I know there isn't exactly a unified feeling about Universes Beyond, but we can't argue that Universes Beyond won't continue. Look at how well it sells. The Lord of the Rings is still Magic: The Gathering's best-selling set. Final Fantasy is anticipated to be the next best-selling. With that in mind, I've been thinking about which IPs I'd like to see in future Universes Beyond sets.

I've been trying to get more into video games, typically Indie Games, but I have some video games that I think would bring in a ton of players, or are novel enough that players would be intereste. Let's get into it.

Undertale

We have all had a run in with the Undertale fandom, whether good or bad, but the reason for this is because this game is incredible. If you haven't played, it's a game that presents moral choices, has zany and unique characters, and tells a story about personality. Most enemies are unique and require unique methods to "fight." SPOILER ALERT: In this game you can choose to save or kill enemies. You can go through the entire game successfully without killing a single enemy.

How would Undertale translate to Magic? I think it would be a heavy Artifact deck, with all the food, treasure, and clues in the game. I think there are iconic weapons in the game depending on what route you take. I think it'd be cool to see a reprint of Peregrin Took as Burgerpants - if they ever do reprints of other UB. Bratty and Catty could be partners that interact with artifacts. Chara could be Ygra, Eater of All, because she just kills everything in sight.

A Grixis legendary creature Sans, featuring suspend and time travel, and an Orzhov legendary creature Papyrus, having to do with life gain, would be so incredible. I would love a Maarika, Brutal Gladiator version of Undyne the Undying, because she's the best warrior and when she attacks she's invincible.

Flowey and Azriel would be some kind of flip card where one side is a legendary creature and the other side is a planeswalker. Mettaton could be a Karn, Legacy Reforged reprint or a unique card. Temmie Armor could Blackblade Reforged, for resilience. There are a lot of options, and with the pull this IP has, I imagine it would sell really well.

Animal Crossing

Animal Crossing: New Horizons had everyone in a chokehold during the Covid pandemic. Everyone was playing this game. It's a cozy game where you start your journey as a villager in a small town, trying to pay off your debt for your home. As you upgrade your home, your debt gets bigger. You can fish, plant trees, make items, and collect minerals and bugs. It's a very addictive game, with incredibly iconic characters.

How would Animal Crossing translate to Magic? I would love a Hare Apparent type of card, where you can have any number of villagers in a deck, with each unique villager printed on each copy, so players will look for their favorite villagers. Every Animal Crossing pack would guarantee a Villager and Tom Nook would be the Legendary Commander deck that allows you cast any number of Villagers from your hand, but on the following upkeep, if you don't pay their mana cost, sacrifice those creatures (hello Echo).

KK Slider could be a Rakdos Goad Commander. No one would attack KK Slider, and each time it goads a creature, you draw a card. It could be a reprint of The Rani, really. Isabelle, a character that makes an appearance in Super Smash Ultimate, would be a great Gluntch, the Bestower reprint as she proves you with different things you need in the game.

Mass Effect

Mass Effect is often lauded as one of the greatest games of all time. The first two entries in the series are classic at this point, and considered by some to be required plays. It's a sci-fi, shooter, action rpg surround Commander Shepard's battle against the alien annihilator species known at the Reapers. It has tons of iconic characters and tons of fans.

How would Mass Effect translate to Magic? With the Edge of Eternities set coming up, mixing Magic's typical fantasy with sci-fi, it might be time for Mass Effect to make an appearance. Garrus, Wrex, Grunt, Liara, and Tali would all be legendary creatures. Garrus would be great as a Dimir commander, Wrex could be Gruul, and Grunt could be Selesnya. Liara would be a Simic commander and Tali could be Izzet. I feel like they would all have keywords for their classes, like Infiltrator for Garrus. I think all the cards would have to be unique original cards, because the mechanics might be hard to incorporate with existing mechanics.

I think Commander Shepard as a reprint of Dihada, Binder of Wills would go insane. Commander Shepard is looking for elite members of his team, sacrificing people along the way for the betterment of the mission, mirroring Dihada's -3. The final game is about taking all the resources of the universe to fight the reapers, mirroring Dihada's -11. Commander Shepard's personality, actions, and relationships are based on the player's decisions, mirroring Dihada's +2.

Conclusion

I clearly had too much fun thinking about my favorite characters in videogames, but in Magic, but I want to hear your thoughts. What is a Universes Beyond set you'd be excited for? What character from your favorite thing should get a Magic Card? You can find me on Bluesky at @Strixhavendropout !