Today, Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast have announced that Optimus Prime and other Transformers characters are becoming Magic: The Gathering cards in the upcoming The Brothers' War set. There will be fifteen Magic: The Gathering cards featuring various Transformers, and they will be double-sided (One side shows its robot mode, and the other shows its vehicle mode).
All the Transformers cards will be included in The Brothers' War set, Collector Boosters, and other Brothers' War products, but they will be distinguished by special Universes Beyond frames and holofoil stamps. This will be the first Universes Beyond (ongoing line of crossover cards featuring characters and worlds outside of MTG's official mythology) set that will exist within another regular Magic: The Gathering set.
The new Transformers MTG cards will get two treatments – a normal frame and a Shattered Glass Frame that uses card art from the Transformers' Shattered Glass universe in which the roles of Autobots and Decepticons are switched. Where the newer Transformers didn't exist previously, they've been reimagined in the classic aesthetic.
Due to legal and trademarking reasons, the cards do not use Magic: The Gathering's "Transform" mechanic; instead the mechanic is worded "convert". The crossover cards will feature two mechanics – Living Metal clarifies that a robot in its Vehicle mode is still a creature; More than Meets the Eye allows players to spend manga to play a Transformers card in its vehicle.
Six Transformers MTG cards have been revealed:
- Optimus Prime, Autobot Leader / Optimus Prime, Hero
- Goldbug, Scrappy Scout / Goldbug, Humanity’s Ally
- Starscream, Seeker Leader / Starscream, Power Hungry
- Soundwave, Superior Captain / Soundwave, Sonic Spy
- Flamewar, Streetwise Operative / Flamewar, Brash Veteran
- Slicer, High-Speed Antagonist / Slicer, Hired Muscle
You can check out the Transformers cards below:
Given their unique mechanics and themes, the Transformers cards are only playable in Commander, Legacy, and Vintage formats despite being featured in a Standard set.
Speaking to IGN, here's what Gavin Verhey, MTG principal designer, said about the mechanics of the new Transformers cards:
"Normally in Magic, you crew your vehicles with your creature, but nobody hops in and drives Optimus Prime. So, we solved that with the final Living Metal mechanic, which also plays into the fact that they’re robots in disguise on your opponent’s turns."
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The Brothers' War is set to release worldwide on November 18. You can read more details about the upcoming set at MTGRocks.com.
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