Just a day after announcing its new Hobbit cards for Magic: The Gathering, Wizards of the Coast is responding to backlash and accusations of plagiarism.
Online fans noticed art for the “One Ring” card by artist Dan Frazier shared similarities to previous art by Marta Nael, who made her own “One Ring” art for Magic’s 2023 crossover set with Lord of the Rings. Both versions can be seen below, which shows Nael’s has elven runes and is held by Gollum in the fires of Mount Doom, while Frazier’s has the ring glowing sans runes.
In a statement, Frazier and Wizards called this “[unfortunately] not coincidental.” The former issued an apology to Nael, saying he felt “especially awful. […] In trying to create an iconic version of the One Ring, while looking at references online, I ended up using [her art] as reference and painted over it.” Frazier went on to say he would apologize privately to Nael, saying he’s “sorry I let my fans down.”
Wizards was similarly “disappointed” for not catching Frazier’s actions during the review process and gave its own apology. “None of this was intentional,” the company said, “but we’re going to make it right as much as we can. On digital versions of the card, we’ll credit both Dan and Marta, and make sure she’s compensated for her work here.” This controversy comes days after the team for Wizards’ Arena staffed formed the company’s first-ever union, which Wizards has yet to recognize.
A message from Dan Frazier and Wizards of the Coast: pic.twitter.com/4VCM8avcay
— Magic: The Gathering (@wizards_magic) May 2, 2026
Thanking the “eagle-eyed fans” who caught the art usage, Wizards acknowledged it and Frazier “made mistakes. […] We don’t condone or accept either, but we still value Dan and his contributions, and are grateful for his place in the game.”
At time of writing, The Hobbit set is still expected to launch on August 14.
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