Collectible Magic the Gathering Cards

Magic: The Gathering (aka MTG or just Magic) is a multiplayer, collectible card game created by Richard Garfield in the early 1990s. Based on a field of mathematics known as combinatorics, Magic is essentially an abstract counting game that has been brought to life by the fictional fantasy (both in its storyline and visual imagery) on the cards.

Three sets of Magic cards were released in 1993. The first Alpha set, as it’s known, featured 295 black-bordered cards, 116 of which were printed in lower numbers to make them rare. Some of the cards in this original set, including Black Lotus, a quintet of Mox cards, and cards with names like Goblin Recruiter and Ancestral Recall, are so powerful in terms of their effect upon a game that they are either banned or restricted from tournaments.

Subsequent sets in 1993 were named Beta (which corrected errors in the sold-out Alpha set and restored cards that had been inadvertently excluded) and Unlimited Edition, which wa...

Concurrent with the release of the Unlimited Edition was the game’s first expansion set, Arabian Nights. Also designed by Garfield, the 92-card set included a card called Shahrazad, which permitted players to play a subgame using cards in their “library,” which are those cards in a player’s deck that are not in use. This card, too, is banned in tournaments.

Other early expansion packs include Antiquities (100 cards, including the trio of Urza cards and the rare and highly collectible Mishra’s Workshop) and Legends (its mammoth collection of 310 cards, as well as the fact that the full number of uncommon cards never made it into print), make this a difficult set to collect.

For the most part, the subject matter of Magic cards is as serious as fantasy and mythical fiction can get. Cards faces are filled with images of marauding goblins, fanged and drooling creatures, gloomy forests, and desert wastelands. But the designers at Wizards of the Coast, which publishes Magic: The Gathering, have also been known to poke fun at themselves, as seen in the parody sets called Unglued (1998) and Unhinged (2004).

About our sources | Got something to add?

▼ Expand to read the full article ▼

Interviews & Articles

A Life of Cards, From Bridge to Magic

The other day, our friends at BoingBoing alerted us to a deck of Science Tarot cards, produced by a collaborative group of "post-d… [more]



Best of the Web (“Hall of Fame”)

Museum of Talking Boards

Museum of Talking Boards

Prepare to enter the strange world of Ouija, the Wonderful Talking Board game, which captured imaginations en masse… [read review or visit site]

Elliot Avedon Games Museum

Elliot Avedon Games Museum

This in-depth University of Waterloo virtual exhibit showcases vintage games in a variety of categories, from class… [read review or visit site]

Handhelden.com

Handhelden.com

From Tomy to Coleco to Mattel and Nintendo, check out this collection of over 660 handheld and tabletop videogames … [read review or visit site]

Pong Story

Pong Story

David Winter's tribute to early video games, and to Ralph H. Baer, 'inventor of the video game.' Offers a detailed … [read review or visit site]



Other Great Reference Sites

Top eBay Auctions

Showing 60. See all 216 by  highest bidmost watchedcompleted
Mtg Unlimited Complete Set Magic The Gathering Oop Card Black Lotus P10 Nm-mintPortal Three Kingdoms Complete SetMagic The Gathering Mtg Collection: Library Of Alexandria, Tundra, Badlands, FowUnlimted Black Lotus Bgs 8.5 Magic Mtg No ResMagic The Gathering - Deckmaster Card Collection - Vintage - Huge Estate LotJace, The Mind Sculptor -foil- (spanish) Nm MtgMagic: The Gathering Modern Masters Sealed Case (3 Booster Boxes) Factory SealedMagic: The Gathering Mtg Collector's Edition Complete SetMagic The Gathering CollectionUs Shipping Only! Mtg Unlimited Edition - Black Lotus (sp-)1 X Jace, The Mind Sculptor Foil Worldwake Nm/m Mtg X 11x Foil Jace, The Mind Sculptor, Worldwake, M/nmMtg Collection. Polluted Delta, Flooded Strand, Bloodstained Mire, Force Of WillMagic The Gathering Unlimited Edition Mox Sapphire M/nm Power 9Mtg Lot: Force Of Will Karakas Mana Crypt Sol Ring Pernicious Deed Divining TopMagic Gathering Glorious Anthem Junior Apac SeriesMtg Unlimited Mox Sapphire Bgs 8.5 Near Mint/mint+ Magic Power 9 P9 MagicMtg Old Card Pack Lot Legends Unlimited Portal Alliances Mirage Fbb Boosters MoxMtg Magic - Alpha - Signed - Ancestral Recall (bt0165)Mtg Dual Lands Multiple Beta And Revised NmBlack Lotus MagicTwo Boxes Of Modern Masters Boosters SealedUnderground Sea X4 4x (dual Land) Mtg (revised) *ccghouse* MagicBayou Dual Land Beta Mtg Card Bgs 9.040,000+ Mtg Collection Dual Land Black Lotus Lot Rare Foils Mox Jet Djinn AlphaMagic Mtg Cards Lot Underground Sea X4 4 Revised Dual Lands Land Duel 3rd EdMtg Magic The Gathering Unglued Booster Box ..mint Condition...Unlimited Mox Ruby Bgs Graded 9 Mint Mtg Magic No ResMutavault (extended Art) Foil Mtg -nm English-Unlimited Timetwister Bgs Graded 9.5 Gem Mint Mtg Magic No Res***4x Foil Liliana Of The Veil*** Mtg Innistrad Isd Mint -kid Icarus-Unlimited Ancestral Recall Bgs 9 Mint Magic Mtg No ResMtg Magic The Tabernacle At Pendrell Vale Legends Nm/ex40x Return To Ravnica Gatecrash Dragon's Maze Dual Shock Lands Mtg Mint Nm/m***1x Alpha Time Walk*** Mtg Alpha Power 9 -kid Icarus-Mtg Revised 3x Underground Sea Edh Dual LandForce Of Will Miscut / Misprint Magic The Gathering MtgMagic The Gathering Time Walk BetaFoil ! Tarmogoyf ! Magic The Gathering Mtg Modern Masters ! Tarmogoyf Foil Near Mint Modern MastersMagic The Gathering - Mtg Alliances Booster Box - Factory SealedMtg - Tarmogoyf - Modern Masters - FoilMtg 1x Tarmogoyf Foil Future Sight Spanish Ex+ Condition***4x Jace, The Mind Sculptor*** Mtg Worldwake Wwk Mint -kid Icarus-Tarmogoyf Foil - Modern Masters - Mint/unplayed - Free ShippingMtg Mox Jet Unlimited P9 Power NineMtg Modern Masters 1 1/2 Booster Boxes (36 Packs) And Lot Of Commons/uncommonsMagic The Gathering Foil Tarmogoyf Modern Master N/mMagic The Gathering Mox Emerald Unlimited Power 9Foil Tarmogoyf Mtg Modern Masters Mint, From Pack To Perfect Fit.Mtg Magic The Gathering Modern Masters Foil Tarmogoyf!!!!!!!!!!!!! Pack Fresh!!!Mox Pearl, Magic The Gathering, Unlimited, PlayedThe Tabernacle At Pendrell ValeModern Masters Mtg Magic *foil* Tarmogoyf Mythic Unplayed Pack Fresh! Super Hot!Foil Modern Masters Tarmogoyf MintMtg, X4 Force Of Will, X4 Wasteland, Vintage StaplesMtg 3x Underground Sea Revised Played Vg/exTarmogoyf - FoilMtg Modern Masters New And Factory Sealed Booster Box Magic The GatheringMtg Unhinged Booster Box Sealed