Latest news with #WizardsOfTheCoast
CNET
5 hours ago
- Entertainment
- CNET
Everything You Need to Know About the Sonic the Hedgehog Magic: The Gathering Drop
Magic: The Gathering hit a goldmine earlier this month when it released its Final Fantasy set based on one of the most popular video game franchises of all time. Final Fantasy was reportedly the best-selling Magic set before it even released, thanks to extensive preorders. Now Wizards of the Coast is hoping to repeat that success with Secret Lair drops themed around video game icon Sonic the Hedgehog, launching Monday, July 14. Wizards of the Coast/Sega Wizards of the Coast/Sega Wizards of the Coast/Sega Wizards of the Coast/Sega Depending on which century you were born in, you'll either recognize Sonic as the star of 1991's Sega Genesis video game Sonic the Hedgehog, or as the star of Paramount Pictures' Sonic the Hedgehog movies. (Or maybe you know him from Smash Bros. or Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games, or any of the countless other places he shows up.) Now he's joining the storied Magic: The Gathering card game in a year where Magic is aggressively investing in crossovers with other properties. Those crossovers started years ago with The Walking Dead, which became an official Magic series called Universes Beyond when it released a Secret Lair drop for Stranger Things. We've gotten Magic cards for everything from Street Fighter to Lord of the Rings, The Evil Dead, Jurassic Park and even SpongeBob. Lord of the Rings was the first full Universes Beyond set, but it set the table for Final Fantasy last month, and we're getting full sets for both Spider-Man and Avatar: The Last Airbender later this year. The new Sonic Magic: The Gathering cards are different from the game's Final Fantasy set because these are Secret Lair products -- limited-run drops of a handful of cards, rather than a full set of hundreds of Standard-legal cards. That means you can't build decks for most tournament formats around Sonic. Like many Secret Lair crossover products, these cards seem aimed at the casual multiplayer Commander format that lets you build decks around your favorite characters and play with a group of friends. Sonic being a legendary creature with white mana, blue mana and red mana in his color identity, means that a Sonic Commander deck allows you to include his allies Tails, Knuckles and Amy Rose in the deck. Shadow costs red and black mana, which means he doesn't fit in a Sonic Commander deck, but he would fit in a Dr. Eggman deck. And, gang, these cards are kinda wild. Whenever Sonic attacks, he puts power-increasing counters on other creatures with flash or haste, which not-so-coincidentally includes all of the aforementioned allies that fit in his deck. And Sonic having the haste ability himself means he can attack the same turn you cast him, virtually guaranteeing one activation. Tails can draw cards when flying vehicles enter -- a nice nod to his plane, which first showed up in the late stages of Sonic the Hedgehog 2. Knuckles has a lot going on, including the ability to create treasure tokens that can help you cast spells -- or just outright win the game if you have enough while he's on the battlefield. There's also some mechanical synergy between these cards and the new Final Fantasy cards. Amy Rose automatically attaches equipment when she attacks and then can buff the power of other creatures, making her a great fit for the Limit Break Commander deck led by Cloud (or Tifa), which cares about equipment and power stats! Wizards of the Coast/Sega Similarly, Dr. Eggman gets to draw cards at the beginning of your end step -- if you also control Y'Shtola Rhul from the critically acclaimed MMO Final Fantasy XIV, you get an extra end step, allowing you to draw two cards instead of one for the low, low cost of ending your turn. All of that adds up to mechanically fun Magic cards that feature a lifelong favorite character for me. And it'll add up financially if I can get my hands on either the foil Sonic: Friends & Foes collection ($40) or the non-foil collection ($30), the cards in which are less likely to warp from the foil treatment. There are two other Sonic Secret Lair drops announced, including one that focuses on reprinted artifacts like vehicles and equipment and another that rounds up existing cards that synergize with the new cards. Both will be available in $40 foil or $30 non-foil versions. All three Secret Lair sets go on sale Monday, July 14, at noon ET/9 a.m. ET. When they do, and I cannot stress this enough, you gotta go fast to get 'em.
