Magic: The Gathering – Doctor Who | All You Need to Know

The worlds of Magic: The Gathering (MTG) and Doctor Who have converged, creating a unique crossover that has captured the attention of fans worldwide. The set is released to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the iconic sci-fi series Doctor Who. 

This special edition of MTG, known for its strategic card play, introduces four new Commander decks, each featuring 100 cards. The set, comprising 189 new cards, marks a significant milestone in the MTG Universes Beyond series. This crossover not only honors the legacy of Doctor Who but also introduces innovative gameplay mechanics to the MTG universe, offering a fresh experience for players and collectors alike.

What is Magic: The Gathering – Doctor Who

Magic: The Gathering – Doctor Who is a collaboration between Wizards of the Coast and the BBC that was born out of a shared vision to blend the rich storytelling of Doctor Who with the strategic gameplay of MTG. 

The design team, led by Gavin Verhey and including Chris Mooney, Carmen Klomparens, Trick Jarrett, Elizabeth Rice, and Jess Dunks, worked meticulously to ensure that the essence of Doctor Who was seamlessly integrated into the MTG format. 

The promotional events, particularly the launch party held from October 13 to 15, 2023, saw significant participation from enthusiasts eager to experience the new decks firsthand. This positive reception is a clear indicator of the successful fusion of two beloved universes and the strong community bonds in both fandoms.

This crossover is a testament of the creative synergy between the two teams, striving to create an experience that resonates with fans of both franchises.

What’s Inside this new Magic: The Gathering – Doctor Who set

The Magic: The Gathering – Doctor Who set introduces four distinct Commander decks: 

• Blast from the Past
• Timey-Wimey
• Paradox Power
• Masters of Evil.

Each deck is designed to represent different eras and elements from the Doctor Who series, offering a diverse range of playstyles and strategies. 

The set introduces several new mechanics and keywords that enhance the game with Doctor Who’s thematic elements. Here’s a detailed look at each:

• Doctor’s Companion: This ability is a variation of the partner mechanic, allowing a player to have two commanders if one is a card with the Doctor’s Companion keyword and the other is “The Doctor.” This represents the close bond between the Doctor and their companions, allowing for strategic diversity and a combination of color identities in a deck.

• Paradox: Highlighted by an ability word, paradox abilities activate when spells are cast from anywhere other than the player’s hand. This could involve triggering abilities or effects that increase in magnitude depending on the number of spells cast from alternate locations, capturing the unpredictable nature of time paradoxes in Doctor Who.

• Villainous Choice: A mechanic that forces opponents to choose between two detrimental effects. This reflects the tough choices and moral dilemmas often presented by the Doctor’s adversaries, and is executed in a way that maintains player agency while adding a layer of strategic depth to the game.

• Time Travel: This mechanic introduces a strategic element where players can add or remove time counters on suspended cards and permanents with time counters. This ability to manipulate the activation timing of various effects embodies the essence of Doctor Who’s time-warping adventures. It offers players creative control over the game’s timeline, enhancing both the strategic depth and thematic immersion of gameplay..

Additionally, the set includes Planechase cards, which take the gameplay across various planes and phenomena, similar to the Doctor’s adventures through time and space..

Doctor Who Decks Analysis

Each deck is crafted to not only provide a distinct MTG experience but also to tell a story, capturing the essence of the eras and characters they represent.

• Blast from the Past: Celebrates the first eight Doctors, featuring cards that pay homage to the early years of the series. 
• Timey-Wimey: focusing on the Ninth, Tenth, and Eleventh Doctors, offers a dynamic playstyle reflective of the modern era of the show. 
• Paradox Power: representing the Twelfth and Thirteenth Doctors, introduces cards that challenge conventional gameplay strategies. 
• Masters of Evil: as the name suggests, is centered around the iconic villains of Doctor Who, providing a unique perspective on the adversaries of the Doctor. 

Collector Boosters and Special Card Features

For the first time in a Commander set, Collector Boosters have been introduced, offering players and collectors an opportunity to obtain special card treatments. These treatments include foil, extended art, and surge foil versions, adding a layer of collectibility and aesthetic appeal to the cards. 

The inclusion of Collector Boosters in this set reflects the crossover’s appeal to both long-time fans and new players, offering something unique for every type of collector.

MTG X Doctor Who Key Cards

Among the 189 new cards, several stand out for their unique abilities and thematic relevance. 

Here are some of the top cards from the set. 

• Davros, Dalek Creator: This card features the Alien Scientist with a menace ability, creating a 3/3 black Dalek artifact creature token with menace if an opponent lost 3 or more life this turn. This card can shift the balance of power in a game by consistently adding threatening tokens to the battlefield.

• The Fourth Doctor: As a Time Lord Doctor, the Fourth Doctor allows players to look at the top card of their library any time and play historic spells with a unique twist – creating a Food token when a historic land or legendary creature comes into play. This offers both a strategic advantage and thematic tie-ins to the Doctor’s penchant for quirky gadgets and allies.

• The Tenth Doctor: Embodying the Time Lord Doctor, this card allows players to exile cards from their library until a nonland card is exiled, putting time counters on it. With the “Timey-Wimey” ability, it can fundamentally alter the flow of the game by manipulating time counters, a nod to the Tenth Doctor’s narrative manipulation.

