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The Most Rare Cards in Sorcery: Contested Realm TCG

  • Writer: Mike Servati
    Mike Servati
  • Dec 30, 2025
  • 11 min read

Years ago, in the early era of Sorcery: Contested Realm TCG and the Collector Arthouse website, I wrote an article that ranked the rarest collectibles in Sorcery: Contested Realm TCG.


In this article I endeavor to revisit that topic in light of Sorcery's evolution and Collector Arthouse's extensive historical research and documentation recorded through various articles on the website and in Collector Arthouse YouTube videos over the years.


Below is a listing of some of the rarest cards ever created since the game's early beginnings; all of which will be discussed in this article. Exact populations of most are unknown, but extensive research has yielded evidence for a reasonable basis of estimation. The article attempts to list these in order of rarity, starting with most rare.

Supporting links are included to provide much more detail if you would like to take the full journey through the Sorcery's rich history.



Early Development Playtest Cards


Avid collectors covet the earliest possible relics of early game development. Often times that translates to very early stage concept cards and play test cards, which can sometimes be very rough and crude card prototypes created by hand by the game creators, either through home-printing, inexpensive local printing, and/or even hand-written cards.


Early Development Playtest cards can be decomposed into four primary types:

  1. Raw Development Cards

  2. Spellcraft Cards

  3. Creator-made cards (home-printed by Erik Olofsson)

  4. Early Developer Playtest (home-printed by an early game designer)


  1. Raw Development Cards

Estimated Pop: Unknown



This is one of the least known sub-categories within the Early Development Playtest category from the very beginnings of Sorcery development. It has rarely been discussed by game creators and we have not seen much evidence of what existed, how much existed, and if any still exist.


The picture above shows the scene from a story Erik often tells when discussing Sorcery's early beginnings. Pictured here is Nick Reynolds with Erik. Until this point, Erik had been developing a game that played more like Magic: The Gathering, but Erik was introduced to Nick through a mutual acquaintance, and Nick pitched Erik on the grid-based concept with spatial design elements that would become the foundational element of Sorcery's final gameplay design. The hand-drawn cards pictured above is what we are referring to in this category.


There are no known copies of these cards that have been discovered outside of the company, and it is unknown if any still exist within the company.


Estimated Pop: 50-100



Spellcraft cards are a fascinating category that has really captured the interest of Sorcery fans. To our knowledge, they are the only known printed version of cards that had an alternate game name printed on the backs. In the first image, you can see the Francesca Baerald Spellbook and Atlas illustrations that prevailed for the Alpha release, but the titles say "Spellcraft" instead of the final "Sorcery: Contested Realm" name and card design.


It is worth noting here that there were other candidate name titles until the creators settled on "Sorcery: Contested Realm", but there is no evidence that they were ever printed aside from "Gridlord" as an Alpha Curio Card.


Below is a picture various card types through Sorcery's development. The 3 on the bottom row to the left of the Spellcraft Site card are digital images shared by Erik in the early days).


  • Gridlord

  • Spellcraft Spellbook

  • Spellcraft Atlas

  • Sorcery: Contested Realm

  • Avatar: A Realm at War

  • Atlas: A Realm at War

  • Sorcery: A Realm at War

  • Beta Black Obelisk with the name reference of "Omnipotence", further explained here or you can hear Nick Reynolds and Erik Olofsson explain it in their own words in this video!


It is believed that the Spellcraft cards were printed by Erik Olofsson, with some subset disseminated to an early employee/consultant who was helping with the type line and flavor text for cards in the early development era. At the time of this writing, Collector Arthouse owns the bulk of the collection with a small minority being disseminated across other collectors through direct sale or Collector Arthouse Auctions.


The Collector Arthouse website houses the most comprehensive database of known Spellcraft Cards. They can also be viewed in this Collector Arthouse YouTube Spellecraft video feature and in this video that ties Spellcraft cards to Curio Card possibilities! Very few are believed to exist; one of Sorcery's rarest collectibles!


  1. Creator-made Cards

Estimated Pop: 3 sets of the 4 Precon Decks



On August 7, 2021, Red Zone Rogue (RZR) published a YouTube video Deep Dive & Preview of Sorcery TCG. This was one of the first showcases of Sorcery TCG on YouTube, and featured a set of Elemental Avatar Preconstructed Decks locally printed by Erik in NZ. Erik even created the deck box prototypes.


RZR noted how Erik had marked some cards by hand to indicate changes for things such as art concept requiring change, text or game mechanic adjustments, etc.