CNET
10 hours ago
- Entertainment
- CNET
Someone Help Me, I Also Need These Sonic the Hedgehog Magic: The Gathering Cards
Magic: The Gathering hit a goldmine earlier this month when it released its Final Fantasy set based on one of the most popular video game franchises of all time. Final Fantasy was reportedly the best-selling Magic set before it even released, thanks to extensive preorders. Now Wizards of the Coast is hoping to repeat that success with Secret Lair drops themed around video game icon Sonic the Hedgehog, launching Monday, July 14. Wizards of the Coast/Sega Depending on which century you were born in, you'll either recognize Sonic as the star of 1991's Sega Genesis video game Sonic the Hedgehog, or as the star of Paramount Pictures' Sonic the Hedgehog movies. (Or maybe you know him from Smash Bros. or Mario and Sonic at the Olympic games or any of the countless other places he shows up in.) Now he's joining the storied Magic: The Gathering card game in a year where Magic is aggressively investing in crossovers with other properties. Those crossovers started years ago with The Walking Dead, became an official Magic series called Universes Beyond when it released a Secret Lair drop for Stranger Things, and we've gotten Magic cards for everything from Street Fighter to Lord of the Rings, The Evil Dead, Jurassic Park and even SpongeBob. Lord of the Rings was the first full Universes Beyond set, but it set the table for Final Fantasy last month, and we're getting full sets for both Spider-Man and Avatar: The Last Airbender later this year. The new Sonic Magic: The Gathering cards are different from the game's Final Fantasy set because these are Secret Lair products -- limited-run drops of a handful of cards, rather than a full set of hundreds of Standard-legal cards. Like many Secret Lair crossover products, they seem aimed at the casual multiplayer Commander format that lets you build decks around your favorite characters and play with a group of friends. Sonic being a legendary creature with white mana, blue mana and red mana in his color identity means that a Sonic Commander deck allows you to include his allies Tails, Knuckles and Amy Rose in the deck. Shadow costs red and black mana, which means he doesn't fit in a Sonic Commander deck, but he would fit in a Dr. Eggman deck. Wizards of the Coast/Sega Wizards of the Coast/Sega And, gang, these cards are kinda wild. Whenever Sonic attacks, he puts power-increasing counters on other creatures with flash or haste, which not-so-coincidentally includes all of the aforementioned allies that fit in his deck. And Sonic having the haste ability himself means he can attack the same turn you cast him, virtually guaranteeing one activation. Tails can draw cards when flying vehicles enter -- a nice nod to his plane that first showed up in the late stages of Sonic the Hedgehog 2. Knuckles has a lot going on, including the ability to create treasure tokens that can help you cast spells -- or just outright win the game if you have enough while he's on the battlefield. There's also some mechanical synergy between these cards and the new Final Fantasy cards. Amy Rose automatically attaches equipment when she attacks and then can buff the power of other creatures, making her a great fit for the Limit Break Commander deck led by Cloud (or Tifa), which cares about equipment and power stats! Wizards of the Coast/Sega Similarly, Dr. Eggman gets to draw cards at the beginning of your end step -- if you also control Y'Shtola Rhul, you get an extra end step, allowing you to draw two cards instead of one for the low, low cost of ending your turn. Wizards of the Coast/Sega All of that adds up to mechanically fun Magic cards that feature a lifelong favorite character for me. And it'll add up financially if I can get my hands on either the foil Sonic: Friends & Foes collection ($40) or the non-foil collection ($30), whose cards are less likely to warp from the foil treatment. There are two other Sonic Secret Lair drops announced, including one that focuses on reprinted artifacts like vehicles and equipment and another that rounds up existing cards that synergize with the new cards. Both will be available in $40 foil version or $30 non-foil versions. All three Secret Lair sets go on sale Monday, July 14 at noon ET/9 a.m. ET. When they do, and I cannot stress this enough, you gotta go fast to get 'em.
