With relations between Wizards of the Coast and fans of Magic: The Gathering already at an all-time low due to recent events, this latest development surely isn’t going to help defuse the situation. For those not aware of what’s going on, we’ve already covered the current outrage extensively over here, but suffice it to say, a recent crossover product with AMC’s The Walking Dead has resulted in a fallout of epic proportions between the two parties.
The combination of artificially scarce promotional cards and their status as tournament legal has rubbed many players the wrong way, and despite Wizards doing its best to downplay the power level of these extremely limited printings, results from a recent online competition suggest the opposite to be true. One card in particular, Rick, Steadfast Leader, has proven to be an incredibly popular inclusion for mono white decks and especially in Commander, where the color has traditionally been one of the weakest.
As relayed to their followers over on Twitter, professional Magic player Greg Orange confirms that a deck containing both Rick and another TWD card, Michonne, Ruthless Survivor, achieved an incredible 5-0 record during a recent Magic: The Gathering Online Legacy League tournament. Proof enough that the cards are viable in a competitive setting, then. It’s worth noting, of course, that without a full deck list or access to replays, it’s impossible to say just how much of an impact both of them had on the unbeaten record, but it’s a worrying trend, nonetheless.
Secret Lair X The Walking Dead is still available to pre-order direct from Wizards of the Coast, though once the window closes on October 12th, anyone who missed the chance to get their own copy will simply be out of luck unless they’re willing to pay inevitably exorbitant prices on the secondary market.
Will this news be enough to make Magic: The Gathering‘s creator issue a follow-up statement, though? We’ll just have to wait and see.