The Incoming Disaster of Assassin's Creed Universes Beyond. With Special Guest Matthew Stogdon

[@onlyonfox]

If you like the arts of the cards to have on you wall you could maybe buy them from the artists. Because sometimes it really feels like that is the only valuable thing on magic cards anymore.

[@RedBobcatGames]

Good point, I fully agree. Support our artists!

[@GameMageVideos]

You should've also given him the conext that a standard mtg pack not only costs less, but has like double the amount of cards, and is actually legal in every format

[@RedBobcatGames]

Yeah, you're not wrong. But also I'm honestly not sure he'd be interested in Magic at all if it weren't for Assassin's Creed. Which frankly makes him the perfect guest for the questions I wanted to ask

[@Vok250]

What's interesting here is that it's the price keeping a potential player away. Only MTG stans are gonna pay these ludicrous prices.

[@RedBobcatGames]

True. Which is a shame because I suspect Wizard's might know that, meaning I bet some of the cards are busted powerful to drawn people in. I won't be surprised if there are a few format warping bombs in there

[@collardcow4183]

As maybe one of the biggest mtg fans out there, I can confirm that regardless of if the cards and set are cool, I’m not cashing in for a PlayStation/xbox just on account of my liking that card one time. Which means inversely, no assassin’s creed fans are going to see those characters in mtg and cash in for all the cards they’d need in order to make themselves competitive (or even for cards to go with the creed cards in a casual setting). Overall, it’s just another example of WotC wasting cool card design and artwork on products meant to alienate players and onlookers alike

[@Wizley15]

I think enough people will buy the cards to make it worth it for Wizards. I’m not pleased with it personally, but my coworker is actually planning on getting into Magic because of the Assassins Creed stuff specifically

[@RedBobcatGames]

@Wizley15 See now that is cool to hear. I just wish the prices were less harsh for newbies

[@mountainghoti1671]

WotC has done the math on these UB IPs. They think they'll make just enough to do it again, and again. But this math doesn't work out for us, and it might just hit back, finally.

[@Jomacomi]

idk, one of my friends who isn’t chronically online saw that it was gonna come out and thought it was really cool

[@RedBobcatGames]

@@Jomacomi Will they buy any though? I imagine the price is going to put a lot of people off

[@Vok250]

As an AC fan, the cards are absolutely dope. As an MTG fan though, epilogue boosters can go fuck themselves.

[@RedBobcatGames]

PREACH!

[@GinnyFan765]

The hidden blade in the promo being between the wrong fingers did bother me, until I realized: the fingers and blade position are similar to the Magic logo.

[@RedBobcatGames]

Ohhhh, I didn't spot that

[@lucasnoordenbos9298]

As someone who has experienced Universes Beyond pulling people into MtG, I do want to say the following: What pulls people further into MtG (in my experience) after buying a Universes Beyond of their favourite product is not then buying booster boxes but it's looking for cards outside of Universes Beyond to put in their Universes Beyond decks. Someone buys a Doctor Who deck in the store and finds people to play with, who then in turn recommend cards to them to put in their decks. And then possibilities open up like what other decks are out there? To be fair, I think the Commander format really makes this go a lot faster because the interaction you get with 3 other established MtG players and their fun decks helps there. Not sure why they didn't release EDH decks with this when they do with everything else.

[@lucasnoordenbos9298]

Oh and also they have to be lucky to have a fun and friendly local game store, but I think that a majority of us established MtG players wouldn't be MtG players if we didn't have that either.

[@RedBobcatGames]

To be fair that's an angle I've never considered. But I think you're right. Having a 4 man game means extra chances to talk about the game and create a more communal environment. That's probably why WotC goes so hard on keeping Commander players happy. They're better than most marketing. Huh

[@peterrodriguez5129]

i can see where you're coming from, but during my experience entering into MtG i found the singleton 100 card format very overwhelming, trying to read every card and having drastically different experiences everytime i played the deck made me steer clear of that format til later in my MtG career.

[@Big_Dai]

I'm a big Kamigawa fan! Enough to reluctantly purchase a singleton collection of Neon Dynasty. But these new inclusions in weird places, and crappy continuation of the original story (and general poor story telling) makes it all not worth it. I would LOVE to hear your thoughts on this new multiverse crossover that is Thunder Junction.. with a "Lost Jitte" inclusion, and Ninja Satoru joining the cowboys. There's something to it, that just feels manipulative.

[@RedBobcatGames]

You're going to have to wait. But not long. It's literally next week (although in fairness I don't mention the Jitte specifically, but do talk at length about cards in the same vein)

[@CatManThree]

Theyre about to do the same shit to Lorwyn. Maro always describes the upcoming Lorwyn set as using Neon Dynasty as a framework due to that set's supposed success. Lorwyn block was some of the worst selling sets of all time despite how unbelievably innovative it was and how incredible the artwork, story, and premise were from the block. This was largely due to the recession, but I doubt Maro sees it that way given his comparing it to the similarly low selling kamigawa block. (Edit: grammar)

[@RedBobcatGames]

@@CatManThree Oh boy. I bet it's all just generic digital artwork like we see from every set now too. That's going to be rough

[@CatManThree]

@@RedBobcatGames Generic? Im not sure what you mean but I dont think that is the real issue here. The issue is more how they will probably address the "problems" with the plane. Such as the "problem" of the plane not having any humans on it, a problem that can be easily "fixed" via the omen paths. Whenever the topic comes up Maro always brings up how the original block preformed terribly, and tends to mention how Neon Dynasty will be the framework for how to return to the plane. Kamigawa block was similarly a horrendously low selling set for a number of reasons, and neon kamigawa was significantly more successful. Granted, maro goes on about how Neon Kamigawa preformed well specifically because of them harnessing nostalgia for the plane sometimes, so theres always a chance they wont alter the plane too significantly.

[@RedBobcatGames]

@@CatManThree What I meant was that the Lorwyn block had some of the most beautiful and unique artwork from any set in the entire game (in my opinion). Since the move to more digital art being used on cards, the art style between planes has become more fixed. Outside of whether a featured character is wearing a cowboy hat or a trilby, the actual art design from one set to the next is very similar and it's hard to tell modern planes apart just by looking at a creature or character's design. Lorwyn didn't have that issue, as it was so unique. What I was saying was, I worry a return to the plane will mean that unique art style will need to be sacrificed. I also share your concerns about the lore of the plane being messed up too

[@ethantownsend2233]

I have a feeling this product is going to be for people who want to stay competitive in modern more than anything else :/ Love the cut to black at the end!

[@RedBobcatGames]

Haha, thank you. And yeah, you're probably right. Just another excuse to squeeze money out of Modern players

[@retektereptest]

@@RedBobcatGames Man I keep forgetting this set is modern legal. The idea that you might just have to run some variant of ezio in your deck because it's just that good of a fit feels bleak.

[@RedBobcatGames]

@@retektereptest I hope they make a Universes Within of these cards, but I doubt they will

[@TheEpicChicken]

As a fan of AC and MtG, I can safely say I won't be buying this product. If I were, it would probably be a "collect 'em all" type deal. But even that is nearly impossible what with the million different art/foiling printing for half the cards.

[@RedBobcatGames]

See the venn diagram that mentions "rich"

[@callumbyrne4263]

So much juicy bobcat lore in this one. What are rent prices like on the moon? Has the cost of greed crisis hit you up there as well?

[@RedBobcatGames]

I'm not allowed to pay rent up here

[@callumbyrne4263]

@@RedBobcatGames Luxury space Communism confirmed?

