In 2021, Topps partnered with Wizards of the Coast to incorporate Magic: The Gathering onto popular baseball card packs for the first time. The collaboration brought the fantasy trading card game into the mainstream sports card industry introducing the iconic game to a whole new audience.
Magic: The Gathering, commonly referred to as Magic or MTG, is a trading card game released in 1993 by Wizards of the Coast. Players use customized decks of “spells,” “artifacts,” and “creature” cards to battle each other in a duel. The game quickly grew a loyal following and is considered the earliest collectible card game, preceding Pokémon and other popular TCG titles. Since its launch, Magic has seen over 20,000 unique cards printed and tens of millions of players around the world. The game was still relatively niche compared to mainstream sports.
Topps saw the opportunity to introduce new demographics, especially younger players, to Magic through sports cards. The company is renowned for producing the most iconic and recognizable sports trading cards globally. Topps baseball cards dominate the market having been staples since the 1950s. With the 2021 season, Topps included 5 premium Magic: The Gathering insert cards accessible through special packaging inserted randomly into flagship baseball products like Series 1, Series 2, and Allen & Ginter.
The insert cards featured recognizable Magic planeswalkers, or powerful wizard-like characters, as athletes on mythical teams. One example depicted Jace, the Mind Sculptor as the star shortstop for the Riverglide Rogues. Another card featured Chandra Nalaar pitching for the Caldera Firebrands. Topps utilized the same glossy, high quality stock as its standard baseball cards with authentic designs marrying Magic IP with sporting themes. This juxtaposition of fantasy and sports was an intriguing introduction for curious new fans and collectors.
Initial reception of the Magic baseball inserts from both existing fans and the mainstream sports community was very positive. Many praised Topps for cleverly merging the worlds of fantasy gaming with America’s favorite pastime. Posts across social media praised the creative concepts and production quality matching Topps’ renowned sports cards. The crossover also renewed interested in Magic for lapsed players and fueled new collectors.
For Wizards of the Coast, the partnership with the sports card juggernaut Topps was profoundly significant. It exposed Magic to a completely new potential customer base outside of game and comic stores. Through baseball cards found in drug stores, big box retailers, and card shops across North America, millions more eyes saw Magic in a whole new light. Market research showed thousands of new players were inspired to try the game who otherwise may have never known about it.
As a result of the success in 2021, Topps and Wizards of the Coast agreed to expand their Magic baseball card releases for subsequent seasons. In 2022, several new premium Magic insert sets were included like “Arcane All-Stars” and “Spellslingers.” These continued novel sports-fantasy crossovers withplaneswalker characters on new imaginary rosters. The collaborations also grew to incorporate other Topps sports licenses beyond just baseball as well like NBA, NFL and soccer. Moving forward, Topps committed to regularly including Magic inserts yearly to sustain interest and attract even more new potential fans to both properties through an innovative merge of fantasy gaming and real-world sports.
The unlikely union between Magic: The Gathering and Topps baseball cards has proven hugely impactful for broadening awareness and inclusion of the famous trading card game. By bringing the rich worlds of Magic to an entirely new mass market consumer base of sports fans and families, many new eyes and potential players have been introduced. Thanks to innovative partnerships like with Topps, Magic: The Gathering looks primed to continue enticing new generations of players and collectors for decades to come no matter their interests in fantasy or sports.