Universes Beyond Will End Magic The Gathering

[@Kingkhalled]

This aged like wine

[@thetrinketmage]

I think about this video a lot

[@ilyafoskin]

@@thetrinketmage Oy vey, you should change your name to Nostradamus. I’ve never had such a shoe drop moment quite like when I heard this news the other day. Richard from MTGGoldfish actually predicted this earlier in the year on their podcast so I was aware it might happen but it’s way more real now

[@raulpacheco7488]

@@thetrinketmage Oh wow. I though this video was from the weekend. It's from 11 months ago. Lol

[@raulpacheco7488]

@@thetrinketmage 12:17. Only 4th part of the year release. We could dream of that now. Lol

[@Mischievous_Moth]

@@thetrinketmage Any chance of an "I called it" video? I can't pay attention to podcast stuff to save my life, so I hadn't watched the video with you and deer talking about it.

[@cascaozymandius9911]

This reflects all my fears about universes beyond quite thoroughly

[@thetrinketmage]

It’s worse now too cause they announced they will do more universes beyond each year…

[@thetrinketmage]

Is this what I sounded like?

[@Cynidecia]

I got recommended rhis now of all things why?

[@topkapi9351]

A year later - and this is still correct. Even if we don't want it to be, UB will ultimately lead to the downfall of MtG, if everything else stays the same.

[@ivaka8706]

😢SpongeBob is really gonna happen. Kinda crazy to think about it even 1 to 2 years ago.

[@hanoi_revolver]

It's so fucking over. And i completly agree. I also hate seeing all the MtG youtubers shift opinion and doing a 360 and saying "WOW NOW THAT THEY MADE DOCTOR WHO I LOVE IT !" The comic is already accurate. People already play gandalf with transformers, and you can technically already play Godzilla, Dracula, Ryu, Optimus Prime, Gollum, and the TARDIS in the same deck. I guess MtG will just be kitchentable casual with my friends now

[@thetrinketmage]

Oh I forgot about the Dracula ones! There are so many these days! I also hate when I hear oh they already did so many so it doesn’t matter any more as a justification to just make anything

[@ChosenOne-il4bm]

yeah i sold all my cards after. they are not getting me with the artwork.

[@jamescobblepot4744]

Charlie did a big collector box opening recently and someone was like "Do you know the magic lore?" And he said something like "What magic lore, this game is just about fortnite tranformers and random S#$t who gives an F about the lore. And I was like "He's right" and realized just how pathetic it's become. Mtg is like just for normie casuals now who want to consume random IP. We have to either accept this or move on. I guess third option is curate your playgroup. All the losers who cry about gatekeeping need to be gatekept out of private playgroups because they're morons, sorry not sorry

[@thedansi21]

I personally hope I can use Abraham Lincoln as my commander in the next 20 years.

[@thetrinketmage]

Can’t wait for the Mount Rushmore basic land secret lair

[@spykeex69]

He gotta stay relevant at least "one score" after all.

[@Dynme]

It does feel like we're slowly working our way to reenacting the Ultimate Showdown of Ultimate Destiny.

[@robinsgryer6237]

In the meantime, have a leonardo da vinci, and cleopatra in the upcoming modern legal assassin's creed set

[@codyhanson1344]

@@thetrinketmage nah it gonna be a fetch land that gains you life instead of paying, and then make it the only available version of that effect.

[@uselesscommon7761]

Welp. It's happening. There's a really key misconception about TCGs that they're about selling cards. They're not, anymore than stock exchanges are about exchanging paper pieces. Anyone can make a card, making a card is trivial. CCGs sell the game, the curation of the list of cards and ways to play them. They sell stylistic cohesion, game balance and mechanical elegance and mechanical novelty; they sell tournament support and judging and coordination, they sell lore and vibe. This is the only reason why a CCG deck is more expensive than a poker deck. But people, and even businesses, forget it.

[@powerpulser5701]

I'M FUCKING SEETHING 😭😭😭😭 THEY MADE UB STANDARD LEGAL

[@erickschusterdeoliveira2662]

I AM DEPRESSED AAAAAA FUCK THIS GAME DUDE

[@erickschusterdeoliveira2662]

12:29 - literally spot on, 50% of tentpole sets are UB I'm gonna fucking cry

[@topkapi9351]

"[I expect half of the releases in a given year to be UB]". Wow. That was some intuition right there. Crazy.

[@tomcorbett6089]

And SpongeBob secret lair announced

[@jaafarmhasan8713]

This video is supposed to be released today but it seems liks you used a time machine

[@erickschusterdeoliveira2662]

extremely relevant today. I'm literally quitting and *very* sad and devastated over the news. pioneer and standard are dead. EDIT: AND THE FUCKING SPONGEBOB SECRET LAIR WAS ANNOUNCED LMAO

[@ilyafoskin]

Me too. Standard and Pioneer were literally the last bastions and now I have to quit. I think Digimon is my only place to land but I’m open to suggestions if you have any

[@Mischievous_Moth]

I pretty much exclusively play kitchen table magic with friends now. This game is dead to me.

