisher=The Alderac Group|pages= 12–21 }}
• {{cite magazine|title=The expanding worlds of magic|last=Garfield|first=Richard|authorlink=Richard Garfield|magazine=The Duelist|issue=4|page= |publisher=Wizards of the Coast|pages=15–17}}
• {{cite magazine|title=Five years|magazine=The Duelist|issue=33|publisher=Wizards of the Coast|pages=56–71|date=January 1999}}

{{sister project links|display=Magic: The Gathering|d=Q207302|wikt=no|s=no|species=no|v=no|voy=no|n=no|q=no}}

• {{Official website}}
• [https://archive.org/details/shadismagazine/Shadis/Shadis%20Magazine%20%2317.5/page/n31/mode/2up Review] in Shadis
• [https://mtg.wiki/ Magic the Gathering wiki]

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