Beloved fantasy author Brandon Sanderson has dropped by Magic: The Gathering headquarters to talk about his favorite MTG sets, but because this is the internet, fans are all jumping to the same conclusion. Could a Stormlight Archive/cosmere crossover be on the way?
A snapshot of the visit was posted to MTG publisher Wizards of the Coast's YouTube channel, and it involves Sanderson discussing his favorite Magic: The Gathering sets (because he's apparently been playing since 1994's Legends expansion, I assume he agrees it's one of the best card games). However, everyone in the comments is wondering if The Stormlight Archive writer may have dropped in to discuss a Universes Beyond expansion based on his cosmere setting.
During the video, Sanderson says that his favorite sets have been Legends, Urza's Saga from 1998, 2001's Odyssey, Rise of the Eldrazi, and Tarkir: Dragonstorm. Most of these aren't available anymore, but you can pick up Tarkir boosters and Commander decks for anywhere up to 27% off at Amazon right now.
"I'll sell both my kidneys if there's a cosmere set," says user akearney42. Similarly, LotusLattes writes that "This all but confirms my suspicions at a cosmere set."
Considering Sanderson's vocal love of the game and how wide-ranging the current slate of Universes Beyond sets is (we're getting ones based on The Hobbit, Star Trek, and Marvel Super Heroes next year, not to mention a totally tubular MTG Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles set), that doesn't feel out of the question. Actually, it'd make a lot of sense; many of his works are based within the world of cosmere, so there's more than enough for an MTG set to draw from. The question is, will this help or hinder the current argument raging across the community that Magic is putting too much emphasis on franchises?
Although I think those who aren't familiar with Sanderson's work may roll their eyes, cosmere actually makes a lot of sense as a crossover and avoids common issues with the idea. A lot of criticism is thrown at Universes Beyond sets for stepping too far beyond what fans think of as 'traditional' Magic cards (e.g. the modern superheroes of Spider-Man or Star Trek's futuristic sci-fi), or for emphasising other IP at the expense of Magic's own creations. While cosmere is someone else's baby, it's swords-n-sorcery. That's MTG's bread and butter, so fits nicely into that Magic mold just like the Lord of the Rings did a couple years back.
Thanks to Sanderson's own fandom, it also feels less… well, cynical. I appreciate that the aim will always be to make money, but it helps if the creator in question genuinely loves your product. It relies on passion I think the community feels has been lacking from a lot of these Universes Beyond tie-ins.
Of course, absolutely none of this is confirmed. It's also worth noting that Sanderson may simply have been asked to pop along to Wizards HQ as a fan of the game, for a sneak-peek at upcoming sets, or as a creator who often discusses MTG with his fans. We'll just have to wait and see. However, if I had to guess, I'd be very surprised if cosmere didn't make the jump across to Magic: The Gathering at some point in the not-so-distant future.
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Tarkir: Dragonstorm Booster Box -
$164.70$119.99 at Amazon - Jeskai Striker Commander Deck - $47.92 at Amazon
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