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2024 will see the launch of Magic: The Gathering Universes Beyond Assassin’s Creed, a set that combines a historical TCG with one of the best video game universes ever made.
Wizards of the Coast loves a good crossover with Magic: The Gathering, and it’s already had a banger in 2024 with the Fallout set. However, the year’s got so much more in store with yet another big collaboration, this time with the Assassin’s Creed universe. There’s a wealth of real and fictional history to draw upon from the universe, so much so that it must be hard to distill into a single set. Below, I’ve outlined everything you need to know about this set before it hits your local game store.
When is the release date for the Magic: The Gathering Universes Beyond Assassin’s Creed set?
Image via Wizards of the CoastThe release date for the Magic: The Gathering Universes Beyond Assassin’s Creed set is July 5, 2024. Previews begin on June 21, 2024, but there aren’t any Prerelease Packs with this set, so you’ll need to wait until the official release date to get your hands on any products. Of course, if your local game store runs things a little earlier, that’s a good way to get a few cards in your collection ahead of the date.
When is the release date for the Magic: The Gathering Universes Beyond Assassin’s Creed Secret Lair set?
Image via UbisoftThe release date for the Magic: The Gathering Universes Beyond Assassin’s Creed Secret Lair set is set to be some point soon after the launch of the base set. This means the Secret Lair will launch after July 5, 2024. You’ll have to be quick if you want to buy it because Wizards of the Coast has stopped making these sets to order. Instead, there will be a limited number of sets available to purchase, and you’ll need to move fast to secure yours.
Why do Magic: The Gathering Universes Beyond Assassin’s Creed Beyond and Collector boosters have fewer cards?
Image via Wizards of the CoastThe reason that Magic: The Gathering Universes Beyond Assassin’s Creed Beyond and Collector boosters have fewer cards than standard MTG sets like Bloomburrow is that it’s built upon the Epilogue model first seen with the March of the Machine set.
The March of the Machine Aftermath Epilogue set had boosters with fewer cards at a slightly lower price, but the value didn’t work out as well as players hoped. The set felt a bit cheap because it didn’t have as many new cards as a full set, making some of us feel as though we were being used for our money and love of the game.
However, the Magic: The Gathering Universes Beyond Assassin’s Creed set has slightly more cards than the last Epilogue set per pack, indicating that Wizards of the Coast has heard fan feedback and wants to make good with such a big crossover. I’m still quite disappointed that this is a smaller set overall as an Assassin’s Creed fan, but I am hopeful the quality of the set will make up for it.
All confirmed cards for the Magic: The Gathering Universes Beyond Assassin’s Creed set
Image via Wizards of the CoastWhile the majority of the cards will remain a secret until the Magic: The Gathering Universes Beyond Assassin’s Creed set is released, we’ve had a glimpse of some of them early. I’ve listed every card we know about and what it does below so you can get an idea of what this set will do at launch.
- Ezio Auditore da Firenze: A 3/2 Legendary Creature with Menace. This card gives all Assassin spells you cast Freerunning. Whenever you deal combat damage to a player with this card, and that player has less than 10 life, you can pay one of each color mana to make them lose the game.
- Leonardo da Vinci: A 3/3 Legendary Creature that allows you to make the number of cards in your hand the X/X of all Thopters you control if you pay 5 mana. You can also pay 2 mana to draw a card and discard a card. If that discarded card was an artifact, you can exile it from your graveyard. If you do, you create a copy that’s a 0/2 Thopter Artifact in addition to everything else the base card is.
- Cleopatra, Exiled Pharoah: A 2/4 Legendary Creature. Her Allies ability allows you to put one +1/+1 counter on up to two target legendary creatures. Her Betrayal ability allows you to draw a card for each counter on a legendary creature when it dies, but you lose 2 life.
- Sword of Feast and Famine: Artifact Equipment. The equipped creature gets +2/+2 and has protection from black and from green. When the equipped creature deals damage to a player, they discard a card, and you untap all of your lands.
- Haystack: Target creature you control phases out.
- Temporal Trespass: A Sorcery with Delve. Take an extra turn after this one, then Exile Temporal Trespass.
- Cover of Darkness: Enchantment. Choose a creature type when this card enters the battlefield, and all those types of creatures will have Fear.
- Altair Ibn-A’had: A 3/3 Legendary Creature with First Strike. Whenever this card attacks, Exile up to one Assassin creature from your graveyard with a memory counter on it. Then, for each creature card you have in Exile with a memory token on it, create a tapped and attacking token that’s a copy of it. These tokens are Exiled at the end of combat.
- The Animus: At the beginning of your end step, Exile up to one target legendary creature card from a graveyard with a memory counter on it. Tap to use as a Sorcery that turns The Animus into a copy of a target legendary creature with a memory token on it.
