This listing is for a multitude of playmats from the World of Warcraft: Trading Card Game by Upper Deck and Cryptozoic, and licensed by Blizzard Entertainment.
Playmats are table mats that measure approximately 14 inches high and 24 inches across. These mats can be used as a play space for playing the WoW TCG or, in many cases, are used as desktop mousepads. They are quite durable - while not entirely waterproof, they still resist quite a bit of wear and tear and last a good amount of use.
PLAYMAT PRICING
Playmats have three factors determining their overall pricing in this listing. Those three factors are a) the playmat category and rarity, b) the playmat subject matter and c) the playmat condition.
A) Playmat Category and Rarity
Here's a breakdown of the current "categories" of playmats I have attributed to each playmat. Please keep in mind, these are not official and are simply a system of categorization used by me.
- Battlegrounds: These mats were awarded at most local store events as prizes.
- Blizzard: These mats typically have the Blizzard logo and were more of an unofficial Blizzard playmat than an actual WoW TCG playmat, while still showcasing WoW TCG artwork in addition to the logo.
- Continentals (Year): These playmats were usually given out to participants of a given Continental Championships event. The year shown is not a 100% guarantee but I'm relatively confident I have them nailed down correctly.
- CZE: These playmats were officially licensed Cryptozoic playmats. Cryptozoic designed and produced the WoW TCG in it's second half of existence, and therefore these mats are commonly associated with the game.
- DMF (Year): These playmats were awarded to competitors that took part in Darkmoon Faire competitions around the world during the year specified (approximately).
- Event: These playmats were acquired through various means, and usually involved special circumstances, such as side events at major competitions.
- Holiday: These playmats were associated with yearly events pertaining to the typical Warcraft ingame holiday events at competitions and local events.
- Judge: These playmats were given specifically to judges that earned them.
- League: Awarded to anyone that took part in the CZE League at events.
- Penny Arcade: Limited run playmats designed by the artists of the popular Penny Arcade comic.
- Regionals (Year): Before Continentals were a thing, Regionals/Nationals existed and these playmats were given as prizes for Regional top finishers.
- Release Celebration: Given at expansion set release celebration events as prizes.
- Set: Originally sold as a side product for each new set release, but later on were found inside of the Epic Collection set products.
- Sneak Preview: Given at expansion set sneak preview events as prizes.
- Store Series: These were prizes for events ran by third party organizations. NOTE: Not guaranteed to be officially distributed by Blizzard or Cryptozoic, but still accepted as WoW TCG canon in many instances.
- Worlds (Year): Given to any competitor that took part in the World Championships event in the given year.
Rarity can vary and depends on many factors. If playmats were given as prizes, the total amount distributed can affect the overall value. Typically, any playmats distributed at the local store level have much lower value as many more were distributed than playmats given exclusively at the premier events. Also, playmats given at the top tier competitions such as Worlds and Continentals were far more limited in overall quality and typically featured some of the best art. Niche playmats can also hold value, such as Judge and Event mats as these were hyper exclusive and only given under specific circumstances.
I am constantly re-evaluating my data on all available playmats and their respective original sources. I will occasionally add new playmats that I source out but for the most part, my list includes 95% of all available playmat variants in circulation. The missing culprits are incredibly rare and very valuable in most instances.
B) Playmat Subject Matter
What this indicates is the actual art shown on the playmat. As many buyers these days are simply Warcraft fans looking for collectibles and awesome desktop pads, playmats featuring the more signature Warcraft characters such as Illidan, Arthas and Deathwing typically have higher value because, I mean, they're just cooler than the others. Not much else to say. Players typically prefer the playmats with the better art and relevant characters.
C) Physical Condition
This is easily the most crucial determining factor in the overall value of a playmat. I have created my own sort of grading system and I grade each mat I post here in this listing. PLEASE NOTE: The higher condition playmats (B+ to A) are very sought after as these are as close to "mint" as playmats can be, and are not easy to find. These playmats typically saw much use over the years and most were not stored in any sort of secure location, meaning the effort it takes to find top notch condition playmats is no joke. The average quality playmat is usually a B to B- and once you get to C+ or lower you can really start to notice the difference.
The major factors in grading playmat condition can be:
- Fraying around the edges. The material that these playmats are made of can occasionally start to fray around the outer perimeter. It is a very common issue and usually resulted from grinding up against backpack interiors or other storage.
- Stains or discoloration on the front image. Obviously, as table and desk mats, people will spill food or drinks or what have you on these pretty frequently. While they do clean off relatively easily, some lingering damage can still remain.
- Fading or discoloration on the back black rubber. The rubber backing of these playmats is extremely susceptible to friction and damage over time.
- Creasing or curving. Naturally, folding or using the playmats excessively over time can cause semi-permanent to permanent damage in the form of creases and corner curling.
