Wizards Presents: Middle-earth & Doctor Who come to MTG, and more

August 19, 2022

At today’s Wizards Presents event, Wizards of the Coast unveiled their plans for the near future of Magic: The Gathering, including some surprise crossovers. Franchises including Lord of the Rings, Doctor Who and Warhammer 40,000 will be represented through their Universes Beyond product line, among other announcements.

  • Warhammer 40,000 will crossover with MTG as part of Universes Beyond, with four commander decks, four Sol Rings themed after each faction (The Imperium of Man, Tyranids, Necrons and Chaos). A new Surge Foil treatment is given to the cards in the collector’s edition of each commander deck.
  • The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth, a collaboration with MTG, is a fully draftable booster set that’s modern legal, being treated with the love and attention that would be shown to a core set. It will showcase some of the most memorable moments of the Lord of the Rings saga in card from, including Frodo and the One Ring, the Balrog, and the Battle of Pelinor Fields – that last event is most notable as it will be featured as a larger image built across 18 borderless art cards, that when brought together show the full scale of the battle. The digital release on Arena will arrive as an Alchemy set and will also include a new battlefield, avatars, pets and more.

  • Whovians will be excited to see Doctor Who also crossing over with MTG, launching next year at the tail end of MTG‘s 30th birthday, and just in time for Doctor Who’s 60th birthday. The set promises to feature all the doctors, companions and villains, with four commander decks. Some of the art showcased included moments featuring Tom Baker’s Fourth Doctor, Matt Smith’s Eleventh Doctor, Jo Martin’s Fugitive Doctor and a key moment from Day of the Doctor.

  • Dominaria United launches later this year on September 9, pitting the classic Dominarians against the Phyrexians as the kickoff to a four-set story arc.
  • The above story arc will continue with Brothers’ War in November, followed by Phyrexia: All Will Be One in Q1 2023 and March of the Machine in Q2 2023. Tying up loose ends from that set, March of the Machine: The Aftermath will also release in Q2 2023.
  • In Q3 2023, Wilds of Eldraine will be released, drawing inspiration from classic fairy tales. Finally, in Q4 2023, Lost Caverns of Ixalan will feature pirates, dinosaurs and vampires, oh my.
  • To celebrate MTG’s 30th birthday in 2023, a year-long celebration is planned, including a Magic 30 event at Las Vegas’ EXPO at World Market Center on Oct 28-30 2022.