People who play the popular fantasy card game “Magic: The Gathering” are used to combat.
But those battles usually take place on a table top and in the players’ imagination. Not so in Abbotsford last week.
Abbotsford police say a man was punched in the face when he tried to stop a thief from stealing an estimated $30,000 worth of collectible Magic: The Gathering cards.
According to police, a man entered the House of Cards game store on Gladys Avenue in Abbotsford on August 3 and asked to see a binder of rare ‘dual lands’ Magic cards.
Sgt. Judy Bird said the suspect then suddenly grabbed the binder and fled the store.
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A man who was in the store at the time followed him outside.
“One specific customer started to chase after him and when they got outside the store, the customer was actually very close to him,” Bird said.
WATCH: Charges laid in $10,000 ‘Magic: The Gathering’ cards theft
Bird said the man who stepped in was not seriously hurt. The suspect fled on foot.
Magic: The Gathering is a fantasy game played by two or more players who place cards with different properties on a table allowing them to perform different actions or make attacks against their opponents.
It was created in 1993, and remains extremely popular with an estimated 20 million players worldwide.
Most of the cards are common and cheap, but rare cards can be exceptionally valuable to collectors.
“There are many different types of collectors in our community,” said Bird.
“We have people who collect stamps, hockey cards, baseball cards. These cards are no different. They are valuable to the people who are collecting them.”
Bird said she’s glad that the customer who stepped in is okay, and said police do not recommend people intervene when a crime is in progress, because it can be dangerous.
Good Samaritans should stand back and take note of any details that could be helpful to police, she said.
The suspect is described as an Asian man in his 30s, standing six-feet tall and about 200 pounds. He was wearing a long, black shirt, grey track pants and a black baseball hat.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Abbotsford Police Department.
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