Magic: The Gathering's Warhammer 40K Commanders have been revealed: What to expect, release date, and more

Magic: The Gathering’s next crossover product is going to be a set of non-canon cards based in the Warhammer 40K universe. A part of the Universes Beyond series of crossovers, it will be a set of 4 pre-constructed Commander decks, each with brand-new Commanders for players to get ahold of.

The set itself will feature 42 new Warhammer 40K-themed cards, and these cards are currently not being considered to be added to the in-universe Magic: The Gathering sets. Fans will not have to wait long for them either.

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Magic: The Gathering’s Warhammer 40K Commander decks are coming soon

The Warhammer 40K Commander decks will be arriving fairly soon, releasing on October 7, 2022. Each of the decks will have its own set of thematic cards, and will feature several new and returning mechanics.

As of this writing, all four of these decks have had two commanders revealed, with brand-new themed Warhammer 40K art. These Commander decks will also be available in a Collector’s Edition, with a unique “Universes Beyond” card frame. This version is fully foiled for the whole deck, and has a never-before-seen special “Surge Foil.”

Three Secret Lairs are planned with the following themes:

• Warhammer 40K: Orks
• Warhammer Age of Sigmar
• Blood Bowl

The four Commander decks are coming in October, and they will come with the following color pairings and confirmed Commanders:

• Necron Dynasties (Black): Szarekh, the Silent King
• Forces of the Imperium (White/Blue/Black): Inquisitor Greyfax
• Tyranid Swarm (Blue/Red/Green): The Swarmlord
• The Ruinous Powers (Blue/Black/Red): Abbadon the Despoiler
• Necron Dynasties (Mono-Black)

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Necron Dynasties (Mono-Black)

Like Artifacts and the Undead? Say hi to the Necron in Magic: The Gathering (Image via Wizards of the Coast)

Necron are built around Artifacts, which isn’t really a surprise. With a race of robotic skeletons, this makes perfect sense. As of this writing, the confirmed Commanders are Szarekh, the Silent King, and Imotekh the Stormlord:

Szarekh, the Silent King

• Mana Value: 1BBB
• Type: Legendary Artifact Creature - Necron
• Keyword: Flying
• Rarity: Mythic Rare
• Stats: 3 power, 4 toughness
• First Ability: My Will Be Done - Whenever this creature attacks, mill three cards. You may put an artifact creature card or Vehicle card from among the cards milled this way into your hand.

Imotekh the Stormlord

• Mana Value: 2BB
• Type: Legendary Artifact Creature - Necron
• Rarity: Mythic Rare
• Stats: 3 power, 3 toughness
• First Ability: Phaeron - Whenever one or more artifact cards leave your graveyard, create two 2/2 black Necron Warrior artifact creature tokens.
• Second Ability: Grand Strategist - At the beginning of combat on your turn, another target artifact creature you control gets +2/+2 and gains menace until the end of the turn.

Artifact decks aren’t uncommon in Magic: The Gathering, and there are simply so many cards that will synergize well with this particular deck. A great part of it being artifact-focused is that the player can get away with running lots of colorless cards, in addition to the black removal/black artifact cards.

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Forces of the Imperium (White/Blue/Black)

The Imperium of Man have arrived in Magic: The Gathering (Image via Wizards of the Coast)

Inquisitor Greyfax and Marneus Calgar come to Magic: The Gathering and represent the Imperium of Man in this particular deck. One of the themes that will be coming back in this Magic: The Gathering deck will be Clue tokens via Investigate. These are an artifact token type, which allow the player to draw a card, generating constant value.

Inquisitor Greyfax

• Mana Value: 1WUB
• Type: Legendary Creature - Human Inquisitor
• Keyword: Vigilance
• Rarity: Mythic Rare
• Stats: 3 power, 3 toughness
• First Ability: Unquestionable Wisdom - Other creatures you control get +1/+0 and vigilance.
• Second Ability: Hunt for Heresy - 1, Tap target creature an opponent controls. Investigate.

Marneus Calgar

• Mana Value: 2WUB
• Type: Legendary Creature - Astartes Warrior
• Keyword: Double strike
• Rarity: Mythic Rare
• Stats: 3 power, 5 toughness
• First Ability: Master Tactician - Whenever one or more tokens enter the battlefield under your control, draw a card.
• Second Ability: Chapter Master - 6: Create 2 2 power, 2 toughness white Astartes Warrior creature tokens with vigilance

This Magic: The Gathering deck is certainly going to be built around tokens, regardless of whether they are Clue or Warrior tokens. One could see it also having some buffing spells and enchantments for Warrior tokens, but it is also going to have lots of card draw.

