Sorcery: Contested Realm - First Error Card?!?
On August 3rd, 2022, Team Covenant (a distribution partner of Erik's Curiosa which partnered with the company to sell the future Arthurian Legends expansion set via their subscription model) opened 18 packs from a pre-production test print run (i.e. sample cards) booster box that was given to them by the company. From that opening, there were several interesting insights and findings. This article focuses on what could be considered the first 'error card' discovery in Sorcery: Contested Realm TCG.
The card in question is 'Atlas Wanderers', with artwork by Brian Smith.
At first blush, some of the card details check out:
Casting cost and Elemental Type
Card Title
Artwork
Type Line Text
Artist Name
But let's focus on the card mechanic while comparing the sample card to the latest version of the card from the most recent Table Top Simulator (TTS) update:
There have been multiple instances where we have seen sample cards emerge from sample pack openings and preconstructed deck openings in YouTube events. And there is evidence to suggest (as discussed on my Collector Arthouse YouTube channel) that there may have been multiple sample test print runs. Additionally, we have seen significant design evolution from early stage card reveals, sample packs, and TTS updates. So initially, at face value or for an uninformed casual Sorcery fan, the significant difference in card mechanic seen here may not seem unusual. However, it is evident that there is a significant error in which the card mechanic for Wraetannis Titan was transposed onto the Atlas Wanderer card!
The following images show a second Atlas Wanderer sample card, pulled from a YouTuber who received preconstructed sample decks from the company, compared to a Wraetannis Titan card from those same sample decks.
From this we can glean two conclusions:
It is clearly evident that the text transposed onto the Atlas Wanderers card is indeed from the Wraetannis Titan card.
The sample card pulled from the Team Covenant box opening is not a 1-of-1 misprint/error card. Rather, this proves that the error was perpetuated through multiple test runs - both the booster box (and sample packs within) opened by Team Covenant, and the preconstructed decks that were given to a handful of YouTubers.
The latter would suggest that this is likely an error made by the company rather than the printer. When a company orders cards from a printing company, they submit print files to the printing company. Whether the company was aware of the error or not, what can be inferred from these findings is that the same erroneous print files were used for multiple print runs. It is possible that the company even knew of the error, but it was not corrected since the primary intent of printing sample cards is to test quality and customization parameters (e.g. color values, corners, etc.); and thus having the most current text is a secondary or completely irrelevant consideration.
I was able to source an image of yet a third Atlas Wanderers card that was received by a community member in a preconstructed decks sample cards giveaway event held by Simon from Erik's Curiosa and Red Zone Rogue (RZR):
This too shows the same card mechanic transposition error, validating that both the preconstructed decks given to YouTubers AND the preconstructed decks from the giveaway event used the same erroneous print file and/or were from the same print run.
However, one intriguing mystery remains...
In recent days, the company stated that the silver packs that RZR opened in his YouTube opening are the same that will be distributed to Kickstarter backers who will receive sample packs in the higher tier pledges for Kickstarter fulfillment. RZR did not pull an Atlas Wanderer in the 12 packs that he was given by the company, so we do not know if this same text transposition also exists in these silver packs. In fact, the print timing of the silver packs vs. the Team Covenant packs (and presumably the handful of other sample card booster boxes of similar ilk that have been alluded to by the company) is unclear.
Additionally, there was not a Wraetannis Titan pulled from the 12 RZR packs, so we do not have enough evidence to know if the Atlas Wanderers nor the Wraetannis Titan were included in this run.
One thing that we do know is that the Silver Packs vs. the design-printed booster box packs were from two different print runs based on statements from the company regarding the different intent of each print run (thereby confirming that they were, indeed, different print runs), but we do not know the order of when they were printed. The evidence presented here only suggests that the print files for the Team Covenant booster box and the preconstructed decks that were given to YouTubers included the same print file 'error'.
Until Kickstarter fulfillment, we are unlikely to solve this mystery and know the true population size of the elusive Atlas Wanderer 'error card'...
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