Special Commemorative and Recognition Cards

Index | Luc Mertens 2015 | Heroes of the Realm 2015-2023 | Case Kiyonaga 2023




On special occasions, WOTC creates commemorative cards in honor of some employees or former employees.

CARTA MUNDI COMMEMORATIVE CARD

Luc Mertens, Business Unit Manager Games retired on September 1, 2013 from Cartamundi after 33 years. He has been involved with Magic: The Gathering from the beginning.
He has worked at Carta Mundi in Turnhout, Belgium and in Dallas, Texas.

The WOTC Art Dept. made this Commemorative card in his honor.

The card was printed by Carta Mundi in Belgium on matt paper and glued on top of a Magic card back (professionally glued, so the card consists out of two layers).
The card has the same size, thickness and MTG back like a standard card.
From Peter Adkison's source: 20 were given to him or also family, friends, WOTC employees, etc.
From Luc Mertens's source (nine years after): 15 were given to him.

The normal sized Luc Mertens Magic cards were printed on a 64 card sheet (8 cards x 8 cards) using a digital printing press.
Two sheets were made, one with white backs and one with Magic backs.
The Magic backed sheet was cut into cards.
Luc thinks he originally had about 15 of these normal size Magic backed cards given to him when he retired in 2013.
He's not aware of any others existing, so the other 49 cards from that sheet are presumed destroyed.

Two oversized cards were also created as well as two overzided boosters.
The oversized card is 20.5 inches tall (52.07 centimeters) by 14.6875 inches wide (37.30625 centimeters), and .21875 inches thick (0.555625 centimeters) on foam core, similar material to the giant cards given away at events.
It does have a Magic back, but "Magic" is the newer yellow color instead of the original blue.

The two identical giant booster packs which Luc received at his retirement party, were created by Vitra, the company who makes the booster material (at least in Europe).
The text on the back side is written in Flemish.
The booster pack is 13.375 inches tall (33.9725 centimeters) by 8.75 inches wide (22.225 centimeters), and .5 inches thick (1.27 centimeters).
Neither of the two packs have been opened.
They seem to contain two pieces of square corner foam core, similar to what the giant card is made from.
Luc thinks that the contents of these packs are blank.
With a bright light on a lightly colored area of the booster, I can see that the contents have printing. It appears to be the same artwork that's on the front of the booster pack.


Oversized Luc Mertens cards Vs. Oversized booster Vs. Regular Luc Mertens cards. Booster Back.

Luc was born August 23rd 1958.
He started working at Carta Mundi in 1980.
One of his first big projects was UNO when that company was located in Joliet Illinois.
Luc worked at Carta Mundi for 33 years, retiring in 2013.
In his younger years, Luc was a competitive Fooseball player. This game is also known as "Kicker".
Luc's hobby is collecting and documenting airline playing cards. He's assembled a really nice book on the subject. We met at an airline memorabilia convention where he was a vendor. My purchases from him paid for his trip and then some.
He also used to collect stamps, but he's sold them off and doesn't do that anymore.
His wife's name is Chris. They have multiple sons and multiple grand daughters.
Nene is a (now grown) child from the Philippines, who they sponsored (sent money to) for many years and stay in communication with.
They live in Belgium, not far from where Champaign is made in France, and they regularly drive over and get some at a low cost, which makes a wonderful gift to others.
He's seen the band Golden Earring in concert many times.
This information is relevant to what's printed on his commemorative items pictured above.


Luc Mertens sheet (8 x 8) with white back.