[@RedBobcatGames]

Haha... yeah... luxury...

[@callumbyrne4263]

What an ominous reply

[@tamerofthewilds9987]

And here they claimed they were done with Aftermath boosters after the sheer clapback the community gave them

[@RedBobcatGames]

Oh I'm sure that "Beyond Boosters" are a TOTALLY different thing and much better value haha

[@PhoenicopterusR]

I think this product is for me, so I can say to my friend "hey they made another set from a series you love!" And they can say back "that's crazy haha. I'm still not going to play magic."

[@RedBobcatGames]

Haha, fair. What was the first set?

[@PhoenicopterusR]

@RedBobcatGames Doctor Who was the first set. If we want to count Secret Lairs, it was technically the Princess Bride secret lair. Now I'm just waiting for the (not strixhaven) Harry Potter set and a lorcana x MtG crossover.

[@RedBobcatGames]

@@PhoenicopterusR See a year ago I would have said they wouldn't want to do Harry Potter because they wouldn't want to work with Rowling. But they've just partnered with Ubisoft so what do I know?

[@PhoenicopterusR]

@RedBobcatGames they both have experience making controversial changes to their product and doubling down on it, much to the chagrin of their fan base. Honestly, a match made in heaven. They also both released a product that was good on paper but, in reality, was poorly implemented and too small in scale. Maybe that's reaching a bit too much, though.

[@Jupiterbun-bunJetson]

It's made for me, so I can tell my friends "Dude, you can put Ezio Auditore in your deck."

[@RedBobcatGames]

Haha, fair

[@skyhorizon6860]

It's for me, personally asked rosewater myself

[@RedBobcatGames]

Oh well then. Mystery solved. Are you pleased with the set? Some of those cards do look fun, and I'm pleased to see that starter kit at an affordable price

[@Hyacsho]

Finally, a podcast that is interesting and doesn't put me to sleep. Looking forward to the next one

[@RedBobcatGames]

Honestly might be a while before I put out another one this long. I suspect the next time I have another guest on. But make sure to check out The Sequelisers though for Matt's podcast. It's good stuff

[@Hyacsho]

@@RedBobcatGames oh I thought the length was great. Here I sit, organising my cards, perfect timeline for me. But overall, great pace and voice. 🙌

[@RedBobcatGames]

Well thank you very much. I'm glad you enjoyed

[@CeleTheRef]

Suddenly this video became an episode of The Price Is Right 😁

[@RedBobcatGames]

I should have had music made for this one too haha

[@Doombot2point0]

We will see how the non-draftable boosters go. I think the argument is that they don't have to design with limited balance in mind so in theory the cards can be a bit more pushed/unhinged in a sense, but they don't seem to have too many issues releasing uber powerful cards in draft sets either. I'm not too sure taking away the draftability of this set is really worth the potential upside, especially when that doesn't make the packs any cheaper (you'd think less effort spent on balancing for draft would mean less money spent in R&D and therefore cheaper prices...). Besides, I would imagine drafting around Assasin's Creed could be really fun from a flavor perspective as you are all assassins trying to take each other out or something. They could've done something similar to conspiracy where they added some unique draft mechanic as well, but again, I think sets like these are mainly for the whales/collectors and for people needing the latest and greatest pushed card design to compete in....Modern? Without WotC supporting paper events very well, does anyone even care anymore? I haven't seen hype around pro tour magic in ages.

[@RedBobcatGames]

I suspect the lack of draftability is due to cost cutting measures. If the sets don't have to be drafted, they don't need to contain as many cards. I honestly I think that's all there is to it. Just charging more for less

[@baelsalmongaming]

@@RedBobcatGames I think the issue with this is largely that no matter how good the cards are because of the limited number of cards, like with Aftermath, people will be pulling the same cards too often. The very good cards will be chase rares, just like in Aftermath. I believe Aftermath was 230 cards and AC is going to be around 100. I think if this idea were to succeed there would need to be more product, whether incorporating more reprints or new cards to make opening packs feel more interesting than looking at largely the same 10 cards repetitively.

[@johndoriansmith]

Dude you brought in an expert, that's awesome.

[@RedBobcatGames]

Right? He blew me away with how much he knew haha

[@agoodname6997]

As someone who started playing assassins creed and then started playing magic, I love this set and I've been waiting for something like this for a while. I love how the cards are designed and really love my dimir assassin deck. I am 100% buying alot of this and I'm definitely gonna be broke after this set.

[@agoodname6997]

I will say, I never got the point of collectors boosters in the first place and I'd probably just buy individual packs or the bundles.

[@RedBobcatGames]

Yeah, I think the price and contents of these "beyond boosters" is going to be a concern. I guess we'll see

[@Glitch-sp3qx]

I think I should share my point in here. Before I say anything though, I want to say that I know I'm not speaking for a lot of people, this is for myself and if you agree then you agree, it's fine if you don't. I started playing Magic around Eldritch Moon, but I mostly played on and off for a long time until about a couple years ago when I fully immersed myself into commander. I gained a love for the game to the point I started regularly buying products either as packs or individuals for a deck and it's gotten to the point I don't really care what set it is, but that it has new things, and I think it's become a personal problem for me when I see this set and want to buy a box of it.

[@RedBobcatGames]

Yeah that's rough. You do have to be careful that you're not making it a habbit. Some of these box prices are crazy high, and you shouldn't feel forced to collect them all if you can't afford it

[@ebbandfloatzel]

I definitely agree with the idea that Universes Beyond isn't really "for" getting people into Magic. The game is already huge, you're not getting a lot of growth because many of those people will already have overlapped if they were at ALL interested in getting into card games. This isn't gacha hell-scape, so it's not like Magic is drowning in a sea of choice where "Anime crossover 20XX" is actually getting more eyes on them. UB is mostly for enfranchised players. They want to buy cards to use for their decks, and that's it. The whole UB thing is just another way to combat player fatigue. New IPs, unique uses of mechanics with heavy flavor, etc. Top Down Design is good for that.

[@RedBobcatGames]

Mark Rosewater has said they're probably going to stop printing Universes Within versions of cards. Which is a shame, because if the goal is to get cards into players hands, then there are plenty of people like me that just won't buy them

[@ebbandfloatzel]

@@RedBobcatGames The goal isn't to get cards in player's hands, for as cynical as that sounds. Even in Gacha Games, the goal of a crossover is _typically_ to get existing players to spend without barreling down the power creep, and also for new players brought from the crossover to spend on new player packs and get invested with the game. It is, at the end of the day, a way for them to make purchases happen. Which is fine. I'm not trying to act like a business wanting to make money is bad. But I do note that as a heavily established brand, Magic seems to be doing it for the wrong reasons. They are reaching for a growth market that isn't there with a lot of these sets, and the appeal coming from these sets I tend to hear in the wild is mechanical by nature. I've had no genuine tie to the UBs released outside of Godzilla and now Hatsune Miku... Yet I've indulged in most because of mechanics for example. There's some overlap genuinely excited for the IP being introduced to Magic... But by Magic players. I never see people joining in solely because of the crossover in my area at LGS level.

[@RedBobcatGames]

And yet apparently the LotR set was one of the best selling of all time. So I think we're just going to keep seeing them over and over till they're long past the point of franchises that make any sense at all

[@GaybrohamStinkton]

Cheapiliser is down to 3 hosts now? Did they even rip into Arsehens 2 the Quest for Failure?

