FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Carie Thearle Sue-Lane Wood Media Relations Wizards of the Coast, Inc. (206) 226-6500 A QUICK START TO A QUALITY GAME Announcing an Introductory Set to Magic:The Gathering® June 5, 1996 (Renton, Wash.)--Wizards of the Coast, Inc. will tap into a new pool of players when the company launches a distinctly different line of Magic: The Gathering playing card decks this summer. In July, the game manufacturer will introduce the Magic: The Gathering Quick StartTM set, one that is ideal for teaching new people how to play the card game. "Quick Start is a simple, step-by-step way to learn the game," said Richard Garfield, creator of Magic. The set, titled Rivals, is made up of two preconstructed decks that contain 56 cards each. Included with the decks are guides, which take each player through the first game. The set also comes with quick-reference cards that summarize the rules, creature combat and resolution, and show the components of an individual Magic card. The Magic Quick Start set costs $19.95 and will be sold through hobby and game stores, as well as book, music and software outlets. Wizards of the Coast plans to release two more Quick Start sets in the near future. The sets will vary in the kinds of cards that make up the decks, how quickly they play, the level of strategy involved and the emphasis on the story behind the cards. Intellectual sports from chess to bridge have long been the games of choice for those looking to challenge their minds. These days, people are spending their free time playing the new strategy card game Magic: The Gathering. Magic has grown into a game phenomenon, with players around the world matching wits in a fantastic card battle of wizards and spells. Wizards of the Coast created a whole new category of games when it released the first collectible card game, Magic: The Gathering, in 1993. So big was the initial demand for the game that the first print run of 10 million cards sold out in six weeks instead of the originally estimated six months. To date, more than one billion cards have sold worldwide and the game is translated in six languages: French, Spanish, German, Portuguese, Italian and Japanese. Late in 1996, Wizards of the Coast will release a Chinese version and a Korean version of Magic. Wizards of the Coast has branches in Glasgow, Scotland; Antwerp, Belgium; and Paris, France. For more information on Wizards of the Coast, visit the companyÕs website at http://www.wizards.com