CASE KIYONAGA, PANDA CHAMPION

WORKING ON IT

Case Kiyonaga was a World champion Legend of the 5 Rings player and an amazing online Magic: The Gathering Player. He was also a Game Designer at Wizards of the Coast from August 2017 till November 2018 (1 year and 4 monthes).
Playdesign member for Guilds of Ravnica, Ravnica Allegiance, and War of the Spark plus primary balance designer for the Transformers TCG.
Then he was a Freelance Game Designer from June 2019 till November 2023 (4 years 8 monthes) in Bellevue, Washington, United States.
Design, develop, and maintain fun and pleasing mechanics, rulesets, and card interactions for a variety of CCGsDesign, develop, and maintain fun and pleasing mechanics, rulesets, and card interactions for a variety of CCGs

To commemorate his unexpected passing on November 10, 2023, a Magic: The Gathering card was created: Case Kiyonaga, Panda Champion.
CYK at the bottom left is his initials (Case Yukio Kiyonaga. 250 were printed.The back has family information.
No further info for the moment.


Case Kiyonaga, Panda Champion card front.

HEROES OF THE REALM COMMEMORATIVE CARD 2017

In 2017, 3 different Heroes of the Realm 2016 cards were given to WotC employees with their names printed on the card to recognize the success of several products, they do have a unique back.
They exist also as oversized cards but with no name of the recipient.
They aren't legal in any tournament format and they cannot be bought or traded at all:

Chandra, Gremlin Wrangler illustrated by Kari Christensen for the Planeswalker Decks team: Doug Beyer, Mark Globus, Lisa Hanson, Shawn Main, Adam Prosak, Christine Risinger, Brian Trunk.

Dungeon Master illustrated by Mike Burns for the Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition team: Jeremy Crawford, Mike Mearls, ?, ?.The Dungeon Master was featured in the 80's cartoon "Dungeons and Dragons" (September 17, 1983 – December 7, 1985).

Nira Hellkite Duelist illustrated by Yoichi Ito for the Duel Masters team: Scott Van Essen, Andrew Veen, ?, ?. The illustration was taken from the Super Rare card Mega Dragnai Dragon from DMX-23 Mystery Teach Deck Level MAX Pack.

Apparently the artist didn't get a card. It is not known how many cards were given to each employees. No further info is available at the moment.

There's an Oversized version (with holo foil stamp) with all the names of the specific team in a plaque in the Hall of Heroes.
There's an Oversized version without the name of recipient given to the team members.
There's a regular card size version given to the team member with his name on it.


Chandra, Gremlin Wrangler oversized card in 2016 Heroes plaque in WotC's office.


Dungeon Master card with printed name of the recipient: Jeremy Crawford and Mike Mearls.


Duel Masters Super Rare card Mega Dragnai Dragon illustrated by Yoichi Ito.
Nira Hellkite Duelist card illustrated by Yoichi Ito for Scott Van Essen.

ART 2017 (2/3)


Chandra, Gremlin Wrangler Full Art by Kari Christensen.


Dungeon Master - Heroes of the Realm sketch and Full Art by Mike Burns.


MISSING: Nira Hellkite Duelist full art by Yoichi Ito.


HEROES OF THE REALM COMMEMORATIVE CARD 2018

In 2018, 3 different Heroes of the Realm 2017 cards were given to WotC employees with their names printed on the card to recognize the success of several products, they do have a unique back.
They exist also as oversized cards but with no name of the recipient. They aren't legal in any tournament format and they cannot be bought or traded at all:

Diabolical Salvation illustrated by Zoltan Boros for the special strike team: ?, ?, ?.

Inzerva, Master of Insights illustrated by Filip Burburan for the Consumer Insights Team team: ?, ?, ?.

M'Odo the Gnarled Oracle (around 30/40 exist, the name is an acronym for 'Magic Online Digital Objects", the name of an old .exe file.) illustrated by Johann Bodin for the Magic Online 2017 team (26 employees): Chad Kanotz, David McDarby, Diane Molinari, Lee Sharpe, ?, ? ,?. .

There's an Oversized version (without holo foil stamp) with all the names of the specific team in a plaque in the Hall of Heroes.
There's an Oversized version without the name of recipient given to the team members, 30 are known to exist.
There's a regular card size version given to the team member with his name on it.
Apparently the artist didn't get a card.