These hold a special place in Sorcery lore given the significance of the creator-made pedigree and first bringing Sorcery into the realm of broader public awareness.


Pictured here, we see two sets of these decks in a picture that Erik shared. Our only knowledge of the existence of these particular cards is three sets:

  1. The full set given to RZR (which has since been wholly acquired by Collector Arthouse)

  2. Cards given to someone Erik met at a Magic event (unknown if it is 4 complete decks)

  3. Cards given to a friend of Erik in his home town in Sweden (unknown if it is 4 complete decks)



  1. Early Developer Playtest Cards

    Estimated Pop: A few hundred in aggregate (~50ish signed by the developer)



This final category of playtest cards is a much different breed; and a bit of an 'accidental' part of Sorcery history that the Sorcery historian and development/playtest collector segment of Sorcery fans has taken interest in.


In the Summer 2021 timeframe, Sorcery launched on Tabletop Simulator (TTS) for folks to playtest the game.


This was a very interesting time as over the course of several months there were many card development changes and cards being added and removed from the available play set as adjustments were being made for power balance.


During this timeframe there were also "print to play" files made available for the community to play a physical version of the game and provide feedback to Erik and developers.


I had asked one of the first developers for the game if he might be willing to mail me his home-printed collection of cards that he was playing with and marking up for design change adjustments. As a superfan of the game and someone very passionate about the history and early development evolution of the game, these were special to me and I knew I would enjoy the nostalgia of looking back at them years later. It would also help me document the historical development of Sorcery. And thus this is how I came to acquire this unique sub-category of interesting early Sorcery cards.


Sample Cards

Estimated Pop: Assumptions and projections detailed below and through linked resources




Sample cards are essentially 'test print' cards that were ordered by the company from their card manufacturer to 'test' various aspects of the card design, such as:

  • Corner roundness

  • Card thickness

  • Card stock options

  • Print quality

  • Card design layout

  • Foiling effects

  • Design element layout

  • Etc


Every detail of Sample Cards has been very thoroughly researched and documented in Collector Arthouse Articles and YouTube video features:


The resources above will provide a comprehensive accounting of everything there is to know about Sample cards. It is recommended that you consume that content in the order listed.


As described in the resources above, they were distributed in very limited ways, predominantly to early supporters of the project and through the Kickstarter campaign at the highest pledge tiers. They are extremely rare and a full accounting of all known discovered Sample Cards is tracked by community member Aric in a comprehensive spreadsheet hosted at the Collector Arthouse website (see the Google Sheets link at the top of the linked page).


Artist Proof Cards

Pop: 29 of each Alpha card; 25 of each card for subsequent sets



Artist Proofs are a treasured collectible in Sorcery: Contested Realm and other games. These are officially printed cards by the company that have the regular cardback (Spellbook or Atlas) but have a blank white side. Artists often sketch, paint, and/or sign on these cards and offer them through the public. Some artists sell their work directly, some auction through Collector Arthouse via the Sorcery: Contested Realm Community Facebook Group and Collector Arthouse Discord, or some combination therein.


Only 25 copies of each card are given to the artists. Additionally, as part of the Sorcery Kickstarter Campaign, a complete set of Alpha Artist Proofs with blank white backs were given to each of the 4 top Kickstarter backers at the 'Avatar of the Realm' pledge tier. This makes artist proofs one of the most rare officially printed cards in Sorcery.


It is also worth noting that historically Promo cards (and prize support cards), the Severine Pineaux Elemental Avatars from Alpha, and Curio Cards did not receive artist proof cards. The gilded art cards by Elvira Shakirova in Arthurian Legends did receive artist proof cards, and this is one of the fundamental theories as to why this subset of cards is considered by some to be a separate subset category of 'chase card' and not 'curios'.


Be sure to join the Sorcery: Contested Realm Community Facebook Group, Collector Arthouse Discord, and Collector Arthouse Patreon if you are interested in acquiring original art (Artist Proofs, Alters, Paintings, Sketches, etc).


Curio Cards

Estimated Pop: Based on anecdotal data, some believe the estimated pull rate is 1 in 50 boxes, but print run size for sets is unknown and makes total Pop difficult to accurately forecast. Some believe 50-100 of each is a reasonable approximation.



A Curio card is an extremely rare chase card found in Sorcery booster packs. These cards are often nods to previous card designs, alternate artworks and treatments, and sometimes subtle details barely noticed by the untrained eye.


