This is an initiative in collaboration with Wizards of the Coast.
It is not the first time that we look at the thousand and one curiosities that there are about Magic: The Gathering , but if you are looking for a list of themes with which to liven up your next game, today we bring you more curiosities about Magic that maybe you did not know.
Yes, I say more because in its day we already published here a list with 17 curiosities about Magic, but if you want more insurance than in our Magic Chronicles you will find many more that you can take advantage of to dazzle your colleagues with the biggest crazy things about Magic.
The letter dedicated to Albert Einstein
When Phil Foglio was commissioned to do the art of Presence of the lady (Presence of the Master) -they changed their mind in Urza-, it sure didn’t take long to find the perfect teacher to bring him to life. Without a doubt it is one of the most original and beautiful arts of Magic: The Gathering -as well as a card that can come from pearls when countering any enchantment while it is in play-.
Magic in the army
Apparently there is a large community of gamers from Magic among the U.S. military sent abroad, a hobby that once led to Wizards of the Coast to organize a military league in which soldiers could participate after signing up for service. In doing so, they received two subscriptions to magazines of the time, personalized merchandising and letter packs and expansion envelopes for an annual payment of just $ 50 (about 44 euros at current exchange rates).
The letter with the most impressions
If we do not take into account the Basic Lands, the card with the most versions and impressions is Giant growth (Giant Growth) with a total of 44 different versions across different sets. He has been with us since Alpha and does not seem to have any intention of leaving the collection.
Winners with own cards
During the celebration of Magic Invitational, a tournament that collected the 16 best players from the previous year, the most special prize for the winners was the possibility to participate in the creation of a card and include their face on it. 11 players managed to earn that honor.
Tribute to a deceased pet
As we collected in its day in our special about easter eggs in Magic, the game’s artists have introduced many real references when creating their cards, but none are as endearing and special as that of Lovely cat (Charmed Stray). The cat that appears in the front line is Chris Rahn’s cat, who died at the age of 17.
The strongest creature is a 16/16
Tremendous critters were pulled out of their sleeve at a cost of 10 mana, which is actually more affordable than one might think. The key is its summon ability, which allows you to tap your own creatures to add a point to your mana pool. A deck full of cheap creatures and pot magic falls on the table a Unflappable Megawyrm (Impervious Greatwurm) which is 16/16 / indestructible.
And the weakest creature a -1 / -1
May he Spinal parasite (Spinal Parasite) may not be a very good looking gadget, but it is more useful than it sounds despite being a -1 / -1. At cost five, the bug comes into play with a + 1 / + 1 counter for each color of mana used to pay its cost, and you can remove two + 1 / + 1 counters to remove a counter from target permanent. Not so bad.
Chinese censored letters
It is not the first time in VidaExtra we talked about Chinese censorship in other media – in fact we dedicated a special to his animosity with skeletons – but I was unaware that Magic had also seen the art of several of his letters modified to adapt to customs Asian
The fastest ban
Five minutes. That’s how long it took for Wizards of the Coast to ban the otter Lutri, spellseeker (Lutri, the Spellchaser). A card had never been banned before before its release, but they soon saw that its use in Commander was going to be almost mandatory and they wanted to prevent people from chasing the card when sooner or later it was going to be outlawed for that mode.
The Binding of Isaac
The Binding of Isaac game has an item called Night spirit (Spirit of the Night) whose name and appearance are inspired by the Magic: The Gathering card of the same name from the Mirage (Mirage) collection. In turn, the fame of the letter inspired another creation called Rutaba de la Noche for one of the Un-Set collections.
The letter designed by the creator of Minecraft
Although Markus Persson has taken a back seat in the video game industry, there was a time when he was one of the great voices in the industry. From Wizards of the Coast they wanted to revere his creation of Minecraft by giving him the possibility of designing a letter. Intensive excavation (Aggressive Mining) is the letter we owe you.
The Bible in Magic
There was a time when the texts that accompany the letters were drawn from real books. Among the options chosen is the Bible, which puts its particular “flavor text” to the letter Durk Forest Boars (Durkwood Boars) with the quote “The unclean spirits went out, they got into the pigs; and the herd ran wild … – Mark 5,13”.
Special letters for artists with white back
As a gift to their collaboration, Wizards of the Coast sends test letters to the artists who have worked on them. These cards have the particularity of having a completely white back, making them a collector’s treat.
Rule 104.3F
There is a rule that upsets the Magic community of experts. A devastating lesson that, in reality, seems to have no real application. The rule 104.3F dictates that if a player is in a simultaneous win or lose condition, he or she will lose the game. Game experts have spent years trying to see if they can create the perfect combination to apply with current cards and rules.
A very special pirate
The Admiral Beckett Azofar (Admiral Beckett Brass) is not only a letter with spectacular art, it also has a very special story behind the work of Jason Rainville. The artist painted his mother as a fearless pirate as a thank you.
And with the image of the coolest lady of all Magic: The Gathering we say goodbye until next week’s special. To play!