Retro MTG Reviews - Reaper Scrye Pewter Life Counter from 1994! Magic: The Gathering

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Back in the glorious year of 1994, a company by the name of Reaper Miniatures, probably best known today for their Dungeons & Dragons pewter figurines, teamed up with the magazine Scrye and released a short lived but long remembered product for players of Magic: The Gathering.

What was it they offered players of the MTG card game? Only one of the finest ways to keep track of your life total, the Reaper Scrye Life Counter.

Originally released in 1994, these are very hard to come by these days, especially unused such as I am showing you here.

The ones I am showing you here were exceptionally hard to come by, because here they are in their official boxes; the later releases were on blister cards.

Crafted not of cardboard or plastic, but of actual pewter and a finer quality than perhaps anything you’ll find on the market today.

These were made in each of the five mana colors, green, blue, white, black and red, as well as limited editions in bronze, silver and gold...yes they actually plated that rarest tier with 14 karrot gold.

On each stands a wizards holding a crystal ball, and at his base is an arrow that points to your life total. One side can track from 1-20 life, and, in the event of going above 20 life…

The dial can be flipped over to track from 21-40 life. Amazing how a product from 2 decades ago could be used and enjoyed by commander players today.

The quality here is exceptional. Reaper knew how to just to make a solid product, and not just a highly functional one, but also a artistic and detailed one as well.

Sadly, although many elderly players such as myself remember these from that distant, distant era of the mid-90’s, Reaper long since discontinued this product and, at least currently, has not given any indication that it shall return.

Although maybe if we all ask them really, really nicely.

Oh, wait...what’s this? It seems that classic design is alive again after all...not from Reaper, however, but instead from Ultra Pro. Yeah, you heard me, Ultra Pro. Cool, let’s compare.

One can’t help but think of the Reaper Scrye counter as they examine the Ultra Pro Realms of Havoc life counter. Three designs are available, and this is crafted of actual...well, it isn’t cardboard or plastic, so that’s a plus.

This is actually very solid, the packaging lists this as “Heavy Metal Material” so i doubt it is pewter.

Just like the reaper scrye counter, the base contains an arrow to point to life total, and the bottom disk can flip for tracking between 1 and 40 life.

My only criticism of the Ultra Pro version, other than of course not being crafted of a fine material such as pewter, is that it is only a limited collector’s edition.

I hope very much Ultra Pro and other companies recognize that quality items such as this can be and are desired by a growing and maturing player base. Maybe we can return, step by step to that bygone era where our products were crafted with greater care and artistry. Until that time, I am going to enjoy my old Scrye Counter, and yeah, this Ultra Pro limited edition one as well!

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