[@RedBobcatGames]

"Arsehens" is funny, but I think "Cheapiliser" needs work

[@user-ok5xs8gl7x]

Hot take. I love universes beyond. They’re a great way for me to get my friends who aren’t into mtg into mtg with other ips that they like

[@RedBobcatGames]

I'm not sure that's a hot take to be honest. Universes beyond is incredibly popular. I think I'm just grumpy haha

[@Case2_0]

I’m now just sad they didn’t go all in a do a bunch of real world figures

[@RedBobcatGames]

I haven't watched the reveal yet, but I'd be surprised if there's not at least a few more coming

[@Case2_0]

@@RedBobcatGames only 4

[@RedBobcatGames]

Oh, that's actually a surprise. WotC aren't exactly known for holding back lately

[@Case2_0]

@@RedBobcatGames exactly! It’s a 100 card set. They really should have gone all out on a normal sized set around Christmas instead of squeezing a mini set between MH3 and Bloomborrow. The most disappointing thing is they decided to not do a single revolutionary war figure. I was hoping for at least George Washington but really I wanted Ben Franklin so I could build a commander deck around my great great great great great great great great grandfather.

[@RedBobcatGames]

Oh that's a cool connection. Now I'm annoyed they didn't do it on your behalf

[@justinw4447]

I have watched some of your videos before when it was recommended by YT but I forgot to sub and when it suggested another video of yours again, I made sure to do so. All I can say is all the points you both talked about are spot on. I started playing / spending on MTG fully back in Odyssey. I miss those times when MTG was very focused solely on their main sets. I know they are just trying to make more money by going this venture and it's inevitable. But I sure wish they would tone it down a bit.

[@RedBobcatGames]

It's always funny to me when I hear them talk about how they want to focus on Standard, and then put a bunch of chase cards for Commander in their main sets. I think you're right, it's all about the money

[@sebastiandian]

This is mostly for Non-MTG Assasins Creed Fans (And Yuriko Enjoyers). Here in Uruguay we are waiting for this to release ! (And the Final Fantasy one)

[@RedBobcatGames]

I suspect you're right. And hello to Uruguay! I hope you enjoy it when it comes out!

[@TheLordRumfish]

I did a video on the beyond booster and small set size comparing it with Fallen Empires and Homelands. Oddly enough, if the set crashes and burns I will probably buy it as a novelty at a great discount.

[@RedBobcatGames]

I've had a similar idea, but I doubt it will because I don't think it's getting a reprint or Universes Within version

[@grandpretredesalpagas4665]

I love TCGs and my best friend love Assasin's creed, so i know this product is for us, we are going to try doing draft with it

[@RedBobcatGames]

Oh well good luck. I'm not sure it's draftable but that starter kit will do in a pinch if needed

[@grandpretredesalpagas4665]

Thank you very much, also thank you for your channel your videos are really nice !

[@RedBobcatGames]

Why thank you very much too!

[@calvineagar1863]

I was most looking forward to it just for the concept of making custom sets of other properties on my own with more cards than a secret lair but less cards than an actual draftable set, and seeing how the 100 card distribution worked.

[@RedBobcatGames]

Will you try and collect one of each? Or just buy a box and build from what you get?

[@calvineagar1863]

@@RedBobcatGames I haven't ever played Assassins' creed, so I wasn't planning on buying it, and It's also ridonkulously expensive even for Magic. I love Magic because of its design and structure being able to represent lots of different ideas, so I was really excited to see how the set itself was constructed so I could create my own cards using it as a framework. If I had a property I wanted to make custom cards for, like the Owl House, that was too small for a full set/commander decks or too big for a few secret lairs, I was hoping this would be a good framework to build a set of card for that properties stuff. I know some people think custom cards are cringe, and most are, but I see the value in it.

[@RedBobcatGames]

Hey man, I have whole videos designing custom cards. I love it. My next video is talking about what a Star Trek Universes beyond might look like. I think it's cool as hell if you're making them to actually play with. Rock on

[@calvineagar1863]

@@RedBobcatGames noice! I'll look through the rest of your channel then, just found it and I really appreciate your dedicated perspective

[@RedBobcatGames]

Thank you very much!

[@ffenoelfa8053]

The last question was for me with LOtR I loved the set so much I’ve now spend well more then I can admit on this new hobby 😅

[@RedBobcatGames]

Do you buy singles? It's not much cheaper, but you're guarenteed the cards you actually want at least

[@lum26akua28]

Buy proxies!

[@RedBobcatGames]

@@lum26akua28 That too

[@SirFingleton]

the cards are cool. the double price for half the amount of cards in other booster, no thanks. i'll probably only ever get that starter kit as sealed pruducts, just to get a bunch of the cards for cheap

[@RedBobcatGames]

Yeah, that's my thinking too

[@RpRm]

Just a heads-up: There were also historical figures used on old Magic cards, I don't play for long enough to know this stuff, but as I came upon the card of Sun Quan, Lord of Wu, I suspect there may be more. Sun Quan was a real person, founder of Wu and Wu was one of the three dynasties that would inherit China after the fall of the Han and later fight in the Romance of the three Kingdoms. Of course parts of it aren't nessecarily based on reality, but in general the stuff happened and chances are good a person corresponding to Sun Quan existed. Edit: Just looked up the Portal Three Kingdoms expansion and it's pretty much 3rd century China printed on shiny cardboard. lol

[@RedBobcatGames]

Oh no I'm aware, like I said though they haven't printed anything like that (as far as I'm aware) in a long long time. The closest we get is printing the winners of tournaments on cards, but even then they're supposed to be in universe versions of the person who won

[@heyheyalaska]

It's for me, and me alone.

[@RedBobcatGames]

Fair enough. I'll let everyone know

[@Doombot2point0]

The problem I see is WotC can only extend their greed so far before things start falling apart. They will always have the whales supporting their endeavors unfortunately, but a majority of the player base only has so much money to spend on Magic product. Once WotC overextends and people stop buying a majority of the product, surely that will blow up in WotC's face right? I guess it becomes a question of when and not if. Never thought I'd be missing the days of getting one new set every 3ish months and that was about it. Maybe a commander release once a year and some other supplementary product like FTV or something. Things were so much simpler and cheaper lol

[@RedBobcatGames]

I mean to be honest, I look at Serialized cards and Collector boosters and I feel we're already there

[@arturgottselig1070]

There are serialized cards in the collector box so i think they will be bought without any problem to be honest even without serialized cards they were selling good.

[@RedBobcatGames]

Yeah, I suspect you're probably right there. But those prices though...

[@ChibiRuah]

I liked this. the guest was fun and felt like a good choice for the topic. I think he did oddly good guessing the princes for the most part for having exp for magic products. I will say it also shows that there is a little love i feel for the card designs with the haystack card, but it does feel the product is over price.

[@RedBobcatGames]

Yeah, when I first saw the Haystack card I rolled my eyes. But after having spoken to him I do now understand why a fan would want it there. It's iconic

[@theredrighthand]

I'm good at prince guessing

[@oscarguzman3017]

Haystack seems busted, as well as the coolest assassin's creed representation, and would not be too much of a sore thumb if you see it in the wild. At least that card alone is a win. And it's uncommon!

[@RedBobcatGames]

Something about Haystack puts me off due to it just literally being a haystack. But I'm fine with cards like Broken Glass, so I think this is just my bias showing haha. Card looks fun to play with though. Maybe I just need to play Assassin's Creed to get it

[@oscarguzman3017]

@@RedBobcatGames I've also never played it, but in the game, you can survive falling from any height if you land in hay.

