Unfortunately, due to Magic: the Gathering being a physical game, occasionally, there are production problems. Typically, these issues arise during the card printing process, however, larger production mistakes aren’t unheard of. Occasionally, while juggling the myriad products that are released each year, Wizards will make a mistake during production.
For better or worse, Wizards’ production mistakes usually take a long time to surface. After all, it’s difficult to spot discrepancies without a set launching and players having their hands on the cards. That is the case, at least, unless Wizards of the Coast goes back and spots an outlier themselves. For a misprint within a 2024 MTG set, Murders at Karlov Manor, this is exactly what Wizards has done.
A Day Zero Blunder
To kick off December with an almighty bang, Wizards of the Coast debuted Murders at Karlov Manor. Showing off the set is a tantalizing First Look livestream, players got to admire details and cards galore. Boasting a potential new staple or two, gorgeous art, and a literal murder mystery, the set is already shaping up nicely!
Following an initial batch of 45 spoilers, everything about Murders at Karlov Manor seemed in order. Little did players know, however, that there was already a traitor lurking within the set. Well… Another one at least. Alongside the titular murderer going around mysteriously causing havoc, Murders at Karlov Manor already has a misprint.
Admitting to this long before the set’s release date, Wizards released a blog post late last week. Here, Wizards plainly stated that the showcase artwork for Fanatical Strength was an “earlier,” incorrect version. Rather than just accidentally revealing this early art to the world, Wizards states this old artwork has been printed.
Thankfully, to rectify this issue somewhat, Wizards has stated the issue is “being corrected digitally for Murders at Karlov Manor on MTG Arena.” Alongside this, physical copies of Fanatical Strength that are printed post-release will also feature the correct, updated, artwork. Due to this impending change, early versions of the showcase Fanatical Strength may sell for a slight premium.
While it’s all well and good that this problem has been spotted and fixed, currently, we don’t know what the issue exactly is. Sure, we know which card has the issue, but we don’t know if we’ve already seen it. Potentially, when previewing the “Magnified” treatment, Wizards may have used the correct finished art. Alternatively, this could be the unfinished art, and we’re still waiting to see the final version. At the moment, we simply don’t know.
Misprints are Nothing New
Unfortunately, as we mentioned before, it’s not rare to see a misprint or two following an MTG set’s release. This is due to MTG being a physical game and the troubles associated with the card printing process. Thanks to this, it’s not exactly uncommon to see posts like those from u/matapexxxX on social media.
Over the weekend, matapexxxX showcased their new copy of Hunger of the Ancient One which arrived damaged. Featuring a prominent crimp across the card’s top edge, the production defect is clear to see. As if this wasn’t bad enough, matapexxxX showed that all three cards in the Welcome to Castle Dracula Secret Lair were affected.
For better or worse, crimping issues aren’t too uncommon within the wide world of misprints. As a result, these cards aren’t usually worth a major premium over their regular counterparts. That being said, however, they do still offer increased value, so they can be quite lucrative to sell. Alternatively, you can go to Wizards and try to get any damaged card replaced.
Well, This Misprint Is a Little New…
While crimping issues aren’t exactly new, it’s much rarer to see u/Gamma626s’ predicament. Rather than having a botched card with production damage or missing a print layer, this card is simply blank. Within the typical black border, the only feature of this card is the gold holographic Universes Beyond security stamp.
Thankfully, while uncommon, there is an explanation for this curious occurrence. Rather than being an apt reference to Doctor Who’s Psychic Paper, the card is simply a blank from the print sheet. As you might expect, these aren’t meant to be included within a pack and should just be an accidental added extra. If a blank card does replace an actual one, Wizards should be able to source a replacement.
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