Latest news with #SecretLair
Forbes
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Imagining What's Next For MTG: Universes Beyond
Since 2021 the Hasbro owned Wizards of the Coast has been inking very popular deals with known IPs to integrate into Magic: The Gathering sets, appearing first in Secret Lair drops, then as stand-alone expansions. MTG: Universes Beyond has brought us full expansions of Lord of the Rings, Fallout, Assassins' Creed, Doctor Who, Final Fantasy, and Spider-Man. That's not including Warhammer 40,000 Commander, Jurassic World, Stranger Things, and others mixed in with new expansions and Secret Lair packs. Not to mention the recently announced Avatar: The Last Airbender expansion. So what's next? Let's take a walk down speculation lane and list five hopeful dream expansions we'd like to see. MTG: Universes Beyond: Legend of Zelda The first one that pops to mind is Legend of Zelda. Primarily the latest versions for the Nintendo Switch like Breath of the Wild. It was an expansive game, so it offers plenty of creatures, abilities, lands and artifacts for the taking. Bokoblins, Moblins, and Lizalfos would be fun to see as Magic cards, but think about all the wild animals. It's a laundry list. There are at least five different horses. This set could challenge Bloomburrow for adorable animals with weapons. And all of these animals could be biome specific, with abilities mirroring their mana association. Naturally characters like Link and Zelda themselves would be Legendary mythic cards, leading commander decks, but it's the crafting that would set this expansion apart. So why not bring that mechanic to Magic: The Gathering? In Breath of the Wild it was crafting food items, Tears of the Kingdom added weapon crafting through the fuse and ultrahand abilities. I think we can integrate both. Food related abilities that activate as sorcery, tied to artifacts or other creatures, offering regeneration or a poison-type response could be a possible mechanic. As well as artifacts that mutate into weirder, more powerful weapons. With such a depth of characters and a wildly robust crafting menu, integrating Legend of Zelda into Magic: The Gathering seems like a no-brainer. MTG: Universes Beyond: Star Trek To me, a lifelong Star Trek fan (yes, even Enterprise and Star Trek: Nemesis) this one is the most obvious expansion. Can you imagine a Kahless the Unforgettable, Warrior King as a Legendary Commander with the ability to inspire other Klingon warriors on the battlefield through some boosting mechanic? There's so many humanoid alien species to choose from, and some — like the Gorn — could mutate from their original series form to their Strange New Worlds form. Piggybacking on the Aetherdrift expansion, this one would be full of vehicles. From the Enterprise itself, to smaller craft like those wasp-like Klingon shuttles, to that one time Picard drove an off-road golf cart looking for Data's head in the sand. And if there isn't a card to morph Janeway and Chakotay into slugs I'd be disappointed. And there could be a ton of spatial anomalies as enchantments that change the structure of the battlefield, just like they do in an episode of Star Trek. And don't even get me started on bringing back the room mechanic from Duskmorn for Holodeck simulations. As a bonus, similar to the Nazgul cards from the Lord of the Rings expansion, there could be a dozen different Jeffrey Combs cards. MTG: Universes Beyond: Sailor Moon Arthur Collins of Comfy Cozy Gaming was fairly enthused about the possibility of a Sailor Moon expansion, even if it's just fantasy at this point and immediately suggested possible new mechanics such as upgrades for Commanders that give them better powers, using the cats like Luna or Artemis for enhancements and villains that can spawn more monsters each turn. He also suggested Power Rangers, but he only gets one mention here so Sailor Moon it is. I don't know much else about Sailor Moon honestly, never got into it. Fun little tidbit when doing some searching; there was a Sailor Moon collectible card game that seemed to lift some mechanics from games like Magic: The Gathering. It had body, mind, and soul power cards (akin to mana), and temporary cards (instants) that affected the current gameplay. There were also location cards that offered a boost to villain cards. So there's no doubt that this franchise could be integrated into a Magic expansion. MTG: Universes Beyond: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles How is this not already an expansion? Magic slipped in