[@AlexOvTheAbyss]

Oh, they are definitely going the Fortnite route - why do work making something unique when we can just pay for licensed properties?

[@thetrinketmage]

Like I said it’s easy mode!

[@younasdar5572]

They really went from Godzilla, "crossovers are cool but mechanically unique crossover cards won't happen", to walking dead and Warhammer, "mechanically unique crossover cards will be coming, but only infrequently in side products", to final fantasy, "crossover unique cards will be standard now and that's a good thing", in like a year. They are simultaneously such bad and such compulsive liars that they might have a bright future in politics.

[@airsoftingwrong]

Fire vid. I hope you’re wrong

[@thetrinketmage]

Me too!

[@noneyabizness6094]

​@thetrinketmage unfortunately you're right though

[@XezeMaster]

I have bad news from the future.

[@tomcorbett6089]

And now its all standard legal

[@Mostimpressiveindeed]

You asked for counterpoints...I don't have any. I've hated UB since the first Secret Lair. They've introduced UB from IP's that I like such as Street Fighter and League of Legends and I never got excited. UB is a blight on the game.

[@Zarbon000]

Same here. I Love Lord of the Rings! Never bought a pack, bought a card, traded for a card, or played a card. They’re not Magic. They’re just Not.

[@goliathsteinbeisser3547]

UB has taken the worst and most obvious turn. None of this is surprising, at least from a business perspective.

[@federicokina9998]

Hey, not only I am not going to argue differently, but you even worsened the negative view I had on the whole situation 💔 I think I'm going to gather some cards to build my cube for when I'm a sad old man remembering how cool the game used to be

[@thetrinketmage]

One step ahead of you I already have my cube

[@jellywillreturn]

The Magic community failed when it did not universally ban The Walking Dead cards at Commander tables. This is the consequence of that failure.

[@ilyafoskin]

I agree. Tolerating people at Commander tables who joined for Warhammer and LotR, etc and not for actual Magic lore just encouraged the situation and now it’s taken over. Universes Beyond should have been treated like the overpriced 30th Anniversary Proxy pack or the Epilogue boosters that failed. Some of us did our best by not buying a single UB product but we needed the majority

[@Krassy10]

@@ilyafoskin Jesus fucking christ, touch grass.

[@lunatic-db6mp]

​@@ilyafoskin bro pull back a bit, i understand that the Fortnitification of Magic is not great but straight up bullying out the people that joined first because of universe beyond is a bit much, i had already the intention of getting into magic but i fell hard because a guy was selling the tyranids precon from warhammer, now i am into magic and have multiple non UB decks, the problem is not the existence of UB, the problem is how much they are overcharging the game with it

[@blaze556922]

Just discovered your channel and have been binge watching your videos. Very enjoyable and I appreciate the content

[@thetrinketmage]

Thanks! I can see you’ve been going through the catalog and commenting! I’ll try to respond where I can and I appreciate the feedback even if you disagree!

[@Continuum7]

I wasn't into MTG when it first came out but gotten more interested in card games again these last 2 years. I really enjoy the high fantasy style the older sets have. None of the Universes Beyond stuff blends with what MTG and its own story/realm have. I wish companies would stop trying to fortnite everything but oh well. I just think it sucks were will get cards like Iron man and the Infinity Gauntlet instead of something original that fits MTG.

[@jamescobblepot4744]

The cool thing is you always have access to a decent amount of older sets and mechanics in paper, So it's still an option to just build something you like and play kitchen table ignoring all the garbage they've been putting out over the years. I've found the openness of older art direction from the old sets to be way more interesting than anything they've printed now including the 15 versions of the same card. Just look through "the dark" and tell me wotc has printed anything even close to that in terms of creepy Halloween feeling dark aesthetic. nothing comes close.

[@KennethKnickerbocker]

This is exactly what I predict too. Magic: The Gathering will literally be phased out and the new Magic will be Magic: Universes Beyond. They will only keep the card backs for the same reason they keep deckmaster on the back of the cards today, so the complete library is accessible.

[@andyotero5663]

magic the gathering will soon become the weiss shwartz of popular western IPs

[@luziankrieger8370]

Well, it's still "The Gathering". This title has become even more appropriate. 😉 By the way, I've been playing since 1993 and many of the changes seemed bad to me at the beginning (e.g. new card frames). But in the end you decide which cards you play and with which people.

[@andyotero5663]

@@luziankrieger8370 fr fr, tbh I really do like the idea that I can play cards with artwork about my favorite games or movies.

