Harry Potter Trading Card Game

• Type: Trading Card Game, Merchandise
• Publisher: Wizards of the Coast
• Licensor: Warner Bros.

The Harry Potter Trading Card Game (TCG) consists of illustrated cards representing various elements of the wizarding world. Each card features unique artwork commissioned for the game, a title, game text describing its function, and any relevant statistics. The early sets featured an art style distinct from the film series, while later sets began to incorporate imagery more aligned with the movies. Cards are divided into several types, identifiable by their color-coded borders and layout:

• Lessons: Provide the basic “power” needed to play other cards. They correspond to different branches of magic, such as `Charms`, `Potions`, `Transfiguration`, `Creatures`, and `Quidditch`.
• Characters: Represent a `witch` or `wizard` who acts as the player's avatar. The game begins with a starting Character, such as `Hermione Granger` or `Draco Malfoy`.
• Spells: Cards that create a one-time magical effect, such as dealing damage or drawing cards.
• Creatures: Represent magical beasts like `Unicorns` or `Trolls` that can attack the opponent.
• Items: Magical objects, such as a `Cauldron` or a `Wand`, that provide a continuous benefit.
• Adventures: Cards that represent challenges or events that both players must deal with. This card type was introduced in a later set.

This section describes the gameplay of the TCG, not in-universe magical properties. The objective of the game is to defeat the opponent's starting Character card by reducing their health to zero. A player's turn generally follows these steps:

1. Draw a card from their deck.
2. Play up to two Lesson cards from their hand. Lessons are the game's resource system, and a player needs a certain number of Lessons of the correct type in play to use `Spells`, Creatures, and Items.
3. Play any number of `Spells`, Creatures, or Items, provided they have enough power from their Lessons.
4. Use their available Actions (typically one per turn, plus any granted by other cards) to draw more cards, play more Lessons, or have Creatures attack the opponent.

Damage is dealt primarily by `Spells` and Creatures. When a player's starting Character is defeated, they lose the game. The deck-building aspect requires players to choose a starting Character and build a 60-card deck around their strengths and the types of `magic` they wish to use.

The Harry Potter TCG was created by Wizards of the Coast, the company also responsible for Magic: The Gathering. It was first released in August 2001, capitalizing on the global phenomenon of the book series and the anticipation for the first film, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. The game had a number of expansion sets that introduced new cards and mechanics:

1. Base Set (August 2001): The initial release, establishing the core rules and card types.
2. Quidditch Cup (November 2001): Focused on the sport of `Quidditch`, introducing new mechanics related to Matches and a new Lesson type.
3. Diagon Alley (March 2002): Added Location cards and cards featuring items and characters found in `Diagon Alley`.
4. Adventures at Hogwarts (June 2002): Introduced Adventure cards, which created game-wide effects that players had to overcome.
5. Chamber of Secrets (October 2002): The final expansion, based on the second book and film. It introduced new Characters like `Gilderoy Lockhart` and mechanics like cards that could only be used by `Slytherin` students.

The game was officially discontinued by Wizards of the Coast in late 2002. Despite its short run, it developed a dedicated fan community. (Trading Card Game)

The Harry Potter Trading Card Game is a real-world merchandise product and does not appear within the narrative of the seven original novels or the film series. It has no role in the plot or the lives of the characters in the `Harry Potter` universe. Its role was as a major piece of licensed merchandise during the height of Pottermania in the early 2000s. For fans, it offered a new way to interact with the `wizarding world`, explore magical concepts, and engage in strategic gameplay themed around `Hogwarts` and its curriculum. The game also expanded upon the world by giving names and effects to `Spells` and `Potions` that were only mentioned in passing in the books, providing a source of extra-canonical lore for fans at the time. (Trading Card Game)

• The game's design drew heavily on the mechanics of Wizards of the Coast's flagship game, Magic: The Gathering, particularly its resource system where Lessons are analogous to Lands. (Trading Card Game)
• The artwork for the initial sets was created by a variety of artists and was not based on the actors or designs from the Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone film, giving it a unique visual identity. The Chamber of Secrets set was the first to prominently use stills and promotional images from the films. (Trading Card Game)
• A digital version of the game was released for the PC and Game Boy Color, allowing players to collect cards and duel against computer-controlled characters from the `Harry Potter` series. (video game)
• Several cards in the game feature `Spells` that were not named in the books at the time of release, such as Vermillious and Verdimillious, which were simple `Spells` that produced red or green sparks, respectively. These existed as part of the game's own lore. (Trading Card Game)