The introduction of Universes Beyond was undoubtedly one of the most audacious and controversial moves made by Wizards of the Coast in Magic: The Gathering’s history. Bringing other IPs kicking and screaming into the world of Magic infuriated purists, to say nothing of the availability issues created by the unusual distribution channels through which these cards were released.
While public opinion has largely calmed down in the years since, with collaborations like Dungeons and Dragons and The Lord of the Rings serving as strong ambassadors for the concept, the latter issues around availability remain. Some Universes Beyond cards have received reprints under the Universes Within banner, but many more are still crying out for the same treatment.
10 Goldbug, Humanity's Ally/Goldbug, Scrappy Scout
Released alongside the artifact-centric Brothers War expansion, the Transformers cards, all of which are dual-faced transforming Vehicles, make a surprising amount of sense in Magic. And while Goldbug certainly isn’t the flashiest car(d) in this lineup, he does provide an excellent support option for the many, many decks built around Humans across Magic’s eternal formats.
On his front side, he protects your attacking Humans from harm, while on the back, he stops them being countered and can draw you cards if needed. Both halves are great in different scenarios, and both come at a cost low enough for the likes of Legacy and Vintage, though so far Goldbug has largely seen success only in Commander.
9 Shadow In The Warp
Hailing from the Warhammer 40K Commander decks series, Shadow in the Warp is naturally most at home in multiplayer formats. For just three mana, it makes it easier for you to play creatures and harder for your opponents to play noncreatures, creating a game state that emphasises combat over subtle trickery.
Two life may not seem like a lot, especially in formats like Commander, but it adds up over time. As does the cost reduction effect, which can allow you to slap down six mana threats as early as turn four.
The fact that this enchantment only costs three mana to play is the real kicker here, enabling scenarios where you drop this early in the game and let it snowball you into an eventual win.
8 Doric, Nature's Warden/Doric, Owlbear Avenger
It’s rare that the protagonists of Magic stories receive cards that adequately reflect their in-universe impact, but Doric is a happy exception to this rule. Inspired by the Dungeons and Dragons: Honour Among Thieves film, and bearing the unmistakable likeness of Sophia Lillis, Doric has swiftly solidified herself as a pricey Commander staple.
The reasons for this are clear. Not only does Doric offer an open-ended Forest tutoring effect on her front half, but she then transforms into an immensely powerful Owlbear later on: a beefy creature that essentially casts Overrun upon transforming if you’re playing a legendary-matters deck.
The card is incredibly useful and highly splashable, meaning its price likely won’t come down without a reprint.
7 Optimus Prime, Hero/Optimus Prime, Autobot Leader
Like any good leader, Optimus Prime succeeds not through his raw strength, but through the support he offers to those under his command. In his Magic incarnation, said support comes in the form of bolster triggers on both the front and back halves of the card, helping to lift up the weaker creatures on your board so they can lend a hand in combat.
It’s a very flavourful take on the character, and a solid addition to Vehicle-based decks in Commander, be it as the commander or as part of the 99. For this reason, despite how affordable the card is currently, a reprint would be desirable to keep this champion of the people within reach of the people.
6 Rick, Steadfast Leader
The Walking Dead Secret Lair Drop was the very first Universes Beyond product, though that name was yet to be coined at the time. It brought many fan-favourite characters from the hugely successful series into the world of Magic and featured one of the most expensive Universes Beyond cards to date in Rick, Steadfast Leader.
For just four mana, Rick can give a board full of Humans, himself included, first strike, lifelink, and +2/+2. That makes him one of the most pushed typal Lords the game has seen, and in a type that sees consistent high-level play to boot.
It would be easy to recontextualise Rick for a Universes Within reprint down the line, so let’s hope that Wizards of the Coast deigns to do so.
5 Themberchaud
If there’s one thing Magic players can’t get enough of, it’s huge Dragons with splashy effects. Themberchaud slots perfectly into this category and, while he isn’t too far removed from his official in-universe peers in terms of power level, the fact that he’s a Secret Lair exclusive for now means a copy will cost you a sizable chunk of a Dragon’s treasure hoard.
His huge AOE effect is powerful, particularly in Commander, where it can clear the table in one fell swoop and even scale up in effectiveness alongside Commander tax. His second ability is mostly just humorous flavour, referencing the fact that Themberchaud is the rare Dragon that can’t easily fly, but the first ability is so strong that it doesn’t even matter.
4 And They Shall Know No Fear
Decks built around one particular creature type are and have always been, hugely popular options in Commander. This means that any card that can slot into such a deck, particularly if it crosses borders and works well with multiple types, usually commands a hefty price tag.
And They Shall Know No Fear is a textbook example of this.
For just two mana, it grants all creatures you control of a specific type +1/+0, as well as indestructible, making it functionally similar to green staple Heroic Intervention. While it doesn’t provide hexproof as Intervention does, it offers a mini-Anthem effect instead, making it well-suited for aggressive typal decks like Humans or Soldiers.
3 Slicer, Hired Muscle/Slicer, High-Speed Antagonist
Slicer doesn’t earn his spot on this list due to his price, which is actually quite reasonable at the time of writing, but rather due to his unique and interesting effect. True to his name, you can essentially loan Slicer out to your opponents on each of their turns, giving them a 3/4 double strike with which to attack anyone but you.
This is a unique take on a political effect and one that’s affordable mana-wise too since you can easily drop and transform Slicer’s Vehicle form to cut two off of his cost. He’s just a really fun card and one that more people could have access to if he received a reprint.
2 Negan, The Cold-Blooded
Negan’s debut in The Walking Dead is nigh-unanimously considered one of the most shocking moments in TV history, and his Secret Lair appearance reflects it perfectly. After some cruel mind games and the deaths of two of your beloved creatures, Negan then extorts your resources in the form of Treasures for himself.
The first ability here makes Negan a three-for-one at worst, but the Treasure generation ability is where things get really interesting. Combined with other Edict effects, the kind that is very common in Negan’s Mardu (red/white/black) colours, this ability can easily generate huge piles of mana for you, leading to swift victories at the Commander table.
1 Marneus Calgar
In addition to a totally solid 3/5 double striking body for five mana, Marneus Calgar also features one of the most absurd lines of text ever printed on a Magic card: whenever you create one or more tokens, draw a card. This doesn’t specify creature tokens, meaning that Treasures, Food, and Clues are all fair game here and that you’ll likely be drowning in card advantage after just a turn or two of him in play.
The fact that Calgar can create creature tokens himself is a nice bonus, but really he just plays extremely well with other token generators in the format, such as Smothering Tithe. He’s inexplicably affordable for now, and a reprint would help him to stay that way.