‘Magic: The Gathering’ turns 30, how it became the most popular TCG

Happy almost birthday, Magic: The Gathering! The collectible card game has become the most popular out of its competitors for the past three decades and has grown to a family of more than 20 million players worldwide. 

Besides the traditional tabletop card games you can play in-person with your fellow nerd community, the game has graduated to an online gaming experience with Magic: The Gathering Arena.

The platform is only four years old as it was released in September 2018. If you are interested in learning the game, you should start on Arena because it gives you visual step-by-step tutorials on how to cast spells and play the game. 

In between trying Magic the Gathering Arena for the first time, maybe you want to try your luck at blackjack at your favorite online casino, too!

If you love casino games as much as you love trading card games, keep in mind to have fun with the experience without becoming fixated if you lose a few games. 

Why Is Magic: The Gathering the Most Popular Card Game? 

Players can customize their card decks in a variety of different formats such as standard, modern, pauper, legacy, or commander (formerly known as the Elder Dragon Highlander format).

Each format has its deck-building restrictions such as the number of cards that can be in a deck and what card sets you are allowed to use. 

The most popular format is commander, which involves choosing one legendary creature as the leader of your army and building your deck with 99 other cards such as creatures, instants, sorcery spells, artifacts, and enchantments.

The format is much loved because you can use cards from across all of the Magic: The Gathering universe that has been released since 1993. 

Magic Turns 30!

Technically, Magic: The Gathering is celebrating its birthday a little early at the Magic 30 Convention in Las Vegas, Nevada from October 28 to October 30, 2022.

The first Magic: The Gathering set was called Limited Edition Alpha in August 1993 with only 2.6 million sets printed and distributed throughout the United States. Hence, the popular trading card game will not have its formal 30th birthday party until August 2023. 

While tickets for attending the Magic 30 Convention in-person are already sold out, gaming enthusiasts can purchase virtual bundles that they receive in the mail to feel like they attended the convention in real life.

Access to virtual interviews with MTG celebrities will be the highlight of the event. Many Whatnot streamers will be bringing a virtual experience to their followers via streaming. 

Magic: The Gathering’s Effect on the Trading Card Industry

Wizards of the Coast owns the Magic: The Gathering and Dungeons & Dragons brand names. In 2021, they reported $1 billion in sales. The trading card industry is suspected to grow substantially over the next eight years. 

The total global worth of the trading card industry was USD 20.1 billion in 2021. By 2030, experts project that the global worth will skyrocket to USD 131.8 billion which is over six times the worth that it is currently.

Hence, Magic: The Gathering has a substantial impact on the national and global trading card industry. 

The Future of Magic: The Gathering 

MTG released five new standard sets in 2021 and four of them in 2022. They show no signs of stopping their innovation of the trading card game.

They continue to add new game mechanics to make it more interesting for new and veteran players. You can take a safe gamble and try Magic: The Gathering today if you haven’t already!