[@RedBobcatGames]

Who's need a parachute, when a backpack full of hay will do?

[@oscarguzman3017]

@@RedBobcatGames precisely

[@sportyeight7769]

Why the hidden blade art for the cross over dépicts the blade in-between the index and middle finger, when it is a know fact that assassin cute their ring finger for the blade to passe more easly... but the blade in the art doesn't take that path at all, so what's the point ?

[@RedBobcatGames]

Money. Money is the point

[@noradi123]

20:51 all ub set should have beginner level products tbh

[@RedBobcatGames]

I really can't complain about that starter kit currently. Unless the print quality is terrible or they do something else dumb of course

[@kevinxiao8400]

Bro im a die hard fan of both AC and MtG. Armored Core of course (i need upgrades to my vehicle voltron deck ;o;)

[@RedBobcatGames]

So YOU'RE the one I made then venn diagram about. I do think the cards look fun. I was going to go into Mechanics a bit in the vid but when he said he didn't play I decided against it

[@nasayatcg]

My brother likes MTG, but he has kids. Once he amassed a decent sized collection and a few commander decks, he pretty much stopped buying new releases. He said he's buying into Assassin's Creed without hesitation. As a fellow Assassin's Creed fan, idk how to feel about the product. Ezio is one of the coolest characters to me, but idk how to feel about UB. It's polarizing.

[@RedBobcatGames]

You know what, I wish I'd explored that more. Broken down the colours for him, and then got his impression on whether the characters fit or not. I may have to ask him back

[@nasayatcg]

@@RedBobcatGames Okay, wow. I actually hadn't seen his legit card. I had meant UB as in Universes Beyond. That's ironic. I liked the discussion still and dissecting colors could be fun as someone who creates custom cards based on fictional characters whether that's from media or books.

[@RedBobcatGames]

@@nasayatcg Haha, you might enjoy my next video then. I'm working on it now (Spoilers. It's a "What If" Universes Beyond for Star Trek)

[@nasayatcg]

@@RedBobcatGames one of these days, I'll start Star Trek haha

[@RedBobcatGames]

@@nasayatcg My recommendation is either start with some of the films, or just watch all of Deep Space 9. It's a war thriller, and the easiest to get into if you're not familiar with Trek's style

[@notabene9804]

The first five minutes of this (which I appreciate, and I hope others do) are a good reminder of why these games stuck. They were never really great, but what they were doing was, and remains, a really cool concept if ground down a bit. (Edit) Remembered my point; sure hope that doesn't happen to MtG.

[@RedBobcatGames]

Like I said in the vid. I see a lot of parallels between these two brands

[@XmortoxX1990]

Yeah, it looks like shit, but my brother is such an AC fanboy, he's may buy some packs. He's also a Dimir player and loves Rogue/Assassins creatures, so that's another point for him.

[@RedBobcatGames]

That starter kit seems like a good deal tbh. I suspect he could make use of that at the very least

[@LilskeevsGaming]

AC is not my cup of tea whatsoever, but, I do think it is a good idea. I think “bridging the gap” between different communities is very conceptually cool. I think it’s a notable way of paying respect to these different franchises/niches while attracting new players💪🏼

[@RedBobcatGames]

I think I'd be inclined to agree if it ever happened the other way round. I'm yet to see Magic IP characters or lore appear anywhere else. These Universes Beyond feel less to me like a bridging between two fan bases, and more like other fan bases replacing ours because WotC have sort of giving up on their own brand. I'm willing to admit I may be wrong on that of course though

[@metalplaysgames]

i was extremely excited about this as a magic fan and assassins creed fan till i saw the price and it scream predatory. i decide to wait and watch prices in hopes they tank like aftermath but there are the hot reprints so it may not tank so badly

[@RedBobcatGames]

Yeah, at least the Starter Kit looks okay. My concern is that will be under prinetd and sell out everywhere

[@metalplaysgames]

@@RedBobcatGames the collectors boxes for sure but the regular will be print to demand and reprint if needed as long as it sells

[@RedBobcatGames]

@@metalplaysgames Is that confirmed? I was of the understanding that with licenses from other IPs there were contract restrictions around how much they could print / reprint

[@metalplaysgames]

@@RedBobcatGames the commander decks for Warhammer have been printed at least 3 times from what I've heard. The collector boxes are 1 and done due to sterilizatied cards. UB sets are meant to bring in new player to magic it would be bad for business if people can't get some version of the characters they want to play. Lotr prices have been stable for regular boxes the only way thats possible is more product

[@RedBobcatGames]

@@metalplaysgames Well, they reprinted a bunch of LotR boxes that had originally contained serialized cards just without them if I remember rightly. But yeah, I'm honestly not sure what the deal they have with other companies. We have a final fantasy set coming soon, and Square are famously very protective of their IP. It took years just to get extra characters and music into Smash for instance.

[@Reldane]

the video about crossovers was itself a crossover? one of the things about the start decks that didn't come up but ties into the analogy, is that the starter decks tend to the weaker end of the spectrum. If you buy and play it; with each loss against another player you will be encouraged to go out to buy more cards. Each time you look across the table and wonder why thier creatures with their gold and orange symbols are just better than your ones with black and silver symbols, it is tell you 'buy more cards'.

[@RedBobcatGames]

Very very true. I said something like it "probably wouldn't be competitive" and that was almost certainly an under statement. But also I don't believe the deck list is out yet so didn't want to go too hard just in case I'm wrong

[@mawillix2018]

I'm not a huge mtg fan, but I do like Assassin's Creed and unfortunately I play also play Commander, my main deck being built around the theme of Assassins. I absolutely hate how well targeted this product is. With a normal pack of cards, there's only a very low chance of finding a card I'm looking for. I opened some packs for Etrata, The Silencer back in like 2018. I have friends who will want to get me something small for my birthday, and this fits the bill. Also some who I gave a real gift to can get away with giving me a beyond booster box instead of a single pack.

[@RedBobcatGames]

Buy singles. It's always the way to go. I just hope that the print runs are high to helpfully keep the cost on the secondary market low

[@Molker]

Well, this set got shroud into MTG, and that, by proxy also got a bunch of other people that watch the stream regularly

[@RedBobcatGames]

Will they stick around though? Time will tell

[@Molker]

@@RedBobcatGames I got in through LOTR, and stayed for the gameplay, older sets and cool card art, so I think there is plenty for new players to stick around with the right nudge

[@RedBobcatGames]

@@Molker Well that's something. I hope so. And I hope you're having a good time with it. I do love this game.

[@SkyrimRules599]

I got into Magic when they did the Warhammer 40k Universes Beyond becayse my friend groups plays Warhammer and Magic. (And they had a Tyranids Deck led by Swarmlord which is the army I play.) Personally, I'm excited for this Universes Beyond, I want to build an Ezio Auditore Assassin deck. That said, Idk if I'll buy the Boosters or just wait to buy the cards with the rest of the deck off of TCG Player.

[@SkyrimRules599]

I haven't branched out much from "Crossover Products" yet. I only play Commander, and my Decks are Swarmlord Tyranid Tribal, Keleremorph Burn, Shadowheart, Dark Justiciar(partnered with Dungeon Delver), and the only deck that isn't from a crossover is a Syr Gwyn Knight deck I bought off of one of my friends bc he was going to dismantle is and he sold it to me for like $40ish after taking out a few cards he was gonna use elsewhere. So "Universes Beyond" got me into Magic technically, but it was more that my friend group plays Magic, and they happened to hit the nail on the head with a Tyranid Commander Deck. Lastly, in terms of the price, yeah it's pretty high, but as mentioned, I play Warhammer. These prices overall aren't exactly offputting, but also as I said above, I'm probably just gonna get the cards I want off of TCGPlayer post release. I might see about buying one ore two collectors packs for the Novelty of it.

