Lara Croft, Tomb RaiderLara Croft, Tomb Raider | Art by Greg Staples

The Beginning of the Journey

Hi, I’m Owain, and I’m here with the first article of what I’ll call Beyond the Multiverse. The missive is simple: To make decks using only cards printed (and reprinted) into Universes Beyond (henceforth known as UB). But, first, a bit about me.

I’m one of those fabled MTG Boomers that people tend to hear about. Magic first came into my life around Invasion block. I’ve been fairly on and off until 2011, when the first Commander precons came out, and I’ve been playing since.

As for my decision to fully embrace UB cards? I was once just like most when The Walking Dead lair came out: In complete opposition. It’s been several years since then, and my opinions on UB have gradually shifted.

My journey to get to the point of embracing the product line was long. I never thought I'd get to where I am now.

However, if you go and assemble UB-only decks, but still appreciate all the in-universe stuff has to offer, have a balance of both. Going all-in on UB made going back through in-universe cards quite a jarring experience.

With that piece of advice out of the way, let’s jump right into the next section without further delay.

Our Commander

Lara Croft is the main protagonist of the Tomb Raider franchise. She goes to find legendary and dangerous artifacts while thwarting those who seek them for villainous purposes. However, this particular version is based on the 2013 Tomb Raider game (and its sequels), known as the Survivor Timeline. Now we have the basic lore on our commander, but what about the card?

Looking at it tells us what we need to do: Get legendary artifacts and legendary lands into the graveyard, then play them after attacking. That Treasure token you get from the raid trigger will come in handy for this.

However, it’s worth noting that Lara can pull from any graveyard, and not just your own. So, whether you want to mill everyone or see something that your opponents played, she will see those, too. That said, though, you’ll be looking through your own stuff.

The worst case scenario is that you simply get a treasure token, and that’s not a bad thing. Even then, we're going to need to navigate what choices will be part of our 99.

Raiding the Tombs

There’s two ways you could build Lara: Load up with Equipment and bonk someone for 21 damage, or just accrue value. However, we’re using only UB cards here, so our pickings are slimmer. Chances are that you’ll end up doing a mix of the two because of this.

Firstly, we have equipment like Excalibur, Sword of EdenExcalibur, Sword of Eden (42,928 decks) and ShadowspearShadowspear (reskinned as Totec’s Spear; 17,9724 decks) that make Lara big enough to win.

Additionally, cards like Bessie, the Doctor’s RoadsterBessie, the Doctor’s Roadster (4,638 decks), which allows her to get through unblocked.

The Spear of LeonidasThe Spear of Leonidas (15,368 decks) is a nice Swiss-Army knife in this deck: You could give double strike, get a legendary blocker, or it can do am impression of Faithless LootingFaithless Looting, which you can use to fill your graveyard with targets for Lara’s attack trigger.

Moreover, Overpowering AttackOverpowering Attack (29,233 decks) and Seize the DaySeize the Day (reskinned as Round Two; 59,481 decks) let us get extra combat steps, getting more cards to cast, and even taking opponents out of the game.

On the other hand, we have stuff that helps accrue value over time. Both The Fourth DoctorThe Fourth Doctor and Crystal Skull, Isu SpyglassCrystal Skull, Isu Spyglass (7,545 and 23,151 decks respectively) allow us to cast historic cards from the top of our library.

Meanwhile, RMS TitanicRMS Titanic (9,918 decks) can be looped with Lara to gain a boatload of Treasures while also hitting like a truck. Similarly, ED-E, Lonesome EyebotED-E, Lonesome Eyebot can do something similar, but can draw us cards over time.

Just take care how you attack the longer it sticks around, so you can get more quest counters. Consequently, there's a central theme that works with both of the above themes.

Of Tomb Exploring and History

Because a lot of the deck contains Historic cards, Surtr, Fiery JötunSurtr, Fiery Jötun will be slinging Lightning BoltLightning Bolts left, right, and center. I’m surprised the card doesn’t see more play than the 233 decks it’s in.

Every time I’ve cast the card, it’s been a major threat on the board. Do not sleep on Surtr if you’re running a lot of Historic cards. Heroes’ PodiumHeroes’ Podium (38,037 decks) is a wincon with all the legendary creatures in the deck, but can also dig for a new creature to cast, too. In short, you might say the average Lara Croft deck is a Historic deck at its heart.