From Lee Sharpe: Digital Product Manager for @MTG_Arena at @wizards_magic.
Every year, the WotC executive team recognizes a small number of teams within the company as "Heroes of the Realm". In 2017, the MagicOnline team was one of those teams.
Part of the reward that the team gets for being recognized as "Heroes of the Realm" is the team gets to design their own card. It gets printed like regular Magic cards, and each team member gets a copy with their name on it.
The card was truly designed by the whole team. Hero of the Realm cards aren't legal in anything, they have different card backs.



M'Odo the Gnarled Oracle Oversized card illustrated by Johann Bodin for the Magic Online 2017 team.


M'Odo the Gnarled Oracle card illustrated by Johann Bodin for David McDarby.


Hall of Heroes with plaques pic.

ART 2018 (2/3)


MISSING: Diabolical Salvation illustrated by Zoltan Boros.


Inzerva, Master of InsightsAlternate Sketch (done with pencil on paper and the size is 16.5 x 13".) and Full Art by Filip Burburan.


M'Odo the Gnarled Oracle Full Art (Digital) by Johann Bodin.


HEROES OF THE REALM COMMEMORATIVE CARD 2019

In 2019, 4 (to be reverified) different Heroes of the Realm 2018 cards were given to WotC employees with their names printed on the card to recognize the success of several products, they do have a unique back.
They exist also as oversized cards (around 50) made of a rigid material used for promotional items, not traditional card stock, but with no name of the recipient.
They aren't legal in any tournament format and they cannot be bought or traded at all:

Kharis & the Beholder illustrated by Joe Slucher for the Magic and D&D influencer projects team: Bart Carroll, Pelham Greene, Trick Jarrett, Liz Lamb-Ferro, Brian Perry, Nate Price, Michelle Sutterfield (Mishy Fishy Whoo), Greg Tito.

Optimus Prime, Inspiring Leader (Three-sided card usable in both Magic the Gathering and Transformers TCG games.) illustrated by Steve Argyle for the Transformers TCG team: Drew Nolosco, ?, ?, ?

Sol, Advocate Eternal (around 25-30 exist) by Randy Vargas for the Game Support and Customer Service team: David McDarby, Noah Millrod, ?, ?, ?

The Legend of Arena illustrated by Noah Bradley/Olena Richards for the MtG: Arena team: Ben Finkel, Lee Sharpe, ?, ?


Optimus Prime, Inspiring Leader illustrated by Steve Argyle Part 1 (front) and Part 2 (back). NEED UPGRADE.


Foil Optimus Prime, Inspiring Leader illustrated by Steve Argyle Part 3 (inside). NEED UPGRADE.


Sol, Advocate Eternal card illustrated by Randy Vargas for David McDarby.

ART 2019 (3/4)


Kharis & the Beholder Full Art by Joe Slucher.



Optimus Prime, Inspiring Leader Front illustrated by Steve Argyle.


MISSING: Optimus Prime, Inspiring Leader Back illustrated by Steve Argyle ?.


MISSING: Optimus Prime, Inspiring Leader Inside illustrated by Steve Argyle ?.


Sol, Advocate Eternal Full Art by Randy Vargas.


The Legend of Arena Full Art by Noah Bradley and Full Art by Olena Richards.


HEROES OF THE REALM COMMEMORATIVE CARD 2020

In 2020, 7 different Heroes of the Realm 2019 cards were given to WotC employees with their names printed on the card to recognize the success of several products, they do have a unique back.
They exist also as oversized cards but with no name of the recipient. They aren't legal in any tournament format and they cannot be bought or traded at all.
The projects that these cards represent are: Throne of Eldraine, War of the Spark, Booster Fun, Modern Horizons, and Secret Lair.

Champions of Archery illustrated by Donato Giancola for the Magic Studio X Throne of Eldraine project team: Melissa DeTora, Ben Hayes, Daniel Holt, Jess Lanzillo, John Penick, Christine Risinger, Robert J Schuster, Gavin Verhey, ?, ?, ?.