[@KennethKnickerbocker]

Yes, i’ve been playing since 1994. There were times when things seemed bad for the game and that they were going to kill it. I am not saying its bad, or the that the game will end. i’m saying that their IP/Lore is going to be supplanted/replaced by other IPs instead. Just like we have Monopoly in a variety of skins and even major game changes (Like monopoly gamer) that is where i predict magic is heading. I guess these next couple year with the shift to play boosters, and with more universes beyond products on the way we will see how the game evolves. I certainly still love it, and while I don’t like all the universes beyond & secret lair stuff, there are ones that I do and buy for my collection/to play.

[@combadil]

I will focus more on premodern in the future to get rid of the universen byond stuff

[@Fluffkitscripts]

If they think they can afford to lose LGSs, they’ll pivot to the monopoly model. monopoly makes money by selling a billion different versions, positioning them in highly trafficked retailers like Target, and being sure each one has a gimmick to catch someone’s eye. If you don’t like downtown abbey monopoly, maybe you like cryptocurrency monopoly. A thriving community, a vibrant world, reduced to a mouldering shell delivering crossovers to Walmart.

[@stormcountmtg4183]

0:56 NOPE

[@capsuleboi]

This video popped into my algorithm a few minutes ago, and i thought this was wholly in response to MagiCon New Vegas-I mean, Las Vegas. I am blown away by your prescience of mind to foresee the beginning of the end of Magic in the unholy service of short-term, empty profits that serve no purpose other than to goose Cocks' CEO bonus. What a horrible company.

[@Chrysaries]

Underrated video. This kind of financial analysis, especially by a pro, reminds me of Company Man here on KZbin

[@gognoggler7326]

Sadly, this is one hundred percent correct.

[@jebbrown9981]

These were very reasonable worries and still are but eight months out after the moderate success of fallout and failure of assassins creed, it's looking like bloomburrow and hopefully duskmourn and foundations will revitalize magic focused on magic.

[@thetrinketmage]

Yea I’m actually really happy about that! We will see after the marvel crossover though…

[@sunstrid3r44]

Man...

[@Arctanis-vt3hl]

And this is why executives should never be paid bonuses if a company doesn't meet sales or goes out of business. You shouldn't get a bonus for failing to do your job.

[@RK-jw9xj]

Almost watched the whole video when I realized that it did not come out just now. It just felt so concurrent. You are spot on with your analysis.

[@Implicit_Truth]

Uh oh

[@KyleTremblayTitularKtrey]

Aged like wine lol

[@TheMinskyTerrorist]

They did have to make an aesthetic for the LOTR set. It was ugly and bad but it didn't matter.

[@ArcboundX]

I feel like there's "seemingly" so little push by the players against Universes Beyond, because most of the hardcore lore fans of old just moved on when we saw the warning signs. Or if not properly moved on, just became disenchanted with the game we used to love and just check on how the game is doing from time to time, sticking to discussing it with other players with similar gripes. I have no proof of this to be the case, but i think most people who play MTG nowadays are relatively "new" players, who got introduced to the game at the very least, around New Phyrexia. I started playing when Portal came out, so when i think MTG i think of the Urza block, or Judgement, Zendikar or Mirrodin, and of trying to piece together the lore of the block through the cards, so there's no conceivable way i can look at Secret Lairs like, TWD, or Dr. Who, or whatever, and think that it would fit in any way or form into the game, without at the very least a silver border for all cards, and a ban across any serious format. The idea of creating in-lore counterparts to SL collabs is proper implementation, but really inconsistent in their handling. At this point i'm just hoping for the Secret Lairs to get even more ridiculous, just to see how far they can take it before normie fans start questioning what game they are even playing. Maybe we can get a Pickle Rick SL in our lifetime.

[@jamescobblepot4744]

I'm at where you are with that last point. It's basically over now so if the fraiser secret lair meme was real I would support it. If we got some Billie Eilish celebrity cross over commander edition thing with a bunch of legendaries that are just celebs and e-celebs pushed for pioneer, modern and commander I would unironically support it just because that's what people who stay in this game deserve now. Why not just run it until the engine blows up at this point? You're mocked if you care about the game so congrats, I don't care anymore let's see how stupid this game can get until no one plays it anymore.

[@IlCremo]

It's scary watching this video today...

[@MTGDuelist8870]

WOTC is already there and they don't care if we like it or not. while i believe Mark when he says they won't phase out magic as an IP entirely, the mainline magic sets are phasing out the "Magic" in magic the gathering. heck duskmourn is literally a 1980's horror set with chain saws, TV's and ghost busters references literally baked into the set given what spoilers have shown, we're getting a space themed set which looks like an off-brand unfinity as well as a massive gimmicky death race set, Karlov Manner and Thunder Junction are complete Gags, Jokes and "catch the reference" machines with Karlov Manner ruining Ravnica has a plane. meanwhile U Beyond even back when it was hated by everyone during the walking dead secret lair days, WOTC STILL pushed it and kept doing it despite the backlash, despite WOTC refusing to state how badly it sold and everyone saying "No cross overs".

[@sulphurspanic26]

You were right.

