Universes Beyond is Wizards of the Coast's name for Magic: The Gathering cards and sets built around other franchises, like The Lord of the Rings, Final Fantasy, Marvel and Star Trek. They're real Magic cards that play with everything else, and since 2025 every new Universes Beyond booster set has been legal in all formats, Standard included.
Below: what the label means, every main Universes Beyond release so far, how format legality works (it changed in 2025), and what's coming next.
In this article
01 · The basics
What does Universes Beyond mean in Magic?
When Wizards announced Universes Beyond on 26 February 2021, it described it as a series that brings worlds, characters and stories from other franchises into Magic's game system. The first two partners it named were Warhammer 40,000 and The Lord of the Rings.
Universes Beyond will act as a brand within Magic: The Gathering.Wizards of the Coast, February 2021
Everything else is now called the Magic Multiverse: sets on Wizards' own planes, like Reality Fracture or the upcoming Nauctis: The Sunken Realm. Wizards' plan for 2027 alternates between the two, three of each.
02 · History
Universes Beyond from 2021 to 2024
The first few years were mostly Commander decks, plus one big draftable set. These are the main releases:
Images: Wizards of the Coast
The One Ring is the card most players remember from this era. Wizards itself pointed to it as an example of how hard it is to design sets that go straight into Modern: it took over the format, while the Assassin's Creed cards barely made a dent. That's a big part of why the rules changed.
This list isn't every crossover. Secret Lair has run plenty of its own, and some sets have carried a handful of crossover cards. The releases above are the main products.
03 · The modern era
Universes Beyond sets since 2025
From 2025, Universes Beyond moved from side products to full sets in the main release schedule, built like any other set and legal in Standard.
| Set | Release | Shop |
|---|---|---|
| Final Fantasy | 13 Jun 2025 | Final Fantasy |
| Marvel's Spider-Man | 26 Sep 2025 | Spider-Man |
| Avatar: The Last Airbender | 21 Nov 2025 | Avatar |
| Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles | 6 Mar 2026 | TMNT |
| Marvel Super Heroes | 26 Jun 2026 | Marvel Super Heroes |
| The Hobbit | 14 Aug 2026 | The Hobbit |
| Star Trek | 13 Nov 2026 | Coming soon |
Images: Wizards of the Coast
Final Fantasy was the first of these, and the first Universes Beyond set legal in Standard. Peter Parker and Avatar Aang are both double-faced: they transform into Amazing Spider-Man and Aang, Master of Elements.
Images: Wizards of the Coast
04 · Formats
Are Universes Beyond cards legal?
Yes, but which formats depends on when the product came out and what kind of product it is.
| Product | Legal in |
|---|---|
| Universes Beyond booster sets from 2025 (Final Fantasy onwards) | All formats, including Standard |
| The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth, Assassin's Creed | Modern, Legacy, Vintage, Commander (unchanged) |
| Commander decks and their new cards | Commander, Legacy and Vintage |
| Extra cards like Special Guests and Star Trek's Stardates reprints | Commander, Legacy and Vintage, plus wherever the card is already legal |
Wizards made the change in October 2024, saying new Universes Beyond booster sets would be legal in all Constructed formats from 2025, just like its own sets. It was forward-looking only: older sets kept their legality. Star Trek follows the same pattern: the main set (TRK) is legal in every format, while the Commander decks (TRC) and Stardates cards (SDS) are Commander, Legacy and Vintage only.
What about Secret Lair crossover cards?
Images: Wizards of the Coast
Many Secret Lair crossovers are reprints of existing Magic cards with new names. Look under the title: this Labyrinth card from the Corn Maze Superdrop (12 October 2026) is Jareth, Goblin King on top and Muxus, Goblin Grandee underneath: the Magic card it reprints, which first appeared in Jumpstart in 2020.
05 · What's next
Upcoming Universes Beyond sets
The three 2027 dates are on Wizards' roadmap as Universes Beyond sets that haven't been announced yet. When Magic's new God Packs start with Nauctis in February 2027, they'll only be in Magic Multiverse sets at first; Universes Beyond sets are expected to get them some time in 2028.
06 · Our take
Is Universes Beyond good for Magic?
Our take
We think it's the easiest way into Magic for a lot of people. A familiar face like Spider-Man, Gandalf or Cloud makes a first purchase less daunting, and the Commander decks are a ready-made way to start.
The trade-off is choice overload. With several crossovers a year, it's easy to buy a box for the franchise rather than the game. If you're new, pick the one franchise you love and start with its Commander deck or a bundle, not a Collector Booster box.
- ✓You love the franchise: you get the characters you love as playable cards
- ✓You want to learn Magic: a familiar world makes the rules easier to pick up
- ✓You play Standard: new sets are fully legal now
- ✕You want Magic's own story: that lives in the Magic Multiverse sets
- ✕You play on MTG Arena: Marvel sets aren't coming to digital
Never played? Start with our how to play Magic: The Gathering guide, and see every set in order on our Magic: The Gathering sets page.
07 · FAQ
Universes Beyond FAQ
What is Universes Beyond in Magic: The Gathering?
Are Universes Beyond cards legal in Standard?
What was the first Universes Beyond set?
What is the next Universes Beyond set?
Are Universes Beyond cards on MTG Arena?
Keep reading
Sources
- Wizards of the Coast, Magic's Voyages to Universes Beyond, 26 February 2021
- Wizards of the Coast, A First Look at Magic: The Gathering's Universes Beyond Warhammer 40,000 Collaboration, 13 May 2022, updated
- Wizards of the Coast, On June 23, Experience Middle-earth Like Never Before, 21 February 2023
- Wizards of the Coast, Collecting Magic: The Gathering Doctor Who, 3 October 2023
- Wizards of the Coast, Magic: The Gathering Fallout Commander Decklists, February 2024
- Wizards of the Coast, Assassin's Creed product page
- Wizards of the Coast, Aligning the Universes: Making All Our Sets Legal in All Our Formats, 25 October 2024
- Wizards of the Coast, The Foundations of Magic's Next Era, 25 October 2024
- Wizards of the Coast, Through the Omenpaths and Digital Universes Beyond Updates, 21 April 2025
- Wizards of the Coast, Collecting Marvel's Spider-Man, 29 August 2025
- Wizards of the Coast, Collecting Avatar: The Last Airbender, 28 October 2025
- Wizards of the Coast, Collecting Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, 17 February 2026
- Wizards of the Coast, Collecting Marvel Super Heroes, 2 June 2026
- Wizards of the Coast, Collecting The Hobbit
- Wizards of the Coast, Collecting Magic: The Gathering | Star Trek: A First Look, 14 July 2026
- Wizards of the Coast, Everything Announced for the Magic Multiverse in 2027, 17 July 2026, including the 2027 roadmap
- Wizards of the Coast, Updating Our Boosters in 2027, 5 October 2026
- Scryfall, Card images and collector numbers
Card images: Wizards of the Coast, via Scryfall. The Jareth card image: Wizards of the Coast.