[@RedBobcatGames]

Yeah that's all fair. And I've played a bit of old school Mordheim but the prices for Warhammer proper make my eyes water. I suppose if you're comparing it, there's not a massive difference

[@cablefeed3738]

The only thing I feel I should add is that these are pre-order prices. Pre-order prices are higher than normal prices. And then they usually plummet.

[@Big_Dai]

Will depend on printing quantities. If they take preorders and don't more than that.. realistically, resellers cannot sell lower than that.

[@RedBobcatGames]

Yeah, as I mention in the vid they may change. But also Amazon clearly has good communication with WotC as to how things should be priced based on past experiences. And I've only really seen prices drop once the product has been out for a while... or you know, is an obvious flop

[@treybtw5488]

As for “retail” price on Amazon for a product without an MSRP those prices are on par with current value of continued Magic releases, so for something that may not be printed a second time these prices could be considered low

[@clothandleather2838]

For the packs. It's gamblers and resellers. Others just buy the cards directly

[@RedBobcatGames]

Pretty much sums me up

[@CatManThree]

What baffles me about this set is how incredibly huge of a treatment its getting despite having the two media franchises having very little overlap in terms of fans. Past universes beyond have all had a lot of overlap. Lotr, Doctor Who, Warhammer, and Fallout. But Assassin's creed? Why? And as a full modern legal set like Lotr? Is it supposed to be more important and potentially popular among players like the Lotr set? Its all very confusing. (Edit: grammar correction)

[@RedBobcatGames]

I wonder the same thing about the upcoming Final Fantasy set to be honest. But, if they think it will make them money I'm sure they'll continue doing it

[@CatManThree]

@@RedBobcatGames Final Fantsy is fine. I think the vast majority of MTG players have played and are a fans of at least one Final Fantasy game (even if its probably only FF7). Its also an RPG franchise that was closely asociated with DND in its early years.

[@RedBobcatGames]

@@CatManThree My favourite was always FF8

[@CatManThree]

@@RedBobcatGames I dont really have a favorite personally tbh. I really like most of em.

[@RedBobcatGames]

I stopped playing at X. I just could't get on board with the voices. I liked my silent protagonist

[@ThePencilWizard]

Matt’s right about it being like drugs, first hit is free or inexpensive, you stay because other druggies will tell you that you’ll be cool and make friends, you maybe make one or two that stab you later (maybe not literally), and then sooner or later you’re $10k in the hole wondering in a depression riddled sobering stupor if it was worth it. Maybe fun if you have the friends to do it already, but I’d say it’s best not to start.

[@RedBobcatGames]

Man, I hear that a lot. I need to find all these drug dealers that will give you stuff for free

[@ThePencilWizard]

@@RedBobcatGames Job Corps game room in Utah usually had boxes of commons and uncommon cards that you could take 30 of per day, and then some game stores also just give you basic lands for free or maybe a quarter or two each.

[@RedBobcatGames]

A lot of places do that sort of thing to be fair. I really appriciated it when I was starting out

[@megamarine]

I am fairly new to magic about 2 years in. As friend was nagining me, I gave it a try and well, I do quite like it. I made some research and looked up how WOTC and their businesses practices are decaying the fibre of magic over the years. I absolutely hate the idea of universes beyond. (Except DnD) it's diluting and watering down what magic used to be and turning it into another pulp of everything. It's basically turning into fortnite or funko pop soup in shape of card game. Sadly those sets prove to generate high amount of revenue and keep attracting many new players, so we will see increase of universes beyond.

[@RedBobcatGames]

Oh yeah, for sure. It's just a shame because not everyone wants to play Fortnite the crossover card game, you know?

[@megamarine]

@RedBobcatGames precisely. Secret lairs and silver borders were fine for cross-overs, weird and silly cards but sadly it spills to every other format. General marvelification of mtg is going strong on all fronts. Art, writing, events. My few last sparks of hope is bloomburrow and that next horror one after it.

[@RedBobcatGames]

I really wish they'd bring back Silver Borders

[@BigTex65]

I am unfortunately a huge AC fan. I will buy one of each problem because I can’t stop myself.

[@RedBobcatGames]

If you wait prices might go down? Also, buying singles is almost always better than buying boxes

[@theredrighthand]

No shame, completionist fans gotta complete

[@opinionofmine3238]

I may be misremembering but I think original Kamigawa had real historical figures, though I think this is because these people had legends associated with them so it was treated like the myths / stories in Arabian Nights.

[@RedBobcatGames]

There's a few out there. Obviously people that have made the game and won tournaments. But also there's a card with Albert Einstein on it for instance. It's why I said "recent history" haha. They don't do it so much any more

[@opinionofmine3238]

@@RedBobcatGames I know, it's just that you mentioned Arabian Nights at one point so I wanted to bring that up because I think it was actually something of a notable issue back then for Kamigawa.

[@RedBobcatGames]

See I never played much Kamigawa so only have a passing knowledge of it. I'll check the cards out though because the cards I've seen have been cool. I like Splice onto Arcane for instance. That's my sort of jam

[@PhoenicopterusR]

I'd have to double check because it could be both, but you may be thinking of Portals: Three Kingdoms

[@MirrorAshes]

LOTR hooked me on buying cards and honestly it’s a terrible habit. Luckily this set has zero appeal to me but they got me again with Fallout recently and with Final Fantasy… ooph

[@rayjones201]

Cardboard crack… put the pipe down bro. Recognizing the addiction is the first step to recovery.

[@RedBobcatGames]

See, I like to think those Marvel sets won't have any effect on me. But then I think about having an X-Men commander deck and... oh no...

[@MirrorAshes]

@@RedBobcatGames lmao yeah same tbh. I NEED an Esper Professor X and a Grixis Magneto!

[@RedBobcatGames]

See, my concern is that the X-Men will be 5 colour, so I guess I want... Cerebro to be the commander? Nah. That's lame. Maybe they'll print a 5 colour Cyclops?

[@Uri6060]

Tbh I feel like they should focus more on non-game ips as like would u rather play a brand new game called magic or play a game with the characters you care about. Like I would love to play a doctor who game, and if magic is an avenue for that it that's dope. But if I wanna play an assassin's creed game, I'll just be like nah rather just play one of the 10+ games that I got. Or same with fallout or others.

[@Uri6060]

Or just one of those situations where they shoulda released 30$ commander decks and done a 100$ premium versions or something

[@RedBobcatGames]

Yeah totally. That was basically one of Matt's points too. People won't tend to change media just for a license. Watching a movie doesn't mean you'll read the comics. Playing the computer game doesn't mean you'll play the card game etc. You're spot on

[@bslangable]

Nice vid, but you didn't mention the secondary market enough to him I think, which is, wether you like it or not, a big part of the price for consumers and where Wizards is basing their price on. I'm not saying it's honest or good and it's still crazy expensive, but needs to be mentioned IMO. If cards are rare or hard to get the price gets more expensive on the secondary market and then it's more reasonable. There's collectors in magic, a lot of them who will want rare cards.

