Magic: The Gathering has been previewing its Tarkir: Dragonstorm set recently. As is expected, Wizards of the Coast gave the privilege of spoiling some cards to content creators or other prominent figures in the Magic community. While mainstays like The Command Zone showing off new cards was no surprise, an unexpected previewer now has me excited that Magic: The Gathering could be getting a new Universes Beyond set that would be perfect for it.

Originally, I wasn't sure I liked the idea of Universes Beyond sets being Standard legal, and making up half of Magic's yearly releases. However, I'm starting to see the potential in the dramatic increase of Universes Beyond sets. It feels like more IPs are now on the table as possibilities for crossover sets, and if Magic's Final Fantasy previews or the Fallout Commander decks are any indication, I will likely be pleased with the results. It's also exciting to see possible hints at where Magic could go next with Universes Beyond, and I hope I'm right about this one.

Brandon Sanderson Previewed A New Magic Card

Brandon Sanderson Previewed The Card Flamehold Grappler From Tarkir: Dragonstorm

I was pleasantly surprised when I saw Brandon Sanderson previewing a new Magic: The Gathering card on his new Tarkir: Dragonstorm card, Flamehold Grappler, a Jeskai Monk that is capable of copying one of your spells on the same turn that this creature enters play. Jeskai is a good color combination for spellslinger decks, so this card feels like a perfect fit. White and blue also have a fair number of flicker effects that can let you reuse this card's effect. However, it wasn't the card itself that made me most excited.

Brandon Sanderson is a prolific author, so seeing him collaborating with Magic: The Gathering immediately got me wondering if we could see future Universes Beyond sets based on his work. More specifically, I would love to see a full set, or at least Commander decks, based on Sanderson's ongoing Stormlight Archive series. Not only am I a fan of the books, but I also think they would be well-suited to a Magic: The Gathering adaptation.

Sanderson's Stormlight Archive Would Be Perfect For Universes Beyond

The Stormlight Archive's Magic System Would Translate Well To Magic: The Gathering

One thing Brandon Sanderson is known for is creating what are known as hard magic systems in his books. The term refers to the idea that magic in books like the Stormlight Archive series has a strict set of understandable rules. This is different from a soft magic system like the Force in Star Wars, which is more nebulous in how it works. A hard magic system is much easier to translate into a card game like Magic: The Gathering, because its strict rules can be used to shape card mechanics.

What's nice is that the Stormlight Archive's magic system is somewhat reminiscent of Magic's. While there are some major differences, characters channeling Stormlight to perform magical feats is more analogous to Magic: The Gathering's mana system than any magic systems from other Universes Beyond properties. It's easy to imagine charged gems being a form of mana-production in the set, while things like Shardplate and Shardblades being powerful equipment cards.

The world of Roshar is also a very visually distinct fantasy location, making it perfect for a card game adaptation. Magic: The Gathering artists would get a chance to create strange creatures like santhid, skyeels, or the many crab-like species. This would help the set have a strong personality that sets it apart from other Magic settings, which I think makes for some of the best Universes Beyond crossovers.

Sanderson Has Worked With Wizards Of The Coast Before

Sanderson Wrote The Magic: The Gathering Novel Children Of The Nameless

It wouldn't be completely unheard of for Sanderson to work with Wizards of the Coast on a Magic: The Gathering project. Apart from his recent card preview, Sanderson also wrote a novel for Magic: The Gathering titled Children of the Nameless, which introduced the Planeswalker Davriel Cane. The story was originally released as a free ebook, but has since become unavailable through its original page, similar to many of Magic's old story articles.

Initially, I was unsure if Sanderson would want to work with Wizards of the Coast again, as I didn't know what his opinions were on Children of the Nameless being taken down. Sanderson has since come out and said on his Intentionally Blank podcast that, while he wishes the ebook was still up, he had a great experience working with Wizards of the Coast. It doesn't seem like he bears any ill-will towards the company, and he is obviously open to working with them at least enough to do a card preview.

According to Star City Games, Sanderson has even talked to Wizards of the Coast about potentially doing a set based on his fiction. Although nothing official has been announced, I'm hopeful that seeing Sanderson working with Magic: The Gathering again, even in a small capacity, means something could be coming soon. Sanderson is clearly still in communication with the company, and he seems willing to work on a Universes Beyond set, so hopefully Wizards of the Coast is on board as well.

Sources: Brandon Sanderson/YouTube, Star City Games, Brandon Sanderson/YouTube