The MTG Warhammer 40k Universes Beyond release is the geek crossover event of the season, so of course it needed to have its own trailer. Wizards of the Coast put one out just yesterday, to advertise the melding of Warhammer 40k flavour and Magic: The Gathering gameplay on the tabletop.
Or at least theoretically that’s what this trailer is doing. But while the characters within do eventually get down to a round of Magic, a good half of the runtime is taken up with strange photocopying and baking antics, as well as some very questionable tattoo choices.
“Aren’t you tired of being nice; putting everything in its place; staying in the lines?” the dramatic VO asks. But it’s not exactly clear how printing out a logo on a sheet of A4, decorating an MTG cake, or playing an MTG Commander game is a rebellious act. And we’d hope the tattooist, at least, is staying in the lines.
We’re being a little glib, because it is kinda clear what Wizards of the Coast is going for here, both from the visuals and from lines like “embrace your emblems your way” and “your very first victory is acknowledging each other”.
You know how it is when you feel you have to be a little coy about your nerdiest passions with new people, and how great it feels when you come across a kindred spirit and can share a side of yourself that you’re often a little afraid to? That seems to be the spirit of what this trailer is trying to convey.
Trouble is, it’s a bit unclear how this message relates to the new MTG Warhammer 40k commander decks, and elements of it come across as pretty silly. For instance, why is this man printing just a title and logo on the office printer? Why does this woman have MTG and 40k tattooed on her knuckles, their respective symbols on her neck, and no other tattoos of any kind? And why does she tap her cards counter clockwise?
Unusual trailers aside, we’re pretty pumped to see more Warhammer 40k Magic cards. Alongside this trailer, on September 13 Wizards shared a bunch of Warhammer MTG artwork, and new cards are coming thick and fast. We’re expecting the full Tyranid Swarm deck reveal today – check out our MTG Warhammer 40k crossover guide for more details.