[@RedBobcatGames]

Very true, and with this Universes Beyond cards looking less and less like they'll get a Universes Within print, or that WotC will have the license to reprint them the cards will become very rare over time

[@MWImmortalking]

MTG x Assassin's Creed should have just been 4 commander decks. It's a 100 card set with 20 reprints. Only 80 new cards. For reference the fallout decks contain 154 cards that are not reprints. The 40k decks contained 168 and Dr. Who decks contained 229 non-reprints. This set seems like wotc trying to sell commander precons, that they didn't finish, in "beyond" (epilogue) booster format for even more money than they would sell playable precons for.

[@RedBobcatGames]

When you put it like that, I really hope they flop. I'd hate to see WotC do this sort of thing again in the future, especially at the price it looks like it will be at

[@MWImmortalking]

@@RedBobcatGames after watching your video and commenting I saw pleasant kenobi just uploaded a video about assassin's creed mtg and talks about his lack of excitement about the set and mentions how the Dr who decks were interesting enough to get him to check out Dr who. He then says the assassin's creed set just feels "generic and boring". I wonder if they had done assassin's creed commander decks they could have made a more complete and cohesive experience, even with a lack or new cards, just by actually designing decks and including more thematic reprints with appropriate new art as they did with the other universes beyond commander decks.

[@RedBobcatGames]

I honestly think it's too much work for them to do that though. They keep trying to push out these lazy no content packs in the hopes they'll sell without WotC actually having to do much work

[@MWImmortalking]

@@RedBobcatGames they've done 3 universes beyond commander sets and the lord of the rings that all sold well afaik, you'd think they know what they're doing

[@michaelturner2806]

Can't help thinking it might've been worth discussing the details of Magic's recent history of crossover events in Universes Beyond. Video game tie-ins like Street Fighter and Fallout, to general media like Doctor Who and Lord of the Rings. Possibly given more context to the discussion where both brands are seemingly shamelessly willing to put the company logo on anything they can possibly license. Or more likely could've just bored your guest with useless trivia. I was going to end with a joke about how they'll probably make Jace breakfast cereal and then have an internal promotion where you can buy special prints of the cards that feature the cereal. And then I broke down crying because I realized they already did that, there's a Secret Lair and everything.

[@RedBobcatGames]

Two I believe. I think they made new cereal box designs recently if I remember right

[@gigawarman12]

Universes beyond products and collector boosters are WotC's way of testing how low their audience's intelligence is. Anyone that buys them gets an F- in my book, but is an A+ in WotC's eyes

[@RedBobcatGames]

They do keep pushing the limits. I just dread to think how much worse this set would have been had Aftermath not failed

[@holotori_senior_admin_teno]

And yet, I know a lot of people who bought the AC cards. Ultimately, the price per card probably drove some people away, but there were exciting new cards so there were enough investors, commander players, and others who bought it. Obviously, there's a limit to what people will pay per card and what quality they're looking for; Aftermath's horrible sales show that. But I think there are enough MtG players used to high prices and poor sales practices that it's not a big effect. I mean, ultimately, a box of Assassin's Creed was a drop in the bucket compared to buying a cEDH or top tier Pioneer deck, let alone a Modern or Legacy deck. (everyone knows Vintage decks are basically like buying a sports car of course). Oh, not to mention how much they charge to buy digital copies of the card packs on Arena... Let's just say it did well enough, even if you or I or Matthew never bought a single pack.

[@RedBobcatGames]

Yeah of course, that was always going to be the case though. And I'm sure in a year or two the prices will spike on the secondary market as well

[@holotori_senior_admin_teno]

I'm just saying, if that IS always going to be the case, do sets even need an audience? Do they need to be FOR anyone? Or has the game devolved to the point they could release almost anything and it would get bought as long as it's powerful mechanically? Also, does that make our worrying about set themes and lore and all that such pointless in the end? Or will that ever actually have a tipping point where it effects the bottom line?

[@RedBobcatGames]

Sadly I think we're on track to find out. That death race set coming up looks... hmmmm

[@richardharrison4762]

Dogbot plushie merch!

[@RedBobcatGames]

Should double as a case for your phone so you can make calls on it

[@yurisei6732]

I think I've figured out exactly why Universes Beyond really sucks, and why I feel nothing about these boosters being weird: because you either like the IP or you don't, and if you don't, that's an *entire set* with nothing for you, a set that could have been something with a little bit for everyone. And importantly, it's also the reason I think 2024 MTG sucks: every set is kind of a universes beyond set, even the ones that are nominally MTG lore. I happen not to be interested in Sherlock Holmes. I happen not to be interested in Borderlands. I happen not to be interested in Fallout. I happen not to be interested in Assassin's Creed. I happen not to be interested in Redwall. I happen not to be interested in Slasher films. And I happen not to be interested in Forza. That's not actually a lot of things to not be interested in, because they're all extremely specific themes (each about the same scale as a single video game or subgenre), but it's an entire year of MTG releases. Previously a set would have a theme like "Greek Mythology and heroic fantasy" or "Japanese mythology and cyberpunk" or "arthurian and fairy tale fantasy" or "epic and adventure fantasy". Even their more specific ideas were things like Innistrad's "Gothic/Eldritch Horror". These are all way broader themes, they're themes where it's much more likely that any given person is going to find *something* they like in it, even if the set as a whole isn't particularly their jam - I actively dislike Greek mythology, but Theros is my second favourite plane, because there's so much more there than just Universes Beyond: Percy Jackson. Just thought of another thing: I think Universes Beyond probably isn't very good for creating new MTG players because when the thing that drew you to purchase the product was the brand, the rest of MTG doesn't have the thing that drew you in. It's like Weiss/Schwarz: I sometimes buy the deck or a few boosters for a franchise I like, but I never really end up playing the game or buying cards that are powerful from franchises other than the one I already liked because those elements of Weiss Schwarz aren't the part that made me buy in - I wasn't really buying "the Weiss Schwarz experience", I was buying "Some cards with pictures of characters I like and the vague idea that I could play a game with them if I ever wanted to". Same with MTG. Everyone has had the opportunity to be interested in MTG already, everyone knows what MTG is. No one's going "Well I like the artwork on these Assassin's Creed cards, but these +1/+1 counters are incredible, I absolutely have to buy more things that involve them!", they're going "I'll put these cool pictures on my shelf next to my other Assassin's Creed merch acknowledging the possibility I may want to play a game with them at some point but understanding that I likely never actually will".

[@RedBobcatGames]

What's that thing Mark Rosewater says? "Maybe these sets just aren't for you" or whatever. Weird to tell your players to be less invested, but there we have it

[@TheRavenofSin]

Mtg and AC have both done the same thing to me. I used to be absolutely in love with them, but then they slowly drifted away and became more and more money obsessed. MTG has way too many sets and crossovers and gimmicks. AC stopped being about assassins and assassinating and became more of a hack and slash game as they had to churn out game after game every year. Both lost the things I loved in the name of making money.

[@RedBobcatGames]

Think you'll buy any packs of this?

[@TheRavenofSin]

@@RedBobcatGames I do not believe so, no.

[@RedBobcatGames]

Fair

[@TheRodentMastermind]

I don't think that final argument about MTG to Game conversion works for me. MTG players are already nerds, they will have some kind of hardware. And as someone that has a PC you can pick up Origins + all DLCs for a tenner. That is nothing. I definitely think the opposite doesn't work though. Assassin's Creed kind of falls in the fairly generic for all gamers AAA model of gaming, Though there are fans that like it for the gameplay and sneaking around, or doing amazing free running, the shift to the RPG element in Origins, Odyssey, Valhalla was to pick up more casual players, and it worked it revitalised a game which was on life support at the time. But that does mean that a huge proportion of the player base are not the kind of people that would like something that is rules crunchy like magic, they are on the edge of nerdom, like Call of Duty player.

