One of the best bits about Magic: The Gathering is the immense freedom that players have when deck-building. When picking between formats, archetypes, and individual deck construction, there’s no end of decisions to be made. After that, it’s a question of how to protect, store, and accessorize your latest beloved creation.
This is where Magic’s litany of accessory suppliers comes into play. There are tons of manufacturers to choose from, each offering different sleeves, deck boxes, accessories, and more. With countless designs, constructions, and prices across the market, players are truly spoilt for choice.
Recently, however, one MTG accessory supplier has very quickly fallen out of favor. After hitting controversy after controversy, Ultimate Guard has now found itself in a lot of hot water, and that’s putting it lightly.
Ultimate Guard and the Deck Boxes of Bigotry
Recently, through new product listings, Ultimate Guard revealed that Harry Potter-branded deck boxes would be coming soon. Adorned with the colors and symbols of each Hogwarts house, these deck boxes are fairly uninspired. In terms of aesthetics, I’d call these rather simple and washed-out products inoffensive. In terms of optics, impact, and actual damage, however, these deck boxes are anything but inoffensive.
At this point, Harry Potter author J. K. Rowling is well-known for their transphobic views. Often referred to as a TERF (trans-exclusionary radical feminist), Rowling has been embroiled in near-constant controversy herself. In the eyes of many, this has irreparably tainted the Harry Potter brand and all things associated with it.
Beyond just being associated with Harry Potter, the new Ultimate Guard deck boxes appear to be licensed products. This means Ultimate Guard paid a licensing fee, some of which would have ended up lining Rowling’s pockets. As if this weren’t egregious enough, even touching the brand is a massive misstep in many players’ eyes.
Following the reveal of these deck boxes, many MTG players have been rightly furious on social media. Magic: The Gathering has a huge number of trans players, and much of the wider player base is incredibly supportive. By collaborating with a brand that’s now synonymous with anti-trans rhetoric, it feels those players are being betrayed.
With this in mind, it’s no wonder that many MTG players have stated they won’t be buying Ultimate Guard products anymore. Some on social media have also called for the product to be taken down and for apologies to be issued. So far, Ultimate Guard has not yet released a statement regarding these new products and what they intend to do with them.
Controversy after Controversy
As if one boycott-inducing controversy wasn’t bad enough, things went from bad to worse for Ultimate Guard. It appears that Ultimate Guard has been caught using AI art to create one of their deck boxes. Damningly, this was spotted by the piece’s artist, Andrew Thompson (schmandrewart).
Taking to Bluesky, Thompson plainly stated that it “Looks like my art was extended with AI.” This extension is incredibly obvious, as the full stunning artwork for Thompson’s piece is also available on Bluesky. Looking between the two posts, there’s a clear difference in the content and quality behind Haliya’s head.
In particular, it’s worth looking at the blue and purple background just behind Haliya. In the full artwork, there are clean lines and even a couple of stars that can easily be seen. On Ultra Pro’s deck box, however, the lines are completely different and don’t flow anywhere near as cleanly. Further back, there’s clearly a difference in art style/technique too.
While extended art may sometimes be needed to make a product look right, Thompson stated, “I would have happily extended this for a couple hundred $$.” Considering the PR nightmare that Ultimate Guard is now experiencing, this additional cost is now looking like a bargain. Money aside, paying artists for their work and not using planet-polluting generative AI is always the right answer.
Much like the Harry Potter controversy, MTG players seriously aren’t happy about this misstep. Players on Reddit and on Bluesky have been complaining en masse since this was discovered. So far, Ultimate Guard has only stated they are “currently investigating this internally.”
Do Better
Right now, while one half of the multiple controversies is being investigated, one thing is clear. Ultimate Guard needs to do better. Their products may be high quality and well-liked by the MTG community, but mistakes like this aren’t okay. Sometimes things can slip through the cracks, even with multiple people working on projects, so what matters now is the reaction.
At the very least, to fix the AI art issue, Ultimate Guard should issue Thompson an apology and provide compensation. Ideally, Thompson can then provide updated art for a new run of this deck box, should they so choose. Whether or not this will happen remains to be seen, but at least it’s being investigated.
As for the Harry Potter deck boxes, personally, I think they should be taken down and an apology issued. Realistically, I don’t think this will happen, as Ultimate Guard is a business at the end of the day. That said, it would be far better for Ultimate Guard to take a loss here and affirm its support for the trans community.
Optimistically, if these decks do have to be sold, it’d be great if profits could be donated to trans supportive charities and organisations. Sadly, there’s no telling whether or not this will happen as Ultimate Guard hasn’t addressed this controversy so far. Given the mounting pressure, it seems unlikely that Ultimate Guard will be able to stay silent for long.
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