some Transformers cards a few years back with the Brothers War expansion, so there's surely a market for that kind of nostalgia. Even though both properties are still going strong, which is even more appealing. Aside from character cards for Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael, and Michelangelo, this set could have an entire mechanic based around the ooze. Not just a mutate mechanic, but perhaps something similar to manifesting dread or something like that. Even though there is depth to the TMNT universe, it's not as broad as some of the other options on this list. So perhaps these cards would be better as a Secret Lair drop or an addition to a future expansion. One thing that does stand out with TMNT, especially with the toy lines, is how many different variations of each character there are. A lot of opportunity for different creature cards there. Plus, we'd finally get a skateboard artifact. And pizza tokens. MTG: Universes Beyond: Futurama Someone suggested The Simpsons as a Magic: The Gathering expansion, and while that universe is full of unique characters and lore, it just doesn't feel right. Feels too much like a bad marketing idea. But that doesn't mean all Matt Groening properties aren't ripe for conversion into Magic cards. Enter Bender and the Planet Express ship. And Fry could be the least effective Commander card ever printed. Laziness could be an ability. And the rarest, most powerful card would be Seymour Asses. A fun mechanic could be embracing the nonsensical. Like, nothing has to make much sense, just like on the show. From the Professor's wild inventions, to Bender showing off a new attachment or internal function that wasn't there previously, to the absolutely wild approach to physics and dimensional space. Like a black hole instant that reroutes damage somewhere else, or tap a mountain and Bender shoots fire for one damage. Again, this feels like a Secret Lair drop, but could certainly be its own expansion. MTG: Universes Beyond: other possibilities Finally, we have the mega-obvious ones that will surely be expansions at some point. If Hasbro can make deals with Disney/Marvel, then surely someone has already mentioned a Star Wars expansion. This is a are generational science-fiction pop culture property ripe for integration into the world of Magic: The Gathering. And if you are going to have a Zelda expansion, might as well go full Nintendo with Mario, Donkey Kong, and Kirby. For that matter, may as well go full Marvel with X-Men, Avengers, Fantastic Four and so on. Really, at this point, anything is fair game for at least a Secret Lair drop. Borderlands, Halo, and Starcraft come to mind. Josh Knowles of KnowTechie suggested I at least mention the possibility of more Final Fantasy with Final Fantasy Tactics or Final Fantasy Mythic Quest. He also suggested Dark Souls/Elden Ring with persist mechanics but I quit Dark Souls 2 about 20 minutes in and never looked back, so it didn't get a fleshed out mention. Frankly, if you can think of a popular franchise, so can the team at Wizards of the Coast, so there's a possibility any IP could translate to MTG: Universes Beyond. Even the Care Bears.
Forbes
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Forbes
MTG: Spider-Man Continues A Fantastical Collectors Dream
MTG: Spider-Man is the next Universes Beyond set, releasing later this year. But it started with a bunch of Secret Lair drops in 2020. The Walking Dead, Stranger Things, Street Fighter, and Fortnite were some of the early Universes Beyond releases from Hasbro's Magic: The Gathering brand. These cards, some reskins, were terribly popular with collectors, chasing the pop culture crossover dream. While the resell value of most of these drops has stayed steady, it was the Warhammer 40,000 Commander decks in 2022 that really pushed Universes Beyond into the forefront of comic book store shelves. These Commander sets go for hundreds of dollars, according to a quick search on TCGPlayer. And that resell value has renewed heated interest into a brand that for a while, was meeting a tad of (anecdotal) stagnation in the market. Wizards of the Coast realized they had something going with these crossovers, leading up to next month's full release of Spider-Man (after a Marvel Secret Lair drop last year). Not all releases have seen a full release in the sense of booster packs, Commander decks, and all the other selling packs. Notably, The Lord of The Rings, Assassin's Creed, and Fallout have found their way into the hands of collectors, with plenty of new cards and