Ever since being a force in the gaming world in the mid-1990s, Wizards of the Coast has merchandised Magic: The Gathering seemingly pretty much everywhere.
Ever since being a force in the gaming world in the mid-1990s, Wizards of the Coast has merchandised Magic: The Gathering seemingly pretty much everywhere.
Everything from the normal assortment of game accessories to apparel to ESPN broadcasts, Magic: The Gathering has managed to find its way almost everywhere, it seems. But, perhaps, one of the more less notable products with a MTG tie-in are traditional jigsaw puzzles - as in the ones made out of cardboard and found broken into pieces within a box.
Sure, puzzles are not exactly the most exciting way to have the Magic brand on something, but hey, enough people seem to like them enough.
So, just how long ago did Wizards turn MTG into literal puzzle pieces? Well let's backtrack just a tad.
In 2022, a War of the Spark jigsaw puzzle came out featuring the Gatewatch battling Nicol Bolas. Previous to that, in the 2010s, a Clementoni created multiple Magic: The Gathering jigsaw puzzles, including one featuring Chandra Nalaar, another featuring a variety of planeswalkers, and a third that comes together to form a panorama of the "Lowryn Five."
Magic: The Gathering jigsaw puzzles, though, go back far before those.
How far back? Hell, how about around the year 1997.
And, unlike those more recent puzzles, this one didn't feature any specific character or scene from within the game's story. Rather, it featured classic and notable cards found in Alpha/Beta Limited (with apologies to the less-than-stellar Jade Statue).
While the game of Magic: The Gathering can be a bit of a puzzle in its own right to play, MTG jigsaw puzzles aren't generally given much consideration as far as the whole Magic line goes. But they're a part of the overall game and its peripherals nevertheless.
Plus, it's a part of the game you're guaranteed to eventually win. You know, so long as you don't lose a piece or two.
