Magic the Gathering is played all over the world. Nick Cunard/Shutterstock
Owned by Hasbro Magic the Gathering -the trading card game is getting a new one Lord of the Rings -themed series. The series will be released on June 23.
The most valuable card in the series, the specially printed ring of power (The One Ring), has been turned into the most valuable card in the trading card game. About that reported The Verge – online publication. Only one copy of this specially illustrated version of the card will be published. It is marked with the numbers 001/001 in gold letters to prove that this is the only one of its kind.
Since the card is just going on sale, no one knows yet how valuable it will turn out to be in the end. Something about the price of the upcoming card can be deduced from the fact that an individual Magic the Gathering collector already is publicly promised to pay $100,000 for the card, if the person who finds it in the card booster only agrees to sell it to him. The value of the card can be significantly higher, as, for example, Cool Stuff, which follows the trading card market, predicts that it will be the first MTG card to break the $1 million mark.
This is what a future MTG card worth up to a million euros will look like. In the enlargement, you can see the name of Veli Nyström from Tampere at the bottom of the card.
Pictures of the different versions of the awaited The One Ring card have been released in advance. When looking at preview images, the Finnish name shown at the bottom of the value card attracts attention Brother Nyström. It turns out that this artist from Tampere has been honored to illustrate the card in question. The normal editions of the card from the ring of power are also illustrated by Nyström.
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Iltalehti reached the artist, but Nyström, who ended up in a special situation, politely refused an interview.
The card cannot be found in traditional additional card bags, but in the “collector pack” card package intended for collectors.
Magic the Gathering is the world’s first trading card game that has 35 million players. The game is also played competitively in tournaments and as e-sports.
“The ring of power will be a double-barreled thing”
The owner of the game store Oh My Game in Vantaa Zuher Turbi states that the printing of the power ring is a “great thing”.
– I have to invite the guy to the signing ceremony when the opportunity arises, says Turbi.
Finnish artists have been involved in the game’s illustrations before. For example, from the wizarding school spirit Strixhaven– series was illustrated by a Finnish artist Minttu Hynninen.
However, the existence of the ring of power causes concern regarding the sale of the game and possible counterfeits.
– It’s great that such a collector’s item exists. However, the ring of power will be a double-barreled affair. Opening it from the card package will probably affect sales, Turbi thinks.
The discovery of the ring of power will probably be announced on many channels, which will decrease the demand for unsold card bags still owned by retailers.
– The discovery would be a big pitfall for retailers, in which case the value of unopened card packs would drop. However, the theme will definitely resonate with the general public and the series will be in demand.
The most valuable card sold for half a million
The cards of the card game are very valuable among players and collectors.
The value of the most expensive card in the game so far – Black Lotus, the earliest Alpha series in flawless condition, has currently exceeded half a million dollars. The half million card was sold in 2021 at the PWCC online auction, which specializes in collectible card games.
The specimen in question was signed by the artist and classified in the best possible condition.
Black Lotus was released as part of the first Alpha series of the game in 1993. In addition to this, the card in question was also released in later series, where the value of the card is lower, but still several thousands.
Hasbro in the sack
Hasbro, which owns the trading card game, has drawn criticism from long-time players of the card game. New card sets have been released at a tighter pace than under former owner Wizards of the Coast. CNBC reported on it last December.
Today, Wizards of the Coast is a unit under Hasbro, which is still responsible Magic the Gathering of the activity.
In recent years, Hasbro has released new larger card sets related to the game every couple of months. In between these, the company has released smaller micro-sets.
According to Business Insider the overprinting of the sets weakens the value of the brand and this already affects the entire Hasbro toy giant’s share price negatively.
The company’s CEO has responded to the criticism by stating that they are aiming for a larger player base. Also new for the same reason Lord of the Rings -themed series is being published.