a few reskins mixed in. Final Fantasy came out earlier this year, and collectors were chasing that Traveling Chocobo card for sure. And if you were able to get your hands on a Collector's Booster, you can pay your rent selling a couple of those. So will Spider-Man reach the same level of ridiculous value? Probably. Because there is an Infinity Stone. You thought The One Ring was cool? Wait until you pull a cosmic foil Soul Stone. If you are lucky, maybe Post Malone will buy it off you. MTG: Spider-Man respects the art One of the best things about these Universes Beyond releases, besides the resell value, is the artwork. With Spider-Man, we're going to see Showcase Scene cards. These cards can be combined to form a scene that feels like it was lifted from a comic book. Spider-Man comic cover artists such as Steve Ditko will be featured on cards starring iconic Spider-Man characters. Let's take a look at some of the cards you'll likely be slipping into card protectors in a few weeks. FEATURED | Frase ByForbes™ Unscramble The Anagram To Reveal The Phrase Pinpoint By Linkedin Guess The Category Queens By Linkedin Crown Each Region Crossclimb By Linkedin Unlock A Trivia Ladder It's clear that you are going to find a lot of double-sided cards in this expansion. Not my favorite to play with because you have to remove them from the sleeves to transform them. That's a personal issue though. But the mythic cards should carry a moderate resale value at least. This set is leaning heavily into the multiverse aspect, with characters that found their way from the comics to the big screen along with Miles Morales in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. It's clear this set isn't settling on the traditional universe populated by Tobey Maguire and his new best friends Tom Holland and Andrew Garfield. It's all the Spider-Mans from all the places. And their best villains and abilities. Plus, some great lands. Collectors love unique lands, and our first taste with Multiversal Passage certainly fits the bill. The Magic: The Gathering Spider-Man expansion releases on September 26th, 2025 and there will surely be a ton of local comic store events leading up to the release. The pre-release parties are where you get the good stuff, especially those collector boosters before everyone else snaps them all up.
Geek Tyrant
30-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Geek Tyrant
Sonic the Hedgehog Races Into the MAGIC: THE GATHERING Multiverse — GeekTyrant
Sonic is trading in Chaos Emeralds for mana crystals. Hasbro's Magic: The Gathering is speeding into a new crossover with SEGA's Sonic the Hedgehog , and the results are a nostalgic mashup that fans of both franchises didn't see coming, but will definitely want in their decks. This team-up is happening through Magic's 'Secret Lair' series, which offers limited-edition drops featuring reimagined cards and custom art, outside the usual card cycle. The new collaboration will be split into three different Secret Lair x Sonic the Hedgehog drops, starting with Friends & Foes, which showcases seven iconic characters from the Sonic universe. According to Wizards of the Coast, 'This drop features seven new designs that bring the amazing Sonic the Hedgehog characters to life. Wizards of the Coast paired the new card designs with original art, including some from fan-favorite Sonic artists doing their first-ever work for Magic: The Gathering cards.' The Friends & Foes set includes cards for Sonic himself, Super State Sonic, Shadow the Hedgehog, Miles 'Tails' Prower, Dr. Eggman, Amy Rose, and Knuckles the Echidna. Whether you're racing through Green Hill Zone or building the ultimate mana curve, there's a character to match your strategy (or your personality). Each card set will be available in two formats: standard ($29.99) and foil ($39.99). Fans can pick them up on starting July 14 at 9 a.m. PT. As always with Secret Lair, these are time-limited and won't be printed again, so collectors and players alike will want to act fast—just like Sonic. This isn't the first time Magic has blurred the lines between tabletop and video game worlds. The Sonic set follows closely behind their recent collaboration with Square Enix on a full card collection based on the Final Fantasy franchise. Magic: The Gathering continues to expand its multiverse in surprising ways, and this Sonic crossover feels like a fun, fast, and fitting next step. So whether you're tapping lands or charging through loops, Sonic is about to bring some serious speed—and style—to your next Magic match.