Gizmodo
13 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Gizmodo
Sonic the Hedgehog Is Speeding Into ‘Magic: The Gathering'
With the success of the Final Fantasy set transitioning Magic's collaboration era truly into the mainstream, Wizards of the Coast is running full speed ahead with its latest collaboration: a new Secret Lair drop that will bring Sonic the Hedgehog and his friends to the game. Rather than being reprints of old cards with new art, like the case of the SpongeBob Secret Lair or the recent benefit for the National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures, the new Sonic cards, revealed by Variety today, will bring seven completely newly designed cards to life. Each one features art from a litany of famous Sonic artists, bringing Sonic, Shadow, Tails, Amy Rose, Knuckles, and Doctor Eggman to the game, alongside a legendary enchantment representing the super state gained by unleashing the power of the Chaos Emeralds. The card designs themselves are all pretty fun—naturally, a lot of them are based around quickening mechanics from across Magic's ruleset, like haste, flash, or first strike. Amy can easily attach equipment to herself (yes, give her the Buster Sword, you know you want to), Tails can make vehicles you play into flying vehicles, and Eggman forces players to either discard cards or let him bring more constructs, robots, and vehicles to the battlefield. But of course, Sonic is perhaps the standout, not only because he gets more powerful the more he attacks (as do other cards with Haste or Flash), there's a risk/reward element too: if Sonic or any of your other cards with Haste or Flash are damaged while he's in play, Sonic creates tapped treasure tokens, representing the fountain of rings that explode out of the poor hedgehog whenever he's hurt in the video games. It's perhaps not going to stop the grumbling about Universes Beyond's proliferation into the game—which won't be stopping any time soon, with Spider-Man and Avatar sets on the way later this year, alongside original sets like the upcoming Edge of Eternities. But if you prefer to keep your Magic away from the collaborations, at least as a Secret Lair the Sonic cards won't be as common in play as the new standard-legal UB sets are. The Sonic the Hedgehog Secret Lair drop will launch at 12pm ET/9am PT on July 14 with three drops: a standard set of all 7 cards for $30, a set of foil variants for $40, and a bundle of both. Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what's next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
Gizmodo
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Gizmodo
‘Magic: The Gathering' Unveils Its First ‘Avatar: Last Airbender' Card
Magic: The Gathering has been doing crossover packs with various IP, and later this year, Avatar: The Last Airbender is joining those ranks. During this weekend's MagicCon, Wizards of the Coast showed off its first card from the set dropping in late November. Naturally, that card is a Legendary featuring Aang manipulating water, fire, earth, and air while in the Avatar State. On the flip side is him looking up at his Avatar Spirit, with artwork for both sides drawn by Airbender co-creator Bryan Konietzko, a process you can see below. For Magic players, the 'Avatar Aang' side lets them draw a card whenever they bend one of the four elements and transform into Avatar Aang if all four are drawn by the current turn. Conversely, the 'Master of Elements' side lets them 'gain 4 life, draw four cards, put four +1/+1 counters on him, and he deals 4 damage to each opponent' at the start of each upkeep. Coming November 21, 2025https:// — Magic: The Gathering (@wizards_magic) June 20, 2025In its blog post, Wizards teased the Avatar set will let players 'take a ride on a sky bison, channel the memories of past Avatars, and explore a world of untold wonders.' It follows the Final Fantasy set released earlier in June, which was already successful before it even hit stores, and the Spider-Man set dropping in September. Wizards plans to unveil more information on Magic'sAvatar: The Last Airbender set Tuesday, August 12, including mechanics and other cards from the set. The full collaboration will hit shelves Friday, November 21. Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what's next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
The Verge
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Verge
Final Fantasy fans, now is the time to get into Magic: The Gathering
The Final Fantasy Magic: The Gathering set is here, and there's never been a more perfect assemblage of Magic cards. The set features cards taken from every mainline Final Fantasy title, including the two MMOs, so there's something for every generation of Final Fantasy lovers. And while Magic has featured other video game crossovers in the past (hello, Assassin's Creed and Fallout!), with the way this set is constructed, from card mechanics to art, you can tell this one is a developer favorite, sure to appeal to the massive chunk of people who love both games. But what if you don't inhabit the center circle in the Venn diagram of Magic and Final Fantasy lovers but are still interested in experiencing this set for yourself? Magic: The Gathering is an intimidating game, even if you're a seasoned player like myself. There are so many ways you can play, both in person and online, that it can be overwhelming to figure out the best way to jump in. So here's a few tips and tricks to playing the Final Fantasy Magic set. Be warned, though: this is the best-selling set in Magic's 30-plus-year history, and you will pay