Why Has Magic The Gathering Become So Popular

By Roxanne Genier | June 29, 2021

Trading card games may be a niche hobby but there’s no doubt that there’s a strong community behind it. There are primarily two trading card games that dominate the industry. First is Pokemon and the other more popular game is none other than the iconic Magic: The Gathering.

Since being launched in the 1990s, Magic: The Gathering’s rise to industry domination has been slow but steady.  Nearly 30 years later, thousands of cards released, millions of gamers worldwide, and millions of revenue in the pocket, we’re still seeing consistent growth for Magic: The Gathering.

Exactly why is this game so popular? The truth is that there are many reasons why the game is such a hit even in today’s times where video games are more immersive than ever. Here are a few reasons why Magic: The Gathering has become so popular.

It’s A Good Way To Make Money

Collectors of Magic: The Gathering cards are constantly at a standstill about what they should do with their cards. The options are they could either keep it as part of their collection or they could sell it for a profit too. A lot of players make money through card selling.

Like most card games, the price of Magic: The Gathering cards continue to grow over time especially if they are rare. Since there’s an economy that keeps the community thriving, the game is constantly being kept alive by the community of gamers as well.

That’s not the only way to make money too. Aside from selling cards, you can also make a significant sum by participating in tournaments. Before the pandemic, the competitive scene behind Magic: The Gathering was strong. However, the momentum was cut short because of Covid-19.

Now that the world is starting to ease out of the problem, we’re sure that players are excited to dive into playing competitively once again. Some states in the US have even begun allowing tournaments too and this is the start of something big for the game’s community.

The Game Is Constantly Evolving

One of the reasons why trading card games become obsolete is that the game becomes pretty stagnant. Even after new card releases, the meta remains the same and more or less, players find a way to exploit the system to make the game a lot easier.

What’s great about Magic: The Gathering is that the makers of the game are constantly looking to change things up. If you look at this Magic: The Gathering fan site, you can see that there are constant changes in the meta. This makes the game exciting as the strategies continue to evolve.

This isn’t very common among trading card games. Understandably, it can be hard for developers to release new cards without making them too overpowered or underpowered – thus ruining the meta. As the game is constantly changing, it’s tough to see it dying out anytime soon.

One of the best parts of Magic: The Gathering is that the level of customization is very deep when it comes to deck building. This is perhaps one of the reasons why the game is so popular nowadays too. It makes the game more dynamic and exciting to play as there’s always someone out there who has a unique strategy to win.

There’s A Video Game For It

A few years back, a new video game for Magic: The Gathering. Although there have been many games based on the franchise, the most popular currently is Magic: The Gathering Online which is basically a digital version of the card game. As one would expect, the game is a hit amongst players.

Aside from giving players a new way to play, Magic: The Gathering Online also has made the card game more accessible to newcomers. Once these newcomers try out the digital version of the game, they are instantly encouraged to try the classic version.

Magic: The Gathering Online is a faithful digital adaptation of the card game. However, nothing beats having to collect and grow a real-life card collection. And because of this, Magic: The Gathering is still the best and most enjoyable way to play the game.

The Lore Is Deep And Rich

Unlike most card games, the makers of the cards in Magic: The Gathering put a lot of effort into making the game’s lore and story as rich and developed as possible. There’s a background to every card in the game and this makes it very appealing to most gamers.

Over the last couple of decades, the makers of the cards have been able to develop this rich fantasy world that’s very enjoyable to dive into. Most of the game’s lore is available within the excellently designed cards themselves so you can begin understanding your knowledge of the game’s world immediately.

If you plan on diving into the game’s lore and story, then you definitely need to start immediately. There’s a lot of amazing and entertaining stories to dive into as well. Although the lore isn’t relevant when it comes to gameplay, it’s good at letting you understand just how rich and deep this trading card game actually is.

Suitable For All Budgets

The common misconception is that Magic: The Gathering is not a cheap game to start playing. This is because players believe that most of the game’s cards are expensive. That’s not at all true. In fact, the only expensive cards in the games are those really rare ones.

In truth, the game fits all budget needs. Whether you are on a tight budget or you can spend whatever you like, you can build a good deck that’s good both casually and competitively. It’s all really about strategy and it’s less about how much you spend on your deck for the game.

Magic: The Gathering is here to stay for a long time. It’s never too late to dive into the hobby so make sure to try out the game as soon as you can. There’s just so many ways to enjoy it and so many people to play the game with so make sure you give it a shot.