Summary
The newest entry ofMagic: The Gathering’s Universes Beyond series,Falloutwill bring its unique, golden-era apocalypse flavor to the time-honored tabletop card game. Set to arrive in March 2024, fans are already disseminating the long history ofFalloutas well as the previous IPs already given the Universes Beyond treatment for insight into what the upcoming set will entail.
Not many could have predicted how far the Universes Beyond series has veered into strange and unknown territory. ManyMTGfans were initially reticent, but Wizards of the Coast has done a fine job folding different franchises into the card game’s meta without too much upheaval. After some smaller additions as a part of the Secret Lair Drop series, with cards fromThe Walking Dead, Stranger Things,and others,Universes Beyond expanded to entire Commanders' sets from outside IPs. TheWarhammer 40k,Dungeons and Dragons, and most recently,The Lord of the Ringssets have all garnered positive reception, and with theDoctor WhoCommander decks soon to arrive, the series' eclectic nature shows limitless potential.
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Previous Sets Tell MTG Fallout’s Likely Trajectory
Despite the quantity of its content yet unannounced, patterns indicate theFalloutset to include four Commander decks with some collector boosters thrown in for good measure. In all likelihood, the decks will be split into factions, with each geared toward a specific mechanic and playstyle, thematically adjacent to that faction. Wizards of the Coast could go a different route, but unless its formula is drastically shaken up, one could expect Commander decks based on several ofFallout’s factions:
With theFallouttitles spanning decades, both new and old characters and factions are fair play for the upcoming set. Wizards of the Coastmight opt for looser associations for its Commander deck themes, with ghouls, mutants, and raiders all possible flavors from the franchise. With endless fan favorites and only a few hundred cards to print, real estate is limited and some iconic characters and landmarks will be inevitably left behind, but there are some pretty safe assumptions to make.
Translating Video Game Lore to the Tabletop
Hypothetically, aBrotherhood of Steeldeck could have several choices for its Commander. Elder Lyons was calling the shots during the events ofFallout 3, but perhaps the most recent incarnation of leadership for the faction would bear more relevance. Elder Arthur Maxson could be a more familiar face for fans as a low-to-medium-cost knight-human with an ability that gives all other humans a boost when he is on the battlefield. A solid heavy-hitting win condition card for the faction would be Liberty Prime, a high-cost colorless artifact creature with trample and maybe a soft board wipe for good measure.
The other Commanders will, in all likelihood, also be figures of authority from their respective factions. Preston Garvey could be the Minutemen Commander, with an ability to search the player’s deck for a creature card to put into their hand, in-theme for his penchant for recruitment in the game. Shaun could be the Institute deck Commander, with its advanced technologytranslated toMagic: The Gatheringvia blue counter, mill, and draw mechanics. Conrad could be a solid subordinate card, possibly with some built-in removal.
There are almost too many ways theFalloutset could go, but expect its most prominent iconography to show up in some shape or form. Several Vaults will be in rotation as legendary lands or enchantments. A Pip-Boy is a strong candidate for an equippable artifact, and many fans would riot ifFallout’s Dogmeatdid not show their loyal face in some capacity. Though Wizards of the Coast has a strong slate of IPs in its Universes Beyond series for 2024,Falloutis perhaps the most anticipated, and it will have to have a strong showing to set the pace for the new year.
