Magic: The Gathering has issued a statement that it will be removing racist and offensive cards from its database. The popular trading card game has been around for over 20 years now, and in light of current events, vows to make a change. Making its debut in 1993, Magic: The Gathering has become a cultural phenomenon, with over 20 billion cards being produced between 2008 and 2016. Additionally, it’s set to receive a Netflix documentary, said to release some time in 2021. For those unfamiliar, Magic: The Gathering is a fantasy-themed trading card game, where the objective is to drain the opponent’s health points, using each card’s unique spells and abilities.
Depending on the format of the game, each player’s deck will typically have 60 cards, each holding a different fantastical creature or being. As its popularity has grown, Magic: The Gathering cards have become surprisingly valuable collectibles, with just one card being sold for $150,000 back in 2019. But with 27 years in the limelight, not all of the game’s cards have aged gracefully. Now, in response to the events of the past couple weeks, Magic: The Gathering is doing its part to make a difference.
On June 10th, Magic: The Gathering’s publisher, Wizards of the Coast, made a post on its website, stating that it will be removing a problematic card from its database. Originally printed in 1994, the card known as “Invoke Prejudice” is an enchantment card, which restricts the caster’s opponent to only using summons that match the magic type of their opposing creatures. Wizards of the Coast, explains in the post, “…it should never have been published nor placed in the Gatherer. And for that we are sorry. The events of the past weeks and the ongoing conversation about how we can better support people of color have caused us to examine ourselves, our actions, and our inactions. We appreciate everyone helping us to recognize when we fall short. We should have been better, we can be better, and we will be better.”
In addition to this, Magic: The Gathering will also be removing a number of other offensive cards from its database, in an attempt to amend past mistakes. Along with the purging of these cards, the card will also be banned from all sanctioned tournament play. Expanding on the company’s reasoning for the banning of the “Invoke Prejudice” card, and the additional cards with it, Wizards of the Coast writes, “We have removed this card image from our database due to its racist depiction, text, or combination thereof. Racism in any form is unacceptable and has no place in our games, nor anywhere else.”
Wizards of the Coast admits that there is much work to be done to make its games, community, and company more inclusive. Although it was wrong for these cards to have been ever produced in the first place, it is reassuring that this was recognized by the company and that steps are being made to fix this mistake. So, with Magic: The Gathering doing its part to stand with the Black Lives Matter movement, it’s important that the game’s community does so as well. Whether it be getting educated, sharing information, or donating to the proper causes, everyone should do their part to make a difference. Because if not, there will just be another article written like this 27 years from now.