for the pleasure of this experience — if you can find the product to pay for it at all. How to play: physical edition Over the years, the designers at Magic developer Wizards of the Coast have realized it can be intimidating as hell for a new player looking to start their planeswalking journey. To help these new players along, Magic developers have created a line of products called Starter Kits. Each is a set of two 60-card decks featuring cards specifically designed for new players and an instruction booklet that goes over the game's basic rules and cadence of play. Keep one deck for yourself, give one to a friend, and learn as you play together. For MTG x FF, the starter kit features two decks themed around Final Fantasy's greatest rivalry: Sephiroth vs. Cloud. These decks are a decent introductory course to Magic. Cloud's is themed around equipment cards (think the Buster Sword or the Ultima Weapon), which are essentially weapons you can attach to your creatures to pump up their damage and hit hard. Sephiroth's deck is all about him. Kill creatures (yours and your opponent's) to make him as big as possible. I played both decks against the set's designers and managed to beat them both, a monumental feat for any Magic player. However, if you want to play them for yourself, the Starter Kit is currently sold out on Amazon, so your best bet to find one is to hit up your local card shop (known in the community as your LCS) to see if it has any in stock. Wizards' website does feature a handy store locator if you don't know where your nearest LCS is. There are also four Commander decks you can buy and play, with each one themed around a specific title in the series. Commander is the most popular format of Magic, but the rules are slightly different from standard play, and matches can often include more than one opponent. The Final Fantasy Commander decks are beginner-friendly but expensive, running anywhere from $80 to $130 when Commander decks in other sets are much cheaper. How to play: online edition If you don't have any friends you can beg, bribe, or beat into playing Magic with you, there is another, far easier option: the game's online version, Magic: The Gathering Arena. Arena is the best way to experience the Final Fantasy set as there's no worry about stock, it's relatively cheaper, and there are so many different ways to play that in-person playing simply does not accommodate. Once you've made your account and downloaded the game, you can play through the game's tutorial, which I recommend to get your bearings. Not only does it explain how to play, but the color challenges also give you a feel for the playstyles of Magic's five different colors. Think of colors and color combos as characters in your favorite hero shooter. Each has different abilities and favors a specific style of play. Blue and white center on going over your opponents' heads with flying creatures, while mono green (my favorite and the best way to play) favors big, stompy creatures that run over your opponents' defenses. The Final Fantasy set makes it easy to find a color or combo that works for you. If you want to get straight into the Final Fantasy set, you can simply skip the tutorial to unlock all of Arena's many game modes and features, and it'll still be there to try if you ever need to go back. Once you're ready, you have a number of options available. You can get right into the thick of things and start playing the game's constructed modes. If you've never played Magic before, do not do this. It is expensive, costing a lot of resources your account will not have unless you buy them in the game's cash shop, and it is hard. Making decks is difficult; even I don't like it that much compared to playing decks preassembled for me. Your best, most economical option is to play Jumpstart mode. In Jumpstart all the hard work of making a viable deck is done for you. You are presented with a number of archetypes: Bold, Mage, Chocobos, Equipment, and more. You can pick two of them based on nothing more than vibes and personal preference, and the game will automatically create a deck using those two archetypes. Then you play your deck against other Jumpstart decks and rack up the wins or the valuable experience that comes with losing. The great thing about Jumpstart is that it's cheap — a new account grants you enough currency to try the mode three times — and the cards you pick are yours to keep. Do it enough times and you'll eventually have enough cards to tool around with making your own decks to try out in the game's friendly mode, Quick Start. I've enjoyed all the different Jumpstart decks I've made, but if you really wanna have some fun, pick chocobos whenever you get the chance. They're creatures that get stronger whenever you play a land card (think of land like the gas that powers your deck's engine) and have incredible synergy with other card types, leading to a deck that will overwhelm your opponent. Also, they're chocobos! What could be more Final Fantasy than chocobos? If you are a Final Fantasy fan, I cannot stress enough how much fun its Magic set is. And if you're intimidated by Magic's difficulty, don't be. There are so many beginner-friendly ways to play, and there are so many beginners trying this set out for the first time, that you'll be in good company. Plus, I've found the community is always happy to help newcomers. When I played at an in-person event, my first opponent had never picked up the game before. Over the course of our match I taught him everything I knew as best I could, and before the end, he beat me. Badly. I've never had more fun.