[@arismontes8995]

This just hit the KZbin algorithm, I wonder why LOL

[@ernstvay5380]

Nostradamus

[@AgentUltimate7]

The Black Lotus costing more than the Hubble Telescope sounds accurate. Also, F1 Universes Beyond when? I want to trample my enemies with "Max Verstappen, Collider of Rivals", counter spells with "I will not be driving for Alpine next year" and exile my opponent creatures with the artifact "Red Bull's Second Seat".

[@GreySectoid]

Spot on.

[@matthewkuehne5480]

I am one of the players jumping ship, so to speak. It is really hard to parse through sets that don't feel like Magic sets. Yugioh has yet to cross streams with other IPs and I like that. Flesh and Blood doesn't have Godzilla or transformers and I like that. Lorcana is... just kidding, I will not play that game of I can help it. Thanks for the video. Informative and enlightening. It's also nice to have the foreboding feelings I have put into words. Scary that the best tcg in the world has also become the Fortnite tcg

[@tthien93]

12:24 I didn't know trinket mage had foretell

[@1423big]

Im tired...

[@SawedOffLaser]

I don't remember who brought up the idea first, but someone mentioned the idea that Universes Beyond has effectively made a second Reserve List. Outside of straight up rereleasing the same products, how are you going to reprint a lot of these cards? How do you reprint Nuka Cola Machine or Powerfist? Those cards may never be reprinted, especially if licensing is an issue.

[@TheAverageGuyTAG]

You're already late on this. They've already said they are open to reprinting cards with Magic rebranding as needed. We saw numerous cards from Universes Beyond Secret Lairs show up with Magic reskins in Magic boosters (one of which was even reprinted in a Duskmourn commander precon).

[@drakko95]

It's definitely a symptom of Hasbro's issues trickling down to WotC, but I don't think it will be the end of Magic the Gathering as a whole. My prediction is that we'll see Hasbro slowly collapse and WotC will be able to buy itself out of the company or something to that effect. Hasbro is certainly coming to an end, but Magic itself is far too strong in the long run. It'll get better. It's just gonna take time.

[@thetrinketmage]

Now that’s an interesting situation! I do think Hasbro is really gonna fall apart at the seems soon their management is so bad…. Also to be clear I don’t think the game is ever gonna die just the IP

[@drakko95]

@@thetrinketmage Fair enough. I still think the IP will re-emerge eventually, but I do agree that the IP will probably be on the backburner at least in a few years time

[@ruckly1241]

As someone who started playing Magic in the 90's and actively supported it through the 2000's and then dropped off (stopped in the early 2010's because kids and mortgage sapped my time and money), I'm flabbergasted by how many cards are being released each year. Back in my day (lords, I'm old enough to say that all the time now), we'd get a block with a large set and two small sets each year, and a core set of white border reprints every other year. Now we get 5 large sets a year, each with their own commander precons, and multiple supplemental sets each year to fill the gaps. This card acceleration clearly wasn't a decision for the health of the game. It really started picking up steam around the time that collector packs, bonus sheets and Secret Lairs became the norm. Those, plus Universes Beyond all scream "Cash Grab!". I haven't bought a booster box since Dominaria. I haven't attended a pre-release since Dark Ascension. I haven't bought a precon since Commander 2011. I don't see any of that changing, possibly ever. The only silver lining I can find is that the Universes Beyond seem to be well designed and made by true fans of the IPs. Lord of the Rings, Doctor Who and Fallout have all been warmly recieved, from what I can tell, and as a casual fan of all three, I'm happy with how they were translated into card form. If they can take the time to design cards, decks and sets that resonate with both sides of the audience, they'll be fine. If that quality drops consistently, that's when it's time to worry. Jurassic Park and Assassin's Creed don't give me a lot of hope, though.

[@Chrysaries]

Question to Trinket Mage: if this shortsighted strategy is so transparent to you, a financial analyst, why isn't the stock market punishing it harshly? It seems like most companies do this and most succeed in a sort of prolonged pump and dump scheme

[@thetrinketmage]

their stock is down 5% in the last year despite record profits from MTG! I think that if they were selling more and more year over year it would look better for their stock than it is currently.

[@joji_siwa_3385]

8 months later and its so over 💀

[@thetrinketmage]

I’m curious how this video will age in the coming years

[@noneyabizness6094]

Disney aquiring Hasboro is a god damn nightmare......

[@thetrinketmage]

Yea that’s probably a worst case scenario

[@TheSmartestManonEarth]

Fire vid. I hope your right.

[@chayadol]

I though this is new video, wtf KZbin!!!?!? . . . thank you! cos i think I missed this video lol Also this aged like a fine wine!