Time of India
27-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Sonic the Hedgehog x Magic the Gathering collab coming soon; Here's everything you need to know
Magic the Gathering (MTG) is adding to its Secret Lair releases with a Sonic the Hedgehog collaboration. The Secret Lair series refers to the trading card game's limited-time releases that feature special artwork and can only be purchased directly from Wizards of the Coast, in contrast to most randomized card packs that are available at local game retailers. Sonic the Hedgehog's collaboration with MTG comes on the heels of several other high-profile Secret Lair drops, including crossovers with Final Fantasy, Spongebob Squarepants and Deadpool. Among the Sonic the Hedgehog collaboration packs is the Turbo Gear, and it will consist of seven preexisting MTG cards, which will be redrawn with Sonic the Hedgehog artwork. The Sonic the Hedgehog cards will be exclusive to Secret Lair's website We're incredibly excited to announce that Sonic the Hedgehog is coming to Magic: The Gathering in the new @MTGSecretLair x Sonic Superdrop!Three unique drops beginning July 14th. Stay tuned! The Sonic the Hedgehog cards can only be purchased via MTG's Secret Lair website. The Turbo Gear drop is expected to occur on July 14, at 9 am PT. The Secret Lair cards are of limited quantity, and will cost $29.99 for the non-foil version, and $39.99 for the foil version. The Turbo Gear drop isn't the only collaboration MTG is doing with Sonic, but, all the drops are meant to complement each other. The Turbo Gear cards are confirmed to be Sonic-themed redraws of seven MTG cards that are as follows: Sonic's Biplane (Weatherlight), Knuckes's Gloves (The Reaver Cleaver), Air Shoes (Swiftfoot boots), Egg Hammer (Myr Battlesphere), Piko Piko Hammer (Hammer of Nazalm), Power Sneakers (Lightning Greaves), Egg Pawn (Myr). Magic the Gathering has done several high-profile collabs Seven more cards from Secret Lair x Sonic! 🌀💨#MTGSecretLair Star City Games (@StarCityGames) June 27, 2025 Seven more cards from Secret Lair x Sonic! 🌀💨#MTGSecretLair Magic the Gathering's Secret Lair series was first introduced in 2020 in an effort to boost direct sales from Wizards of the Coast's own websites. From 2020 to 2023, these Secret Lair releases were print-on-demand, meaning that they had no preexisting inventory and were instead produced as per player demand. Starting in 2024, Secret Lair has shifted to the limited-print model, thus paving the way for several high-profile collaborations with renowned IPs. Among their most ambitious collabs has been with Final Fantasy, where the drops consisted of an entire draftable set of MTG cards.
Hindustan Times
27-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Magic: The Gathering teams up with Sonic the Hedgehog for Secret Lair crossover. All you need to know
Magic: The Gathering, a collectable card game from Hasbro, is all set to roll out three new card collections in collaboration with Sega's Sonic the Hedgehog. These will be based on the highly popular Sonic universe, Variety reported. This comes after Magic: The Gathering witnessed several Secret Lair crossovers in 2025, from popular ones like SpongeBob to Deadpool. Magic: The Gathering teams up with Sonic the Hedgehog for Secret Lair crossover As part of the latest partnership, fans will soon get to witness several of the Sonic the Hedgehog characters reimagined as Magic: The Gathering cards. The Secret Lair card sets will be one-off, limited-time offerings from the two brands. These remain different from the main cycle of Magic cards, which Wizards of the Coast has been releasing on a regular basis. Among these is the all-new Secret Lair x Sonic: Friends & Foes collection. A description for the same, according to Variety, stated that the drop will feature seven new designs in total. These will help bring the popular Sonic the Hedgehog characters to life. 'Wizards of the Coast paired the new card designs with original art, including some from fan-favourite Sonic artists doing their first-ever work for Magic: The Gathering cards,' it added. Among the Sonic the Hedgehog characters who have been featured in the seven cards under the Secret Lair collection are Sonic the Hedgehog, Super State and Shadow the Hedgehog. Other famous characters include Miles Prower, Dr. Eggman, Amy Rose and Knuckles the Echidna. Apart from Secret Lair x Sonic: Friends & Foes, the other two collections under Secret Lair include Secret Lair x Sonic: Turbo Gear and Secret Lair x Sonic: Chasing Adventure. How to get them? Fans will be able to get their hands on the Secret Lair collections from 9 AM PT on July 14. These will be made available at For Secret Lair x Sonic: Friends & Foes, people will have to pay $39.99 for the standard edition and $49.99 for the foil version. Similarly, the standard edition of Secret Lair x Sonic: Chasing Adventure can be purchased for $29.99, and $39.99 is set for the foil version. The same pricing applies to Secret Lair x Sonic: Turbo Gear -- $29.99 for standard and $39.99 for foil. FAQs: 1. Which Sonic the Hedgehog characters will be featured in the Secret Lair collection? These include Sonic the Hedgehog, Super State, Shadow the Hedgehog, Amy Rose, Knuckles the Echidna, Miles Prower and Dr. Eggman. 2. How to purchase the Secret Lair collection? Fans can buy the new cards from 3. What is Magic: The Gathering? It is a collectable and digital trading card game.