Collectigull illustrated by Wylie Beckert for the Magic Studio X Booster Fun project team: Melissa DeTora, Ben Hayes, John Penick, Robert J Schuster, Allison Steele, Gavin Verhey, ?, ?, ?.

Fabled Path of Searo Point illustrated by Tom Wänerstrand for the Operations Team: Jefferson Dunlap, Curt Gould, Ronny Ruggenberg, David Stevens, Joe Visconti, Tom Wänerstrand. NEED EVIDENCE

Keeper of the Secret Lair illustrated by Brigitte Roka for the Magic Studio X Secret Lair project team: Melissa DeTora, Ben Hayes, John Penick, Christine Risinger, Robert J Schuster, Gavin Verhey, Ari Zirulnik, ?, ?, ?.

Myntasha, Honored One illustrated by Liiga Smilshkalne for the Magic Studio X Modern Horizons projects team: Melissa DeTora, Ben Hayes, John Penick, Christine Risinger, Robert J Schuster, Gavin Verhey, ?, ?, ?.

The Cinematic Phoenix illustrated by Chuck Lukacs for the Cinematics team: James Knost, Liz Lamb-Ferro. NEED EVIDENCE

War of the Spark illustrated by Chris Seaman for the Magic Studio X War of the Spark projects team: Melissa DeTora, Ben Hayes, John Penick, Christine Risinger, Robert J Schuster, Gavin Verhey, ?, ?, ?.


Heroes of the Realm 2020 five cards (out of 7).

ART 2020 (6/7)


Champions of Archery full art by Donato Giancola.


Collectigull full art by Wylie Beckert.


MISSING: Fabled Path of Searo Point full art by Tom Wänerstrand.


Keeper of the Secret Lair full art by Brigitte Roka.


Myntasha, Honored One full art by Liiga Smilshkalne.


The Cinematic Phoenix sketch and full art by Chuck Lukacs.


War of the Spark Original art by Chris Seaman.


HEROES OF THE REALM COMMEMORATIVE CARD 2020

In 2021, 3 different Heroes of the Realm 2020 cards were given to WotC employees with their names printed on the card to recognize the success of several products, they do have a unique back.

Euroakus illustrated by Franz Vohwinkel for the 2020 European crew: Dan Barrett, Jim Campbell, Luke May ?, ?, ?.

Mountain Mover illustrated by Alexander Forssberg for the 2020 crew: ?, ?, ?.

The Secret Lair illustrated by Wizard of Barge for the 2020 Secret Lair crew: ?, ?, ?.

ART


MISSING: Euroakus full art by Franz Vohwinkel.


MISSING: Mountain Mover full art by Alexander Forssberg.


The Secret Lair full art by Wizard of Barge.


HEROES OF THE REALM COMMEMORATIVE CARD 2021

In 2022, 4 different Heroes of the Realm 2021 cards were given to WotC employees with their names printed on the card to recognize the success of several products, they do have a unique back.

Andrios, Roaming Explorer illustrated by Borja Pindado for the MTG Arena Mobile team crew: Danan Davis, ?.

Arteeoh, Dread Scavenger (around 40 exist - 8/12 from another source, to be reverified) illustrated by Zoltan Boros for various crew (Return-to-office effort post pandemic.): Curtis Boyd, Jennifer Huggins, ?

Byode, Inverse Sun ((around 14 exist, an anagram of “Universes Beyond” and has a blue-black (UB) casting cost) illustrated by Dominik Mayer for the Universes Beyond crew: Hanspeter Ziegler, ?.

Ersta, Friend to All (around 60 exist) illustrated by Winona Nelson for the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion crew: Jontelle Leyson-Smith, ?.

ART 2021 (1/4)


Andrios, Roaming Explorer full art by Borja Pindado.


MISSING: Arteeoh, Dread Scavenger full art by Zoltan Boros.


Byode, Inverse Sun full art by Dominik Mayer.


