Punch cards or Punch-Out cards[1] are perforated helper cards that can be punched out into small cardboard markers that can be placed on playing cards.
History
Punch cards were introduced in the official Magic game in the Amonkhet block as a playing aid to keep track of abilities or counters added to regular cards, or to replace token cards in limited environments.[2][3]
Punch cards were considered to be a success, but R&D announced that they didn't plan to do punch cards for every set, as they considered it a tool rather than something they wished to rely on repeatedly.[4][5] Punch cards returned with Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths where they featured keyword counters.[6] Since then, they have become an irregular feature of premier sets.
Mark Rosewater considers the design potential for punch-out technology "pretty huge".[7][1]
Most recent punch cards feature an X in the information below the text box instead of the rarity indicator.
Mechanics
Amonkhet block
Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths and Commander 2020
Streets of New Capenna
The Brothers' War
The Lost Caverns of Ixalan
Murders at Karlov Manor
Duskmourn: House of Horror
Gallery
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Commander 2020 (Symbiotic Swarm) -
New Capenna Shield counters -
New Capenna +1/+1 counters -
New Capenna Keyword counters -
New Capenna Shield counters and +1/+1 counters -
New Capenna Shield counters and Charge counters -
New Capenna Obscura family counters -
New Capenna Goaded markers -
The Brothers' War +1/+1 counters -
Lost Caverns Stun counters, Finality counters and +1/+1 counters -
Murders at Karlov Manor Stun counters, Unlock counters and +1/+1 counters, indicators for "Solved" and "Suspected" -
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Duskmourn +1/+1 counter, Stun counter and Lifelink counter, indicators for Locked Doors.
References
- ↑ a b Mark Rosewater (March 18, 2024). "Looking Back, Part 2". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Blake Rasmussen (March 27, 2017). "So Much Amonkhet News". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Mark Rosewater (March 28, 2017). "How is embalm going to work with limited formats, where you're not guaranteed the tokens?". Blogatog. Tumblr.
- ↑ Mark Rosewater (May 02, 2017). "Have you considered making tokens a different size than regular magic cards?". Blogatog. Tumblr.
- ↑ Mark Rosewater (August 12, 2017). "Have you gathered enough feedback to have a verdict on punch cards?". Blogatog. Tumblr.
- ↑ Matt Tabak (April 2, 2020). "Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths Mechanics". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Mark Rosewater (July 6, 2020). "The Future of Magic". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Kendall Pepple (April 20, 2022). "The Tokens from Streets of New Capenna". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.