A precise definition eludes us as there has been none given by Erik's Curiosa, nor confirmation of any Curio Cards that exist in Sorcery sets.  In the Kickstarter campaign when the company reached their $1M stretch goal, they introduced the Curio Card concept and described it as:

"Very rare Mystery cards showcasing the history of Sorcery's creation"


This the only definition we have to go off of. The company's policy is to not speak on the topic of Curio Cards, but rather to let the community derive their own definition and pursue their own discovery of these rare cards to create an experience that harkens back to the golden era of TCGs in the early 90s when cards were discovered through the pack opening experience and not readily discoverable on the internet.


Since the company does not acknowledge the existence of these cards, they cannot be found on any official company website. However you can find the complete database with the most comprehensive accounting of their details and how to find them right here on the Collector Arthouse Curio page.


Here are additional resources with extensive deep dive coverage and artist conceptual insights on Curio Cards:


Promo & Prize Support Cards

Estimated Pop: Varied as described below


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At this stage there are many Promotional and Prize Support cards in Sorcery TCG. Collector Arthouse has a database repository for Promo Cards, but this article will focus on three of the most rare, valuable, and desirable early era promos in the game.


Relentless Crowd Promo

Known Pop: 100


This is the most chased, valuable, and rarest promo card in Sorcery. It also happens to be the only promo card in which Erik's Curiosa has officially declared the print run / pop size of only 100 copies.


This card has had a special mystique from the beginning as Sorcery's first ever promo card. It was awarded to fans and supporters in the earliest days of Sorcery, well before the Kickstarter debut, to reward participation in various company outreach and engagement initiatives. It was also awarded on rare occasion to folks who go above and beyond to support the project and embody the community spirit of Sorcery's culture. It is not known how many remain in company hands, but as of the time of this writing in late 2025 there are still copies being awarded on rare occasion.


Francesca Baerald Spellbook Sketch Promo

Estimated Pop: Unknown



For most folks, this is the second most coveted promo card. It was the second promo in Sorcery's history and was awarded to community members in two rounds of solicitation for play testing feedback; once without signature, and another time with signature from Sorcery creator Erik Olofsson.


The quantity printed of these has never been declared by the company and can only be estimated by inference and estimation from a picture that was shared by the company showing stacks of the card behind the Relentless Crowd Promo Card. This suggests it was likely printed at the same time as the Relentless Crowd promo card.


While thought to not be one of the most rare cards, it is still considered to be one of the most desirable due to its roots in the early beginnings of the game and nostalgic ties to that early era of Sorcery.


Crown Sorcerer Promo

Estimated Pop: < 25ish?


The last promo to highlight introduces perhaps a new sub category that relates to prize support and participation support; of which we have seen several offerings within the first few years of Sorcery.


However, one that arguably stands apart is the Crown Sorcerer promo that was awarded for top placement in tournament play and for Judge support at Sorcery's first GenCon appearance.


It was initially speculated that more copies could exist than distributed at future events, but we have not seen it offered at subsequent events and other events have had different prize/promo support.


While not a super high profile event in terms of propelling Sorcery into mainstream TCG world awareness, the GenCon event was significant in that it was Sorcery's first appearance at a major convention. It was also well attended by Sorcery early adopters and early era players, so the card holds certain nostalgic meaning for folks who experienced the convention.


Alpha Set

Estimated Pop: Detailed in table below


Last on our list of rarest cards in Sorcery is Sorcery's Alpha debut, which was the first ever set (and only set) distributed via Kickstarter.


As of the time of this writing in late 2026, Erik's Curiosa has not publicly announced the print run size of any set to date through Gothic. However, the print run for Alpha can be derived from results of the Kickstarter campaign and company statements that only a small % of overprint was done to account for lost or damaged product and the Alpha set will never be reprinted. The company also declared pull rates for non-foil and foil card variants. As such, we can derive individual card pop sizes from the ~29k booster box print run and pull rate information as follows:



This data is always available for your reference at the Alpha Set Data page at Collector Arthouse.


As you can see, the rarity of foil versions of cards is quite remarkable:

  • Unique: 248

  • Elite: 466

  • Exceptional: 780

  • Ordinary: 1,164

  • Elemental Avatars: 466


Thank You!


I hope you have enjoyed this historical accounting of the rarest cards in Sorcery. If you would like to support my efforts in providing content, community experiences and social platforms, and artist advocacy, please consider supporting me via Collector Arthouse Patreon.


Otherwise, another great way to support me and your fellow Sorcery community members and artists is by joining us at any and all of the many Collector Arthouse family of platforms.


Thank you so much for your interest and support!


Mike @ Collector Arthouse

 
 
 

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