Magic: The Gatheringis gearing up for its biggest Universes Beyond crossover ever, in a multi-release partnership with Marvel due to arrive in 2025.
Details on exactly what this crossover will include are yet to be revealed, but we do know that it will involve multiple tentpole sets, alongside more collector-focused products.
Tentpole sets are the six major releases each year. Four of them are always the four Standard-legal sets, and in 2025 those will include a sci-fi Space Opera set and a return to Lorwyn. Marvel will occupy one of the other two slots of the year with a full-blown set, much like this year’s Lord of the Rings: Tales Of Middle-earth.
However, it won’t be the only one we get for Marvel. In the announcement by Hasbro, it confirmed that multiple tentpole sets are in production, with the president of Wizards of the Coast and Hasbro Gaming Cynthia Williams saying “These tentpole sets will build on the tradition of incorporating beloved fan-favourite characters and elements from world-class brands into Magic: The Gathering.”
Meanwhile, president of Marvel Comics and Franchise Dan Buckley was more explicit, saying that “we can’t wait for fans to see how the Marvel Universe translates seamlessly into gameplay within these Magic: The Gathering products and sets for years to come.”
Hasbro has long had a partnership with Marvel, most notably in producing the Marvel Legends range of action figures. This is the first time it will appear in Magic: The Gathering, though, as part of the wider crossover umbrella brand Universes Beyond, which includes other partnerships likeDoctor Who, Lord of the Rings, and Fallout.
Assuming Marvel follows a similar product lineup as other crossovers, we can expect to see booster sets (perhaps using the new Beyond booster introduced innext year’s Assassin’s Creed set), Commander decks, and Secret Lair releases. The mention of multiple sets does also put some more ambitious projects on the table – Commander Legends: Marvel Edition, perhaps?
Another interesting point to note is of Marvel’s parent company, Disney. It already has its own TCG inLorcana, and many players were anticipating Marvel to enter that game at some point. Magic’s partnership is well over a year away, though, and having The Avengers or the X-Men show up in both games at the same time seems unlikely. This is perhaps the best idea we have of Lorcana’s long-term plans yet.
As for 2025, Marvel may not be the only Universes Beyond tentpole release of the year, with a different crossover withFinal Fantasyscheduled to launch the same year. Whether this will be moved to make room for Marvel, or whether we’ll have a year with two different crossover sets, remains to be seen.