• The Thirteenth Doctor: This card involves Paradox and Team TARDIS mechanics, enhancing creatures with counters and casting spells from unconventional places, mirroring the Thirteenth Doctor’s unorthodox approach to problem-solving.

• Exterminate!: A Dalek-themed card that destroys a creature and causes its controller to lose life. Its Replicate ability captures the relentlessness of the Daleks and can turn the tide of the game by removing key enemy creatures.

• River Song: As a Human Time Lord Rogue, this card allows players to draw from the bottom of their library and punishes opponents for scrying or searching their libraries, reflecting River Song’s complex narrative and her impact on opponents’ plans.

• Everybody Lives!: This instant card offers a powerful protective ability, granting hexproof and indestructibility until the end of the turn. It embodies the Ninth Doctor’s miraculous moments and offers a game-saving play.

• Wilfred Mott: This Human Soldier card allows for strategic foresight, letting players look at cards from their library and potentially put a nonland permanent into play, echoing Wilfred’s role as a watcher and occasional savior.

• Martha Jones: As a Human Cleric, this card has an investigate ability and enhances unblockable strategies. It honors Martha’s journey and resourcefulness, providing utility and card draw.

• Weeping Angel: This Alien Angel card has flash, first strike, and vigilance, and can become non-creature until end of turn, capturing the Angels’ stony immobility and deadly nature when overlooked.

• Reverse the Polarity: A flexible instant with three different options, this card reflects the Doctor’s clever and sometimes unorthodox solutions to problems, offering versatile responses to various threats.

These cards capture the essence of the Doctor Who universe and also introduce new dynamics to MTG gameplay. 

For instance, Davros, Dalek Creator allows players to manipulate opponent’s strategies, while The Thirteenth Doctor offers unique time-travel mechanics, adding a fresh layer of strategy to the game.

Future Collaborations

The Magic: The Gathering – Doctor Who crossover is a significant addition to the legacies of both franchises. For Doctor Who, this collaboration marks a new venture into strategic card games, expanding its cultural footprint. 

For MTG, it represents another successful entry in the Universes Beyond series, showcasing the game’s versatility and appeal beyond its traditional fantasy setting. 

The positive reception and success of this crossover sets the stage for potential future collaborations, possibly opening doors for more creative fusions within the Universes Beyond series.

Magic: The Gathering – Doctor Who – Final thoughts

The Magic: The Gathering – Doctor Who crossover stands as a shining example of how two distinct universes can come together to create something truly special. It’s a demonstration of the power of creative collaboration and the enduring appeal of both franchises. 

As players continue to explore the depths of this unique set, they are not just engaging in a game; they are part of a historic moment in the worlds of gaming and science fiction. This crossover is not just a celebration of two iconic series – it’s a bridge between communities, a new chapter in storytelling, and a fresh take on strategic gameplay.

FAQs

1. Are Doctor Who cards legal?

Yes, the Magic: The Gathering® – Doctor Who™ Commander cards with the WHO set code are legal in the Commander, Legacy, and Vintage formats. This also applies to previously printed cards with the WHO set code, which are legal in any format where a card with the same name is permitted. This information was confirmed on October 9, 2023.

2. What is the Doctor Who MTG set?

The MTG Doctor Who set is a crossover that includes a mix of reprints with a Doctor Who theme and brand new Doctor Who cards. Released on October 17, 2023, it features four Doctor Who decks for MTG Commander, filled with characters, villains, locations, and more from the show’s history.

3. Is the Doctor Who set coming to MTG Arena?

As of the global release on October 13, 2023, there was no scheduled release for the Doctor Who set on MTG Arena or Magic Online (MTGO). However, there’s a possibility that some of the Doctor Who cards might appear in MTGO Treasure Chests in the future. 

4. How many new cards are in Doctor Who MTG?

The Doctor Who collaboration for MTG includes 189 new cards, spread across four 100-card decks. The display commanders are numbered 192-195, and all reprints feature new Doctor Who themed art (numbered 196-331). This set celebrates 60 years of Doctor Who stories. 

5. Is Doctor Who suitable for children?

Doctor Who is generally considered suitable for a family audience, including older children. The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC), which categorizes film and television content in the UK, typically rates Doctor Who episodes at ’12’. This classification indicates that the content is generally suitable for viewers aged 12 and over. The ’12’ rating is similar to the ‘PG-13’ rating in the United States, suggesting that some content may not be appropriate for children under 12 without adult supervision due to scenes that might include moderate violence, threat, or horror. Parents are advised to consider whether the episode may unsettle younger or more sensitive children. This information was updated on June 8, 2017.

6. Who holds the copyrights for the Doctor Who-themed Magic: The Gathering cards? 

In the collaboration for the Doctor Who-themed Magic: The Gathering cards, the BBC holds the copyright for Doctor Who content, while Wizards of the Coast has the license to use “Doctor Who” elements in their card game. This allows WOTC to legally incorporate Doctor Who imagery and characters into Magic: The Gathering while BBC retains ownership of their intellectual property.