New company Lazarus Rising Games has announced plans to revive the 90s TCG OverPower, and has acquired Top Cow and Edgar Rice Burroughs licenses as its initial IPs.
LRG has acquired the rights to the OverPower Card Game, originally published by Fleer and eventually taken over by Fleer parent company Marvel (see “Marvel Returns to CCGs”), and plans to produce a new game with characters from the Top Cow and ERB licenses. Those characters include Tarzan of the Apes and John Carter of Mars from Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc., and Witchblade, The Darkness, and Cyberforce from Top Cow Productions, Inc. Top Cow characters were included in an Image Comics OverPower set produced in the 90s; the ERB characters will be new to the game.
The game rules for the new version are “…an inclusive, creative set of rules for smooth, exciting gameplay,” the company said in its announcement.
Among the artists creating cards for OverPower are Philip Tan, Jim Chung, and David Nakayama.
Cartamundi will print the game for LRG, with the first core set rolling out in early 2025, and expansions planned for Q4 2025.
Wizards of the Coast announced Dungeons & Dragons 50th Anniversary’ Secret Lair drop sets, for Magic: The Gathering, which will be available via D&D Beyond on August 27, 2024.
Secret Lair x Dungeons & Dragons: An Exhibition of Adventure Secret Lair x Dungeons & Dragons: Astarion’s Thirst Secret Lair x Dungeons & Dragons: Karlach’s Rage Secret Lair x Dungeons & Dragons: Death is in the Eyes of the Beholder I Secret Lair x Dungeons & Dragons: Death is in the Eyes of the Beholder II
Image: Image by WotCWizards of the Coast unveiled a new Festival in a Box: Las Vegas, for Magic: The Gathering, which will hit DTC preorder on August 19, 2024.
Following up last year’s Festival in a Box: Las Vegas 2023 (see ” ‘Festival in a Box: Las Vegas 2023’“), the new bundle offers players a chance to get their hands on Mystery Booster 2 displays that were just released at Gen Con 2024. These boosters are chock full of cards with special treatments, such as Future Sight frame and white-bordered cards, as well as playtest cards and a few cards for eternal formats. Each pack comes with 10 commons or uncommons; a multicolor, artifact, or common or uncommon land; a rare or mythic rare; a Future Sight frame card; a white-bordered card, and a playtest card. Displays come with 24 packs.
Festival in a Box: Las Vegas also contains the following:
A The Lost Caverns of Ixalan Collector Booster.
A Wilds of Eldraine Collector Booster.
A Commander Masters Collector Booster.
A Li’l Legends Foil EditionSecret Lair drop that comes with a traditional foil Reya Dawnbringer; a traditional foil Orvar, the All-Form; a traditional foil Drana, the Last Bloodchief; a traditional foil Lavinia, Azorius Renegade and traditional foil Omnath, Locus of Creation.
A MagicCon non-foil promo pack with a Ponder, a Swords to Plowshares, a Convention Maro playtest card, and a Plains.
Konami has indicated the next Forbidden & Limited List changes will be announced in late August 2024, after reviewing major changes to the game provided by the cards from The Infinite Forbidden and how they impact gameplay.
Voiceless Voice (previously translated by us as Silenforc)
Aroma
Majespecter
Sinful Spoils, Snake-Eye and Goblin Biker
Raidraptor
Ghoti
EM:P Mewomine
Promethean Princess, Bestower of Flames
And the brand new World Premiere Pyro-Type Theme, “Ashened“, which is based on a city near a volcano obliterated by a dragon of destruction and extinction, “[Veidos, the Eruption Dragon of Extinction*]”. Whose souls were so scorched, that their battle continues even beyond death.
*This name is transcribed from a verbal naming of the monster and may not reflect it’s actual spelling and final name
Expect more news and TCG names through the week revealed by various content creators on YouTube.
Unlock the terrifying secrets of new themes, find brand-new cards for recent favourites, and meet more memorable monsters!
The 25th Anniversary Rarity Collection II is a rapid-fire waterfall of high-powered cards, in seven of the game’s most popular foil rarities!
Last year’s 25th Anniversary Rarity Collection blew everyone’s socks off, so we started work on a sequel right away. In order to get it out as fast as we can, we’ve made some changes to the configuration while leaving all the good stuff (and value!) intact.
25th Anniversary Rarity Collection II packs have twice as many Ultra & Secret Rares per pack, which gives you twice as many chances at “luxury rares” per pack (Quarter Century Secret Rares, “Prismatic”-style Ultimate & Collector’s Rares, and Platinum)!
We’ve cut back on the packaging, so there will be fewer packs you’ll need to open (and fewer foil wrappers to throw away) to get the same number of the cards you’re looking for. (And with double the cards per pack, about two-thirds of packs should have at least one “luxury rare” this time, and around a third should have more than one. You could even get up to SIX “luxury rares” in the same pack, this time around!)
