Earlier today Wizards of the Coast made an unprecedented announcement regarding the printing of Ixalan double-faced cards. This is another example of Wizards increasing the transparency in their communication with the community on topics that they’ve traditionally declined to comment upon.
A number of non-foil, double-sided Ixalan cards in English, Portuguese, Spanish, Chinese (Traditional), Chinese (Simplified), and Korean were mistakenly printed on the incorrect card stock. Although not printed on typical Magic card stock, these cards contain the unique holofoil stamp applied to all rares and mythic rares that guarantees authenticity. They are real Magic cards made by Wizards of the Coast and are tournament legal.
Wizards reiterated that anyone with questions about this issue should contact their customer support at (800) 324-6496 or tweet @Wizards_Help.
This is the latest in a long line of printing problems that have arisen in the Magic community, many of which deal with unexpected warping of cards. Last month, Reddit user /u/DoomedKiblets posted detailed research into the environment’s effects on Amonkhet English cards.
Three days ago, Reddit user /u/MathPrecision reported on a Dowsing Dagger that was missing the standard blue layer that Magic cards are known for. This part of the printing process is critical in preventing counterfeit cards from being produced. These images show the pack-opened card failing traditional counterfeit tests.
Problems with card warping are not isolated to double-faced cards as evidenced by this tweet from MTG Goldfish’s Seth (better known as Saffron Olive):
I figured people were blowing the card warping issue out of proportion, but some of my Ixalan cards haven't aged very well. pic.twitter.com/O5mDfIe4iH
— Saffron Olive (@SaffronOlive) October 19, 2017
Wizards of the Coast uses several different printing companies, the most well-known of which is Cartamundi. It is unknown which printing company is responsible for the recent quality control problems.
Two months ago Wizards commented on the theft of sheets of uncut foils from part of their supply chain. Though details were similarly sparse, the fact that Wizards is increasing transparency at all should be lauded, even if it does create more questions than it answers.