Magic: The Gathering gives us a first look at Doctor Who
A new 'Universes Beyond' product for Magic: The Gathering releases this October.
After Wizards of the Coast’s successful release of The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle Earth last June, we get to see yet another ‘Universes Beyond’ product from Magic: the Gathering this year that is based on Doctor Who, a beloved British TV show that is also one of the longest-running television series of all-time.
For those unfamiliar with the ‘Universes Beyond’ product line for Magic: The Gathering, they aim to bring popular franchises to the popular card game and integrating their well-loved game mechanics like their patented mana system, exciting combat and spell-slinging shenanigans. And they did it this time with the unique characters and settings featured in Doctor Who.
With MTG Barcelona, Gevin Verhey – senior game designer for Magic: The Gathering took the stage and gave us a first look of the commander-focused and self-contained set that is, of course EDH format compatible.
Check out the video below:
For decades, Doctor Who™ has taken us on adventures through time and space. Now, in the year of the series’s 60th anniversary, Doctor Who™ comes to Magic. We’re bringing the Doctor, their companions, their foes, and more to you in the form of four Commander decks. These all feature new-to-Magic cards, as well as reprints with new Doctor Who™–themed art, allowing you to immerse your deck in the world of the Doctor.
There’s a universe’s worth of places to get Magic: The Gathering® – Doctor Who™ with four Commander decks, Collector Boosters, and Secret Lair drops all in the style of Doctor Who™. As for what’s in those, well, why don’t you join us for some of the reveals?
Allons-y!
Here’s some of the noteworthy cards that were teased:
David Tennant’s The Tenth Doctor is looking rather sharp here as one of the featured commanders in the set which focuses on time counters – a unique mechanic previously featured in other sets and fits really perfect with Doctor Who’s theme of time travel.
The set also features a new card frame that is inspired by that famous blue rectangular box called the Tardis.
What a lovely image of The Fourth Doctor handing out candy. Are those Jelly Babies?
No Doctor would be complete without a companion and for this set they are prominently featured as partners via the Doctor’s companion mechanic which lets you have 2 commanders in the command zone. Not only will you utilize the companions abilities, you can also utilize the spells coming from their slice of the mana color pie as well!
Another fitting inclusion are the Saga’s – powerful enchantments that gives various effects each and every turn after you draw a card. Tom Bombadil is surely going to be happy with these cards!
The villain group in the set something to watch out for in the table. I particularly love “The Face of Boe” alien advisor creature card which lets you brew a “suspend matters” deck. Are we going to see a surge in price for the suspend cards?
Perhaps the best decision that the designers made is adding Planechase, a fan-favorite mechanic which lets you hop into the various locations and events of Doctor Who. There are 10 brand new Planechase cards coming from each of the 4 commander decks, which totals up to 40. Perfect for a standalone game of Doctor Who commander.
Important dates to watch out for Doctor Who:
- The TARDIS Photo Event (with Promo) at MagicCon: Las Vegas: September 22–24
- Debut: October 3
- Previews: October 3–6
- Command Zone Podcast’s Extra Turns Gameplay: October 11
- Global Launch: October 13
- Launch Party Events: October 13–15
And that’s all for now! What I really like about this Doctor Who set (and other Universes Beyond outings for that matter) is that even if you are not a huge fan of Magic: The Gathering, a Whovian can just easily pick up a commander deck or two and play with a friend. The product can be considered as a self-contained, one and done deal with minimal commitment but at the same time, offering maximum replayability because of MTG’s unique and time-tested game mechanics where no 2 games are exactly the same.
Magic: The Gathering’s Doctor Who set will officially release on October 13, 2023. You can check out this handy-dandy store locator to find a place where they offer MTG products.
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