It’s time for your deck to become S.P.E.C.I.A.L. On March 8, Magic: The Gathering fans finally saw the release of the official crossover expansion of the ‘Universes Beyond‘ series with Fallout, the iconic post-apocalyptic video game franchise.
Wizards of the Coast (WotC) and parent company Hasbro have seen massive success with their crossovers with other popular IPs. The Lord of the Rings x MTG set (Tales of Middle-Earth) was a particular stand-out, with the Tolkien-themed decks and boosters sold by the millions. Could the Fallout crossover with Magic: The Gathering boast the same success?
The starter decks and booster packs are now conveniently available for purchase via the home site and Amazon, providing accessibility to Fallout fans, whether they are familiar with Magic: The Gathering or not.
Attention @Fallout Fans! Grab all the caps you can carry, because #MTGxFallout launches TODAY and the energy is NUCLEAR! Enjoy the #Fallout đź’š pic.twitter.com/eE0BAyojvv
— Magic: The Gathering (@wizards_magic) March 8, 2024
Each MTG x Fallout Commander Deck contains two foil creature cards designed for the ‘commander’ slot, accompanied by ninety-eight regular cards. Up to forty-one of these cards, if opting for the Mutant Menace Commander Deck, introduce new elements to the MTG universe.
The decks also include a foil-etched display commander, ten double-sided tokens, a booster sample pack, a deck box, a life wheel, one ‘strategy insert,’ and a reference card—everything needed to dive into exploring Fallout-themed Magic cards, spanning the franchise’s titles from the first games by Black Isle Studios to the Bethesda entries all the way up to Fallout 76.
Presented in four themed decks, adhering to the standard for Commander releases, the Magic: The Gathering x Fallout Universes Beyond crossover set incorporates characters, creatures, new mechanics, and surprises from the mainline Fallout titles.
These cards, crafted exclusively for the Commander format, are fully playable out of the box, allowing fans the option to customize or supplement their decks as desired. The Fallout MTG Commander Decks include:
- Scrappy Survivors: Featuring Fallout’s beloved canine companion Dogmeat, this deck focuses on equipping key creature cards with support from various buffs and protections, revolving around Fallout 3’s resident Capital Wasteland DJ, Three Dog.
- Science!: Dr. Madison Li takes charge of this technologically based deck, employing the energy-generating mechanic from the Kaladesh set. Liberty Prime and Fallout 4’s Nick Valentine contribute to the deck’s synergies.
- Mutant Menace: Headed by The Wise Mothman, this deck centers around Fallout’s mutants, utilizing a new rad counter mechanic to empower these Wasteland warriors while simulating radiation sickness dangers.
- Hail, Caesar: Commanded by Caesar, this deck emphasizes building an army of token and other creatures to boost major characters like Legate Lanius, disrupting opposing player resources with the return of the squad mechanic.
These Universes Beyond cards bring new mechanics specific to the Fallout set:
- Junk Tokens: Several cards create predefined Junk tokens, offering a unique play dynamic by allowing players to exile the top card of their library and potentially play it during their turn.
- Rad Counters: Representing radiation levels, these counters impact the game by forcing players to mill cards and lose life based on the number of rad counters. The mechanic introduces a strategic element inspired by Fallout’s radiation concept.
Additionally, Fallout reintroduces three previous Magic: The Gathering mechanics:
- Energy Counters: Originating from the “Kaladesh” set, energy counters serve as a resource to pay costs associated with various cards, adding strategic depth to gameplay.
- Proliferate: A returning keyword action, Proliferate takes advantage of counters throughout the set, allowing players to amplify the number of existing counters on players and/or permanents.
- Squad: Originally introduced in the Warhammer 40K Universes Beyond crossover set, this lets players pay an optional additional cost during casting as spell. The Squad ability allows players to pay the cost multiple times, creating token copies of the cast card.
Wizards of the Coast revealed that content from the Fallout Commander decks would make its way to MTG Arena. Fans can add new cosmetics to basic lands, sleeves, an emote, and a new companion, aligning with the set details released in January. While these cosmetics will be available for purchase via the in-game store, the absence of actual Fallout cards on MTG Arena is likely due to long-term licensing concerns.
Are you ready to explore the Wasteland and scavenge the Vaults of the Fallout universe for your own Commander Magic: The Gathering decks?
