As a physical trading card game, unfortunately, there’s no escaping misprints in MTG. It’s very rare that a new set gets released and we don’t see any printing problems cropping up online. With this in mind, it’s no wonder that we’ve recently seen a fair few Secrets of Strixhaven misprints floating about, following Prerelease events kicking off.
While the appearance of new misprints is entirely unsurprising, one specific printing error did catch players off guard. In a very unusual twist, it appears that the Star Wars TCG has literally left its mark on some MTG cards.
Star Wars MTG Misprint
As spotted by Reddit user Oct2006, it appears that some Secrets of Strixhaven cards don’t have the correct security stamp. Rather than the little holographic oval containing the planeswalker symbol, some cards have tiny little X-wings in the stamp instead. Curiously, this is the security stamp from the Star Wars: Unlimited TCG, which isn’t even owned by Hasbro.
As if this misprint wasn’t bad enough, it appears that some of these symbols are also not centered correctly. While this does make the cards stand out a little more than usual, realistically, this is a tiny detail that many will miss. With some Reddit users already asking to buy affected cards, however, this misprint will be well worth looking out for.
In their post, Oct2006 shows this issue affecting a copy of Magus of the Library and Choreographed Sparks. Right now, it’s unclear how widespread this issue is, or if cards from the Star Wars: Unlimited TCG are also affected. While cards from both the main set and special guest are affected, it could easily be a regional issue.
Notably, like the majority of misprints, Wizards of the Coast isn’t directly to blame for this issue. While you could fault the sheer volume of product being released, printers will always want to be at maximum capacity. With this in mind, this unusual misprint is simply a goof on the printer’s part, and one that thankfully doesn’t really affect playability.
Not So Fancy Foils
Unfortunately for MTG players, the Star Wars security stamp misprint wasn’t the only one at Secrets of Strixhaven prereleases. Over the weekend, some players also discovered that newly pulled foil cards are seemingly damaged. Adorned with an unintentional ripple effect, many MTG players assumed this was simply water damage.
While water damage is never a good thing to see, as it can absolutely destroy cards, it shouldn’t be a widespread issue. Realistically, this will only be a problem for a handful of packs or boxes, and replacing affected cards should be fairly easy. Thankfully, knowing that reprints are a problem, Wizards does let you replace defective or damaged products.
Notably, while this policy will let you replace any water-damaged or poorly printed cards, it will take some time. It’s also unclear if cosmetic MTG misprints, like the Star Wars security stamp one, will be replaced. Considering the value of these cards, however, you’ll likely want to keep hold of them.
Thankfully, even with some reprints running amok, most Secrets of Strixhaven prereleases went off without a hitch. Considering how enjoyable the set is, with tons of bombs and new high-priced staples, this is definitely good news. We can only hope that this set doesn’t completely upset too many MTG metagames as time goes on.
Stick with us here at mtgrocks.com: the best site for Magic: The Gathering coverage. Be sure to check out our deckbuilder for your next big brew, and our brand new MTG Rocks Podcast!