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The latest Magic: The Gatheringit is Universe beyond the crossover sees the titan of TCGs combine with the titan of tabletop wargaming, Warhammer: 40,000, to create four faction-based commander decks in the grimdark sci-fi setting. The Universe beyond brand of cross IP addresses for M:XL products has received a mixed reception – largely due to its The Crossing of the Living Dead setting dangerous precedents that eventually had to be rolled back. However, the 40k decks seek to determine exactly what can make crossovers work.
The Warhammer 40K Commander decks see Tyranids, Forces of the Imperium, Necrons, and Chaos Marines integrated into purpose-built decks, featuring a host of new cards and a few reprints with new ones 40K-thematic work. In the past, smaller card collections, such as Secret Lair: Street Fighterhave introduced new IP addresses for M:XL maps. However, the 40K Commander decks are the first to add more than just legendary creatures of a very different setting to M:XLit is usual rate. While the recent Baldur’s Gate crossover adds hundreds of maps of Dungeons & Dragons, the Forgotten Realms aren’t much different from many Magic Airplanes. Despite some stumbles, the war hammer Commander decks are shaping up to be an incredibly successful amalgamation of wildly varying settings.
What makes that war hammer stand out as a successful crossover is the solid integration of 40kit is notoriously dark and over-the-top staging in the cards. Many spoiled cards for decks contain abilities that look familiar to Magic players, taking understood archetypes and strategies and tweaking them so that each faction feels unique. The +1/+1 counters and broad Tyranid theme encapsulate the ever-changing nature of the 40K faction. Their unique keyword, Ravenous, gives Tyranids a mechanical difference from many others. Magicit is other +1/+1 themed creatures, while allowing them to work well together. This helps the faction feel unique without making it too foreign to the rest of the game.
These factors follow in the rest of the decks, with the mono-black Necrons focusing on the beloved resuscitation theme, and the Chaos Marines fitting right in with the love of red-blue-black for casting great spells, drain life and cascade. The wide token strategy of the Imperium’s white-blue-black deck felt a little underwhelming for the popular Space Marines, but it still seems to give a unique take on the premise, giving the Imperium a flavor all its own. .
It is important that the war hammer the cards have their own identity while resonating with Magicit is gameplay at large. This balance is likely what will make these decks stand out as examples of what a Universe beyond together maybe. with the next Doctor Who crossover undoubtedly revives the debate within fan circles about how Magic cards should look like, the fact that many of the 40K commander cards fit well in MagicThe art style of helps them feel much more at home in the massive TCG library.
The Universe beyond the brand has a lot to prove to keep Magic happy fans. This latest collaboration between Wizards of the Coast and Games Workshop is a step in the right direction to show how Magic: The Gathering cards can be. The next the Lord of the Rings all will see Magic cross with the father of all fantasy series, and if the 40K decks are an indicator of how WOTC will design its Universe beyond fixed in the future, Magic Some of its best content might come from crossovers with other big names in the industry.
