Hands-on with Magic: The Gathering – Assassin’s Creed

Summer Game Fest isn’t always just about video games. This year, Wizards of the Coast was on deck with their new supplemental Magic: The Gathering set – Universes Beyond: Assassin’s Creed. Following their latest video game tie-in with Fallout, Universes Beyond: Assassin’s Creed will showcase some of the legendary franchise’s most iconic characters, locations, and moments, all told through Magic cards. Although these cards are based around the Assassin’s Creed lore, they will use new and returning Magic mechanics and be playable in the Modern, Legacy, Commander, and Vintage formats. These will not be available on Magic: Arena, however. There are even reprints of older cards with new art!

During the show, I got to go hands-on with the new cards. I played against Corey Bowen, a designer on the set, using the new Assassin’s Creed starter decks. Corey used a Red/ White equipment-focused deck whose marquee card is Eivor, Battle-Ready (of Valhalla fame). This was a fast-paced aggro deck, and I had a hard time keeping up. I used a Blue/ Black Assassin-themed deck, fronted by fan-favorite Ezio, Blade of Vengeance. This build was a bit more midrange, relying on the synergy with my Assassin creatures. My deck also highlighted the new mechanic Freerunning, which reduces the cost of Assassin creatures if I dealt combat damage to an opponent with an Assassin or commander. This product features two 60-card decks, with 31 new cards exclusive to them.

Starter Kit Gallery

Along with these two starter decks, Universes Beyond: Assassin’s Creed features a main set of over 100 cards, all fully draftable and available in non-rotating formats (except Pioneer). The rarity breakdown of this set is as follows: 54 uncommons, 37 rares (including 5 dual lands), 14 mythic rares, and 10 all-new full art basic lands.

Main Set gallery

Like previous Universes Beyond sets, Assassin’s Creed features alternate art and border cards that showcase some of the games’ aesthetic. Here, they’re called Memory Corridor cards. These are available in non-foil and foil in Beyond Boosters and Collector Boosters. There are also 5 mythic rare cards that sport the Textured Foil Memory Corridor look.

Alternate art and border gallery

This may be the next video game tie-in set, but it won’t be the last. Wizards of the Coast has announced a Final Fantasy set, spanning the JRPG’s rich history, coming 2025. Universes Beyond: Assassin’s Creed is available worldwide on July 5th, with previews starting today, June 18th. WOTC’s most recent set, Modern Horizons III was released June 14th. Its next main set Bloomburrow is coming August 2nd.

Special thank you to Wizards of the Coast for allowing me an early look at these new cards!