Last updated on February 27, 2024
Settle Beyond Reality | Illustration by Anthony Palumbo
Magic: The Gathering is throwing in surprise curveballs for its product base in 2024. Hopefully, you've already experienced play boosters in a Murders at Karlov Manor draft. Now there’s another type of booster that’ll be coming out on July 5: Beyond Boosters!
Beyond Boosters will take you on a journey through different universes outside Magic: the Gathering’s storyline. Many fandoms will be explored. Let’s discover which ones they are and the overall purpose of Magic’s introduction of the Beyond Booster.
What Are Beyond Boosters in MTG?
See Beyond | Illustration by Andrew Robinson
Beyond Boosters are affiliated with Universes Beyond releases. There will be new cards printed that tell a fun and diverse story about one of the universes Magic has explored in the past along with notable reprints.
Rather than purchase one of the Universes Beyond sets and get to explore one universe, a Beyond Booster allows Magic players to delve into multiple universes across many boosters.
What Comes in a Beyond Booster?
A Beyond Booster will feature new cards as well as reprints from different universes that have already been released since Universes Beyond sets debuted in 2020. The details you have here are from the first look at Assassin's Creed.
The Assassin's Creed Beyond Booster details are:
- 1 Basic land card (or non-foil borderless scene card)
- 3 Uncommon cards
- 1 Rare or mythic rare card
- 1 Traditional foil uncommon, rare, or mythic rare card
- 1 Showcase uncommon, rare, or mythic rare card (can also be traditional foil)
They will contain Booster Fun, and offer an ode to some of the oldest sets of magic that had less than 10-card packs.
Universes that have already been explored via Secret Lair Drops, Commander precons, and/or set releases include Street Fighter, Fortnite, Transformers, The Walking Dead, Stranger Things, Doctor Who, Tomb Raider, The Lord of the Rings, and Warhammer 40K. Upcoming universes that will eventually be in Beyond boosters include Assassin’s Creed, Fallout, and more in 2024.
- EXPLORE WITH 7-CARD BEYOND BOOSTERS—Open 7-card packs full of classic characters, items, and moments from your favorite Assassin’s Creed games with a box of 24 Beyond Boosters
- LEAP INTO HISTORY—Assassin’s Creed emerges from the shadows to join Magic: The Gathering! Freerun through ancient locales with your favorite Assassins, equip deadly weapons, and ensure your targets are history
- TAKE A LEAP OF FAITH—Bring the beloved video game series to your tabletop with new art and thematic game mechanics sure to delight Assassin’s Creed and Magic fans alike
- TRACK DOWN ELUSIVE RELICS—In each pack you’ll find 1–4 cards of rarity Rare or higher, at least 1 shining Traditional Foil card, and at least 1 card with full, Borderless art—no scouring the streets required for these collectibles
- FOIL & BORDERLESS CARD IN EVERY PACK—Every Beyond Booster includes at least 1 shining Traditional Foil card and 1 Borderless Card featuring gorgeous alt-art that extends all the way to the edges of the card
When Do Beyond Boosters Release?
Beyond Boosters arrive on July 5, 2024, with Assassin's Creed, and will not affect rotation in Alchemy or Standard.
What Formats Are Assassin’s Creed Cards Legal In?
According to the recent Magic GenCon panel discussion, Assassin’s Creed cards will be legal in the Modern format. Like other Universes Beyond sets, Assassin’s Creed cards will be legal in Commander and other eternal formats such as Legacy, Vintage, and Oathbreaker. Assassin’s Creed cards will not be playable in Standard, or draftable.
Beyond Boosters vs. Play Boosters
Play boosters combine the purpose of Draft boosters and Set boosters. Players can crack them knowing that they have the potential to pull a high-value, highly sought after card while also being able to draft with them at their LGS or in a home play setting.
Play boosters are available and Beyond Boosters are coming July 2024. Play boosters contain 14 playable cards, including at least one rare or mythic, a foil wildcard, and a non-foil wildcard, and a chance to open a card from “The List.”
Beyond boosters are not be draftable like Play boosters. They’re more for cracking packs for the sake of enjoying the different possible universes that you can explore during the pack-opening experience.