If you missed out on the first Rarity Collection, here’s how it works: Every card in the set is available in every rarity, with 3 ‘standard’ rarities (Super Rare, Ultra Rare, Secret Rare), and four special “luxury” rarities: Quarter Century Secret Rares (celebrating the 25th anniversary with tons of sparkle and a watermark logo!), Platinum Secret Rares, “Prismatic”-style Collector’s Rares (previously available only overseas), and “Prismatic”-style Ultimate Rares (with special 3D varnish, and also available only overseas until recently).
Opening Rarity Collection packs is a rapid-fire waterfall of high-powered cards, in seven of the game’s most popular foil rarities. If you haven’t experienced this all-foil extravaganza yet, you’re in for a treat!
Each pack will contain: 2 Secret Rares (each with an individual 1-in-4 chance of being upgraded to a Platinum Secret Rare or Quarter Century Secret Rare) 4 Ultra Rares (each with an individual 1-in-6 chance of being upgraded to a new “Prismatic”-style Collector’s Rare or new “Prismatic”- style Ultimate Rare) 3 Super Rares
ALL CARDS ARE DIFFERENT FROM THE FIRST RARITY COLLECTION! Here’s just a quick look at some of what you can find:
Hard-to-find tournament powerhouses like Accesscode Talker and Magicians’ Souls!
Silent Magician & Silent Swordsman, available for the first time in eight years! And just in time for the brand-new “Silent” cards coming in April’s Legacy of Destruction booster set.
Cards that will glisten and gleam in your hand as they wait for the perfect moment to seal your victory! Tournament mainstays like Droll & Lock Bird and Ghost Ogre & Snow Rabbit, plus Ghost Mourner & Moonlit Chill and Fantastical Dragon Phantazmay!
The interstellar Field Spell Cards from the competitive “Visas Starfrost” story Decks: Primitive Planet Reichphobia, Primeval Planet Perlereino, Pressured Planet Wraitsoth, and Peaceful Planet Calarium!
Variant art! The “biker” version of I:P Masquerena and the “fierce” version of Rescue Cat will now be available in all 7 different rarities! Plus Apollousa, Bow of the Goddess!
Plus dozens and dozens more!
Whether you’re a collector or a competitive Duelist, 25th Anniversary Rarity Collection II is full of cards that everyone will want to get their hands on!
Unlock the terrifying secrets of new themes, find brand-new cards for recent favorites, and meet more memorable monsters!
Don’t close your eyes – Phantom Nightmare is lurking just around the corner! This 100-new-card set is loaded with astounding new cards that are the stuff your dreams are made of (and your opponent’s nightmares…). Unlock the terrifying secrets of new themes, find brand-new cards for recent favorites, and meet more memorable monsters! No matter which way you turn, there’s no escaping the exciting new cards in Phantom Nightmare!
Yubel is back! Both friend and foe to Jaden in Yu-Gi-Oh! GX, Yubel first appeared in Phantom Darkness back in 2008! Phantom Nightmare introduces new Effect Monsters, Spells, and Traps that look familiar, but unlock an all-new Yubel strategy. Power up with the original 3 forms of Yubel, or use the new Continuous Trap Card that lets you Fusion Summon a new “Yubel” Fusion Monster using your opponent’s monsters as Fusion Material!
The tempestuous Majespecters are storming into battle again in Phantom Nightmare! These gusty, gutsy Pendulum Monsters are hard to pin down because they can’t be targeted or destroyed by your opponent’s card effects. Originally there were no “Majespecter” monsters for your Extra Deck, but in Phantom Nightmare you’ll find two: a new Rank 4 Xyz/Pendulum Monster and a Link-2 Link Monster. These new monsters will make sure you’ll have all the “Majespecter” monsters you need, when and where you need them!
Time to dust off some of your old Ritual Monsters, because there’s a cool new Ritual-focused theme coming that can Summon some old favorites directly from your Deck. These new cards can be played as their own strategy or used to enhance any strategy that Ritual Summons LIGHT Warrior and/or LIGHT Dragon Ritual Monsters!
The events of an ancient battle play out over and over again as a brand-new World Premiere Pyro theme lights up the field in Phantom Nightmare. Make sure to pick up Maze of Millenniato get your copies of Bonfire so you’ll be ready to try it out when Phantom Nightmare launches in February!
And there’s even more to discover where all that came from. So keep your eyes open, lest you stumble unprepared into the Phantom Nightmare!
The complete Phantom Nightmare booster set contains 100 new cards:
10 Secret Rares 14 Ultra Rares 26 Super Rares 50 Commons (24 of these cards are also available as Quarter-Century Secret Rares and 1 special card is ONLY available as a Quarter-Century Secret Rare!)
*Set name and contents are subject to change
Set Size 101 Product Type Booster Pack Official Tournament Store Launch Date 02/07/2024 Launch Date 02/09/2024 Konami Tournament Legal Date 02/09/2024 MSRP $4.49 per Pack (9 cards per pack)
The full TCG Fire King setlist! A big thanks to Ori, one of our contributors, who was able to get a picture of the set contents while at the Toy Fair 2024.
