Magic the Gathering: Warhammer 40K – Why You’ll Want the 5 Preview Cards from Universes Beyond
The 40K MTG cards are all just 1 of 99, but they’ll be pulling their weight for existing Commanders.
The long-awaited Universes Beyond crossover between Magic Commander and Warhammer 40k is on the horizon, and many fans are getting excited. Next month, Wizards will release four 100-card commander decks featuring brand new cards and existing cards with a futuristic flavor. Monday Games Workshop gave us a glimpse at five new printings, and they’re pretty impressive, even outside the UB boxes. Here’s where I think the brand new preview cards will thrive in the EDH meta.
Marneus Calgar
The secondary commander in the Forces of the Imperium deck, Marneus Calgar is a solid Esper piece. Providing token support, card draw, and substantial damage with double strike, Calgar will be a solid piece in the 99 or at the helm of his own deck. However, if you want to be really oppressive, combine him with quick token generation cards like Smothering Tithe.
With both cards out, your opponents will be forced to pay two whenever they draw a card or give you a treasure AND a draw. The new legend Ratadrabik of Urborg is also a good thought, giving you vigilant zombies whenever one of your legends die, plus draw from Calgar himself. I think this guy will shake up Esper control and give you a solid line of vigilant defenders, card draw, and a powerful heavy hitter.
Be’lakor, the Dark Master
The First Prince is here to embody everything Grixis Demon Tribal stands for, and he does it better than anyone. A 6/5 flying for three and Grixis, plus pain draw and turning all your demons into meteors, makes him a nasty aggro commander. While Be’lakor is very tactical in the lore, this card doesn’t want you to think, just run in and smash. With the wide variety of Demons in those colors, this won’t be a problem.
Dominaria gives us a perfect pair: Orca, Siege Demon, and Sol’Kanar the Tainted. Orca is a 5/5 trampling bullet that gets bigger as your creatures die, then slams out a ton of damage when he goes himself, and Sol’Kanar gives you a suite of abilities before ultimately going to your opponent. However, Grixis gives you access to plenty of sacrifice and recursion, so just blink or off Sol before he turns, bringing him back to do it all again and potentially buffing Orca in the process. Either way, Be’lakor will make Grixis even nastier than it already is (and that’s saying something).
Imotekh the Stormlord
The secondary commander of the Necron monoblack deck (though frankly he deserves top billing) Imotekh gives all the goodness of recursion we’ve come to expect from black. However, where he’ll really shine is Esper Vehicles or sacrifice. Cards like Throne of Geth that let you pitch your artifacts for abilities or buffs means you’ll have plenty of fodder, and Esper is happy to bring it all back for you. Though it’s a pricey (in real dollars) ask, Lion’s Eye Diamond and Auriok Salvagers will give you not only infinite mana, but infinite 2/2 Necron Warriors. If you also have a Coat of Arms out, you’ll have a massive army of metal liches eager to snuff out the light of the living. While the Stormlord certainly deserves a command of his own, he’s going to be nasty in that 99.
Magus Lucea Kane
Secondary commander of the Tyranid deck and leader of your local Genestealer Cult, Lucea will quickly pump your army and provide power for your variable strength spells, something her Jeskai colors are famous for. With options like Jaya’s Immolating Inferno, Curse of the Swine, and any number of Hydras are going to eat up her secondary ability. Consider bringing a Hardened Scales as well to buff her first ability, and you’ll soon have a massive army of big scary monsters or a spellbook full of world-ending spells. I can’t wait to see what else is in the Tyranid deck to benefit from her abilities.
Noise Marine
Our first non-legendary option, so he’ll only ever be in the 99, but man is this guy crazy. Cascade plus damage for all the spells on the stack makes him perfect for an Exile Matters Gruul or Rakdos deck led by either Prosper or Faldorn. The more you can Cascade, the more powerful his Sonic Blast becomes, and the better the buffs from your commander will be. And if you can somehow find a way to bounce him back to your hand, you can do it all over again.
What cards are you most excited for?
