Is the 40K MTG Set Legal in Magic Formats? A Breakdown for Warhammer and Magic Fans
Yes, 168 cards from the 40K Commander Decks are legal in the Commander, Vintage, and Legacy Magic formats. The other cards are reprints or not tournament legal. As a passionate Magic player and Warhammer 40k fan myself, I want to provide a detailed guide on which cards can be played where, why Wizards took this approach, and what to expect in the future.
A Granular Look at 40K Card Legality
Out of the 317 total cards printed in the Warhammer 40,000 Commander Decks, around 53% (168 cards) are new cards legal in eternal Magic formats:
+-------------------+------------+------------------------+ | Total 40K Cards | 317 | 100% | +-------------------+------------+------------------------+ | New Legal Cards | 168 | 53% | | Reprint Cards | 149 | 47% | +-------------------+------------+------------------------+
Specifically, these new cards can be played in casual or competitive Commander games, as well as Legacy and Vintage events. They join reprint cards which are allowed in formats based on their original versions.
However, no 40K cards can be used in Standard, Pioneer, Modern, or other formats requiring recent expansions. This focused legality aligns with Wizards intentionally positioning the set for Commander versus competitive constructed play.
Why 40K Was Made For Eternal Magic Formats
As both a Warhammer 40k and Magic enthusiast, I love this crossover set and "battle in a new universe" concept. However, introducing 40K characters and rules directly into Standard legal expansions could imbalance competitive play.
Cards like Marneus Calgar giving free creatures each turn or Sgt Ripper Jackson ramping mana from destroyed lands work wonderfully in a casual format like Commander. But they could easily break tournaments where fine tuning is vital.
Instead, Commander provides the perfect blend of flavor, fun, and flexibility for a special set like this. And based on strong sales and player engagement so far, both Hasbro and Games Workshop made the right bet focusing here versus Standard or Modern. We‘ll likely see this proven out by the success of the first Commander crossover between two powerhouse franchises.
Availability Concerns – Prints and Reprints
The 40K Commander Decks launched October 7, 2022 after some pandemic related delays. While I haven‘t seen print run data disclosed publicly, Wizards noted supply chain issues impacted initial availability.
Anecdotally, my local game stores struggled to meet preorder demand. And listings on the secondary market show loose new cards from 40K trending around $5 per card versus under $1 for many newer Commander releases.
This early constraint has some players wondering – will we see another print wave to increase supply?
Don‘t Hold Out Hope for More 40K Printings
Unfortunately Magic Head Designer Mark Rosewater recently confirmed no reprints are planned at this time. As he notes, much of the uniqueness and collectability around these cards is their status as first-ever crossovers between Magic‘s Multiverse and Warhammer‘s grim dark future.
Flooding the market with more copies down the road would diminish that. This matches Wizards‘ approach to other card sets with external IP tie-ins like the Godzilla Series Monster cards in 2020. While popular and functional in gameplay, they‘ve never been reprinted after initial runs.
So for Warhammer and Magic fans eager to remaster reality and add 40K‘s iconic Space Marines, Chaos champions, and more to their decks, focus on collecting these now before supply disappears! Stock is still arriving at various retailers in waves, albeit sometimes briefly. I‘ll continue providing updates on restocks and card value changes here as they progress!
What‘s your reaction to the Warhammer 40k and Magic: The Gathering crossover set? Are you playing 40K cards in your Commander games now or still hunting down your favorites? Let me know in the comments – this cosmic team up is just getting started!
