Japanese fans of Magic: The Gathering have been eating particularly well of late. We’ve seen countless anime art promos in mainline sets, as well as Japan-exclusive events aplenty. Before all this, however, an even more significant exclusive was released. A full-on MTG Manga series, titled Destroy All Humans. They Can’t Be Regenerated, began in 2018, and has released regular volumes in Japan since. Now this popular MTG Manga series has finally received an English release.
This is great news for those who fall between the concentric circles of MTG and manga fans. The story covered in the manga, by all accounts, is a compelling one for fans, particularly old-school fans. Beyond this, the first volume also comes with an exclusive limited-edition promo card. Even those who are uninterested in manga will surely prick their ears up at that.
Destroy All Humans. They Can’t Be Regenerated Volume 1
As announced by publisher VIZ Media on Twitter, Destroy All Humans. They Can’t Be Regenerated Volume One is now available in both print and digital formats. This marks the first official release of the MTG Manga in English. Previously, non-Japanese-speaking readers have had to rely on fan translations to enjoy the adventure. Now, however, a few clicks on Amazon can achieve the same thing.
For those unaware, Destroy All Humans. They Can’t Be Regenerated follows the rivalry between high school students Hajime Kano and Emi Sawatari. This begins as purely academic but takes on a new form with the release of Magic: The Gathering in 1993. The two grow closer as they play Magic together, getting into various scrapes and adventures along the way.
Those who have read the manga in the original Japanese or the fan translation have generally given it very positive reviews. Unlike the early series of the Yu-Gi-Oh! manga, Destroy All Humans actually sticks to the rules of Magic at the time. It uses the limited card pool well, and the characters play decks that reflect the real, ever-shifting meta. As new sets are released, the cards within impact the plot. Necropotence, in particular, reportedly causes quite a stir when it arrives.
Overall, it sounds like an excellent read for any MTG fan, even one who hasn’t dabbled much in manga before. If you’re not totally sold on grabbing a copy yet, VIZ has a free preview available which you can read right here. Of course, even if you aren’t particularly interested in the story, the free promo card that comes with the first volume may be enough to entice you.
The Diabolic Edict Promo
- Mana Value: 1B
- Rarity: Promo
- Card Text: Target player sacrifices a creature.
Like the original Japanese run of the manga, the first volume of Destroy All Humans comes with an exclusive promo card. This promo is a Diabolic Edict, and it’s notable for a subtle reason. This is because it’s the first time the original Ron Spencer Tempest art for this card has been printed with Magic’s modern card frame. That alone makes it a significant object for collectors.
For serious players, Diabolic Edict is a lot less exciting. The card sees regular play in Commander and sparing play in Pauper, but that’s really it. It’s not any kind of staple or must-have for any deck. It has also been reprinted many times, so copies can be had for as little as $0.10.
This isn’t just any copy, however. The Japanese version of this promo has been out for a while now, so we can look to that for guidance as to the price of this one. At the time of writing, the Japanese version will run you around $6. Given that English cards almost always sell for more than those in other languages, I think a price tag of $8-10 makes sense for this new promo.
Right now, you can grab the first volume of Destroy All Humans for around $14. This means that the promo alone should cover at least half of that cost, which is a great deal for manga fans. It’s worth noting that Amazon claims the ‘Limited edition card’ will only be included in the manga’s first printing, so it may be the case that late adopters won’t receive one. There’s no word of this on the VIZ site, however, so it’s worth waiting for confirmation on that before succumbing to FOMO.
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