Wizards of the Coast has announced an official crossover between Magic: The Gathering and Dungeons & Dragons in the form of an upcoming standard set called Dungeons & Dragons: Adventures in the Forgotten Realms. This news comes as part of a slew of announcements from Wizards outlining the future of Magic: The Gathering, including a new viking-themed setting called Kaldheim and a unique, two-part return to fan-favorite gothic horror setting Innistrad.
Dungeons & Dragons and Magic: The Gathering are two of Hasbro’s most prolific franchises, and given their shared emphasis on high fantasy and spellcraft, it should come as no surprise that they’ve been crossed over multiple times in the past. These crossovers have historically only gone one way, though; bringing classic Magic: The Gathering creatures into the tabletop environment of D&D and giving players a chance to have adventures in some of Magic‘s most iconic settings. This tradition began with a series of free PDFs, but has since evolved into two full-length published campaign setting books, letting players explore the vast cityscape of Ravnica or become legends in Magic‘s Ancient Greece-inspired world of Theros.
But as frequently as these two properties have met, D&D has never appeared in Magic, with the exception of the Sword of Dungeons & Dragons, a single card printed in a non-canonical joke set. This changes with Wizards of the Coast announcing Dungeons & Dragons: Adventures in the Forgotten Realms, a full-size Magic: The Gathering set that will be fully legal in standard play. The Forgotten Realms is one of D&D‘s most ubiquitous settings, and it contains most of the heroic fantasy standbys that Dungeons & Dragons fans have come to expect from the game. This comes with the unfortunate consequence of being considered generic and dull by many D&D players, especially when compared with more unique worlds like the fanciful, Steampunk setting of Eberron. For Dungeons & Dragons‘ first ever appearance in Magic, however, it’s arguably the most fitting choice.
The implications of the Forgotten Realms appearing in Magic: The Gathering are pretty significant. The trading card game has historically had a rather involved storyline, and it would certainly be exciting for fans to see MTG legends like Jace Beleren and Liliana Vess appear on cards alongside classic Forgotten Realms heroes like Drizzt Do’Urden. Building decks around iconic D&D monsters like Mind Flayers and Beholders should also be a treat, as these beloved horrors have never had a taste of the MTG limelight in all of the trading card game’s 27 years of existence.
Dungeons & Dragons has been thriving throughout the lifespan of its fifth edition. D&D had its best year ever in 2019, and it shows no signs of slowing down. Magic: The Gathering has had a slightly tougher time of it; fans have accused it of succumbing to power creep in recent years, printing cards that are far too powerful to contribute to a stable playing environment. Criticisms have also been leveled at the poor handling of the game’s story content in recent expansions. A set based in an iconic Dungeons & Dragons setting like the Forgotten Realms should be a good way to generate new interest and enthusiasm for the game and, hopefully, revitalize its story content. Dungeons & Dragons: Adventures in the Forgotten Realms should be an exciting development for fans of both games when it releases next year.
