The History of Magic: The Gathering Universes Beyond

July 6, 2026

What Is Universes Beyond?

Universes Beyond is Magic: The Gathering's official crossover programme — a series of sets and cards that bring characters, worlds, and stories from outside the Magic multiverse into the game. Think Final Fantasy planeswalkers, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in your Commander deck, or Avatar: The Last Airbender as a full booster set. It sounds wild. It is wild. And it has fundamentally changed what Magic: The Gathering is.

But how did we get here? And what does it mean for players and collectors? Let's go back to the beginning.

The Origins: Secret Lair and The Walking Dead (2020)

Universes Beyond didn't start with a grand announcement. It started with a controversy.

In October 2020, Wizards of the Coast released a Secret Lair drop featuring cards from The Walking Dead — AMC's zombie drama. These weren't flavour-reskins of existing Magic cards. They were mechanically unique cards, legal in eternal formats, featuring characters like Rick Grimes and Negan. And they were only available for a limited time, in a direct-to-consumer drop.

The community erupted. Players who had no interest in The Walking Dead were now facing a situation where competitive-relevant cards existed outside of normal set releases, locked behind a limited window and a pop culture IP they didn't care about. It felt like a line had been crossed.

Wizards listened — partially. They committed to making in-universe versions of any mechanically unique Universes Beyond cards available through other means. But the programme continued.

The Name Is Born: Universes Beyond (2021)

In 2021, Wizards of the Coast formally named the programme Universes Beyond and announced its expansion. The vision was clear: Magic would partner with major entertainment franchises to create full crossover products — not just Secret Lair drops, but complete booster sets.

The first major announcement was Warhammer 40,000 Commander decks, released in 2022. Four preconstructed Commander decks, each themed around a Warhammer 40K faction, with entirely new cards featuring the grimdark universe's iconic imagery. They sold out almost immediately and became some of the most sought-after Commander products in years.

The Floodgates Open: 2022–2023

Once Warhammer proved the model worked, Universes Beyond accelerated rapidly:

The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth (2023) — The biggest Universes Beyond release to date. A full booster set set in Tolkien's world, featuring Frodo, Gandalf, Sauron, and the entire Fellowship. It included a serialised, one-of-one The One Ring card that sold for over $2 million USD. It became one of the best-selling Magic sets of all time.
Doctor Who Commander Decks (2023) — Four Commander decks spanning the entire history of the BBC series, from the First Doctor to the modern era. A massive hit with the UK market in particular.
Assassin's Creed (2023) — A Beyond Boosters set bringing Ezio, Altair, and the Assassin Brotherhood into Magic. Compact, focused, and aimed squarely at fans of the Ubisoft franchise.

The Era of Full Sets: 2024–2026

By 2024, Universes Beyond had evolved from a side programme into a core part of Magic's release calendar:

Fallout Commander Decks (2024) — Four decks set in Bethesda's post-apocalyptic wasteland.
Final Fantasy (2025) — A full booster set spanning the entire Final Fantasy franchise — from FF1 to FF16 — with iconic characters like Cloud, Terra, Lightning, and Tidus reimagined as Magic cards. A commercial phenomenon.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2025) — Both Play Boosters and Collector Boosters, featuring Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael, and Michelangelo as legendary creatures.
Avatar: The Last Airbender (2025–2026) — Aang, Zuko, Katara, and the four nations brought to life in Magic card form.
Edge of Eternities (2026) — The latest major release, venturing into deep space. Releasing July 25th 2026.

Why Universes Beyond Divides the Community

Universes Beyond remains one of Magic's most debated topics. The arguments on both sides are genuine.

Against: Magic has a rich, 30-year lore. Universes Beyond risks diluting that identity. When every other set is a crossover, what makes Magic Magic?

For: Magic needs new players to survive. Universes Beyond is the single most effective tool Wizards has ever had for bringing in people who would never otherwise pick up a booster pack. The Final Fantasy set alone introduced hundreds of thousands of new players to the game.

What It Means for Collectors

From a collecting standpoint, Universes Beyond has created some of the most valuable cards in Magic's history:

The serialised One Ring from Lord of the Rings remains one of the most famous individual cards ever printed
Collector Booster exclusives from Final Fantasy and TMNT command significant premiums
Many UB cards have strong crossover appeal — Final Fantasy fans who don't play Magic still want Cloud Strife as a card
The in-universe versions are often cheaper alternatives for players who want the mechanics without the IP