Please note that damage to the front of the playmat is factored much more than damage to the rubber backing, as you won't ever really see the back damage when using the playmat. Given that the presentation of the image on the front is what you'll be exposed to 98% of the time, any damage or discoloration visible from the front will affect the score much, much more.
The basic breakdown of the grading system is as follows:
- A GRADE: Essentially the best it can get. These have basically no visible signs of damage whatsoever and are as "pack mint" as a playmat is going to get. These are quite rare and valued highly. Note that the black back rubber in the images may *seem* to have fading or smudges but as noted below, images can be deceiving and most of the time it's just lighting. It's really hard to get good images of the black back. An A Grade is just one of those playmats where you hold it in your hands and inspect it and say "Damn, that's a beautiful playmat."
- B+ GRADE: Not quite an A, and usually it could be to something very insignificant. Regardless, if there's even one noticeable mark on the front or back in any of the grading spots, regardless of how fresh it seems, it will be bumped down to a B+.
- B GRADE: A very good condition playmat. Most well kept and sharp looking playmats will fall in to this category. Can have very very slight fraying in some spots, or possibly some fading on the rubber. Typically will not have signs of permanent creases or curls and will not have any stains or discoloration on the front.
- B- GRADE: Sometimes if the fading on the back rubber is a little more excessive, or if there's a section with more significant fraying, a B may be dropped down to a B-.
- C GRADE: Once you reach C, there's usually some sort of clearly defined issue. It might be excessive fraying, discoloration on the front or back, or some sort of semi-permanent to permanent creasing or curls.
- D GRADE: D stands for Damaged. There's something significantly wrong with this mat. This grade is expected to be for those that want a beater they will use heavily and don't necessarily care about the overall collector quality of the playmat otherwise. These will be heavily discounted.
- Anything graded even further below a D should be taken with caution, as they may be close to becoming a fully sentient species of their own.
All of the images have been synced up to show the front and back of a playmat with the corresponding grade. You may have to scroll through a playmat selection to see the different images as they lump all images of a specific playmat together and it will likely default you to the (A) selection every time. If there's a missing image of a backing, I am aware - I'm just lazy and haven't fixed it yet.
PLEASE NOTE THAT IMAGES CAN BE DECEIVING. I have taken much effort to post pictures of the front and back to show the overall quality of a playmat, but lighting and camera angles can play tricks on the naked eye when it comes to evaluating the condition. This is ESPECIALLY true when it comes to assessing the black rubber backing - very very commonly the images will seem far more faded / smudged than they will look in person. ALL SALES ARE FINAL IN THIS REGARD. The playmat may inevitably be better than you expected, or maybe worse - my grading system is by no means an official metric and you should understand that by purchasing any of the playmats shown here in the auction, you accept all risks and responsibilities associated with shipping and handling and that the final item you receive may look a little different than it did in the picture, but it is still 100% guaranteed to be that item. Also, in some instances the graded quality may fluctuate slightly from the listed grade in the drop down, IE: it may say C- or D+ or something in the image. This is because I had to limit the amount of variables in the system without it getting too insane and laggy, so all C and D options were rounded to the letter in the system.
Be sure to reset the condition back to the unselected default if you'd like to browse other selections within the categories. It will only show you available options based on what variable seeds you have selected, so the more specific options selected in the drop downs you have chosen, the less options you will have available to you.
SHIPPING
DOMESTIC - All playmats will be shipped using USPS Priority Mail Tubes. Combined shipping is possible and encouraged! All playmats will automatically combine and the shipping costs will update as you buy.
INTERNATIONAL - UPDATE: I have sourced some shipping supplies to begin shipping Internationally using First Class. I strongly encourage you to consider pooling possible purchases together with friends and players in your groups to combine costs together in one order. Due to the pandemic shipping delays, shipping internationally using First Class can also be quite time consuming and unreliable. Even still, using Express or Priority International can currently have shipping delays as foreign customs will hold packages coming in from the USA to ensure the disease is not transferring with them. As a result, please ignore expected shipping times and do not worry if a package takes 2-4+ extra weeks to be delivered. It is incredibly common.
ORDER BONUSES, DISCOUNTS AND INCENTIVES
I am currently working on a series of promotional bonuses when it comes to all WoW TCG related products, including these playmats! Check back often to see what new deals are in effect. Occasionally I will also be updating this post with new playmats I manage to source and will post here reflecting the most recent date of an inventory update to make it easier for you to know if you are up to date!
LAST UPDATE: 8 / 23 / 2020 - Posted the auction! Check back in a week or two for more inventory added!
If you have any questions, feel free to contact me! Also, be sure to check out my other auctions as I offer a full selection of WoW TCG related singles. I will be updating my TCG selections in the coming weeks to reflect a much, much wider selection of singles! Check back soon!