[@justinmorsch3208]

I really hope that the Marvel universes beyond set is an absolute failure. I think the reason why LOTR was so successful was that it’s a FANTASY IP being put into a FANTASY game. Idk much about doctor who but I’m pretty sure it had medium levels of success. My point is, I hope that enough magic players recognize that Marvel (or Star Wars in the future) simply just doesn’t belong in MTG and just avoid the product overall. Obviously it won’t happen, but it’s why me and some of my friends didn’t care for Doctor Who since it doesn’t really fit with the theme. I’m fine with Fallout, since I think it fits better. Assassins creed could be ok but I’m not sure. And Jurassic park was just a shoe in for more dinosaurs so that’s not that much of a stretch IMO

[@thetrinketmage]

I hope it’s a fail too but I think the Venn diagram of magic players and marvel fans has a lot of overlap

[@StalkingPanda96]

Vindication!!

[@crtikhit2244]

I think when people hears crossovers thinks the world will tear apart and hell will be upon us, but in reality, no matter if there is or there isn't crossovers in magic people want to play the game because is fun. If we still have people creating new cards and making fun moments with friends in local game stores we don't have to worry❤❤❤

[@sunstrid3r44]

I can only speak for myself, but the aesthetic and lore is as important to me as the mechanics... so, the way the game is moving is ruinning the fun for me. And i cant opt-out if i want to play because all the formats have UBs or have sets like MKM, OTJ and Duskmourn... So, idk, the game is tearing itself apart, for me at least

[@AlluMan96]

Sad, but true. As someone studying it right now, I also do enjoy the financial and business angle on the topic. I'm right there with you dooming about Magic's long term future and this is coming from the perspective of someone that generally has no problem with Universes Beyond. It was never UB as a concept, it's always been the excess. The push for it over everything else. That and the choices of crossover, but that's neither here nor there. The question though is what we mean with "end" of mtg? If we're speaking about it just as an ongoing production and a product, yeah, it's probably going to crash and burn if they don't pull some miracle shit. However, what would happen to Magic after it's death? What kind of communities would remain/grow around what is essentially a dead game and would it be able to prosper? That's a whole different topic and one I'm quite underqualified to speculate on, but I would be surprised if Magic didn't have staying power beyond just following new releases. I for one know I'd still be here so long as people keep playing. If the local folk wanna host a cube draft or commander night, I'm there. I'll still be on Discord playing our progression-series through Magic (and I mean hey, we'd even have an end-point for that then). If a convention's hosting some Magic, I'll be at the tables. Whenever I envision the moment, when Wizards or Magic goes belly-up, I take a bit of solace in that idea.

[@Venjamin]

I have no problem for hating the capitalistic evils of Hasbro. Hasbro is a nightmare monstrosity. That being said, I have no issues with the UB things. In fact, I wish they actually made the UB properties with magic IP in mind. The huge spark rupture was awkward for where we are now, but I mean, we have characters in Magic's IP that are literally meant to hop around the multiverse. Would it not have been genuinely awesome for Ral Zarek to drop in on the Who set for a story? Liliana showing up in Warhammer's verse and turning the tide of a random fight? (It makes more sense for WH40k since it's an eternal war, so the point is better made there.) There's no reciprocity acknowledging that Magic's tendrils should, theoretically, reach further than they are. Planeswalkers can come and go as they please to any universe. So let them! There was a crossover for SMITE that I actually thought was pretty cool - it's just a bunch of skins for MTG characters, but they made sense in that, the planeswalkers _can just go there._ The only one that didn't was Atraxa, but I guess a planeswalker could have brought her? Lol. I dunno. For me, it's all game pieces. The stories for Magic haven't been as amazing as they used to be, so I just like seeing all the different game pieces. I'm not worried about the art on them, or the names. I just like having a diverse array of game pieces to throw at people.

[@providencebreaker1558]

Magic has become Fortnite.

[@thetrinketmage]

It’s sad but true…

[@Zarbon000]

Yep. We are not going there. We are there.

[@learntoplaymagic5202]

If only you would have known about "value" boosters when you made this video

[@johnmraz4332]

Stop giving them money. I did. I have a bunch of ways to play that do not involve wotc or hasbro at all

[@thetrinketmage]

I am definitely not going to spend any money on these marvel sets

[@johnmraz4332]

@thetrinketmage That's good. I doubt it will be enough sadly. I stopped spending almost any money altogether on wotc. I have several battle boxes, a wizard's tower, a jumpstart cube, and my own decks that i enjoy set so I don't really need to give to them anymore. very occasionally maybe I'll pick something up. If jumpstart 3 hits shelves and is good I might get that to better refine my cube because I genuinely think that's one of the best products they've ever put out. but that's about it for me. 30th anniversary really destroyed any of the dwindling excitement I had for the game so I finished a bunch of projects that would allow me to play with anyone forever without any wotc involvement asap and then stepped away. Still looking a bit for a real long term replacement. Marvel Snap is a lot of fun. FaB is pretty great too :)

[@AzuriteCoast]

Such a shame this turned out to be spot-on.

[@michaburtowy852]

Based

[@lucipher666]

I love when they made Theros, Amonkhet, Khaldheim, etc. Loved the cultural feel. I'm not a fan of the new universes beyond. My exception is Lord of the Rings. I would be happy if they made a million more LOTR sets.

