Editing Magic: The Gathering (section)

===Critical reviews===
[[Greg Gorden]] reviewed ''Magic: The Gathering'' in ''[[White Wolf (magazine)|White Wolf]]'' #38 (1993), rating it a 4 out of 5 and stated that "Small game companies struggle along until they get their breakout product. West End Games had ''Star Wars''. White Wolf had ''Vampire''. I feel ''Magic'' is Wizards of the Coast's breakout game... if their cards fall right."<ref name="WW38">{{Cite magazine |last=Gorden |first=Greg |authorlink=Greg Gorden |date=1993|title=Feature Review, Magic: The Gathering |magazine= [[White Wolf Magazine]] |number=38 |pages=38–42}}</ref>

[[Scott Haring]] reviewed ''Magic: The Gathering'' in ''[[Pyramid (magazine)|Pyramid]]'' #4 (Nov./Dec., 1993), and stated that "Not only is ''Magic'' the best gaming bargain to come down the pike in memory; not only is it the most original idea in years; it's also a delightfully addictive game that you and your friends will find impossible to put down."<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://www.sjgames.com/pyramid/sample.html?id=477 | title=Pyramid: Pyramid Pick: Magic: The Gathering | access-date=December 5, 2019 | archive-date=September 27, 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200927132016/http://www.sjgames.com/pyramid/sample.html?id=477 | url-status=live }}</ref> Marcelo A. Figueroa reviewed the game in a 1993 issue of ''[[Space Gamer/Fantasy Gamer]]'', noting both positives and negatives, stating that, "despite all of its flaws, it's as endearing as [[Star Fleet Battles]]".<ref name=Figueroa5>{{cite magazine |last= Figueroa |first= Marcelo A.|date= 1993|title= Magic: The Gathering|magazine= [[Space Gamer/Fantasy Gamer]]|number=7|page=5}}</ref> Overall, Figueroa rated the game a 7 out of 10.<ref name=Figueroa5/>

A 2004 article in ''[[USA Today]]'' suggested that playing ''Magic'' might help improve the social and mental skills of some of the players. The article interviewed players' parents who believe that the game, similar to sports, teaches children how to more gracefully win and lose. ''Magic'' also contains a great amount of strategy and vocabulary that children may not be exposed to on a regular basis. Parents also claimed that playing ''Magic'' helped keep their children out of trouble, such as using [[illegal drugs]] or joining [[Gangs in the United States|criminal gangs]]. On the other hand, the article also briefly mentions that ''Magic'' can be highly addictive, leading to parents worried about their children's ''Magic'' obsession.<ref name="usatoday">{{cite news |url=https://www.usatoday.com/life/lifestyle/2004-06-20-magic_x.htm |title=''Magic the Gathering'' casts its spell |author=Slavin, Barbara |newspaper=USA Today |date=June 20, 2004 |access-date=January 8, 2012 |archive-date=May 31, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080531043831/http://www.usatoday.com/life/lifestyle/2004-06-20-magic_x.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> In addition, until 2007, some of the better players had opportunities to compete for a small number of scholarships.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtgcom%2Fevents%2Fmss |title=Magic Scholarship Series : Daily MTG : Magic: The Gathering |publisher=Wizards.com |access-date=June 22, 2010 |archive-date=March 8, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130308185000/http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtgcom%2Fevents%2Fmss |url-status=dead }}</ref>

[[Jordan Weisman]], an American game designer and entrepreneur, commented

<blockquote>I love games that challenge and change our definition of adventure gaming, and ''Magic: The Gathering'' is definitely one of a very short list of titles that has accomplished that elusive goal. By combining the collecting and trading elements of baseball cards with the fantasy play dynamics of role-playing games, ''Magic'' created a whole new genre of product that changed our industry forever.<ref name="HG">{{Cite book | contribution=Magic: The Gathering | title=[[Hobby Games: The 100 Best]] | last=Weisman | first=Jordan | author-link=Jordan Weisman | editor-last=Lowder | editor-first=James | editor-link=James Lowder | publisher=[[Green Ronin Publishing]] | year=2007 | pages=192–195 | isbn=978-1-932442-96-0}}</ref></blockquote>

