Collaborations often bring fans the best of both worlds, and a chance to see what two of their favorite franchises would look like when brought together. Fans of AMC's The Walking Dead and Wizards of the Coast's Magic: The Gathering card game may be intrigued to see how the popular zombie show fits into one of the world's most played TCGs.
The Walking Dead is an ongoing TV show that explores what several human characters' lives are like during a zombie apocalypse, while Magic: The Gathering is a fantasy-themed trading card game where players compete to create the most effective decks. The TCG has done crossovers before, including an upcoming crossover with Dungeons and Dragons, Wizards of the Coast's other big franchise.
The MTG/Walking Dead crossover is named Secret Lair, and will feature new premium foil cards with exclusive artwork centered around zombies and The Walking Dead characters. The crossover will launch on October 4 according to a press release, the same time AMC is holding its "We Are the Walking Dead Weekend" by airing a premiere of The Walking Dead: World Beyond followed by an episode of Talking Dead, which will feature an unboxing of the MTG crossover cards.
The drop will reveal all but one of the cards in the following weeks, and that last card is being saved for a special reveal that players will have to discover for themselves. Pre-order takes place between October 4 at 11:30 PM ET and October 12. These MTG cards will be premium foil, which is a card type with a glossy finish as opposed to the standard card production.
While high fantasy and grimdark zombies may seem like an odd combination, veteran Magic: The Gathering players will know how popular necromancy and zombie hordes can be in this TCG. The VP of Games for AMC, Clayton Newman, calls the card drop a "perfect blend of the two universes." A lot of the success of the crossover will depend on the art style, since both franchises have specific aesthetics and it will be interesting to see how the artists blend the various moods and themes together.
The Secret Lair cards are new to MTG, but The Walking Dead content will only be legal in Legacy, Vintage, and Commander. MTG tournaments can have complex rules, so players should make sure to double-check that they can incorporate these crossover special edition cards into their decks.
The Walking Dead Season 10 resumes on AMC on October 4, 2020. Magic the Gathering is available in physical format or via Magic Arena on PC.
Source: Wizards of the Coast