[@evilagram]

I'll be honest, as a newer player, I think the Magic IP is pretty weak. I feel like they've mismanaged the story a lot, and don't have a lot of strong characters or villains at this point. I've stayed away from magic for years because I thought the game was ugly and boring. I really enjoyed the new phyrexians, and then they killed them off. I do agree that if they can't sustain their core IP and turn this into a free-for-all crossover without any of their own contributions that the game is going to die. It seems like they're doing an okay job of that with karlov manor, and some upcoming in-universe sets. Wizards is not proposing universes beyond as a way of growing their player base to investors, but rather as a way of engaging their current players. I think they have a fairly solid handle on what they are doing on the commander side, even if their other formats are withering on the vine, but it is also entirely possible that they are pursuing a bubble by releasing so many sets a year.

[@Executioner9000]

I think the strength of magics IP isn't really in the characters themselves, it's in the planes and the worlds. Saying the name of the plane is what gets most magic players going, Ravnica, Innistrad, Theros, Kamigawa, etc. It's the worlds that these names evoke and while yes the characters (legendary and plainswalkers) are a part of that they, I don't think they are the most important part. I don't really think universes beyond can fully fill that gap.

[@Zarbon000]

But it was our story. Our families aren’t the best people that ever lived, but they are Ours. And special to us. Now it’s just whatever garbage movie or TV is popular this year, here they are slapped on a card in their TV screen picture. Woot. 😔

[@osgalion]

Well, it's time to move to Flesh and Blood :)))))

[@davidcardoso3525]

Sesame Street Secret Lair

[@SmilingJack100]

This has nothing to do with universes beyond, and everything to do with bad investment by Hasbro. A well-balanced MTG game with strong support for multiple formats is perfectly fine even if it has 30 different Nickelodeon TV show universe's beyond, with Powerpuff Girls coming the year after. I love universe's beyond, I don't like prioritization of short-term profits at the expense of longer-term growth and sustainability, and that has nothing to do with IP licensing. If I'm honest, the MTG story and lore has always been pretty weak, I say this as someone who's read at least half a dozen of the novels, all of which were, at best, mid.

[@TheAngelRaven]

Hasbro has pushed Wizards into making Magic a 'premium' card game with lack-luster content. I MIGHT buy the Final Fantasy UB, but that's only because it's an IP that I genuinely like. If they had a World of Warcraft UB, I'd absolutely buy some because I love that IP, but current Magic is filled with content I dislike and feels out of place. I DESPISE Dr. Who because the majority of art doesn't fit and it feels so out of place playing against that ugly 13th Doc. The ONLY thing Magic has going for it is Commander because it's a group format. If the WoW TCG still existed, I could have seen it having it's own Commander-esq format, but most other TCGs don't look as though they'd fit well for something like that. I started playing when Forgotten Realms released and since that point have most likely spent well over $3,000 on the game because it was something to do with my good friends that WASN'T League of Legends and that we ALL enjoyed. However, now I feel pushed to proxy more than feel proud about spending money on a hobby I love. Wizards is getting abused by Hasbro and Magic is suffering as a result. Corporate greed almost fully killed WoW because of Bobby Dick, so no wonder a guy named Cock is screwing over another company.

[@mysticjon]

If Universes Beyond isn't enough of a problem that you stop playing, then it's not a big issue in the first place. Also no way WotC will axe the Magic IP entirely. Bad take.

[@schlockfather]

I hate what Magic has become...

[@clothandleather2838]

Bro. Doomsayers living their best lives it seems. They aren't gonna drop their ip for universes beyond.

[@thetrinketmage]

I don’t know… we are getting more universes beyond every year now. It’s starting

[@clothandleather2838]

@thetrinketmage even I'd we are getting more (which sucks, because I prefer original stories. Loved Amonkhet.) Buy I highly doubt they would completely get rid of it. It's both stupid ethical and practically.

[@jamescobblepot4744]

@@clothandleather2838 It's literally all about the money. If it makes them more money, they will do it, that's the deal now. That's the contract you sign up for when engaging with this game. And because most players equate "WOTC profit" with "health of the game" they're blind to the fact wotc will kill the formats and game outright if it somehow makes them money, because they don't care about the game, players do they don't they care about the bottom line. WOTC just wants money by any means necessary. Imagine If the casual collectible side somehow becomes way more relevant than gameplay, Do you think they will just ignore that if it turns out that will make them 3x more money than the gaming side of customer base? Ask yourself genuinely if you believe the suits at hasbro will consider anything more relevant than money at this point. The fact you even mention ethics is a tell you don't understand whats actually going on here.

[@clothandleather2838]

@@jamescobblepot4744 funny thing about profits. You are going to have to appeal to your audience to get their cash. If they were to completely drop original sets, then the only ones left would be some whales, but they would get bored of trading their iron man cards with other whales and find there next krill colony. If i'm wrong. I'll turn myself into a card so you can burn it on a stake

[@tuongpham7609]

I miss old school universes beyond. When people created custom art for their cards.

