Magic: The Gathering Fans Petition To Ban The Walking Dead Cards

Magic: The Gathering‘s latest crossover product is causing something of a small outrage among fans of the card game on social media.

For those not in the know, Wizards of the Coast announced earlier this week that an upcoming Secret Lair (limited edition products that include promotional and/or alt-art cards/reprints) set containing cards themed after AMC’s The Walking Dead will be going on sale to coincide with air dates for the TV show’s final episodes. Crossovers with other media franchises are nothing new for the collectible card game, of course, with the likes of My Little Pony and Godzilla just two of many immortalized on cardboard over the years, but there’s something different about this particular collaboration.

All the contents included in Secret Lair X The Walking Dead will be printed with standard black, not silver – which denotes promotional, non-legal cards – borders, making them viable in tournament and other competitive play. The formats confirmed to support their use include Vintage, Legacy and Commander and it’s fans of the latter that appear to have taken particular umbrage with Wizards’ decision.

As of writing, a petition started by Reddit user netn10 to have the entire set banned from Commander has already accrued more than 22,000 signatures in support, dwarfing the 1,500 figure opposing netn10’s proposal.

As for why so many players are rejecting the crossover, the main sticking point appears to be born out of a disdain for cards with an extremely limited printing being usable in a competitive environment. While none of the cards revealed so far are particularly noteworthy in terms of power level, concern nonetheless remains that this is the beginning of a slippery slope that could later lead to staple cards being so rare and expensive as to favor those players with more disposable income than others. The Commander Rules Committee, an autonomous body not regulated by Wizards that administrates the format, has previously said it’ll have a statement to share regarding the issue over the coming days, though it remains to be seen what that will entail.

Pre-orders for Magic: The Gathering‘s Secret Lair X The Walking Dead go live this Sunday, October 4th, for $49.99/£49.99/€54.99 and will remain open for a week.