Love them or hate them,Magic: The Gathering’sUniverses Beyondcollaborations seem like they’re here to stay, and these franchises would be a good fit for future sets. SomeUniverses Beyondcollaborations likeFalloutandDoctor Whoproved thatMagicisn’t just restricting itself to fantasy series that are in line with its original aesthetic. The three upcoming Marvel sets -previewed with aSecret Lairthis year- also show that some of the biggest IPs in current pop culture aren’t off the table.
With there seemingly being no upper limit on the types of IPsMagic: The Gatheringis able to collaborate with,there are a lot of exciting possibilities for future sets. Some of theseMagichas already printed cards for previous sets, but it would be fun to see them expanded into full sets. Others are franchises that would fit nicely into the design elements ofMagicsets.
10Transformers Make Unique Magic Cards
Magic’s Current Double-Sided Transformers Cards Offer Flexibility In Play
Transformersis a franchise thatMagic has collaborated witha few times for small releases. The first was a promotional card for the Dinobot Grimlock sold at HASCON in 2017. More recently, aSecret Lairand a small 15-card set ofTransformerscards that popped up in booster packs forMagic’s setThe Brothers’ War.Transformersis an easy IP forMagicto collaborate with because both properties are owned by the same parent company, Hasbro.
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Apart from the easy logistics of creatingTransformerscards, and the fact that some already exist,Transformersthemselves happen to make pretty coolMagiccards. Playing off their ability to transform, theTransformercards are all double-sided cards that can flip back and forth between forms using the appropriately named More Than Meets The Eye mechanic. This type of versatility can make cards perform better in Limited formats like Draft, and also makes them useful in a wider range of decks.
9Game Of Thrones Characters Are Easy To Design Around
Game Of Thrones Characters Have Distinct Personalities And Convictions
Game of Throneshas several qualities that make it a great fit for aMagicset. Its fantasy setting makes it fit nicely alongside otherMagiccards, a quality that players seemed to appreciate with theLord of the Ringsset from 2023. There is also a wide range of characters to adapt.Players would likely love a chance to play a deck helmed by Jon Snow or Daenerys Targaryenand her dragons. IfMagicdecided to use George R.R. Martin’s novels instead of the HBO show as inspiration, there would be even more characters to choose from.
The complex morality ofGame of Thrones’ characters is also perfect forMagic, which features different colors of mana that represent different ideals. A cunning manipulator like Little Finger is the perfect representation of a blue and black card inMagic. This would giveMagic’s designers a lot of direction when crafting cards.
8The Elder Scrolls Is A Natural Follow Up To Fallout
Magic Has Already Made A Set Based On One Bethesda RPG
Having already adapted one of Bethesda’s RPG series,Fallout, it doesn’t seem unreasonable to think thatMagicmight follow it up with their other popular series,The Elder Scrolls. As a high fantasy setting,The Elder Scrollsalso feels like an easier fit to adapt intoMagiccards. Both games feature classic fantasy creatures like orcs and elves, andMagic’s Leonin are similar toThe Elder Scrolls’ Khajit. AMagicset based on the series could be the perfect way for fans to bide their time as they eagerly await anynews aboutThe Elder Scrolls 6.
The differentsettings ofThe Elder Scrollswould also be perfect for Legendary Lands. Legendary Lands typically focus on specific regions or locations inMagic’s setting and have special abilities to go along with them. This could mean Legendary Lands featuring places like Skyrim and Black Marsh (which seems like the perfect name for aMagiccard). Alternatively, this set could include Planescape cards for the different regions.
7DC Might Be The Next Marvel
DC Is Getting Ready To Relaunch Its Movie Universe
Although it might seem too similar toMagic’s upcoming Marvel sets, there are a few reasons a DC set could be just as, if not more exciting. Part of this comes down to personal tastes, as some superhero fans prefer the DC Universe to Marvel’s. However, DC also has the added benefit of not being over-saturated the same way Marvel is.
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DC’s largely disappointing movie performance may have hurt the studio, but it has stopped the brand from being slapped on as many products as Marvel has. While DC is by no means an unknown product, a lot of casual consumers of superhero media likely don’t know as many DC heroes beyond the big ones like Batman and Superman as they do obscure Marvel heroes now.This would allow aMagicset to introduce players to new heroes, instead of feeling like it’s dragging out the ones they’re already sick of.
This could also be good timing to hop on the DC train with the new DC movie universe starting up next year. With an excitingnewSupermantrailer, and with interest in the MCU seemingly waning, DC could start to be a serious competitor to Marvel.Magiccollaborating with DC within the next few years could be a good way to get in on the early hype.
6Players Have Wanted Star Wars In Magic For A Long Time
There Are A Lot Of Fan-Made Star Wars Cards
Star Warsis a franchise that players have wanted to see recreated onMagic: The Gatheringcards for a long time. There are a huge number of fan-madeMagiccards featuringStar Warscharacters, includingan entire unofficial set that was designed to be drafted. Now thatMagicis actually willing to make sets around outside IPs, it seems like the perfect chance to make fans’Star Warsdreams a reality.