[@GCWeber]

I will say I don't think UB is inherently bad for the game as long as there's still actual magic IP. And I'm not sure I 100% buy that original IP is going to completely go away, or if it does we still have a ways to go. Honestly, I think (and hope) that the cracks in their short-sighted plan are going to get too big to ignore before we reach that point.

[@whddlD]

i dont think it'll kill the game, theres lots of players that arent players yet since they just havent been interested, but itll more "start a new era" for the game rather than kill/end it. itll probably end magic "as we've known it" but not actually do anything all that bad

[@destinyhero]

" ___ will KILL Magic the Gathering" is a mantra that has been repeated since the game's inception. WotC is not going to kill off their own original, unique content because then it just gives more power to external companies and they become completely dependent on other companies to survive. You really enjoyed making the comparison to Fortnite in this video, Fortnite still creates and releases original content so it really comes off as unfounded.

[@silencos5974]

But why is that bad? Everyone I met loves it

[@lunatic-db6mp]

I also love UB but the problem comes when there are so many that it starts to dilute Magic originality and style, expecially now that there will be as many UB as normal magic sets

[@Mischievous_Moth]

Well in the three months since you posted this they have announced a spongebob secret lair and that 50% of all sets will be Universes Beyond. I for one am not loving it, and I love the Warhammer 40k decks.

[@Yacopsev]

tbh i hate universes beyond, they lack imagination from mtg staff, and usually seem like cash grabs. modern companies are just terrible. everyone of them. they want to make fast money, never invest into fanbase. also i HATE marvel/disney with passion, i hope it will be their lowest selling set.

[@franks.1742]

Yeah sounds like comment bait. I’ll bite. You make it sound like Magic The Gathering is this pure original IP, that doesn’t “borrow” from other themes, stories, etc. I mean weren’t we playing with pirates, dinosaurs, vampires and merfolk not too long ago? Aren’t other videos even pointing at similarities between Heartstone and this years “original” releases? I don’t think it’s a pure IP that is being spoiled by other IPs. Just like you mentioned is not like quality has been it’s strength either. I think this stance is too dramatic. What changed is the realization that Magic The gathering is not a game but a platform. The card system works so well that any lore can fit in and work. Wether people prefer to play “original” IPs or anything else they want to throw at it, the core of the game has remained the same. The absurdity would be someone complaining about a future dragon card from a game of thrones set, because it’s not “real” magic. Or an elf from LOTR. Also they can very much coexist. No one forces anyone to buy or play any set. The real problem here is that developing a proven IP takes a long time and with Magic, the core game was polished and perfected much quicker than the lore. At this point it’s not about “easy mode”, the competition already has an established IP. Pokémon had the easy mode. Basically wizards built their core business, and then they reverted their rights and now they just push their IP. Wizard has to make each universe work and feel like the real thing, and play well otherwise the collaborations will not work. If you want real doom and gloom, imagine a future were even that fails. Also you make it sound like Wizards depends on Magic The Gathering, I think they would do pretty well without it. Instead of gatekeeping this, you would want this to work, otherwise it could be the whole game that phases out, not just those original dinosaurs, pirates, ninjas, zombies, vampires, etc. etc.

[@KBV1497]

Magic was in no danger of phasing out prior to the crossover nonsense. Magic's planes spanned from creative homages to genre fiction and myths like Innistrad and Theros, but also unique settings like Kaladesh and the eternal mess that is Dominaria. It is jarring and strange to see a game sell its identity and soul to become what, the fortnite of table top? It's miserable and greedy and will fail when everything becomes diluted enough that it being magic means nothing anymore. Once a sodding Marvel set drops i think I'm just about done with this prostitution of a game that has been my hobby for a decade and a half. It means nothing anymore, Fallout, The Walking Dead, Stranger Things, even Doctor Who? Doctor Who must be taken more seriously in america than I thought, because in my head, and most people i know It's a load of rubbish. It's rubber suited green lads invading sodding cardiff. Never expected Doctor Who. Great if WOTC is making deals with the BBC maybe we can finally get a legendary Ian Beale from Eastenders. Cos at this point MTG has "NOTHING LEFT"

[@oatsandgoats9104]

@@KBV1497I agree, stick to the original IP. I want to go back to the Serra Realm, Otaria, Thran, Ravnica, or Rath. Playing with franchises outside makes it lose its luster. If they want Universes Beyond to be legal in Commander, make the Unglued/Unhinged/Unfinity sets legal as well.

[@kristian_johnson87]

I wonder what the difference is in the payout when it comes to UB IP and magic. Surely, it must cost a lot less to pay for the license than to pay employees to write stories and original characters 🤷‍♂️

[@thetrinketmage]

We can only speculate but I have a feeling it’s less for the license…

[@kristian_johnson87]

@@thetrinketmage yeah I’m sure, I wonder if they’ve already started to downsize that department at WOTC. I mean, when most of their sets are UB, they don’t need as many employees running the world building for the magic IP.

