Everything You Need to Know About SpongeBob in Magic

Last updated on March 11, 2025

WotC revealed a massive tide of new information about upcoming Magic sets at Magic Con Vegas, with one particularly surprising announcement. As more and more outside IPs like Final Fantasy, Avatar: The Last Airbender, and Spider-Man find their ways into Magic, one might think that was impossible, but nobody expected SpongeBob Squarepants to show up as a Universes Beyond Secret Lair.

The residents of Bikini Bottom make their way onto the battlefield, when the SpongeBob cards are released March 24, 2025.

SpongeBob SquarePants celebrated its 25^th anniversary in 2024 with a variety of brand tie-ins, like Wendy’s bringing the iconic Krabby Patty to life (with underwhelming results). While the collaboration with Magic is slightly more unexpected, it isn’t wholly without precedent at least on Wizards of the Coast’s end of things.

SpongeBob x MTG Basic Information

Set Details

The three set names for the MTG x SpongeBob Squarepants Secret Lair are Legends of Bikini Bottom, Internet Sensation, and Lands Under the Sea. The cards total 18 in all, with Commanders in SpongeBob, Sandy, and Squidward, as well as full art lands of your favorite basics.

Legality

Secret Lair cards like SpongeBob that feature pre-existing cards do not change their legality, so the cards remain legal in the same format they are legal in.

Important Dates

SpongeBob will sink to the Secret Lair and be available for purchase March 24.

SpongeBob Card List and Gallery

Legends of Bikini Bottom

• Gary, the Snail / Toxrill, the Corrosive
• Mr. Krabs, Penny Pincher / Charix, the Raging Isle
• Patrick Star / Barktooth Warbeard
• Plankton, Tiny Tyrant / Skrelv, Defector Mite
• Sandy Cheeks, Martial Astronaut / Toski, Bearer of Secrets
• SpongeBob SquarePants / Jodah, the Unifier
• Squidward, Sarcastic Snob / Grazilaxx, Illithid Scholar

Internet Sensation

• Counterspell
• Daze
• Force of Despair
• Inevitable Betrayal
• Night's Whisper
• Food

Lands Under the Sea

• Plains
• Island
• Swamp
• Mountain
• Forest

Available Products

SpongeBob and company are only available through the Wizards Secret Lair in non-foil for $29.99 and foil for $39.99 at 9 a.m. Pacific.

SpongeBob Is Only Magic’s Latest Cartoon Adaptation

This isn’t the first time Magic has made a Universes Beyond product for a beloved children’s cartoon. Previously, Magic has released cards based on Transformers and My Little Pony.

What is surprising about this collaboration marks the first time Magic is adapting a cartoon that isn’t owned by parent company Hasbro. Hasbro has, however, released toys using the SpongeBob SquarePants license before, so it was likely easy to set up this collaboration.

While SpongeBob doesn’t seem too far of a cry from these other cartoon collaborations, the announcement is still met with mixed reactions.

Magic Fans Are Split On SpongeBob

As a Millennial who grew up with SpongeBob, I can see the appeal of this Secret Lair collaboration. There is something inherently silly about using the happy-go-lucky sponge to combat things like Emrakul, the Promised End or Nicol Bolas, Dragon-God. However, it seems like Magic fans are split on the matter.

Replies to Wizards’ announcement like the ones seen above show some players share my enthusiasm. While others…

Whether Magic has gone too far with its Universes Beyond sets will likely continue to be a source of debate as they continue to become more prevalent. Final Fantasy marks the first of many full UB sets to be Standard legal.

For the 2025 release schedule, Wizards split their time between sets based on Magic’s IP and Universes Beyond products.

It is clear that collaborations will continue to be a major part of Magic going forward, so long as they continue to be a lucrative endeavor for Wizards and Hasbro. SpongeBob will likely not be the last silly Universes Beyond product that divides fans.

Wrap Up

Walking Sponge | Illustration by Ron Spencer

Hate it or love it, Universes Beyond is here to stay and is more popular than ever. We're getting more and more collaborations, those releases include more and more cards, and now they're in every single format.

SpongeBob isn't totally out of this world either. It's not much more unique than Marvel, Final Fantasy, Hatsune Miku, or My Little Pony. With how wide Wizards is going with these collaborations, it seems like they'll never run out of IP's to partner up with.

How do you feel about this reveal? Are you fan of the IP and are cool with these cards, or does Universes Beyond inclusion in Standard feel too intrusive? Let us know in the comments below or over in the official Draftsim Discord!