MTG Thunder Junction’s Outlaws can save Universes Beyond: Assassin’s Creed

Magic: The Gathering’s latest set, Outlaws of Thunder Junction, might just save the game’s next crossover with Assassin’s Creed.

While 2024 has many great upcoming MTG sets, from Modern Horizons 3 to Bloomburrow, one particular product is receiving less fanfare than expected. Assassin’s Creed is the latest franchise to get the MTG Universes Beyond treatment, following swiftly on the heels of a successful crossover with Fallout. 

Universes Beyond: Fallout has been mostly well-received by fans for capturing the games’ strong sense of identity. The same, however, cannot be said for Assassin’s Creed. The Assassin’s Creed set is smaller than recent Universes Beyond releases; containing fewer cards than Tales of Middle Earth’s full set, or even the well-established Commander decks of Doctor Who, Warhammer, and more. 

A smaller set for a franchise with a more limited cast of characters makes sense. The real impending downfall of Universes Beyond: Assassin’s Creed is the Beyond Booster. Similar in structure to the disastrously received Epilogue Boosters from March of the Machine: The Aftermath, players have been reacting to the diminished size and inflated price of these Assassin’s Creed packs with derision. 

All is not lost, however. At the last minute, a ray of hope has pierced the gloom blanketing Universes Beyond: Assassin’s Creed’s dismal pre-launch reception. That hope comes in the form of… cowboys? 

Outlaw intervention

WotC

While nothing can be done about the initial reception Beyond Boosters have – deservedly – received, March of the Machine: The Aftermath Epilogue Boosters have seen some of the most dramatic price cuts of any MTG product after launch. If Universes Beyond: Assassin’s Creed follows the same path, there’s only one remaining problem to solve. 

With the set totaling 100 cards, this runs the risk of being a hugely insular MTG release. With mechanics built mostly around Assassin Creatures, many players will be put off by the thought of investing in a set that mostly caters to Creatures that rarely have much of a showing in main sets. 

That’s where Outlaws of Thunder Junction comes in. Releasing a full three months ahead of Universes Beyond: Assassin’s Creed, Thunder Junction has introduced Outlaws to the game. Outlaws are a Creature group comprised of several other types, including Pirates, Mercenaries, and yes, Assassins. 

Thanks to the dozens of cards that care about Outlaws in Thunder Junction, the majority of the new cards and deck options in the Assassin’s Creed set come with a huge foundation of support already built into the game. What’s more, if Outlaws are received well, they can easily recur as a major part of MTG’s future sets. 

While Assassin’s Creed not winding up adrift and lonesome in the sea of MTG releases is something to celebrate, it’s worthwhile pinpointing where that fear of a lack of support stems from in the first place. Its source is a larger problem with Universes Beyond’s unique card abilities and the lack of a follow-up in wider MTG set releases. 

Universes Beyond is an MTG ability graveyard 

WotC/Ubisoft

Many Universes Beyond abilities have sadly ended up orphaned, no matter how creative. The Warhammer 40K Commander decks were the Universes Beyond line’s first breakout success and included fun, flavorful mechanics like Squad and Ravenous. But since those sets debuted, only Squad has seen a single piece of support, in Universes Beyond: Fallout. 

If abilities like Squad haven’t yet found a home in mainline MTG sets, what hope is there for mechanics that are closely tied to a Universes Beyond theme like Tales of Middle Earth’s The Ring Tempts You? 

The Wise Mothman is quickly proving to be the breakout Commander of Universes Beyond: Fallout, with associated cards like Mesmeric Orb and Mindcrank rocketing up in price following the set’s launch. But even then, some of the hype has been tempered by the realization that the core Rad Counter mechanic is unlikely to ever receive dedicated support, no matter how much players love it. 

The silver lining for MTG Fallout fans is that Proliferate is a popular MTG mechanic, and whenever Proliferate shows up, The Wise Mothman will receive pseudo-support, giving players new ways to interact with Rad Counters.  

This is a more hopeful future for Universes Beyond card support. Some abilities will remain locked to the set they debut in, but others can implement existing MTG mechanics or card types that will receive future support, preventing them from quickly becoming obsolete. 

While we may not expect to see the upcoming Freerunning mechanic recur outside of exceptional circumstances, Assassins will return to MTG again and again, especially now that they belong to the Outlaws Creature batch. As a result, Assassin’s Creed fans can safely get their hands on cards from the upcoming set without fear that they will remain a novelty, isolated from future upgrade potential.