- Hidden Blade: Artifact Equipment. Attach Hidden Blade to a creature you control when it enters the battlefield. If that creature is an Assassin, it gains Deathtouch until the end of the turn. The equipped creature gets +1/+0 and has First Strike.
- Eivor, Battle-Ready: A 5/5 Legendary Creature. Has Vigilance and Haste. Whenever this card attacks, it deals damage equal to the number of equipment you control to each opponent.
- Ezio, Blade of Vengeance: a 5/5 Legendary Creature with Deathtouch. Draw a card whenever an assassin you control deals combat damage to a player.
All rarities in the Magic: The Gathering Universes Beyond Assassin’s Creed set
Image via Wizards of the CoastThere are several exclusive rarities in the Magic: The Gathering Universes Beyond Assassin’s Creed set, so I’ve outlined exactly what you can get from Beyond and Collector boosters below. This should help you decide which packs to buy.
- Traditional Foil (Beyond & Collector boosters and the Starter Kit)
- Borderless (Beyond boosters)
- Borderless Scene (Beyond boosters)
- Memory Corridor (Beyond Boosters)
- Buy-a-Box Promo (Only available when buying boxes of Beyond boosters from a WPN store)
- Extended Art (Collector boosters)
- Foil Etched (Collector boosters)
- Italian Serialized (Collector boosters)
- Greek Serialized (Collector boosters)
The rarest cards in this set are going to be the Greek and Italian Serialzed ones, of which here are only 500 of each. The Buy-a-Box Promo card could be rare, but that depends on how many of them are distributed. The best-looking of these rarities are the Serialized ones as well as the Memory Corridor cards, which attempt to capture that special feeling of watching an Assassin break down their target before the final blow.
What is the story of the Magic: The Gathering Universes Beyond Assassin’s Creed set?
Image via Wizards of the CoastThere’s no new storyline with the Magic: The Gathering Universes Beyond Assassin’s Creed set. The story is that of the Assassin’s Creed universe. What this set does is merge it with the MTG universe, so there’s now the possibility that every character from the series could one day become a card and make an appearance in future sets.
Will the Magic: The Gathering Universes Beyond Assassin’s Creed set have Commander decks?
Image via Magic MadhouseNo, the Magic: The Gathering Universes Beyond Assassin’s Creed set won’t have any Commander decks to purchase. I’m not sure why Wizards of the Coast decided against these. However, it might have something to do with this being a slightly smaller set than usual, meaning Commander products wouldn’t be completely made up of cards from it without several cards being duplicated to the point they’re unenjoyable.
I think a Commander deck should be able to stand by itself in a match right out of the box. You shouldn’t need to supplement it with other cards. If this set had Commander decks, they’d likely need dozens of other cards to make them viable for interesting plays that make the most of each card’s mechanics.
Will Magic: The Gathering Universes Beyond Assassin’s Creed come to Magic: The Gathering Arena?
Image via Wizards of the CoastNo, the Magic: The Gathering Universes Beyond Assassin’s Creed set won’t come to MTG: Arena. I’m not sure of the specifics on this, but there’s likely a limit to the licensing Wizards of the Coast has for the Assassin’s Creed franchise. As a result, the set is exclusive to the tabletop game for now.
Where to buy the Magic: The Gathering Universes Beyond Assassin’s Creed set
Image via Wizards of the CoastThe best place to buy the Magic: The Gathering Universes Beyond Assassin’s Creed is from your local game store. These businesses keep the game alive with physical tournaments that are always fun to play. However, a local game store isn’t always an option, which is why I’ve listed a few reliable online retailers for you to choose from below.
- Magic Madhouse (UK & US): Magic Madhouse is a retailer I use for most of my MTG orders. It’s got reliable delivery and will ensure you get your cards on the day or the day after they’re released. One advantage of shopping here is that you can buy a full set instead of the main booster products.
- Amazon (UK & US): We all know Amazon is a decent retailer to use when looking for MTG products. The only issue you’ll have is grabbing what you want before everyone else does. At the time of writing, it doesn’t have much for this set available, but that could change as the release date gets closer.
- Chaos Cards (UK & US): Chaos Cards might be slightly more expensive than the competition, but its reward program ensures you get your money’s worth in the future. It stocks most of the products you’re after, but you’ll need to move fast because they sell out quickly as the release date for a set closes in.
- Axion Now (UK): Axion Now is a well known game store in the UK that has nationwide delivery for all MTG products. It runs competitions all year round, which is why it’s got such a good reputation. I’ve ordered here before, and everything turned up well-packaged, so there’s no need to hesitate when shopping.
- GAME (UK): GAME is another UK retailer that stocks everything you could want, but the price is always higher than you’ll want to pay. I find that it’s a great last stop for products if you can’t get them anywhere else, and it also has a reward program to soften the blow of the price.
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