Both Commanders/cards generate card draws, but Marneus feeds his own first ability, thanks to his second ability. Six mana is not a bad price for two creatures, especially when it also triggers a card draw.

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Tyranid Swarm (Green/Blue/Red)

Carnage and violence await fans of the Tyranid Swarm (Image via Wizards of the Coast)

Tyranids in Magic: The Gathering are led by The Swarmlord and Magus Lucea Kane. While The Swarmlord is a little clunky, he and Magus Lucea Kane both help put +1/+1 counters on their creatures, making them bigger and bigger. However, Magus is the much stronger commander.

The Swarmlord

• Mana Value: 3GUR
• Type: Legendary Creature - Tyranid
• Rarity: Mythic Rare
• Stats: 5 power, 5 toughness
• First Ability: Rapid Regeneration - The Swarmlord enters the battlefield with two +1/+1 counters on it for each time you’ve cast it from the command zone this game.
• Second Ability: Xenos Cunning - Whenever a creature you control with a counter on it dies, draw a card.

Magus Lucea Kane

• Mana Value: 1GUR
• Type: Legendary Creature - Human Tyranid Wizard
• Rarity: Mythic Rare
• Stats: 1 power, 1 toughness
• First Ability: Spiritual Leader - At the beginning of combat on your turn, put a +1/+1 counter on a target creature.
• Second Ability: Psychic Stimulus - Tap: Add 2. When you next cast a spell with X in its mana or activate an ability with X in its activation cost this turn, copy that spell or ability. You may choose new targets for the copy. (A copy of a permanent spell becomes a token.)

That second ability for Magus Lucea Kane is especially huge for Magic: The Gathering players. Being able to copy a creature or a powerful spell once a turn could be a massive game changer. If you are playing creatures like Hydras that come into play with lots of +X/+X tokens, you can go all in, and make two of them instead of one.

It can be a whole lot of fun for players who love having lots of huge, angry creatures with tramples.

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The Ruinous Powers (Black/Red/Blue)

Chaos? CHAOS (Image via Wizards of the Coast)

The Ruinous Powers deck in Magic: The Gathering stars Abbadon the Despoiler, and Be’lakor, the Dark Master. Both of these cards are incredible.

Abbadon the Despoiler could be the next big Demon tribal deckleader. Both of these cards are markedly powerful for different reasons, but will synergize well together.

Abbadon the Despoiler

• Mana Value: 2UBR
• Type: Legendary Creature - Astartes Warrior
• Keyword: Trample
• Rarity: Mythic Rare
• Stats: 5 power, 5 toughness
• First Ability: Mark of Chaos Ascendant - During your turn, spells you cast from your hand with mana value X or less have Cascade, where X is the total amount of life your opponents have lost this turn.

Be’lakor, the Dark Master

• Mana Value: 3UBR
• Type: Legendary Creature - Demon Noble
• Keyword: Flying
• Rarity: Mythic Rare
• Stats: 6 power, 5 toughness
• First Ability: Prince of Chaos - When Be’lakor, the Dark Master enters the battlefield, you draw X cards and you lose X life, where X is the number of Demons you control.
• Second Ability: Lord of Torment - Whenever another Demon enters the battlefield under your control, it deals damage equal to its power to any target.

What a pair of Magic: The Gathering cards! Be’lakor is an amazing way to draw lots of cards and deal plenty of damage. Pair this with Abbadon because he wants opponents to lose lots of life.

On your turn, spells with your hand with mana value X or less have Cascade, where X is the amount of life your opponents have lost. Playing multiple demons and damaging spells will have tons of value.

The cards would be great in a deck with Loyal Subordinate. That can deal plenty of damage, depending on how many people you’re playing with. Combined with that card, it can be easy enough to play a demon for free, and then Cascade into another demon.

When you cast a Magic: The Gathering spell with Cascade, exile the top card of your deck until you find a spell that costs less than the previous spell, and cast it without paying its mana cost. Those cards will then go back onto the bottom of your deck.

These Warhammer 40K cards are a great addition to a number of decks.

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There are still plenty of reveals to come for Magic: The Gathering’s Warhammer 40K Commander decks, but based on these cards, Wizards of the Coast are starting incredibly strong, with some fantastic cards. This set of Commander decks will be dropped on October 7, 2022.