[@kristian_johnson87]

I’m returning to this page to talk to you about the layoffs hasbro layed out on WoTC and DnD. If the only part of your company is making money why are you hurting the staff unless you have done the cost analysis when it comes to universes beyond. Crazy bro

[@chadisnotachad]

Godzilla, Fallout & Assassin's Creed are making me play Magic when I would play DBS or Digimon otherwise

[@blaze556922]

I was very alarmist when universe is beyond became prevalent but I have really changed my mind about it. I didn't want walking Dead cards on my magic table but I don't have to play with them. I like the reskinning of cards like that so they can fit a more MTG theme but things like Lord of the rings and even Warhammer fit perfectly within a game that is jumping from multiverse to multiverse anyway. The key is that you don't have to play them and you can still enjoy this game for the rest of your life even if you never bought a universal beyond card or a secret lair. I think remastered sets and secret layers are far more damaging to the game than anything universe is beyond has come out with. If you don't like the universe is beyond then you can skip them and it actually makes less set the year that you have to keep up with. So for people that don't like them it's a blessing and for people that do like them it's still a blessing

[@noneyabizness6094]

If you're playing any form of competition play, you don't have the luxury of ignoring these cards.

[@ryanquinn1257]

I thought so, but the universes beyond cards have been some of the best designed cards of the last at least half decade of not decade. Warhammer 40k, Walking Ddad, Street Fighter, LotR, the Jurassic park cards spoiled. You’d think they’d be cash grab gimmicks but what has seemed to happen is ppl that love the IP and MTG have found creative mechanically sound ways to combine the IPs. Ghyrson has been one of my favorite commanders to pilot of recent years. A lot of the other points are good though. I worked at Circuit City at the end too lol.

[@thetrinketmage]

Damn a circuit city veteran! How bad was it at the end?

[@ryanquinn1257]

@@thetrinketmage really weird. We closed right before Black Friday but another local store wasn’t quite closed. We didn’t honor Black Friday ad as the liquidators took over so we had worse prices in liquidation than the Black Friday ad prices. Then each 10 days discounted things by another 10 % til it was gone. Still friends with most of those people but some people with kids definitely cried the morning we found out we’d be closing. I knew it was coming with stock floating below a dollar and joked our pre Black Friday team meeting would be learning about chapter 13 bankruptcy. I was unfortunately too correct in jest.

[@billlong4586]

UB and modern horizons sets are complete mistakes.

[@TheMadVentriloquist]

Apparently Yu-Gi-Oh also is dying due to the complex nature of the current game: lots of old players, just no new.

[@Russiancow602]

What is with everyone gatekeeping your niche game?

[@Iker888]

I despise Universes Beyond but people seem to love it. If the product sells, if consumers like it, what's the problem?

[@thetrinketmage]

Well I feel like the loss of the magic IP and becoming just an advertising platform affects the integrity of the game overall

[@xgamer25125]

The problem is that you show up to play a skill-based competitive game which you enjoy for its mechanics and lore, and you are faced with people playing cards from a different IP, have art with wildly different aesthetic, mechanics which evoke different worlds and also cost a bunch because Wizards made them powerful on purpose for tournament play while bring unable to print them again without another license deal they have no control over, unless the spend time and effort changing name+art+creating different confusing versions. I genuinely want people to have fun with any cards they want. But I just wanna play magic and see spells and characters from the game's world when I play it myself. Not Sauron, not Transformers and not Jedis vs Warhammer 40k marines. The way organized play works with the legality of these cards, the fun of casual players is directly impacting the fun of people who like competitive or organized play.

[@Iker888]

@@xgamer25125 couldn’t agree more.

[@Chris-ci8vs]

then don't play with those people lol @@xgamer25125

[@Chris-ci8vs]

UB is awesome and if you don't like it, don't use it.

[@KungFuChess]

Magic needs a good series of blockbuster movies like Marvel or LOTR have

[@thetrinketmage]

We should have a movie and TV series by now

[@Nifte2]

Listen as a budding mtg player coming from yugioh i think the universe beyond is awesome it’s what got me coming to the game I will agree booster prices are fucking nuts but I like the whole fortnight treatment it’s not like magic lore is even that good anymore idk maybe I’m wrong but I think it’s a great thing but they could do with lowering prices

[@TheRealCalPerr]

when he said he respects rosewater, he lost all my respect

[@thetrinketmage]

I don’t blame you the game has really gone downhill. But to be fair to Mark he does have Hasbro executives breathing down his neck

[@lothrazar]

ok boomer

[@thetrinketmage]

Nooooooo! I’ve been had!!! *crumbles to dust* fun fact I’m 25

[@MasterP86]

Ok zoomer