Why Elden Ring is the perfect Universes Beyond crossover and how MTG players envision its implementation
The Rise of Universes Beyond and Elden Ring’s Perfect Timing
Elden Ring has reclaimed center stage in gaming discourse, with the community passionately advocating for its inclusion in Magic: The Gathering’s Universes Beyond initiative.
The resurgence driven by Shadow of the Erdtree positions FromSoftware’s masterpiece at an ideal crossroads for crossover potential. Magic’s Universes Beyond series has evolved from experimental beginnings into a cornerstone of Wizards of the Coast’s strategy.
What began modestly with properties like The Walking Dead has expanded dramatically, now encompassing full sets and Commander decks for franchises including Lord of the Rings and Fallout. This strategic shift demonstrates Wizards’ commitment to reaching beyond traditional Magic audiences.
The upcoming Assassin’s Creed release on July 5 represents another evolution, testing new booster pack formats and reduced set sizes. Meanwhile, player consensus has solidified around Elden Ring as the next logical frontier for Universes Beyond expansion.
Both Magic: The Gathering and FromSoftware’s Soulsborne series share parallel growth trajectories. Each cultivated dedicated niche followings before achieving broader mainstream recognition through deliberate accessibility improvements.
Elden Ring maintained the series’ signature challenge while eliminating frustrating elements like punishing runbacks to boss encounters. Similarly, Universes Beyond created accessible entry points for franchise fans unfamiliar with trading card games.
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Current momentum creates optimal conditions for an Elden Ring collaboration announcement. The game’s prestige remains undiminished since launch, while Shadow of the Erdtree has reinvigorated player engagement exponentially.
The DLC itself could inspire separate product treatments, perhaps as a Secret Lair drop following Fallout’s model of supplementary releases. This modular approach would allow comprehensive coverage of The Lands Between.
Why Elden Ring’s Design is Uniquely Suited for MTG
Elden Ring’s expansive worldbuilding provides unprecedented raw material for card adaptation. Like successful Universes Beyond predecessors Fallout and Doctor Who, the game offers a wealth of characters, locations, artifacts, and mechanics that translate naturally to Magic’s framework.
The game’s sheer scale presents both opportunity and challenge. With hundreds of distinct elements across its massive world, designers would need to implement careful curation to create a cohesive set rather than an overwhelming catalog.
Community analysis has identified particularly strong alignments between Elden Ring’s metaphysical foundations and Magic’s color pie philosophy. As one Reddit contributor articulated: “A solid color breakdown (Blue – Glintstone, White – Erdtree, Green – Crucible, Red – Magma/Fell God, Black – Destined Death/those who live in death) and a lot of multicolor built in through the lore where those areas meet.”
This natural faction-to-color mapping simplifies one of Universes Beyond’s most complex design tasks. Each Magic color identity finds clear representation in Elden Ring’s established lore:
- Blue/Glintstone: Intellectual sorcery, scholarly pursuit, and cosmic understanding
- White/Erdtree: Order, faith, hierarchy, and golden lineage
- Green/Crucible: Primal nature, life essence, and evolutionary power
- Red/Magma & Fell God: Destruction, passion, chaos, and volcanic force
- Black/Destined Death: Necromancy, sacrifice, and those who live in death
The intersections between these domains—where Glintstone scholarship meets Destined Death, or Crucible essence blends with Erdtree order—create natural multicolor card opportunities that feel authentic to both franchises.
Designers would particularly enjoy interpreting these cosmological concepts through Magic’s mechanical lens. How would Rune Arc mechanics translate? What would a Great Rune card accomplish? The creative possibilities are substantial.
Community Vision: How Players Envision the Crossover
Magic’s player base has actively theorized implementation approaches, demonstrating both enthusiasm and sophisticated understanding of both game systems. The proposed color alignments represent more than superficial matching—they reflect deep engagement with both franchises’ foundational philosophies.
One particularly insightful observation highlights how Universes Beyond collaborations often succeed when source material already contains implicit magical or metaphysical systems that parallel Magic’s own. Elden Ring’s explicit focus on different schools of magic, divine powers, and primordial forces makes translation particularly elegant.
As another community member noted: “All the FromSoftware games would be a good fit for UB sets tbh.” This broader perspective opens exciting possibilities for an extended partnership between Wizards of the Coast and FromSoftware.
Bloodborne’s Gothic and Lovecraftian horrors would integrate seamlessly with Innistrad’s existing plane, potentially as special treatments similar to Ikoria’s Godzilla series. Dark Souls’ interconnected world design could inspire novel mechanical implementations, while Sekiro’s posture system might translate to innovative combat mechanics.
Practical tips from experienced crossover designers suggest starting with commander legends-style products that focus on major characters and locations before expanding to full sets. This allows testing of mechanical translations and audience reception.
Common mistakes in such adaptations include overcomplicating mechanics to force faithfulness to source material, or conversely oversimplifying rich lore into generic fantasy tropes. The ideal balance preserves Elden Ring’s distinctive flavor while ensuring cards function well within Magic’s existing ecosystem.
Practical Implementation Strategies and Potential Pitfalls
For Wizards of the Coast considering this collaboration, several implementation pathways present themselves. A full Universes Beyond set would allow comprehensive exploration of The Lands Between, but requires substantial development resources and carries higher market risk.
A more conservative approach might begin with Commander decks focused on major factions—perhaps a Glintstone Sorcery deck versus an Erdtree Faith deck. This lower-commitment format has proven successful for other franchises while gauging player interest.
Secret Lair drops offer another flexible option, allowing targeted releases of specific characters, locations, or mechanics. Shadow of the Erdtree content would naturally fit this model, as would special treatments for iconic bosses like Malenia or Radahn.
Optimization tips for advanced implementation include:
- Prioritize mechanical elegance over exhaustive representation—not every enemy type needs a card
- Design with existing Magic formats in mind rather than creating isolated play experiences
- Incorporate Elden Ring’s risk-reward philosophy through mechanics like life payment for powerful effects
- Utilize the “grace” system as a resource mechanic for recursion or protection effects
- Implement legacy weapon arts as activated abilities with appropriate costs and conditions
Elden Ring’s enduring legacy as a masterpiece ensures its relevance for years to come. Even without current collaboration plans, the alignment of community desire, design compatibility, and commercial timing creates compelling rationale for Wizards to initiate discussions. The wheels of such cross-industry partnerships often turn slowly, but the foundation for success is unmistakably present.
For players eager to see this collaboration realized, engaging respectfully with both communities and demonstrating the crossover’s potential through custom card designs can help build momentum. The most successful Universes Beyond sets have emerged where genuine passion meets thoughtful design.
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