One of the biggest fanboy wishlists for Magic: The Gathering is finally happening. Wizards of the Coast announced a Marvel Universes Beyond MTG is coming soon.
Since the Universes Beyond subset of cards were introduced, fans of Magic: The Gathering have been treated to previously considered impossible crossovers. From Stranger Things to Street Fighter, to Warhammer 40K and The Lord of the Rings, to Godzilla and the Transformers, and to the most recently teased crossover with the Fallout games for the Universes Beyond sets, there seems to be no crossover far-fetched for the world’s most popular collectible card game.
But the Marvel Universe? That particular IP seemed like a real stretch. Or rather it was a stretch, until the recent announcement confirmed the “collaboration years in the making”.
The reveal of the crossover Magic: The Gathering x Marvel was posted on Wizards of the Coast’s official Magic: The Gathering website and shared on various social media.
Our newest Team-up is here!
Magic's Universes Beyond is collaborating with @Marvel!https://t.co/20ooUfPJfC#MTGxMarvel pic.twitter.com/3s0uu46oLB
— Magic: The Gathering (@wizards_magic) October 23, 2023
The teaser itself is very brief, with scenes of a kid reading Marvel Comics titles like the X-Men and the Avengers, and watching the Marvel Cinematic Universe come to life. This, of course, fuels the imagination, living up to the heroic ideals the superhero genre inspires in young minds.
But it also leads to thinking about how crossovers can happen, finally leading to a Magic: The Gathering card being shown. The kid’s mom discovers it was used as a makeshift bookmark of the comic book pages the child reads.
Magic: The Gathering Head Designer Mark Rosewater shared on his X (formerly Twitter) account that this is one of the pop culture properties he is excited to work on.
I’m constantly asked what property I would be most excited to work on. #WotCStaff https://t.co/TdIT5HJY6K
— Mark Rosewater (@maro254) October 23, 2023
Interestingly, this would not be the first time the Marvel properties would appear in the form of a card game. As far back as 1995 (during the early success of Magic: The Gathering), Fleer produced its own CCG called Overpower. The first sets were licensed Marvel properties, but would also later feature DC Comics and Image Comics sets before the card game stopped being produced in 1999.
Another popular card game with the Marvel IPs was the Vs. System produced by Upper Deck. Released in 2004, the Vs. System would also later add DC Comics sets. By 2007, a video game version would be available on Windows PC, PSP, and the Nintendo DS called Marvel Trading Card Game. However, the Vs. System would also be discontinued by 2009.
Fantasy Flight Games also released a non-collectible card game in 2019, Marvel Champions. Unlike CCGs, these are not released in blind booster packs. Instead, expansions and pre-constructed decks have standardized cards.
And just recently, Marvel superheroes in card games found new success with Marvel Snap. Developed by Second Dinner and Nuverse for PC and mobile, Marvel Snap has won multiple accolades, including Best Mobile Game at The Game Awards 2022.
But what should players expect with the coming Marvel crossover with Magic: The Gathering? Certainly, the Avengers and the X-Men will likely be well represented. But what about Spider-Man and the Spider-verse? Or the many super-villains that are equally as popular as their heroic rivals? What new mechanics could be introduced that is unique to the Marvel IP? And will the crossover also be available on the digital Magic: The Gathering Arena game?
Although no official release date has been confirmed, the Marvel x Magic: The Gathering crossover Universes Beyond set will likely be launched late 2024 to mid-2025.
