CGC Cards Featured Card of the Month: Orcs

Posted on 9/12/2024

This Gamma Playtest version of the card that would eventually become Ironclaw Orcs is a good example of how drastically a card can change during development.

Game: Magic: The Gathering

Set: Gamma Playtest

Card: Orcs


Click images to enlarge.

What makes it special? Gamma Playtest cards are some of the earliest Magic: The Gathering cards known. Often the cards in the Gamma Playtest set would go on to be further developed, which often involved name changes, refined mechanics and updated artwork. Orcs is no exception — in Limited Edition Alpha, Orcs became Ironclaw Orcs and its artwork was drastically changed.

Did you know? The first orcs to appear in Magic: The Gathering were both released in Limited Edition Alpha. These were the Ironclaw Orcs — which were first conceptualized in this Gamma Playtest card — and Orcish Artillery. Both cards use red mana.

Total graded by CGC Cards: 5 (including one with a League Stamp)

CGC Cards median grade: CGC 5.5

CGC Cards highest grade: CGC 9

Sales highlights: An Orcs, Magic: The Gathering (1992) Gamma Playtest realized $4,000 in a Heritage Auctions sale on April 21, 2023. Meanwhile, an Orcs, Magic: The Gathering (1992) Gamma Playtest – League Stamp graded CGC 5.5 sold for $1,800 in a Heritage Auctions sale on July 24, 2021.

CGC Cards Registry: There are no CGC Cards Registry sets for Gamma Playtest, Magic: The Gathering cards. However, there is an example of Ironclaw Orcs (the card that Orcs eventually became in Limited Edition Alpha) in Adam Cai’s Pristine Collectibles – MTG Alpha Set, which is the highest-ranking Limited Edition Alpha – Master Set in the CGC Cards Registry.


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