xkcd #3235: Types of Board Game
Title text:
I can't believe Candles of Vienna caved to commercial pressure and added the Goku expansion.
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Source: https://xkcd.com/3235/
this post was submitted on 21 Apr 2026
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Due to ill-advised tie-ins, in MTG you can now pit Dwight Schrute against Bebop & Rocksteady with help from Ian Malcolm and SpongeBob, who has the One Ring. Don’t worry, here comes Godzilla and Hatsune Miku to save the day, just tap your Bob Ross lands to play.
Bob ross lands are awesome though come on.
It’s true. Bob Ross lands and using Frank Frazetta paintings as alternates for cards that already existed is actually the kind of Secret Lair stuff I don’t think negatively affects the game. They’re not shoehorning in IPs that break the game, it’s just good art that fits the feel. I totally have Bob Ross foils. Couldn’t get Frank before it sold out and not willing to pay the scalpers.
I ... they fucking did this with universes beyond/secret lair?
https://secretlair.wizards.com/us/en/product/1247713/secret-lair-x-the-office-dwight-s-destiny
They were pushing it with spiderman. Holeee fuck.
This is about as jarring as Sweet Dee from IASIP technically being a disney princess.
But, this can only lead to hasbro releasing the much awaited crossover with Jerry Springer.
Yeah… yeah. They’ve taken what have might been a niche one-off for collectors here and there and turned it into the driving force of their game. Lord of the Rings was well received as a full set expansion because it’s Lord of the fucking Rings and the Tolkien realm translates well into the established game. But Spiderman? Ninja Turtles? Avatar? The Office? Soon Star Trek? I’m so tired of rushed to market expansions, having to learn all sorts of new rules to justify other IPs doing what they do (and probably breaking the game along the way), and artwork that looks like ass. It’s just not fun anymore.
I've said it before, but the game is pure ass these days.
https://lemmy.world/post/40381588/21086078
Fuck, right? I’m glad I found some folks to play old formats with. I don’t even mind a friendly game of commander if we’re building around a theme central to the lore, like zombies or guilds. But even then, the burnout on the UB garbage is real. My buddy has a sick spider themed commander that would probably go harder if he added some of the Spiderman stuff. But he won’t, because it’s stupid and kills the vibe of fantasy realm spiders and “magic”.
Amen.
the worst thing is i can't tell if this is a joke or not
It isn't a joke. They didn't even bring up real life people that are in cards, or SpongeBob, mylitttle pony, Fortnite, or furby.
i haven't played MtG in 30 years. we had zombies. i wasn't expecting the mattel and mars bar chocobot hour.
Hasbro relies on MTG to make them profitable, so there's been a lot of selling out.
Even if you ignore the Universes beyond, the price of packs is way too high now, and they've made some blatant cash grabs.
"30th anniversary" was a secial set with a different back, making them basically the same as the old gold-boarded decks, not tournament legal. This results in them being considered proxies, but made by WoTC.... For $1000 for 4 boosters.
There’s still zombies, but now you can fight them with the cast of the Walking Dead! Also, if you left 30yrs ago you’d be sorely disappointed to see how shit the art has gotten. So much AI or “AI enhanced” slop.
There was something about mtg that just smelled wrong so I stopped playing it. It was the real life gambling aimed at elementary schoolers/middle schoolers but it's totally not gambling if it's card packs thing, then you put a veneer of a game on the other side of it. Don't get me started on the game.
I still can't tell if this is a joke or not...