imported>Freya Lorelei at 17:08, 19 March 2025

2025-03-19T17:08:58Z

New page

{{Short description|Magic: The Gathering expansion set}}
{{Italic title|all=yes|string=Magic: The Gathering}}
{{Infobox mtgset
| Expansion Name = '''''Unhinged'''''
| Expansion Symbol = [[File:MTG Unhinged Logo.png|''Unhinged'' common expansion symbol]]
| Symbol Description = [[Horseshoe]] (a U)
| Release Date = November 19, 2004
| Mechanics = Artists, Names
| Keywords = Gotcha! <br>Super Haste
| Cycles = Verbal Gotchas!, Action Gotchas!, Minigames
| Size = 141 cards
| Development Code = Unnamed
| Expansion Code = UNH
| Previous Set = ''[[Champions of Kamigawa]]''
| Next Set = ''[[Betrayers of Kamigawa|Betrayers of]]''<br>''[[Betrayers of Kamigawa|Kamigawa]]''
}}
'''''Unhinged''''' is a humor and parody themed [[List of Magic: The Gathering sets#Expansion sets|expansion set]] to the collectible card game ''[[Magic: The Gathering]]''. ''Unhinged'' was released on November 19, 2004. Its tone is less serious than traditional ''Magic'' expansions. It is a follow-on to ''[[Unglued]]'', an earlier humor themed expansion set. It was followed in turn by ''[[Unstable (Magic: The Gathering)|Unstable]]''.

''Unhinged'' is an [[English language]] only expansion; lead designer for ''Magic: The Gathering'' [[Mark Rosewater]] has said that due to the nature of humor and the many plays-on-words used in both ''Unhinged'' and ''[[Unglued]]'', sets such as these will always be English language only. The only other English language exclusive sets were released before Magic gained enough popularity to support foreign markets.<ref name="SCRYE">{{Citation
|last=Greenholdt
|first=Joyce
|title=Scrye, The Guide to Collectible Games
|date=March 2008
|page=106
|postscript=.}}</ref>

==Background and release==
Wizards released a humor-themed Magic expansion set, ''[[Unglued]]'', on 7 August 1998. Much of the set's humor came from [[meta-humor]] references at the game itself and its mechanics. Many cards featured mechanics deemed too strange or impractical for a "serious", [[Magic: The Gathering Organized Play|tournament-legal]] expansion. Because of the success of the set, designers began work on an ''Unglued'' sequel, named ''Unglued 2: The Obligatory Sequel''. However, [[Wizards of the Coast]] felt that releasing another comedy set along with the standard serious sets, would go beyond [[market saturation]], so ''Unglued 2'' was scrapped.

On April 1, 2004, Magic designer [[Mark Rosewater]] posted an article, announcing the sequel to Unglued, ''Unhinged''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=mtgcom/feature/203 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040405114423/http://wizards.com/default.asp?x=mtgcom/feature/203 |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 5, 2004 |title=Ach! Hans, run! It's Unhinged! : Daily MTG : Magic: The Gathering |publisher=Wizards.com |date=2004-04-01 |access-date=2013-10-05}}</ref> The next day, amid speculation that the announcement was an [[April Fool's Day]] joke, Rosewater posted a poll asking readers if they believed an ''Unglued'' sequel was actually in the works and if they would enjoy such a sequel.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=mtgcom/feature/205 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040405115727/http://wizards.com/default.asp?x=mtgcom/feature/205 |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 5, 2004 |title=Ach! Hans, run! It's the sneaky people from magicthe gathering.com! : Daily MTG : Magic: The Gathering |publisher=Wizards.com |date=2004-04-02 |access-date=2013-10-05}}</ref> Three days later, Rosewater confirmed that ''Unhinged'' was a reality.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=mtgcom/daily/mr118 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040406163048/http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=mtgcom/daily/mr118 |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 6, 2004 |title=Unhinged or No? : Daily MTG : Magic: The Gathering |publisher=Wizards.com |date=2004-04-05 |access-date=2013-10-05}}</ref>

Rosewater would comment many years later that "While there are a lot of individual cards in ''Unhinged'' I am proud of, I feel the set as a whole was a bit of a letdown."<ref name="maro" />