In either of the above paths you take, you’ll need ways to ditch legendary artifacts and lands so Lara can mark them.

Firstly, we have a range of ways to achieve this, from popular options like Cathartic ReunionCathartic Reunion to obscure ones like Nyssa of TrakenNyssa of Traken (4,583 decks), who will get you cards and tap down blockers while you attack.

In addition, Wreck and RebuildWreck and Rebuild (7,779 decks) gives us a choice at either removing a troublesome artifact or enchantment or can mill five of our cards, ramping us and having targets for Lara set up. Importantly, it has Flashback, so you can use the card twice.

Importantly, it's natural for UB-Only decks to have a Historic theme to some extent because UB sets tend to be filled to the brim with legendary creatures, artifacts, or otherwise. Cards like Delighted HalflingDelighted Halfling (254,292 decks) shine in decks that capitalize on this because you’ll often tap to make a mana that’ll make your next legendary creature uncounterable. The Historic cards will be tough to ignore, and I wouldn’t even try doing so. It’s basically an overarching theme.

The Treasure at the End

Studying the Spoils

Certainly, there’s a number of Historic cards that work well here. Traverse EternityTraverse Eternity (8,501 decks) draws lots of cards, and DesynchronizationDesynchronization (26,035 decks) is oftentimes a Cyclonic RiftCyclonic Rift that doesn’t bounce your opponents’ commanders, but our board state remain largely untouched.

I threw in a Staff of Eden, Vault’s KeyStaff of Eden, Vault’s Key (7,428 decks) for the likelihood that we actually get something out of our opponents’ graveyards, but your chances at getting something are going to be low. That said, when it goes off, it's going to draw cards. Hopefully, there'll be similar effects within the UB card pool in the long run.

In addition, Adric, Mathematical GeniusAdric, Mathematical Genius (9,009 decks) can copy triggers (including Lara’s) and, in a pinch, make the ultimate sacrifice to counter an ability that would cause a problem.

Gimli of the Glittering CavesGimli of the Glittering Caves (300 decks) hits hard with double strike and enough pumps, but also net us Treasures in the process.

Legolas GreenleafLegolas Greenleaf (coming in at an unsurprising 39 decks) is similar: Reach instead of double strike, same pump ability, but instead of Treasure, he gives us a card. Not to mention he has evasion, which is unfortunately situational. See if you can get both of them out on the battlefield at once for a flavor win.

Moreover, Jamie McCrimmonJamie McCrimmon (3,145 decks), with enough historic spells, can become a game-ending threat. Iron Man, Titan of InnovationIron Man, Titan of Innovation does an identical Lara impression because of his attack trigger, which allows us to pod away an artifact for a new one.

You could stack the trigger to resolve his ability first, sending a legendary artifact into your graveyard. After that, exile it with a discovery counter with Lara’s trigger, so then you can cast it later.

The Journey Home

In conclusion, the usage of UB cards alone is a deckbuilding restriction that I hear seldom about. There's many staples reprinted (or reskinned, in some cases) with the UB border, and there's new cards that are worth taking a look, even the overshadowed ones.

Don't be afraid to mix and match IPs. As wacky and ridiculous it sounds, I find it lets my imagination wonder.

Firstly, what would Lara do if she found The One RingThe One Ring? How would Iron Man, Titan of InnovationIron Man, Titan of Innovation interact with The Fourth DoctorThe Fourth Doctor? In short, it's little "what ifs" like these that can form a story of their own. However, that's using only UB printings and cards came naturally, even for me.

Using only UB cards required some nurturing on my part, and I'm sure it'll be the same with you. I was having each IP be their own deck before I warmed up to the idea of mixing them.

Even now, UB is a very polarizing subject, and that will not change for the foreseeable future. I’ve heard stories of people giving others bad experiences simply because they chose to run UB cards, basically gatekeeping. I won’t drag this out, but let’s be respectful of their choices and not ruin their fun.

That being said, I always look forward to see what fun and unique designs come out of UB sets. Consequently, it’s always exciting when new cards come out, so we can have more options for our decks. In addition, we learn more about the characters, places, and events behind the cards, and that's half the fun.

Let me know in the comments what you think of the commander and the deck. You may certainly find a card that you can use in your decks.

Until next time, go above and beyond your games.