Spokespeople for Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast (WOTC) say the MTG Warhammer 40k Commander decks have been so popular, they have reprinted the product twice, and still can’t keep up with demand. They made the claim during the Magic the Gathering ‘Fireside Chat’, an audio presentation aimed at financial investors, on December 8.
Cynthia Williams, president of WOTC, first mentions the demand for the 40k Commander decks while talking about the firm’s approach to reprinting products, saying: “more often than not we get that right, like our Universes Beyond product Warhammer 40k, which is already on its third reprint due to demand.”
‘Universes Beyond’ is a partnership programme with other intellectual properties, producing mechanically unique cards or reskinning existing cards with characters and designs from brands that range from Street Fighter to Transformers. Chris Cocks, CEO of Hasbro since February 2022, uses the Warhammer 40k Commander decks to illustrate how successful the programme has been, saying: “I can’t overstate how important Universes Beyond is… what we did most recently was Warhammer 40k, which as Cynthia mention is on its third, demand-triggered reprint, like we can’t keep up with demand there.”
Besides the direct sales, Cocks suggests that crossover Commander decks are likely to tempt 40k players into MTG, saying “That’s just a great way to, kind of, engage that Warhammer fanbase in a very similar, similarly deep and lore rich game and get them activated with us.”
WOTC released four MTG Warhammer 40k crossover commander decks on October 7, each themed around a different Warhammer 40k faction. The decks contain both worthwhile reprints and many powerful, new cards – some of these already command a high price on the secondary market, and could become desirable Commander staples.
Three more Universes Beyond products make use of Games Workshop intellectual property, all of them MTG Secret Lairs: one themed around Warhammer Age of Sigmar armies, one around the popular Warhammer 40k Orks faction, and one around the spin-off game Blood Bowl.