In 2015, ''[[The Guardian]]'' reported that an estimated 20 million people played ''Magic'' around the world and that the game had a thriving tournament scene, a professional league and a weekly organized game program called [[Friday Night Magic]].<ref name=":8">{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/jul/10/magic-the-gathering-pop-culture-hit-where-next|title=How Magic: the Gathering became a pop-culture hit – and where it goes next|last=Duffy|first=Owen|date=July 10, 2015|work=The Guardian|access-date=July 9, 2019|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077|archive-date=February 4, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210204180206/https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/jul/10/magic-the-gathering-pop-culture-hit-where-next|url-status=live}}</ref>

A July 2019 article in ''[[Bloomberg Businessweek|Bloomberg]]'' reported that "''Magic'' is part of the [Hasbro's] 'franchise brands,' a segment that accounted for $2.45 billion in net revenue for the company last year, bigger than its emerging, partner and gaming brand units combined. [Chris] Cocks said ''Magic'' accounts for a 'meaningful portion' of that, with KeyBanc estimating the game's contribution is already more than $500 million—including both the physical cards and the nascent digital version. Of the franchise brands, only ''Magic'' and Monopoly logged revenue gains last year".<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-07-07/hasbro-s-free-magic-the-gathering-arena-official-launch-is-2019|title=Move Over Monopoly: Hasbro's Next Big Growth Engine Is Magic|last=Deaux|first=Joe|date=July 7, 2019|publisher=Bloomberg L.P.|access-date=July 9, 2019|archive-date=November 8, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201108015604/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-07-07/hasbro-s-free-magic-the-gathering-arena-official-launch-is-2019|url-status=live}}</ref> ''[[Magic: The Gathering Arena]]'', in open beta testing since September 2018, is a [[free-to-play]] [[digital collectible card game]] with [[microtransaction]] purchases based on ''Magic''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://venturebeat.com/2018/09/19/magic-the-gathering-arena-open-beta-test-september-27/|title=Magic: The Gathering — Arena launches open beta test September 27|date=September 19, 2018|website=VentureBeat|language=en-US|access-date=July 9, 2019|archive-date=September 24, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200924213630/https://venturebeat.com/2018/09/19/magic-the-gathering-arena-open-beta-test-september-27/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.destructoid.com/magic-arena-adds-a-battle-season-pass-gets-it-all-wrong-with-daily-xp-caps-559855.phtml|title=Magic: Arena adds a battle/season pass, gets it all wrong with daily XP caps|website=Destructoid|date=July 6, 2019|language=en|access-date=July 9, 2019|archive-date=November 8, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201108002350/https://www.destructoid.com/magic-arena-adds-a-battle-season-pass-gets-it-all-wrong-with-daily-xp-caps-559855.phtml|url-status=live}}</ref>

Brett Andress, an analyst at [[KeyBanc Capital Markets]], predicts ''Magic: The Gathering Arena'' adding as much as 98 cents a share in incremental earnings to results by 2021 (which is at least a 20% boost).<ref name=":0" /> Joe Deaux, for ''Bloomberg'', wrote that "nearly 3 million active users will be playing Arena by the end of this year, KeyBanc estimates, and that could swell to nearly 11 million by 2021 according to its bull case scenario—especially if it expands from PCs to mobile. That's just active users, and registered users could be higher by the millions. Already, according to Hasbro, a billion games have been played online".<ref name=":0" />

