What makes a SpellGround different
Khalsa Brain Games began in 1994 in San Francisco, when a group of players started covering coffee-shop tables with fabric to protect their cards. The first run was 100 playmats, sold at a convention in early 1995. Three decades later it is still a family-run operation producing short print runs.
SpellGrounds are printed on soft microfiber rather than rubber. Cards sit flat, slide cleanly and are easy to pick up from the surface. Playmats printed in the 1990s still circulate among collectors today.
Fabric versions: V1 to V10
The "V" numbers are not editions or print runs. They are successive generations of fabric used across more than 25 years, and Khalsa Brain Games documents them in its own archive:
- V1 — the original fabric. Fuzzy texture, bunting backing. The most sought after by collectors.
- Vx — a vinyl-like fabric used on a single run of Elementals.
- V2 to V6 — woven-backed generations, ranging from mottled and fuzzy to much thicker, very soft, and deep matte.
- V7 — fuzzy texture, backing changed from white to black canvas.
- V8 and V10 — the most recent generations. V10 is dye-sublimation printed.
Names such as Catalina, Slate or Demon Ichor refer to a specific playmat, while the base design is the artwork itself, often reused across several named SpellGrounds.
Khalsa Brain Games and Magic: The Gathering
Khalsa Brain Games held the license for the Official Magic: The Gathering Play Mat for several years, keeping it through the Hasbro acquisition until Wizards of the Coast began producing its own. From 1996 to 2001 they also produced the World's Play Mat given to competitors at the Magic World Championships.
Condition and photographs
Because print runs are short and many designs date back decades, condition and fabric version matter as much as the artwork. Every listing uses real high-resolution photographs of the actual playmat, so you can check the surface, edges and backing before buying. Each listing also states what we know about that specific piece.
