Magic the Gathering Meets Warhammer 40k: Deadly Domain – Awesome New Cards for Each Color
MTG’s Universes Beyond is boosting the color wheel with these great new cards every 40K player will love!
The new Universes Beyond commander decks have been fully revealed, and they’re full of powerful reprints. However, the brand-new cards are the most exciting part of any new deck; these decks don’t neglect there, either.
Whether they slot into an existing 99 or serve as the springboard for a fresh concept, original cards are always a welcome addition to any collection. The Grimdark universe certainly doesn’t disappoint and has provided some powerful new pieces for every color on the MTG wheel. Here are five of our favorite cards from the new Commander rotation, one for each color.
White – Thunderwolf Cavalry
At first glance, this is a pretty standard white damage piece at 4/4 with First Strike for 4W. However, that second ability is where these puppers really shine. Allowing you to put a+1/+1 counter on EVERY OTHER creature you control whenever it gets through to deal combat damage. Since it sits firmly in an Esper token deck and the Blue and Black companion colors have no shortage of ways to increase evasion, this isn’t a tall order, and will make a board go from weenie to winner in no time. But even outside the Imperium deck, a big beater that also buffs your board is an easy include. I’ll probably be slotting one into my Gluntch counter deck.
Blue – Genestealer Patriarch
Of the five colors, blue is the most underrepresented in the new decks with only 11 cards. However, that doesn’t mean it doesn’t give us some power, like this subtle copy king the Genestealer Patriarch. Whenever this monster attacks (just attacks, not deals damage) you get to put an infection counter on one of your opponent’s creatures. While they don’t do anything right away, when one of the infected creatures dies, you get a copy that also gains the Tyranid type. Blue doesn’t have a lot of removal on its own. But combo it with any of the other four and you’ll have access to easy creature killers. Soon enough, your opponents will be staring down their own board. But their creatures will be empowering your own with cards like Coat of Arms or Icon of Ancestry. Definitely a piece worth considering in a Sakashima or Orvar deck.
Black – Biotransference
On the other side of the representation coin, black got the lion’s share with a dedicated deck and a place in all three others (though blue is in three of them, most of its representation is multicolor). While there are several candidates for the best card in this color, Biotransference blows them all away. Turning all creatures on or off the battlefield into artifacts AND getting a token effect whenever you play one is already powerful on its own. However, combining this with all the artifact recursion that already exists and all the new pieces in the deck makes this a powerhouse. Cards like Glissa the Traitor, Breya, and Sydri will love having all your creatures got a metallic coat, and you’ll see the benefits right away.
Red – Exocrine
This one is another sleeper card that looks mid on the surface but can become an absolute bomb under the right circumstances. First, the Ravenous ability gives you card draw, something that is rare in red without pitching other cards. Second, it can come in as a massive beater if you have the mana, but what you really want it for is the Barrage effect. When it pops down on the battlefield, however much extra mana you pumped into it goes straight into the faces of everything else on the board. If you have enough saved up, you could end the game in a single cannon blast, and still have a massive creature on the board while your opponents scramble with scraps.
Green – Bone Sabres
This one should go without saying, but I’m going to say it anyway; this might be the best card in the set to plug into other 99s. Getting four +1/+1 counters just for attacking is already strong, and it makes your threats dangerous before they even deal damage. Combine that with an effect like Hardened Scales, Doubling Season, or the all-powerful Vorinclex, and you’ll have creatures getting out of hand fast. The best part is, since it’s an equipment, it doesn’t die when your creature does, and if you need to buff something else, you can just shift it over. At 3 mana, this card is insane, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it became a staple going forward.
What are your favorite cards from the set?