Ersta, Friend to All full art by Winona Nelson.


HEROES OF THE REALM COMMEMORATIVE CARD 2022

In 2023, 5 different Heroes of the Realm 2022 cards were given to WotC employees with their names printed on the card to recognize the success of several products, they do have a unique back.

Elusen, the Giving (at least 50-60 are known to exist) illustrated by Livia Prima for the Staff members who supported Wizards' philanthropic work in 2022. (Elusen is Welsh for charity) awarded for Extra Life: Jontelle Leyton-Smith, ?

Heroes of Kamigawa (at least 200 are known to exist) illustrated by Magali Villeneuve for the Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty's Design and Development team awarded for Top-selling product of the year: Daniel Holt, Carmen Klomparens, ?

Svega, the Unconventional illustrated by Chris Rallis for the Community and outreach staff awarded for Support work at conventions, primarily Magic 30 at Las Vegas: Alexander Smith, ?

Treizeci, sun of Serra illustrated by Gaboleps for the ?: Deserae Dawn, ?

Wizard from Beyond (at least 100 are known to exist) illustrated by Nestor Ossandon Leal for the D&D Beyond team awarded for Hasbro that acquired D&D Beyond in 2022: Deserae Dawn, Jacob Mooney, ?

ART 2022 (3/5)


Elusen, the Giving full art by Livia Prima.


Heroes of Kamigawa full art by Magali Villeneuve.


Svega, the Unconventional full art by Chris Rallis.


MISSING: Treizeci, sun of Serra full art by Gaboleps.


MISSING: Wizard from Beyond full art by Nestor Ossandon Leal.


EXTERNAL LINKS - ALL FIXED

The original Magic rulebook; Feature Article - December 25, 2004 - Wayback Machine

Belgium: Small town is largest manufacter of playing cards - YouTube AP Archive

17 Magic Cards Rarer than a Black Lotus: The Heroes of the Realm! Good Morning Magic - YouTube

INTERNAL LINKS

Commerative card in honor of Luc Mertens; Topic in the forum


Luc Mertens 2015 - Special Commemorative and Recognition Cards
SETNUMCARDNAMEARTISTSOURCEDATEINFO
001 Luc MertensCommemorative card for the retirement of Luc Mertens from Carta Mundi2015YES 
 


