MTG Warhammer 40,000 Set News, Information, and Spoilers

Last updated on October 18, 2023

Art by Slawomir Maniak

Love ‘em or hate ‘em, Magic’s Universes Beyond products are here to stay. With two more slated for release in 2022, we can expect to see WotC expand Magic’s setting and mechanics to all sorts of properties in the coming years. I can’t wait for the day I equip my Batman commander with Luke’s Lightsaber so it can easily destroy your Master Chief planeswalker.

One of 2022’s Universes Beyond will be set in the Warhammer 40,000 universe, the far-flung future where there is only war. 40k, as it’s colloquially known, has been a staple in hobby shops since time immemorial (read: 1987).

While my gut tells me a consolidation of every IP I love might be bad for my wallet, I’m still very excited to dive right into the 40K set!

Set Details

Set Symbol
Set Code	40K
Hashtag	#MTG40K
Number of Cards	Four 100-card decks
Mechanics	Squad, Mark of Chaos Ascendant

Important Dates

About the Set: the Story

Warhammer 40k #New40k promo art

Warhammer 40k is an epic miniatures wargame that you’ve probably seen around your local game store. It combines classic elements of fantasy with a violent, pessimistic future where heroic Space Marines defend the Imperium of Man against horrific Daemons, enigmatic and ancient aliens, and their own fallen Battle-brothers. It touches on a lot of classic fantasy tropes with allegories for elves (the Aeldari), orcs (“Orks”), and wizards (known as psykers). And, of course, there’s an abundance of swords.

Warhammer 40k is often cited as the origin of the “grimdark” genre. Its setting is a violent, cynical, and uncaring place where untold billions die each day and even more live in squalor or worse. It's typically understood that there aren’t any “good guys” in 40k, just factions waging war on each other on a staggering scale. The heroes in the setting aren’t fighting for a better future, they’re fighting in spite of their enemies.

Most Warhammer 40k lore is set around the turn of the 42nd millennium, 38,000 years in the future. The Imperium of Man is on the verge of collapse. It wages war on its enemies with the heroic Space Marine chapters and never-ending regiments of the Astra Militarum, or Imperial Guard. Their enemies include the forces of Chaos including cultists, daemons, and fallen Space Marines in service to the Chaos Gods, as well as various alien factions like the enigmatic Aeldari, the bestial Orks, the expansionist T’au Empire, and the devouring Tyranid swarms. I expect to see nearly all these factions represented in one way or another.

Set Mechanics

Mark of Chaos Ascendant

One of the revealed mechanics is “Mark of Chaos Ascendant”, which gives spells that you cast from your hand during your turn cascade, so long as they have a mana value equal to or less than the life your opponents lost this turn. I see this having tremendous power potential in Commander, as getting plenty of damage on demand is super achievable with cards like Thermo-Alchemist.

Squad

Another revealed mechanic is the “squad” mechanic, which allows you to pay a cost any number of times in addition to paying the creature's mana cost, making that many tokens of the creature you're casting. This mechanic is as close to kicker as you can possibly get, which makes it very simple to understand and quite powerful

Ravenous

Ravenous is a new mechanic in Magic released in the Warhammer 40k secret lair. It's an enter-the-battlefield (ETB) ability that has a creature enter with +1/+1 counters where is paid in the mana cost. Then, if it is 5 or more, you draw a card.

Miracle, Unearth, and Cascade

Returning mechanics include miracle, unearth, and cascade.

Unearth is an activated ability which essentially reanimates a creature in the graveyard for one turn with haste, exiling it when it would leave the battlefield or at the end step.

Miracle is an alternative casting cost for a card if it's the first card you drew that turn. This allows for a “miracle” effect when you cast an expensive card for often a third of the original cost or less.

Lastly, cascade is another returning mechanic that allows you to exile the top cards of your library until you exile one that costs less. You can then play that card for free, and put the previously exiled cards on the bottom of your library in a random order.

Warhammer 40,000 Full Gallery

White Cards

Blue Cards

Black Cards

Red Cards

Green Cards

Multicolored Cards

Colorless Cards

Land

Available Products

Commander Deck Bundle

There are four pre-constructed 100-card Commander decks. The decks have entirely new art, new cards, and “powerful reprints.”

