# 17: Magic the Gathering
62 Points (On 4 of 14 lists)
Highest Vote: (#5 by Johnny U)
Publication Date: 1993
Number of Players: 2
Designed by: Richard Garfield
Publisher: Wizards of the Coast/ Hasbro
Description:Magic: The Gathering (MTG; also known as Magic) is the first collectible card game, created by Richard Garfield and introduced in 1993 by Wizards of the Coast. Magic continues to thrive, with approximately twelve million players as of 2011. Magic can be played by two or more players each using a deck of printed cards or a deck of virtual cards through the Internet-based Magic: The Gathering Online or third-party programs.
Each game represents a battle between mighty wizards, known as "planeswalkers", who employ spells, items, and creatures depicted on individual Magic cards to defeat their opponents.
Hey, How Do I Win This? By either reducing your opponent to zero life points or below or by being the last player with cards in your draw deck.
Fun Gaming Facts:Magic begun the collectable card game genre, which dominated the gaming scene throughout the 90s. There are fewer CCGs around these days, but they're still around.
The two rarest cards in the game are a card given to the 1996 World Champion (Aussie Tom Chanpheng, BTW) and a card to celebrate the opening of the magic center in Japan. In both cases, only a single card exists in the world. Additionally, Richard Garfield used a Magic card to propose to his wife and also to celebrate the birth of his first two children. But there are 15 of each of those in the world, so they're not rare at all.
Magic the Gathering was shown on ESPN2 for a while. It wasn't exactly the most spellbinding of presentations to watch.
And those 300 cards burned above to show people at a con that "they were just frigging cards?" Today, those cards would be worth thousands of dollars. Yeah, Mr. "You Magic Players suck" probably regrets that these days.
Dice:None.Purple and Orange?:No. While purple and orange are used in the artwork of some cards, the main colors in magic are red, blue, green, white and black. Although Phil Folgio predicted orange mana
back in 1994.Wow, Phil made more What's New comics after The Duelist? How did I not know that?
Awards & Stuff:2005 Origins Awards Winner, Collectable Card Game or Expansion of the Year (for "Ravnica: City of Guilds").
2005 Årets Spill Nominee, Strategy Game of the Year (for 9th Edition).
1998 Origins Awards Winner, Best Card Game Expansion or Supplement (for "Urza's Saga").
1996 Golden Ace, (Game of the Year, France) Winner
1995 A la carte Fairplay Magazine prize for card games 1st Place.
1994 Mensa Select Winner
1994 Lucca Games Best of Show (Italy), Winner, Best Translated Game
1993 Origins Awards Winner, Best Fantasy or Science Fiction Boardgame and Best Graphic Presentation of a Boardgame.
Games Magazine Hall of Fame Inductee.
Related Games that Received Votes:Related Games that Didn't Receive Votes:Oh, let's say Legend of the Five Rings, a CCG based on a fantasy version of the Orient with dueling clans. And it's just about to release its 10,000th different card at GenCon. And yay, Toku.
Hey! It's an Amazon link with the price! Here, have a core set
fat PackNext Turn:A classy, urbane game.