- INTRODUCING PLAY BOOSTERS—Get the best of Draft and Set Boosters, combined into one! Play Boosters are great for Limited play and fun to open, with a possibility of multiple Rares and at least 1 shining foil card in every pack
- TRACK THE CLUES. CRACK THE CASE—Play detective as you collect evidence, don disguises, and identify suspects to decipher the deadly murder mystery at the heart of Ravnica
- PACKS MAY CONTAIN MULTIPLE RARES—Each MKM Play Booster contains 1–4 cards of rarity Rare or higher, including the possibility of a special Borderless Mythic Rare card from Magic’s history
- SHINING FOIL CARD IN EVERY PACK—Every Play Booster contains 1 shining Traditional Foil card of any rarity; in 20% of packs you’ll also find a Traditional Foil Land card (which may even be Full-Art!)
- MAY CONTAIN ART CARDS, A PLAY BOOSTER EXCLUSIVE—Now found only in Play Boosters, some packs also contain an Art Card showcasing a piece of art from the Murders at Karlov Manor set, sometimes with a foil signature from the artist
Beyond Boosters vs. Collector Boosters
Collector boosters contain the highest value cards that Magic collectors want the most, hence their name. There are more rares, alternate art cards, and foil cards from Magic’s universe that can be pulled from a Collector booster. Every Standard release set since Throne of Eldraine has had Collector boosters, and there’s no indication they’re going away any time soon.
Beyond Boosters are mainly for collecting, especially for fans of the different universes. However, they may not be as high-value as what’s contained in a collector booster. With the no-commons make-up of a Beyond Booster and a box of 24 on pre-order for $168, it's about $7 per pack, so just a bit more expensive than play or set boosters. It's still early to assess their overall value.
You do have a chance at four rare or high cards with one guaranteed foil and one for sure borderless card.
- JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF IXALAN—Discover powerful relics and craft tools to give you an edge against the deadly dinosaurs, cunning traps, and ancient gods at the center of the world
- BEST BOOSTERS FOR COLLECTORS—Collector Boosters are a shortcut to the coolest cards in a set, with packs full of Rare cards, shiny foil cards, and special alt-art, alt-frame cards
- EXCLUSIVE SPECIAL TREATMENTS—Found only in Collector Boosters, every pack contains at least 1 Extended-Art card and may even contain a Cosmium Neon Ink card with borderless art that radiates with the power of Ixalan’s inner sun
- JURASSIC WORLD CARD IN EVERY PACK—Get 1 Universes Beyond Jurassic World Collection card depicting iconic characters and moments from the Jurassic World franchise in every pack
- PLAY A GAME THAT FUSES ART, STORIES & STRATEGY—Magic: The Gathering is a collectible card game that weaves deep strategy with art and mechanics that explore the themes of a particular world and story—whether you want to play a casual game with friends, collect cool cards, or get competitive, Magic welcomes you to The Gathering
Beyond Boosters vs. Jumpstart Boosters
Jumpstart boosters are for players who want to skip the drafting process and automatically shuffle up and play a deck. Each pack has 20 cards with about seven to eight lands per pack so that there’s enough mana to cast the spells. Players shuffle two Jumpstart packs with randomly selected themes together for a 40-card deck. Beyond Boosters work quite differently in that they are purely for collecting purposes rather than playing the way Jumpstart boosters are.
- 24 Jumpstart 2022 MTG boosters
- 20 Magic cards in each booster—includes all the lands you need to play
- 1 anime-inspired card in every pack
- Total of 1–2 cards of rarity Rare or higher in every pack
- Each booster has over 40 possible themes—combine them for wild mash ups
How Many Beyond Boosters Are in a Booster Box?
The first set to feature Beyond Booster will be sold in boxes of 24 packs in a box, while a box of play boosters is 36 packs and collector booster boxes contain 12.
Are Beyond Boosters a Limited Release?
Beyond Boosters are not intended to be a limited release. They’ll continue to expand on the universes that can be included in packs as more Universes Beyond sets are released.
How Many Beyond Boosters Are in a Case?
No information has been released yet to game stores about how many booster boxes will be contained in a case. However, booster box cases in Magic’s past have contained six booster boxes, so this may be the same for when Beyond boosters are also packaged.
Wrap Up
Warden of the Beyond | Illustration by Raymond Swanland
Beyond Boosters are going to take you on adventures through different universes that have already been mixed into Magic, such as Dr. Who, Stranger Things, and Jurassic Park. They’re not aligned with Magic’s storyline like the new Play boosters will be, but it will be an unique experience for Magic players who also have a love of other fandoms that have been featured in Universes Beyond sets.
Are you ready to explore beyond Magic with Beyond Boosters? Get ready for their official release on July 5, 2024 by checking back for updates on the Draftsim blog. Get automatic updates on the Draftsim Facebook page to learn more information about upcoming Universes Beyond sets, deck guides, and other fun Magic: The Gathering content.
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