Main Deck
Sacred Fire King Garunix (Org trans: Sacred Fire King Garunix)
Fire King High Avatar Kirin (Org trans: Fire King High Avatar Kirin)
Fire King Avatar Hanuman Org trans: Fire King Avatar Hanuman)
Fire King Avatar Garunix
Fire King Avatar Barong
Fire King Avatar Yaksha-
Fire King Avatar Kirin
Legendary Fire King Ponix (Org trans: Legendary Fire King Ponix)
Fire King High Avatar Garunix
Fire King Avatar Arvata
Blaster, Dragon Ruler of Infernos
Burner, Dragon Ruler of Sparks
Coach Captain Bearman
Coach Soldier Wolfbark
True King Agnimazud, the Vanisher
Infernal Flame Emperor
Dogoran, the Mad Flame Kaiju
The Blazing Mars
Bonfire Colossus
Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys
Royal Flamestorm Guards
Spirit of Flames
Fencing Fire Ferret
Firebrand Hymnist
Alpha, the Master of Beasts
Droll & Lock Bird
Extra Deck
Coach King Giantrainer
Diamond Dire Wolf
Hitta the Fire Charmer, Ablaze
Garunic Eternity, Hyang of the Fire Kings (Org trans: Garunix Eternity, Hyang of the Fire Kings)
Spell Cards
Fire King Sanctuary (Org trans: Sanctuary of the Fire Kings)
Fire King Sky Burn (Org trans: Fire King Sacred Immolation)
Onslaught of the Fire Kings
Circle of the Fire Kings
Rekindling
Fire Formation – Tenki
Dark Hole
Trade-In
Herald of the Abyss
Fire King Island
Trap Cards
Fire King Combined Strike (Org trans: Solidarity Strike of the Fire Kings)
Flamvell Counter
Spiritual Fire Art – Kurenai
Chain Destruction
Torrential Tribute
Solemn Judgment
Infinite Impermanence
Powersink Stone
Differences between TCG & OCG decklists: Appointer of the Red Lotus (Banned in TCG) has been replaced with Solemn Judgment
Konami Cross Media, at Brand Licensing Europe, the major licensing convention in Europe, announced new merchandising deals via Jennifer Coleman, their vice president of licensing and marketing.
It is noted the new merchandise line is intended to target the Gen Z portion of the Yu-Gi-Oh! fandom, and should be available for the 2023 holiday season.
Their newest licensing partners are:
Fashion UK, a clothing firm that sells clothes based on popular brands and IPs.
Kovert, a US based manufacturer of Gym goods and clothing based on anime IPs.
Mister SFC, a company that sells jewlery and Funko Pops. They’ve stated their jewelry is intended to line up with the 25th anniversary of the card game.
One Piece CG: Kingdoms of Intrigue Booster Boxcommandeered the top spot on the September 2023 TCGplayer Top 25 Sealed Products chart, which ranks the most active products on the platform by dollar volume, showing the beginning and ending prices of each product. The new chart also offered some new insights into the developing trends in the TCG market.
It took awhile, but it looks like Wizards of the Coast’s constant reprinting of desirable Magic: The Gathering cards, in an effort to make them more available as game pieces, as well as their price increases on premium sets may have finally started to catch up with them. The September 2023 chart (see “September 2023“) was not kind to Magic: The Gathering, as their products only grabbed three slots total with the highest slot being #10. Magic had more or less been leading the way throughout 2023, routinely hauling in 8 to 13 slots on about every chart this year.
So, what happened here?
Well, Magic’s recent slide can probably be attributed to a few factors (as hinted at above). WotC has basically been reprinting any non-serialized, non-reserved list card that is over $50 in value that they can shove into Secret Lairs, premium sets, The List, and special sheets in Standard sets to create value. At the same time, they’ve been increasing prices. Their most recent Commander Masters set was clearly priced beyond what consumers were willing to pay, and it showed as this set was notably absent from the September 2023 chart after only arriving in August 2023. Also, the woes of the Standard format on the tabletop aren’t helping matters much in the way of sales for new sets (see “‘Magic: The Gathering’s’ Standard Format“).
However, Magic’s biggest problem, at least right now, isn’t any of the aforementioned. The utter explosion in popularity of One Piece CG and Disney Lorcana is putting a dent in their bottom line by capturing market share. As noted back in June 2023 (see “Is Q3 About to Get Scary for TCGs? “), Q3 had a loaded release schedule and TCG enthusiasts do not have an unlimited pool of money to spend on Magic. TCG fans went an entirely different direction in September, and bought in deep on One Piece CG, no doubt partially aided by the buzz behind the release of the live action series (see ” ‘One Piece’ Renewed“), and Disney Lorcana, which did the most damage by taking up eight slots on the chart despite being short product versus the demand for the game. Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG and Pokemon TCG took their usual market share for Q3, with Yu-Gi-Oh! having a particularly strong month, and Magic was forced to take a backseat to their heavyweight IPs.
The road forward may get better for Magic: The Gathering, depending how well the reprint of The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth Special Edition does over the holidays (see “‘LotR’ Holiday Release Product Deets Revealed“). Preorders for Doctor Who set, which was also absent from the September 2023 chart, are not looking promising at this point, and it is too early to tell on Lost Caverns of Ixalan. The end of 2023 could be a rough one for WotC if One Piece and Disney Lorcana’s momentum
