With Magic: The Gathering, Wizards of the Coast almost single-handedly introduced and ushered in the era of the collectible card game. First hitting the market in 1993, the franchise began firmly entrenched in the high fantasy realm of dragons, powerful wizards called planeswalkers, and, of course, spells of all kinds and flavors. As it built its lore through a growing collection of expansion sets, Magic: The Gathering would eventually overlap with other popular IPs by bringing them into MTG's structure.

2020 marked the first of these crossovers (with The Walking Dead) in what Wizards labeled its Universes Beyond initiative. More followed, and WotC later announced a collaboration with Bethesda Game Studios to incorporate its flagship Fallout series into Universes Beyond. Recently, Game ZXC was invited to a closed press event hosted by WotC which showcased more of the upcoming Fallout-themed Commander deck sets, delving into some of the characters and mechanics that will be featured in them. Along with lead weapons/character artist Dane Olds, senior game designer for MTG Annie Sardelis discussed some of the details and interesting aspects that went into bringing the Fallout world to life for MTG as well as some of their favorite parts of designing the sets.

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Translating Fallout's Look and Feel Into Magic The Gathering

At the presentation, Olds noted upfront that several Bethesda employees are already fans of Magic The Gathering, with some of his coworkers and colleagues having hosted and played games regularly before the official onset of the partnership. This was helpful when working with Wizards on these Fallout Commander sets, as the familiarity drove creative inspiration. One thing fans will immediately notice is the alternate versions of cards which emulate the visuals of Fallout's Pip-Boy, with an art treatment depicting them with a VATS-like interface for an authentic look.

Sardelis pointed out how Fallout's signature exaggerated retro-future Americana style has become so highly recognizable that it was a bit of a treat when choosing what to integrate into MTG visuals and card content. For example, some of the more fun cards for her to design were Commander Sofia Daguerre (from FO76) and the Bobbleheads. Olds chimed in to add how he was a big fan of the inclusion of characters like Hancock, Three Dog, and his favorite character from Fallout 4, Nick Valentine.

How Magic The Gathering's Fallout Commander Decks Reflect FO's Iconic Elements

The four Commander decks are centered around a few of Fallout's well-known factions and characters, each with a cohesive theme, color combination, and card synergies, all designed to express their respective strengths and tone:

• Mutant Menace (Blue, Green, Black)
• Science! (White, Blue, Red)
• Scrappy Survivors (Green, Red, White)
• Hail, Caesar (Red, Black, White)

Sardelis stated how Fallout's rich lore and history provided a breadth of possibilities for the sets. One of the major new designs in terms of representing Fallout through unique game-impacting effects in MTG is the radiation counter mechanic, which imposes some harsh side effects and deals damage to both players, but can be used as an advantage in the right situations. Meanwhile, Mechanized Production offers an interesting alternate win condition. The Vault-related cards were also described by both Olds and Sardelis as some of the highlights for them in encapsulating the Fallout vibe for MTG.

Leaving off on a note calling back to what is Fallout's most iconic and intrinsic element, the pair explained how Ravages of War (though technically a reprint) is the epitome of a Fallout-influenced MTG card, representing the devastation that nuclear armageddon unleashed in the setting and reflected perfectly in its effect of destroying all players' lands, something that causes particular chaos in the Commander format. Fans will be able to get their hands on Magic The Gathering's Fallout Commander decks when they release to the public on March 8, 2024.

Magic The Gathering

Magic the Gathering is a tabletop and digital collectable card game created by Richard Garfield and released in 1993 by Wizards of the Coast. Players take on the role of a Planeswalker and use various cards to battle other players by casting spells, summoning creatures, or utilizing artifacts. It features two main rule categories, constructed or limited, and can be played by two or more players at a time.

Franchise

Magic: The Gathering

Original Release Date

1993-00-00

Publisher

Wizards of the Coast

Age Recommendation

13+