Cassius Marsh needs your help. His “Magic: The Gathering” cards were stolen Wednesday and the 24-year-old Seattle Seahawks linebacker really wants them back. He’s even offered an award for their return — two tickets to the team’s next home game to the person who returns them.
All you 12s do me a huge favor and retweet my last tweet. Other than god family and football, my magic card collection is everything
— Cassius Marsh (@KingCash_7191) November 9, 2016
“I won’t press any charges. I don’t care,” the 24-year-old told the Seattle Times on Wednesday. “I just want my cards back.”
Legacy Elve
— Cassius Marsh (@KingCash_7191) November 10, 2016
Legacy Goblin
Modern Affinity
Standard W/R Vehicles
Modern U/R Walkers
Modern Abzan Company
Modern Jund
Modern UW Planes Control
Those are the decks that were stolen
— Cassius Marsh (@KingCash_7191) November 10, 2016
Marsh said his beloved decks were stolen along with two backpacks outside a Seattle-area club Tuesday night. The backpacks were taken from the back seat of his car, which his girlfriend had borrowed for the night, according to the Seattle Times.
The backpack that they were in was stolen outside of Ashton manor while my girlfriend was inside with her friends. So Seattle area
— Cassius Marsh (@KingCash_7191) November 9, 2016
Marsh said he’s been playing the fantasy card game since he was 11, and he estimates his collection to now be worth between $20,000 and $25,000.
Magic: The Gathering, known as MTG to those who play it, is a fantasy collectible card game that pits two “wizards” against one another. Wizards use their cards to cast spells and release creatures to undo their opponents. It can take years for wizards to “brew their decks,” or collect certain configurations of cards that they either purchase in random packs at $4.99 a pop or buy on the secondary market, which can drive up prices for rare cards considerably.
It’s likely Marsh’s two legacy packs contained the rarest, most expensive cards, according to Tommy Phannareth, a retail associate at Labyrinth, a specialty gaming store in Washington, D.C. that hosts monthly MTG game nights.
“That’s gotta be real rough for him,” Phannareth added.
But “it’s not even the money,” Marsh told the Times, about why he’s upset about his missing cards. “I really enjoy playing the game. To me, that’s what I do to get my mind off things sometimes. You know how people zone out sometimes? That’s how I zone out.”
As of Thursday morning, the status of Marsh’s decks remained unknown, however later that day he received a welcome care package.
.@Seahawks linebacker @KingCash_7191 had his Magic collection stolen earlier this week, so we delivered him a care package! pic.twitter.com/rCuh4x9RxJ
— Magic: The Gathering (@wizards_magic) November 10, 2016
Want to thank @wizards_magic for coming through with an amazing care package to try and make the situation better! #nerdgang
— Cassius Marsh (@KingCash_7191) November 11, 2016
Hopefully the cards are to Marsh’s liking. If they’re not, Phannareth suggested Marsh might want to play a “draft” version of the game while he awaits the return of his decks. In draft games, players pay a set fee at a meet-up, where people amass their decks from a public pot before a game. This allows wizards without their own cards to still play.
“I’m a nerd, for sure,” Marsh admitted. “How people like gaming, I like cards.”