[@RedBobcatGames]

It's a very different medium too. Like, I enjoyed watching the Walking Dead for instance. But I wouldn't want Walking Dead magic cards... haha

[@TheRodentMastermind]

@@RedBobcatGames I don't see that as a huge issue, but if I was going to convert it I would go for a themed version of Dead of Winter, which is really Walking Dead without the trademark, rather shoe horn it into magic. Assassin's creed could work well as a hidden role game like the Homeland boardgame, where you have different targets which the Assassins want taken out and the Templers want protected.

[@RedBobcatGames]

To be honest I'd be fine with all of this, if they did In Universe versions like they actually did with The Walking Dead

[@Ghost_of_spades]

Oh btw cleopatras Greek alt art is so annoying (as a Greek) to read, I think they use a combination between old and new Greek. EVEN I DONT KNOW WTF THEY HAVE DONE AND I AM GREEK!!!

[@RedBobcatGames]

For real? This is the first I've heard anyone say this. I don't speek Greek, what's wrong about it exactly if you don't mind me asking?

[@tarkus1113]

I haven’t played AC in ages…but maaan….I’m 1000% confident this is just PURE EDH bait. Like man…..I get that’s the “main thing” and stuff. But man…..I’m still not touching this btw >.>

[@RedBobcatGames]

Haha, fair. And yeah, I think you may be right. I suspect these are going to be chase for Modern too

[@Th3Treasoner]

The first half of this video is thinly veiled hate for UB. "They haven't done real world characters... in recent sets" and then deriding packs for not being draftable, making it seem as if that's the only way to play the game to your guest. Yes, the MOM Aftermath set format sucks dicks. But UB kicks ass, and there are plenty of packs that aren't draftable. (formerly Set, currently Collector and Jumpstart) Asking "who this is for" instead of "why did they do this format again, especially after they fixed it with Thunder Junction" is real goofy. The answer to that question, by the way, is because of licensing. And the real problem of Hasbro mismanaging the UB licensing. There is no good reason UB cards shouldn't be online, two different Vintage/Legacy/Modern/Pioneer is dumb.

[@RedBobcatGames]

I'm not sure I have enough passion to hate it, but I'd say you're right about my dislike for Universes Beyond being on display. Same goes for my feelings on Set and Collector boosters tbh. Jumpstarts a different thing though. It's not draftable, true. But it is playable so that's fine in my book. Same as you can't draft a pre-con, but you can actually play with it. I 100% agree with you on the Hasbro mismanagment, but it would take a lot for me to look at what's happening with Thunder Junction and call that mess "fixed"

[@Sam-bm6yf]

Im not a huge AC fan, but my husband is, and he likes to indulge my mtg intesterts and I indulge his ac interest, so I bought the ac bundle so we can open it together the packs together. But if we hadnt needed a pick me up/small date I wouldnt have spent a cent on this shit, we would've just turned on supernatural (again) Also worth mentioning I got the bundle about 25$ off

[@RedBobcatGames]

Well that's a very good deal. I imagine those starter kits are probably going slightly cheaper now too, and they seemed an okay price to start with honestly

[@tangentfox4677]

Did I just hear £22 for TEN CARDS?

[@RedBobcatGames]

I'm not sure of currently prices, but this set is bonkers in terms of cost

[@Ghost_of_spades]

It’s for Ubisoft, maybe this way people will get nostalgic and revisit this awful, moneyhungry and overall appalling company

[@RedBobcatGames]

And specifically which awful, moneyhungry and overall appalling company are you talking about there haha? I do think Ubisoft are probably worse, but Hasbro aren't far behind

[@Itachi45481]

Yeah no one wanted this at that price lord of the rings beyond was a playable set and fun cards the fact this pack has 7 cards absolutely disgusts me

[@RedBobcatGames]

Preach

[@nicks4802]

Its for EA. Thats who. Hasbro is gonna scratch their back, and maybe one day EA will scratch WoTC’s back by helping them make a “proper” (as proper as EA could make, anyhow….) MTG console experience, loaded with micro transactions and bugs.

[@RedBobcatGames]

EA's not much better, but it's Ubisoft though. A magic experience all about climbing towers and spending a decade in development before coming out as a flop! Yay!

[@Dskinny23]

I love universes beyond. With that said, it has to be the right universe. 40k was one of the best quality, strength, fit (theme/lore), and was sold in a decent structure (I would've liked boosters but probably better not). LOTR was amazing for all but the sell structure. All that laid out, Assassin's Creed is a horrible fit. It's going to be a bunch of humans and maybe some animals. Anything beyond that doesn't actually fit into AC. They don't work together, they need to stop stretching these crossovers. A detective murder mystery set, awesome idea. Clue cross over?! Over stretched lol

[@RedBobcatGames]

What's your thoughts on Thunder Junction? Literally my next video is about my concerns around it

[@Dskinny23]

@RedBobcatGames I personally like it. Yes, they went heavy with cowboy hats and spurs, lol. I'll take that any day over the same cliche "fantasy/magic" designs and environments. I hope they keep on this path of wild worlds/planes with heavy and unique themes. My two favorite sets lately were Wilds and Neo. They had heavy and unique to MTG themes. I want a revisit to those planes eventually, but now I hope for something new for a while. Maybe don't abandon them entirely until them. Wouldn't hurt to have a card or two each set that references other planes or snags their themes. The omen paths might give us a lore reason why some cyber punk ninja is in the wild west, lol.

[@RedBobcatGames]

I'm down for the variety. I just wish we could enjoy them for longer before being shown previews and spoilers for the next set. Bring back 3 set blocks!

[@Dskinny23]

@RedBobcatGames I agree. Obviously each set deserves some criticism and isn't perfect. My only major issue is the release schedule, price, and some of the other flaws with packs/collectors pack. I could get behind a 3 block set with filler UB or odd/small sets in-between if the must. Just still with a bigger window. I haven't driven a lot of my most interested cards from MKM and a new set is about here.

[@RedBobcatGames]

@@Dskinny23 Tell me about it. It's exhusting

[@Phe0nix1986]

Really like the style of this video. Just saw this vid randomly.

[@RedBobcatGames]

Well thank you very much. This was a lot of work so it's really appriciated

[@Phe0nix1986]

@@RedBobcatGames i’ll be checking out more of your videos in the future :)

[@RedBobcatGames]

Sick. They're all very different. Last month I did one about Magic the Gathering pancakes. It was a lot of fun

[@scottcampbell9515]

Another product that I am not interested in. If you're happy then great. Another product that I wish was not forced into Modern. Another product that pushes Magic the Gathering towards truly becoming The Ship of Theseus. What Assassin's Creed fans need to understand is that once you get in eventually WotC (Ha$bro) will make cards that are more optimal than your favorite Assassin's Creed characters forcing you to replace them in your decks. Meanwhile you can still go back and play the first Assassin's Creed game with your friends for as long as you want. There are also less and less competitive Magic the Gathering players and events each and every day. So keep that in mind as well.

[@RedBobcatGames]

Yeah. Staying home and making your own formats seems to be the future. Kind of detroys the "Gathering" part of the game though

[@scottcampbell9515]

@@RedBobcatGames all I want is for FNMs to not have the same sweat equity as an RCQ. There should be a place to play casually without having to resort to Commander only.

