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The Banned 7 refers to seven Magic: The Gathering cards, some dating back to 1993, that were banned by Wizards of the Coast for racist imagery on June 10, 2020.[1] This came in response to recent events involving the Black Lives Matter movement and the murder of George Floyd.[2] The images of the cards when you search them up on the Magic: The Gathering database now displays the text "We have removed this card image from our database due to its racist depiction, text, or combination thereof. Racism in any form is unacceptable and has no place in our games, nor anywhere else." instead of the actual image of the card.[3]
Rules
editDue to the cards being banned, it is considered against the Magic: The Gathering rules to play them in any format or any tournament sanctioned play because of the racial and insensitive content.[4]
Cards
editThese are the listings of the cards in alphabetical order.
Cleanse
editCleanse is an sorcery card[note 1], the text of the card states Destroy all black creatures, meaning any creatures with the mana association of swamps (AKA black mana) would be destroyed when the card is played. It was considered problematic by Wizards of the Coast due to its text.[5]
Crusade
editCrusade, referring to the actual crusades, is an enchantment card[note 2] that has the text White creatures gain +1/+1, meaning any creature that has white (AKA plains) in their color identity would gain +1 in power and toughness. Just like cleanse, this card was deemed offensive due to its text.[6]
Imprison
editImprison is an enchantment card (specifically an enchant creature card[note 3]) which has the text Pay 1 [mana] each time target creature attempts to attack, block or tap. That action is prevented and it becomes tapped. Destroy enchantment if that mana is not paid. The card was banned due to its illustration of a brown figure being held in a bondage-like state.[7]
Invoke Prejudice
editInvoke prejudice is an enchantment card which says If an opponent casts a Summon spell that does not match the color that does not match the color of one of your creatures that you control, that spell is countered unless the caster pays an additional X where X is the casting cost of the Summon spell. The card was banned for multiple things, one of them include the illustrations depiction of hooded figures with executioner axes where the hoods were pointed and resembled members of the Ku Klux Klan, the second reason is due to the card's Universe ID which was 1488.[8] The card online on the official Magic: The Gathering discussion board was known to some as the "Krazy Kool Kard" (abbreviated as KKK) due to the card's illustration.[9] The cards illustrator, Harold McNeill, was known for creating illustrations with Nazi/Racist imagery.[10]
Jihad
editJihad, referencing the Islamic holy war of Jihad, is an enchantment card which says As Jihad enters, choose a color and an opponent. White creatures get +2/+1 as long as the chosen player controls a nontoken permanent of the chosen color. When the chosen player controls no nontoken permanents of the chosen color, sacrifice Jihad. The card was released in the Arabian nights expansion set and was deemed racist due to the religious implications and the text, just like Crusade and Cleanse.[7][11]
Pradesh Gypsies
editPradesh Gypsies is a Summon card,[note 4] specifically Summon Gypsies which would be the creature's creature type, the has an ability that, when you tap one colorless and one forest (green mana), it would activate Target creature gets +2/-0 until end of turn. The card was banned due to its offensive references to the Romani people.[12]
Stone-Throwing Devils
editStone-Throwing Devils is a Summon card, specifically Summon Devils, which was released in the Arabian Nights expansion pack with the Card, Jihad.[11] The card only has the ability of First Strike. The card was banned due to its name being "Stone-Throwing Devils", which is a slur used against Palestinians during the First Intifada.[13][14]
Notes
edit- ^ Meaning it can be played at anytime during your turn and certain times on the stack
- ^ Meaning it can't be played except during your main phase and has a certain effect all-game
- ^ Meaning instead of enchanting your board/battlefield, it targets a specific creature you or your opponents control
- ^ Meaning it would summon the spell to cast something like a creature
References
edit- ^ "Wizards Of The Coast Bans 7 Racist Magic: The Gathering Cards". Kotaku. 2020-06-10. Retrieved 2024-07-27.
- ^ Orecchio-Egresitz, Haven. "The company behind 'Magic: The Gathering' has permanently banned cards it acknowledged were 'racist or culturally offensive'". Business Insider. OCLC 1076392313. Retrieved 2024-07-27.
- ^ Jarvis, Matt (2020-06-11). "Magic: The Gathering bans racist and 'culturally offensive' cards". Dicebreaker. Retrieved 2024-07-27.
- ^ "Wizards Of The Coast Bans 7 Racist Magic: The Gathering Cards". Kakuchopurei. 2020-06-11. Retrieved 2024-07-27.
- ^ McCoy, David (2020-06-10). "Wizards Bans 7 Cards with Racist Depictions, Including Invoke Prejudice". Hipsters of the Coast. Retrieved 2024-07-27.
- ^ Hall, Charlie (2020-06-10). "Racist Magic: The Gathering cards banned, removed from database by publisher". Polygon. Retrieved 2024-07-27.
- ^ a b Garrett, Amber (2020-06-11). "'Magic: The Gathering' Bans Several Cards Deemed Racist — Are They In Your Deck?". Distractify. Retrieved 2024-07-27.
- ^ "'Racist' and 'culturally offensive' images pulled from hugely popular trading card game". The Washington Post. 2020-06-30. ISSN 0190-8286. OCLC 2269358. Retrieved 2024-07-27.
- ^ Pietsch, Bryan (2020-06-22). "'Magic: The Gathering' Pulls Racist Playing Cards From Popular Game". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. OCLC 1645522. Retrieved 2024-07-27.
- ^ Orsini, Lauren (2020-06-10). "'Magic: The Gathering' Removes Racist Cards From The Game". Forbes. ISSN 0015-6914. OCLC 6465733. Retrieved 2024-07-27.
- ^ a b Dohm-Sanchez, Jeffrey (2020-06-11). "Wizards of the Coast Removes Racist 'Magic: The Gathering' Cards". ICv2. Retrieved 2024-07-27.
- ^ Elliot, Josh K. (2020-06-11). "'Magic: The Gathering' bans racist cards from the game". Global News. Retrieved 2024-07-27.
- ^ "WotC bans seven cards due to racist overtones, promises review of all cards". magicuntapped.com. Retrieved 2024-07-27.
- ^ Ziobro, Paul (2020-06-11). "Makers of 'Magic: The Gathering' Game Remove Racist Cards". The Wall Street Journal. ISSN 1042-9840. OCLC 781541372. Retrieved 2024-07-27.