Heroes of the Realm 2015-2023 - Special Commemorative and Recognition Cards
SETNUMCARDNAMEARTISTSOURCEDATEINFO
001001/003 P Heroes 2016 Chandra, Gremlin WranglerKari ChristensenWotC Heroes 2016 Planeswalker Decks Employee Reward Card2017YES 
002002/003 P Heroes 2016 Dungeon MasterMike BurnsWotC Heroes 2016 Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition Employee Reward Card2017YES 
003003/003 P Heroes 2016 Nira Hellkite DuelistYoichi ItoWotC Heroes 2016 Duel Masters Employee Reward Card2017YES 
004001/003 P Heroes 2017 Diabolical SalvationZoltan BorosWotC Heroes 2017 WotC strike team Employee Reward Card2018
005002/003 P Heroes 2017 Inzerva, Master of InsightsFilip BurburanWotC Heroes 2017 ? Employee Reward Card2018
006003/003 P Magic Online 2017 M'Odo the Gnarled OracleJohann BodinWotC Heroes 2017 Magic Online Employee Reward Card2018YES 
007001/004 M Heroes 2018 Kharis & the BeholderJoe SlucherWotC Heroes 2019 Magic and D&D influencer projects Employee Reward Card2019
008002/004 M Heroes 2018 Optimus Prime, Inspiring Leader Part 1Steve ArgyleWotC Heroes 2019 Transformers Employee Reward Card2019YES 
009002/004 M Heroes 2018 NEED SCAN
Optimus Prime, Inspiring Leader Part 2
Steve ArgyleWotC Heroes 2019 Transformers Employee Reward Card2019YES 
010003/004 M Heroes 2018 Sol, Advocate EternalRandy VargasWotC Heroes 2019 Magic and D&D influencer projects Employee Reward Card2019
011004/004 M Heroes 2018 The Legend of Arena (Variant 1)Noah BradleyWotC Heroes 2019 MtG: Arena Employee Reward Card2019
012004/004 M Heroes 2018 The Legend of Arena (Variant 2)Olena RichardsWotC Heroes 2019 MtG: Arena Employee Reward Card2019
013004/007 M Heroes 2019 Champions of ArcheryDonato GiancolaWotC Heroes 2020 Studio X Throne of Eldraine project team Employee Reward Card2020YES 
014001/007 M Heroes 2019 CollectigullWylie BeckertWotC Heroes 2020 Studio X Booster Fun project team Employee Reward Card2020YES 
015007/007 M Heroes 2019 Fabled Path of Searo PointTom WänerstrandWotC Heroes 2020 Operations team Employee Reward Card2020
016002/007 M Heroes 2019 Keeper of the Secret LairBrigitte RokaWotC Heroes 2020 Studio X Secret Lair project team Employee Reward Card2020
017005/007 M Heroes 2019 Myntasha, Honored OneLiiga SmilshkalneWotC Heroes 2020 Studio X Modern Horizons project team Employee Reward Card2020
018006/007 M Heroes 2019 The Cinematic PhoenixChuck LukacsWotC Heroes 2020 Cinematics team Employee Reward Card2020
019003/007 M Heroes 2019 War of the SparkChris SeamanWotC Heroes 2020 Studio X War of the Spark project team Employee Reward Card2020
020001/003 P Heroes 2020 EuroakusFranz VohwinkelWotC Heroes 2020 European crew Employee Reward Card2021
021002/003 P Heroes 2020 Mountain MoverAlexander ForssbergWotC Heroes 2020 crew Employee Reward Card2021
022003/003 P Heroes 2020 The Secret LairWizard of BargeWotC Heroes 2020 Secret Lair crew Employee Reward Card2021
023M 0001 Heroes 2021 NEED SCAN
Andrios, Roaming Explorer
Borja PindadoWotC Heroes 2021 MTG Arena Mobile team Employee Reward Card2022
024M 0002 Heroes 2021 NEED SCAN
Arteeoh, Dread Scavenger
Zoltan BorosWotC Heroes 2021 various crew Employee Reward Card2022YES 
025M 0003 Heroes 2021 NEED SCAN
Byode, Inverse Sun
Dominik MayerWotC Heroes 2021 Universes Beyond crew Employee Reward Card2022YES 
026M 0004 Heroes 2021 Ersta, Friend to AllWinona NelsonWotC Heroes 2021 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Employee Reward Card2022
027M 0002 Heroes 2022FoilNEED SCAN
Elusen, the Giving
Livia PrimaWotC Heroes 2022 Staff members who supported Wizards' philanthropic work in 2022 Employee Reward Card2023
028M 0003 Heroes 2022FoilNEED SCAN
Heroes of Kamigawa
Magali VilleneuveWotC Heroes 2022 Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty's Design and Development team Employee Reward Card2023
029M 0004 Heroes 2022FoilNEED SCAN
Svega, the Unconventional
Chris RallisWotC Heroes 2022 Community and outreach staff Employee Reward Card2023
030M 0001 Heroes 2022FoilNEED SCAN
Treizeci, sun of Serra
GabolepsWotC Heroes 2022 ? Employee Reward Card2023
031M 0005 Heroes 2022FoilNEED SCAN
Wizard from Beyond
Nestor Ossandon LealWotC Heroes 2022 D&D Beyond team Employee Reward Card2023
 


Case Kiyonaga 2023 - Special Commemorative and Recognition Cards
SETNUMCARDNAMEARTISTSOURCEDATEINFO
000 NEED SCAN
Case Kiyonaga, Panda Champion
Commemorative card for the passing away of Case Kiyonaga2023YES