What you’re reading started as yet another takedown of Universes Beyond.
Maybe not a takedown, but certainly something fuelled by fatigue.
After Magic: The Gathering’s Secret of Strixhaven set, I was riding high. The original Arcavios visit — Strixhaven: School of Mages — was the very first MtG pack I ever opened, and I instantly fell in love with the world and art (the sweet-looking Mystical Archive cards certainly helped, too). Last year, I even ran a short Dungeons and Dragons campaign set in Strixhaven. That’s how much I loved the cards.
This return, now as an over five-year veteran, was delightful. Thanks to Wizards of the Coast, I’d been sent several packs to open and experience the set a little early, and I dropped into a few prerelease events as well, and just like the original set, the world felt so alive. The splashy elder dragon cards truly feel like ancient masters of magic — my friend’s Prismari deck proved just that with a turn 4 win the other night, and Lorehold has been a serious upgrade to my Quintorious commander deck — and the paradigm mechanic truly captures the sense of freedom and immense joy when your final project is complete.
Prepared was also a major hit, for both limited play and several of my constructed decks.
Then I turned my attention to what’s next, and I deflated. Reality Fracture is our last in-Universe set of the year, surrounded by three external IP: The Hobbit (which, after Lord of the Rings, I’m actually quite excited for), Star Trek (I’m not a Trekkie, and it doesn’t feel like quite the right fit for Magic’s fantastical worlds), and, on June 26, Marvel Super Heroes.
Urgh.
Analysis/subhead section
As a comic book reader and long-time MCU fan (I think I’m one of the few remaining people who still watch everything Marvel releases), this MtG Marvel collab should be a slam dunk. However, after Magic’s Spider-Man set flopped (another set that should have easily won me over but was troubled by development issues that I don’t have time to explain), my desire to return to Earth-616 was nonexistent.
Then I heard Mark Rosewater speak about the cards.
A little inside baseball: before major set releases, members of the press and influencers get a sneak peek at the set. We tune into a stream hosted by the set’s leads — which for Marvel included Magic: The Gathering Head Designer — to see a few cards that showcase the set’s mechanics, art treatments, and the overall vibes of what’s to come. That’s how articles and videos get published within seconds of the debut stream going live.
I’ve attended quite a few now, and I’ve yet to hear someone talk with as much palpable excitement as Rosewater had for Marvel. It was infectious.
Rosewater explained that for Marvel, he was the SME, or Subject Matter Expert. The person at WotC who deeply understands the external-IP they’re working with and who will make sure the cards reflect the characters, moments, and worlds they portray. And Rosewater is clearly a Marvel expert.
Every card that was showcased he couldn’t help but drop in explanations for why each had the effect it did — of course Tony Stark can Improvise — or why the precise wording of new abilities was the way it was — such as Worthy’s definition being written to allow Thor and Captain America to lift Mjolnir, but not Kingpin — and how he helped tweak effects that didn’t quite work — Hulk’s original Enrage effect didn’t have him get stronger, despite anger fuelling his ferocity in the comics.
This exuberance was a delight to behold, and I realized not long into the presentation that it had rubbed off on me. I was excited for Marvel. In fact, I was excited for everything coming down the MtG pipeline.
Now, there are some unresolved troubles with the game’s pace of sets. For a start, Standard is a nightmare to stay on top of. I love playing it on Arena (Magic’s digital client), but it’s so incredibly pricey in paper, and with such a wealth of cards at our disposal, the format is more unwieldy than it should be.
Secondly, six or seven Standard sets a year leaves no room for others. I love alternative draft formats like Battlebond’s take on Two-Headed Giant, or any Commander draft. I want these to return, but it doesn’t seem there’s space for them amid the noise.
Equally, seeing the joy of Rosewater, I do get the appeal of introducing so many external worlds into this game so newcomers, and long-time fans of both franchises, can play with and as characters they know and love.
Sure, it’s not always for me, but the excitement I had for Strixhaven is clearly matched by others with a love for Marvel Super Heroes, The Hobbit, and Star Trek (and whatever comes next).
Ahead of its June 26 debut, there will be numerous prerelease events in the weeks before, including a new Avengers Academy to get new players up to speed. I’ve signed up for my local prerelease Sealed already, and I plan to soak up the atmosphere, focus on the fun, and maybe brew up a Daredevil, Man Without Fear deck (Born Again Season 3 can’t come soon enough).
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hamish.hector@futurenet.com (Hamish Hector)
