Image courtesy of Bandai Namco

With the massive success of Universes Beyond for Magic, I've been left wondering about which iconic franchises might see their iconic characters in our card game next.

IPs like Stranger Things, Doctor Who, and Lord of the Rings have drawn new players to the game, and proved to be successful crossovers for Wizards of the Coast. But, as sales data comes in, it's become clear that the recent Final Fantasy crossover set was the most popular by far. It delivered $200,000,000 of revenue in just one day, and was at least partially responsible for a 23% growth in WotC's revenue.

Now that the power of video game franchises in Universes Beyond is apparent, I'd like to talk about what other video game franchises could make a big impact with all sorts of Magic players. Let's see which IPs could make their way into our favorite card game!

What Makes a Good Universes Beyond Set?

Before we talk about specific franchises, though, we've got to define our terms. There's thousands of video games that could work as a Universes Beyond product, but not all of them would work as well as their fans might want.

Unique, Recognizable Characters

The most important part of a successful Universes Beyond product is the characters that lead the original IP. That's why Marvel's getting so many different Universes Beyond sets over the next few years: its characters' popularity! There are tons of iconic heroes and villains that have a special place in the heart of so many fans.

That's also a large part of why Final Fantasy was so successful: characters like Cloud and Sephiroth are known even to those who've never played a Final Fantasy game. That's also why characters like Sam, Frodo, and Sauron are among the most popular commanders from Lord of the Rings: name recognition matters.

Recognizable characters, places, and weapons draw in new and veteran players alike, and are key to the success of any outside IP's integration in Magic.

Mechanics That Translate Well to Magic

Magic's designers are smart, and seem to be able to take ideas from other franchises and translate them to their game quite well. But, these abilities do have their limits.

It'd be difficult, for example, for the gameplay of a game like ULTRAKILL to be moved to Magic's kid-friendly design. It'd also be quite difficult for something like Cooking Mama or Nintendogs to come to Magic, as silly as that sounds.

There's got to be a certain amount of excitement in the original video game that could be captured on Magic cards.

Ability to Hit All Five Colors

It's important that our franchises can span the color pie, too. They don't need to have their cards distributed across all five colors equally, but they should have at least a few cards in each color.

In the recent Assassin's Creed set, for example, there were just nine green () cards out of the set's 105 original designs. But, the set still worked! I imagine something similar will happen in the upcoming Avatar: The Last Airbender set, where black () cards will likely be more scarce than other colors.

The best Universes Beyond sets have cards balanced across all five colors, and Magic's designers seem reluctant to entirely abandon any given color for a set.

Which Video Game Franchises Might Be Next for UB?

Dark Souls

One of the most iconic video game series of all time, Dark Souls has a special place in the heart of so many gamers. Players fight their way through Lordran, confronting all sorts of supernatural entities as they go. These games' stories also have repeated references to gods, fire, and fantastical entities that would easily make the jump to Magic.

The series' villains are also iconic, and could each easily be represented in our card game. Players of the series have endless debates about which boss fights were the most epic, and each of those fights could find its way onto cardstock. Even for players outside of the game's fanbase, seeing the beautifully designed bosses on Magic cards would certainly cause interest in the set.

Dark Souls' gameplay would lend itself quite well to Magic cards. We saw specific weapons and gameplay elements from another popular series, Assassin's Creed, translated to Equipment and sorceries easily. Mechanics like rolling and weapons like the Moon Light Greatsword from Dark Souls should translate equally well.

From stunning vistas that could be represented on lands to death-defying bosses that could easily make their way to black cards, Dark Souls has a huge diversity of characters, places, and weapons that could span all five of Magic's colors.

I could even see the return of the level-up mechanic to represent the player's progression through Dark Souls levelling system!

Super Mario

As one of the best selling video game franchises of all time, Super Mario would certainly make a popular Universes Beyond set. For many people, a Mario game was their first video game. From Mario Kart to Super Mario 64, this series spans genres and generations.

It's also got iconic characters and locations that players would be excited to see on cards. From Mario and Luigi, Princess Peach's Castle and Bowser's Castle, this series is absolutely packed with name recognition.

Plus, because the series has been around for so long, it's developed a lot of mechanics that could be represented on cards. From Luigi's Ghost VacuumGhost Vacuum to Mario's FireballFireball, there's ample opportunity for reskins of old cards and new designs alike. This longevity and breadth of available game mechanics also means that Magic's designers would have enough material to span the color pie.

As for returning mechanics that could work well with this franchise, Duskmourn's Rooms would represent Peach's Castle from Mario 64 really nicely! It seems like a natural fit, and would save mental effort for veteran players who'd like to pick up these cards.

Destiny

This is more of a personal pick, but I truly believe that Destiny would make a fantastic Universes Beyond set. There’s over a decade of lore built into the franchise’s two releases, tons of iconic characters, and a whole suite of weapons that Magic players would be eager to see in a card frame.

Although he’s technically dead in the game’s story, Cayde-6 is one of gaming’s most iconic rogues. He’s witty, quick with a joke, and even quicker with a trigger.

Other characters, like the iconic Witness, the authoritative Zavala, and the cunning Savathun would also make for compelling legendary creatures. Even for players outside of the franchise’s reach, these NPCs have strong enough storylines attached to them that could for make interesting card designs.

Destiny is a “looter-shooter,” meaning that there’s tons of weapons and armor pieces that could find themselves portrayed as Equipment in Magic.

Destiny’s magic system would also lend itself quite well to Magic’s color pie. There’s five elements in the game that could easily correspond to each of Magic’s five colors (Arc as , Stasis as , Void as , Solar as , and Strand as ).

And the various abilities that the player picks up over the course of the game could easily translate to unique instants, sorceries, and even enchantments!

Minecraft

Far and away the most popular video game of all time, Minecraft has certainly got brand recognition. And while it doesn't have the same fantasy feel as other games on this list, Magic's designers have shown a willingness to branch out into other genres for Universes Beyond sets. Even if this game doesn't get a full Universes Beyond set, I could absolutely see it making its way into a Secret Lair drop of a few cards.

While there aren't a ton of characters iconic to Minecraft, the sandbox nature of the game could lend itself well to a set focused on modal cards. Do you want to delve deeper into the abandoned mineshaft, or head back to your base with the loot you've got so far? Do you want to summon the Wither or build a mob farm to grow stronger first? Would you rather use your diamonds to make a pickaxe, or save them up to craft a set of armor down the line?

Modal spells are one of the coolest ways that Magic designers can give agency to players in game, which is of course central to Minecraft.

And, although the set would likely be focused around green, there's room for every part of the color pie to be explored. and could be represented in the foreboding Nether, could be shown off in Minecraft's vast oceans, and could be part of The End (or in the Aether, if Magic's designers choose to go that direction).

Point is, there's significant space for creativity in a set designed around the world's best selling game.

Conclusion

So, those are some of my top picks for video games that could become Universes Beyond products. But, there’s tons of brands that would make for great collaborations with Magic. I’d love to know what franchises I missed, so let me know your ideas in the comments below!

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