One of Magic: The Gathering‘s biggest crossovers to date is coming soon, as the long-running tabletop property will bring the dazzling universe of Doctor Who to decks everywhere on October 13, 2023. It’s an exciting project that’s only made possible by the existence of Universes Beyond, the concept that allows MTG to branch into properties like Transformers, Lord of the Rings, and now, Doctor Who.
The MTG x Doctor Who set will feature cards spanning all iterations of The Doctor, from his earliest days to more modern adaptations of the hero. That range also gives Principle Game Designer Gavin Verhey and the team a lot of options for how these characters, locations, and key moments will be represented mechanically. There’s a lot to unpack in the set, which features a lot of complexity, but it all makes sense the same way The Doctor’s frequent explanations of time and space theory do!
Screen Rant has the opportunity to showcase how some of these cards will be introduced to the game. With SEVEN exclusive previews, it’s time to dive into the universe of MTG x Doctor Who and see how some familiar faces will appear in tabletop games:
When we spoke with Verhey about the design of the Pasternoter Gang in Magic: The Gathering, he emphasized that designing iconic characters was done with players feeling that there’s a reason to include them in decks beyond just their likeness: “In the case of something like the Paternoster gang of Vastra, Jenny, and Strax, these are three quite popular characters and we tried to make them interesting cards to build with. We definitely want to make sure the most popular characters are ones people will be excited to give a try to.“
Doctor Who Locations In Planechase
There are also a few noteable locations for fans of Doctor Who. As this is a Planechase product, the game mechanic can whisk away games to new locations at a moment’s notice – and two such options are previewed here in the North Pole Research Base and The Drum. Verhey had some insight into how these two cards were designed with their inspiration in mind:
“To start, the drum is featured in the Twelfth Doctor two-parter of Under the Lake and Before the Flood. It’s this underwater mining facility where ghosts begin to appear. The crew (and our heroes) stay in a Faraday cage where the ghosts can’t get to… but they can’t fix the problem from in there and need to go out and explore. Doing so is a huge risk! This card mirrors that: you can send your creatures out there to learn more and get resources. But if you ever run into a ghost… You need to run back and end your turn!
North Pole Research base is from an episode at the North Pole called Last Christmas, and features Santa Claus! Its ability each turn gives people a gift. Hurray! Less fortunately, as it turns out, our heroes are being attacked by these Dream Crabs that put you to sleep. That’s why the aliens show up and stun you when chaos ensues!
Playability Outside Of Doctor Who
One of the most interesting aspects of MTG x Doctor Who is the many mechanics the set brings to the table. On just Surge of Brilliance alone, there’s Foretell – a Kaldheim mechanic – and also card text that plays well with a slew of other potential mechanics, like cascade. It’s not just that the cards are suitable for fans of the property – they’ve also been designed to be suitable within the broader landscape of Magic: The Gathering, meaning there’s more opportunity to take them for a spin than just in specifically Doctor Who Planechase games.
It’s an exciting set of cards, and an even more interesting concept. MTG x Doctor Who has a high bar to clear, but preview season is showing remarkable promise. We’ll see which cards are busted and which are overrated soon, as MTG x Doctor Who releases on October 13, 2023.
