The latest Magic: The Gathering previews for the upcoming Avatar: The Last Airbender set feel lost amid a sea of crossovers.
August 14 saw the contents of the MTG Avatar: The Last Airbender Beginner Box revealed to the public, featuring over 100 new cards. Despite gorgeous art and more than a few flavour triumphs, I found myself cold in the face of a product which, in theory, should have sent my inner Avatar-loving child to cloud nine.
Back in 2020, Wizards of the Coast opened Pandora's Box with its first Universes Beyond product: the Walking Dead Secret Lair. Since then, we've been on the receiving end of dozens of products ranging from the grim darkness of Warhammer 40k to the dramatic worlds of Final Fantasy. In all, 25 properties have received the Universes Beyond treatment in some fashion.
In the early, heady days, there was a distinct thrill to seeing your favourite characters through the lens of MTG's robust ruleset. As an inveterate Lord of the Rings fan, I lost my mind seeing fan-favourite underdog Eowyn being given her own Commander deck. However, these bursts of joy have begun to suffer from diminishing returns.
Now that the novelty of MTG crossovers has worn off, new MTG sets from Universes Beyond must do more than simply represent a beloved franchise from outside of the MTG canon.
This isn't to say that MTG has lost its way. Edge of Eternities was, broadly speaking, well received by the MTG community thanks to its strong Limited formats and playful new mechanics. However, despite these successes, Edge of Eternities is already being overshadowed by the upcoming MTG Spider-Man set and the aforementioned Avatar set.
Universes beyond may have started as a pleasant treat, but, as any nutritionist will tell you, treats alone do not make for a well-rounded diet.
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