In 2022, ''The Gamer'' and ''Kotaku'' reported on the increased product release schedule for ''Magic: The Gathering''<ref name=":37">{{Cite web |date=November 14, 2022 |title=Toy Company Slammed For Getting Greedy With Magic: The Gathering |url=https://kotaku.com/mtg-30th-anniversary-black-lotus-transformers-warhammer-1849779811 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230128195518/https://kotaku.com/mtg-30th-anniversary-black-lotus-transformers-warhammer-1849779811 |archive-date=January 28, 2023 |access-date=January 28, 2023 |website=Kotaku |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Parlock |first=Joe |date=2022-05-02 |title=Help, There's Too Much Magic: The Gathering Stuff Launching In The Rest Of 2022 |url=https://www.thegamer.com/magic-the-gathering-mtg-2022-busy-too-much-hype/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230128201924/https://www.thegamer.com/magic-the-gathering-mtg-2022-busy-too-much-hype/ |archive-date=January 28, 2023 |access-date=2023-01-28 |website=TheGamer |language=en}}</ref> with ''The Gamer'' opining that the increased number of preview seasons for the game was leading to exhaustion within the community and had "drained the well of enthusiasm dry".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Parlock |first=Joe |date=2022-10-11 |title=Magic: The Gathering Content Creators Are Exhausted |url=https://www.thegamer.com/magic-the-gathering-content-creators-are-exhausted/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230128201925/https://www.thegamer.com/magic-the-gathering-content-creators-are-exhausted/ |archive-date=January 28, 2023 |access-date=2023-01-28 |website=TheGamer |language=en}}</ref> Wizards released a commemorative product, ''Magic: The Gathering 30th Anniversary Edition'', for $999; this product rereleased cards which were not sanctioned for tournament play.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Diaz |first1=Ana |last2=Hall |first2=Charlie |date=October 4, 2022 |title=Magic: The Gathering 30th Anniversary includes 60 random cards for $999 |url=https://www.polygon.com/23387739/mtg-magic-the-gather-30-anniversary-box-price-collectible |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230128195512/https://www.polygon.com/23387739/mtg-magic-the-gather-30-anniversary-box-price-collectible |archive-date=January 28, 2023 |access-date=January 28, 2023 |website=[[Polygon (website)|Polygon]] |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":30">{{Cite web |last=Bricknell |first=James |date=December 1, 2022 |title=Magic: The Gathering 30th Anniversary Set Is a Decadent $1,000 Splurge |url=https://www.cnet.com/culture/magic-the-gathering-30th-anniversary-set-is-a-decadent-1000-splurge/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230128195515/https://www.cnet.com/culture/magic-the-gathering-30th-anniversary-set-is-a-decadent-1000-splurge/ |archive-date=January 28, 2023 |access-date=January 28, 2023 |website=CNET |language=en}}</ref> [[CNET]] stated that "it's not a practical purchase, it's a piece of art".<ref name=":30" /> Both [[WBUR-FM|WBUR]] and ''[[Vice (magazine)|Vice]]'' reported that many fans were unhappy with the price point of the product.<ref name=":35">{{Cite web |date=November 16, 2022 |title='Magic: The Gathering' angers fans with 30th anniversary collectible cards |url=https://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2022/11/16/magic-the-gathering-prices |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230127074437/https://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2022/11/16/magic-the-gathering-prices |archive-date=January 27, 2023 |access-date=January 28, 2023 |website=WBUR |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":31">{{Cite web |date=October 6, 2022 |title=Magic: The Gathering Celebrates 30 Year Anniversary by Selling $1,000 Boosters |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/magic-the-gathering-celebrates-30-year-anniversary-by-selling-dollar1000-boosters/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230128195512/https://www.vice.com/en/article/n7zqnw/magic-the-gathering-celebrates-30-year-anniversary-by-selling-dollar1000-boosters |archive-date=January 28, 2023 |access-date=January 28, 2023 |website=Vice |language=en}}</ref> ''Vice'' commented that there is "a growing divide in the ''Magic: The Gathering'' community between the casual players and the collectors" as "some rich collectors have turned the cards into a kind of commodities market [...]. Wizards of the Coast has increasingly catered to this kind of consumer" leading to products that are too expensive for many casual players.<ref name=":31" /> [[CNBC]] reported that "Bank of America downgraded the stock of Wizard of the Coast's owner, Hasbro"<ref name=":35" /> in November 2022 with analyst Jason Haas stating that changes to the ''Magic: The Gathering'' "brand amount to Hasbro 'killing its golden goose{{'"}} and highlighting that the "primary concern" is the overproduction of "''Magic'' cards which has propped up Hasbro's recent results but is destroying the long-term value of the brand".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Harring |first=Alex |date=November 14, 2022 |title=Bank of America says Hasbro could fall 34% due to company ruining 'Magic: The Gathering' card game |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2022/11/14/bank-of-america-says-hasbro-could-fall-34percent-as-company-kills-magic-the-gathering-card-game.html |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230128195518/https://www.cnbc.com/2022/11/14/bank-of-america-says-hasbro-could-fall-34percent-as-company-kills-magic-the-gathering-card-game.html |archive-date=January 28, 2023 |access-date=January 28, 2023 |website=CNBC |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":37" />