Of course, there are a few obstacles thatMagicwould probably have to contend with here. First, it would have to be very careful not to recreate any of the fan-made content for legal purposes. The abundance of fan-madeStar Warscards could therefore limit the design of the set.Star Warsalso already has a somewhat recently released Trading Card Game,Star Wars: Unlimited, so parent company Disney might worry about cannibalizing sales of the game by over-licensing its IP.
5Magic Already Proved It Can Do Cyberpunk Well
Magic’s Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty Set Showed The Game Understands The Genre’s Look
The futuristic world of theCyberpunkfranchise might seem like an odd fit forMagic: The Gathering, but Wizards of the Coast has already proved it could do the genre justice. The 2022 set,Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty, showed an updated version ofMagic’s Kamigawa plane which has developed intoa futuristic setting reminiscent ofCyberpunk. The set did a great job capturing the feeling of the setting through its artwork and through the use of unique treatments like its Neon Ink card styles.
WhileMagichas already made a similar set, there are a lot of unique features ofCyberpunk’s Night Citythat would make it worth having its own set. Cyberware weapons like the Mantis Blades and Gorilla Arms seem perfectly suited to equipment cards inMagic. There is also probably some interesting design space to be tapped to make sure the flavor of these pieces of equipment being installed in the user’s body stays intact. Night City’s legends also seem like the perfect fit for Legendary Creature cards.
4Magic Should Complete Its My Little Pony Set
Magic’s My Little Pony Cards Are Perfect For A Casual Set
Magic: The Gatheringhas done two collaborations withMy Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. The firstPonies the Gallopingset came out in 2019 and was followed by a second set in 2023. These small sets included the Mane 6 fromFriendship is Magicand some fun - if game-breaking - mechanics. While these cards wouldn’t work in Standard like otherUniverses Beyondsets,My Little Ponycould make for an excellent silver-borderedUniverses Beyondset.
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Silver-border sets inMagicare comical sets that include cards with game-bending mechanics that are too wacky and/or too powerful to be legal in any Constructed format. These sets are only meant to be played casually or in Limited formats. A silver-borderedMy Little Ponyset wouldn’t just help continue the silly mechanics introduced in the current slate ofMy Little Ponycards, it would also give players a chance to get reprints of them. The firstPonies the Gallopingset is selling for around $300, so a reprint would help make them more accessible.
3Naruto Could Let Magic Expand Its Anime-Style Cards
Magic Has Made Some Anime-Style Cards, So A Whole Set Would Be The Next Step
Magic: The Gatheringhas featured anime-style cards in a variety of sets, likeWar of the Spark,March of the Machine, and most recentlyDuskmourn. It has even collaborated with big-name Japanese artists like Junji Ito for some cards.MTGshould take things a step further by making an entire set based on a popular anime.Narutoseems like a good choice for several reasons.
Naruto’s big roster of characters, each with their own unique abilities, isperfect for designing a trading card game around. While this is by no means a quality unique toNaruto, other popular shonen anime likeDragon Ball ZandOne Piecealready have their own card games. While there was a collectibleNarutocard game, it went out of print in 2013, soMagicwouldn’t have to worry about competition from an official TCG based on it.
2Elden Ring Includes Every Element A Magic Set Would Need
Elden Ring’s World Has Creative Creatures, Equipment, And Characters
Elden Ringhas a lot of elements that would make it perfect for aMagic: The Gatheringset. Its enemy variety, powerful bosses, and memorable characters would all work well inMagiccard form. The game’s unique weapon designs would also make for some awesome equipment cards. This would be a mechanically thematic way to buff up smaller creatures like a Tarnished character to the level where they are ready to take on one of the game’s bosses. Thanks to its large map,Elden Ringalso has a lot of notable locations that could be used to create Legendary Lands.
While a lot of the games in the Soulsborne catalog could feasibly have aMagic: The Gatheringset designed after them,Elden Ringseems like the best choice due to its scale. This would giveMagic’s designers the most source material to work with when designing cards.Elden Ringalso has recency bias on its side, making it more popular than previous FromSoftware games. Who knows, it could also give players a new overpowered ring card now thatThe One Ring has been banned inMagic.
1The Stormlight Archive’s Author Is A Magic Fan
Brandon Sanderson Has Worked With Magic: The Gathering Before
Brandon Sanderson’sStormlight Archivemight not have the same cultural cachet as something likeTheLord of the RingsorGame of Thrones, but it is easily one of the more unique high fantasy settings. AMagicset based on Roshar and its inhabitants would therefore stand out visually from other sets while still retaining the game’s fantasy origins. It would also do wonders for the Crab creature type, as many inhabitants of the world have crab-like features.
Sanderson is also well-known for creating hard magic systems in his novels, which fit perfectly into a game likeMagic. While reading about how characters absorb Stormlight from spheres, it’s not hard to guess that Sanderson is a fan ofMagic. He has even written a book for Wizards of the Coast set in the world ofMagic: The Gathering. However, the company did go against Sanderson’s wishes forChildren of the Namelessto remain freely available to readers, so he may be understandably cautious about working with them again.
