You may have missed it, but yesterday marked a significant milestone for MTG. As pointed out by The Vorthos Cast in their latest episode, August 27th, 2024 was the 10th anniversary of the first-ever main set Magic Story article. This was the point where Magic’s story switched focus purely to a digital format, as opposed to the more traditional methods it used previously. It was a major change at the time, but history suggests that it was the right move for the game.
Magic is a game that survives because it is willing to adapt and evolve with the times. We see this in its ever-shifting approach to product structure and card design. We also see it in the game’s story. There’s no better time to look back over how far it’s come, and how the community has responded to it, than today.
Humble Beginnings
To properly examine Magic Story, as its 10th-anniversary warrants, we need to go back to the start. Even back in the original Alpha set, Magic had a story of sorts. Albeit one told entirely through flavor text. Beginning in 1994, however, things got a bit more serious.
A series of MTG novels, beginning with 1994’s Arena, were published by HarperPrism. This was an imprint of Harper Collins, focused on Fantasy, Sci-Fi, and media/gaming tie-ins. In total, 12 of these novels were published, ending with Dark Legacy in 1996. At that point, Wizards decided to take the reins for itself and began producing its own MTG tie-in novels. It was at this point that what many consider the “real” Magic story began.
Kicking off with The Brothers’ War in 1998, these new WotC-published novels were linked to specific sets in the game. They also followed a more consistent cast of characters, in an ongoing storyline. Fans who say they enjoy the ‘classic Magic story’ are likely referring to these novels. While they technically continued up until 2020 (as we’ll cover later), it was the 1998-2000 novels that had the biggest impact and established the bulk of Magic’s distinct original mythos.
These novels were supplemented by graphic novels and even video games at various points, but for the most part, they were the primary means of delivering the story in the early days of Magic. Even in this fairly traditional period, WotC was always experimenting. The novels were initially standalone, but later they became included in Fat Packs and were even distributed as eBooks. For a while they worked fine but, as they always do, changing times forced WotC to change their approach.
The Digital Revolution
As the years went by, players were engaging less and less with the novels WotC was printing. There were also frequent complaints about a drop in quality, with regards to the actual writing. This meant fewer novel sales and also fewer players engaging with the game’s underlying story and lore. In turn, that meant fewer players invested in the game on a deeper level. Clearly, something had to change.
Enter Magic Story: a new digital home for MTG lore. Released via the official MTG website, this delivered the story to players in a convenient and, crucially, free medium. Rather than full novels, short stories that better suited the digital format were adopted instead. Starting with Champions of Kamigawa in 2004, each set received multiple stories through this system. Like the novels, it also went through many iterations. At first, it was called Uncharted Realms, then Official Magic Fiction, and then finally Magic Story, as it’s still known today.
Now, the eagle-eyed among you may have noticed a big discrepancy in the math here. If digital Magic Story started in 2004, shouldn’t this year be the 20th anniversary rather than the 10th? Interestingly, no. Prior to The Madness of Sarkhan, a story in the Tarkir block that was released on August 27th, 2014, Wizards was still essentially implementing a physical approach. Novels still existed, and the digital stories were considered more as side dishes than the main course.
After this story, however, digital became the focus. Novels slowly phased out as more regular digital stories phased in. Not just side stories either, but major A-plot stories. This shift was accompanied by some other story innovations, such as the introduction of Story Spotlight cards in Kaladesh. Thankfully, it proved a roaring success.
To Be Continued…
Based on all tangible metrics, the move to a digital story focus has been excellent for MTG. The story is more accessible than ever and is often deployed in creative ways to support the overall release schedule. Right now, for example, the Duskmourn story is being slowly released in the run-up to the set’s official preview season. This gives players time to immerse themselves in the set as a world, rather than just as a collection of new game pieces.
The quality of the writing continues to vary, of course, and the direction of the story is not always popular. Many were critical of how the recent Phyrexian Invasion arc wrapped up, for example. To say nothing of how much flack Thunder Junction got for its wafer-thin plot and overuse of genre tropes. At least in digital form, however, players don’t need to commit money towards buying the novels, or significant time towards reading them, so these low points sting less than they would’ve in the past.
In many cases, the newly-accessible digital story serves as a kind of recruitment tool for players. Upon seeing their first glimpse of Duskmourn, a lot of players were turned off by the modern horror aesthetics. After reading the Planeswalker’s Guide, however, many changed their minds. Reading a detailed explanation for why the plane looked that way made them more willing to give it a shot. That’s an extremely powerful thing and one only possible thanks to the digital nature of the story.
Love them or hate them, you can’t deny that WotC is always willing to experiment. And in this case, Magic Story is a 10-year experiment that has more than paid off.
Read More: WotC Responds To Concerns About Designed-For-Commander Cards