==Defining aspects of the set==
* "Donkey" creatures are featured on a number of cards, similar to the way chickens were featured in [[Unglued]]. This allows humorous puns of phrases containing the word ''ass'' ("Bad Ass", "Cheap Ass", "Ass Whuppin'", and so on).
* "Monkey" creatures are also featured on some cards, similar to the way clamfolk were featured in [[Unglued]]. Cards with monkeys on them, such as "Tainted Monkey" and "Rod of Spanking", often involve choosing a single word or a player saying a word or sentence.
* [[Fractions]], especially 1/2, can be used where only [[natural numbers]] could be used before: casting costs, damage, life totals, mana, power, and toughness can all be affected.
* Gotcha! - Cards which can be returned from graveyard to hand if your opponent takes a certain action; the most frequent trigger was saying a specific word on a card. Designer Mark Rosewater would later comment that "gotcha was one of the worst mechanics I've ever designed and it sucked the fun out of what was supposed to be an extra-fun format,"<ref name="maro">[https://web.archive.org/web/20130314103458/http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/mm/238#cba The Rosewater Rumble], Round 5: Zendikar (#4) vs. Unhinged (#13).</ref> because playing against Gotcha! cards encouraged players to play in silence.
* Cards that only have a specific effect if you win a short subgame, such as a staring contest, [[arm wrestling]], [[rock/paper/scissors]], or even another game of ''Magic'' within the original game (see [[Shahrazad]] and {{mtgcard|Enter the Dungeon}}, which is a parody of Shahrazad).
* Several cards have effects that can apply only to cards with a specific artist, name, or collector's number.
* Several creatures have effects that forces the controller to sacrifice them if they do something specific, such as speak or not have a finger on that creature.
* Several cards are parodies of cards in ''[[Unglued]]'' or other Magic sets, such as City of Ass (for City of Brass) and Greater Morphling (for Morphling)
* This set includes premium (foil) cards that have hidden pictures or words in it.
* Until [[Amonkhet]]'s Invocations, this was the only set to include premium (foil) cards that are not black-bordered (although the promotional silver-bordered [https://web.archive.org/web/20091214153442/http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/arcana/340 Holiday Cards] are exclusively foil, but not part of any set)
* "Avatar of Me" and "Water Gun Balloon Game" have added the colors Pink, Hazel, Brown and Gray (with Avatar of Me it is possible to have multi-color ([[Heterochromia iridum]]) and purple/violet ([[Albinism]])) to the original five colors of mana when playing with silver-bordered cards.
* Full art basic land cards in each pack, similar to those released in ''Unglued''. They remain highly sought after by players and collectors.

==Unhinged secret message==
Much like ''Unglued'' before it, each card in the ''Unhinged'' set has a single word printed on the bottom of the card after the artist's name and card number. Alone these single words made little to no sense but when all cards are placed in the proper order with other cards in the series they spell out a secret message detailing cards that allegedly did not make it into the set. Placing all the ''Unhinged'' cards in reverse alphabetical order will cause the following message to appear:

"Here are some more cards that didn't make it: Moronic [[Tutor]]; Lint [[Golem]]; Wave of [[Urinary incontinence|Incontinence]]; I'm Quitting [[Magic: The Gathering|Magic]]; Bob from Accounting; Castrate; [[The Brothers' War|Mishra's]] Bling Bling; Dead Bunny Isle; Circle of Protection: Pants; Time Fart; [[Creatures of Magic: The Gathering#Sliver|Sliver]] and Onions; Kobold Ass Master; Thanks, Barn; Mild Mongrel; Robo-Samurai; Obligatory Angel; Chump-Blocking Orphan; Wrath of Dog; Celery Stalker; Hugs-a-lot Demon; [[creatures of Magic: The Gathering#Masticore|Assticore]]; Codpiece of the Chosen; Hurl; What the Cluck?!; Nachomancer; Scrubotomy; Arcbound [[Noah]]; Darksteel Spork; Look at Me, I'm Accounts Receivable; [[Hydrogen|Hydro]] [[Djinn]]; Bad Stone Rain Variant; S.O.[[Big Furry Monster|B.F.M.]]; [[Pinko]] [[Kami]]; Purple Nurple; Form of {{mtgcard|Uncle Istvan}}; Them's Fightin' Wards; Spleen of [[Ramos (Magic: The Gathering)|Ramos]]; Fifteenth Pick; Squizzle, Goblin Nabizzle; Zombie [[Cheerleading]] Squad; Two-Way Myr; Bone Flute [[Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo|2: Electric Boogaloo]]; Magic Offline; Nutclamp; Bwahahahaaa!; Dragon Ass; Phyrexian [[Sno-Cone]] Machine; Chimney Pimp; R.T.F.C.; Greased Weasel; Flame War; [[Stinking badges|We Don't Need No Stinkin']] Merfolk; Ting!; Timmy Power Gamer; and Disrobing Scepter (again!)."

Also, arranging the flavor text for the cards {{mtgcard|Creature Guy}}, {{mtgcard|Save Life}}, {{mtgcard|Deal Damage}}, {{mtgcard|Spell Counter}}, and {{mtgcard|Kill Destroy}} (all of which are cards with a "Gotcha" rule on them) in that order, gives the limerick:

:There once was a player named Quinn, . . .
:Who consistently managed to win.
:Until he got singed . . .
:Playing Unhinged, . . .
:Getting “Gotcha’ed” again and again.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://magic.wizards.com/en/game-info/products/card-set-archive/unhinged Wizards' Official page for ''Unhinged'']
*{{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070804231909/http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=magic/cardlist/unhinged|url=http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=magic/cardlist/unhinged|url-status=dead|archive-date=August 4, 2007|title=Sortable 'spoiler' list for ''Unhinged'' on the official website}}

{{MTG navbox}}

[[Category:Card games introduced in 2004]]
[[Category:Magic: The Gathering sets]]
[[Category:Fantasy parodies]]

Unhinged (Magic: The Gathering) - Revision history

imported>Freya Lorelei at 17:08, 19 March 2025