The four deck's names and colors are also now available, and we're looking at a Temur () deck called “Tyranid Swarm”, an Esper () list titled “Forces of the Imperium, a Mono-Black named “Necron Dynasties”, and Grixis () deck called “Ruinous Powers”. Each deck also has a collector's edition available which come fully foiled in a “never-before-seen special surge foil“.

Sale

Magic: The Gathering Universes Beyond Warhammer 40,000 Commander Deck Bundle – Includes 1 The Ruinous Powers, 1 Necron Dynasties, 1 Forces of the Imperium, and 1 Tyranid Swarm

• Bundle of all 4 Warhammer 40,000 Commander Decks—The Ruinous Powers, Necron Dynasties, Forces of the Imperium, and Tyranid Swarm
• All 4 ready-to-play MTG decks contain 100 Magic cards (2 traditional foil + 98 nonfoil)
• Every card features Warhammer-themed art—including 42 cards that are new to Magic
• Each deck comes with 1 Foil-Etched Display Commander, 10 tokens, 1 life tracker + 1 deck box
• Command a new battlefield with epic multiplayer Magic games set in the world of the popular tabletop miniatures game, Warhammer 40,000

$197.68

Buy on Amazon

Tyranid Swarm

Magic: The Gathering Universes Beyond: Warhammer 40,000 Commander Deck – Tyranid Swarm

• 100-card ready-to-play Warhammer 40,000 Commander Deck—Tyranid Swarm
• Green-Blue-Red Deck—contains 2 legendary traditional foil cards plus 98 nonfoil cards
• Every card features Warhammer-themed art—including 42 cards that are new to Magic
• 1 foil-etched Display Commander
• 10 double-sided tokens, 1 life tracker, and 1 deck box

$58.95

Buy on Amazon

The Ruinous Powers

Magic: The Gathering Universes Beyond: Warhammer 40,000 Commander Deck – The Ruinous Powers

• 100-card ready-to-play Warhammer 40,000 Commander Deck—The Ruinous Powers
• Blue-Black-Red Chaos Deck—contains 2 legendary traditional foil cards plus 98 nonfoil cards
• Every card features Warhammer-themed art—including 42 cards that are new to Magic
• 1 foil-etched Display Commander
• 10 double-sided tokens, 1 life tracker, and 1 deck box

$53.70

Buy on Amazon

Necron Dynasties

Magic: The Gathering Universes Beyond: Warhammer 40,000 Commander Deck – Necron Dynasties

• 100-card ready-to-play Warhammer 40,000 Commander Deck— Necron Dynasties
• Black Deck—contains 2 legendary traditional foil cards plus 98 nonfoil cards
• Every card features Warhammer-themed art—including 42 cards that are new to Magic
• 1 foil-etched Display Commander
• 10 double-sided tokens, 1 life tracker, and 1 deck box

$74.95

Buy on Amazon

Forces of the Imperium

Magic: The Gathering Universes Beyond: Warhammer 40,000 Commander Deck – Forces of the Imperium

• 100-card ready-to-play Warhammer 40,000 Commander Deck—Forces of the Imperium
• White-Blue-Black Deck—contains 2 legendary traditional foil cards plus 98 nonfoil cards
• Every card features Warhammer-themed art—including 42 cards that are new to Magic
• 1 foil-etched Display Commander
• 10 double-sided tokens, 1 life tracker, and 1 deck box

$54.95

Buy on Amazon

Wrap Up

Art by Fajareka Setiawan

The Universes Beyond product have been divisive to say the least. Whether they’ll endure as a regular part of casual and competitive Magic remains to be seen. WotC has definitely abandoned other product ideas in the past (see: Planechase, Vanguard, paper Brawl, etc.). But I’ll reserve judgment until their release. It’s only fair!

I’m interested to hear what you think, though! Whether you’re familiar with both products or not, will you be playing with these Universes Beyond cards? Does this encourage Magic players to try out 40k, and vice versa? Let me know what you think in the comments down below.

Thanks for reading, and remember: in the grim darkness of the 42nd millennium, there is only war!

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