[@RedBobcatGames]

Yeah, I feel that. My LGS is pretty good about it tbf, but I can see a lot of stores just running what's most popular

[@robertoso8796]

i've never played assassins creed so don't really care about this. i don't really care for LOTR and never seen dr. who but those cards were a lot of fun so i'm willing to give them a shot. i don't think it's a great idea for a magic release but it's a massively popular IP so it probably makes sense.

[@RedBobcatGames]

Yeah, they can make a good set when they want to. I don't know why our main set releases are all Aftermath Boosters and Karlov Manors

[@robertoso8796]

@@RedBobcatGames i think it's sad that there is no apparent rhyme or reason besides pandering to EDH. if they were clever they would've capitalized off the popularity of EDH to make their formats more exciting and flashy. instead they just rolled over.

[@RedBobcatGames]

@@robertoso8796 It does seem the company is focused on the commander format at the expensive of all others. Standard has been dying, if not dead for a long time

[@KHJohan]

I love AssAssIns Creed, but who is that guy on the pics?

[@RedBobcatGames]

Which pics? Do you mean my guest Matt? One of the assassins? Leonardo da Vinci?

[@chadisnotachad]

I want it

[@RedBobcatGames]

Fair. I wish you luck and hope you find it at reasonable prices

[@TerryTags]

Hey! Yo.

[@RedBobcatGames]

Hey! Yo!

[@ClexYoshi]

yeahhhhhh. Describing this as a teamup of 2 brands in decline is... yeah, oof. I was an AC enjoyer at one pint, but like... Ubisoft's treatment of that franchise killed my interest dead and also the endless parade of sexual assault allegations that come from that laughing stock of a company. Really hope the prices for the Final Fantasy set aren't going to be this stupid. I was intending to save my money for a box of that.

[@RedBobcatGames]

Yeah. I keep thinking of doing a video on Ubisoft, and what it means for WotC to partner with them. But... like... I kind of don't want to. It would just make me sad

[@TheStartledNinja]

500 printings

[@RedBobcatGames]

500 printings

[@bryceahlberg8170]

It’s for me

[@RedBobcatGames]

Fair enough. Not long to wait now I think

[@fistfullofsalt6311]

Ubisoft trying to supplement their income with physical micro-transactions now? Emphasis on 'micro' 😂

[@RedBobcatGames]

It's a brand deal made in heaven for both of them

[@patcanny7457]

Good Video

[@RedBobcatGames]

Good comment!

[@theredrighthand]

Good response

[@partyballoonsnorwich2122]

😊👍🏻

[@RedBobcatGames]

Thanks!

[@Cookiedive]

I want my own Dogbot

[@RedBobcatGames]

Bettere connectivity than a phone, but cleaning up after them is a nightmare

[@Anathlete47]

As an AC fan and Magic player I felt this was built for me. But I know its a very very small market.

[@RedBobcatGames]

Well there we go haha. If you're going to buy it, then I guess you're the answer to my question. What are your thoughts on the prices?

[@Anathlete47]

@@RedBobcatGames in my mind the price is a joke. We are paying more for less cards. But to lessen the blow I’m buying the starter decks for the exclusive cards and just collector boosters. Plus I also traded in a fair amount of cards to use as store credit to buy them as well.

[@RedBobcatGames]

@@Anathlete47 Oof, collector boosters are some of the highest priced products. But fair play to you, as long as you're having fun that's all that really matters. I do like the look of that starter kit though. I just hope it's not two decks of 60 commons

[@crayyonnyadrav4055]

If you asked me last year, I would have said YES! ASSASSINS CREED! WHOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!! But now, after I kinda bounced MtG in favor of the TCG Flesh and Blood, which is really competetive and it shows me how much a slow paced card game means to me. I still am gonna look at the cards and maybe build a super bad and dumb Ezio Tribal Deck. Also, that they muddled this Set for me with Outlaws of Thunder Junction by saying that the Outlaw cards synergize with Assassins means I have yet again to look at way too many cards in such a short time and get an unhealthy amount of Money for this one Commander Deck Idea. A Deck that I might play once every 3-4 Months. In short, I am excited for the Franchise coming, but it comes to the least opportune timing humanly possible.

[@Big_Dai]

"I'm going to look at the cards and.maybe build..." seems like WotC still has their hooks on you 😂

[@crayyonnyadrav4055]

@@Big_Dai not so much as you might think.

[@RedBobcatGames]

I haven't played Flesh and Blood but have been meaning too. What's availability like for older cards and whatnot? I've seen some stuff for a year or two ago I thought was cool and would want to pick up everything I've seen knowing me, if I were to get into it

[@crayyonnyadrav4055]

@@RedBobcatGames the most direct way is via 2 Blitz Decks. They are rather cheap and should be available at a LGS near you.

[@RedBobcatGames]

@@crayyonnyadrav4055 At some point I'll hopefully have the time to check it out. Still haven't opened up that Lorcana deck I bought yet. Busy busy busy

[@MacUnderscore]

I feel that making a set around 1 ip well, i feel it so narrow, i feel you cant really make a set with this as there is just, frankly, not enough content, lord of the rings, dr who both capture fantasy and si-fi Broard areas the coincide with magic, warhammer and fallout, while imo not really alinging at least where just commander decks, i feel that most if not all universe beyond products should just be commander precons as face it, its the only thing getting people into magic, thus serves as a entry point for assassins creed fans wanting to try it, i very much doubt a fan will look at boosters and go "wow i can buy them" i feel mtg fans dont know how to picture themselfs outside of mtg, but imagine a game youve never played, and buying a pack for it, something that serves nothing on its own unlike a commander deck where, hey at least thats a deck out the box and can be played, i just find it baffling to do a set around such a specific ip as assassins creed, its baffling to think, if say, yugioh crossed over with a thing i liked, and only came out with packs, like, no, if i wanna see the cards ill just look them up online, and its not like price matters as im not going to be a long term player most likley, so to me it just seems like its a product that is for nobody, unless your already into mtg and into assassins creed, at that point, why not just make a secret lair, and thats my final point, secret lairs where the perfect ground for this kind of thing, and even though i hate secret lairs, i hate them having their own sets alot more this comments getting long, but id love to talk to you one on one about these kinda things, do you have an email or discord,

[@RedBobcatGames]

I don't have Discord, and I do have an e-mail but I honestly don't check it. Patreon's probably the best way to contact me cos I check there regularly (there's a free tier if needed). And I think you're right about Secret Lair being the best place for Universes Beyond. THOUGH I'd want to avoid a Walking Dead situation and make sure every unique card gets a Universes Within reprint. I can forgive Commander Sets too as they're mostly reprints anyway. Same applies for Universes WIthin copies of the new cards however

[@mountainghoti1671]

'A schmuck addict is born every 5.6 Magic cards printed' Papa "Supplier" Hasbro, probably

[@RedBobcatGames]

Well that WOULD make sense if they were trying to "get them young" but who under 30 can really afford these prices? It's crazy!

[@TheRealFrambo]

@@RedBobcatGames The funny thing is that myself and a lot of people I know would buy way more cards more often (most of them only have precon commander decks) if the prices of everything were a lot lower. I think the same goes for teens/kids, they're really pricing out that market with a lot of their products IMO.

[@RedBobcatGames]

@@TheRealFrambo Oh yeah, 100%. When ever product is a premium product, then this starts becoming a premium game and a lot of people can't afford to play that!

[@Justjoey17]

Whales, soys, and investors

[@RedBobcatGames]

The holy trinity