There are no limits to the stories and worlds that Magic The Gathering brings to life. From adapting the fantasy cornerstone world of Lord of the Rings to imbuing the genre with Mesoamerican influence in the Lost Caverns of Ixalan, every new set highlights that the franchise is more than just a card game. No stranger to IP partnerships, Magic The Gathering has announced its latest collaboration. This time, it’s with Bethesda Game Studios, as they bring the world of Fallout to Magic: The Gathering.
Announced first in October of 2023, this new set celebrates elements of all Fallout games since 1997. But the Magic: The Gathering-Fallout set isn’t just adapting the world 1:1. That’s not the MTG way. This new set, featuring four Commander Decks inspired by different themes, also represents the first “modern view” of some of the classic ‘Fallout’ games. This includes updates to characters and settings from Fallout and Fallout 2.
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With a card game as long-lasting and iconic as this, the team’s dedication to making it accessible to new audiences is invaluable as it expands its collaborations.
Scrappy Survivor Commander Deck
With gaming’s best boy, Dog Meat Commander, the strategy is go tall where you suit up one creature with aura and equipment similar to how you level up as you play fallout. They have adapted artifact tokens to be junk tokens in this deck that will allow you draw cards and express scavenging in the wasteland
Comander Sofia Daguerre – She’s a Legendary creature based on a character from Fallout 76. She was in outerspace when the Great War happened. Because she was unaware of what happened during her time off planet, you catch her up on what she’s missed in the game. Here, MTG has leveraged quest names to call back to what the quest is called in the game.
Idolized – Mechanics-wise, this is focused on the Go Tall strategy the deck is built around. As you play these cards you become idolized by different factions and communities. While in the game, this buffs your character, and in Magic: The Gathering-Fallout it comes in the form of an Aura.
Three Dog, Galaxy News DJ – In Fallout 3, Three Dog is essential to creating the experience and atmosphere. Playing from your Pip-Boy, Three Dog is critical to bringing the Wasteland to life. Mechanically, Three Dog is a Human Bard and Legendary Creature that broadcasts his auras to the others on the board.
Perception Bobblehead – One of the icons of Fallout, Bobbleheads in the game series are collectibles that have cemented curiosity and exploration. In Magic: The Gathering-Fallout, there are seven bobbleheads, each representing different traits like Intelligence and Perception that scales to the number of bobbleheads you have.
Puresteel Paladin – A flavorful rerpint of a existing MTG card, the Puresteel Paladin works as a reference to a rank within the Brotherhood of Steel. This makes it the perfect combo, especially with a focus on equipment for the Scrappy Survivor Commander Deck.
Heroic Intervention – This reprint features Nick Valentine, one of the best characters of Fallout 4. He is a noir detective that adds genre flair to the sci-fi world of Fallout. This makes him perfect for Magic: The Gathering-Fallout.
Science Commander Deck
An Artifact Deck with Dr. Madison Li as its commander, this deck generates energy which can be used in various ways to draw more cards, power up your robot characters, and win. The main focus here is Fallout’s sci-fi robots.
Liberty Prime, Recharged – Introduced in Fallout 3, Liberty Prime is one of the franchise’s iconic robots, coming back in Fallout 4 at the hands of the Brotherhood of the Steel.
Nick Valentine, Private Eye – Captures the essence of the character as a detective and connects him to other synths in the game.
Vault 112: Sadistic Simulation – A Saga card, this card is an example of the different Vault stories throughout the Fallout universe—with the classic Saga card mechanics.
T-45 Power Armor – An artifact equipment card, the Power Armor is one of Fallout’s most recognizable visuals. Mechanically, this card also features a keyword counter to allow the player to modify their Power Armor just as you would in Fallout.
Open the Vaults – A Sorcery card, this one captures a moment in time that is critical to every single Fallout game. It’s a changing of your world from something isolated into a large open apocalyptic sandbox. A Flarvorful reprint with heart for sure.
Mechanized Production – A reprint for fans of artifacts, this Aura allows you to duplicate artifacts you control.
Solemn Simulacrum – A classic MTG card with the Fallout treatment, this one captures the core of the Science deck.
Mutant Menace Commander Deck
A mutant-centric deck (obviously), Mutant Menace introduces a new rad-counter mechanic that allows you to buff up your mutants and create a powerful mutant army…or you know, irradiate your enemies.
Hancock, Ghoulish Mayor – Another icon from Fallout 4, he’s an example of a ghoul and where they fit within the zombie tribe in Magic: The Gathering-Fallout.
Nuclear Fallout – The card that will allow anyone playing a Mutant Menace deck to irradiate their opponent with an increasing rad-counter. It also captures the perfect weird twist that Fallout has on Americana.
Guardian Project – No two mutants are alike and that’s what makes the mechanics of Guardian Project so good.
Hail Caesar Commander Pack
Not to leave Fallout New Vegas out, the Hail Caesar commander is Caesar, Legion’s Emperor from the game. A legendary creature, use this commander in a deck built for a go-wide tokens strategy. Focus on profit first, sometimes sacrificing your cards for a larger reward. It also features a diverse amount of Fallout factions represented in this deck, not just the Legion.
Powder Ganger – This card leverages the Squad mechanic from the Warhammer 40k Commander set to focus on building up a huge army to swarm the board.
Legate Lanius, Caesar’s Ace – A violent enforcer and all around baddie, the choice to make his mechanic “sacrifice a tenth of the creatures you control” is absolutely perfect in capturing the Fallout lore around him.
Ruinous Ultimatum – This card is a reprint that embodies the push to claim certain factions and salt and burn the earth of others, especially in New Vegas.
Collector Booster Cards
While there are many reprints making appearances in the set, there is one that Magic players haven’t seen in awhile: Ravages of War. With adorable Vault Boy art, there’s no better way to capture Fallout than with the card that destroys all of your Land.
Magic: The Gathering-Fallout is available March 8, 2024.
