How Magic: The Gathering Got Started: The Birth of the First Trading Card Game
Before Pokémon, before Yu-Gi-Oh!, and before deckbuilding was a household term, there was Magic: The Gathering — the original trading card game. It didn’t just launch a genre; it rewrote the rules of what a game could be. But how did this spell-slinging phenomenon come to life? It all started with a math genius, a shoestring budget, and a big dream.
A Genius with a Vision
The story begins with Richard Garfield, a mathematician with a love for games and game design. In the late '80s and early '90s, Garfield had been developing a complex board game called RoboRally. He pitched it to the up-and-coming game publisher Wizards of the Coast, who liked the idea but thought it might be too expensive for a new company to produce.
Instead, they asked Garfield: “Do you have anything smaller, faster, and easier to produce?”
And Garfield said, “Well… there’s this card game I’ve been thinking about.”
A New Kind of Game
Garfield’s idea was simple but revolutionary: a customizable card game where each player builds their own deck from a pool of collectible cards. Every game would be different, every deck unique, and players could collect, trade, and constantly evolve their strategies. No two players’ experiences would be exactly the same.
This was a huge leap from traditional board games. There was no fixed board, no preset pieces — just cards, creativity, and cunning.
The concept: players would act as powerful planeswalkers, using spells, creatures, and artifacts to defeat each other in magical duels. It combined fantasy lore with strategic depth and endless replayability.
The First Magic Set
In 1993, Wizards of the Coast published the first set, Magic: The Gathering (Alpha). It was supposed to be a small experiment sold at conventions like Gen Con. They printed just 2.6 million cards — and they sold out almost instantly.
Word spread fast. The idea of a game that was also a collectible was totally new. Players loved the thrill of opening a booster pack and discovering powerful cards. The game was easy to learn but nearly infinite in complexity. Strategy, luck, and deck-building all came together in a way the gaming world had never seen.
The Magic Explosion
After Alpha came Beta, Unlimited, Arabian Nights, and so on — Magic quickly turned into a collectible juggernaut. Organized tournaments began, player communities formed, and a whole subculture emerged. By the mid-90s, Magic wasn’t just a game — it was a lifestyle.
Magic also paved the way for nearly every collectible card game that followed. It created the now-familiar mechanics of mana, turn phases, rarity tiers, and card types. And it proved that games could be both profitable and artistically rich.
Still Casting Spells Today
Over 30 years later, Magic: The Gathering is stronger than ever. With constant new expansions, digital versions (MTG Arena), pro-level tournaments, and a massive global community, it remains a cornerstone of modern gaming. It’s not just a pioneer — it’s a living, evolving game that’s still shaping the industry.
And it all began with a math geek, a scrappy startup, and a deck of cards filled with imagination.